Until We Fly: The Guardian Legacy

Chapter 14: Return

-Nim-

Slowly, I raised my head as I woke up, my face aching.
Turns out I'd fallen asleep at the table again...

I rubbed my cheek, looking around while my eyes adjusted to the light. Through the window, the sun was just rising and casting out a beautiful orange glow across the sky, beaming through the window.

A cold coffee rested on the table by where my face had lay, half drank with too much milk.

The waves hit the shore delicately through the longest silence.
How many times had I woken up like that?

Enough.
Just enough.

Last night was tragic. Tonight, Tsuki's torment would follow through. An endless loop of overwhelming agony, circling all those desperate to help.

Yet we could never help.

Then...something was wrong.
Out of nowhere, all of a sudden...
My fingers...flickered?

Only for less than a second, but I definitely saw it.
White and light blue sparks on my fingertips...
But what...

My attention was pulled away from me as I saw something in the corner of my vision. Just at the very edge of the window...a foot?
Someone by the shore?

Being unable to see properly, I threw on my dressing-gown and headed outside.
The morning breeze was soothing yet not calming the edge I felt as I circled the building towards the...whatever it was.

I'd hoped it would be nothing and that my eyes had played tricks on me.
But no.

Lay face down, half in the water, was James.
Unconscious.
Bleeding.

In a panic, I ran over and lifted him up, calling out his name in hopes for a reaction.
Nothing.
But he was breathing.

After dragging him inside and laying him carefully on the table, I tended to his wounds as best as I could.

Luckily, it wasn't as bad as I'd first thought. The only real damage was a deep wound in his arm, spare some marks and bruises.

But...why on earth was he outside?!
And what had happened to him?!

I held some burning herbs beneath his nose and he soon woke up, dazed and disorientated.

"...N...Nim?"

"Morning. How do you feel?"

"...uh...sore?"
He groaned, sitting up.

"You will for a few days. Your arm is hurt pretty badly. Though it looked like a lot more blood in the water."

"W-water?"
James quickly noticed his soaked clothes and frowned.
"...why..."

"You were outside. By the ocean. Well, IN the ocean, I should say."
I explained.

"...oh..."

"So...what happened?"

"Huh?"
James looked up, ringing out his shirt onto my freshly mopped kitchen floor.

"Why were you outside?"
I asked.

"Oh. I don't know."

"How did you get hurt? Did someone attack you?"

"S-something like that...I really don't want to talk about it right now..."

"Why not? James, if someone's hurt you, you have to tell me! This isn't just something that-"

"It's just not important right now, okay?!"
He snapped, his hands shaking.

I stepped back.
Something was wrong.
I frowned.
"...really James...after what happened yesterday, you really think I'll just let an attack like this go unnoticed?!"