I feel light headed… Am I floating…
The elf's vision was all double and too bright. He was looking directly at the sky, and the clouds were… Well, a lot. To him, it felt as if he was in the clouds… However, his body was… heavy. It felt as if he'd taken a heavy beating from a golem, as if boulders had run over him countless times.
The thing is… he did take a beating. Just not from a boulder or a golem.
It took him seconds to realize the state he was currently in. He pulled his head up to observe his own surroundings and himself. His clothing was barely in one piece, only fully covering his bottom with a few fabric left on his top. He had bruises and scratches all over his body, explaining the insufferable pain he's experiencing.
In front of him was a man with his back turned towards him, walking away in a calm manner. The elf's vision adjusted to the direction where the man was walking towards.
There he saw a total of eight people… all of them were familiar faces.
"Must you always resort to such extreme ways, Syvestian?"
He heard the tall man's authoritative voice, but it wasn't what caught his attention.
Syvestian…? Where have I heard that name? Cimmerian continued to wonder, glancing back to the man walking away from him.
"Oh, you are all well aware how much of a pacifist I am. However, in front of an addict, this is the only option," Yves explained himself.
An addict…? Have I become an addict…? Cimmerian thought to himself as he looked over his own body. There were familiar black veins in his arms and chest. When did I even take that damned drug…?
Memories of what happened before his slumber came rushing in his system, resulting in a headache.
"This is for your own good. Tell Syvestian I said hi."
Right, that damned son of a bitch tricked me… then knocked me out… but what am I doing here then? Cimmerian was coming back to his senses, despite the unbearable ache all over his body. Right then and there, he realized.
"Syvestian… Yves…?" Cimmerian mumbled to himself as he tried to push his body to stand up.
It's him… He's right in front of me… I shouldn't let him leave again… Cim thought, trying to gather up his remaining strength to stop the man in front of him.
The grand duke couldn't help but sigh at the sight of his adopted son, dusting off his shoulder as he walked away from the heavily beaten and unconscious elf on the cold hard earth. It's been roughly twenty minutes since he began getting physical with Cimmerian. All they could do was watch.
From what they've seen, there was no way they could stop him at all. Nor would they have the courage to do so. They were all grounded in their places as they watched Yves easily manhandle the raging elf.
How gruesome, Callista let out a cold sweat. There was barely even any blood on the ground, it was mostly damage to property that had happened. Each one was the result of Yves' slamming the elf on anything. The walls, the grounds; anywhere.
Really? Where did this boy come from? Samael was most suspicious of him. Every aspect of this kid was flawless. His work ethics, his morals, his inventions, and now also his fighting style.
Despite all their years living under the same roof, Samael and Callista had never seen him fight. Mainly because all his time was spent in his laboratory rather than a battleground. They've never even seen him hold a sword or a dagger. All the time that they've seen him slumping on the couch or the cold floor with research papers, books, and quills conditioned their mind that he was no fighter.
Samael himself had forgotten that this young adult was the same slave boy that forced him and his knights on their knees so casually for intruding their campsite on a random day.
Who would think that he was more than just a mage?
Tadeas and Isaac were speechless themselves. As high-ranking knights of this empire, they hold pride in being one of the strangest. When they met Yves for the very first time, they never thought of him as a fighter. They used to be in denial of the young man's power, but not his influence. He is reliable, but they didn't think it was to this extent.
At this moment, Yves could go to war himself and win.
While the other seniors were unable to utter a single word, the Yves' peers were speechless for a different reason; disbelief. After all, Yves' strength was no surprise to them.
Now how will I explain this to Father…? Kian rubbed his temple as he looked around the place.
We should've handled it ourselves… Milera thought to herself, sighing. She was thinking about how the damage could have lessened if the five of them were the ones to handle Cimmerian. In fact, just one of them would be alright.
I never thought he would rampage the moment he wakes up, Dolunay thought to herself, feeling shivers down her spine just thinking about how it could have been her having to deal with Cimmerian's raging state. She could actually kill him accidently…
I wonder how many days will it take for Cimmerian to wake up again… Ezio was more concerned about his friend, feeling restless in his place as he tried to look over Cimmerian's moving body.
Noticing the elf's movement, Ezio and Dolunay rushed past Yves to tend to Cimmerian who seems to have gotten back to his senses.
"Cim…! Don't force yourself!" Dolunay worriedly said. Ezio was right beside him, helping the elf up.
"Yves…!"
Cimmerian's desperate cry had Yves halting on his tracks. Yves turned back to the elf, and when Cimmerian suddenly recalled Yves' words.
"Keep them connected."
The only thing Yves told him to do before they left him. As the oldest, he was left with a simple task… yet he failed.
"I'm sorry…" Right then and there, he passed out in Ezio's arms.
Yves couldn't contain his smile. It wasn't the elf's fault… there was something that had gotten on his way.
"Take him to my lab, I'll patch him up manually," Yves gave out his orders as he snapped his fingers. Before them, they watched the training grounds slowly piece back together as if it was never even touched or cracked. It was as if time had reversed.
All of them had one thought.
How fascinating…