The Infinite Bk. 01 Ch. 04

When next he woke up, it was night out, and the earbuds felt like hot coals in his ears. He looked at his phone, now with a quarter battery left. How many more times could he listen to music before his phone just became a useless block? He put his head back on his pillow, instead listening to Tin's breathing as she slept soundly beside him.

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A knocking on the door shocked Noah from his slumber, and he would have sat up, if not for the throbbing pain in all of his muscles. He groaned and fell back on the pillow.

"Who is it?" he asked.

"It's Holly, I've got your food!" Ah, one of the chambermaids.

"Please, just leave it there."

Noah slowly sat up and released another groan. Wait a second, he felt better. He felt like he just gotten the shit beaten out of him for three hours straight, but he could finally move around. His fever had lessened and the soreness was due to the strain it had put on his body.

"Tin, let's eat breakfast." She didn't respond. "Tin?"

He turned to her, seeing a flushed face, moist with sweat. The gentle breathing he had listened to last night was now an anguished pant. "Shit. Tin can you hear me?"

He tapped her cheek a few times and her eyes opened. "Master?"

"There you are. I need you to tell me everything you feel, everything that hurts."

"Ah, I'm sorry. I haven't started the tea yet." She tried to sit up, but he stopped her. She was so weak that he almost didn't need to.

"Don't worry about it, I'm fine, but you caught the springburn sickness. I'm going to get you through this."

"It's so hot in here. Don't worry, I'll wash away your sweat. I just need to..." She trailed off and tried to roll out of bed, and Noah had to grab her before she could fall to the floor.

"Tin, can you hear me? How many fingers am I holding up?"

He showed her his hand, but she just looked at it with glazed over eyes. "Are we going to go hunt monsters today?"

'Shit, it's hitting her even harder than it hit me. She's already delirious.' "No, we're staying here. Everything is fine, I'm all better now. Just leave everything to me."

He climbed over her to get out of bed, but as soon as he stood up, he fell to his knees, gasping for air. He was on the mend, but he was still in a shitty situation. He crawled over to his backpack and pulled out a health and mana potion. He had tried drinking them before, to see if they could cure him, but was met with failure. He downed them both, and the pain racking his body subsided. His strength and stamina were still close to zero, but at least the soreness was gone.

The first thing he needed to do was get her fever down before she suffered serious damage. Next to the bed was the wash basin, filled with rags. Just as Tin had done when he was sick, he draped them across her body.

"Master, your fever," she mumbled. She began trying to put the rags on him instead, and he had to repeatedly stop her and pin down her arms.

"Just hold still, that's an order."

Noah got dressed and limped over to the door. Outside were two food trays and a pitcher of fresh water. He brought them in, and having already experienced the pain of this disease, he brought the pitcher over to Tin, rather than just a cupful. He lifted her head and poured the water between her pale lips. She released sighs of relief between each gulp, and every time he thought she was done, she'd lean her head forward, as if trying to grab it like a dog not wanting to surrender its toy.

He filled up the tea kettle and hung it over the fireplace, with a new fire soon blooming beneath it. When he was sick, he hated the fire, the heat it gave off. It was the only time he was grateful for the draftiness of the room, all the little holes for fresh air to slip in, but it was needed. As he waited for the kettle to boil, he retrieved Tin's breakfast and once more lifted her head. It was warm porridge, probably made with him in mind, but now perfect for Tin.

"Time for breakfast, Tin. Can you open your mouth for me?" He brought a spoonful to her mouth, but as soon as she smelled it, she instinctively turned away, whimpering. "I know your throat and stomach hurt right now, but you need to eat. You need all the nutrients you can get."

She gave in and he fed her bit by bit, washing it down with some tea. He then scarfed down his own breakfast and looked outside. He was thinking clearly now and knew what would help Tin's chances with this sickness.

"Tin, listen to me. I'm going to go out and get something that will help you feel better. I'll be back soon, and until I get back, I want you to stay in bed. Can you repeat that back to me?"

"No... Master should leave errands to me." Once more, she tried to sit up and he pushed her back down.

"Tin, you're sick and you need to rest. I'll take care of everything."

"I can do it! Please let me do it!" She was crying, trying to escape his grasp. He held her against him, waiting for her pitiful flailing to stop. She soon went limp and he laid her back down.

"Listen, I order you to remain in this bed, do you understand? I ORDER you to remain in this bed!" She gazed at him with swimming eyes and nodded. "Good, now go back to sleep. I'll be back before you wake up."

He got up and took a deep breath, then cast his invisibility. The innkeeper would give him a hard time if she saw him outside of his room, might even kick him out. While his magic was ideal, his body was so weak that his mana might not last long. He left the room and locked it behind him. The hallway outside was empty, but he could hear plenty of people in the bar. Getting down the stairs was difficult, as his head was sent spinning with each step. No one noticed his presence, and he made it through the breakfast crowd and outside. It felt nothing short of euphoric to breathe fresh air and soak in the sun.

