"Tom?"

He kept breathing heavily, his hands shaking.

"Tom!"

There were tears in his eyes that he didn't know the origins of.

"Tom, you're awake!"

Two arms tightly wrapped around him, and suddenly, he was alright.

He could hear his friend sobbing into his shoulder as he tightly squeezed him, a pain growing in his chest. Taza ran into the tent as soon as he heard the boy scream, not wasting any time checking if he was okay. He moved away after a while, looking down at his stomach. Tom, seeing this, looked too. His shirt was gone, and the entire top of his body was covered in bandages. They seemed to be pretty fresh, most trying to hold up a large heap of herbs around where he guessed his heart to be. Even shifting around made it all fall and crumble, showing it was an incredibly make-shift creation that was not prepared for his awakening.

"D-don't move too much! Nat says you're still in a really fragile state..."

Taza quickly stopped him, grabbing his shoulders and keeping him static. The boy took a few more deep breaths, still shaken from his nightmare. He wanted to ask questions about everything – Where he was, how long it had been, what did Dissonance do, what was of Lasenberg... everything was mixing in his head, and in the end, his throat only allowed him a few words;

"Where... how long..."

He grabbed onto his throat as he spoke with great strain, unable to get a full sentence out. He must have been asleep for quite some time to feel like this – But Taza was soon at his side with support. He grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently, somehow causing him more comfort than anything possibly could have. He moved aside a blanket that was put over him and tried to move his legs, shifting onto his knees.

"Don't worry. We will explain everything, but for now, you need to relax. You know, I think Fonda is making breakfast now... are you hungry?"

He didn't respond, but instead nodded vigorously, receiving a giggle from his friend.

"Right! You've been asleep for a while! You must be starving! I... I still can't believe you're okay."

The boy paused for a moment, lowering his head.

"I missed you, Tom. I sat by you everyday and talked to you. And-"

"I know. I heard.", his voice was a whisper, but it was enough.

Taza's face lit up.

"Y-you did? So Nat was wrong! You could hear me! I knew it!"

He laughed with great relief.

"...Only small bits... and..."

Again, he stopped himself as the pain in his throat grew stronger.

"We'll talk about it later! Just... it's good you're here. Really."

The boy turned away.

And finally, the two crawled out of the tent.

The 'camp' Tom had been hearing about during his dreams wasn't anything impressive. In a small clearing in-between some trees, three tents were set up around a single campfire. Fonda was sitting by it, preparing something on a small, wooden plate, but he was yet to notice the two. There was a piece of rope tied to a tree, but it was hanging loosely, from which Tom could only guess Nat's horse must have been away. Although he didn't know exactly what Nat looked like, he didn't see any long-haired woman wandering around, so he could safely guess she was gone, too. Will wasn't in sight, but when he listened carefully, the boy could hear singing and the strumming of a guitar somewhere in the distance, barely heard over the wind moving through the leaves, making them rustle. Taza called out to Fonda, making him turn back instantly.

"Tom! Tom, you're awake!", the man exclaimed, his ears perking up.

He put aside the plate he was working on and came closer, looking at the boy with a mix of joy and shock.

"God, you really never give up, huh? Nat was about ready to stop replacing your bandages all together..."

"...Who's... Nat?", Tom muttered, still struggling to speak.

His head was spinning slightly from standing up as suddenly as he did, struggling to retain information for the time being, but luckily Taza was by his side, helping him stand. Fonda laughed nervously and slowly returned to the fire, speaking;

"Right! Nat! You'll meet her soon. She's out training Fungi in the fields right now. She's the person who saved you... it was like a miracle."

The man continued his work, whatever meal he was making emitting amazing smells. But maybe it was just his hunger that made it smell so wonderfully...

"...Maybe you should sit down? Here, you should eat... I'm sure Nat and Will will be back soon."

