Arthur slowly opened his forest green eyes to a small Asian American face with short, black hair. The owner of said features squawked with surprise, stumbling back and crashing into Gideon, sending them both tumbling to the ground. He blinked away the sleep still in his eyes and disregarded the glut of messages that inundated his vision, causing them to minimize and slide to the side. He groaned, sliding himself up into a straighter sitting position. He was semi surrounded by people, whispering to each other and gawking at him openly. He did his best to ignore them.

  “Is he okay?” He asked to Aurora, who’d been studying Dr. Sherman. He knew that he should’ve made a full recovery, but he wanted to make sure just in case. Her amicably taciturn features were broken by disbelief and amazement.

  “He’s… healthy!” She said. “He’s not just healed, he’s…” She looked at Arthur. “How did you do this? You didn’t use any magic that I could tell, or items… you’re certainly no healer, I-”

  “That’s… not important.” Arthur said. He’d concluded to reveal his face to these people regardless of his wish to stay anonymous, but that didn’t mean he’d tell all just yet. He’d meant everything he’d said previously, but he wasn’t sure if he could trust people he’d just met with such specific information on his capabilities. He would share his combat related abilities in case he needed to team up with the three again, like he’d already done. After that, he’d give in to his trusting nature and reveal more to them with time.

  “How long was I out for?” He struggled to his feet, the wound on his side that’d stained his shirt already healed. The other effects were slower to go, however, especially the “Indigo Rubber Extract”, whatever that was. Arthur assumed it was some kind of poison, but for now, he wouldn’t know for sure.

  “Just… a few minutes…” she answered, a flash of confusion at his change in subject crossing her face before returning to its normal countenance. Gideon and Ema untangled themselves, the two bickering while Aurora walked over to him. “Whatever you did really did a number on you. I mean, what kind of skill hurts the person who used it?” She helped him to his feet, though he stayed leaning against the wall. “It looks like you’re bouncing back pretty fast, though. I’m glad you’re alright.” She gave him one of her signature relaxed smiles, her hands finding her pockets by habit. “Wouldn’t do to bite the dust after a speech like that, big guy.”

  Arthur once again attempted to ignore how 80% of the room was now watching him. Catching onto his discomfort, Aurora offered him a lifeline.

  “Come on. We have another room with a bit more privacy for just us four to talk.”

  Ema, Arthur, Aurora and Gideon all sat around a coffee table. The room they were in was less dilapidated than the previous one, on account of it being further out of the way. Less dilapidated didn’t mean pristine, however, as the floor was covered in things that’d previously hung on the wall before the quakes. Items that were on dressers were just as affected as well, leaving the area messy but intact.

  “Earlier,” Arthur began. “You said that it’d been weeks since the tremors. Just how long has it been, exactly?”

  The other three looked at each other, nonplussed. Eventually, Gideon spoke up.

  “I don’t think any of us know how long it’s been exactly, but I’d guess maybe… two months? At least?” Arthur knit his brows together in confusion.

  “Wh-… what? How has it been so long? It’s only felt like a few days for me…” At that, Aurora cocked her head, Gideon narrowed his eyes and Ema looked at him like he was a madman.

  “Arthur, we’ve been fighting for our lives for months now. How could you possibly misconstrue that as just a few days?”

  Arthur thought to himself for a moment, head down. Once again, he wanted to be as anonymous as possible, but this might be information that he’d eventually have to share. Maybe not to anyone else, but as he’d be spending an indeterminate amount of time with these people, he would eventually need to explain. This would likely be the same with his skills he’d been reticent to share about, but this wasn’t exactly… as sensitive of information as that. He added his time in the Undersea Redoubt dungeon to his mental list of things he could talk about relatively freely.

  “…Ooookay. I suppose I should explain some things.” He said. “When the System first came, I was in an aquarium.-”

  Arthur explained where he’d been for the last “3 days”. He talked about what’d happened inside, how he’d met a friend, and how they’d escaped together. He left out bits and pieces, like Mira’s name and the Predominate Chest of Apotheosis, but made sure to explain the broad strokes of the dive. The groups faces continuously ranged from horror, to shock, to horror again as he spoke. Ema was the most vocal, interjecting occasionally with expletives. Gideon looked just as horrified, but kept himself under control, and Aurora’s face changed the least, but was still clearly shaken by the information. Arthur wasn’t sure why everything that’d happened only felt like “3 days” to him, but like so much else, he couldn’t know. He made a mental note to make a list of questions to ask Gordeau later.

  This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

  After he finished, there was a long silence. No one spoke for a long while, absorbing all the information.

  “So for you… it’s only been days, whereas for us it’s been… weeks?” Ema asked, weakly. Arthur nodded numbly, trying not to get lost in his thoughts about his family. If it’d already been so long, they could be long dead already, and that was not a thought train he wanted to ride. Aurora looked him over anew, his torn and filthy shirt that was covered in dried blood and other things she couldn’t identify suddenly making terrible sense.

  “So… it’s been almost 3 months.” Arthur chuckled, despite himself. “Honestly that only impresses me more. You guys have been surviving much longer than I have.”

