Radiance

Detached

|Sabre|

Everything... Everything felt like it was falling apart.

Light was injured.

The First Curse was back.

And I couldn't feel anything.

Time's gentle hand rubs my shoulder, but I could only barely feel it. I curl up further onto Time's chest. With everything, he was the one friend who had stuck with me the most. No matter what, Time was there by my side.

I listen to the gentle ticking of his heart, but as I do, an urge to cry washes over me with the memory of Light getting flung back. I squeeze my eyes shut.

How many more friends was I going to loose? How much more pain was I going to go through?

"Sabre. We've been laying here for several hours... We should get you cleaned up-" Time starts, but I pin him down by keeping my head on his chest over his heart.  I didn't want to move. I really didn't want to. Time gives a reluctant sigh as his hand goes to ruffle my hair, but even still, I couldn't feel it...

I bury my face into his shoulder, then let out a long and shaky sigh. I had asked Time earlier about Light, but his answer hadn't helped me...

Nobody knew about if Light was truly okay or not.

"Ok... Come on." Time shifts me so that he can sit up, then sighs. I keep my eyes closed, however. With all this pain in my mind, I couldn't deal with being awake. I wanted to fall asleep and wake up to discover this was all a dream...

"Sabre..." Time shifts me and reluctantly, I open my eyes to see his face filling my vision. The crack on his face was illuminated by the light filtering in through the window as he looked at me worriedly.

I make a small noise, then jump a bit when Time pulls me into a hug.

"We are going to get through this Sabre. We will figure everything out and make sure we won't loose anybody. You don't have to worry about anything else coming to harm you." Time's voice is laced with genuity as he hugs me tightly. I... vaguely felt a warmth from him... And... The smell of his clothes finally breaks through as his words sink in.

I can't hold it in any longer...

I wrap my arms around Time in a return hug as I sob into his shoulder. My cries fill the empty void as the pain I was feeling in my heart and mind burst out.

All the years of pain.

All the years of lost family and friends.

All of the years I had lost a part of me I held dearly.

My mom.

Dad.

Tewtiy and Lucas.

Rainbow.

I couldn't hold back the pain as I yelled it out. It rushed out like a waterfall through a broken dam. Yet Time anchored me down. He held me while I screamed out all the pain I had bottled up and even when I had ebbed away into a shaking sob, he stayed still.

I don't know how long I had been crying, but next thing I knew, I felt a cold rag against my face and soft voices around me.

"You know I can do things, Time..."

"I'm aware, Green Leader... I'd just prefer it if I can keep an eye on him for now... He might wake up and be skittish if he doesn't know who it is immediately."

Tiredness fills me as I wince a bit at water dripping down over an eye. But after a moment, the cold rag lifts and the voices continue.

"How... How long had he been screaming for? I'd been walking around and hadn't heard anything down the halls."

"...A straight hour... I'd be surprised if he didn't loose his voice for a bit after that."

What was going on...?

I shakily open my eyes to see light glinting off of a mask as the wearer took the rag and placed it in a basin of water to cool it off again. I watched mesmerized as the water falls in droplets from the rag as he lifts it up, then squeezes it out.

"I... Love of Chroma. Do you think he would have, Green? How would he communicate with us if that is the case?"

"Mmm... I don't know, Red. It's hard to say. I'm not sure if loosing a voice is the same for us as it is for Sabre..."

A pause fills the room as I glance up at the masked person who paused to look at me.

"Paper and a pen. He can communicate via writing and hand gestures."

"Alright... Still need to make sure he doesn't strain his voice further. It's not going to do Sabre any good if he's sick."

Wait- that voice before was familiar... Tewtiy?! I struggle to sit upright, being disoriented and drowsy,  which made Time jump but then lock eyes with a set of brown ones across the room by the door. The scene around me clears as the blonde haired man who is a dear friend of mine has a look of shock in his eyes.

"Sabre! You're awake!" Time exclaims as he places his hand over his heart and lets out a slow breath. I make to speak out, but feel as though there was a hundred chains around my neck to prevent me from speaking. I...

"Sabre...?" Tewtiy walks over as I place my hand on my throat and feel myself shake a bit. Slowly, things were clicking together. I had lost my voice from screaming so much earlier. DANG IT! Why'd I- I... No. Can't focus on that... Tewtiy was here. Tewtiy and Lucas!

But... How? Wasn't this world supposed to be sealed from everything outside?

I look down and clench the covers a bit, confused and feeling frustrated at myself for not being able to talk immediately to ask Tewtiy the questions in my mind.

"... We're gonna need a notebook. Does anybody know where a blank one is? As well as a set of quills and ink?" Tewtiy looks around at the room to which I trail my gaze after his to see Green Leader, Violet Leader, and M standing in the room as well.

M looked tired, but not as much as he had before. Violet looked shaken up, but relieved to see me. Green looked as exhausted as M and was running a hand through his short kept hair.

At base, they all looked exhausted... Probably as exhausted as I felt.

"I think I can grab one from my dimension right quick." Time looks at Tewtiy who gives him a confused look.

"Dimension-?" Before he can ask further, Time stands up from the bed and strides off to the side away from the others, then disappears in a flash of silent lightning.

My old friend stands there in silent confusion with his eyes looking around quickly. I manage a quiet raspy laugh at his looks and feel a small feeling in my heart.

Safety.

Despite everything that had just happened, I felt a small ounce of safety with my friends around me and my mind felt clearer. Though deep in my mind, terror and uncertainty still lingered. I let go of the covers and look around the room. My emotions were on a roller coaster right now. But given a few more minutes and I think I could sort things out. Like how I needed to sort out my mind.

Tewtiy looks over at me with a slight relief and relaxes. His cape was reflecting a small bit of light from the lit lantern hanging from the ceiling as he walked closer to me and placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Glad to see you up and laughing a bit, Sabre." Tewtiy's brown eyes meet mine and I playfully hit him in his unprotected side. He was using his noble talk again which I never thought he sounded the best with it. He grunts and then chuckles.

Light fills up the room again, then I look back over. A simple leather bound book was extended out for me to take. Meeting Time's eyes, he gave me a small smile.

Well... Time to speak I guess.

Heh, 'Time'.