Hostage

For the second time, Heon faced his death.

He got lucky, he guessed, for surviving his first one. That cloaked man on the train had killed him and revived him again. Despite also transporting him to another realm. To a different world where magic, a huge beast, and sharp weapons were the norm.

If he didn't get to live again after this, he wouldn't be that sad.

Ah, but he did regret something.

Heon had yet to know this new world. To live in a world where he might have magic was practically a dream come true for an RPG enthusiast like him.

However, to cost to live here was his own life.

The universe already wanted him to pay even before he could experience this new realm.

'What a bummer,' Heon said in his own muddled mind.

Currently, Sunny was dragging his sorry butt through the forest. Heon wondered how a boy with a similar slight build like him could easily move his uncooperative body.

"Don't make a sound," the red-haired menace said through gritted teeth as he shoved Heon's body under a huge tree's hollowed root.

He couldn't respond. Partly because Sunny had covered his face with a big fallen leaf. But mostly because he had a freaking spear stuck on his chest.

Forget answering. He couldn't even draw a deep breath. There was only his wheezing, strangled gasps. Quick but not fulfilling.

Heon also couldn't see now.

But he did hear things. Hurried footsteps and equally rushed commands in harsh voices. Followed by loud curses and clanking sounds.

Through his agony, Heon imagined how Sunny went to fight those five to ten soldiers. His forearm-length knife clashing against long spears and swords.

Perhaps, the manic boy would die before him. The only difference was that Sunny's death would be quick and painless, as those many deadly weapons would finish him in seconds. While Heon, hidden only meters away, would be left to die in silence, only accompanied by the slow loss of blood. The pain lasted longer.

He blinked his eyes open, but darkness still greeted him.

He hated Sunny at the moment. Why didn't he just leave Heon on the pathway to the forest? There, at least, he could die watching the vast blue sky above. Here, the last thing Heon saw was Sunny's hand covering his face with a big fallen leaf carelessly.

The cold came. It started from the tips of his limbs, creeping to the centre of his body. Right where the most painful sensation lingered.

This was it. Heon's second death. It should be funny, but it wasn't.

Heon wanted to live.

He wanted to live…

And for once, he got what he wished for.

"Are you still there?"

It was Sunny's voice, kindly imagined by Heon's overly active imagination. Not muffled this time because he had already taken off his red and white kitsune mask.

The realization came. Heon could see the manic boy's face because the leaf covering his face had been lifted. He didn't just imagine things.

Green light danced just in the corner of Heon's vision. Teasing him with the hope of being healed by Sunny's magic.

"Don't fall asleep yet," Sunny's voice came through his fuzzy mind, further convincing him that it wasn't just his mind playing the last trick before his second death.

But darkness was his old friend.

So, Heon greeted the approaching end with ease.

The last thing he heard was Sunny's incessant swears.

___

Although, it was not the end that Heon envisioned.

He woke up with a gasp and blinked rapidly at his surroundings.

He lived for the third time.

"Hhmmpph!"

A muffled sound came from his left. Heon whipped his head to the source, finding a girl tied in the corner of the dimly lit room, mouth gagged with some kind of cloth.

Groggily, he got up and ambled to the girl. He pulled out the cloth in her mouth first, asking what happened to her.

"'Your friend' is what happened!" the girl barked, not even thanking him first.

Heon brushed that aside to continue untying her hands behind her back. "Why did Sunny do this to you?"

But then, he paid her face another look.

Heon wasn't that great at memorizing people's faces. Not entirely because he wasn't good with his memory, but because he usually avoided looking people in the eyes since he was a kid. As he grew, he avoided looking at people's faces because he also didn't like it when people looked at him strangely.

As he dared to look at the girl, Heon squeaked in surprise. "You're the one who killed me!"

The girl grimaced uncomfortably, hiding her face under the blonde bangs.

Well, that was just rude.

The least she could do was look him in the eye and admit her crime. After all, she threw her spear through his chest. She didn't only wound him but killed him.

Heon was sure of that, not even giving it a second thought that he was already fine and definitely not dead as he claimed to be.

"I'm sorry about the spear, but I didn't kill you," the girl said fairly flatly. She looked up at him but did not quite meet his eyes. Turned out he didn't really mind about it.

"Did Sunny heal me?" Heon spoke out loud, more to himself than to the girl.

"I don't know. He knocked me out in the forest and kept me hostage here."

Heon sighed, not really knowing what to say now. So he just continued with the task at hand. Namely releasing the girl from the tight bond Sunny kept her in.

"There's a knife in my thigh holster," she informed.

Heon shifted his gaze but found no knife there. "I didn't see–"

"Here," she parted her legs in front of him

Heon quickly turned his face away. Blushing furiously while squeaking once again like a banshee in distress. "What are you doing?!"

"Showing you my knife, idiot," she deadpanned. "I keep it in the holster. It's on my inner thigh."

"Why did you keep it there?!"

"Where else would I keep it from prying eyes?"

That actually made sense. Kind of, in Heon's opinion.

Actually, that was a pretty good idea. He might take a page from her later. If he needed to, of course.

Looking down to where the girl indicated, Heon found the holster she mentioned. It was slim. Heon took the knife out, carefully moving his hands to not touch any of her body parts.

The knife was small. No longer than his palm, but the sharp edge made up for the size. With a snap, her tied hands were freed. And in a blink of an eye, Heon was caged by four earth pillars. Rendering him to crouch in his new prison.

"Now, tell me all about Sunny Graver," the blonde girl threatened with a small knife to his neck. Not hesitating to draw blood.