For some reason, I started to come to feeling like a lead block. I was too heavy to move anything, or what I tried to screamed with fatigue. So I laid there eyes closed, trying to imagine where I was based on the rest of my senses. There was that sweat smell of herbs and medicines, and also an echo only possible in an emptier space. Maybe the main healing room where there were cots lined up against the wall to work. And by the breeze I felt against my skin, I must have been close to the window. But why?

I could hear voices, but couldn't make out their owners. It was almost like my head had been shoved underwater.

Underwater...?

In that second, my haze of confusion lifted as the vivid memories of trying to save Hasuh returned. I sat up right away and turned every which way, trying to find him despite not even opening my eyes yet. "Hasuh?"

I felt arms around me then, embracing me into someone's warm body. The person's hand was smoothing down my choppy hair and he was hushing me, trying to calm me down. "It's alright, Red. You're alright."

Shuttering and breathing shakily, I clutched onto this person's arm. "Hasuh... where...?" For some reason in my delusional and panicked state, I couldn't formulate anything beyond that. But damn, who wouldn't get the message?

"He's fine too," this person assured me. "Just rest for now, child. We can speak later."

And with that, I relaxed, dizzy and numb with relief. Maybe I could give into my weakness for a little while longer...

When I woke up again, I was a lot more alert. And even dared to open my eyes.

But who turns out to be the first person I see? Of course, it was Altair, for reasons unknown to me. I blinked at him in confusion, and came to acknowlodge my sick feeling.

"How are you feeling?" He asked me, shifting in the chair pulled up beside the cot.

Lifting my hands up to my face felt like a chore, so I didn't want to try sitting yet. Pushing the bangs out of my face, I smiled weakly. "Okay, I guess... Is Hasuh alright?"

To my surprise, he let a small grin cross his scarred lips. "Thanks to you, he'll live."

I didn't know how good it would feel to hear those words until I did now. But just hearing them? It was shocking at least. I could hardly believe it. That I had managed to save a life? For some reason, the concept was odd in my ears.

"How... I was drowning, but who saved us?" I felt the need to ask.

Altair hummed a little as he sat back. "Darim was there when the rock broke off the cliff, and he ran to me, relying the entire incident. I gathers a couple of doctors to help me retrieve Hasuh and maybe council you, as I had my doubts on his survival and your willingness to jump to his aid."

To this I felt my cheek twitch a little in slight irritation.

"Instead, I had to fish you from the water," he chuckled. "But nonetheless, you were the one who ultimately saved his life."

"I had to shift some sediment to free his leg," I recalled half to myself.

"That does explain the damage," Altair said a little more seriously, his smile falling.

That made my alarm bells ring. "How bad is the damage?"

He stood and stretched a little. "His leg is broken in two places, but that aside it's only bruises and scrapes. So do whatever you can to help him." With those words, he left.

I just laid there for an hour or so, not bothering to sit up yet. And soon I found the stillness too still. And the quiet just too quiet. I needed to move, and I needed to talk to someone before I start talking to myself. So I got up, which I immediantly regreted not taking my time when I stumbled forward on a dizzy spell. When I shook it off though, I let myself look out the window and stare down at the courtyard as sparring lessons were being instructed as usual.

In fact, everything seemed to go on like it usually did despite what happened, which made me realize how insignifcant I and those I knew really were in the world. Maybe not Altair, as I still thought the whole city would weep from the loss of the Grand Master. But people such as Hasuh and I. We were simply physicians and nothing more.

These dark thoughts were interrupted by a moan behind me. I turned and found myself staring at Hasuh, a few cots down, starting to return to his senses. Altair had been right about his leg, it was splinted up to the knee and a few bits of the wrappings were tied over other cuts across his leg and arms.

"Hasuh?" I near whispered before slowly dragging my feet towards the cot. There I stood, holding the edge and looking down at him. "Hasuh? Can you hear me?"

My mentor groaned and lifted his hand to rub his face, when he let the hand fall he took the chance to open his eyes. For a moment, he only stared back at me, half confused and partly groggy. But once he seemed to find his voice, he croaked, "Red? Ugh... what happened...?"

I almost cried then, because now I found that as I pieced everything together, I found I was responcible for his near death. But he wasn't dead, I had been able to change that. If anything, I felt guilty and relieved. Though despite the swell of regrets and emotion, I managed to say, "A rock cracked off of the cliff and hit you."

Though at first his eyes were alight with shock and realization, he was faster than I was to get over that. He observed me for a moment. "Are you crying...? My goodness... I'm not dead."

Was I really? I tapped my fingers to my cheek and found that those tears had in fact escaped. I looked down as I felt the streaks of more salty tears rolling down to my chin.

"It's alright," he said to me calmly, more like how I knew him, "Come here..."

I looked at Hasuh to see he was holding his arms open, just waiting for me to hug him. Greatful, I was quick to accept and press into him, sniffling as he firmly patted my back. But from the moment those tears sprung, they didn't stop until there was a decent stain left on the shoulder of my mentor's robes. Even then, it was not until a while after I had stopped shaking that we let go.

"Now now, child, it's fine," he said, rubbing his thumb on my still damp, freckled cheek. "Are you going to be alright?" I nodded, and pulled on a not so much forced, but pathetic smile. "Good. How about you sit down and tell me what happened."