A Man for Himself (Norton X Eli) [Identity V] *UNEDITED*

Chapter 35 - Failed Prophecies

Norton was standing in front of a dilapidated altar, holding a shiny object in his hand. It's a crystal with a bright blue shade. It shone so bright that it served as the only source of light inside the dark room. The prospector's eyes were fixated on it as if he had found the greatest treasure known to mankind. Then, one by one, crystals of the same shade and brightness began popping up behind Norton, creating a pattern until it formed a tall figure. The glimmering pattern soon turned into a full image of a humanoid creature that resembled a large lizard with crystals sprouting from its back down to the tip of its tail.

Eli winced and was brought back to the present when he felt a pang of pain from the back of his right shoulder, making him hiss. Norton was sitting behind Eli on the bed, carefully patching up the wound that the seer had received from Luchino. Thankfully, it was shallow and did not hit any vital organ, so it should be easy to clean and dress.

After the match, Norton had insisted on tending to their wounds instead of going straight to Emily for treatment. Eli did not protest and let the prospector take him to the room he shared with Naib since he wanted to have a talk with the prospector after what he had witnessed back in the asylum. It had been the first time someone had fought back against the hunters and succeeded.

Eli had been shocked when Luchino attacked him, but it had been nothing compared to the astonishment and horror he felt when he recalled the scene of Luchino's blood raining down on him when Norton slit the professor's throat using his own weapon. The sound of someone choking in his own blood was fresh in Eli's ears. It should not have mortified him, but to hear a hunter suffer in agony, it shook Eli to his bones. A survivor had been capable of killing a hunter in cold blood. That survivor was none other than Norton himself, his paramour.

The look in Norton's eyes had been murderous. Eli had never seen such eyes before. Even Naib, who had spent a good amount of his lifetime being a mercenary, never shown such sign of derangement. It was disturbing yet strangely marvelous.

"You were not supposed to fight back," Eli mumbled under his breath, his eyes focused on his hands resting in his lap. "There was no reason to do so. Even if I died back there, it wouldn't be permanent. You know that, don't you?"

"I had to do it," Norton persisted. "I couldn't let you die." He finished placing a gauze over Eli's treated wound and moved to sit on the edge of the bed next to the seer.

Eli watched as the prospector took off his torn purple top, used it to wipe the paint off his face and started to clean the cuts on his arms.

"It wasn't right," Eli said, taking the cotton from Norton's hand to return the favor. "What if it affects your chance to leave the manor? What will you do? What if you get punished?"

To say that Eli was worried was an understatement. His vision had shown him the inevitable meeting between Norton and Luchino, but the outcome of their encounter was never revealed to him. There was a blind spot. Was Norton supposed to kill the professor? Was helping Norton a mistake?

It was Eli's duty to help his teammates and to protect them. He had only done what he was supposed to do. Was he wrong for helping Norton survive?

"There is no rule saying that we can't fight back," Norton reasoned. "I won't be punished for rules that don't exist."

A crease formed on Eli's forehead. He was not liking the prospector's stubbornness. It was not in the rules, but it was never stated that fighting back was allowed. With a shake of his head, Eli decided to let it drop and focus on his task at hand.

"Thank you," Norton muttered after a while. "I know I don't deserve your kindness, yet here you are. You keep on helping me. Thanks for giving me a chance, Eli. I'll make it up to you."