The courage it takes

In the far, a bright light enveloped the surrounding and all around was dark. Frozen Milk could barely open his eyes.

Was this the end?

He couldn't even lift his fingers to cover any of his wounds leaking his blood. He exerted all of himself for something he never thought he would.

He didn't know why but as he heard how his protagonist was captured and tortured, he lost all composure and the blood just gushed to his head and he was unable to hear anything else than the streams of it running upwards, he couldn't see anything else than the thick red.

It was as if nothing in the moment mattered, he needed to do everything he could to save his protagonist, everything he could to not make him suffer. This was all Frozen Milk could think of.

He knew his protagonist wouldn't die but Frozen Milk already made him suffer enough, he didn't want Prota to endure even more. He couldn't bear it and God forgive those who dared to harm his people.

Frozen Milk could faintly hear the voice of his system but he barely remain conscious. His limp body just rested against the wall of the cold and dark corridor and a large blood puddle formed around him.

In his daze, Frozen Milk also missed the oncoming footsteps. Then a pair of shoes came in his vision. They stepped into the bloody pool and splattered Frozen Milk's own blood back onto him. He couldn't look up or identify the person, but he felt he was grabbed by the collar.

"I remember you."

Yet Frozen Milk could barely make out the words.

"Heh, now you're in this state... suits you very much."

Frozen Milk was ungently thrown back against the wall. The force was strong enough for Frozen Milk to hear his bones crack.

The person finally bent down and met Frozen Milk on eye level.

Hazy, a very handsome face entered Frozen Milk's vision. He wanted to touch this face to see if it was real but his hand just slumped next to him, so he could only with the last of his breath exhale,

"Vil..."

"How do you know?"

Yet Frozen Milk closed his eyes.

His villain, named Vil, narrowed his eyes at Frozen Milk, "Causing troubles in my place and then dying like this?"

Vil stood up but then thought for a while. He dragged Frozen Milk by the hair with him, leaving another bloody trail behind.

***

Holbe left Prota and Glimpse Water behind and rushed down the hallways. The drops of blood weren't as large, thick or much, so it must mean that Frozen Milk wasn't in a bad state. However, when Holbe just turned around the corner, she saw the pathetic and broken form of Frozen Milk.

She halted her steps and covered her mouth. She wanted to rush to him immediately but couldn't move at all for some reason.

Then coming along the hallway, opposite to her, a tall male approached Frozen Milk. Once again, Holbe felt fear.

The man was very dangerous. Holbe couldn't help but hide behind the corner again and cautiously peek.

She was the captain of the holy knights but in the face of the newcomer, she felt incredibly small and weak. She instantly knew the moment her eyes rested on him that there was no way she could defeat him.

And she just cowered behind the corner, powerlessly watching how Frozen Milk was dragged away. She felt shame.

The very person who told her she was not a failure, he was glad she was born, the very man who gave her a worth, was heading towards his demise and she could only disappoint him.

It wasn't that she valued her own life more, but it was that fear bound her incapable of moving. Or so she told herself.

It was just an excuse. She knew deep down it was just an excuse. If she was stronger, if she wasn't so afraid, if, if, if...

None of the ifs could turn the fact around that in this very moment she didn't do anything to help Frozen Milk even though she was the only one who had the chance to save him.

The footsteps faded and Holbe took a deep breath. Her whole body shook. She dug her nails into her delicate skin and drew blood. After all, she was a failure.

She shot up and her feet moved towards the spot Frozen Milk laid in. The amount of blood nauseated her and her eyes stung.

One deep breath after another, she calmed herself and collected her courage. She followed the path Frozen Milk was taken away, but didn't make it far as a grinning male stood in her way.

"Beauty, you can't pass from here on. Stay away or else I've to use force."

***

Glimpse Water was still confused as to what has happened and helped Prota. He saw all the cruel wounds and had to hold Prota back who wanted to run instantly.

"Let go! I need to go aft- "

"What can you do in your condition? Rest first! Holbe's going to take care of father!"

Glimpse Water had to pull all his trust in Holbe. He could feel the rage of Prota, and his heart also ached for Frozen Milk, but he had to stay rational.

There must have been a reason why Frozen Milk was so furious about what happened to Prota. Prota was after all his character, no Prota was also his character, but Frozen Milk should've known that Prota wouldn't die so easily.

"Lemme tend to your wounds first," Glimpse Water was glad Prota was hurt or else he wouldn't have been able to suppress him in his normal state. Prota's body vibrated with rage.

Glimpse Water sighed, "What are you angry for? At father?"

Prota instantly calmed down.

"No, not at Frozen Milk but at the other guys. Frozen Milk... I'm worried about him."

"Really?" Glimpse Water thought this was the perfect opportunity to tease Prota, not having grasped the severity of the situation, "Though you ignored him pretty much for a long time."

"That was because!" Prota hissed in pain.

"Because?"

Prota couldn't admit it was because he was jealous of Frozen Milk's preferential treatment towards Glimpse Water.

Prota felt abandoned but when he just saw Frozen Milk, his pained expression, his hurt body, all petty feelings vanished and Prota wanted to kowtow to beg for forgiveness.

If only he wasn't so childish, if only he didn't go on his own, none of this would've happened.

Yet it was Frozen Milk who apologised to him, Frozen Milk who took the words out of his mouth, Frozen Milk who protected him.

Just the thought of it made Prota's restless body pump with adrenaline again.

"Ok, you're all patched up," Glimpse Water looked at his bad wrapping skills.

Glimpse Water had to rip his own clothes to cover the wounds of Prota.

Part of Prota's clothes were also ripped and his toned chest and abs were clearly seen. Glimpse Water looked at his own not too bad muscular body and heavily cursed, compared to Prota's body, his seemed like milk next to a strong brewed coffee!

If Glimpse Water could avoid it, he wouldn't want the protagonist to run around spraying his manly and undeniable pheromones around and was basically a magnet for thirsty girls. Even Glimpse Water had to admit Prota was really, really good-looking and could seduce anyone.

But Prota couldn't wait a second longer to search for Frozen Milk, and so Glimpse Water had to follow him.

"Why are you in a hurry? It ain't like father can't manage on his own."

"No, Frozen Milk was badly wounded."

Glimpse Water's eyes widened and finally understood Prota's urgency. He was also anxious now. How could Frozen Milk get hurt? Their creator badly wounded? It was impossible! Frozen Milk was literally a god! At least to him.

If Frozen Milk could read Glimpse Water's thoughts, knew what Glimpse Water thought of him, Frozen Milk would've treated Glimpse Water a thousand times better and adored him to death but his ego would've also enlarged several times again.

Prota and Glimpse Water blindly charged through the underground place with no clue as to where to go. They didn't think of following the blood drops until there weren't any anymore. Instead, nothing but the clean floor met them.

They were lost.

"Damn it!" Prota hit his fist against the wall. It was the first time Glimpse Water heard Prota ever swore. This was bad. They had no way of communicating with either Holbe or Frozen Milk.

Glimpse Water missed his time in the modern world where phones, GPS, tracking systems, technology and electricity existed. Instead he was here in a middle-age like world with the only difference that power- superhuman or whatever powers existed.

Glimpse Water kind of felt homesick but this wasn't the time now.

Prota suddenly stopped in his tracks. Glimpse Water could also hear it. Footsteps, not of a single person but at least two.

"We've been told people have intruded but I never thought it was true, how annoying," with a sword in his hand, a tall guy yawned.

"If his highness orders, we follow. We will only ask you once. Please leave," another smaller guy who looked like a scholar appeared behind them.