A bit of his strength had returned, so he released his spell and made his way across town to the apothecary. Inside, the old woman watched as he looked through a menu of her wares, selecting plants that helped with everything from fevers to upset stomach.

"I'm guessing that girl of yours is under the weather, and you're not looking very healthy yourself."

"It's been a rough few days."

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Tin was on the floor when he returned to their room at the inn. The door actually struck her head when he opened it.

"Goddammit, I told you to stay in bed." He put down the bag of herbs and rolled her onto her back. "Tin, wake up."

"I'm sorry, Master, I'll tend to the horses in just a moment."

She was completely out of it. He scooped her up and carried her to the bed. He needed to make some medicine for her, but he couldn't do it while she was crawling around like this. He took the blanket and tore off a long strip, then used it to tie her wrist to the bedframe. Restraining her was not an ideal solution, but at least the fabric wouldn't leave a mark.

A strange look appeared on Tin's face as she looked from her wrist to Noah, almost mournful, and she spread her legs for him. "I understand, Master. I won't cry this time." Apparently, he wasn't the first person to tie her to a bed.

"Christ, even your hallucinations are depressing," Noah muttered.

He laid the blanket over her and left her on the bed, then went to work. In the time since he first started making his own potions, he had bought a cheap compounding kit, including a mortar and pestle. He wasn't a skilled herbalist like the apothecary, but most of the plants in this world were just like those he knew from his past lives, and had built up plenty of survival knowledge. People easily faded from his memory, but knowledge and technical skills were held onto. The pursuit of education was one of the few habits he chose to continue in every lifetime, as it was the closest he could get to finding meaning in the multiverse.

As he toiled, Tin continued to mutter in her sleep, occasionally crying. Nothing Noah heard could be called pleasant. He eventually stopped to check on her, see if he could shake her from her nightmares.

"Tin, wake up, I have tea."

"No! No!" She started flailing, knocking the cup from Noah's hand. He grabbed her and pinned her down. "No, please stop! It hurts! Mama, it hurts! Make him stop!"

"Tin, snap out of it!"

The last thing he needed was someone overhearing this and misunderstanding. He covered her mouth, waiting for the nightmare to end. Perhaps he should have picked up something to sedate her. Would he have to completely bind and gag her to keep her still and quiet? That would likely push her further into the delusion, and with this disease ransacking through her body, the stress might kill her. How could he calm her down?

He left her to retrieve a cup of water and splashed it on her face. That seemed to shake her awake. "Huh? Master?"

"Tin, say my name."

"N-Noah."

"Good, you're back. How do you feel?"

"It... hurts." Fresh tears began to pour down her cheeks.

"I'm making medicine to help you feel better, but there is something else I want to try." He retrieved his phone and put the earbuds in her ears. He had a playlist of easy listening songs, mostly instrumental and soundtracks. He selected one, "Vide Cor Meum", one of his favorites. It was gentle, set at a low volume, but the sound of the strings and voices, right in her ears, made Tin freak out.

"What is this? What is this?!" she exclaimed in shock. Her first instinct was to pull out the earbuds, as if swatting a mosquito when hearing its buzzing, but Noah stopped her.

"It's music, it's just music. Have you ever heard it before?"

"Music?"

She thought back, trying to remember while her mind was still hazy. Her fellow slaves, they used to have work songs when they toiled in the field, sort of a means of expressing empathy and solidarity, that they all shared the same pain. She knew a boy who used to play the flute, though not very well, and once, she heard the wife of one of her former masters playing a harp from within her mansion. They could be called music, but they all paled in comparison to what she was listening to now.

It was the most beautiful thing she had ever heard. In her soul, a thirst was quenched that she had never noticed before, and she felt as though a summer breeze was rolling through her body, sending shivers of bliss up her spine that made her forget her fever. It left Tin stunned, her eyes wide as dinner plates with her mouth hanging open. She looked at Noah, seeing a rare smile on his face.

He rubbed the top of her head and gently laid her back down. "Just rest now, ok?"

She nodded, staring up at the ceiling as the song continued. Noah resumed his work, eventually completing his medicine. It wasn't a cure, but it would help reduce her symptoms. For the next three days, Noah looked after Tin, doing all the things for her that she had done for him. Thanks to the medicine, he was able to prevent her from hallucinating, though she still had nightmares from her lifetime of abuse. When that happened, Noah would put the earbuds in her ears and play a song for her, and she would immediately settle, as if hypnotized.

