Unforeseen Alliances (1)

'This is fucking ridiculous.'

Both of them stood awkwardly apart. Weapons half-raised. The tension to fight was gone.

Hope took in a deep breath and tried to recollect his thoughts, his calm mask slowly slipping back into place.

Then he breathed out.

Many assumptions poured into his mind: doubts and curiosities. But at the moment, the question for this main anomaly had to be put on hold. Or Hope could mentally pin it as a mere coincidence and not touch it again after they parted ways. At least, that would be the ideal scenario.

'And since he's not attacking right now.'

Hope would have to make do of the situation.

"Sigh. So the hell's your problem?"

"...!"

The Awakened flinched as Hope pointed his shield.

"Yeah. You. Was me standing at the window that much of a threat to you?"

The Awakened's mouth twitched and pointed back with his sword.

"Yeah? And who came out swinging first?"

The Awakened jerked at the question.

Then looked away and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.

'This guy…'

What the hell did he sense from afar to come after him?

The first chase they had back at Sector Two made sense. Given the situation Hope created at the settlement, his sneaking away was suspicious after a found dead body.

'It's not like I killed anyone on the spot this time.'

But for this situation, Hope couldn't figure out why the Awakened acted the way he did.

"I'd ask but it seems impossible." Hope muttered to himself.

Mute or whatever flaw this guy had.

"....."

"How inconvenient."

The Awakened went rigid. Annoyance visibly pricked him on his face as Hope noticed a whole argument building to retort. But Hope was talking more to himself so he didn't pay mind to the Awakened's expression.

'And is his name really Prince?'

If that was the case, all the more reason he couldn't be the knight from his First Nightmare.

Hope didn't take interest in anyone's detailed appearance before. But after becoming a Dreamer, it was now a way to ground himself to reality.

But recalling his First Nightmare, the knight also had blonde hair. Seemingly near the same age as well—couple years older.

Same height. Same exasperated expressions. 

Similar stubbornness.

But this Awakened…

Hope's eyes reluctantly scanned Prince's stature. As twilight approached, a solemn darkness approached the space. The stark outlines of the wreckage softened, but shards of glass blinked at their feet like they too were listening.

At first look, his hair was almost blinding as if the day had been carried inside it. With the sun gone, it was like a hand had dimmed its radiance. Was it the result of the Spell? Hope knew people's appearances changed after becoming a Dreamer. But rarely did it reach the point of affecting hair and eye color. Such as his commanding officer with her pink hair. An odd choice from the Spell.

This Awakened's jaw was slightly more chiseled in comparison to the knight.

Slimmer build too.

Longer lashes.

'That's an Awakened for you I guess.'

Upgraded.

But not as invincible as people believed them to be. 

Afterall, Awakened could die with the right weapon at hand.

Hope began eyeing over his shoulder at the shattered wall the Awakened—or Prince—created.

The sky bruised a deep blue, and the vines beyond the broken ledge swayed with the quiet wind, tantalizingly within reach. Hope casually leaned back to calculate how far of a leap it would be. But also which ones would even handle his weight.

'I'd think I'd survive the fall anyway.'

He would like to survive.

If the Spell liked to play with his odds, then that possibility could be added for its morbid enjoyment.

Too bad this damn Prince guy was here though. Hope was just close enough to reach the other side himself—

!!!

Woosh–

Suddenly, a blur of faint gold wisped in the corner of Hope's eye.

A hand shot out and seized the collar of Hope's vest.

In an instant, Prince was in front of him.

"What are you—!" Hope instinctively grabbed onto his arm as his feet almost slipped.

'The hell is this guy's problem?'

"Tsk!" Hope narrowed his eyes. "I wasn't going to jump off."

He adjusted his hands on Prince's tech gauntlet, randomly pressing a couple of buttons till one flashed green.

But Prince's dark eyes silently bore into Hope's as if he were analyzing him. Searching. Accusing. Questioning his existence. As if he was trying to solve a riddle out of him. After staring for seven seconds, whatever he sought for an unspoken juudgement flickered past.

But for Hope…

His vision became dizzy as a swarm of memories cramped his eyes.

'Fucking dejavu.'

Slip.

Hope grunted against the hold.

Prince still didn't pull him up just yet.

'Ah dammit.'

Was this necessary?

"Sigh…Can you just–"

Prince shook his head.

"Let–"

Hope's next words faltered as he saw a familiar cut wound across Prince's shoulder.

