Curiouser and Curiouser

[Fenrir]

"I cannot help him anymore!" Coty's oversized irises glowed like a black light. Frost powdered the walls behind him and icicles sprinkled the ceiling above.

Fenrir's subordinate was on the verge of challenging him. This seemed to be a theme with everyone nowadays. Since when did these spirits forget who he was and what he could do?

His wolf ears pinned back because of the defiance and his black nails grew a few centimeters. Fenrir shoved Coty against the ice-encrusted wall with an arm across his neck. Like a pack alpha warning another member to stand down, he barred his teeth.

His aura demanded submission.

"Can you repeat that?"

Coty's eyes still glowed, but they had uncertainty in them. "I—I—"

"Are you telling me you're unable to do your duties? Should I go find some other incompetent demon from the same wintery depths of Hell you came from to fill in for you?"

They stared at each other until he looked down. "No, My Lord," Coty muttered. "I was out of line."

Fenrir released his hold on the physician's neck. "I want him found as soon as possible."

The melting ice above dribbled tiny droplets. "Yes, understood," he said.

They followed the line of blood on the floor. After walking around a few corners, the trail went cold as the red specks eventually disappeared. When there was no sign of blood left, Fenrir stopped. As he thought, he'd have to locate him via insignia; something he wanted to avoid. Since it took an extensive quantity of energy to repair the recent damage, he only had a minuscule amount left.

Sensing his surroundings, Fenrir pinpointed all of his servants. Some were in the neighboring hallways while others worked near the property border.

Hyeon was in the...

*What a curious spot.*

Weaving their way through the castle, the pair entered Fenrir's wing. Coty was confused when he commented, "For him to come this far after sleeping for so long shouldn't be possible."

They reached the area where Hyeon's mark beaconed. The large doors were not completely clicked shut. Someone had been here.

"His existence should've been impossible."

He opened the creaky door and stepped into the room. There wasn't anyone in the living space nor the office.

*I know he's here somewhere.*

He could hear small thumps from his bed chambers. Going to the source, Fenrir saw Hyeon's guardian spirit pawing at his closet. Her tail swished back and forth. When the cat looked at him with her unusual face, he could somehow decipher it as 'just let me in already.'

The fylgja hopped out of the way so he could go in first. Fenrir's walk-in closet was pitch black inside. The odor that wafted out was a mixture of blood, burned material, and fear.

Igniting a small flame torch above, the warm-toned fire revealed hanging clothes and a cowering figure against the back wall.

It was Hyeon. He was squatting on the ground with his knees to his chest. His arms were crossed like he was cold. The shredded hospital gown he wore had wide holes and singed rips. Old, crusty blood saturated Hyeon's arm.

"You chose an interesting place to hide." Fenrir waited for a snarky reply, but there wasn't any.

Hyeon stared into space.

"Hey."

More imaginary crickets.

*Hmm.*

Fenrir slowly approached Hyeon and knelt beside him. His eyes were dull with no spark of feistiness in them.

"Are you in pain?"

It was like talking to a doll.

"Can you at least tell me your name?"

Hyeon stayed in the same position.

Coty needed to examine him, but that damned penguin was anywhere else but here! Fenrir growled.

The sound made Hyeon flinch.

Oh? As a test, he growled again but softer.

Some life finally returned to the boy's face, but not in the way Fenrir had hoped. Detecting the second person with him, Hyeon immediately tried to scramble away under the row of dusty, hanging shirts.

It was so sudden that Fenrir instinctively grabbed his wrist to prevent him from fleeing. It was the wrong thing to do as Hyeon bit the Norse deity's hand like a viper.

A small bud of blood oozed out from the bite circle. It pissed him off.

"Get in here," he yelled.

A distant voice asked unsurely from afar, "Can I actually come in?"

Coty remained in the hallway and didn't want to follow Fenrir into his private room without permission.

Fenrir rolled his eyes and seethed, "It's fine!"

When Coty joined them, he glanced around the closet. "Where is—"

Mid-sentence, the black cat sped past them and crawled under the shirts.

