The Burden of Leadership: This isn't victory (2/2)

Lyon POV:

The Senior Vices were being treated on the same floor as Brunaulf, though the distance between the two wards were considerably far apart.

I watched Jane constantly look back to check on me while she lead the way. Her worry was warranted; I could feel the skin tearing apart in various places on my abdomen as I trudged forward.

I examined her dark brown hair, combed back and braided into a thick bun. It contained bright blond highlights while also matching her nurse attire.

We soon arrived in front of their ward. Jane bowed and waited at the end of the hallway while I pressed down on the door handle. I opened the door and walked in.

Beds were laid out equally in a linear position across both sides of the room, leaving a wide walkway in the middle. Closed curtains folded themselves against the wall as they hung from circular, silver railings.

My gaze shifted to the Senior Vices laying down on those beds. Gunnar sat beside Ven while she rested her head against his shoulder. He stroked her cheek gently and looked at her with loving affection.

I glanced towards Triste, who had been staring forwards in a daze. I wondered what was on her mind, but I was glad she looked much better than a few days ago.

"District Leader! I'm sorry I didn't greet you right away!"

Gunnar jumped up and bowed his head. Triste broke out of her daze and bowed her head along with Ven.

"How are you both feeling?"

Ven looked down and clenched her fists.

"It was my decision to enter the red mist... I was put in charge, and my decision almost cost us our lives..."

Her shoulders heaved up and down as she sobbed. Even if a few days had passed, the memory of it all was still fresh in her mind.

"Storm... He... He showed me Gunnar's head severed from his body... And I froze. I couldn't move. Triste and Denise tried to snap me back to my senses, but I thought it was all over. I don't deserve to be a Vice—"

"Ven, that's enough now. You've been blaming yourself ever since you woke up. At the end of the day, you stood back up, and we fought together... The truth is we are damn weak.

I couldn't protect Denise. I couldn't protect you, and I couldn't protect myself. Tch. They... They toyed with us."

Triste gripped the bed sheets, and the atmosphere instantly became even heavier. It really was a wake-up call. Everyone here knew that District 1 was the next objective, but now what? They represented the elite of the Organization, yet they had been beaten down with relative ease.

I clenched my teeth and took a few steps forward.

"You're all alive... That's good enough. I was the one who agreed to send you to District 3. None of you are to blame for this result."

It was the truth. We didn't need to keep an eye on District 3 so closely; it was just more advantageous to us if we did. I felt worse and worse the more I heard.

They both bowed their heads while they thanked me for coming.

"Leader, Brunaulf... How is he?"

I turned my attention to Triste, who looked away while asking. There were plenty of people that still held grudges against Brunaulf, but it was hard to hold onto them when he was trying so hard to do something about it.

"He's stable, but he needs time..."

"...I see. I guess I should thank him later."

"I need to as well. He fought to protect us."

Their determined faces were enough to make me feel slightly better. I turned around when Ven suddenly stopped me.

"Um... Leader, you... Uhh... You know Denise and Brunaulf are together, right?"

"...I know."

They looked at me with surprise, but it wasn't that surprising at all. I had seen her standing outside his office countless times when he cried at night. She always wanted to support him, but he kept her at arm's length. Brunaulf didn't want to hurt her, whether that be indirectly or directly.

"Denise... She's not okay, Leader."

"...What?"

I turned my head and glared at Ven. Triste went silent while Gunnar didn't say a word. I had been told that all the Senior Vices were in a stable condition. She might not be staying in this room, but she should still be fine.

"Allow me to explain, District Leader."

"!"

My head spun round as I saw a young, attractive woman wearing a white coat, enter the room. She had a slim, curvy body and a pair of sleek glasses that sat comfortably on her small nose.

"I am Doctor Margaret."

She answered my question before I could ask. I watched her bow her head as she held a clipboard in her hand.

"Please follow me, Leader. Vices, you should come too. This matter concerns Denise."

'...'

I followed her immediately, and we entered an identical room right next to the Senior Vices. Margaret stood in front of the closed blinds and furrowed her eyebrows while looking down at the clipboard.

