The Substitute Healer (BL)-Chapter 104: “I… got stabbed.”

Just as the attackers forced Soren’s legs apart, ready to violate him among the scattered corpses, the clash of steel suddenly tore through the clearing when another group had arrived but unlike the masked men in dark clothing, these newcomers showed their faces openly while moving with confidence and discipline.

One of them lifted his sword and pointed toward Soren. "Captain, I think that is the one. Red hair and golden eyes?" he called out. The masked attackers immediately turned defensive, with anger rising as they also raised their blades back while feeling confused.

"Alright. Now, dispose of everyone. We only need that person," the captain ordered while advancing without hesitation.

Steel collided violently as the two sides engaged.

One of the masked men demanded to know who they were, but his challenge was met with overwhelming force when his blade was pushed aside as he staggered back under the captain’s strength.

Around them, the battlefield erupted into chaos and the air thickened with the smell of blood.

Amid the violence, Elias struggled to his feet with his weak body from injury, each step was unsteady but determined.

At the same time, Soren scrambled to gather his discarded clothes and hurriedly covered himself as he moved toward Elias.

Neither of them understood who the new attackers were or why they had come but they knew this confusion gave them a chance to escape.

Carefully, they made their way toward each other while keeping low as the fighting raged nearby.

When they finally met, the noise around them seemed to fade as Soren cupped Elias’s face with trembling hands with voice barely steady as he whispered that Elias was hurt.

"You dummy... you’re more hurt than me so worry about yourself more, okay? I’m alright and still kicking. You don’t have to worry about me."

Elias’s voice was gentle and almost teasing, but it trembled faintly beneath the warmth he tried to show.

Blood stained the corner of his lips, and every breath he took was shallow and careful but he still smiled. Slowly, gently, he lifted his hands and covered Soren’s trembling ones as if reassuring him through touch alone.

Their foreheads met in a fragile moment of stillness with a quiet pocket of warmth carved out in the middle of chaos. Around them, steel clashed and voices shouted, but none of it seemed to reach them, not for those few breaths they shared.

Then, Soren swallowed hard as his voice dropped into a whisper.

"You protected me..." Elias didn’t hesitate and said that.

"Because you’re important to me," he answered simply.

No grand declaration and hesitation, just the truth.

Soren’s fingers tightened around his and their hands instinctively threading together as if separating would tear something vital apart. The grip was firm despite the tremble in both their bodies while clinging to one another not just for balance, but for certainty like a proof that they were still here... still alive... and still together.

"Can you walk?" Soren asked quietly.

Elias nodded, though the motion was small as his strength was clearly fading. "With your help... I can."

"Then lean on me."

"Always do," Elias murmured faintly.

He then shifted close with his arm draping over Soren’s shoulders while Soren steadied him by the waist.

At the same time, Soren’s other hand hovered over Elias’s wound with faint warmth spreading from his palm as he tried to ease the bleeding.

"Let’s get out of here while they’re fighting each other," Elias whispered while his breath was brushing weakly against Soren’s ear.

Soren just glanced around briefly then nodded. "That seems like a good idea... alright. But what about the others?"

Elias tightened his hold slightly, enough to make Soren look at him again.

"Soren," he said quietly. "Like I told you... worry about yourself more. Don’t think about anyone else. Just yourself... please. I’m begging you."

His voice softened again with guilt flickering through his eyes.

"And besides... there are plenty of people who can take care of themselves without us. Stop worrying, okay?" He paused as his gaze was lowering slightly. "And... I’m sorry... if I couldn’t protect you. I failed my promise, didn’t I?"

Soren blinked, then slowly shook his head.

"Hmm... seeing you alive is more than enough, Elias," he said gently and the weight behind it was unmistakable. "I don’t want to see another dead person again... someone important to me..."

The words were soft but they struck deeper than anything else, making Elias froze for a brief moment.

Warmth rushed to his face so suddenly it almost made him dizzy. His heartbeat quickened, loud and uneven in his chest while pounding so hard he was certain Soren could feel it through how close they stood.

Then, he swallowed with the warmth of Soren’s arm around him and the steady touch healing on his wound, the closeness of their bodies and the sincerity in Soren’s voice.

Was his face red?

Could Soren hear his heart racing like this?

Could he tell...?