Tom joined Fonda around the fire, sitting down on the grass. Taza quickly joined him, excitedly grabbing a plate of food from the President's son. Tom took his portion more hesitantly.

"...Where... are we? Why are we-"

Tom was cut off by a cough.

"Why are we here?"

Taza and Fonda looked between each other as they ate, as if trying to pick out who would have to speak up. Eventually, the younger boy cleared his throat and spoke.

"...Dissonance thinks you're dead. So... he also thinks he won the duel. Well, he did, I guess. You would have died if not for Nat."

Taza put his food aside, clearly unable to eat.

"One of the terms of us losing was we had to leave the City of Dissonance. So... we hid in the forest."

"These are the woods everyone is so afraid of?"

Tom looked around, his voice finally returning him somewhat well. All he could see was trees, and he could only hear the rustling of leaves and Will's distant singing.

"...They don't seem too bad."

"During the day...", Fonda spoke with his mouth full.

"...You should see the shit Nat has to do to keep us safe at night. Apparently, The Blade taught her to do all that."

He swallowed, paused and shrugged.

"But honestly, yeah, it's not as bad as Dissonance made it out to be."

"I guess it's just another thing he uses for control. Little lies we don't even notice to make him seem like he's vital to us."

Taza completely gave up on his food and crossed his arms.

"We're fine out here, though... for now, at least. Nat knows what she's doing."

"...And Lasenberg?", as Tom asked this, the silence that overtook the two was overwhelming.

They gave each other one of those uncomfortable glances, and this time, it was Fonda that took the fall and decided he would speak up and explain everything.

"...Dissonance started taking down the walls. He left the craters there and put up a bunch of posters about traitors and how much of a problem we were. It took them a while to get over your death, but the city is pretty much back on its feet now."

Tom sighed.

"How long... how long have I been asleep?", the boy muttered, this time getting no response at all.

He realized these two barely had any information he needed – And even if they did, the other two people in charge were keeping them from speaking. So, he concluded;

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"I need to talk to Will."

He looked around and listened into the distant singing.

"I'm guessing that's him out there?"

He didn't even wait for a response before he stood up.

"Tom, wait! Nat should check you before you walk around-"

Taza tried to stop his friend, but it wasn't really working. Tom simply turned back to him with an empty look.

"Where's my shirt?", he asked, disregarding his friend's pleas.

Fonda continued sitting alone, clearly knowing better than to try to stop Tom of all people from doing something, learning from Tom's own heated exchange with Dissonance for the duel.

"Uh... here, in our tent- I cleaned it and stitched it up for you. I've been doing that for everyone's uniforms, actually-"

Before Taza could even pass it to him, Tom snatched it out of his hands.

Ignoring any other pleas from his friend, the blonde slipped the shirt on and quickly buttoned it, marching into the woods and following the sound of singing somewhere in the distance. He wished he could turn around and tell Taza he wasn't actually mad at him, or go back and thank Fonda for the food he made for him. But Tom's mind was swirling with thoughts that clouded his judgment completely, muting out any other noise. He was angry- No, no, he was furious. He was furious at how everything turned out, and where he was now. He survived – So what? He still lost. Dissonance still got everything and he and his friends somehow lost more, just when they thought they had nothing. And now Taza was acting as if this were normal – Hiding out in the woods, eating god knows what, sleeping in tents, none of it was right. He challenged Dissonance to that duel for a reason. He wanted change. And all he got was loss, loss of anything they could ever say they had left. Tom had to know. Tom had to know how bad the situation truly was, and if there was still a chance at recovery. And the only man who could give him those answers was the President.

He found Will singing alone by a large tree.

"Well I've heard there was an exceptional place..."

Tom knew his singing voice. He was sure the others didn't before the duel and its aftermath, but he had heard it before in some of his memories. Will always loved singing – It was one of the things the boy remembered that he lacked in the 'real world', if it could even be referred to as that.

"Where people could go and liberate..."

