Stained Glass

“Agon…Agon…”

The boy stirred at the sound of someone’s voice. He winced and scrunched his face as he felt a warm light walk across his eyelids. The voice beckoned to him once more.

“Agon…”

He hesitated, then slowly turned to his side to let his eyes crack open. He was met with Louger looming over with an eerily partial smile.

“AHHHHHH!” He shot up and found himself lying in a soft, warm bed. He tossed the covers off to see his ragged clothes replaced with a clean, black tunic and beige baggy trousers; both extraordinarily soft to the touch. Immediately, he rolled up the legs of his pants to find his legs were no longer deformed and numb. The same went for his arms as he rolled up the sleeves.

“M-my body…it’s…: Even as he touched his face, everything felt firm and in its rightful place. It didn’t hurt to blink; it didn’t hurt to move his fingers and toes. He felt completely nourished, but how?

“I’m happy to see that you have fully recovered. You drained my water den completely. Not quite how you managed that. The Greater One must have blessed you with a fearsome gift.” Louger beamed.

“W-WHAT ARE YOU…WHY…I…!” Agon began to hyperventilate.

“Please calm yourself. You’re in my room. You’re safe.” Agon refused to believe that. He wanted to leap out of the bed and run wherever his legs could take him, but a part of him knew that Louger would just find him again. There was also the fact that Agon was not currently seen in the best light by the Ruchians after dragging one of their own by the arm while she was unconscious. His breathing did regulate per Louger’s request, but he remained on guard. He looked around to see a beautifully furnished room with a marble floor, a sizable full-body mirror, and a small ring of water in the near corner of the space. To his right was a window nearly three times his size that gave way to the view of a large field that merged into a distant grove; it seemed to stretch for several miles with nothing but lush grass that, even from where he looked, seemed soft to the touch.

“Did…did you do this to me…?” He quietly investigated, trying to avoid direct eye contact with Louger.

“No. You were healed by someone else. I just brought you here to recover.”

“...Who healed me…?”

“A very capable healer.”

“Did they see my…” Agon wanted to ask about his mark, but as he pointed to his center, Louger tilted her head in confusion. He wanted to talk to someone about it; he needed to, but no one would believe what they could not see. Before he continued to interrogate her, Louger intervened.

“You must be famished. Would you like something to eat?” She turned to her right to pick up a tray from a nearby nightstand; a steaming plate of white rice and unknown honey-glazed meat was placed perfectly in the center. The aroma, as tantalizing as it was, could not steer Agon away from his skepticism. That, and he didn't trust whatever cut of meat that was.

“N-no thanks…” Agon also remembered the school of Blacktooth that filled his gullet in the water den, and quivered, so he was unfortunately already full. Louger chuckled under her breath and placed the food back.

“W-why…why are you doing this?" he inquired.

“You must have a lot of questions that you wish to be answered, Agon. Rest assured, I intend to answer them to the best of my ability. However, I must request your aid first.” Her voice returned to that stern and straightlaced tone that Agon was more accustomed to, yet he still couldn’t believe what he had just heard. Not too long ago, he was sentenced to drown at the bottom of an ocean while being picked at by some strange type of fish-like creature. And now, that same person who wouldn’t help him in his time of need and left him for dead was trying to be cordial and ask for a favor? A great heat poured over his body. It reminded him of how he felt talking to the Marrowta deity; this unfiltered ire.

“She tried to kill you…She tried to kill you…” That’s all that ran through Agon’s mind. What could she possibly need from him that she couldn’t get herself? She was more than capable of leaving him on the brink of death. A chill ran down his spine; his fists were clenched in tight knots. Agon was tired, more so than in the literal sense.

“She tried to kill you…She tried to kill you…” His thoughts roared inside him. He couldn’t let that mantra go.

