"What the fuck did you do to my friend!!" He yelled as he landed punches upon punches on my face. His voice was boiling with anger and hate. Obrion tried to stop Nathan but I didn't let him. Half because Nathan was a good man and more than that, he was Elliot's best friend. Hurting him would mean hurting Elliot and certainly, I couldn't do that. The other reason was that I felt like..I needed to be punished. I needed to atone for this sin. The sin of being just a witness and nothing more. It felt like the best way to get away from the pain that was eating me from inside.

After that Nathan didn't let me near Elliot. I saw from a distance how he changed his clothes with my old clothes that Millia had given him.

I could not exactly remember when Millia returned from the village. But what I do remember was the horror she had on her face on seeing the blood on my clothes.

"What happened to you??" She had asked. It seemed like she was on the verge of one of those panic attacks but this time I couldn't soothe her. Instead, I fell in her arms crying like a baby. She held me, rubbing my back. I cried and cried till I had no more tears. Everyone was silent then. Nathan just stood there still that hate in his eyes but there was also a ting of pity. Millia's eyes travelled from Obrion to Nathan but none had any answers. I didn't notice when I fell asleep while crying in Milla's arms. Maybe that's why we sleep. To escape from this ruthless reality, to find peace, to seek silence from the loud useless chatter of the world,  to meet our deep desire and fears, to meet one's own self.

When I woke up I was in my bed. My clothes changed. I looked around for a familiar figure but no one was around. I got out of bed and walked towards Millia's room. The door was closed and I didn't have the courage to knock so I just stood there.

After about five minutes, Millia emerged from the room. She smiled gently at me, her brown curly hairs glistening in the evening sunlight.

"He is okay now.." She told me and left the room for the kitchen. But I was still there. Nathan was looking at me now,  from the stool which was beside the bed Elliot was laying on. But this time Nathan's eyes did not tell of hate or pity. They were filled with sadness and nothing more. He stood up and walked towards me. I was half expecting another punch but it didn't come. Instead, he put his hand on my shoulder, barely reaching it.

"You know Zeo, we both are on the same page." He said.

"We both couldn't protect our friend when  he needed us. Instead, he became our saviour. I know how much it hurts to be useless. But believe me, it is not your fault." He said. These were the same words I had told Elliot when he was sulking over Nathan's condition the first day. And here I was a subject to my own words. 'How ironic..' I thought.

"But I am not saying sorry for hitting you back then..you really deserved it." He said.

"Yeah, I know." I said feebly.

"Now, I should leave...I think you need to check on him." He said as he  pointed at the bandaged figure of Elliot and left the room. I walked slowly towards Elliot, afraid that even getting close to him might hurt him again.

I sat at the stool and stared at him. His thin, frail body mummified in those bandages. I looked at his chest, rising and sinking. And more than anything I looked at his face. His cheeks are a bit pink and his red lips sometimes move in peculiar ways. I held his small hand in mine.

"I promise, I won't let you be hurt ever again." I said less to him and more ro myself and then kissed his hands.

That was the moment I knew that my life was never going to be the same as before