Holding the room key between his fingers, Aaron fumbled to unlock the door as the sun reached its peak at noon.
Rays of golden brilliance reflected oddly around the doorframe as if something was manipulating them; however, to the blond boy, all he cared about was a decent rest.
While his day had been relatively bland, just speaking with Irvin and Solister had drained him mentally.
Not only that, but the strange transportation device they had transferred through had wreaked havoc upon his already damaged mind.
If Raphael and Akari aren't done yet, then I'll be able to rest peacefully until they return.
Opening the door just enough to walk inside, he noticed the lamps were extinguished, and darkness covered the room.
Seems like I'm the first.
Turning around and shutting the door carefully, he walked towards the lanterns, pulling a small match out of a box left lying on the table.
Striking it against the box and throwing it into the lamp, the warmth of the light fell over the chamber, the shaded window billowing slightly.
Looking between the three beds to choose which one for him to claim for himself, he felt a strange pulsation coming from the farthest corner.
From his spot, he couldn't quite see the whole region, unable to identify whatever irritated his senses.
With the strange feeling tingling within his gut, he took a few steps forward, the area finally coming into his sight.
"What the hell—"
Nearly jumping back in shock, Aaron's eyes scanned over Raphael von Steinfeste, who had curled himself into a ball in the corner.
He sat there with legs pulled up, face buried in his knees; however, his golden pupils poked out ever so slightly, staring into the other boy's turquoise eyes.
Just from looking at the once-dignified noble in shambles while hiding in a corner, the blond boy knew that something had gone wrong.
Taking a steady breath, Aaron sat down on the closest bed to the pale boy, staring down at his receded form.
Raphael didn't move much, only adjusting his posture so that he could watch Aaron's movements.
Speaking quietly in a relaxed voice, the fifteen-year-old challenger spoke first, addressing the white-haired boy.
"Hey man… You alright?"
His tone was gentle, the same one that someone might speak to a child with; however, in this regard, it was meant with the best intentions.
But to Aaron's dismay, the question only made the other boy hide himself more, his body trembling harshly.
This isn't good…
Attempting to gaze over the boy's body to find any injuries, only one place stood out to Aaron compared to what he remembered of Raphael's appearance from the last time they saw each other.
His index finger is wrapped in gauze. Did he get cut?
Opening his mouth to pose another question, he leaned backwards on the bed, interrupting his eye contact with the young noble.
"You know you can tell me if you've got something on your mind, right? We might not have had the best first impressions of one another, but we are both challengers who have a lot riding on—"
Raphael scoffed, interrupting his speech, the first real reaction Aaron got from him since entering the room.
"We are not the same. You save lives, and I take them. You are a hero, and I'm a villain. Some people actually love you, but I have nothing. Don't compare yourself to me again. I don't deserve it…"
Turning his head downward and covering his face again, he left Aaron shocked and worried by the random outburst.
This is bad. Really bad.
Collecting his thoughts slowly, the blond boy spoke up again, his voice calm but firm.
"What happened?"
There was a quiet moment after he asked the question, only a shift in the cowering boy's posture giving away his desire to speak.
"I-I killed them…"
Aaron furrowed his brow, confusion settling into his bones.
"Killed who? I thought you were on an exploration mission into the caves?"
The turquoise-eyed boy had his words ignored as Raphael spoke again, darkness clouding his expression.
"There were women and children there… And I burnt them into ashes… Suffocated them until they turned blue… Crushed them between rocks…"
His eyes stared off into a place where the blond boy could not reach, making him worry for his fellow challenger's health.
"Raphael… Who did you kill?"
There was a pause from the white-haired noble, a sort of insane hunger appearing behind his sorrowful gaze.
"Those hellish cultists. They killed her. They killed Ashly. They… They…"
His words began to dissolve into incoherent ramblings, sentences that were so convoluted and broken that it made Aaron sigh hard.
Running his hands across his face, the boy could only stare at the curled-up noble who shook violently.
Whatever he fought down there broke him in more ways than just physically… His mind is in pieces, and his sanity is crumbling.
"Aaron."
Raphael's voice broke through the blond boy's thoughts, making him instantly switch his focus back to him.
"I'm done, Aaron. This mission. I'm done with it. Get me off this island. Call whoever you have to. Just get me off this island. Please, just… Please."
He continued on with his begging endlessly, a piece of the once stubborn and cocky noble now lost to history.
"Alright, Raphael. I'll get you out of here…"
Standing up and walking back towards the door, he took one last glance back at the boy who trembled in his corner.
Where the hell is Akari right now…
…
"Alright, thank you."
Passing a letter meant for the Guild to the man behind the reception desk, he began to walk away, his head full of muddled thoughts.
The local hospital? Just how badly was she injured?
Taking a deep breath and wondering just how, for the first time, he was the only one not half dead, physically or mentally.
Making his way down the sandy path, his eyes caught on the sight of dust settling over the terrain, his weather foresight activated subconsciously.
There will be a storm soon.
Placing a bandana over his mouth and nose, he continued towards the hospital, following the map he had collected at the hotel lobby.
As he made his way into the city center, something strange settled into his body, a sort of calling submerged under the voices inside his head.
Without the ramblings of Naelith and Penelope's snores, the whispers could've entered his stream of thought.
Other people seemed to be affected by them, too.
As Aaron walked, he noticed all sorts of oddities that made him furrow his brow.
Some people walked on their hands and wore hats on their feet that dangled in the air, while others danced alongside their pets in the sand.
What in the First Kings' good name is happening here?
Avoiding asking the gods even though he wanted to, he stopped his walk towards where Akari rested, instead attempting to speak to one of the citizens who walked upside down.
"Hello?"
Bending over slightly to be at eye-level with that man, Aaron noticed that the man's eyes lacked any hint of life as he gazed back at him, an eerie smile appearing across his face.
"Oh, hello lad! How are you doing today?"
There was an unusual enthusiasm behind his words, one that irked Aaron the wrong way.
After a few minutes of small talk, he walked away extremely worried.
"Penelope. Wake up."
Stirring the woman inside his head, he heard her snores stop, and a short while later, her voice sounded through his head.
『Eh? What is that infernal whispering?』
Pausing for a moment, her words faded in and out, indistinguishable, as if she was occupied with something more pressing than chatting with the blond boy.
"Penelope?"
His face fell deeper into a frown, the already vast worry in his heart expanding to new levels as he attempted to get away from the city center.
『Did you get us a new friend in here? Something is telling me to tap dance right now, and it's quite enticing…』
She spoke in a slow, sluggish way that made the boy fearful for whatever new 'friend' she was talking about; however, with a low growl, he addressed her again.
"This isn't the time for jokes. Can you sense anything influencing the people around here?"
Tapping his temples lightly and releasing a tiny amount of his mana into the surroundings, he felt an odd fluctuation coming from the clock tower that rested high above the town.
『There seems to be a wide-scale spell being cast over the central part of the city. If you continue forward another ten steps…』
Penelope didn't finish her thought, as without listening to the rest, Aaron made his way forward, exiting the area in a hurry.
The strange whispers assaulting his head quieted down at last, and his mind cleared once again.
Taking two steps backwards, he felt the voices return for a moment, only to vanish when he exited the radius.
Sighing hard for what felt like the thousandth time that day, he added yet another issue to his long list of problems, another stop on his packed itinerary.
Dammit. I don't want to leave these people trapped, but it doesn't seem like they are in any particular danger right now… I'll go see Akari, then head over to the Guild office and request a mission.
Raking his hand through his hair, he stepped forward resolutely.
If I'm going to help some people end their handstands, then I at least want credit for it.