The Grey Rose | A RQ AU

Chapter 1: A Guiding Hand

Sabre sat alone in the ruins of the Great Library, hiding in a small makeshift shelter constructed inside a pile of destroyed bookshelves. It was crude and uncomfortable, but it was better than being out in the open.

Better than being found.

He lay curled up on his side, the sharp-edged shelter being too small to sit up. His usually well kept clothes were ragged and tattered, the edges fraying, his hair a tangled mess with small bits of splinters caught in knots. Even with his blindfold, it was clear from his expression that he was tired.

It didn't help that he had an annoyingly chatty shadow of himself that kept bothering him. Since he broke out of the Darkness' control, Shadow Sabre persisted in trying to make Sabre turn back to Void's side. The sword that Sabre found himself holding when he escaped the Darkness was on the opposite side of the shelter, kicked away, as Sabre wanted nothing to do with it much to his shadow's displeasure. Knowing what Shadow had done with it, just the sight of the blade sent anxiety and dread through him, but Shadow wouldn't let him get rid of it. So, it sat there, just as unwanted as he was.

In the days since he ran from the Chromatics, Sabre had mostly stayed inside the shelter, hiding. He barely crawled out into the destroyed Library, except for when he absolutely needed something. Like water. Drinking from the nearby river probably isn't much good, but it was all Sabre had and as far as the last bits of his courage would take him. That, and...

Well, the visits.

He didn't know why, but since his mysterious friend had found him a day after he started hiding, he kept coming back. To talk. To try to coax him out of the shelter. To help him with the healing wound on his neck. Day after day, the cloaked stranger would get him out of his shelter for a while. Sabre took to calling him M, since he never told him his name, and it was shorter than 'Mysterious Stranger'. It's the only good thing that's happened to him for a long time.

Waiting for his next return, Sabre began thinking about some of the previous days M came by...

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He hid under a fallen bookshelf, shivering from fear. Had he been found? Did the Chromatics discover where he is? Were they going to take him back to that place?

Slowly, the footsteps approached. They stopped right next to him. Sabre shut his eyes and covered his face with arms.

The silence felt like it lasted hours, as Sabre waited for something, anything. Why were they just standing there? Aren't they going to attack him again?

The wood floor creaked as the figure crouched down.

"Hello?"

Sabre didn't recognize the voice, but that didn't mean he wasn't still in danger. It might be a guard, or somebody else from the Chromatics. He kept his eyes squeezed shut, still shivering.

"Hey, are you alright?"

A hand touched his arm. Sabre flinched back, scooting further into the small space between the fallen bookshelf and the wall.

"Oh, sorry! Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you. I was just trying to see if you're okay..."

The person in front of him stayed still. Sabre slowly lowered his arms and looked up. Sitting there was a cloaked person holding a softly glowing lantern, the warm light illuminating the destroyed Great Library. Sabre could barely see his face, but could make out a concerned expression. His hand was still raised, not to attack, but slightly reaching towards him.