[SevenAU | Reckless Arc] GEODE (ENG)
6. Bluebel.
It took almost two hours for the old diagnostic medical equipment to scan all the injuries on Bluebel's body, and when the data finally returned, Xenophon breathed a sigh of relief: fortunately, except for some scratches on his face, the boy was only startled and a little panicked.
When he saw Bluebel suddenly approaching Geode to stop the attack, Xenophon was worried that the boy might be seriously injured by Geode's aggression, but it seemed that Geode was still very merciful, as long as the other person was willing to open his mouth to surrender first, Geode was ready to stop the attack.
His Earth Golem, which was preparing its internal energy to launch a terrifying attack, stopped in time.
To be able to regulate such inertia, Geode was indeed a person with very good power restraint, perhaps even better than Gempa.
However, the Sinclair Elementals in general and Geode in particular were not like that: they lost their temper too easily.
No matter how he plotted with Bluebel, Geode should not have destroyed the Reckless base like that, doing so would only make enemies.
After Geode left as quickly as he had come; Bluebel knelt on the ground, confused, eyes wide open, constantly staring at the space destroyed by the Earth Golem, feeling an indescribable unease rising within him.
Of course, the boy feared many consequences from this incident: Geode had found out their secret location, Helios had taken advantage of the Solars' private meeting to scout the location, the Lulapis that Bluebel and Lilin had spent a year searching for had been stolen, Xenophon had been dragged into a pointless fight and might be seriously injured...
On the one hand, the Real World was no longer safe from now on.
Creating this place took a lot of Casimir's subconscious power, even if Xenophon supported it, it would only stop at the level of ensuring general security; so limiting the enemy was still the best.
Yet the risks kept piling up on Bluebel's head, he couldn't believe that the place that always gave him a sense of security could now face the risk of being torn apart.
What else did Helios want from this?
Did he have to chase and destroy him, even if he didn't kill Bluebel, he still had to force him into a dead end to feel comfortable?
Geode, who was indifferent to everything, couldn't suddenly come up with the idea of coming to take Lulapis one day, it was definitely because Helios asked.
What was their plot? Could they not forgive Bluebel?
Or was it because Beliung had lost his memory that they felt unacceptable for Bluebel to be pardoned so easily?
Why?
They didn't like that Bluebel was protected by the other Reckless?
So they were determined to humiliate him, by destroying the construction that the Reckless had built, breaking down his only defense?
Bluebel really wanted to fight for himself, but he didn't even have the strength, and he still had to depend on the protection of those big brothers, he had no right to complain here.
If one day, things went too far, and the big brothers got tired of protecting him, would Bluebel have anywhere to go?
What would happen to him if he left the Real World?
Without any power or knowledge to support himself, how could he survive now?
Bluebel buried his face in his hands, really wanting to cry, but he had been crying for so many days that the tears couldn't flow anymore.
When Xenophon approached, his eyes were gentle, asking if he was hurt anywhere; he just repeated a few words in confusion, "I'm sorry, please... please don't tell Casimir about this. I don't want to be chased away. I... I'll think of a way... But don't leave me..."
Xenophon froze at these words, he caught a glimpse of the boy's sideburns brushing past his forehead, revealing the faint image of a long-hidden scar.
He didn't know what to say for a moment, just held his hand, it took him a while to say, "Alright. We can talk later. Let's find a more comfortable place so I can... um, bandage your wounds."
Xenophon led Bluebel away from the main hall, so he could temporarily avoid the other Reckless for a while.
With the boy's condition, meeting everyone wasn't a good idea, those guys might accidentally rush over to question him and he would be even more embarrassed.
Xenophon had walked the corridors of the Real World many times, he remembered which rooms belonged to whom and which places were frequented by many people. So he carefully chose a hidden corner, ensuring that Bluebel could spend time healing without being discovered.
Fortunately, there were also modern equipment in this ancient palace, thanks to Casimir's diligence in studying future medicine from the books that Empyrean and Blitz had brought. The fourth prince would sit and read books all day when no one was around, and his knowledge was already very deep; thanks to that, detailed and complex machines could also be created from memory with the same function as the original.
Xenophon was glad that he only needed to glance around the room a bit to see the necessary tools for sterilization and bandages, and since Bluebel wasn't in much pain, this would be quick. The boy knew what to do, and sat down, let Xenophon treat each wound one by one.
