2 Hell

"Yumi..." I murmured, my eyes beginning to drift open. My vision was hazy, but it soon fixed itself. I was in my room. The clock was all that filled the silence, with the alarm sitting on my desk; 6:59.

"Was it... a dream?"

* * *

Many people filled the hallways, shuffling about as the bell began to ring. I felt a slight tug on my shirt, followed by a vibrant "Good morning!" Turning around, I was met with my friend, Yumi, along with a tall witch hat placed on her head. She gave a blank stare; rarely did she ever not.

"What are you wearing?" she asked, peering up and down at me. I looked down, only to notice my body and clothes stained with a form of dried liquid—smelling of rust and feeling as if it had been there for weeks.

"I- I don't know."

"Eren, are you alright?" She asked, not moving an inch as she looked dead into my soul. I felt as if I couldn't move—like I hadn't in weeks. I caved in under my own weight, falling to the floor.

"N- no, I... I saw you..."

"We see each other everyday... remember?"

"Oh. I get it." I murmured, peering up towards her, "This isn't real is it? This is a dream? A nightmare?" She gave a slight smirk; Like what she always used to do.

"Wake up," She whispered, as almost seamlessly did the environment change. "Wake up." I heard again, but not from Yumi; this time from a girl besides me. She seemed to be around the same age as me, with a dried pinkish hair color similar to everyone else. Her eyes, however, were a striking and vibrant pink and as cold as the moon. A girl who looks so innocent but has the eyes of someone who has seen and survived hell.

Though almost instantly, I felt my heart clench, compressing my chest in pain. It was only then did I realize the bandages encircling my head and covering my ears. The same feeling and smell from that dream—that of the dried blood—still covered my body and clothes. Despite that, I was happy. I was alive; alive with hollow tears rolling down my face.

The girl besides me grabbed my chin, pointing it upwards and towards an adjacent bed; on it lay Yumi. Instinctively, I began reaching out for her, but she stopped me. "It's okay." she said, "She's alive."

"Alive? But I saw her, she was-"

"-Dead. We had to use some rather 'questionable' techniques to get her back." Looking at Yumi, she had a long silver string of hair near the front of her face. Though I was curious, I chose not to ask; I was just grateful that she was still with me.

"Sorry to ask, but who are you?" I murmured, feeling my own voice struggle to form words.

"Rikka. You should consider yourself lucky I managed to find you in that alley, or you and your friend might have died."

"Y- yes, thank you..." My heart clenched, "Do you... know where we are?"

Se seemed confused at first, though eventually answered, "We're in Gaval." Giving me almost no time to respond, she spoke again; "But besides that, I have some questions of my own. Who are you? And why do you have such weird clothes?"

Though I also had more questions, none did I want to be answered. I was too scared to know. "I'm Eren, and she's Yumi. We aren't from here, I guess you could say..."

"Well, it's nice to meet you. Sorry that you couldn't get better accommodations here. For the past week, Enna and I have been looking after you in my room."

"Has it really been a week?"

"About a week and a half, actually," I stayed silent, not exactly knowing what to say. "Anyways, you should be able to move- but slowly, we wouldn't want you to use up your energy."

"Are you sure I'll be fine?"

"Yes."

"And what of Yumi? Do you know when she'll wake up? Can she walk when she does?"

"I'm not certain when she'll wake, but she was at death's door. No, she was already there. She should be able to walk, but will likely be disoriented for a few days."

I let out a sigh, and slowly stood from my bed. Rikka helped me up, staying right to my side as we marched towards the door. "Where are we going?" I asked, with her reaching out and opening the door.

"We are heading downstairs. Enna would like to speak with you."

"Stairs?"

"You'll be fine, I'm right next to you."

As we walked down the hall, we passed through an oddly placed metal gateway separating the hall, approaching the stairs as we one by one waddled down them. It wasn't what I had expected, however. What I thought would be a motel or something of that sort turned out to be a small bar—tables scattered around the room and barrels of liquid behind the counter.

Despite this, the room was empty. The only person was a rather stern lady going table to table and grabbing the silverware. As she noticed us, though, she stopped and briskly came towards us. "You're awake! How are you feeling?"

"Dizzy..." I responded, clenching the nearby railing with what felt like all my strength with Rikka lightly supporting me.

"You should be grateful Rikka managed to find you both. If not, you might as well be already dead." I could hear Rikka let out a slight sigh, walking me past her and placing me down at a nearby table.

Gently I sit down, slower than I might have ever moved in my lifetime. Finally, I managed to take some time and look around. The walls were old—yet at the same time held a feeling of dignity to them. You could smell the washed-out scent of alcohol and booze, though simultaneously smelling of flowers or a form of sweet perfume.

"I can keep the two of them in my room," Rikka turned, leaning back on the table and soullessly gazing straight to Enna's eyes, "I don't care for the price."

"You sure? Are you able to pay for those two?"

"You know of my family—I also don't intend on keeping them there for free."

With a quick flick of her wrist, Enna turned and marched towards the front desk with a handful of silverware. Before I had realized, Rikka was already staring at me; the same empty eyes as usual. She watched, as if waiting for me to say something—I never spoke a word. Finally did she turn away, standing and walking to my side. Instinctively did I track her eyes, her doing the same. It was a silence that neither dared to break.

She walked all the way around me—Grabbing my right arm and instantly pulling it upward. I could feel the strain, though I tried to fight through it. Throughout, she still pierced my eyes with her own. "Does it still hurt?" She murmured, drumming her fingers against my hand with an odd amount of pressure.

