Chapter 408 - Desperate Solution

As they marched, he felt angry with himself as he gritted his teeth; through all of the pain his body was in as blood seeped from his lips, the strain in his heart was the most visceral. 

The pain began to lessen as the exhaustion intensified, cloaking his body with a numbness that increased the difficulty of his stride with each step. 

"I wonder...if anyone went to look for us," he spoke in a faint breath.

Aiko focused on supporting him as he walked, though the more they walked, the more she had to support his weight as his steps became unorthodox; tripping over his own feet, stumbling, and sometimes not even taking a step. 

"Ren...just focus on moving, okay?" She spoke to him in a reassuring voice. 

"Yeah...got it," he replied quietly. 

Though he assured her, it was only a few seconds later that he fell to unconsciousness, slumping over as the girl barely caught him before he landed face first into the soil. 

"Ren…!" She shook him. 

He was completely limp; as hard as she shook him, he didn't so much as flinch as he was completely sunken into the realm devoid of consciousness. 

"Ren--!" Aiko attempted to wake him further, though nothing came. 

For him, the moment his eyes closed, they opened upon a new scenery--it was a familiar sight to him; an abundant darkness that encapsulated him like a curtain. 

In this dreamy realm, his exhaustion was cleared, his pain soothed, and standing in front of him was the towering, darkly-dressed man in a butler-esque suit. 

"...What's going on? Why am I here again?" He asked, grabbing his head. 

"You fell unconscious," the man answered, "though, that is only half the reason why you're here once more."

The slender man knelt down, assisting him to his feet; the curious look he gave to the black-sclera being brought a further answer. 

"To be blunt: you're dying," the man informed him. 

"...Dying?" He repeated. 

"That's right. Existing on the threshold separating life and death, you were able to enter the astral plane once more. That's why we're able to meet," the black-haired man told him. 

Although it was a result he expected, hearing it from the mouth of the enigmatic man seemed to solidify it like a brick thrown at his soul. 

"I see…" he spoke quietly. 

That's it for me, isn't it? He thought. 

It hurt. Like a sun born into his chest, his heart ached with regret; tears lined his eyes as he thought about that which he'd miss. 

"I tried my hardest, right? I did everything I could, didn't I?" He spoke out, clutching the fabric over his chest. 

Kneeling down in front of him, the man placed his hand on his shoulder, "I've watched over you all of this time, so when I tell you this, remember that well: Ren Nakamura, you were amazing." 

Validation--even if just from a stranger he hardly knew, such words coaxed the tears from his eyes in full force. Though he had begun to accept this fate, it was the flurry of memories, and the spectrum of emotions he felt that brought rise to a single thought. 

Iris, he thought. 

A pause was brought to his heart; though the foundation that carried the light inside him fell to ruin, another radiance shined through him. 

Sirius, Sora, everyone...Meinhard,  he thought. 

"That's right, master," the man recognized the shift, "you won't sit back and accept it yet, will you? There is plenty to live for--you've remembered that, haven't you?" 

Even if it was just small sparks, the man's words reached into the slight ember still burning within him, attempting to stoke the flames to his resigned soul once more. 

I can't leave them. Not yet. It's too soon, he thought. 

"You can't waste the life that many have fallen to give you, can you? When so many are awaiting your return, can you fall, Ren Nakamura? Is that the type of man you are?" 

"No." 

Minuscule sparks they may be, his words found the flames, drowned by sorrow, and rekindled the fire within. 

"I'm not. I can't die...not yet," he finally answered in full. 

"Then stand." 

Before he knew it, he naturally brought himself to his feet; it was what he inherently wanted--he yearned to live. 

"What can I do? Refusing to die isn't enough to stop it…" He looked up at the man. 

Without answering just yet, the man extended his hand that was covered in a silken, white glove. He looked at the hand extended towards him for a moment. 

"I'll need you to trust me, fully, master," the man asked. 

There was no semblance of doubt in the black-eyed man's voice as he spoke those words, and there was little choice left to him anyway. 

