"..If you need something.. don't hesitate to ask."
Foryan then turned around, as she was just about to reach for the fabric of the entrance.
.
.
.
.
"Then."
- A coarse, whisper-like voice that felt as if it hadn't known rest for hundreds of days emanated through the tent. Causing the three to jerk up from their positions and Foryan, to abruptly halt on her tracks.
The stature's head tilted upwards slightly, its mouth going agape for a second before shaking and then finally releasing its dried-up tone;
"Can..I request a place where I can be left alone for a while..?"
————
"Please wake up."
*Kssh..*
"Please wake up..."
*Pwooo..!*
"Please. wake up..."
*Clang..*
"Please wake up...!"
*Ting..!*
"Please wake up!!"
*...Byuu..*
"Please!! wake up!!"
With his body filled to the brim with scratch marks, wounds and barely-healed scars. The Young man; which was Calestro continued to fiddle with the remains of the two obliterated bears inside of the confines of an aging wooden house.
Amidst the overwhelming darkness, only countered by the small lantern which housed a singular white candle that rested atop a wooden table with only three legs beside the preoccupied young man; Calestro, with a frantic and sweaty countenance continued to twist a variety of screwdrivers on certain areas around the two heads, though mainly on the visible metallic insides of it.
*CLANG!*
As he was fiddling, screwdriving and bringing together some of the loose wires together, an iron beam inside of the head that had lost most of its supports found itself collapsing on his thumb, directly penetrating the nail and causing a circular implosion on it, letting blood to escape and its insides to be revealed.
"Ow.."
- Calestro, muttered before steadying his eyes once more and continuing on fixing the wires around the beam, though with his hand shaking as he attempted to make use of his four remaining fingers while the thumb trembled and vibrated.
"..Ghk..!"
The searing pain continued to send jolts up his nerves as the lukewarm air generated by the lamp entered the opening on his nail and proliferated amongst his flesh.
With a shaky right hand did Calestro complete to realign the wires present inside of the larger head, however without even bothering to wipe the sweat off his forehead, collarbone and neck, he immediately pounced on a different section of the machine, now attempting to drive a loose screw forwards by pushing and twisting the end of the screwdriver with his palm in an attempt to still make use, of the not subsiding excruciatingly painful; hand.
*Cling..* *Cling..*
He felt the scars on his body reopening once again, the sweat that slid down from his chin and mostly the collarbone now entering those fleshy openings causing a burning sensation that complimented the hot atmosphere brought by the nearness of the lamp.
"Please..Ow..Please Please Please Please.."
Despite feeling his receptors scream in complete agony, his gaze remained steadfast on his laid out tools and the stationary heads of the bears.
"Ack..!"
Calestro winced as he slowly pulled his right hand out of the head of the papa bear, completely coated in blood as if it had been turned into ketchup.
"..Tch..Tampering Counter..!" - Calestro clicked his tongue as he glanced over to his red right hand and towards the area where he attempted to pull a wire in order to tie it to a different one, the area, was suddenly sealed with a door consisting of; razor-sharp, wafer-thin spikes that coalesced unto itself.
*BANG!*
"DAMN IT!!"
- Calestro then slammed a fist towards the wooden table holding enough force that made his tools, and the smaller screws to abruptly jump before he weakly laid his forehead there on the table, body nearly surrendering to exhaustion.
*Beep*
*Beep*
*Beep*
"..!"
Then, a repeating set of high-pitched sounds made the young man raise his head instantly, eyes widening in the process.
A small, cylindrical object was resting atop the table with a pair of wires connecting it towards the individual heads.
In the middle of the object there lied a neon-blue line that circled around it, despite there being three similar-looking lines embedded around it only one remained glowing, the other two were gray, as if already exhausted.
The last remaining neon-line on the object continued to flicker and sound the high-pitched noises that fished Calestro's attention, repeatedly changing from a bright, blue colour to a dark, lifeless gray hue.
"..! Dang it..!"
Seeing it flicker, Calestro with a gritted teeth and furrowed eyebrows forcefully snatched his waistbelt that remained attached to a wooden chair beside him, with enough urgency that it shattered the part where it was hanged.
"Where is it..where is it..where is it...!"
He then drove his left hand inside of the pouches to rummage throughout his belongings;
"This is it..!"
He then pulled out an indeed cylindrical object, but it did not resemble the one in the table at all with its red colouration and.. a bug-like drawing at the center;?
[Bug Spray]
He then threw it away behind him before quickly rummaging through his belongings once more.
*Slam!*
"Not it!"
[Packaged Biscuits]
"No!"
- He then flunged it behind him.
*Crash*
[Glass with a paper taped to it; "Tepid Water"]
"What!?"
- He then threw the jar to his side.
*Shatter!*
[Preserved Yellow Potatoes]
"No—Wait!"
He proc—
*..Clink.*
"These are delicious.."
He muttered before gently placing the jar down on the floor.
[Cell 07]
As he pulled out a similar-looking object, he swiftly pushed the present one aside causing it to fall before he proceeded to fiddle with the new one and then pull out two individual wires which he inserted to the ports located at the back of the bear's heads.
Then he waited. The left, uninjured fingers mindlessly tapping away on the table as a drop of sweat slid down his cheek.
"..Come on.. wake up..!"
