Chapter 159 - 159 Same lies, same truth, same nightmare
159 Same lies, same truth, same nightmare
The atmosphere inside the crown prince’s tent suddenly changed. Justice and Xavier shared a glance, while Henry was just absent-minded, sitting on the sofa, remembering the nightmare that he had been living on for two years.
“It’s always the same, the place, the killer. The only difference is the time and the way.” Said Henry to the two of them.
“You never told us anything about this, Henry, if only we know…” Justice looks at his best friend with sympathy in his eyes.
“It was me on the wrong here. I couldn’t believe that all of you could help me. I was trying to run away, even though I don’t know what or whom that I tried to run away from.” Henry bitterly said everything to them.
“You said the killer is always the same. Who might it be? Did you recognize the killer?” Asked Xavier to Henry.
Henry shakes his head. “Only the silhouette, but always the same silhouette. It drives me crazy, and as time goes by, my lacked of sleep grew. At first, I could get sleep like six or five hours, but now… I will be lucky if I can have three hours of undisturbed sleep.” Explained Henry to both of them.
The two of them couldn’t even say anything to Henry. Two years ago, when Anne told them to drink the cure of the bewitched spell, and Viora village was gone from the map, for Justice and Xavier was a very traumatic event. But imagining that Henry will have a scar in a shape of a nightmare.
“I never imagined it myself, of course, the four of us have our own traumatic event that day, but nightmare… I am sorry, Henry.” Xavier clasps his hand, he remembers his own way of dealing with the eventful tragedy between the four of them and Anne.
“You have your own demon to deal with, Xavier, believe me, it wasn’t because I can’t trust the three of you.” Taking his time to continue, he sipped a cup of caftea while staring at the fire, “I do trust all of you, but I saw the impact of that day had given us our own scarred, I even saw the scarred from Anne, the way she tried so hard to amuse us whenever she said that we were just friends in her eyes.”
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“Henry, thank you for telling us all of this. Believe me, we are going to be tried to help you. So, don’t you dare to leave us again!” Said Justice firmly to his friend.
Henry looks at Justice and Xavier, he knows he just has done the right thing, although the nightmare still lingered, at least now he got a place that he could count on. His best friends gave him a smile, a reassurance that they will reveal this mystery and the nightmare gone forever.
They resumed eating breakfast, while Henry was treated by Nathan.
“I can see that you’re exhausted, not to mention have depleted on magica. What did you do? You almost lost all of your magica?” Nathan asked, his patient with concern on his face.
“He fought two Gardoran. He was lucky that depleting magica is the only thing that he got.” Said Justice, while he burst out laughing.
Nathan, on the other hand, looking straight at Justice, “I am sorry, your majesty, this no laughing matter, losing so much magica could also be dangerous for our body.”
Xavier and Justice stopped at the same time, “What do you mean?” Asked Justice, curiously, “I never heard such a claimed before.”
“Because this is new for us also,” Said Nathan with a grim voice, “Using too much of your magica will have a severe consequence for your body. We have a patient that literally died after using all of his magica.”
“Are you sure it was from the depleting magica?” Asked Xavier, he wasn’t too convinced of Nathan’s story.
“Oh, we were very sure. He was a young mage who got a new captain, and he tried to impress his captain. When he was gone on a mission, got his magica until one percent and he passed out.” Solemnly, Nathan continued the story. “He died on his captain’s arm. The event probably will never be forgotten by all of us and, of course, captain Brom.”
“Brom, as if the weird Brom, the former subordinate of Vale?” Asked Xavier to Nathan.
“Yes, that’s the one, and I saw him just a moment ago.” Nathan answered him, while he gave some medicine to Henry, “Seems like he was waiting to visit Anne.”
Henry kept his silence, even though he knew why Brom was there. In his mind, the secret belongs to Anne. Although he already has the plan to talk with Brom. Justice and Xavier keep talking about the depleting magica case, but Henry is never worried about something that seems trivial to him.
“We already have a proposal for you, your majesty, about this case, but it got pended because the new variant gave us all the new concerned afterward.” Said Nathan again to Justice.
Justice nodded his head. “Gave me the report when we got back to the capital, hoping all of us will come home safely, though.”
“Oh, please, have faith will you, this will be over soon, trust me.” Xavier, tried to raise the positivity in the entire room, he turn his attention to Nathan once again, “What do you know about Brom’s sudden visit to Anne?”
“I know nothing. He just came by and asked for permission to visit her.”
Henry then gave him another reason. “He and Darla are best friends of Anne, probably getting worried, and got surprised when he learned about Anne’s getting into the isolation tent.”
“Then how come Darla doesn’t know he was here?” Said Xavier suddenly, “I came here with Brom, and when I mentioned Darla, he was panicking.”
“Well, I don’t know.” Henry shrugged his shoulder, although he felt the suspicion now come into him as well.
“I gave you a sleeping medicine now, to help you get some rest. We rarely gave this to patients, but there’s nothing I can do. You need this rest.” Said Nathan to Henry. He was genuinely concerned about his health. “Please drink this.”
He saw the glass vial in Nathan’s hand and asked him a question, “If I drink this, how many hours I will be sleeping? and… Will I have a dream?”
“Why are you concerned about dreaming?” Said Nathan with a frown on his face, “We don’t know if you will dream or not, but you will be sleeping for twelve hours.”
“Then I can take it now. I have something that I need to do, a very important thing.” Said Henry, while he gets up from the bed and put the vial in his pocket.
“Wait, captain Henry, you really need to rest.” Nathan hold his arm, and stubbornly asked him to go back to bed.
“It will be quick, I… I just need to see Anne’s condition and I will be sleeping in my tent, alright?”
Huffing his breath, there’s nothing Nathan can do. “Alright, but I will be checking the knight’s captain’s tent in one hour. If you are not there, I will ask permission from the crown prince to detain you.”
“Fine, one hour, I promise.” Henry gave up his promise, and go to Anne’s tent as quickly as he could. Nathan also excused himself, determined to get a hold of Henry in one hour.
Justice and Xavier look at each other. They know something is wrong.
“What do you think?” Said Justice to Xavier.
“Ageha, come here.” Xavier suddenly called for his familiar.
‘Yes, master?’ Ageha appeared, with her elegant wings and a wispy voice.
“Go and see what Henry was doing, discreetly,” Xavier said to his familiar.
‘At once, master.’
The familiar disappears, leaving Justice and Xavier to question Henry’s motive and prepare for any information from Ageha.