Normally, for an elemental master, endurance would be increased, these cat scratches were nothing; but Bluebel had not yet recovered his internal energy, no matter how strong he was, being injured still hurt like a normal person, so it was a miracle that he remained silent throughout the whole process.
Xenophon was worried that the boy would explode emotionally, continuing to cry loudly like the other day; but that was fine.
After bandaging his hand, cheek, and under his lip, Xenophon hesitantly looked at the thing that was still peeking out from behind Bluebel's sapphire blue hair.
That scar felt very strange to Xenophon, it looked like it was still bleeding, even though it had been roughly stitched up.
It felt like if Bluebel turned into a black shadow, that scar would still be bright red, shining like a streak of mismatched color, and the black thread was about to burst.
Why hadn't Xenophon noticed it before?
For a moment, Xenophon raised his hand to the boy's forehead and tried to touch it.
Bluebel shivered, but did not back away, the boy stared at the other, Xenophon's eyes were too focused on the scar.
It was as if the boy's body had become like a shell, and something dark was trying to rise from the crack on his head.
"Why... do you have this?" Xenophon knew it was a bit of a strange question, even the way he asked it was impolite, but he still asked, "Do you need me to cover it with something?"
Bluebel opened his mouth, "No... No need. It doesn't hurt, it just stings a little every now and then." He hesitated a bit before coming to the next idea, "That... I got it from the battle with him. Retak'ka."
The mention of that name made Xenophon's hazy mind feel like it was grabbed by a hand and thrown straight back to reality.
Xenophon took a breath, "What did he do to you again?"
Although he hadn't said anything, Xenophon's expression darkened.
Bluebel swallowed his saliva, the last time Blitz told Retak'ka about his personal story when Blitz was young, it had also made Xenophon angry all day.
Did Retak'ka think that if he couldn't defeat him, he could turn around and disrupt other versions of him as if for fun?
Reckless wasn't his pastime, and certainly not a method for him to get revenge on Xenophon in particular.
Damn it!
"I don't remember very well... I think I was careless and let myself be exposed, so he hit me on the head. Even though I treated it a few times, there was no way to stop the pus from forming. I also tried stitching it up, but it didn't help much. Luckily it didn't hurt..."
Xenophon was clearly listening to Bluebel's story, but his expression made the child flinch a little, like the gaze of a parent examining a wound on their child's head and wondering what the hell they did to get hurt.
In fact, after living in the Real World for a while, Bluebel was also cared for by the other Reckless in a way that he hadn't been treated in his childhood, treated like a child who had never experienced life, only needing to eat and sleep every day.
Gradually, Bluebel himself was hypnotized by that thought, that he was a child, who needed to be supported by others, needed to be held and guided.
Sometimes it was fun to see the Reckless show off their big brother instincts, and they were happy to have the chance to do so.
But not now.
It was like the child had done something wrong and everyone thought Bluebel needed to be punished, for whatever reason: for being careless, for risking his life to see Retak'ka, for refusing help from Lilin or Rimba, for ignoring Helios, for causing trouble somewhere or with Geode, causing Geode to come and make a scene to vent his anger,...
Yes, Xenophon's look showed that Bluebel had been carefree for too long, he needed to be punished for something, instead of just being comforted with empty words like, "it's good that you're fine, how could he do that to you?".
Xenophon was silent for a few minutes, his gaze fixed, as if he was assessing Bluebel's body, seeing how many wounds on the boy's body were caused by the rashness of a child, weak and exposed.
Bluebel had seen such gazes since waking up: all staring at Retak'ka's scar, using it as proof of identity: that the person before him had survived the alien's attack, that this was "the stupid child who was beaten to a pulp by him, luckily returned, and then smugly said that he had survived as if he were a real 'Saint'".
That was what the people of Timeline 7 had whispered to each other, "how disappointing, a Saint raised by the Church would be marked so badly by the enemy?"
Every time he passed through those lands, Bluebel would hear such things, feeling hot in the face, so after finishing his work, he would return to the Real World.
He felt like no matter where he stood in his timeline, people would be scrutinizing him because of his status as a Saint, so only being in Casimir's arms would make him feel safe.
So no matter when, Bluebel would always act obedient, obeying his elders, so that they wouldn't hate him.
But Geode's matter had already happened...
Then Xenophon spoke, pulling Bluebel back to reality:
"You don't see it hurts. But I do. It makes me sad to see you like this."
It was the most reproachful tone Xenophon's gentle face could muster.