"There," Fenrir pointed out the obvious.

Coty, still reluctant about being in such a sacred space, swooshed aside the clothes. Two glowing silver eyes shimmered from the corner's shade.

"Was he like this when you found him?"

After explaining what had happened, Coty concluded, "He could have acute stress disorder. You may have triggered unpleasant memories from when you, er, went berserk. This will pass soon, but it could turn into a disorder called PTSD. That would require human treatment. Avoid anything that could provoke his trauma."

It puzzled Fenrir when Coty started to leave. "You're not taking him with you?"

"Sorry, My Lord, but I currently do not have anywhere to put him. I meant it when I said I can't help; at least not for now. Since Mr. Falken's healing ability is returning, he will be 100% better in no time."

"So you want ME, the one who caused his condition, to let him stay in my closet?" he questioned incredulously.

"If that's what it comes to, then yes. It doesn't matter as long as he isn't anywhere near my clinic during repairs." With that, Coty left.

Fenrir was alone with a frightened dýr.

*Shit.*

_______________

[Hyeon]

A day had passed before he dared to step out of the closet.

Another four days went by without leaving Fenrir's bedroom, whom he barely saw. Every morning, there would be a knock at the door. Not ready to see anyone, Hyeon hid under the covers each time.

Fenrir would then come inside to get some clean garments. They didn't speak to each other until the third day when his boss said, "I'm sorry."

It made Hyeon's chest throb.

Sometimes when he woke up, a tray of food waited for him on the nightstand. Most likely, the meals were delivered for Fenrir. When he awakened again later on, the tray would be gone.

He remembered little after waking up. There were a few memories of blinding lights in the clinic and limping through the castle. Speaking of, what he did to Coty's domain made him feel guilty.

His body was almost back to its old self, but occasionally his shoulder bothered him for no apparent reason. It was a phantom injury.

He wore the sole outfit he possessed, delivered with love by Shika. Interestingly, it was the same thing he had worn when he first arrived by ferry. These clothes had already absorbed the offensive concoction of three-week-old smells. The last time he had bathed was before descending into a coma.

It was dark except for a lone lantern, but it was fine. Hyeon came to appreciate and understand why Fenrir preferred the dark during his brooding moods.

*Is that what I'm doing now? Brooding?*

*I should really stop being so intrusive.*

Hyeon wanted to ask his animal if it was time to face the world again, but it was silent. In a discouraged spirit, he reached for his glass of water. While taking big gulps, he eyed the chestnut-color nightstand. A round, golden knob stuck out. Like exploring a hotel room, he returned his glass and pulled out the drawer to see what was inside.

There was a forest-green book, but it was no Bible. It was as thick as a dictionary and heavily used compared to Fenrir's other books. The spine crackled and speckles of hard leather snapped off.

The title was in Norse.

ᚹᛖᚨᛈᛟᚾᛊ ᛋ

The first ten pages contained illustrations of different spearheads. They all had unique shapes from thin to thick, stone to metal. The description under each picture was also in the same language. Flipping to the middle, there were more intricate drawings but of swords. The next part was muskets.

*Is this a weapons guide?*

The ending's pages were whiter and newer than the first half. This last section contained modern warfare that Hyeon was more familiar with: automatic machine guns, drones, tanks, etc. The last image of the entire book was a mushroom cloud.

*Nuclear weapons.*

Closing it shut, he noticed a dog-eared page. Book lovers would scream 'sacrilegious' if they saw it.

Turning to the folded corner, Hyeon tensed. It was the harvesting knife he had seen in his dreams; the ones that constantly whispered to him to find it.

The data for this plain knife took up five pages alone. The second photo to go along with its descriptions was of an old man with a beard in drapes. Sitting in a chair, he held up the small weapon.

Why was there so much text for it and why was that specific page marked by Fenrir?

Tossing the book back into the drawer, Hyeon inch-wormed under the velvety blankets and yanked them over his head.

*...Just one more day,* he thought.