Chase helplessly waited for something too happen, the only thing that he could hear other than the faint breathing of the unconscious girl: Were the sounds of strange creatures croaking in the darker parts of the forest.
He didn't even care that they were in the heart of The Dark Forest, closest to the academy.
Which also happened to be the most dangerous part in the region.
But then again he had just set one of the most powerful monsters he had ever been face to face with, on fire.
He closed his eyes, trying to feel that divine burn within his being once more; however, just as he expected, nothing came.
The most powerful he had ever felt, and he would probably never get to feel it again.
He shook his head, and clenched his fist.
"Hey!"
Neo called out with a groan.
He still hadn't moved but he looked just as bad as he did.
Chase could see his thousand cuts from where he sat, which was a pretty decently far distance away.
"Stop yelling..."
He responded, shifting glances to each of the darker shadows that surrounded him.
Then with a sigh, he looked down at the empty vial in his hand.
And then he looked back down at the open wound that had split his knee.
'How...'
If the mimic's world had not truly been real, which had been proved by the full vial in Poppy's satchel... Then how had they all received such injuries...?
He didn't realize how hard he had been squeezing the vial, until the glass shattered in his hands.
Blood trinkled down his arm, dripping into the lively grass.
He didn't care, the only things that mattered were that they had really escaped the mimic, and the second was if the girl in front of him was going to survive the terrible gash in her stomach.
Then with a gasp, Poppy woke with a start.
For a few moments, she began to cough up copious amounts of blood.
Chase sat next to her silently, and Neo had also made his way over and was now lying quietly a few meters away from him.
After her coughing fit, Poppy glanced around and then at Chase.
Then her eyes lowered, and she was staring at the dagger-sized hole that had completely pierced the center of his knee.
"You won't be able to walk..."
She said, with a stubborn frown resting on her bloodied face.
Chase just stared at her with a deadpanned expression.
"Have you looked at yourself?"
He said, nodding toward her ripped open stomach that had begun to heal from the potion he had forced her too drink.
Clenching his teeth, he wondered why he had been so determined to save her.
The same girl who had tried to kill him on the day they had first met, the same girl who had only referred to him as "Stray" the entirety of the time he had been attending the academy... And the same girl who had probably saved his life multiple times within the mimic's world...
He rubbed his eyes tiredly.
Obviously the pain wasn't terrible, and he would probably be able to get it healed over night. After all he had been injured far worst in the past, and had been able to walk it off.
"Are you guys all right?"
He asked with a quiet sigh.
No one answered, almost as if they were still questioning if the world around them had been truly real.
It could have been an hour before anyone said anything again, for all Chase knew.
During that time Poppy had been quite forceful about tying a makeshift torniquet around his wounded knee.
"Who are you?"
Neo finally broke the silence, clearly having not forgotten who he litterly was...
Chase looked up at the stars, thinking about what he had learned within the mimic's mind games.
He questioned if he could trust the two of them with such information, and decided against telling them anything.
He smiled at the stars.
"Just a Stray..."
"Oh please!"
"Liar..."
The others protested simultaneously, as soon as he had said it.
His face grew hot, and he would have ran directly into The Dark Forest had his knee not been completely destroyed.
Poppy shrugged, and looked away.
"It's not like were gonna tell anybody..."
Then Neo did something that left Chase staring back at him in confusion.
He offered his hand as a greeting, and gave him as sincere of a smile as he could manage after whatever monster he had faced in the false world.
"I am Neo of House Cobra, younger brother of one of the most corrupted Paladins in the Capitol, known as the King of Serpents..."
He chuckled half-heartedly, probably not expecting Chase to actually trust him.
Chase hesitated at first, then shook his hand. It seemed to have surprised Neo because he flinched, and his smile cracked.
"I am Chase of The House of Phoenix... The only heir of the fallen clan, and son of Blaze who had sacrificed his own life to keep me alive..."
Neo's expression was priceless, and Poppy seemed to flinch at the mention as well.
"Kidding!"
Neo seemed to laugh a little, but then paused after studying the distant look on Chase's face.
His smile faded.
"You're not kidding... Are you...?"