Oblivion (A Black Clover Story)

Twenty-Eight

I wasn't sure why I found myself standing outside Nozel's door. He did tell me to come to him if anything went wrong, after all. Part of me wanted him to hold me. Wanted him to tell me it was okay and to feel the warmth of his skin against mine. It was four in the morning but I knew he was awake. Otherwise he would wake upon hearing me knock.

I raised my hand and knocked once, but stopped. What am I doing? Am I really crawling back to him? No... No, I can't do this.

Turning and walking away, I heard his door open just as I rounded the corner. My body stuck to the wall like my life depended on it, and like I'd witnessed from him many times before, I suppressed my mana flow. Maybe it was because I was so frightened of him finding me that I could hear every movement he made in an amplified state. He brushed his hand against his door. "Iris?" he called out, but I didn't move. He sighed. "I... Know you're there. If you need me... I'll be here."

Of course he knows you're here Iris! He's a damned Captain and his mana detection is crazy! What the hell is wrong with me? Before I could let anything else happen, I ran down the hall opposite of where Nozel was and scrambled to get into my room just in case he followed. Once I was safe in the confinement of my personal quarters, I stood there for a few minutes. Waiting. Listening. Sensing. But he never came and neither did William.

I wanted to forget both of them in that moment. I wanted to lose myself in sleep. It seemed like hours before I slept, but finally a deep slumber blessed me with its presence.

-

When I awoke, I threw my hair up and stared at myself in the mirror. The only thing on my mind was William. I had to talk to him. The more I thought about it the more I realized that this wasn't like him. It wasn't like him to lie or to keep things from me. Everyone was right that something was wrong with him but... It seemed like he needed comfort more than anything. Before we went to sleep he simply asked me not to go. He just needed me there and I left.

I sighed, packing my things up and opening the door to head back to William's room. But instead, I bumped into a familiar figure. Looking up, my eyes widened. "Nozel?"

His hand was raised like he was about to knock. He quickly cleared his throat and used that same hand to adjust his collar. "I just... Wanted to check on you. Are you alright?" he asked quietly so as not to alert any possible prying ears.

"Yes, I'm alright," I lied.

He frowned. "You're a terrible liar. I know you came to my room in the middle of the night. And judging by how you didn't sleep with him and instead you're here... What happened?"

I coughed a little to clear my throat. "Something that should have happened differently. I-I'm okay. I just need to go talk to him."

He made a soft sound but said nothing else and allowed me to pass. I clenched my fists as I made my way to his room, not because I was upset but because I was nervous. I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know if he was even still here. But, it was still before noon so maybe there was still a chance.

And there was.

I could feel his deep, brooding mana flowing out into the hall before I was even remotely close to where he was. If he wasn't careful, he would have Lord Julius knocking on his door at any second. But as soon as my body and my own mana disturbed his own, it flinched. He sensed me near. If I had any doubts or desire to turn back, all was now lost. Quickly I stopped at his door and rapidly knocked three times.

His flowing mana wavered again. It was obvious that he didn't expect me back so quickly, if at all. The man was so insecure that he probably thought we were done for. Maybe I shouldn't have left my key for him to see. It was then that I realized I was already going back on my word of not wanting to come back for a while.