It was blurry and messy. Rain fell and yet no cold comes. Above, then below, there was a man whose face was half-sunk deep in the muddy water.

Could not move a limb. But could hear voices.

Pain. Throbbing pain caused by a spell. Heart’s sunken as well, desperate, hoping, clawing to awake from said spell. Silence, a strange weakening spell that holds dominion of the weak.

A moan of a sufferer.

Denying the world of the weight it throws.

The denier forces his body to stand, his mudded face twisted, and yet his eyes doesn’t despair. There was a light that flickers on his face, and it was strange.

The ‘silence’ inside of him was hushing the strength of his will. It was wave of will that could not be easily extinguished. The man being able to move four days after his body froze was a miracle enough.

It must have been the result of the drug that he had been injecting himself, and at the same time the silencing of his will. Though the physical eyes were closed, the eyes of those who are ancient observes. Their caring nature, the sight they lent to their family allowed her to see what was happening as her body sleeps.

A man who had not rested since he had been called Doctor of his ship. The man who her friend admired for his tireless effort of serving those who needed his services. He was no one special. He didn’t have any great strengths other than his ability to persist. Will that could even lessen the effects of the ‘silence’ and yet from the words he speaks.

She realized that this was a man who had been living like this for years now. Always beaten, bruised, and on the fray. She had wanted to understand the medicine of man. She had always believed that overreliance of their Artes would cause their end. So she came to understand Ristina’s surgeries and knew how barbaric they were in terms of non-Artes medicine. She wanted to know the other medicines that relies on healing the internals, and yet she could not find anyone who was worth the trust. It was only when she had met someone who Ristina trusted enough to call as ‘blood-brother’ peaked her interest.

A man who cared for those who are under him. He wore his emotions tightly and only when faced with trouble that this man would run without thinking at the cost of his life. She had seen him run and run to those who needed healing without a care for his safety.

There are two people who would bother about the elven. Those who wanted to curry favor and those who have something they wanted. And then there are people like him who couldn’t care about the difference about the races and held a helping hand to someone who was injured.

They say that a person’s true face reveals itself when no one could see him. And here was a person who could not think of himself. A man who had pressed his lips against an elven-kin’s mouth and felt nothing but disgust for his actions.

The man threw the pain and suffering that his affliction was causing and stood up. He wipes the mud that had stained his face and fumbled his bag for medicine. He drank what seemed to be a blue liquid, and then started lifting her in the sled he made.

“I am sorry, I might be causing you trouble with what I am doing. I know that your people does have something that will protect you in such times.”

They didn’t.

The elven were not infallible. One of the reasons that they could produce so much power was because of the lady of Milostiv and the Ark providing her with the catalyst to conjure the greatest Artes.

They were only strong because of their numbers and the mass of spirits that have gathered around them. It was only because of this that they could reinforce the idea.

But even the Blinder contained more power than them. And even she could only rely on her Vitae to produce enough power. She believed that the light from her kin would protect and bring her home to safety.

She knew that the ‘Silence’ was someone she could not fight alone. She had thought that was the end and he came running like the foolish Doctor he was.

She had brought him to ruin and now his life was ebbing away. The ‘Silence’ was the snuffing of will and power. Only those who the strongest wills could fight it and it showed that he could. But from what she had been seeing in the days they had been thrown into this region. He is barely holding on because of his medicine and that single-minded will to save a patient of his.

Not because of beauty.

Not because she was Ristina’s friend.

But because she was a ‘patient’ that needed saving. That was it. He was simply a man who cared about the ‘duty’ that he had sworn himself to do so.

Even if she was an elven-kin who he might be able to abandon because of their natural prowess and because they are loved by the spirits.

To leave her would cause her death. To wait in this deathly forest would mean death and so he choose the hardest path available to him. To believe that his actions would allow her to recover and be saved.

A single belief that would surely cause him suffering. It was a foolish and no man should do this. It was not logical and yet she understood right away hearing his words.

“I’ve sworn as a Doctor to help those who need it. Even if my body breaks, then let it be so. I am sorry, I might be picking the wrong choices here, but I don’t want to suffer the disease of inaction. I will drag you of this place. I believe that they wouldn’t complain after this. Hey, are you awake? Please, someone, just, ah, Mother Galena, Lord of Mercy, please grant strength to this lowly one.”

