The alpha wolf raised his head to the sky and howled, a primal sound that was answered by the echoing howls of other wolves across the mountains. The trio—Abrafo, U-ri, and Michio—along with their two summoned animal companions, could hear the thudding footsteps of even more wolves running towards them.
"What are we going to do now?" U-ri asked, his voice strained.
"Yul and Hajime are coming," Michio said, trying to sound hopeful.
"Even if they come, they're no match for this many wolves," Abrafo countered grimly. He looked at Michio and U-ri. "We'll hold on as long as we can."
As Hajime and Yul approached the main road, they slowed their pace, reconnoitering carefully instead of rushing in blindly. They needed to understand the enemy before attempting to help their friends. They saw their three companions encircled by a large pack of wolves, and in the distance, more wolves were clearly visible, running towards the open road.
"Then what should we do now?" Hajime asked, a hint of panic in his voice.
"What can you do?" Yul countered, turning his head to look at Hajime.
"What do you mean?" Hajime asked back, confused.
"Well, tell me what kind of power you have," Yul pressed. "As a mage, what exactly can you do?"
"Well, I just became a mage, so I'm not as powerful as you think," Hajime admitted, a bit sheepishly.
"You just became a mage?" Yul asked, shocked. "Aren't mages born with special abilities?"
"He is, but not me," Hajime replied, quickly adding, "In short, it doesn't matter now; let's talk about this topic another day. I can basically create anything I want, and as long as I touch them, I will have their abilities, but it only lasts for an hour. Although my ability may be the same as theirs, I won't be as strong as the original."
"Touch me… create a hundred of me," Yul said urgently, grabbing Hajime's hand and placing it firmly on his own face. "I need you to create a hundred of me."
Hajime looked into Yul's eyes, and his heart started to beat faster. He knew this was not the time to think about romance, but Yul's intense brown eyes, thick eyelashes, and dark eyebrows made it hard for Hajime to resist the sudden, unexpected rush of attraction.
"Hajime, pay attention," Yul urged, sensing his distraction. "I need your attention."
Hajime closed his eyes for a few minutes, composing himself. When he opened them again, he said, "I think I've got it…" He then grabbed the dagger from Yul's waist.
"What are you doing with that dagger?" Yul quickly asked, bewildered.
"To create a hundred of you," Hajime stated, his expression determined.
Hajime pulled the dagger from its scabbard and returned the empty scabbard to Yul. He put the blade in his left hand and, with a swift motion, swiped it across his palm, opening a gash.
Yul quickly grabbed the dagger, aghast. "What are you doing?!" he asked, worried.
"I couldn't create a hundred of you without using my blood," Hajime explained, pushing Yul gently aside. "Step aside."
Hajime walked to a nearby tree and pressed his bleeding hand against its bark. Suddenly, a hundred leaves on the tree turned crimson, detaching themselves from the branches. The red leaves slowly drifted down, and as they fell, they shimmered, transforming one by one into perfect replicas of Yul.
The alpha wolf sneered at the three exhausted figures before him. "I admire your will to survive," he growled. "I will make sure that every inch of your flesh serves a purpose. My children… attack!"
But just then, slowly emerging from the dense forest, came hundreds of Yuls, each holding a sword, advancing steadily towards the pack of wolves.
Abrafo, U-ri, and Michio were dumbfounded. "Yul!" they exclaimed at once.
U-ri turned to look at Abrafo, then at Michio, his jaw slack. "So many Yuls… which one is the real one?"
"Quiet," Abrafo whispered, his eyes wide. "It must be Hajime…"
The Alpha wolf stared at the multitude of Yuls, trying desperately to discern the original, but he couldn't tell the difference between them. He frowned in exasperation. "There must be the original… Where is he?!"
One of the Yuls stepped forward, his voice a collective echo. "We are just the first batch; there are thousands more to come! Fight us, and you will die…"
Yul, riding on the gray wolf, couldn't clearly see Hajime, but he heard Hajime's voice, surprisingly faint, completing the threat: "…or run away and live another day." Yul grabbed Hajime's left shoulder, attempting to speak, "Hajime… I…" but his vision blurred, and he fell to the ground, unconscious.
"Yul!" Hajime screamed, his voice filled with terror.
The hundreds of Yuls suddenly exclaimed their voices joining in a powerful, unified shout of "Yul!" The tremendous sound echoed through the forest, causing birds perched on branches to burst from their habitats and scatter into the sky.
"Shit… Yul is in trouble," Abrafo muttered, looking at Michio and U-ri.
"There's nothing we can do to help Yul right now," Michio said, his gaze fixed on the approaching clones. "We still have a problem before us."
Immediately, the one hundred Yuls drew their swords and charged straight at the wolves, followed closely by the massive gray wolf and the swift black panther.
The alpha wolf knew that with the combined strength of a hundred soldiers and two mythical creatures, he and his pack would not be able to win or survive the attack. Howling in frustration, he quickly fled the main road with his pack, disappearing into the forest.
When the wolves were gone, the hundreds of Yuls suddenly shimmered, transforming back into red leaves that floated slowly to the ground, dispersing into nothingness.