Elias turned his head slightly while trying to steady his breathing, but the faint smile on his lips refused to disappear. Something tight and warm settled in his chest, something softer than relief and gentler than gratitude.

It’s like a feeling of butterflies in his stomach.

"...Then," Elias murmured quietly and almost shy despite himself, "I’ll make sure I stay alive." 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Soren didn’t answer with words.

He simply tightened his hold, steady and sure, and together they began to move while carrying them away from the battlefield, their warmth shielding each other from the cold that surrounded them.

Just as they turned to leave, hurried footsteps suddenly rushed toward them from behind.

Before either of them could react, the man who had slapped Soren earlier appeared again.

His face was twisted with rage, his breathing was uneven, his clothes was stained with blood and dirt. He looked desperate like someone who had nothing left to lose.

"Don’t think you can run away from here alive!" he shouted while gripping his sword tightly. The hilt was pressed near his chest and the blade aimed straight at Soren. "If I die here, I’ll drag you down with me! And going back to our client empty-handed is far worse than killing you myself!"

Then he lunged.

"N–No!" Elias tried to pull Soren back but it was too late.

The sword drove forward and pierced straight into Soren’s chest.

His body jolted from the force of the impact as his breath knocked out of him in a quiet gasp. The sound was small and almost confused... like he didn’t understand what had just happened while Elias just froze in horror.

"Soren!"

Warm blood quickly spread across Soren’s clothes while soaking through the fabric and dripping down onto the ground. Elias then grabbed him immediately while holding him upright before he could fall.

But Soren...

Didn’t scream, cry and didn’t even flinch the way someone should.

Instead, he blinked slowly while staring down at the blade buried in his chest as if he were simply... observing it.

"...Ah," he murmured softly, almost puzzled, confused but calm. "I... got stabbed."

But that’s because he simply couldn’t feel the pain.

Elias’s hands trembled violently as he held him with panic flooding his chest. "Soren... Soren, look at me...!" His voice broke and his eyes are wide with fear. "Does it hurt? Are you dizzy? Can you breathe?!"

Soren leaned slightly into him as his strength was fading but his expression remained strangely peaceful...and distant.

"...I don’t know," he answered honestly. "I... can’t feel anything."

Those words made Elias’s heart drop even further as his eyes teared up.

The attacker tried to yank the sword out for another strike, but Elias reacted instantly. He grabbed the blade with both hands while ignoring how the sharp edge cut into his palms. Blood ran down his fingers, but he didn’t loosen his grip.

He wouldn’t let it move.

He wouldn’t let the wound get worse.

"Don’t touch him! H-How could you!" Elias shouted while his voice was shaking with raw desperation.

Afterwards, Soren’s head slowly leaned against Elias’s shoulder as his body growing heavier and his strength was getting drained not from pain, but from blood loss.

"...Elias..." he whispered faintly. "...you’re shaking..."

After hearing that, Elias tightened his hold on him while pressing him closer as if trying to keep him from slipping away.

"I’m not," he said quickly, though his entire body trembled. "I’m not... just stay with me. Please... just stay..."

Soren didn’t answer right away.

He only rested against him quietly and calmly, and frighteningly unbothered by the blade still lodged in his chest.

And that scared Elias more than anything else.

But the moment he looked at Soren with pitiful worry, the attacker suddenly pulled the sword out, making Soren’s bleeding worsen and his consciousness fade rapidly. Before Elias could even react, blood splashed across his face as the attacker was stabbed from behind.

Startled, Elias who was still holding Soren’s barely conscious body looked up at the person who had stabbed the one who hurt Soren.

"Don’t worry about him. He will live. Please come with us. I assure and promise you both that you will be safe. I can even stake my knighthood just to earn your trust. Our client wants this young man safe, and I, as the knight in command, shall do whatever I can to fulfill my duty. What do you say? I was specifically instructed to take only the person you’re holding, but since you seem important to him, we can simply add one more person, yes?" the captain crouched down and reassured Elias.

But Elias refused to let go while still tearing up as he looked at Soren, then back at the bloodied captain not because he was wounded but because of everything that had just happened.

Seeing this, the captain struck Elias at the nape, rendering him unconscious as well.

"Separate the two and have this young man treated while we travel back in the carriage," the captain ordered and his men immediately moved to carry out the command as his apparent right-hand man stepped forward.