"Yeah, it does."

"Alright, then. We'll take it easy for now; show you the ropes."

"What do you mean?" Her eyes wandered to me and away multiple times in just a few seconds, all before she helped me stand and stagger towards the door, "What exactly are we doing?"

"We're going to train you. Get you to stand for yourself, literally and metaphorically." Her voice stuttered, her cold eyes now looking as if a deep sadness had forever tainted her perceptions, "I was once like you, you know. Helpless. Scared. You're lucky I'm even helping you two."

"Why are you helping us?"

She paused, "Because you told me too. It was your wish, and my duty. Besides, I once had uttered those same, helpless words. Never again will that happen-" Her voice sounded of pain and anguish—a slight growl in her tone, with that of a deep hatred of a being beyond me, "-Never again will I or you ask for help again."

The cold wisp of wind finally hit us, the door swinging closed and the cloudy sky hovering overhead. Rikka didn't choose to comment or continue what she was saying before. She simply kept walking, dragging my hand down the street in complete silence.

* * *

Rikka had led me to the outskirts of town, following alongside the edge to what seemed to be a controlled river. Crossing over via a small bridge, we had reached what seemed to be a small grove–a sweet yet subtle scent of flowers and the echo of birds far off in the distance. It was bright. It was quiet.

Before I had realized it, she had placed a small blade in my hands–no larger than my fore-arm. It shined a worn-silver and was rather dull compared to her own, which she now pulled out from her sheathe buckled around her waist. Her eyes stayed glued to mine; holding out her dagger to the side and muttering only two words; "Get going."

The grass surrounding us began to shake–a low growl emerging as one by one did small, mouse-like creatures scurried out towards us. I stepped back, only to trip over a small rock; only then did they jump on top of me and stab their teeth into my arm. It didn't hurt–but felt as if my strength was fading away by the second. Vigorously did I shake it off, shuffling back and regaining my ground.

I held out my dagger and prepared to fight, only to see a brief flash of white as the creature vanished into black smoke and ash. Through it, I could see Rikka's cold eyes, refusing to look away. Just like that did the beast dissipate; not a single trace of its existence remained. I could see that Rikka was displeased, but she didn't say a word. Instead, she grasped my hand and repositioned the dagger similar to how she does.

With a subtle nod of her head, we moved through the grove as more of those creatures emerged, one by one. It was helpless, however. With each one that came out from the brush, I was unable to hit it. One by one did they fall, but not by my hands; by Rikka's. After many encounters, my strength was near its end. Soon enough, we had reached the end. With Rikka's sigh, I had expected it to be over. Rikka had put her blade away, naturally so did I.

"I didn't do good, did I?" I asked, slumping down to the ground in exhaustion.

"Don't worry, I had expected this." She responded, crouching down to my side and handing me a small flask.

"I'm sorry…"

"Well, you said you want to survive. In order to survive, you may at times have to stand your ground and fight."

"Well, I've already failed at that, haven't I?"

"You're not dead, are you? You still tried, and you're alive. That's fighting—the urge to live."

With a slight tap on my shoulder, she stood and signaled me upwards. Her eyes now glistened instead of being lifeless; a light always present, but one I had never seen.

"Do we go back through?" I asked, only for her to let out a slight chuckle.

* * *

The door groaned as we entered the room. The lights were out—only the sun's gaze through the window to brighten the room. Yumi still was on the bed, almost lifeless with very few and faint breaths. Rikka sat to her side, grabbing her hand and slightly rubbing against it. She turned to me, bobbing her head over towards the bed. "Come here," she spoke, "we're going to wake her up."

Quickly did I stand to her side, "I thought she was in a coma?"

"She is, but not a natural one. To save her we- well, 'I' had taken her soul using the Static Arts."

"You took her soul?" I stepped back, in pure shock from her words, "That's a lie, right?"

"One inept at magic would see it that way. It derives from the Static Arts, though unfortunately I'm no master of it. Most of her soul was saved, but a part of her was lost."

"What do you mean 'magic?' We almost died, and you're making up fairytales to explain it to us?"

"I'm sorry? You- you don't know about magic at all…"

"How was she saved? How were we saved?" I couldn't help but feel a hint of rage. My hands forced themselves into fists, whilst my eyes slightly vibrated and stung of a prickly thorn.

"If you don't know of magic, there's no way for me to tell you…"

"Then show me."

She gave a quick glare, only to turn away and back towards Yumi. Steadily, her arm reached out and gently sat atop of her. She moved her fingers as if performing some form of ritual, just before a deep, bright green glow emerged.

"Caires," She blurted, instantly covering Yumi's body with some form of green runes, all connected by a web of symbols and lines. A strange burst of wind emerged, sounding as if a hurricane was formed right on top of us. "Begra," She followed, the glow captivating me as it soon became almost blinding, "Festres!"

Rikka forced her hand down, as all of the runes and symbols instantly combined right into her heart, abruptly shooting Yumi upwards as she gasped for air. While I hadn't noticed it before, her silver strand of hair glew an almost neon white–all before dying down and returning to its dry silver. I didn't know how to feel. I stood there, deep in my own thoughts on what I had just seen. Magic.

In an instant I ran to her, wrapping my arms around her and not letting go. I cried without knowing it myself. Cried in my mind, in my heart and with my tears. Soon enough, I realized she was doing the same.