Helios had apparently said similar things before. Bluebel did not deny the protection, from Helios in the past or Reckless in the present; but sometimes, Bluebel felt that they were only concerned about his physical condition and not really paying attention to his inner feelings.
Bluebel might not be in too much physical pain (in fact, he had never been seriously injured in the Real World), but every time he was scolded, even just a small sentence, it would make him sad for days.
To the Reckless, a child who still had many things to understand like Bluebel, as long as he did not get hurt, who cared what he thought? What deep thoughts could a child have?
Wasn't it enough to feed and clothe him, give him a safe home and such a beautiful place to live?
They had created this place for him to feel secure... what else was there to be dissatisfied about? Don't so greedy!
Over time, it seemed like everyone was observing the Holy Marks, thinking about their deeper meanings more than Bluebel's true feelings; seeing them as medals, seeing the wounds that accidentally pressed on them as viruses, boils that needed to be removed.
Bluebel's gaze was always on them, and on the Reckless; but in their eyes, there was never a trace of him.
"Sinclair, listen to me for once, okay?"
Bluebel abruptly raised his head, but instead of Xenophon, it was Gempa.
He was a calm Earth element and always knew how to restrain his words, Xenophon often alternated between himself and Gempa to avoid outbursts of anger and excessive speech.
However, this time it was a bit the opposite, Xenophon seemed more sad than angry, so he avoided him, but Gempa was different.
He wasn't in a hurry, his golden eyes revealing a leisurely look, then he said something that made Bluebel's heart freeze:
"You shouldn't be so indifferent, don't you care about yourself? At least we're here and worried about you, so don't risk your life."
Gempa spoke softly, unbelievably softly, circling Bluebel once, making the boy feel like he looked like a pet.
There was a heavy pressure surrounding Bluebel's throat, making him unable to explain himself.
"I... I'm sorry... I didn't mean to... I accidentally..."
"Accidentally getting hurt, accidentally revealing a weakness, accidentally letting outsiders discover our secret place?"
Bluebel was silent. Gempa was just teaching, he should listen, should listen carefully; there was nothing to be resentful about.
When he first saw Bluebel's scar, Casimir said, "It looks like a fatal wound. When I met Retak'ka in Timeline 6, he made demands and cornered me by massacring many civilians in my territory. They have similar scars on their bodies. Your scar is all over the dead; Rising Sun even said, 'anyone with this on their body is dead for sure', like attaching a bomb that can't be removed. So with you being the only one who has it and is still alive, people will be shocked when they see it..."
Then Casimir smiled, "Actually I'm the same. When I first took care of you, I was afraid you would suddenly collapse and di-... Well, that's too bad to say. It's good that you're okay."
As people say, scars are like marks, they're a kind of "medal".
While the Holy Mark symbolized a pure and gentle rebirth (as the church said), the scar – formed in blood and violence – was proof that Sinclair had survived a disaster, a special feat, a rare miracle, like the medal hung around his neck unwillingly and Bluebel had to bear the burden of wearing it.
They thought that Bluebel would show it off on purpose, when he was craving attention, and say, "That's how your saints, is myself, are."
Could it be that, this time, Gempa also looked at the scar, thinking: thanks to it, Bluebel could do whatever he wanted, let everything happen indiscriminately just because he held the death-free card in his hand. That if this scar couldn't kill him, then nothing could kill him?
No, it wasn't like that!
Bluebel wanted to explain, but he was not the talkative person he had been, and Retak'ka's influence was too great.
Retak'ka was not present, but his parasite still infiltrated their conversation, separating him from Xenophon.
"It is a part of you, Sinclair," Xenophon said wisely at last. "A part of your 'origin'. It should be a reminder of all you have lost."
"I know..."
"The thing you should know, that you deserve it."
"...What?"
"That thing will always be above your head, in your subconscious. Every time you look at yourself, you will see it too. Time may numb it, but it will never go away. It will remind you of your carelessness, my anger, forever. It reminds me of how I couldn't protect my elements during my battle with Retak'ka, back then. I remember watching helplessly as he absorbed them and watching every last part of them disappear without being able to hold it in my hands."
Bluebel was silent, too shaken to speak.
Gempa said with a somber expression, "Unfortunately, I can't heal it. And seeing you walking around with that thing etched on your face... it pisses me off more than anything else."
In an instant, Gempa's voice fell into the abyss, becoming deep and deep, causing Bluebel to truly panic.
