[VOLUME 1] N.E.X.U.S. : Inception

Chapter 6: Path to The Warriorhood

Three days have passed, and I'm still lying in the medical tent, day after day going through the tedious process of recovery, passing the time with a dull routine. Orion regularly visits me, making sure of my condition, every morning before heading to the dining hall and every afternoon after finishing training before heading to the dining hall. His presence brings a bit of color to the monotonous days in the medical tent. I feel happy when he comes because it means I have someone to exchange stories with and to dispel the loneliness that creeps in.

"The nurse said I can go home tomorrow morning," I said to Orion that afternoon when he visited me again."Wow, that's great news! Finally, you're deemed fit to leave. Yay, now I have a friend to train with," Orion replied joyfully."I'm not fully recovered yet, actually...," I said, "...but I also don't want to stay here any longer because it's so boring and monotonous."Orion laughed heartily for the first time, and I felt as if I had witnessed a miracle with my own eyes. A young man who usually looked downtrodden and listless was now able to laugh, which was unusual.

"You seem happier, more excited, and much stronger lately, buddy," I told Orion."Ah, really? I don't think so," Orion replied, blushing slightly."Or maybe you are right...," he continued still blushing.As we were chatting, suddenly a knight in armor rushed into my tent, almost running.When he arrived by my bedside, his heavy breathing became apparent. However, I couldn't recognize him immediately because he hadn't raised his visor yet.After he calmed down a bit, he opened his visor and spoke with still labored breaths, "Val? Where's Val? I looked for her in the barracks, but she wasn't there!"Ah... I recognized him now. He was the man who got injured while trying to protect Val in the tavern, if I'm not mistaken..., ah, I remember now, his name is Hyperion!

Orion seemed slightly surprised and turned his face away, as if reluctant to inform him.I understood that Orion still didn't have enough courage to explain what happened, so I answered, "Val left the next morning, after she recovered. She seems to have joined the Nordfeuerkriegertruppe Brigade. She just left a message saying she'll be gone for a week, which means she'll be back in 3 days."

Hyperion's face, which initially showed panic, now turned into a deep expression of disappointment and burning anger. I saw a reflection of myself in Hyperion when he found out that Val had left without our knowledge."Damn it, couldn't she have valued my feelings more? 

Doesn't she understand how worried I am? And she just goes north to fight, leaving a message as if that's enough and everything will be fine. Of course, she's not fine; there's no way she could've recovered that quickly. She's just pushing herself, and... never mind, I don't know anymore. I'm just afraid she'll get hurt again!" Hyperion exclaimed with a frustrated voice, his eyes becoming teary with emotion.

Feeling somewhat responsible, I slowly got up from my bed and placed my hand on Hyperion's tense shoulder."She'll be okay, won't she?" I said with a voice full of conviction, even though my heart was pounding, and I didn't fully believe what I was saying. "You know, she's always been like that, strong and tough."My hand trembled slightly as it touched his shoulder, but I suddenly felt compelled to give him some courage and hope, even though we had never really spoken to each other before.Hyperion looked at my hand on his shoulder, then raised his head to look at me, and smiled slightly in relief, "You're right, she'll be fine. Thank you for reminding me... oh, sorry, what's your name? I forgot.""Hector, my name's Hector. Nice to meet you, Hyperion, I mean Senior Hyperion," I said firmly, performing a respectful gesture.