She pulled the curtains away, revealing Denise laying down on the bed sleeping. Her jaw was noticeably swollen, but something was wrapped around it, holding it in place. Triste immediately hobbled to the side of the bed and watched over her.

"Will it heal?"

I asked Margaret directly.

"The damage to her jaw was severe. It will need a few weeks, but she will make a complete recovery in that regard."

Triste let out a sigh of relief. I narrowed my eyes as I began to feel nauseous.

"However, she has suffered an extreme amount of trauma to the head. Not only physically, but mentally too. It has been 4 days, and she has yet to open her eyes; despite being in a stable condition."

I saw Triste's eyes shake as she slowly raised her head to stare at Margaret. Ven bit her lip while Gunnar grimaced at the news.

"What are you saying exactly?"

I wobbled slightly as I stepped forward. Denise was fine; I could see her clearly. She was just mentally and physically drained. Didn't I wake up only after a few days of rest? Why would she be any different? Why is Margaret saying this?

"Leader, she is not simply unconscious; she is in a coma. I am trying to say that Denise may never open her eyes again. Whoever did this to her didn't just stop at her physical body, but they directly attacked her mind too. That is what I meant by trauma."

Triste immediately collapsed to the floor as the light left her eyes while she sobbed uncontrollably; her best friend had just been taken away from her. Ven cried, and Gunnar comforted her.

I couldn't believe it. She... might not ever wake up?... But... But Brunaulf?... I bit my lip as I clenched my fist.

"Does he know?"

"..."

Margaret looked away slightly as her eyebrows quivered. Her lips parted slowly, and she spoke in a whisper.

"...He doesn't know."

My legs felt like jelly as the world around me began to tilt. This can't be happening... If Brunaulf found out, he'd break... I stumbled forward as I grabbed Margaret's coat.

"She'll wake up, right?"

Margaret's gaze swept over my body as she frowned.

"Leader, you need—"

"ANSWER ME!"

I pulled her coat towards me as she stumbled forward in her high heels. She caught herself and bent down, whispering directly into my ear.

"I'm sorry, Leader... I truly am. But Denise... She probably won't wake up..."

"..."

I released my grip on her coat as I staggered backwards. I watched her wipe her eyes with the back of her hand while she gave me a slight smile. I turned around and stumbled out of the room in a hurry.

I needed to get out of here.

I heard Margaret shout after me, but I didn't turn back. Jane caught up to me and spoke, but I couldn't hear her. I tripped over my own feet as the skin tore open the recently closed wounds.

I gazed at the blood seeping through my bandaged abdomen and dripping down onto the hallway. I dashed forward. Jane tried to hold me down, but I pushed her away. Tears streamed down my face as I fled through the hallways.

My mind was all over the place, and the world felt like it had been flipped upside down.

'I can't... I need to go... I need to go...'

My breathing became erratic as I began to hyperventilate. I felt my eyes try to roll back into my head while I vomited blood all across the white vinyl flooring.

"Ugh..."

I looked down at my broken arm. It warped like a distorted reflection from a mirror, twisting and curving inwards like an entanglement of tree roots. I struggled to breathe as my pupils dilated while I dashed out of the building.

Beads of sweat trickled down my forehead as I bolted towards the main base. I couldn't talk, nor could I see properly. My head was empty; I just needed to go... I had to go...

Before I knew it, I stood in front of the two large doors leading to the District Leader's room. I had made it all the way here, leaving behind a trail of blood in the process. My tongue glossed over my cracked lips as I kicked the doors open.

"!"

The burning pain from my leg made me buckle forward. The weight of my body crushed my broken arm further as I cried out in pain. I clawed away at the ground, dragging myself through the short corridor leading to the main room.

I hauled myself up the steps and stumbled back to my feet. I stood in front of that tall chair, gazing at it in silence. My eyebrows abruptly sunk down to the top of my eyes, forming a deep valley of skin folds. The veins on the side of my head bulged, and I roared.

My fist shot forward. It smashed against the rock-hard chair, breaking off a large chunk near the top. The blood vessels in my hand popped, followed by several small fountains of blood piercing through the skin, spurting out of multiple places and wetting the ground below.

"..."