  “Surviving is a strong word.” Aurora said. “Like I said before we’ve lost many people. Not only that, but we’re running low on food and water too. It won’t be long until we’re out completely.” Aurora looked at him apologetically. “I know you said that you would help us earlier, but… I don’t think we could feed you. We’re already counting down the days until we run out of supplies.”

  Arthur tilted his head. “Food and water is a problem for you? Why didn’t you say so earlier?” He put his hand out and expelled a veritable mountain of packaged food from his Vault, then another mountain of bulk water bottles he’d taken from the aquarium’s various gift shops and food courts. The group of young adults yelped as it kept coming, their eyes bulging with shock, then with joy. Gideon went for a chocolate bar, which was quickly swooped up by Ema. The two began fighting over it as Aurora looked at Arthur with raised eyebrows.

  “So… do you have any more miracles we should know about?”

  Arthur laughed… and then realized he’d have to put all the food back into his Vault. He stopped laughing.

  Arthur was happy that he’d… “appropriated” a larger grill than the small gas-powered hotplate he’d used yesterday. After splitting the food amongst themselves to hold in each of their Vaults, he’d taken that grill out in the middle of the room where the rest of the survivors lounged. After realizing what it was, the people were confused, looking at each other and whispering among themselves. After Arthur took a bag of coal out of his Vault and began pouring it in, that confusion turned into desperate hope. That desperate hope intensified after some lighter fluid was poured in and the fire was lit. That desperate hope transformed into an intense and euphoric jubilation as large amounts of meat and veggies were taken out and placed on the grill’s affixed side table.

  Hands covered mouths and tears flowed freely as whole chickens were placed on the grill one after another, along with various vegetables and the odd potato. People cheered and wept at the smell of fresh, cooking food that wafted about, uncaring of both the smoke and the fact that they were in hiding. Some refugees touched him or his clothes, others talked to him, and more still even tried to hug at his legs as he seasoned the meat and vegetables, and he met them all with a smile that reflected his singing non-heart. The refugees keeping watch came to check out the commotions, and were no less struck by what they found. Arthur told them to stay inside, and specifically not to go back out to resume their watch.

  “The windows are open.” He said to the group of three as food was handed out to everyone on paper plates. “It lets the smoke escape, but it also lets the smell of cooking food escape. The monsters are sure to notice, so it’s safer inside.” He looked about at the people eating ravenously.

  It was clear that there were still scars. Most people there had lost someone, friends or otherwise, but the all-encompassing air of misery was not only lesser, but now joined by a faint glow of hope as well.

  “If any of the monsters survived Aurora earlier, then they’ll know that I’m here. And if they know I’m here…” His face hardened for what felt like the first time in ages. “Then they’ll know if they want to ruin this moment, they’ll have to get through me.” Gideon recoiled at the steel in Arthur’s words, the promise of violence as unfitting on him as a triple XL shirt on a toddler. Aurora only nodded, and Ema was too busy snarfing down an entire chicken.

  “Late as always, are we?”

  Arthur tried not to look like he jumped, but he failed spectacularly. Dr. Nicholas Sherman was standing behind him with an amused smirk as he gathered himself.

  “Er, uh… huh? I mean… I’m not-”

  Nicholas put his hand up. “Relax, Lindow. I only came to express my gratitude to you. I hear that you’re the one who helped me.”

  Arthur shook his head, looking down with a smile. “I only removed your negative effects. If you want to thank anyone, thank Ema for keeping you alive this long in the first place.” Dr. Sherman chuffed, an oddly fitting sound from such a gruff and scraggly bearded man. “She runs from me the moment she sees me approaching. Besides, you’re understating your performance again. That was always an issue for you.”

  Arthur sighed, unsure of what to say but glad that Dr. Sher-mean was well.

  “Do you know why I always singled you out, Lindow?”

  The question, out of nowhere, once again caught him off guard. “I… suppose not.”

  Dr. Sherman sighed. “It started the day I saw you give a wad of cash to that homeless man.” He pointed at Arthur’s feet. “A wad of cash… and your shoes.” Arthur recoiled and cringed. “You… saw that? You… knew?”

  Dr. Sherman nodded. “Then, after going back to your dorm to change, you lied about why you were late that day, saying you’d just slept in again.”

  “Well, it’s a lot more awkward now that I’m aware you knew I was lying.”

  “It was already obvious. You’re very bad at it.”

  Arthur groaned, soliciting a smirk from the large man.

  “I knew then that you were special. That either you’d soar or you’d fall flat on your ass,” He snickered. “I didn’t imagine it would be this… supernatural, of course, but… I knew you would either be great one day, or right next to that man on the street. You act as though you could land in the middle, be somewhere in between. But while you say one thing, your actions always showed another.” Arthur was silent, looking down at his food.

  “I won’t say I’m sorry for pushing you as hard as I did.” He straightened and put his hand out for a handshake. “Because I’m not. But you saved my life today, and I told you all of that just so I could say… I told you so.” Arthur looked up at Nicholas Sherman’s eyes, the gratitude in them vast and genuine. He wanted to reject his implication that he was special outright, but he simply took the large man’s hand instead. When he did, Dr. Sherman put his other hand over his, cupping Arthur’s hand with both of his hairy mitts with a heartfelt smile. “Thank you, Arthur.”