Book Restoration System: Savior Of The Forsaken Legends [BL]

Auri didn't know when he had fallen asleep, but when he cracked his eyes open, it was already dark outside. His head pounded, an oppressive heat wrapping around his skull. Blurred images shifted in his periphery like mirages on desert sand, and when he tried to move, the ceiling above him swayed.

Something cold pressed against his forehead, bringing momentary relief.

"... Mom?" Auri rasped. "Is that you...?"

A shadow loomed beside him, brushing his hair up with their fingers.

"Sorry," a male voice said. "But I'm not your mother."

The cool hand on his forehead disappeared, and Auri released a whine in protest. Sounds floated around him—footsteps, chair creaking, bottles clinking, fabric rustling, and more footsteps. Then, the cool hand returned, only this time, it was forcing him to sit.

"Drink this."

Someone parted his cracked lips, and a bitter liquid invaded his mouth.

"Huk—" Auri tried to spit it out, but a strong hand covered his mouth, forcing him to swallow the bitter liquid. "Mhmph..."

"It's medicine. It will help lower your fever."

Auri gulped down and dropped on the bed, coughing, each force sending a rhythmic crash of waves in his throbbing head. His body ached all over too, particularly on his left thigh, making every movement send sparks of pain up his spine.

A hand adjusted his blanket to cover his shivering form.

"Go back to sleep. You'll get better if you rest more."

And that's what he did.

Auri drifted in and out of consciousness. One moment, he was stuck in a hazy dream. Then next, his awareness would come in flickers behind his eyelids.

The transition between the dreamland and the waking world left him disoriented, making every moment felt like a back-and-forth trip to hell. His only moment of respite was the touch of something wet and cold that would run across his inflamed skin from time to time.

And then, he woke up the next day with a clear mind.

Blinking at the ceiling, Auri swept his gaze across the dimly-lit room. Shelves with ceramic jars and glass vials lined the walls, packed with dried herbs and medicinal roots. His nose picked up the scent of crushed herbs from the low table and vaguely remembered swallowing something bitter in the middle of the night.

Auri turned his head, and his eyes landed on the blond man sitting on a chair next to the bed. "Darius?"

Darius didn't react at first, his expression distant, his piercing gaze locked on an empty spot in the wall. Then his eyes flickered towards him. He uncrossed his arms from his chest to place a hand over his forehead.

Auri leaned against the touch instinctively, as if body just acknowledged the touch would bring him comfort.

"Your fever has gone down," Darius said. "How are you feeling?"

"Better, I guess. But my joints and muscles still hurt."

"It could have been worse. You were bitten by a water swine, after all."

Auri adjusted himself on the bed to face Darius better and frowned. "You haven't slept yet, have you?"

Despite half of his face was covered with a mask, the unmistakable exhaustion was still noticeable in his features, but Darius only shrugged. "It wasn't an option."

A pang of guilt lashed at Auri's heart.

"But before you start feeling bad, I want you to know that this isn't the first time I looked after the sick."

Auri couldn't help the sharp roll of his eyes. "Seriously, is your name actually Jesus?"

Darius' eyelids creased in confusion. "Who's that?"

"J-Just a super great guy I heard of." Auri cleared his throat. "Anyway, I'm feeling better now, so you can rest. You can use this bed."

Darius shook his head. "It's fine. I didn't stay awake only because of you."

"Is there something else troubling you?"

Darius' expression darkened, but hesitation kept him silent.

Auri leaned back on his pillow, a bit disheartened that Darius still couldn't trust him enough to open up about himself. But he couldn't blame him. The man was only helping him out of personal duty. They're not friends.

"The imperial dogs attacked the desert dwellers again," Darius said suddenly, his hand curling around the hilt of his sword. "I can't let my guard down when I know they could come here any moment."

"The empire..." Auri murmured, remembering how Darius spoke about them with disdain. "You seem to hold a grudge against them. Just how bad is it for you to hate the Holy Empire?"