"Cell 07..? I already..used up everything..!"
Calestro realized, sending his mind onto an overdrive.
"If they don't.. wake up then..!!"
Calestro's face quickly went pale as he froze in position.
"I..I cannot have..that..!!"
He then focused his unrelenting gaze on the two once more.
Please wake up
Please wake up
Please wake up
Please wake up
Please wake up
.
.
.
PLEASE WAKE UP PLEASE WAKE UP PLEASE WAKE UP PLEASE WAKE UP PLEASE WAKE UP PLEASE WAKE UP PLEASE WAKE UP PLEASE WAKE UP PLEASE WAKE UP PLEASE WAKE UP PLEASE WAKE UP PLEASE WAKE UP PLEASE WAKE UP PLEASE WAKE UP PLEASE WAKE UP PLEASE WAKE UP PLEASE WAKE UP PLEASE WAKE UP PLEASE WAKE UP PLEASE WAKE UP PLEASE WAKE UP PLEASE WAKE UP PLEASE WAKE UP PLEASE WAKE UP PLEASE WAKE UP
.
.
.
"PLEASE..!! WAKE UP BOTH OF YOU..!!"
*knock* *knock* *knock*
*creak..*
"hello?"
"I CAN'T HAVE YOU BOTH GONE..! SO WAKE UP..!"
*Bang!*
*Bang!*
"kya!"
Calestro slammed down both fists onto the table, head bowing downwards as if begging while a few droplets of tears began to be secreted out of his eyelids.
"WAKE UP..DAMN IT..!"
"Kal..yesthrough..?"
"..!!"
- Just then, a soft, barely-audible voice emanated from the obscurity behind him. With widened eyes, Calestro immediately used his forearm to wipe away any of the remaining tears before responding in a shaky, unstable voice.
"Ye..Yes..? Who's there..?"
The Young man turned around, only to be greeted with a presence that sent a shock down to his core.
"..!"
————
Earlier that afternoon, when Foryan had finally departed from the tent with a slightly disturbed condition. Calestro reverted back to his unresponsive state while his response had left the three medical officers; Charlotte, Layla, Mila paralyzed.
"..Did..did he just speak..?"
"...Oh wowzers! So..he can speak..?"
"Yipee..! he spoke..! he spoke Sis Yenna!"
They all individually thought.
"erm..?" - Mila was the first to break her gaze and actually approach the young man.
"..Kal..kalesthrough..? right..?" - Mila stammered to the young man—
"..."
Which was met with silence.
"...do..do you need..anything for now..?"
Silence.
*sigh.*
After a moment, Mila released a troubled exhale, which was immediately scratched by—
"..Whe..When will I be discharged..?" - Calestro's whispering. His deep, hollow-like eyes diverting from the floor and into the gaze of Mila, sending a small chill down her spine.
"..aft..after we are done..with healing your wo-wounds..?"
Hearing such a response, the young man briefly paused before returning his eyes back to the floor.
"The—then..please hurry..."
Calestro replied, lips slightly clenching themselves.
"..?" - Mila them looked over to Charlotte who looked as equally troubled as her, in contrast to Layla who continued to gaze at the young man with a childish smirk on her face.
"Don't worry toyboy! With our help, you'll be out there crafting away in no time!" - Layla chuckled.
"Th..then..please live up to that.." - The young man muttered, voice coarse as if was dehydrated for days.
The operation commenced, Mila assisting Charlotte on her casting of the healing of the back injuries all while Layla was also casting a spell, but on Calestro's chest.
"Is..is this—necessary?"
- Calestro whispered, eyes finally acknowledging the cat-like lass in front of him that hovered a hand over his chest.
"Yes sir. Healing magic not only drains the Aetherna of the healer, but also the energy of the healed..!"
- The blue glow around Layla's hand continued to intensify.
"It's because.. I will die if not..right?"
Layla beamed.
"Indeed! You're quite knowledgable..!"
...
Charlotte emerged from the entrance of the tent with a neutral expression on her face;
"Yes, confirmation granted..."
With her confirmation, Calestro slowly perked up, a small trace of light returning on his irises before quickly dissipating again.
"Then...you two.."
- Afterwards, Charlotte diverted his gaze from Calestro and towards the startled Mila and the grinning Layla.
"..escort him will you?"
————
"What..what are you doing here?" - Calestro inquired, eyes barely able to make out the figure standing amidst the darkness.
"..Well..I was tasked..to.."
*Step*
*Step*
The figure slowly took a step forward to enter the range of the lamp, revealing it completely.
"Good job, how's his body holding up..?"
- Foryan inquired, back facing the girl that is reporting to her.
"Everything has been healed.. thankfully there was Layla who constantly supplied him with energy.. had she didn't.."
She trailed off, causing Foryan to hum in response before turning around.
"Do not go into that. For now.." - Foryan's lips evolved into a small smile.
"Yes..?"
"Remember your punishment..?"
"..Oh..Yes.. Because of the...earlier this day was it?"
"Indeed." - Foryan scoffed before continuing;
"Your punishment is this.."
————
Crisp golden-haired that is beautifully complimented by the orange illumination of the lamp, and deep-blue coloured eyes that resembled an ocean reflecting away the shine of the sun.
"I've been tasked.. To be your caretaker,
I'm Charlotte."