Chapter Text
Nier had been young when he had first found out about the cruelty of their universe. He had been young when he had been forced to learn that the world he lived in didn’t care about him and worse — didn’t care about his sister.
Nier had been young when he had been forced to grow up quickly.
But he was not too old to joke around.
“What do you mean there’s gonna grow a watermelon in my tummy??” Yonah asked in a whiny tone, her eyes wide and worried. It took Nier everything he had not to break character as he held his chin in a thoughtful manner, his hand rubbing over his sister’s stomach. She had finally felt well enough to leave her bed and Nier had taken her to the fountain in their village, a watermelon in his hands. It was quite rare that they had enough money to allow themselves such luxuries but Popola and the villagers had been kind to him with their recent job rewards.
Leaning back on his hands, Nier smiled softly as he watched Yonah jump down from the cold stone in order to run over to Devola, clearly wanting to ask about the horrifying story she had just been told. His eyes closed and just for a moment Nier allowed himself to breathe. The ever shining sun felt nice on his skin and the soft sound of the splashing water was a nice contrast to Devola’s music. Her singing soon stopped and Nier opened an eye to see Yonah gesture wildly, even pointing at him. He couldn’t quite see the musician’s expression but the boy was sure that Devola raised a brow at him. With a smile Nier simply shrugged his shoulders. He was still an older brother, after all. Teasing was part of the job description.
Nier’s joy, however, was quickly drowned out by a sound that haunted him in his days and nights. Within a moment he was on his feet and the watermelon fell uselessly to the ground as he hurried over to Yonah. She was coughing heavily and though Devola supported her as best as she could, the little girl was still falling to her knees.
“Yonah!”
Stupid. He had been so damn stupid. They had taken it too quickly. Two days without numbing pain meant nothing and he shouldn’t have taken her outside. Guilt and regret washed over Nier as he knelt beside his sister, his arms wrapped around her shoulders for support. Brows furrowed in worry, the boy could do little but stare as Yonah coughed up some black blood. Without a word he placed an arm underneath the girl’s knees and carefully lifted her up. It was scary how little she weighed.
“I’m sorry for the mess I caused, Devola.” Nier mumbled as he nodded towards the abandoned watermelon pieces laying on the floor. The redhead merely shook her head and smiled though it didn’t reach her eyes.
“It’s okay. Go and take her back, I will take care of this. And once you’re done you should visit—”
“Popola. I will… Thanks again, Devola.” Nier finished for her. He cradled Yonah against his chest all the way back to their little home, ignoring the coughing that was quickly getting worse as well as the dark thoughts clouding his mind. Any ‘what ifs’ were pushed far away and Nier refused to even entertain a single one of them.
Yonah is going to get better. I’ll find a cure and she will make it. I know she will.
Repeating the words over and over again like a silent mantra, Nier carried his sister up the stairs. He gently placed the girl onto her bed and his heart broke a little at how pale and fragile she looked. It was scary how quickly things could turn on them if they weren’t careful.
“-rry.”
Nier snapped back to reality when he heard the weak voice of his sister and he sat down on the bed, careful not to disturb her. He took her hand and squeezed it, feeling just how cold she had gotten. With a gentle smile and loving eyes the brother simply shook his head.
“Don’t apologize, silly. You did nothing wrong.”
“But I ruined our afternoon...” Yonah whispered as she hid underneath the blanket. Nier knew that his sister often felt like a burden though he was always quick to get rid of such negative thoughts. Pulling the blanket from her head, Nier tapped her forehead.
“No, you didn’t. I don’t care if we’re outside or at home. Spending time with you makes my day. So no more crying, got it?”
The girl nodded hesitantly and Nier grinned. “There we go. Now, I want you to rest some while I go and pay Popola a visit. I’ll be back soon enough and then we can play some cards. But until then I want you to nap. Got it?”
Yonah brightening up was enough for Nier to feel some sort of relief. He got up from the bed, squeezed her hand one last time and left their small home with whatever money he had managed to scramble together. If he needed to pay for medicine he wanted to be prepared.
The library was quiet as his footsteps echoed through the big hall. Nier never got tired of the sight of countless books, wondering what endless knowledge and stories they held. He had never been a big one on reading. Yonah was the bookworm among them and with his quest to find a cure there was little time to lay back and relax. Nonetheless, Nier respected those who had the inner peace to read one book after another. His personal world ended with the village’s gates but there were countless universes stored in tearable pages. So fragile and yet full of life.
Just like Yonah.
With his hand on the old wooden railing, Nier walked up a few steps to Popola’s office. He knocked on the door, waited for her voice to grant him entrance and with a deep breath Nier entered the room.
“Good afternoon, Nier.”
Popola smiled at him, her eyes full of affection though the furrowed brows gave away her worry. Nier felt bad, in a way. The woman probably knew by now that he only ever came to visit her when he was in need of work or assistance.
“I’m sorry for the trouble, Popola. It’s… It’s Yonah. Her cough has been getting worse and I was wondering if you had anything that would numb her pain.”
The little hope that had fluttered in his heart was quickly stomped out when Popola tilted her head, her mouth open without sound. A cold shiver ran down his spine as he recognized the expression immediately. It was the one adults used when they weren’t sure how to break the news to children.
“I’m so sorry, Nier, but we’ve been lacking the ingredients lately to make any sufficient medicine.”
It was difficult to hear her words over the rushing in his ears but Nier stepped forward, closing the distance just a bit.
“What do you need? Is it shaman fish? I-I can go to Seafront and get some or I can use the fishing rod and try—”
“It’s not that, I fear.” Popola said, interrupting him quickly. Nier hated the look in the woman’s eyes. He didn’t want pity and he didn’t want to be treated like a child. He was almost the age of adulthood, damn it!
“What is it then?” he pushed on.
With a sigh the librarian corrected her position in the chair, her hands now folded on the table. “It’s the herbs we are lacking. We had sent a group into the forest to retrieve some but… But that was four days ago. They still haven’t returned and at this point we doubt they are still alive.”
Nier’s heart stopped.
The Silent Forest. A dark and sunless place that had suddenly started to grow around their village, cutting them off from any neighboring towns safe for the few stone roads they had built. The thick trees had grown within weeks and for many years now it had been said to be haunted by a gruesome monster.
Back then Nier hadn’t believed the tales of the villagers. He had brushed the concerns off, had thought the adults had made up a fairytale to scare the children away from entering.
But then he had heard its roar. Had seen its prey.
No one had ever seen the creature but they had all seen the petrified statues of their loved ones. Whatever that thing was, it turned people to stone. No animals dared to live in the forest and any screams would suddenly be cut off, signaling that the creature had killed yet another person.
Nier’s head began to race. The herbs they needed for Yonah’s medicine were located in the depths of the Silent Forest. And if the men sent out to retrieve them had truly been killed… Then he doubted anyone else would be ready to head out anytime soon.
Don’t, a small voice said in his head.
His hands began to sweat, the ringing sound growing in intensity.
You won’t survive, the voice continued.
Nier could feel his heart hammering as Popola’s eyes began to widen.
It will kill you.
The weight of his sword rested heavily on his back and heart.
You are going to die.
“I’ll go.”