The guitar, too, was something he had seen before. He was sure that in one of the dreams Will had even taught him how to play it, but it was something he had long forgotten. Whenever he had those dreams, though, he always felt... happy. Calm. It was far better than the nightmares of the Arctic Emperor he had been having lately.

"The savagery and the despotism of their leaders..."

Will was different in the dreams. He wasn't as tired as he was when he watched him play and sing, he wasn't as hopeless. He was always smiling, always giving him tips and teaching him things he said he learned from a 'good friend' a long time ago. Where did that Will go, with this war?

"Well this place is factual..."

The man paused, playing the same chord again.

"Well this place is true...", he tried once more, clearly not satisfied with the line.

"Well this place is... this place is... fuck!"

Will hit the strings of the guitar with all his strength and put it aside, an angry sigh following. Yes, indeed, the calm and kind Will from his dreams was definitely a Will very different to the one sitting in front of him. He continued sitting there, silent, until Tom shifted slightly, causing some leaves to rustle. Instantly, the President jumped to the side, grabbed onto his bow and readied an arrow, making the boy gasp.

As his eyes widened it was almost as if he was on the Path all over again, Dissonance aiming his weapon right at his heart. He fell back, fell to the ground and screamed, his eyes completely blinded by the image. He tried to cover himself from the oncoming arrow, feeling that pain surge through his body just as it did in that moment. But this time, he wasn't lying on the floor, the world spinning and fading out. This time he simply sat there, trembling from fear and unsure of how his mind found itself travelling back to that moment so vividly, and taking him right back so swiftly.

"Tom! Tom- Shit, I'm sorry!"

Will got closer, trying to offer support. The boy, still fidgety from what just happened pushed him away and backed up, rubbing his shoulders. His heart was racing and his whole body was shaking as he tried to get himself back into reality, taking deep and careful breaths. Eventually, everything moved back into place and he stared up at the President with more confusion than anything else.

"...I- Uh... it's fine- I- I just- Panicked..."

The boy rubbed his eyes and forced himself to stand, the world spinning as he did so. He quickly supported himself on a nearby tree, completely disregarding the concern coming from Will. The boy looked down. No arrow, no blood. The President hadn't even fired a single shot. So why did it feel so real? He shook his head, trying to get rid of the thought. He didn't want to think about it right now.

"Are you... are you sure?"

The boy nodded, not wanting to worry the man. Although clearly spotting his hesitation, he decided to change the topic.

"Well... you're... you're awake. You're actually awake. Just- Just come here, you stupid gremlin."

The man pulled him closer and wrapped his hands around him in a tight hug. This one was different to Taza's – It was a lot weaker, more reserved. It carried more exhaustion than anything... it was clear Will had been the most tired out by everything. He didn't speak as he hugged him. He just enjoyed the moment, and Tom did the same thing. But not because he was happy he survived – It was more as if he found comfort in it, pulling him away from that overwhelming panic that vivid flashback had caused him. He eventually stepped back, grabbing onto his shoulder as he took a deep breath.

"That was so dumb of you, you realize that? That whole duel, mouthing off Dissonance, it's a miracle you're still alive!", Will's voice turned angry out of nowhere, his tone of voice jumping around so much it was hard to keep up with how he was truly feeling.

"Well I am alive! So what's the big deal?"

He crossed his arms and looked down. There were more bandages than he could count wrapped around his chest and he was thrown into panic the moment he saw a bow aimed at him. That definitely was a big deal, but he would never admit it.

"...You're gonna thank Nat personally. And you're gonna drop the little gremlin child thing around her and you're going to treat her with the respect she deserves for saving you after your little act, do I make myself clear?"

Tom stifled a laugh. He had never seen Will so serious about something not so dangerous.

"You seem to really like that Nat girl."

As soon as he said this, the President turned away as his face turned a bright red. The blonde started laughing uncontrollably to himself as the man picked up his guitar and put it on his back using a large leather strap attached to it.

