Embers of Affection

POV Arthur:

Flashback to a few minutes earlier.

As I desperately tried to get to my feet, the wounded boar lunged at me. My sword was still lodged in its eye socket as it charged forward. My heart pounded, and fear overtook me. Believing my last hour had come, I took a deep breath and, in a final effort, reached for my belt where my pistol hung.

The boar was almost upon me. I grabbed my gun, brought it forward, and with desperate precision, fired a bullet right into its snout. The shot rang out into the night, echoing off the walls of the abandoned buildings.

The bullet made the boar recoil slightly, but it didn't kill it. Its movement slowed, giving me a brief respite.

Seizing the opportunity, I straightened up and threw myself at the stunned boar. The pain in my leg was excruciating, but I had to hang on. I grabbed the hilt of the dagger and, with a desperate effort, pushed it with all my strength, driving it into the boar's brain.

The boar screamed in pain and shook its head violently, but I held on and continued to thrust.

The boar, furious and howling in agony, tried to tear off a piece of my flesh with its jaws. I was at the end of my strength, but I knew this was my last chance. I focused all my energy on this tangled struggle with the boar as it tried to bite me.

With a strength I didn't know I possessed, I thrust my rapier deep into its eye. The blow pierced its brain, and the boar collapsed. Its legs buckled beneath it, and it let out a final snort before freezing.

I stood still for a moment, hands shaking, breathless. I'd done it. I'd survived, but not without consequences. During the fight, in a state of shock, I hadn't fully realized it: the boar had managed to bite my calf, and blood was now dripping from the wound.

As I collapsed against the wall, my strength failing me, a message appeared before my eyes:

Mission accomplished: Kill mutant boar alone. Reward: Time Focus skill.

A strange sensation went through me, as if time itself slowed down around me, before my world blurred and disappeared.

---

POV Emilia:

"Arthur!" I shouted as I ran to his side, the whole group close behind me.

Arriving at his side, I checked his pulse by placing my hand against his throat and my face close to his mouth, trying to feel his breath.

"I've got a pulse, and he's breathing," I murmured as Nina cut through his pants with her dagger, revealing the wounds he'd suffered.

"Nina, check if he has any more injuries. The rest of you, bandage the wounds while I take care of the serious ones," I ordered hastily. In medicine, there was no time to waste, and Arthur's condition seemed to be worsening as we discovered more and more wounds.

After ten minutes of uninterrupted treatment, I slumped back, my complexion pale as I sighed.

"He'll live. The bite and the leg wound were the most serious…" I said, catching my breath. "The others must have been environmental."

As Nina handed me a fresh bottle of water, which I gladly accepted, James exclaimed:

"Phew, I swear, what stupid idea could have come into his head..."

"You can ask him when he wakes up, James," Ethan said with a smile.

"I know someone who's going to get yelled at when he wakes up," Liam added, glancing at me as I glared at Arthur.

James, considering our next steps, decided we should stay in the building, not wanting to risk running into more beasts with Arthur in such a fragile state. Everyone agreed.

---

POV Arthur:

Struggling to keep my eyes closed against the trickle of light tickling them, I gave up and opened them to see a cracked stone ceiling.

As I wondered where I was, memories of last night flooded back, making me sit up abruptly, only to cry out in pain.

"Fuck, that hurts like hell," I muttered as I emerged from the sleeping bag, noticing that both of my legs were heavily bandaged. "What the hell? It wasn't supposed to be this bad, was it?" I wondered aloud, looking around.

James, who had started to stir, moved next to me and said in a low voice, "How are you feeling? We had to bandage you up because Emilia didn't have enough strength to heal you all at once. She's resting," he added, pointing to where Emilia lay sleeping in the shade.

Listening to James, I told him I was okay and thanked him for the help, but he just laughed.

"It's mostly her you have to thank. She was worried about you and ended up using all her powers to save you. Between you and me, I wouldn't want to be in your shoes when she wakes up," he said with a mischievous look.

"I'm going to get yelled at, aren't I?" I muttered, a smile tugging at my lips.

"Oh, you can't even imagine what you're in for with dragon Emilia when she wakes up," he laughed, standing up.

"Emilia will wake up soon. We're going to head back to camp to get some food for you and her. Good luck," he said.

As everyone except Emilia woke up, they were all warm and told me how afraid they'd been that I might not make it.

The round trip would take them about an hour, but barely ten minutes after they left, Emilia stirred, stood up, and looked around until our eyes met.

"You," she whispered, walking toward me.

She stopped in front of me, her fists clenched, and her cheeks flushed with anger. "What the hell were you thinking? You could have been killed!" she shouted, her voice trembling with emotion.

I lowered my eyes in embarrassment. "I had to prove to myself that I could do it," I murmured.

"Prove what? That you're an idiot? You would have died if I hadn't healed you!" She stared at me, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "We've already lost one friend like you. No one wanted to lose you too," she said, her voice breaking.

I looked at her in surprise. "A friend?"

She nodded, her tears starting to flow. "Yes, our friend Jeffrey. We were all very close, like family, at the beginning of our group. He died trying to protect us from a creature similar to the one you fought. He sacrificed himself to save us and… and I couldn't bear the thought of losing you the same way," she explained, her voice faltering.

Surprised by this sudden revelation, I whispered, "Emilia, I'm sorry, I didn't know… I didn't mean to put you through this again," feeling guilt wash over me.

Suddenly, she burst into tears and threw herself into my arms. "I was so scared. When we saw you collapsed in that alley, in that pool of blood, we really thought we'd lost you," she sobbed into my chest.

Caught off guard, I didn't know what to do with my hands, so I awkwardly wrapped them around her, embarrassed by the sudden closeness. "Sorry again, Emilia. Sorry I worried you. I'll never do that again," I promised, slowly releasing my hold on her.

"D-do you mind if I stay like this for a while…?" she murmured against my chest, feeling me loosen my embrace.

"N-no, not at all…" I replied hesitantly, feeling her tears soak through my shirt and her chest press against my ribs. Noticing my discomfort, she raised her head and looked me straight in the eye, her expression playful.

"Am I not attractive enough for you?" she asked teasingly.

Faced with this completely unexpected question, my mind went blank. It took me a few seconds to find a response, and embarrassed, I turned my head to avoid her gaze. "It's just the opposite…"

She looked at me intently. At my answer, her face flushed, then she rested her head on my chest.

We stayed like that for a while, her tears soaking my shirt, creating a strange but comforting sense of connection. I realized how reckless I'd been to risk my life like that, though on second thought, I'd probably do it again. As I held her close, her sobs subsided, and we remained like that for a few more minutes.

"Thank you for saving me," I murmured sincerely.

She nodded, her eyes still wet, but a slight smile played on her lips as she lifted her head. "We're even now, but don't ever scare me like that again, okay?" she asked softly.

"Okay," I replied with a smile, enjoying the moment as she rested her head against my chest.