He pushed forward with shaking arms. The spirits that had become her eyes watched curiously as well. She saw through their visions a gray spirit holding a cloth.

The scenery changed and they were farther away from the place they were dropped.

Along the way, creatures that hungered chased after them. With a spear and a pistol, he fought them. Sometimes, they would ram their heads on him, forcing him to spit out air, and there are times where he would be wounded by the pack. Through gunpowder, he was saved, and yet she knew that one day he would run out as well.

Gabrio was not meant to fight. He was meant to save the wounded and despite all of this. Hope still flickers in his eyes, continuously flickering as he fights and adapt on whatever was happening.

And all she could do was shit and piss and get hungry. She wanted this shame to be gone.

She wanted to wake her body and free herself from this shame. What person could live such way without being ashamed? To let others care for her when she could not. She felt like a babe, and it brought so much shame that she wanted to kill herself.

But that would be too cruel. Not when he was looking and keeping moving forward. Not when he was toiling his ebbing body in hopes that he could deliver her from harm.

If she could only scream.

If only she could just at least give hope to the man who toils.

Maybe, it was helpless in the end.

Maybe, his ebbing body would fall over just like last time and never move again.

But still he was toiling again, not relying on that drug of his. Gritting his teeth, constantly steeling his resolve, and persuading himself endlessly that he could do it.

It was a pitiful to her. She was at his mercy.

From the light that was in the skies. To the weariness that the man showed. She could not imagine how many days it had been since they started this path. Although she was awake, although she could see through what he was doing and her what he is doing. She could not him hope. She could not give him other than the same ‘silence’ that was breaking him.

The Curse of ‘Silence’ was truly abominable.

She felt like a fool for risking her life in hopes that she could shoot down one the greatest enemies. But what did that cause her? Humiliation, pain, and witness the suffering of a very foolish man drunk on his own duties.

Irritation and mostly guild clouded her. But she could not do anything with her body like this. Most of her was suffering that ‘silence’ that was cast on her.

Killing curses were one of the things that the elven were weary of other than fire and gunpowder.

She didn’t know where they were. She could only hope that the spirits would looked around and let her see what was happening outside of her eyes.

“It’s time to eat.” He lifted her body and leaned it on the side of a tree. He brought up the same thin broth he had been feeding and ate. Slowly, carefully, and like she was made of glass. Once he was done, he made her drink water, wipe her mouth with cloth and left her alone so he could eat his rations.

He ate silently and without noise. After eating, he stored his essentials inside his bag and rested next to her. He then stretched out his hand again to the sky, as if wanting to grab something from the skies.

“Mother Galena,” he said to himself. “Mother, I am doing my best…I won’t tire…I’ll be better than Teacher…please watch over me….pleae.”

He stared at the sky and started desperately clawing his raised hand against the sky. Then he convulsed, his limbs move involuntary and he laughed so hollowly before he silent himself and began kneading his limbs.

Body-shaking sobs escaped out of him. She started to wonder what would happen if he knew that she could hear her. Would he act differently or would he his pain like every man does to appear strong?

She could see, hear, and think. Without control over her body, and her inability to help. She could only watch him suffer.

Helplessness was all she could feel.

“Can’t use opiate, just need to take a rest once in a while. One step at a time, Gabrio. You can do it. You can do it. Don’t be stupid enough to make the same mistake again. You already precious time because you own stupidity.”

He slapped his cheeks and that flicker in his eyes burned like a dim candle in the middle of a dark.

But this did not give her hope, only despair. For she knew that those who struggle against the ‘Silence’ would be affected deeply by it as well. Those who fight the silence would make the curse more potent.

It is a spell that ‘silences’ and the louder and the stronger the will fighting. The more potent the curse becomes. She could see his life ebbing as he grabs hold of her and place her in the sled. The curse that was wreaking havoc in his body grew even stronger, seemingly angered at the person that was fighting back against it.

How she wished she could warn him in what the curse was. But, there was something inside of her that was telling her he knows what the curse was doing to his body. It was shredding life away, and yet he couldn’t allow himself to give up.

Ah, she thought to herself.

He probably knows, but had given up thinking about it. He had been given a death sentence and instead dying on his knees, waiting for death to take him. He had decided to die trying.

And she could only do nothing but watch his life fade away.