"You're a dickhead, you know that?", Will said as he passed the other. He stopped for a moment, sighed, and put his arm on his head, ruffling his hair.

"It's good to have you back, though."

"You're sending me some real mixed signals right now, Willz."

And even though Tom spoke with a light-hearted tone of voice, his mind was screaming a million different things at him.

He wanted to tell Will about what he saw the moment that bow was aimed at him. He wanted to tell Will about the Captain and his dream. He wanted to stay with him here, alone, talking until they figured everything out. He wanted to yell at him about how much of an asshole he was, and also hug him and cry into his shirt about how much he missed him and how much he just wanted everything to be okay again. But instead, there was nothing. Because never before had Tom felt so helpless, so alone and so scared. Never before had he had so much on his mind, so many questions and so many things he wanted to say, and not a single way to say it. So instead of asking for help, stopping Will, telling him everything... he simply forced a smile and followed him back to the camp, trying to not let the swirling mess in his mind show.

"...How have your dreams been?", Tom asked at some point, his mind subconsciously trying to throw his nightmare in as a topic.

Will shrugged, himself unaware of the internal turmoil the person right next to him was trying to deal with.

"Same as usual. The first few days after the duel... I barely managed to hold on. The only times I was around was when Nat was, too. I think something in my brain was trying to hold onto her, since she was a stranger. After a while it went back to normal."

How long have I been asleep?

"...Did anything new show up?"

The Captain please tell me you also saw the Captain I can't deal with this alone I don't know what I saw I don't know who he was but it all happened so fast please tell me you saw him die too please tell me you saw the Emperor I don't want to

"No. Just the usual people."

Fuck.

"What about you?"

Tom hesitated, opened his mouth to speak, closed it again and sighed. His eyes raced around the place, he squeezed his arm and shrugged, trying his best to sound god why am I pretending why can't I just say it

"Nope."

Please ask me again. I promise I'll tell you eventually.

"Just the usual people. Same as you."

The two entered the camp after a rather short walk, Tom still nervously fidgeting with his shirt. Fonda and Will, of course, easily overlooked it. Taza, however, had noticed the boy's strange behaviour a while ago. He did not have any time to ask the blonde as to why exactly he was acting this way, though, as a loud noise echoed from the forest. The repetitive sound of galloping hooves, eventually accompanied by the rustling of bushes and tree leaves. Tom didn't even have time to react as he was knocked aside, stumbling onto the ground below. He heard someone exclaim something and looked up, seeing the strangest sight.

A large, chestnut brown stallion with white patches of fur with a stunning, blonde mane was standing at the edge of the camp, finally stopped by someone pulling on its reins. The horse made a rather annoyed sound, stopped moving, and finally settled in place, allowing the person riding it to get down. The figure jumped off, landed on the ground below with grace and quickly tied the horse up, rushing over to Tom right after. As she leaned down, he instantly recognized her as the woman that he saw leaning over him back when the duel ended. Long brown hair, with only two strands of it dyed white at the front, and an incredibly gentle smile. She was covered in bandages and had loose, dirty clothes with stitches and patches, showing she had been living out here far longer than they had how long have I been asleep how long have we been out here

She moved some of her hair out her face, smiled and reached out with her hand.

"Sorry about that! Fungi is still a little fidgety!"

Tom grabbed onto the woman's hand.

"Uh-"

Tom glanced at Will, who gave him a terrifying glare.

"Uh- T-that's fine! I'm okay!"

"I'm glad!"

The woman giggled.

"It's nice to finally talk to you, Tom. I'm Nat."

"...Nat... right... uh..."

Once more, Will glared.

"Thank you for saving me! Thank you!"

"No problem!"

The woman laughed, clearly noticing what was going on. She turned away.

"Now... since Tom is awake, I'm guessing all of you want to hear about The Blade?"

And at Nat's words, the whole group went silent.