For Noah, hearing music had flooded his mind with memories, making him relive scenes of his past lives when he heard those songs, but for Tin, it was the opposite. Having lived a life without music, the notes and voices filled every facet of her mind, forcing everything else out, every bad thought and memory. When she was awake, she'd listen while watching Noah make her medicine or practice his magic, and when Noah looked at her, there would always be a smile on her face.

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It had been a week since Noah fell ill, and he and Tin were going for a walk around the village. His strength had returned, but she was still weak, and hopefully some fresh air and exercise would help her feel better. They had been cooped up in that room for so long, and the beautiful weather was just what they needed. Normally, Tin would walk behind Noah, as a proper slave, but today, she was bold, hanging onto his arm. She claimed it to be to help her walk, that she was weak and needed to lean on him, but the smile on her face told of her dishonesty. Noah allowed it, as she had taken such good care of him when he was sick and it was his fault she fell ill after him. He certainly owed her.

What bothered him, though, were the looks they were getting. It had been a week since she had last "helped him" with his magic training, but the two of them were still a bit of a celebrity couple, so when they saw the way Tin held onto Noah, they all grinned like they had just heard a dirty joke. There was a saying going around, a joke, that even those who had never met Tin had heard her voice.

"Master, when I was sick, I'm sorry for misbehaving."

"Huh? Where's this coming from?"

"I just... hope you didn't hear me say anything that would make you think any of me. I'm sure I talked in my sleep."

Noah didn't even hesitate. "I don't know what you're talking about. You were quiet as a church mouse the whole time." She halted and let go of his arm, and he turned back to face her. "Why? Did I talk in my sleep?"

Tin opened her mouth and stopped. The things she had heard her master say when he was delirious, both great and terrible things, many of which she couldn't understand, such as when he started speaking other languages or reciting lines from textbooks.

"No, other than cursing."

"That sounds about right."

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They climbed up a hill overlooking the village, using a fallen log as a bench while they soaked in the scenery.

"This is some nice countryside," Noah said.

"I suppose so. This is the only thing I know. I have nothing to compare it to."

"I've seen what happens when nature is taken for granted, when everything is used up without any thought of the future. It is an ugly, nauseating thing. I try to make myself appreciate nature whenever I can."

"Where was that?"

Noah picked the name of a town from one of the maps. "Nellow." Truth be told, it was multiple lands, in every timeline.

"Is that we're you're from?"

"Yes."

Tin looked at him, the man who she called her master. She knew when he lied. She saw him do it to everyone he talked to, especially her. There weren't any tells for her to read, he never stumbled or hesitated, and she had seen it work time and time again, but there was something about his eyes, a hollowness she thought she saw. She had tried asking about his past, but his gaze was always empty, even when he spoke with a smile. He never asked her about her own past, but it was nothing she wasn't used to. She had grown up being treated as an object, both a tool and a toy. Intimate conversation was not something a slave should expect from their master, but she had never had a master that made her feel this way, that was so kind to her.

"M-master..." she stammered.

He turned to her, trying to remember the last time he heard her talk so nervously. "Yes?"

"Please, forgive my impudence, but I know you're lying to me. I beg you, tell me where you came from, the things you've done, anything. I only wish to know more about you."

He stared at her, unsure of what his next move should be, but as he saw the wetness of her eyes, his fear waned. "I talked in my sleep, didn't I?"

"Please forgive me for lying to you, but some of the things I heard... I didn't think you'd want someone like me to know."

"It doesn't go well when I tell the truth. Being honest has brought me nothing but trouble."

"If you refuse to tell the truth, I can live with that. I can live with lies, as long as they come from you. All I want is something I can paint in my mind, a scene that I can see you in."

Noah looked up at the sky. "I grew up near the coast, and my father had a boat. He wasn't a fisherman or merchant, rather, it was a hobby. In the summer, when the weather was good, my family would go out on the water and go fishing, simply for the enjoyment of it. We'd catch mackerel and try to use them as bait to catch big stripers, but it never worked out. One time, we brought our dog with us, and I remember finding a grape-sized tick on his eyebrow and putting it on my hook, seeing if I would catch anything. You wouldn't believe how bright it is out on the water."

Tin moved closer to Noah, clutching his arm and leaning her head on his shoulder. At night, when they lay in bed together after having sex, she would often snuggle up to him just like this. "Please, tell me more."

So Noah regaled her, telling her what it was like to grow up being poor, what it like to grow up being rich. He recalled fond memories of his siblings and holidays as an only child. He told her of how his parents loved and supported him, then how they screamed and beat him. He described amazing machines and the technology of the modern world, and the fight for survival in the aftermath of the apocalypse.

Tin listened without saying a thing, never questioning his contradictions, only enjoying the stories that Noah wove and what they told her about the man he was.

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