Kelvin knelt beside the injured scavenger, his gauntlet-clad hand reaching into the void of his soul sea. A faint shimmer flickered in the air before a small, dark glass bottle materialized in his palm.
He uncorked it with a sharp twist. The pungent scent of medicine filled the air—bitter, herbal, with an underlying sharpness.
Kelvin sighed. "This'll keep you alive."
Without waiting for a response, he pressed a hand to Hope's jaw, forcing it open just enough to pour the liquid inside. Hope barely had the strength to resist, his body weak and trembling. The thick, acrid substance coated his tongue, making him instinctively gag, but he swallowed most of it before Kelvin withdrew the bottle.
A burning sensation spread through his throat, settling in his core like liquid fire. Then came the rush—an unnatural surge of energy flooding his limbs. His ragged breaths evened out, his mind clearing as the sharp pain in his side dulled, then faded entirely.
He exhaled shakily, feeling his body mend itself at an impossible speed. His fingers twitched, testing the newfound strength creeping back into them. The fatigue that had been dragging him toward unconsciousness lifted, replaced by something close to normalcy.
Kelvin watched silently as Hope recovered.
"Better?" he asked gruffly.
Hope swallowed the lingering bitterness in his mouth before looking up at the armored man, his expression guarded.
Hope lay still for a moment, his chest rising and falling steadily as he processed what had just happened.
The medicine worked impossibly fast. Faster than anything he had ever taken back in the waking world. The outskirts of the city had plenty of shady vendors selling questionable remedies—some effective, most worthless, and a few outright poison. But this… this was something else entirely.
He clenched his fingers experimentally, half expecting the weakness to return. It didn't. His body no longer felt like it was on the verge of shutting down. The sharp, agonizing pain in his side was completely gone, replaced by a dull, lingering warmth.
His heart pounded. He had been moments away from death, and now he felt… fine. No, more than fine. Alive.
His gaze flickered to the armored man kneeling beside him. The full-body armor concealed his features, but there was something unnerving about the way he simply watched, waiting. Hope wasn't sure what to make of him yet. The man had saved his life, yes, but he had done it with a calm efficiency that made Hope wary. No hesitation. No wasted effort. Just action.
Still, gratitude was better than suspicion for now.
"…Thanks," Hope muttered, his voice still hoarse.
Kelvin tilted his helmeted head slightly. "For saving your life or for the medicine?" His tone was unreadable, but there was an edge of amusement to it.
Hope scoffed lightly, pushing himself up onto his elbows. "Both."
Kelvin didn't reply right away. Instead, he studied Hope for a moment longer before speaking again. "What's your name?"
The question caught Hope off guard.
His name.
It had been a long time since anyone had asked him that.
Most people in the outskirts didn't bother. He wasn't important enough for them to care. The ones who did acknowledge him called him whatever insult came to mind—rat, dirtbag, filth.
But there was one name that had stuck. One they sneered at, spat at, used as a joke at his expense.
Hopeless.
He let out a quiet breath. It wasn't his real name, but it might as well have been.
"Hopeless," he said finally, his voice steady.
Kelvin raised an eyebrow behind his helmet. "What kind of name is that?"
There was no mockery in his tone. Just curiosity.
Hope gave a small, humorless smirk. "The kind you earn."
Kelvin didn't press the issue. If anything, he seemed to accept the answer without question.
"Well then, Hopeless," he said, rising from his squatting position and adjusting the sword on his back. "Nice to meet you."
Hope watched him for a moment, then sighed, pulling himself up. His body still felt strange—like it wasn't fully his—but he could move. That was enough.
He glanced around at the ruined landscape, then back at Kelvin.