I Will Hold Your Hand Gently

Chapter 47: Chaos Is Everywhere

My ear rang with a sharp, almost deafening sound as I slowly opened my eyes, finding myself lying on the cold floor. There was a trail of blood stretched from my forehead, snaking its way across the floor and into the hallway. The pain in my head pulsed with every beat of my heart.  For a split second, I thought that I might have cracked my skull when the sudden force hit me until I felt something solid beneath me.

It was Hunter—unconscious, sprawled out beneath me, his body cushioning my fall. His hand had been pressed between my head and the hard floor, acting as a makeshift buffer. His quick action must have lessened the impact causing me to have a cut that seemed frightening but wasn't a danger to me.

As I fought to push myself up, struggling to shake off the dizziness, the sounds of screams and frantic shouting reached my ears from the ballroom. I glanced toward the large arched window, and the sight that greeted me sent a chill through my spine. The clear, star-filled night sky had vanished, replaced by a blood-red sky that seemed to bleed into the darkness, casting an eerie, unsettling glow over everything. Something was wrong.

I tried desperately to wake Hunter, shaking him, but he remained unresponsive. For a B-Class like him to be knocked out so completely by such a powerful force, it could only have been the work of an S-Class. There were currently only three S-Class that I know of, and only two of them were Espers; Zwei, and the King, Reinhart. However, fighting among themselves was unlikely, so that must mean that there was another S-Class here.

A sharp pain began to pulse in my head again, making me flinch instinctively. Maybe I had cracked my forehead after all, despite Hunter's attempt to protect me. The cut on my forehead started drizzling down into my left eye, causing my vision to turn bright red. I wiped the blood away with my hand and tried to wake up Hunter again.

I gently placed my hand over Hunter's and focused, channeling my energy to guide him. If he had any injuries to his head, my guidance should heal them. As I concentrated, I could feel the flow of energy, but with each passing second, the ringing in my head grew louder and more intense, making it harder to concentrate. The pain in my skull seemed to worsen the longer I tried to focus on healing him.

I pushed the pain aside and focused entirely on healing him. The blood-red sky outside suggested there had been a rift somewhere, likely allowing monsters to pour through even at this very moment. Only Espers could stop them, and as a Guide, I knew I wouldn't be much help. What felt like an eternity of agony was only a few seconds. Finally, Hunter's eyes fluttered open. 

I pulled my hand back with a sigh of relief, "Good, you're awake."

Hunter shook his head as I helped him up from the floor. His eyes widened in shock when he saw the cut on my forehead.

"You're injured...!"

I wipe away the blood that started trickling down again, "I'm fine. Now isn't the time, we need to head back to the ballroom."

"The ballroom?"

I point at the window, revealing the bloody sky, "There's a rift in the sky. We need to help them evacuate."

Hunter blinked at me, clearly confused by my lack of concern for my condition. I didn't have time for that. Ignoring his worried gaze, I started marching toward the ballroom. Closing the rift and stopping the monsters was far more urgent than my injuries. Hunter, understanding the gravity of the situation, followed behind me without another word.

As soon as we entered the ballroom, the chaos was overwhelming. Screams filled the air, mixed with the sounds of frantic cries and the thundering rush of people scrambling in all directions. Panic had already taken hold. The guests were trampling each other, desperately trying to escape, while the monsters emerging from the rift tore into anyone too close to the large window. It was complete and utter chaos.