Bluebel hallucinated that Xenophon would truly transform into a pure incarnation of anger, grabbing his head, trying to find a way to erase his scar, even if it meant cutting off every piece of skin on his head.
Although he knew for sure that it was an illusion, the scar made his mind hazy, seeing everything as real, all the worst scenarios appeared before his eyes.
Bluebel quickly stood up from the chair, extremely fast, still mumbling, "I'm sorry, I can't..." and ran out of the room.
Gempa woke up, his hand quickly covering his mouth, realizing what he had just said, as well as his terrifying "murderous intent".
Gempa reached out, "Wait, I don't really...!"
But Bluebel pushed everything in his way and ran very fast.
Up until now, the only thing that was still working well was his ability to escape quickly.
Was it ingrained in Bluebel's instincts, that he didn't dare to face everything, and had to run away immediately when he encountered anything?
Bluebel didn't know, he didn't want to know!
Gempa returned to Xenophon's form, immediately chasing after him, "Hey, stop running! Be careful not to get lost!"
Unlike Xenophon, Bluebel had never had the need to wander around the Real World palace and of course did not know about the corridors that constantly changed positions, the boy would be tired if he got lost in places that were not in Casimir's memory.
Fortunately, Xenophon did not have to chase Bluebel for too long, because of one problem: the boy unconsciously passed out, which was a curse that Behemoth had placed on him. The Narcolepsy curse.
When running around a corner, Bluebel suddenly felt his eyes darken, immediately knowing that this was a sign that he was about to fall into an uncontrolled sleep, so he slowed down, panting, his hands leaning against a faint wall with self-moving patterns.
The pattern looked like a devil's face smiling wickedly at him, making Bluebel even more afraid, but he could not move anymore.
Before closing his eyes, someone's figure quickly supported his back.
That person's hand held so hard that it felt like his bones could break at any moment well.
.
After running for a while, he thought he had lost sight of Bluebel, but Xenophon was quickly surprised.
On the other side, Ganymede was carrying Sinclair, who was sleeping on the floor.
At first glance, he thought Sinclair had been injured somewhere or hit something to make him look so exhausted, but seeing the way Ganymede stroked Bluebel's hair and his breathing became regular again, Xenophon realized that the child was sleeping.
Xenophon forgot that Bluebel had no control over his sleep-wake cycle, especially when he was panicking.
"Thank goodness, I... I..."
Xenophon hesitated when he saw Ganymede looking at him with a very comfortable gaze, as if he was narrating everything without using symbols:
[I passed by here and he was just sleeping soundly, what just happened?], or [Your face looks pale, Xenophon].
Even though Ganymede couldn't speak (meaning he couldn't raise his voice to anyone), Xenophon was still hesitant to talk about what had happened, as if he was a little worried that Ganymede would complain, [You're the senior, be a little more tolerant of Sinclair].
What's going on, why did Xenophon suddenly let his anger out and push Bluebel to this point?
The child was already deeply hurt by being betrayed by his own Elements and then turned around to attack him, and yet he added fuel to the fire.
Xenophon knew that he had his own problems with Casimir and the Real World, but as a real adult, he shouldn't use his own reasons to impose on Bluebel.
Didn't Bluebel also hand over Lulapis to protect Xenophon?
Xenophon caught a glimpse of the deep, red marks on Bluebel's hand, and was confused, "Where was this just now?"
Ganymede was startled and regretted: [I saw him about to fall and hit his head on the bricks, so I caught him, but I pulled him back too hard and probably dislocated his arm. Can you help me bandage this place?]
Phew, luckily it's nothing serious.
Xenophon pursed his lips, but...
"Will he wake up?"
Even though that scar didn't kill him, Bluebel was still under this mysterious curse, causing him to sleep forever.
Just like the fairy tale "Sleeping Beauty", even if he go to the trouble of building a castle to protect him, if he doesn't wake up, what's the meaning of this protection?
Xenophon knew that every time he slept like that, Bluebel would have to face countless nightmares of his own in his head, and he couldn't protect the child there.
Xenophon can't protect his feelings, he can only stay here, doing what everyone else does: protecting Bluebel's lifeless body.
That's is Bluebel's fate, forever after?
Every time like this, always having to go through danger, not knowing if Bluebel will wake up, or never wake up again...
Ganymede took Xenophon's hand, continuing: [Don't worry, Sinclair is strong.]
Xenophon smiled wryly, "You think so too?"
Ganymede smiled innocently, not sure if he understood the question.
*Tbc*
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