The Core (9)

"Aren't you too comfortable here?" Daniel asked while looking down on Nida, who was lying face down on his couch.

In the middle of the night, Nida and Randell suddenly showed up at his house without bringing anything but themselves.

He finally gave up with Nida's persistence to let them stay at his house, but he never thought that the two would show up straight from rolling around the ground and not even bring their own change of clothes.

What's making Daniel frown excessively is the messy state of the two.

Nida is barefooted and covered in dirt, while Randell is half naked, also barefooted and dirty.

"Sir, We were supposed to get our things first, but we ended up fighting a genie. Nida helped purify a vessel until she was too tired and asked me to come here directly."

Randell explained while still standing at the entrance, because he knows Daniel is a germaphobe.

He ran barefooted while carrying Nida on his back. That is why he remained at the door, waiting for Daniel to either send them away or send them to the bathroom to wash up.

While Nida was too comfortable at Daniel's house, she barged into the living room without thinking about how disgusted Daniel would be.

She was just too exhausted and wanted to hurry to rest and sleep.

"Dyonunwhamdataayywhasootarydaykennatmobmaybadi."

Nida spoke while her face was buried in the couch pillows.

"Speak properly, you dirty lad!"

Daniel pulled the pillows off the couch while keeping his grimace expression.

"Aaaahhh Dannnny I'm too tiiiiiiiiirrrreeeddddd." Nida caught Daniel and hugged his lower body.

"Crazy b— Hey! let go of me!" He pushed Nida away from him, causing her to fall back onto the couch.

"Use your power! You can heal or replenish your energy!" he said, dusting himself off.

"I-I can do that!? How!?" She jolted up, and her expression brightened.

Daniel rubbed his temples as he explained how the priestess's healing power works.

"The moment you are fully awakened, you are granted a certain amount of divine power. That power can be used for purification and healing. The amount varies with each priest, but you can freely utilize it through prayer or meditation. "

"P-prayer? Am I now officially a member of a cult?."

"C-cult? haa— You will figure it out later. Just meditate for a minute and you'll be fine. I'm tired. Wash up, eat, or do whatever you want." He brushed off his hair and turned his way towards the stairs.

"Y-you're not going to teach me?"

"I managed to learn it alone. Each awakens differently from the other. So deal with it." Daniel looked very exhausted.

He is physically fine, but divine powers can not heal his mental fatigue.

He can actually teach her or enlighten her about every question she wonders about her powers, but not today. Daniel is mentally exhausted as a result of his interactions with the monstrous leaders, particularly the werewolf leader.

Nida finally stopped bothering him and just watched him go up the stairs.

"Why aren't you entering yet?" She noticed the polite wolf standing firm at the entrance like a guard dog.

"Are we really allowed to?"

"There is no need to worry about anything else. Go wash up and sleep. See you tomorrow." She said this as she was about to enter the room near the stairs. It's the room of Daniel's sister that she used before.

"W-were should I go?"

"Of course, you can't be far. Use that room beside this. Just figure things out for yourself. Don't worry, Daniel always keeps his house ready for guests. " She briefly said and was about to close the door when Randell grabbed the door.

Nida is now looking up at him because of their height difference.

"What? Ahh. If you're hungry, his fridge is full of fruit and veggies. You can't find meat though."

"No. it's not that." He fidgets.

"Then what?" Nida frowned because she could smell the weird combination of his sweat and baby cologne.

'How the hell does the scent of his baby cologne remain even if he is almost naked and dirty now.' She wonders.

She leans on the door since Randell was holding it and he was too close to her. "Trying to seduce me?" she asked reluctantly, since she could feel her exhausted legs aching from wearing high heels the whole day and running around barefooted at night.

Randell moved back and shook his head in response.

"No! I was just wondering why you seem so familiar with Sir Olitoquit's house?"

"Why do you ask?" She starts to yawn.

"Ah. nothing. I was just curious. Y-you can now rest. I'll make sure not to go farther away from your room. "

Nida just looked at him for a moment, then finally entered the room and closed the door.

Randell stared at the closed door for a moment before he entered the room beside Nida.

The room was small, with one single bed, nothing else, and no decoration at all.

He checked the bathroom and was relieved to see that it had the complete set of things he needed:

a soup, shampoo, disposable toothbrush, disposable underwears, bath robe and pajamas with three sizes are hanged at back of the door.

He showered and prepared himself to sleep.

He let the window remain open and he lay down on the bed comfortably.

He was exhausted from everything that happened this day, but sleep seemed to not want to visit him.

"You have superior hearing, right?"

He flinched once he unexpectedly heard Nida's voice from the other side of the room.

"Hear me or not, I just want to say that..."

He sat up after hearing Nida hesitatingly state her words.

He remained silent and focused more on hearing her voice, which seemed to have a lot to say.

"You can not leave, even if you don't want to help me! I am just..."

Randell clenched his fist as he could also hear Nida sniffing.

"I am desperate to live. I always want to live!"

Randell stared at the plain wall in front of him, which he believed was where Nida was.

Nida stopped talking, but he could still hear her sniffing.

He was about to lie down again when he heard her talk once more.

"I still hate you."

Randell's heart sank, and it felt like it was pierced by a sharp object.

Her words struck a straight jab at him.

He flopped down and touched his chest.

'I also hate myself.' he said to himself.

Randell hated himself and his life after that one morning when he woke up covered in human blood but with no recollection of what he had done.

He hated his younger self for running away and for continuing to live despite the lives he had taken.

He held his head as he was reminded of how lowly his life is.

"I still hate you, but starting tomorrow.." Nida repeated her words as if making sure to rip his heart into pieces.

"..I will understand you" Her next word made him spring up from lying, surprised by the last words she said.

'Understand me?'

Her words repeatedly echoed in his mind.

'Does that mean she will try not to hate me?'