I stared at the wall beside the chair before slumping my back against it as I slid to the ground. My eyes aimlessly stared off into the distance while an endless stream of tears splashed against my bloodied body.

***

Lissandra POV:

My eyes flashed open as I abruptly woke up. I hadn't slept at all these past few days, so I must've fallen asleep while resting my head on the bed for a few moments.

"!"

I quickly looked up and realized that the District Leader was gone. My heart raced as I jumped to my feet instantly. He was in no condition to be walking around, but his physical state wasn't what worried me the most—it was his mental state that did.

I dashed out of the room and checked the hallway, but Jane was nowhere to be seen. My eyebrows furrowed as I clenched my teeth. I explicitly told her to not let the District Leader leave this room.

Where would he go? I imagine he wanted to apologize to Holder first before going to Brunaulf and then the Senior Vices. However, no matter who he saw first, the end result would be the same.

I darted down the hallways as I headed to Holder, who was being treated on the same floor. I bit my lip to calm myself down; I could see it clearly: the stress and the weight of being a leader was gradually piling up on him. He was only a year or two younger than me, yet he was so mature. But that wasn't enough to bear all the responsibilities that came with being a leader.

"Frida, did the District Leader come?"

Frida wasn't surprised by my sudden entrance into the room. She sat on a chair beside Holder and looked at me with sad eyes.

"He did, Vice Lissandra."

I sighed inwardly. That meant he had moved on to see either Brunaulf or the Senior Vices. Am I too late?

"...And how was he?"

Frida and the District Leader shared a sort of unique relationship. She had watched over him for months and often made him rest when he wouldn't normally have chosen to. I knew she'd have a good grasp on how he was mentally.

"He has a strong heart... But he's still just a child."

A solemn look resided in her eyes while she held Holder's hand.

"You should go to him."

I felt my stomach twist as I spun around and darted out of the room. Frida was telling me that I needed to be by his side. Why didn't she keep him there? Why didn't she stop him from seeing the Senior Vices?

My vision became blurry as tears welled up in the corner of my eyes. I reached the main stairs, only to find large patches of blood spread out over the floor.

I could hear my heart beating in my throat as I bent down and examined it. The blood was fresh, and it formed an erratic trail that led down the hallway. It curved in at times, leaving bloodstained fingerprints along the wall.

'No...'

I panicked as I followed the trail of blood. Cold sweat dripped down my back while I turned the corner.

'No... No... No!'

The amount of blood coating the white flooring drastically increased as my legs moved faster than before. I soon came across Jane sitting against the wall. She hung her head down as she sobbed alone.

"Jane, where... Is he?"

She looked up through swollen eyes and shook her head. Jane had probably tried to stop him after realizing the danger he was in, but he didn't listen, or rather, her voice most likely couldn't reach him anymore.

I furrowed my eyebrows and continued on.

I left the building, entering the main base a little further down the street. A number of people came up to me to raise concern over the District Leader's condition. They described his complexion as sickly pale and his lips turning a blueish colour. Naturally, they tried to help him, but he insisted that he was fine.

'...I'm too late.'

I eased the worries of those around me before chasing after him. I shouldn't have fallen asleep—that was my biggest mistake. I bolted up the stairs in a hurry.

"!"

I slipped on one of the steps that was covered in his blood and immediately regained my balance. My mind was in such disarray that even my natural reflexes had been dulled slightly.

I continued onward, and once I reached the top, my legs began to slow down.

'What should I say to him? What should I do?'

I had been chasing after him this whole time, yet those thoughts had never crossed my mind. I stood at the top of the steps, balling my hands into fists while my eyebrows crumpled together. I'm sure just being by his side would comfort him... Right?

"!"

I heard a loud bang ring out from his room. I stepped forward in a hurry, but my feet didn't go any further. I stood in front of the two large doors as the sound of his distraught agony echoed down the short passageway.

My hand rested against the doors while I listened to him wallow in despair. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I felt the pain in his voice resonate throughout my body.

"Master... Why..."

The faint sound of his voice reached me as my hand slid weakly down the door. I slumped down in front of it, letting my head hang over my knees. I parted my lips slightly and mumbled to myself through blurred eyes.

"I'm sorry..."