It was still there…Well, of course it was still there. But it was healed compared to the other night: less torn, and cleaned up. An injury created from the time they both fought against the Awakened Demon. 

And in that time, Hope had used his ability to induce sleep on him through the wou–

!!!

Prince abruptly pulled Hope away from the ledge.

His brows then furrowed as he began searching the floor for something. But the room was more of a wreck after their short fight, so Hope had no idea what Prince in his mind was trying to find.

Hope reluctantly was dragged along the search like a dog on leash.

If he could slip away, he might've. But the thought of dealing with another possible chase was annoying to imagine.

Finally, after finding a crumpled paper on the ground, Prince picked it up and shoved it against Hope's chest.

'The fuck?'

A faint stinging sensation rippled over him from where his untreated injuries cursed from the contact.

Hope dismissed it. He straightened his collar as he looked back up.

Prince's eyes bounced between him and the paper.

"..."

Hope grabbed the paper with minimal effort.

He supposed he could play along for now. Whatever the hell this was.

But unfolding the paper, Hope immediately recognized the content inside. How could he not?

'Huh. Did he bring it up here in a hurry?'

It was the letter the dead husband wrote with 'I'm sorry' written from top to bottom. Also the same letter Hope stained the edges from his blood. Fresh on paper.

Hope had casted it at the bottom of the stairs without much thought.

He didn't think anyone else would pick it up after him.

'But what does that have to do with–'

Hope paused.

Then pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Let me get this straight." Hope mumbled. "You came here…because of some crazy assumptions…I don't know which ones but I think I could guess…"

There was silence.

Crkrckmp.

Then the sound of crumpled paper before it was tossed.

"...!?"

"First things first. I'm not jumping to my death." Hope said flatly. "Second thing, I didn't kill anyone. The family here just happened to be dead. Unfortunate. Yeah. Because I'm trying to get to that Awakened hovelled up in his den. So stop reading into that."

Prince's mouth gaped slightly in a silent gasp.

Wsh!

He then gestured at the discarded paper, his hands comically juggling in the air.

Hope didn't need words to imagine what he was saying.

"I didn't write it."

Prince narrowed his eyes.

"You're right. I am suspicious." Hope raised his hands. "But also the guy sword-fighting strangers. Which still doesn't make sense but whatever. Also. Third thing. What of those kids you left behind? Aren't you supposed to be some kind of hero?"

"..."

Prince froze.

Then his eyes widened.

'Fucking hell…'

He forgot. Seriously?

"..."

'So what the hell did he see that made him rush over here instead?!'

ChnkChnk!

Before Hope could say anything else, a loud, deliberate click of a gun echoed from the doorway.

Hope and Prince snapped toward the sound in unison. There at the door—or what was left of it—stood another man around Prince's age. Black bodysuit. Black faded bandana over his head. Similar tech gauntlet.

And his rifle aimed squarely at Hope's chest.

Sharp eyes glared beneath his choppy black hair as they both made eye contact.

'Mm…I don't need to guess what he sees from my [Chimera] Attribute.'

Bszzch!

[Chimera] Attribute Description: "Chimeras carry a complex nature about themselves…"

'I don't need to se–'

"...An illusory possession of both beauty and deformity–"

"Well wouldn't you look at this mess," the man growled. "Oi, Prince! Wanna tell me why you're with a stray imitating a soldier?"

There was no mistake in it. This was the other member of Master Leda's cohort.

Finally, a face to the name.

Hope blinked.

'I am a soldier though.'

Hope only stripped the uniform off of a Special Force corpse for himself. Which may looked comical on him since it wasn't a precise fit. And he looked more on the younger side. But he was a soldier.

"..!" Prince shook his head vigorously and stepped in between.

His comrade frowned.

"Well? Who the hell is he?"

"..."

Hope glanced at the pointed barrel as if it were a simple item rather than a lethal weapon that could blow his head off. 

The more important question was…

"Why are you here?"

"What– why am I… No! Who the hell are you?!"

Hope stared a bit longer in silence. It was two against one. He supposed he could give an answer first.

He lifted his arm and dismissed the [Ashen Shield].

Both Awakened stiffened at the sight. The wisps of light shimmering one moment like collective stars then vanishing the next.

"I'm just a simple soldier." Hope paused. "In fact, a soldier from the ambushed convoy you guys briefly escorted earlier this week."

'Before it all went to shit.'