William was currently lying on the bed. He was in the infirmary, of course, healing.

Emma had gone to bring him clothes from his room, so he was all alone—and when alone, his mind drifted back to what he had seen back then.

He remembered it vividly.

Back when he felt cornered and the Ape continuously attacked him, he suddenly saw it. It felt like a dream, but the sensation was too vivid to be called one.

Maybe he misunderstood it amid the real pain he felt during the assault. But…there was no point denying that he had seen a memory that didn't belong to him.

"What's on your mind?"

A voice came from the left, breaking his trance as he turned.

Emma stood there with a bag in her hand.

She rested the bag on the stand beside the bed and sat down.

William looked at her and said, "I was thinking about something. Come, sit."

Emma nodded, sensing something serious was on his mind.

As she sat, she felt his warm hand envelop hers.

The moment her gaze met his again, she heard his voice in her head,

[I saw a memory, Emma…and that memory caused the devastation you saw.]

Emma's body froze at those words, but not wanting to make him hesitate in confessing, she eased her expression and nodded.

[Hmm. What did you see?]

She asked calmly.

William heaved a sigh and recollected,

[It was a dream…or a memory…or whatever it was. It felt quite real. I was hurting in that memory. Creatures with unidentifiable faces were…tearing me.]

[Tearing you?]

She didn't want to interrupt, but the revelation was too shocking.

William nodded in assent.

[Yes. They were tearing me apart. Clawing my skin, eating my flesh with vigor, crying for more. It felt as if I was the only ration left in a starving world.]

After a brief pause, he added,

[I thought I had already seen most of the horror this world has to offer…but that memory changed my opinion.]

A thick, uncomfortable silence fell between them.

Emma bit her lip before asking,

[How did that help you come up with that spell? I realized that wasn't Drop of Oblivion.]

Emma vividly remembered what she had seen before the screens went blank.

A devouring hole that sucked everything into it, sparing nothing around it.

It was a terrifying spell.

William remained silent for a moment before confessing,

[In that memory, I used that spell, Emma…]

He met her gaze before adding,

[I massacred those people…thousands of them. Those who were hurting me. I swallowed them all.]

Emma's eyes widened slowly.

There was no guidance.

He had seen that spell working as a mass devourer.

And unlike what William had done, in that memory, he had annihilated people.

She held his hand a little tighter and asked,

[William…are you truly okay?]

William hummed.

[Yeah, I am. While it was shocking, I believe all the memories and internal murmuring I've seen and heard throughout my life helped me yesterday too.]

Being a telepath, he had come to know the ugliness this world harbored at a very young age.

People who smiled to his face carried such vile thoughts that William slowly grew numb over time.

So yes, [I am okay. Trust me.]

Emma's shoulders relaxed slightly as she lay down beside him.

Her arm wrapped around his chest as she said,

"Thank you for sharing that memory with me."

William smiled briefly. "I mean, you're the only ally I have." Caressing her back, he asked, "Have you talked to your father?"

Emma closed her eyes and muttered, "Don't talk about him."

William hummed in question. "What happened? Are you mad at him because of what happened in the dungeon?"

Emma looked up at him and said, "Can we just not talk about him right now? I know you want to convince me that it wasn't his fault, but I don't want to hear any of it. I'm sorry if it sounds rude but let's just not talk about him."

William smiled helplessly and nodded. "Okay, if that's what you want."

Not long after, a nurse arrived and gasped, "Oh my. What are you two doing?" She froze when she saw Emma sleeping beside William…they were cuddling, actually.

Emma didn't move away from him and replied, "Just healing him. This is one of the best methods."

The nurse's left brow twitched at the blatant lie before she said, "Get up. Now. I need to clean his wounds and change his clothes."

Emma flinched and turned instantly. "Oh? And why do you think I'd let you do that?"

The nurse smiled helplessly. "Oh, dear. I do this for everyone. William is like a child to me."

Emma shook her head. "I'll do it."

The nurse sighed, seeing the determination in the girl's eyes, before saying, "Very well. If you find any wound that's still bleeding or has an unnatural outline, inform me immediately."

Emma nodded as the nurse brought a small wooden bucket and several clothes to clean his body.

William glanced at Emma and asked, "Are you really sure you want to do this?"

Emma huffed. "What? You want that woman to touch you?" She stepped forward and removed the shredded shirt from his upper body—and for a moment, she froze.

She now understood why he had seemed hesitant.

His entire body was covered in cuts and scratches. One deep gash ran diagonally down the left side of his chest, standing out starkly.

Emma took a moment to steady herself before soaking the cloth in water and pressing it to his wound.

She winced more than he did as blood oozed out from the slightest pressure.

Her lips chanted a spell as she stitched the wound at the same time.

Looking at the silver-haired woman, William muttered, "You know what the best thing about getting injured is?"

"I don't want to hear another cheesy line."

William said it anyway. "I get all your attention."

She narrowed her eyes. "When don't you have my attention?" she huffed, clearly displeased.

William chuckled. "Then how about you give me a bath instead? It would be more efficient."

Emma froze, then looked into his eyes. "Stop being cheeky…I'm not ready yet."

William hummed, not letting it go. "Ready for what, Emma? I'm just asking for a bath."

The way her eartips turned red made it obvious that her thoughts had wandered somewhere inappropriate.

It was endearing to see the same confident and bold Emma become so flustered when it came to things like this.

With a grin, William closed his eyes.

Life was good.

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A/N:- Thanks for reading.

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