Arknights : the broken fate

Chapter 20: A Deal With The Devil

"Shar...wake up...we have to go." 

His head was heavy and hard to move, his body tried to resist his attempts at waking up, but he succeeded in the end. 

The first thing he saw was Ashia's worried face. It's been some time since he last saw his face maskless, they usually kept them on for as long as they could.

It seemed he had slept for some time. It felt like a long time, but who knows how it really was? Still, even with that, his body was still demanding more rest, threatening him with shutting down if does not comply with its demands.

But he refused, the memories of what happened reappearing in his mind. Moment by moment, he was recalling, until he stopped at something, something he deemed serious. 

That voice....that man...'Who was he'  The question crossed his mind before a weird feeling came from his behind, and before he knew it. He jumped out of where he was lying by pure instinct and ripped his gaze straight toward the source of this feeling, only to be surprised by what he saw.

He- no...they were in a room, not a normal one to say the least. Ashia was kneeling not far away from him, she was taken off by his sudden movement. A bit behind was Sevv and the other two sitting around a table drinking something. They too were surprised by his action.

But as much as he was happy that everyone seemed alright. For Shar, only one thing was truly important to him. It was none other than the mysterious and menacing man who stood in the middle of the room.

Unlike the others, he couldn't read his expressions or even try to guess what he was thinking about. His entire face was covered by a thin black veil with gold covering its outer sides.

Even though the veil seemed thin, Shar couldn't manage to get a glimpse at what lay behind it. Other than his face, the man's body was also covered by a small and similarly colored cloak.

The more he looked at the man standing before him the more he noticed other interesting yet strange things about him. Like the belt, he had a book, a knife, and a couple of pouches strapped to it.

Or the strange metal stick that he held with his right hand, with its upper tip being made out of a crimson red crystal.

It was hard for Shar to think about who this man was, or the way he helped them. The only way to know was to ask.

But before he spoke, an empty bottle of water came out of nowhere and hit him straight in the head.

"Ouch! What was that for?" He looked to where the bottle came from, only to be met with a pouting Ashia.

"Shar! What are you doing?! You were literally knocked out just a few moments ago and now you are jumping around like a monkey!" She immediately got up and started scolding him like an angry mother.

"Oh man, now he's done it..." Sevv could be heard chuckling behind with the other two behind seeming quite used to this scene.

"And what was that look you were giving to the man who saved us? Show some respect, dammit!" As she continued scolding him for a good 10 minutes, the only thing Shar could do was lower his head and repeat one simple word:

"Sorry," Shar said as Ashia forced him to bow his head while he apologized to the veiled man.

"I found no offense in the way he acted, his interest and caution were nothing but understandable for someone who is in his situation. I believe it is I who has to apologize for not introducing myself earlier." The man unexpectedly answered, making Ashia a little embarrassed about what she did to Shar.