𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐂𝐊𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐄- 𝐋𝐄𝐎𝐍𝐀 𝐗 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑

LION INSTINCT

Leona slowly opened his eyes. He instinctively raised his hand to block the harsh sunlight from the outside of the windows. His other hand touched the fabric he was lying on, and he immediately realized where he was, the infirmary of NRC.

Why would I be here? Leona asked himself. He was still having a headache but it couldn't stop him from trying to recall his memories. The last thing he could remember was his whole body feeling powerless and unmovable. The only thing in front of his eyes was nothing but darkness. "Got stuck in the Enchanted Forest... The three-headed gigantic dog... Red-eye Tarhan and the Forest Tribe... We were escaping... and... I was shot by a dart... We- I got shot... because... she-"

A person appeared in his mind.

"Herbi-!" He was about to yell, and he stopped when he saw the one he was searching for was sleeping silently next to his bed.

You were probably too tired to realize that Leona was awake. You were sitting on a chair next to Leona's bed, head lying on your arm which was resting on the bedside. The other arm of yours was well wrapped with a bandage. Under the warm sunlight, you were snoring softly.

He couldn't help to relieve himself and weighed his mind when he found that you were safe. Taking all those darts where worthy after all. The situation was desperate back in the forest. If he was late for even just one second, you would be the one who was shot. Leona lay back onto the pillow with a hand covering his eyes and forehead. "Fortunately..." He sighed.

"...Kingscholar... Leona... no..."

Leona took away his hand and looked towards the direction of the bedside when he all of a sudden heard someone mumbling. It was you. Your eyes were still closed, yet you were mumbling intermittently. Apparently, you were sleep-talking.

"... Leona... please... don't die... Leona... please... don't close your eyes... please..." you murmured while your eyes were still closing, but your brows slightly frowned. Leona could see a small drop of a tear falling down your cheek from the corner of your eye.

Your hair was shining under the sunlight. Leona unconsciously reached his hand towards your hair when he saw you crying. The only thing he could think of was comforting you. You must have been tired, after all those running. You didn't deserve any of these, being stuck in a forest and on the verge of death. You shouldn't be going through all of these.

Just before his fingers could touch your hair, a sudden tiny movement of you startled Leona and made him lie back on the pillow and pretend to be asleep again immediately.

You rubbed your teary eyes and slowly sat up straight. You were having a nightmare, in which the moment Leona was shot was repeating nonstop, and no matter how hard you tried, you couldn't wake him.

You looked at Leona who was still closing his eyes and lying on the bed, just like yesterday, and the day before yesterday. It has been two days since you two were rescued from the forest. After applying the first-aid and medical treatment, it's said that Leona had become stable. However, even the doctors couldn't tell when he would wake up.

"He's lucky. If he were being sent back here even just a minute later, the poison would have entered his heart through the blood, and there's no way back." the school-based doctor had told you.

Since then, you refused to leave the infirmary except for taking a bath or going to the washroom. No matter how many times the Heartslabyul students, Vil or Trein sensei had tried to persuade you to go back to your dorm and take a rest, you just couldn't. You didn't want to leave Leona here, alone in the infirmary when he got hurt because of you.

"If it weren't me, you wouldn't have got hurt..." You looked down and mumbled. "If I had noticed that guard sooner, you wouldn't have had to save me..."