[VOLUME 1] N.E.X.U.S. : Inception

Chapter 4 : The Night's Trial: Friendship and Struggle Beneath The Stars

Then our steps stopped when Orion's tears began to fall on the ground, "You know? I regret it so much, and all this time I've been blaming myself every night? When can I be strong and be her shield? It's truly undeserving, truly undeserving, for a man to hide behind the back and shoulders of a woman, and cause her harm," Orion said, sobbing, showing his deep regret.

In the enveloping silence, guilt once again gripped my heart like invisible shackles. I was once again tossed in the sea of regret, but resilience was the only path I chose. With every breath, I tried to calm myself, hoping to give a little warmth to Orion who was by my side. Although the night sky covered the stars, I promised to be a small light that still shines in the darkness, even in the tormenting silence.

But before I could speak to comfort him, Orion had already spoken, "Back then... once... when I was attacked by a group of clans from the northern mountain region, she unexpectedly came to rescue me. And she... she... fought alone against 9 of them. And... I was just like yesterday, cowering in fear, while my friend fought for me. Val, she managed to defeat them all, but... she was stabbed deeply in the abdomen, when she faced their last, quite strong and ferocious member...," his sobs colored the atmosphere even more somber, "...and she, while holding her bleeding stomach, still fought with all her might, and defeated him. She was very weak and pale from losing a lot of blood, and she still turned and smiled, asking me if I was okay, and... of course, it wasn't me who wasn't okay. She fell to the ground, and it took 5 days to treat her deep wound before she fully recovered."

Orion continued to speak haltingly, trying to wipe away his tears, and I felt sad and helpless listening to his story. However, I tried to gather all my courage and strength, to give him a little strength, trembling slightly, "Come on, Orion, let's forget about that for a moment, dawn will come soon, and we haven't reached the barracks yet. Let's continue walking..."

Orion didn't reply but just nodded and kept walking. That night was the longest night of my life, the stars seemed to hide in their blankets, and the moon hung in the sky emitting a faint white light, coloring our journey.

We continued along the road until we finally reached the foot of the hill, "Up there, the barracks...," Orion said shortly.

We slowly climbed the hill, and not long after, we saw the shape of an old building standing tall and sturdy at the hilltop, a bit old but still well maintained.

"On the right, the women's barracks, and on the left, the men's barracks. Let's go to the women's barracks first to report Val's condition," Orion said briefly, pointing to the women's barracks building.

"Okay," I replied shortly, and we walked towards the women's barracks.

From a distance, faintly, I could see a figure, it seemed like the guard of the building. And slowly but surely, I began to see her more clearly. She was not wearing her helmet, and I could see her long whitish hair blending with the gleam of her armor, reflecting the moonlight shimmering along with the gentle breeze.