Reunited Again
George didn't just walk; he stumbled forward, his legs trembling under the punishing weight of the unconscious prince. Every muscle in his body screamed in protest, his breath coming in jagged, dry rasps that burned his throat. Arthur's arm was draped heavily over George's shoulder, the cold metal of his knightly gauntlets scraping against George's chest with every labored, agonizing step. As he rounded the corner of the hidden seam, his eyes adjusted to the soft, ethereal glow of the chamber, and he froze. Two familiar silhouettes stood by a shimmering fountain, their forms haloed by a light that felt like home. The shock was so profound that his knees nearly buckled. Recognizing the towering, muscular build of Kayn and the sharp, poised frame of Nana, George carefully lowered Arthur to the cool stone floor, his movements frantic yet tender.
"Nana? Kayn?" George called out, his voice low and somber, thick with a mixture of raw desperation and burgeoning relief. The two spun around, their combat stances shattering the instant they saw him. Tears of pure, unadulterated joy blurred George's emerald eyes, making the ethereal light of the chamber shimmer like a dream. The crushing weight of the isolation he had endured since the Monolith separation finally broke. Without a word, they sprinted across the chamber, their boots echoing like thunder on the tiles. In a desperate blur of motion, George pulled Nana into a fierce embrace. He clung to her as if the maze might try to snatch her away again, his heart finally finding a steady rhythm against the familiar fabric of their gear. Kayn moved in behind her, clapping a heavy, steadying hand on George's shoulder. His presence was like a fortified wall, providing a sense of absolute security that George had sorely missed.
Nana, however, didn't let the sentiment distract her for long. Her eyes, always filled with a knowing, sharp intelligence, immediately shifted from George to the slumped, regal figure he had been supporting. "George," she said, her voice calm but underlined with clinical urgency, "who is this? And why is he bleeding?"
"His name is Arthur," George panted, his chest heaving as he fought for breath. "He saved me... he took a hit from a Weaver spider. Please, we have to do something, he's losing too much blood!"
Nana didn't waste a second. Her eyes scanned the deep, jagged gash along Arthur's side—a wound weeping crimson onto his dark blue and gold tunic. She knelt beside the prince, her hands already beginning to glow with a soft, warm light. "Stay back and give him air. Kayn, watch the entrance," Nana commanded, her voice ringing with the authority of a seasoned healer. "George, stay with him."
Arthur lay pale against the stone, his breathing shallow and thready. Nana assessed the wound with a single, sharp glance, recognizing the necrotic traces of the spider's leg. She hovered her palms over the injury, and the chamber seemed to grow deathly quiet as her magic surged. First, a flicker of intense fire-light appeared; the extreme heat caused the tissues to instantly denature, cauterizing the most dangerous vessels to stop the flow. Then, her hands shifted to a brilliant golden yellow, meticulously healing the torn muscle and sealing the skin with a precision that only she possessed.
"George, get me a stem from the Heartnotisha plant! Quickly!"
George fumbled for the plant he had harvested earlier. As he handed it to her, Nana crushed the heart-shaped seed, mixing it with her mana as she fed the essence to Arthur. George watched, mesmerized, as the grey pallor left Arthur's face. Slowly, the prince's breathing became deep and rhythmic. She placed her hands over him one last time, the glow radiating like the midday sun. As the light dissipated, Nana's strength suddenly gave way. She swayed, collapsing from the sheer strain of the high-level healing magic.
George moved instinctively, catching her before she hit the floor. "Nana!" George shouted, his heart leaping into his throat. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah," she whispered, leaning into him, her eyes fluttering. "The magic... it drained me of most of my mana. I just need some rest."
George sat back on his heels, a wave of immense relief washing over him as he looked at the recovering prince. "He's stable," Nana added, her voice weak but proud. "He was brave to hold on as long as he did."
The tension finally snapped. George lunged forward, throwing his arms around Nana and Kayn as they knelt next to him. He embraced them so tightly it was as if he were trying to merge back into the safety of their company.
"I thought I'd lost you both," George whispered into Kayn's shoulder, his eyes wet with tears of joy.
"Never," Kayn grunted, returning the hug with a firm, steadying squeeze that felt more like a shield than an embrace. "We told you we'd find you."
After a long moment, George pulled back, wiping his face as he gestured toward the sleeping boy. "Like I said, that's Arthur Pendragon. He's the Prince of Elysium. He's been helping me navigate the sectors. He's a good person, and he understands the rules of the maze."
Nana stood up slowly, dusting off her uniform as she looked down at the prince with a curious, analytical gaze. "A prince of Elysium, in a place like this. How strange."
George sat back, giving a final, weary sigh of relief. "I'm just glad Arthur and I found each other. I'm not sure I'd be here if we hadn't." He then looked off into the distance, his gaze fixing on the towering ethereal clock floating above the city. As he watched the numerals pulse with a cold, rhythmic light, he realized that while the labyrinthine prison was still as dangerous as ever, and the massive clock tower in the sky was still ticking toward zero, they were no longer fractured. Fueled by the promise of a way out and the strength of their reunited bonds, George felt more assured at the idea of surviving the mazed city together.