"Are you asking because you don't know? Or because you are still blind to see the truth?"

Auri flinched, not because of the question, but because of the hidden venom laced in them.

"I've brought you to the nearest village, as I promised. It's best to tell me now before we part ways." Darius stood from the chair he was sitting on and leaned closer. "So tell me, Aurelius, which side are you on?"

Auri met Darius' stormy gaze. "Don't you think it's unfair that you're trying to make me pick a side when I don't even know what's going on?"

"You don't know?" Darius smirked, but it lacked any kind of humor. "Just which rock have you been living under for you to not know what's happening? Many had fallen to the empire's tyranny, many had lost their lives. As we speak, they continue to seize lands from people to expand their territory, all in the name of their so-called salvation. Does that not ring any bell to you?"

A distant memory of their history class flickered in his mind, and Auri reminisced when he and his brother were once called 'Emperors' by their peers, all because they were named after the emperors of the Roman Empire. Not that it's relevant since it's got nothing to do with what's happening to this world, but he could see the parallel.

Before Auri could even answer, the door cracked open, and an elderly man in layered robes stepped inside.

"Darius," he called, his voice calm, but his aged face looked grave. "The imperial army is on their way here."

Darius exhaled sharply. He backed away, but his eyes still pinned Auri in place. "Thank you for the advance notice, Abu. I must leave at once then. I don't want to cause you any trouble."

"I'm not asking to leave, Darius. I'm simply warning you. Ruhad Fortress is in a neutral area. Everyone is welcome here."

"No matter the truce, the imperial dogs will not hesitate to use force if they suspect something. I'd rather avoid confrontation when it might implicate innocent people around."

"If you put it that way, then I cannot stop you from leaving." Abu's gaze flickered towards Auri. "But I don't think this young man is in the condition to leave yet, though I would say he's looking better now than yesterday. You must have been looking after him all night."

"He's not a problem. Can I trust you to care for him until Safiyah returns?"

"Very well." The old man walked over to a shelf filled with bottles of medicinal herbs. "There's an underground tunnel beneath the clinic. To the residents of Ruhad Fortress, you are never here."

"Thank you, Abu."

The old man nodded before he left through the door.

Darius grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder. Then he looked at him again with the same indifferent eyes—just like when they first met. "This is where we part ways. As the old man said, this is a neutral place. You can stay here until you recover or for as long as you want."

"How about you?" Auri asked. "Where will you go?"

"I'm a wanderer. I have no permanent place to go to." Darius looked away. "Not anymore."

As Darius reached for the wall and pressed an unsuspecting brick, Auri felt his heart constrict when the shelf rattled and gave way to secret passage. The man who saved him was leaving, and he hadn't even repaid him.

Throwing the blanket off of him, Auri pushed himself from the bed and limped after the blond man. "Darius, wait."

Darius stopped at the entryway to glance at him over his shoulder. "Don't push yourself. Your leg is yet to receive a proper treatment."

"But I—"

"The imperial dogs will have divine healers among them. You can ask them to heal you. Though, depending on where you stand, divine power can either heal you or curse you, so think about it before they come."

Auri frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You can't stay neutral forever," Darius said, his tone even but stern. "You'll have to pick a side sooner or later."

"I don't care about any of that. Right now, what I want to say is..." Auri paused to collect himself, gathering every bit of sincerity in his heart. "I just want to say thank you. Thank you for saving me, Darius. I may have nothing to offer now, but someday, if we meet again, I will surely repay you."

Darius was silent for a moment until he spoke again. "I'm not expecting anything in return. But if we meet again, things would be different by then. If you truly have no idea about what's happening, then see the world for yourself and be the judge. Whether you'll be an ally or a foe, that will all depend on you."

And with that, Darius disappeared into the tunnel, and the shelf reverted to its place, leaving no traces of where the man once stood.