Number 100 Red Nova Sorcerer

Chapter 8: The Cure

 We all enter the house, and Bura gives Crystal the vial so that she can get straight to work. She hurries into a room that houses her lab, leaving us alone. I sit on the couch to meditate while leaving Amber and Bura to their own devices. Just because I can, I also listen in to their conversation.

~.Amber.~

"So, why are you suddenly on Astral's defense?" Bura demands, and I can tell he's got his arms crossed under that cloak of his. "He's nothing more than an hazard to us all! You and I both know this!"

"No, we don't, Bura," I retort. "It's been years; he could have been trained to control his powers!" I plant my hands on my hips. "How do you think it felt being treated like shit for no apparent reason, huh? He's gone through so much because of us!"

"Does it look like I give any type of damn?" He had it coming from the moment he was born as a Half Number! Everyone knows that they're the most dangerous! Hell, even a 96 at full power wouldn't stand a chance against them when they're angered! That piece of shit needs to know his place as-"

"As the fucking prince of the Numbers, Bura!" I shove my hands into his chest to make him fall, which he does. "Their parents trusted him with us, and all we've ever done is torture the poor thing! They've even signed off as the king and queen, and what did we do? We just threw shit at them by abusing their youngest child!" My tone gets intense with every word I spit out, and by this time, I'm screaming at the top of my lungs. "How would you like it, Bura!? Tell me! I can tell you that it feels like shit! It feels worse that getting sawed in half starting at the bottom while hanging upside down! It feels worse that having a femur bone cracked in half while giving birth! (Dave Cook reference! XD) Maybe if you could get your head out of your damn shithole, you'd see what I see!"

I take deep breaths to calm down. I can feel the eyes of the ninja staring at me as Bura looks up at me in shock, partially because of my powers of screaming.

"Well said," the ninja states. "I see you have realized your error, Amber. I'd say that is a step closer to becoming closer to Nova."

I look back to see black, smiling eyes. I smile back. "You think so?"

"Yes. It is just up to Nova to decide whether you are worth giving a second chance to."

I nod. Having a slight chance is better than having no chance at all.

Crystal comes back with a vial of thick, clear liquid. Bura and I look at it in confusion. Crimson, who has his eyes closed again, doesn't even notice that she's arrived. She walks up to him.

"Sei," she calls. "I have it."

Crimson finally looks up. "Really, now?" He stands up. "So quickly?"

Crystal laughs. "Well, I am very knowledgeable in the poisons and venoms of the forest. Who else would tend to those who have suffered bites?" She then brings out a thin blade of grass. "Also, were you looking to find this?"

Crimson takes both items and hands them to Bura, who stores them in his cloak with a snarl. "How did you know I needed that?"

"Your energy on the vial told me that you needed something from here. I figured that since this grass was full of energy, you would be looking for it."

"Well, you are correct as always!" He beckons for us to leave. "Come now. We must give this to the prince!"

We leave, Crimson saying one last goodbye to the woman before she closes the door. He turns to Bura.

"Oh, I have a job fitting for you," he teases. "You have the honor and privilege of carrying the things we need from the other worlds!"

Bura groans. "Why!?"

"Because I have noticed something interesting." He winks and continues walking. "You store things in your cloak. I've sensed energy in that cloak, and I found out that it is capable of holding anything in it! Since none of us have that power, I felt that the job would be fitting for you!"

We make it to the inn, arriving just as dusk falls. As soon as we get to the room we've rented, I see Astral laying perfectly still with his brother watching over him with a protective gaze.

"We're back!" Crimson announces, taking the vial from Bura's cloak. "And we have the antidote!"

Black mist looks over, but only for a fleeting moment. "Then give it to him."

Crimson nods and gets out a syringe from his tunic. He fills it up and shoots it into Astral's arm. He immediately relaxes, and we all take that as a good sign.

"All we have to do it wait until he wakes up, and then we can leave," Crimson states, throwing the vial into a trashcan.

~.Astral/Nova.~

I open my eyes with great difficulty and a groan. My stiff body feels impossible to move, but little by little, my muscles twitch to life. I look around, moving my head to get a getter view of my surroundings. My eyes fall on a figure that I cannot quite see in the darkness of the night, but by that fact alone, I know it is my brother. He is holding me close to him, keeping me safe in his protective arms.

Feeling starts coming back to me. I feel the warm blanket and my brother's strong arms, the soft mattress under me.

I manage to look out the window and confirm my feeling of it being night. I get in a more comfortable position and sleep.

~.The Morrow.~

I wake up when I hear movement around me. I sit up and yawn, stretching the stiffness out of my muscles. I must have been asleep for a long time if my body is this sore!

"You're awake," someone, a girl's voice, says.

Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I look to my left. There, Amber sits in a chair beside me. We are alone.

"Good morning," she says with smile. "Are you feeling better now?"

"Yes," I state bluntly. "I feel fine."

Amber nods. "The antidote worked! Crimson, Black Mist, and Bura should be back soon. Once they're done getting ready, we can go!"

I nod. "Where have they gone?"

"Out to get supplies that they need."

I lay back down because I feel a tad bit dizzy. "Alright."