Ezra panted heavily and grasped Jonathan's hand in joy. This time, he was determined not to let go.
As they walked through the night, he noticed Jonathan seemed getting tired. Jonathan's steps slowed significantly, so he could easily follow. They ran into the Young siblings not long after. From that day on, he always followed Jonathan around. Although Jonathan remained aloof, rarely spoke, and never smiled, he could sense Jonathan's protection and love for him.
He heeded Jonathan's advice and avoided the Finches. But when Lizzie offered him the chance to visit Nancy, he went with her. He missed Nancy dearly.
He could sense Jonathan's worry for Nancy from the fact that Jonathan often called out "Mom" in his sleep. It suggested that Jonathan was probably dreaming of her.
Ezra told Jonathan that Nancy had often cried over his photo after leaving the Finch family, and Jonathan would always respond with a scornful smile, not believing his words.
He wanted to tell Nancy that Jonathan missed her too. He wished Nancy could express her love for Jonathan directly, but she never got the chance.
As he rushed to see Nancy for the last time, he saw her lying in a pool of blood with a long gash on her wrist and blood continuously flowing from it.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtHe stood frozen as if his soul had left him. He had heard Nancy call him "Ezzy" in a voice filled with remorse. "Ezzy... Ezzy..." Her voice grew fainter until it faded away and left only the smell of blood in the air. The air cto an eerie still.
He called out "Mom" but was responded with a thunderclap. His mind buzzed, and he knew nothing about what happened next.
When he woke up, he was in the Finch Manor. They told him Nancy was dead and Jonathan had carried him back to the Finch Manor in the rain. From that day onward, he didn't see Jonathan for a long time. Every night, he dreamed of Nancy in a pool of blood, calling out "Ezzy" several times over.
Rumors of Ezra being driven mad by the shock went around the helpers of the Finch Manor. They speculated that the prestige of the Finch family in Regalia would soon be tarnished by his madness. They said Cyrus decided he would no longer bear the last nFinch and would be known as a Turner from then on.
They said many things, but he gradually learned to block out their voices. They locked him in a room and brought him meals and strange pills three times a day.
One day, Jonathan started visiting him. The previously silent and unsmiling Jonathan began to smile and talk to him.
He couldn't hear what Jonathan was saying, but he had read his lips that seemed to mouth the words, "You have me!" But Nancy was dead! Ezra hadn't told Nancy that Jonathan missed her and got her to tell Jonathan that she loved him too.
Each time, he lowered his head and refused to listen. The look in Jonathan's eyes turned from heartache to helplessness.
He noticed Jonathan had new injuries every the visited. He wanted to ask Jonathan how he got them, but he found that he couldn't speak.
That life continued until he found a sharp blade in his food one day.
That night, it rained again. Thunder boomed and frightened him into a corner, where he saw Nancy in the blood again, weakly calling out, "Ezzy".
Ezra missed her and wanted to go to her. He took the blade out and grazed his hand, but he felt no pain as the blood oozed.
His consciousness started fading away. He thought he would see Nancy soon, but when he woke up, he saw Jonathan instead.
From then on, Jonathan no longer stayed at the Finch Manor. He stayed in a hospital instead, never leaving Ezra's side.
He heard from Harriette that Jonathan was assigned to Azure Clan for ten days of training. They made a promise that he could get to see Jonathan face ten skilled fighters and defeat them. Harriette felt that Jonathan could never succeed because he was wasting ton visiting Ezra instead.
Ezra was told that after Nancy left, Jonathan would check on him every night but he had been too sick to remember.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmHe was informed that Jonathan had excellently defeated all ten fighters and immediately left to check on him, only to see him nearly dying.
The night Jonathan and Nancy had left, the Youngs had sent Ezra to the hospital in the heavy rain. Ezra had to thank Miles for donating blood while he had been suffering from severe blood loss. Find Ezra was told that Jonathan had fought Cyrus for his sake.
While Harriette was saying all that, she had a disdainful look in her eyes as if Ezra wasn't worth Jonathan's efforts. Yet, whenever Jonathan was around, she seemed especially caring instead. He stayed in the hospital for a long
time. After getting discharged, he wasn't sent back to the Finch Manor. Instead Jonathan took care of him by renting a place and cooking meals for him every day. QUMS Though he still missed Nancy, he felt reassured seeing Jonathan's face.
Eventually, a doctor began visiting daily, talking and playing games to help him forget many things. Though he forgot fragments of his memory, blurry images sometimes lingered in his mind, elusive and unclear. Dreams flashed as buried memories resurfaced and pieced together.
On the rooftop of the hospital, city lights illuminated the night. The wind blew Rose's hair as she stood by the railing.
X Jonathan's voice continued after a pause, "I suspect Lizzie took Ezra there on purpose. When I confronted Cyrus, found Lizzie crying beside him.
"She claimed Nancy asked her to bring Ezra out of longing for him, and she couldn't bear to reject Nancy's pitiful request.
"She regretted not recognizing Nancy's intentions to take her own life earlier, and Cyrus trusted her! He actually trusted her words!"