Third Person's
"It's surprising. The medical squad responded fast." Nover commanded the rescue regiment's immediate action while wrapping Flora's scars on her right leg. Flora sat in an elevated pile of wood boxes while Nover kneeled both his knees in front of her.
The crowd was walking back and forth, seeking more help from the medical team. Each survivor with low casualties guided by their friends was leaning their heads on the stone walls. Every military who did not join the expedition brought a supply of food for those casualties. But even though they survived, each squad expressed their views about the incident that happened within the woods. Their voices echoed alongside within the basement. There was a minimal source of light that only those fire lampshades helped them spot each other's presence.
"My children are waiting for me to come home. I might drop my interest to join Sabahi. Bridging worlds for the sake of harmony is not for me." A soldier between thirty's sobbed. His fellow squadmate tapped his back and lent him a small cloth to wipe his tears.
"Are you sure you want to quit? Our only task is to go hunting. We are not obliged to face those tree monsters." The friend of his countered his thoughts.
The man gets the cloth and wiped his tears. "Yeah, you're right. But we are only used for sacrifice to give Agila the more chance of killing those creatures."
His friend did not respond anymore; instead, he continued to tap his back and gave him water from time to time.
Flora kept switching her eyesight from those people who passed by near them. Her eyes were a quarter close as she kept on positioning herself straight. When Nover had done wrapping on her wounds, he sat over the same wooden box in front of her.
"What's with the sudden change of expression?" Nover asked after he noticed the unsettle movements of Flora's head.
Flora glanced at him for a while before she continued watching the scenarios around her. She blew air, and her mouth curved slightly down. "Nah, I just remembered my father."
This tragic memory flashed back through her senses, knowing that she forgot about her father's death for a spit seconds after Nover saved her. And, there was this certain guilt on her heart that made her feel bad at some point. She shook her head and bit her lower lips. How cruel was she that she forgets about her father? She did not even ask Nover to dig the land to save him! She can't accept what she failed to do! And will never be!
Flora's lips were shivering but were hesitant to continue. She tried to cope with her anger by raising her head and blinking her eyes several times to diminish those tiny tears away. She looked down and sobbed in silence.
Nover was alarmed by her action. He quickly turned his head back to look for a medical scout. "Lend me a cloth, please!" He asked, and in a snap of a finger, the scout brought him the cloth he demanded.
After he received the cloth and left the scout with no words, he leaned closer to Flora and reached her face. He was about to wipe her tears, but Flora immediately held his pulse, stopping him. This made him startled. Nover's eyes widened, and his eyebrows curled in confusion as he looked at her.
Flora's hand was shaking as her eyes met with Nover's. Her forehead furrowed and seemed to look like she wanted to say something she could not express. Her eyebrows curved that they almost collided at the center. She stared at Nover's eyes, exchanging from one eye to another. There was this distress at the tip of her lips, but she could not split it out!
A minute later, Flora released his hand as she touched the edges of the wooden box, making her shoulders lax while bowing her head with her eyes closed. Nover was wondering about what might Flora thought as he heard her tiny gasped.
Flora gathered her strength before she started talking. "When mom got eaten by the tree, I was crying almost every day, but I never saw dad grieving. From that, I accused him of having a new woman since he was unaffected by the situation. He defended himself and convinced me that I was wrong, but I did not believe him."
Flora sighed, opened her eyes, and swayed his foot within a short distance that it even bumped at the wooden box. Nover did not give any comments nor a verbal reaction. He was just there, standing in front of her, listening.
"I escaped from the house and went to my grandparents because I could not accept any alibis from him. But, when it was my birthday, he surprised me with the same smile he gave at mom's funeral. I let him in inside the house on behalf of my grandparents, not because I forgave him. At midnight, I saw him and grandma talking with one another. My heart broke into pieces when I saw my father cried for the first time. He expressed his feelings, saying how hard it was for him to live without my mother and me."
"Without... a family..."
Nover looked away to stop his tears from falling. He does not want Flora to see him crying. For him, it might give more depth to her mourning. Besides, he knew exactly what she felt, just like how he witnessed the death of his grandfather.
"After that encounter, my father acted the same way on how he treated me as if he was not emotional that night. It was then I realized that he was enduring everything for me. He did it because he doesn't want me to be sad. My father taught me to smile even in difficult circumstances. But now, he's gone." Flora's tears ran down her cheeks while she covered her mouth to minimize the noise it made from sobbing.
Nover lent her the cloth, which she accepted and used to wipe the tears on her face. "It was the Esperer's fault that your father died." He said with bold diction.
Flora was bewildered by what he said. He looked at him with teary eyes. "What are you saying? They were the ones who saved Sophia-"
"But not your father." Nover quickly inserted. His eyes were sharp, looking at nowhere. Flora viewed him as someone that felt anger this time. She stilled at his response, but still managed to counter him.
"Sophia has a life too. She deserves to be saved. I can sense that you are saying something else. Do you hate her?" She asked while looking at him in focus. She was eager to know his response, but even Nover did not know the real reason behind his words.
But instead of giving her an answer, he chose to persist in his thoughts. He could not hold on to his doubt anymore! "Isn't too skeptical to think that Hanaele and Cassius went back to the way but only save Sophia from the encounter? They did not even bother to help some of our comrades who left nothing but hopes for the Esperers to save them!"
Flora's eyes widened as she witnessed how Nover's voice went high. She was not expecting him to be like this, but she had no choice. She knew that his mindset was troubled after her grandfather died, and that was because he saved her. She moved back and spoke in a crack voice. "A-are y-you saying that they only care for Sophia?-"
"Obviously!"
"How can you say that? Sophia is our companion too!"
"They only save her!"
"Then why did you only save me too! There were comrades around me, struggling to get out from the trees' sharp spines that gradually peel off their skin. I am sure you noticed them, but you did not turn your eyes on them!" Flora cannot distinguish Nover's exact thoughts at this time. Was he concerned about her due to her father's death? Or he was speculating something towards Hanaele and Cassius's interaction with Sophia. Needless to say, Sophia did nothing wrong! Flora believed that Sophia is a person with a life that also needs to be saved.
Nover did not argue with her further. He looked down and clenched his fists, greeting his teeth while thinking of the events he witnessed during the expedition.
However, without them noticing, Hanaele was listening to their conversation right behind the cabinet where their weapons were stored. Hanaele remained at her tired eye expression as she already knew that this will going to happen. She brought with her those clothes for Flora and Nover to change including the blankets and pillows. She tapped her fingers above the things she was holding while hearing their argument.
When she heard that Nover was unable to respond back, she knew it was the perfect time to approach them.
"These are your clothes. You may go to your respective rooms and change." She said in a casual manner, pretending that she did not hear that discussion that was against her.
Nover and Flora stilled upon seeing her presence. Flora could not move an inch while Nover release his fists and faced Hanaele. They were supposed to pledge in front of Hanaele as a custom and respect to an Esperer, but both of them were disturbed by Hanaele's sudden appearance.
Hanaele nodded her head when she noticed their reaction. She was indeed unimpressed, but she knew that they need more patience since they were still a novice. After which, she turned her back.
She was a half-step away from them, but Nover suddenly asked. "You haven't heard anything... right?"
Hanaele stopped and did not bother to give an extra reaction. "Take a rest. The expedition will resume tomorrow."