Number 100 Red Nova Sorcerer

Chapter 23: Reunited

~.Crimson.~

"Free?" I take his shoulders and turn him on his back to see his face. This is definitely the Number I remember! "Are you okay?"

He says nothing. I sense his system only to find some kind of paralyzing drug floating around inside him. Even so, he manages to wrap his weak arms around my shoulders in a feeble embrace.

"I...I knew you'd...come," he manages to whisper.

I hug him tightly, injecting him with an antidote during the interaction. "Of course," I mumble into his ear. My hand strokes his silver hair. "You're my adorable little angel." I kiss the top of his head. "Now, let's get out of here."

Free nods, and I set him on my back. I hurry out of the room silently.

~.Amber.~

"Yo, Amber!" Bura calls from upstairs.  His feet pound on the ground as he dashes down the stairs. His face is lit up, as if there's something exciting going on.

"What?" I watch him skid to a halt, looking up from a picture of little Astral when he was actually happy. It was during his birthday, and he'd managed to make a friend. Of course, it didn't last long, but he smiled. It kind of makes me wonder what would have happened if he stayed. "What's got you so worked up?"

"Mom's waking up!" He grabs my hand and drags me straight to her room. With a yelp, I run after him.

The door to Mom's room is slightly ajar. From inside, I hear groaning. Is she really waking up? We enter the room, and what I see is Mom rousing from her slumber. It's only been a day since she's been here again, but she's already waking up! Bura and I run to her bedside to watch her wake up.

Her eyes flutter open; we lean in, feeling highly relieved. We've been waiting for days to get her back, and every day waiting was worth it!

"Amber...?" she croaks. "Bura...?"

My brother and I laugh with relief. We don't even make sure that she's okay when we jump on her, hugging her like she'll disappear if we don't keep her here. She laughs slightly and hugs his back with that strong grip of hers.

"Mom, we missed you!" I exclaim. "You have no idea what we've been through to get you back!"

Mom sits up, still holding us. "Really? Well then, tell me about it."

Bura's about to start telling the tale when something cuts in the air. I can't see what it is, but it leaves a small hole where it cuts through the wall. I look out the other window  to see the Numbers being overwhelmed by Humans so much so that they're actually being pushed back to here! The other two members of my family walk to my side and see exactly what I see. The Numbers are putting up a pretty good fight, but their quantity is lacking.

Mom scowls. "What are they doing? Why are they bringing a battle to us?"

"Well, these Humans apparently want the Numbers and maybe us, for some reason," I explain. "It wasn't really made all that clear to us."

Bura doesn't hesitate to say, "We should help them."

We both look to him. "Why do you say that?" I tease.

He smiles a little. "Let's just say that they've grown on me. Besides, I admit that it's impressive how much Astral's grown."

I turn to Mom. "You rest here. Bura and I will go down there to help."

"If my kids are gonna risk their lives for the Numbers' battle," she starts, grabbing her bow and arrows, "then I'll have to go down there and make sure that they don't kill themselves."