~Chapter Fur~
All I want are endless comments.  ;-;

~Two days later~

Daniel sighed, having checked his arm for the umpteenth time that day. Still no mark. It was a good thing, really, but it was slowly driving him nuts that he had no way to pinpoint anything unless the mark made itself known.

'The bounty is the trigger, by the way. It brings attention to the village. But of course, the virus' attention was already here.'

Daniel frowned. At this rate, he was just going to start searching for the hunter themselves. He knew it was a bad idea, but if he did, then there was a chance that the attention on the village could possibly be diverted some. He sighed, running a tired hand through his hair. He was beginning to get tired of this. He had spent the past two days thinking, analysing and planning, along with the elder and the other team leaders. He had practically spent the majority of his time with the other team leaders and Daniel knew he wasn't the only one getting tired by now.

To add to his problems, he had his team to worry about. The possibility that they would be left out of the conflict was minimal and if anything, they would surely only be dragged in more than anyone else in the village. Dawn, of course, was an undeniable target a he was the chosen one. Of course she would be targeted.

They just weren't expecting so soon.

Puzzle would also likely be another target. The team leaders had contemplated it between themselves and decided that the boy would be a target. He was, after all, a Technikan. He was probably the only Technikan left. Daniel honestly wouldn't be surprised if they were after him too. The chances of either of them not being targeted was incredibly small, so there had been no option but to find a way to prepare for that outcome.

The problem left was Lexus and Jay. Both innocent kids, both still having not mastered their Traits. They didn't have the time to master their fighting skills in the short time they've been given. Everything was happening too fast. No one was given enough time to prepare. Admittedly, two days is a lot better than it all suddenly crashing down on them. It was certainly a better alternative, though it was all still rushed. They didn't have that many details about the attack itself. They knew what was going to happen, what triggers it, but no actual ways to stop it or avoid it. Just an impending battle they knew was sure to come.

Though technically, all they had was Puzzle's word and while some would think that isn't enough, Daniel would trust him. Even if most thought Puzzle was unreliable, the Elder decided that he'd rather take it seriously than just ignore it. It was too much of a risk to just ignore and Puzzle hadn't been wrong before.

The Elder had also asked Daniel and his team to keep quiet about the power Dawn had unleashed when Puzzle had gone hectic, though a few team leaders had been alerted of it. Daniel had trained Dawn himself in a free slot he had been given from the team meetings and planning, but the power hadn't shown itself again nor was Dawn aware of it. There were a few team leaders who kept an eye on Dawn without her noticing, to see if the power would just randomly appear outside of training. But overall, there was nothing appearing in Dawn again to hint to that power. It was most likely because she han't felt the necessary emotion for it to activate, but surveillance was kept anyways.

It was only when Daniel sat on the couch in the living room that Daniel began to allow his own thoughts to take over. He was worried for his own team and although he would do his best to protect them, just being near them would only put them in more danger. Even if he were to stay away, they would likely still be in danger regardless. Daniel sighed, running a hand over his face.

Someone cleared their throat, gaining his attention. Daniel looked towards the door to see Dawn awkwardly standing there, rubbing her arm and staring at the floor. Daniel straightened up, switching his attention to her.

"Yes?" He urged, waiting for her to talk. Dawn lifted her eyes to look at him before her eyes darted back to the floor.

"Um... Are you okay?" She asked nervously. Daniel blinked.

"Yes," He replied.

"Are you sure? You seem... off. Everyone does, actually," Dawn continued unsurely, but lifted her eyes once more and maintained eye contact. Daniel sighed. For the time being, she didn't need to know anything.

"Everything's fine. You don't need to worry," Daniel reassured her, hoping that would be the case. Hopefully she wouldn't' have to worry about anything after all.

"Then where's Puzzle?" Dawn challenged firmly, her eyes becoming determined. Daniel stiffened.

"He's busy," Daniel stated. Puzzle hadn't woken up since Dawn had used her Trait on him. The power itself was still unidentified and the medical staff had said that he had suffered no actual injury. He was perfectly normal, it was just like he was asleep. Except he hadn't woken up. Dawn's power had basically forced him into a coma.

"With what?" Dawn demanded. Honestly, Dawn normally wouldn't really mind the fact that Puzzle was gone, but she wasn't as heartless as to ignore the fact that no one had seen him and avoided talking about him. Something had happened and Dawn wanted to know what.

Daniel stared at her, sorting through his excuses carefully. Which, honestly, he didn't have very many of, neither did he have any good ones. Luckily, Lexus came in, saving him from having to answer.