From the very last moment of his old life to the present circumstances of his new one, Agon had been in misery. He had forgotten what real rest was. In actuality, the best he could describe as “rest” were the moments he was out cold after being beaten senseless. A deer-like beast, pitch black sea monsters…the thought of his past endeavors created a pit in his stomach that no meal could satiate. He needed justice.

“She tried…She tried…!”

Just in the midst of his seething rage, Agon felt the numbers on his chest burn again. He gripped the collar of his tunic to see the numbers change to "11:00". That was the nail in the coffin for him. In a matter of seconds, all of Agon’s frustration washed away. As much as he wanted to dismiss the fact, he couldn't. That this mark, Olagna’s brand, was his reality. A harsh reminder that he had no time to be furious, no time to be upset; he didn’t even have time to be afraid. He only had time to act, and to act was to survive. His rumination was interrupted by Louger slowly, yet firmly, grabbing at his wrist.

“Agon. I want you to know…that I believe you.”

“...Wha-”

“I believe that you did encounter the Elbrus. Do you recall when I initially rendered you unconscious in the center of town? Before I took you to my water den, I noticed your bleeding hands. Upon closer inspection, I found this.” Louger reached into the pocket of her pants and pulled out a piece of cloth. Wrapped within it was a small shard of glass. It was covered in congealed blood. Her grip tightened around Agon’s wrist. Beads of sweat drizzled down the sides of his face.

“This was lodged in your skin on the back of your hand. I nearly missed it until I held it to the light and witnessed its glow. That distinguished light…is from an Elbrus core.”

Agon almost stopped breathing indefinitely. He couldn’t help but stare into Loguer’s eyes; they demanded his attention. His clock changed to "10:00", but the pain was quickly outweighed by the fear he felt in his body. The atmosphere of the room felt heavy. There was no way out of this.

“You see, the glass of an Elbrus core has an unusual shine that puts any stained glass to shame, as much as I hate to admit it. On top of that, the rays of light that pass through the glass bend in such a way that they expand and create a light drone.” She held up the glass piece to the window. The rays of light struck through and created a small, melodious buzz. “I heard a very similar sound when I was young; an Elbrus stood at the foot of the Ulrich woods with the sunlight hitting right in its core. The sound was so alarming that I nearly began to cry, but I could never forget that noise even if I tried. Then, there was Dinorah…”

A small whimper knocked around in his throat at the sound of her name.

“I-I need to go…” He muttered. Louger was too lost in her own words to hear Agon. He needed to get away from her and find that message board before it was too late. Could he even make it in time? Would he be put in another dire situation where Olagna grants him another ounce of “mercy”?

“While you were in my den, I checked on her and saw the bruises in her skin. They were not like a fist, nor any weapon I've ever seen. Those shapes were too perfect; completely circular. You had quite a few of the same marks on your own body, the closer I inspected you.

“I really need to go…” He repeated a little louder this time. Louger still paid no attention. Agon’s body was flaring up; another minute taken away from him. Her grip grew tighter.

“It makes too much sense; your story rings true. You really were protecting Dinorah from…”

Agon yanked his arm away from Louger’s grasp and started to fumble out of the bed. She stepped aside to watch him thrash and spill onto the floor as he tried to gain his footing. Once he began to gallop towards the door, she called out to him.

“Don’t you want to go see her?”

He halted and slowly turned to see Louger standing proudly with a smile on her face.

“I can take you to the inn where she’s resting. Much faster than you could hope to reach her on foot, might I add.”

She extended her hand out to him. Agon scanned over her, wary of her sudden eagerness to help. Despite his intuition, he was pressed for time. The mark burned harder against his skin; he pulled his collar and saw the numbers shift to "8:00". With reluctance, he walked back over to Louger and took her hand. She gripped it tightly and pulled him closer to her face.

“Hold your breath.”

She snatched him along towards the small ring of water that sat in the flooring.

“W-w-wait! NonononoNO!”

With a few strides, she lunged into the pool with Agon tailing behind. The water thrashed rebelliously to itself before it returned to its stagnant form.