Fate (DISCONTINUED)

IV

A/N:
Okay so firstly, I would like to thank you all for bearing with my rant on that of the "chapter" preceding this. I never thought the reactions would get beyond enough to make me feel better!
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I'm sorry if I seem to not reply to comments as much as I used to now that I get lots of them with the notifications popping up at mostly the same time..... BUT! Yall have to know that I am reading every single one of them, and that I really like how much it really made my day, made me feel better and happy even with the stuff going on irl, and I just can't express how much I love yall! UwU♡♡♡
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One random question before we get to the story:
Any of you play Sky: Children of Light? Or is it just me?
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NAIB
Is this real?

Or is it just my mind playing tricks with me?

Why is it that I always feel like I'm looking for someone?

The adrenaline rush. The blood boiling in my veins. The pain gushing through my body. My current state of mind.

Just...... what happened to me?

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"Naib!"

Aesop's stressed and unsatisfied look was the first thing popping into my view the moment my consciousness came back to me.

"Uh... w.. what happened?" I asked, placing a palm on my head. Everything was nothing but a blur, but I was able to make out the fact that I'm back in the manor, lying on a bed with various kinds of medical supplies being placed by the table next to it.
"H-huh?! The match-"

"It's done." He said, still refusing to make any direct contact even after my position-changing attempts, trying my best to look into his eyes.
"We won, despite the wounds you and Eli sustained."

The door then opened, revealing Emily and Eli with his bandaged back.

"Hey, Naib. How are you feeling now?" The Doctor smiled as she let the Seer rest on the bed being positioned right in front of me, his owl cooing in the process.

I held my head up as she approached me, the usual smile on her face being shown to all three of us.

Just please. Don't ever see the scar.

"I'm just glad that the headbump happening to you earlier during the match did not give you any additional damage. The fog blades were more than enough to injure you badly, especially in this part-"

"Ow! Don't touch it! That hurts!" I yelled out the moment Emily had her hands on my stomach, which is covered in bandages now that my eyesight is clear enough to see everything.

"Ouch, I'm sorry about that. But anyways, with some rest, you all will be good as new again. Now if you excuse me, I have a few things I need to do now. Just call me once something happens."

The Doctor then left, leaving all three of us to ourselves.

It had taken less than one second for the whole room to be filled with nothing but awkward silence.

I took this very moment to recall everything that happened in the match.
The map. How all my teammates managed to get the flow going even after me losing consciousness amidst all that.

Most of all, the hunter.

To be honest, I did not get the chance to clearly see who the hunter is, for anxiety and all the voices in my head had gotten the best of me, thus making me end up in my current state.

But why am I feeling like something is... off?

"The Ripper really was something, huh?" I heard Eli finally having the courage to break all the silence off.

I don't know why, but I got the feeling the Seer is the type to be able to befriend anyone.

He was the first one to ever talk to me and that of the Embalmer despite how less likely it is for the two of us to ever give him a reply.

"Yeah..." I answered him, this time sitting myself up. My head and stomach still feel like they might kill me off but I decided to dismiss the sensation it gives me.

"I should have dispatched Luke to protect you, Naib. I'm really sorry. You won't be this injured if only I hadn't screw up...."

I had my attention on the Seer. He was now sitting still with his gaze focusing on me, or that is how it looks like to me, since he always has his blindfold on without even bothering to take it off.

"No. It's okay. No one knew he would come after me right when I got you off the chair and you utilizing Luke's protection..." I let out, a smile forming on my lips.

Me and the Seer had broke into massive laughters when the sound of a chair hitting a table's foot was heard.

"Sorry." The embalmer muttered, rushing towards the door.

"Hey, Aesop. You did well too, man! Great job with that uh... what do you call it... that thing you do with your coffin?" Eli asked, much to the embalmer stopping every of his activities.

"Embalming." He said, still not looking at us. Instead, he held his face mask upwards that it almost covered his grey eyes.

Aesop is a man of a few words. He barely talks. Emily's words regarding him are now back in my head again.

It was another silence for a split second before another word escaped the embalmer's lips.
"Still. I didn't use my coffin in time on Naib. I'm sorry."

I froze, knowing that they are now throwing the blame on themselves.

"H-hey! No need to feel bad and all that, it was something we didn't expect would happen! Besides, I wasn't in my primest too, so it would do you guys no good-" I said as Aesop stared at the window.

It was the first time I finally heard him talk that long.

Like, I know it only lasted for a brief moment, but for someone less social as him, it is something.

"You don't like talking that much huh, Aesop?" Eli asked as he massaged one of his palms. Probably numb from all the times he spent rubbing on his injured back.

The embalmer gave no response but a shrug.

"Well then, I shouldn't force it out of you." Eli chuckled, smiling at the Embalmer.

I cannot hold but let out a small laugh as my mind recalled back to that moment when I was about to offer Aesop some help on decoding, in which the latter refused.

"Okay, enough with all this. What if the three of us become friends?" The Seer said out of nowhere.

"I know this might sound weird, with Aesop being new here and us two being stuck in this condition, but hey- I got a feeling that we will make a good team. So, Naib, Aesop, you guys in?"

By now my body had somehow forgotten the state of pain it is in.

I smiled as I fistbumped Eli, who is now standing next to the bed I am on. Over my first few moments and that of my match here, the Seer had been the best I ever talked to, regardless of all the things going in my head.

Guess this is my one and only choice after all.

"Aesop?" Eli said, staring at the Embalmer who is -finally- making eye contact with us, the details of his grey eyes sparkling with joy, if only he was willing enough to admit it.

He was perplexed and tried to deny it at first, but then he finally placed his fist next to mine and Eli's.
"Yeah. Let's be friends."