"Daniel, are you busy?" Lexus asked, but judging from the look in their eyes, they had already heard the conversation beforehand and decided to interrupt and save Daniel from having to answer. Daniel looked back to Dawn before shaking his head and standing up.

"No, I'm not," Daniel sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets as he walked. Dawn looked annoyed at being brushed off.

"Hey, I'm-!" Dawn started, turning around to talk to him as he walked away.

"Puzzle is on a mission," Daniel stated, not turning to look back at her. Before Dawn could reply, Daniel quickly exited through the door, Lexus right behind him.

"Are you okay, Dani?" Lexus asked. "You haven't been sleeping much and you've been really busy lately." Daniel shook his head.

"I'm fine. It's nothing I can't handle," Daniel replied, already losing himself in his mind as they walked away from the squad house. Lexus frowned, clearly worried.

"That doesn't matter. You really need to sleep," Lexus frowned. Daniel ignored them entirely, still walking. Lexus huffed, not like being ignored. Lexus jogged to in front of Daniel, halting him from going any further.

"Don't ignore me!" Lexus huffed. "You need to rest! You haven't slept for the past two days, it's unhealthy and potentially dangerous."

"I haven't had the chance, Lexus. I've been too busy and you know that. All the squad leaders are working really hard to ensure everyone's safety. I can't just take a nap because I feel like it."

Lexus, having had enough, decided it was time to be harsh. "But if you don't sleep, you'll be a burden when the time comes." Daniel sighed, having had enough.

"Fine," he snapped. "Just not right now." Lexus, satisfied with their answer for now, moved to the side and allowed him to pass.

Silently, the two continued to walk towards the medical hut.

Once they entered, they were greeted with the sight of the usual nurse, going about her daily duties.

"Any changes?" Daniel asked, hopeful, once the nurse turned to them and gave them both a smile.

"Actually, yes," before she said any further, she ushered them both in, walking over to the bed where Puzzle was currently still asleep. Daniel frowned as he stared at Puzzle. It reminded him too much of the time they first found him and Daniel prayed to whatever god was out there that he wouldn't fall into some deep sleep again. After a few seconds more, Daniel took notice of the fact that Puzzle was... Glowing.

Daniel squinted, taking a closer look. Sure enough, Puzzle was indeed glowing slightly, a green tinge around his body. It would have been unnoticeable if you hadn't been looking carefully.

"He's begun to show signs of some sort of power. I don't know for sure what it is yet, and I can't tell if it's Dawn's power either as I have no clue what her power is like. However, what I can tell you, while comforting, is concerning considering where he came from," the nurse explained. Lexus stood back, remaining silent and decided they would just listen for now. Daniel frowned, growing concerned.

"...What do you mean?" He asked slowly, now knowing he likely wouldn't like the answer.

"One of the main concerns we had was that he'd die in his sleep as we don't have the necessary equipment in order to keep him alive. He wouldn't get the nutrients he needed to survive. However, whatever power has activated in him has begun to take effect. He's completely healthy. His body is no longer beginning to suffer from lack of nutrients. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he just went to bed after having dinner. But of course, knowing where he comes from originally..." The nurse trailed off, looking down at Puzzle worriedly. This was the way they found him. Asleep and healthy.

"But what if I don't wake up again?" The boy interrupted, quietly. Daniel's mouth snapped shut at the question, mentally slapping himself on the forehead as he did so. Of course that would be a concern. The boy didn't know exactly how long he had been in there, but he definitely knew it was a long time. If Daniel had been in that position, he wouldn't want to sleep either.

He briefly wondered if sleeping in the tube that long would prevent the kid from sleeping for a few days anyways, but one glance at his face told him that the kid was definitely tired, so maybe all that sleep did nothing for him. Maybe it wasn't really sleep. "I promise you'll wake up again," Daniel swore, not doubting that he could keep it.

So why did he doubt his own words now?

"...Anything else?" Daniel asked quietly. The nurse shook her head.

"Right now, I'm still looking into this power. If there are any other changes, I'll let you know when you come by or send someone to tell you," The nurse stated. Daniel nodded and turned around, Lexus on his heel. 

"...Daniel?" Lexus asked unsurely. "Is Puzzle going to fall asleep again? Will he wake up this time too?" Daniel didn't have to look back to know that Lexus was upset and probably close to crying too.

"I'm sure he will. He'll wake up soon. We just have to wait," Daniel lied. He wasn't so sure himself but he at least had to assure his team that everything would be okay.

Because if he didn't, then they'd lose hope too.

~~~~

...uh. hi. ..yes.