"Alright," he accepted. 

Firmly grasping the man's hand, he was greeted with a tight, but comforting grip as the man gave him a somber smile. 

"For this to happen, you'll need only to call me by my original name," the man informed him. 

He nodded in response, though for some reason the man seemed saddened by the entire process; a glint of gloom veiled his eyes. 

The tall, well-spoken man spoke, "Astraeus; that's my name." 

For some reason, the same returned a sense of nostalgia to him as he heard it; connecting the name to the appearance of the man, for some reason he felt as if he could completely entrust himself to him. 

It was just for a moment, but in the shroud of darkness that made up the unseen sky, a glint of luminescent stars showed themselves. 

"I'm leaving myself to you, Astraeus," he smiled wryly. 

Astraeus nodded slowly; with relieving himself to the aid of the enigmatic man, once more, his consciousness faded. 

Back in the physical plane, Aiko continued to shake the young man's body, "Ren!"

Her desperation grew as the sounds of critters in the forest creeping closer drowned her in a sense of urgency. 

A miracle occurred before her eyes as she watched his eyelids part at last, though his hazel eyes were now replaced by black, colorless rises. 

"...There's not much time, I must return him to the others," he whispered. 

"Ren?"

"Let's hurry back," he told her. 

Without her assistance, he rose to his feet, much to the surprise of the beige-haired girl though she followed by standing herself. 

Not a single word left his lips as he swiftly grabbed blades of grass, holding each between his fingers.

"What're you doing…?" Aiko asked.

No answer came, though the strands of verdant grass stiffened as they were imbued with the young man's dark mana.

He flung the grass as if they were immaculate knives without moving his gaze—the targets they were meant for weren't seen by the girl, but the animalistic whimpers hidden within the foliage enlightened her.

He reinforced…grass? I couldn't even detect any enemies around. Wait, he couldn't even move before, she thought. 

"Are you able to move fast?" He pointed the question to the girl. 

The pragmatic, almost monotone way he delivered his words was jarring to her, but she replied with a slow shake of her head. 

"Alright, then," he followed. 

Without hesitating, he scooped the girl up in his arms, not even so much as batting an eye though an embarrassed pink filled her cheeks. 

"Ren?!" She called his name. 

"Hold on," he said, seemingly ignoring her, "I'm going to move at maximum speed." 

Before she could say anything else, she found her arms wrapped around his neck as he broke off in an incredible sprint. 

There was no emotion inhabiting his expression; that much she realized as she looked at him while being held in his arms amidst his fervent dash. Passing by a dozen trees with every stride, it seemed his eyes locked onto something in the direction he headed. 

Found them, he thought. 

"Brace yourself," he warned. 

"I thought this was your maximum--'

As she said this, an even faster burst of speed that blurred the natural scenery sent them bursting forth. 

Peeking through the surrounding foliage, more hounds made themselves present, but as they attempted to lunge towards them, an unbecoming agility was presented by him as he danced around their reach, eliminating them with singular attacks that wasted no movement. 

He used only his dagger, piercing it swiftly through the skull of any approaching hound without flinching even in the slightest. 

Within what felt like seconds of the ludicrous speed, they pushed through the thick veil of a white-leaved tree, arriving back in the camp. 

It felt surreal; seeing the group present in the isolated clearing in their makeshift camp. 

Immediately, all eyes fell on them as everyone jumped to their feet, even those who were dozed off found themself jumping up from the following yells. 

"Aiko? Ren?!" Iris rushed over. 

"What the hell happened?!" Valerie yelled with worry. 

Without saying a word, he set Aiko down on the grass before the black inhabiting his irises faded back to their natural hazel. Just as his eyes returned, his consciousness seemed to evaporate as he fell face-forward. 

Jae-Seong managed to rush over just in time to catch him in his arms, "I gotcha, buddy!" 

Though his consciousness flickered in-and-out, he could somewhat hear the many voices of his companions while his vision was absent.