Hajime released his bleeding hand from the tree and rushed to Yul's side, grabbing his shoulders. "Yul…" he pleaded, his voice cracking. "Wake up… Yul…"
Hajime knew that Yul must have passed out from blood loss or the lingering pain from his wound. He bent down, carefully picked up Yul, carrying him princess-style in his arms. He walked out of the dense woods and into the open road, seeking a clearer space.
Abrafo saw Hajime carrying Yul in that fashion and felt a pang of embarrassment. This kind of carrying was usually reserved for romantic partners. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Hajime is carrying Yul… this way," he mumbled.
Hajime, not noticing Abrafo's discomfort, said urgently, "U-ri… Yul said you can help him."
"Quickly… put him down quickly!" U-ri said, rushing forward, his face etched with worry. He grabbed his medical bag. "What happened to him?"
"He was injured when he was fighting with Chun, the snake lady," Hajime explained. "There's a twig stuck on his left side. He passed out due to blood loss or pain…"
Hajime gently laid Yul down and began to take off his blood-soaked clothes. U-ri examined Yul's wound. "Michio, I need fire, quick!" he commanded.
Michio hurriedly gathered dry leaves and branches, then dropped a talisman onto the small pile, igniting a bonfire. Abrafo, meanwhile, removed the two blades from the straps on his thighs and handed them to Michio, who began to heat the blades over the flames.
"What are you doing?" Hajime asked, his brow furrowed with concern.
"I don't have a sewing kit on me, and if he continues to bleed, he will die," U-ri explained, his voice grim. "I'm going to seal his wound with fire."
"This place isn't clean," Hajime argued, his voice rising in alarm. "What if his wound gets infected?"
"That's something we'll have to deal with later," U-ri said curtly, focused on the task.
"Without anesthetics, how could he endure the pain?" Hajime pressed, his voice filled with dread.
"I don't know what that is," U-ri replied, still concentrating, "but at the moment, he just has to endure the pain."
"He won't be able to bear the pain without anesthetic!" Hajime insisted, picturing the agony.
"Hajime, stop asking questions and making assumptions!" U-ri snapped, his patience wearing thin. "Your job is to hold him tight in place!" As U-ri aimed a red-hot blade at Yul's wound, Yul instinctively began to stir and move. "Hold him tight!" U-ri ordered.
Hajime immediately jumped onto Yul's lap, straddling him, and hugged Yul tightly, pinning him down. "Yul, hold still…" he urged, his voice strained. "U-ri is trying to stitch your wound!" He struggled to keep Yul from moving. "Abrafo, hold his hands for me. Michio… help!"
U-ri, due to Yul's struggles, missed the wound and accidentally touched the hot blade to the upper part of Yul's ribcage. "Yul, don't move!" U-ri exclaimed.
According to Hajime's previous research, when the mind is sufficiently distracted, the brain can send incorrect signals to the body and nerves, sometimes causing people to only realize they are injured when they see the wound with their eyes. So, Hajime wondered, how was he going to distract and fool Yul's brain into thinking he wasn't actually in pain?
Hajime released Yul from his embrace just enough to grab Yul's face. He looked deep into Yul's light brown eyes, and then, without hesitation, he kissed Yul's lips. His sudden action shocked Yul. Yul's light brown eyes widened, staring at Hajime's, and he instantly stopped moving.
"Keep doing what you're doing, Hajime," U-ri said, his voice urgent but appreciative. He pulled out another fiery red blade, expertly pinched Yul's wound together, and placed the red-hot blade directly on the wound.
Yul felt Hajime's soft tongue slide over his lips. Hajime's movements made his mouth go numb. Hajime's soft tongue slipped through his teeth and into his mouth, and Yul felt his own tongue start to tangle with Hajime's, which shocked him the most. He didn't know whether he should kiss Hajime back or continue to be stunned by Hajime's sudden, unexpected attack. It wasn't until Hajime put his arms around Yul's neck that Yul finally decided to kiss Hajime back. He wasn't sure what made him do it suddenly—perhaps it was the blood loss, or simply Hajime's surprising initiative.
Some time passed before Hajime finally stopped kissing Yul as Yul lost consciousness again. He pulled back, his breath coming in short gasps. "U-ri, are you almost done?" he asked, still winded.
"Yes, let me apply burn medicine to the wound and dress it," U-ri replied. He looked up at Hajime and smiled awkwardly. "I didn't expect a sudden kiss to make the little captain unable to move."
Hajime looked up and found that Abrafo and Michio were also giggling and chuckling at him, their expressions amused. "Keep smiling and laughing," Hajime retorted, his face finally heating up with a blush. "Next time, the two of you can do the kissing!" He quickly looked down at Yul's wound, then suddenly realized he was still sitting on Yul's lap. "U-ri… U-ri… can I lay him down now?"
"Not yet," U-ri said, a hint of amusement still in his voice. "Let me help him get dressed first." He then turned to Abrafo. "You're next, but you have to take off your clothes."
Abrafo's face instantly turned pale. "I'm just hurt a little," he protested, clutching his arm defensively. "I don't need to take off my clothes." He looked at Hajime, who was now smiling at him mischievously.
Hajime, fully embracing his newfound teasing role, stared at Abrafo, then his gaze deliberately dropped to Abrafo's crotch. He smiled flirtatiously, raising his eyebrows. "Take it off, Abrafo… What are you waiting for?"