Lucky shot

His wish got granted, it seems; the next few days went off quietly. However, he and Stella didn't talk often, mostly just before she went to bed. She likely stayed awake to try more of the sound bear meat, which he didn't mind. He definitely should have, but it didn't feel right, especially since she shared her food with him in the morning before he slept.

He hoped things stayed peaceful, especially once he could see the capital's walls were in view. At most, they were a day away, hopefully just a few hours, though. His back was killing him from sleeping in a carriage.

His sleep was interrupted by some nudging; he opened his eyes and saw Stella's hand nudging his head. He forced himself to sit up and open the curtains; this had better been important. He was still sleepy.

"What is i-"

He was met with three bandits, one of them holding a bow as they fired an arrow towards his head. His body moved independently as his Chi spread throughout his body, and he caught the arrow a few seconds before it struck him in the head. 

Everything slowed down as he saw one rushing towards the carriage with a sword. Stella was slowly reaching near her feet to grab a sword. The other bandit ran towards him from the other side, his shield raised. The last bandit backed up and pulled another arrow from his quiver. 

Charlotte got up and jumped out of the carriage. As he put his right gauntlet in his hand, he reached over and grabbed the man's shield, pushed it aside, and struck him with the gauntlet. He grabbed the dagger on his hip as the man fell to the ground and tossed it toward the bandit running at Stella. He was aiming for the hand, holding the sword before turning away to face the archer.

He had nocked another arrow as he aimed towards Charlotte; he ran towards him as the arrow was fired towards his head. He quickly knocked the arrow away using the back of the gauntlet to not hurt his hand, before striking him in the gut with his fist. The archer arched forward, and Charlotte hit him across the face to send him onto the ground.

He turned just in time to see Stella slash the leg of the bandit and drop him to the ground. His screams were the only ones heard. Charlotte slowly recalled his Chi and noticed that he was breathing heavily. The fight wasn't even that hard; it was an intense exchange as he had nearly been shot in the head. His gaze moved to the bandit with the shield.

The bandit he had struck in the chest wasn't moving; their chest was slightly caved in. As the realization he had killed him slowly sunk in. Charlotte couldn't hide their disgust as they threw up on the ground; he hadn't ever killed someone else. 

He had killed plenty of animals, but it was always out of necessity. Wasn't it the same for these guys? They did try to kill him, but it still made him feel sick to his stomach. 

He was taken out of his mental stupor by Stella patting his back as she tried to pull him away. He didn't notice till now that the screams of the other bandit had stopped, and when he tried to look, she stood in his way."

"Don't...just get on, and let's keep going." 

She helped him up to the carriage; his gaze locked onto the ground; blood was dripping from the gauntlet, which only made him feel sicker. He wanted to throw up again as he covered his mouth with his hand.

The carriage was moving once more as she drove around the bodies of the bandits. He nervously tapped his foot, trying to take his mind away from the situation. Now that he had enough time to recollect the whole thing, he regretted the entire thing over again; the memories felt so clear. The sensation of his fist colliding with the bandit's chest was just as clear, especially with the enhanced senses.

"You gonna be okay..."

Stella asked softly, the concern in her voice evident. Charlotte didn't respond as he shook his head.

"It's okay, Charlotte. They would have killed us if we didn't fight back...it's not your fault; it's like when someone hunts an animal."

He shook his head; he understood what she was trying to say. It didn't feel the same, though; he didn't mind beating people up, but killing them was new.

"I have hunted animals before; this doesn't feel the same. I feel sick... I can't explain, i-it's different. I know it is; I just can't put it into words it!?" 

He stammered, trying to think of a reason, a way to explain it. Nothing came to mind, and his head felt like it would explode. 

Before it could, Stella pulled him into a hug. He froze. He didn't hug her back, but at least his mind stopped overthinking. He wanted to cry, but no tears came as he bit his lip.

When she stopped hugging him, she helped him remove the gauntlet, and she set it down.

"How about you rest up?" 

Charlotte shook his head; he looked up at the capital as it drew closer. It helped his mind wander away from everything else as he thought about where to rest once he arrived.

Stella stayed quiet, but she occasionally looked at him. She seemed used to it; he would have asked her about it if he weren't drowning in guilt. He didn't dwell on it for long. Every time he tried to think about it, his mind recalled the person he killed.

The worst thing was he couldn't recall the face of the man or even how he looked. He remembered how his fist felt when it punched him; he could recall it perfectly. The face of the man or anything about him fell to the side; he was this faceless thing in his head. Yet it still hurts and makes him feel disgusted all the same.

He distracted himself by moving Chi around his body; it took him a few seconds to spread Chi through his body. He just wanted to keep himself occupied till they reached the capital. Once there, he wouldn't have time to think about this anymore. He could submerge himself in the act of training and hopefully forget this ever happened.