Chapter 109

A Boy and a Queen (II)

There was a wide and bountiful spread sitting in front of Cain, food beyond exotic, ranging from a fruit that seemed to be on fire, to a stalk of grass that appeared to glisten in starlight. The spread clashed with the rather rudimentary table that held it as well as the surrounding room, looking like something that belonged at a royal ball rather than here. However, Sheyla had always had a propensity for strange and exotic foods and drinks and liked to collect them, only ever bringing them out on special occasions. It was through her that he had finally tasted many of the Tower-exclusive delicacies that eluded him for nearly two decades as they were monopolized by superstar-level Conquerors -- such as the plum-like fruit he was holding at the moment.

It was tiny, the size of a grape, shaped like an egg and dyed in resplendent gold with tiny specks of silver intermingling across its incredibly smooth surface. The first bite into it was enough to mesmerize any taste bud as the juice of the fruit would pour out like springtime into one's mouth and refresh it whole. It tasted like a combination of cherries, strawberries, and grapefruits, and it was the best medicine for the hangover that Cain ever discovered.

Naturally, however, they were incredibly difficult to find -- from what he knew, there wasn't even a chance for people to acquire one before the 46th floor, and the vast majority were exported from the 61st floor where there was a plot of land that they naturally grew on.

He slowly began to chow down on the food, reminded of how good the food would be in a few years once the people get the hang of what ingredients go together and what is safe to eat and what isn’t.

“You still aren’t shy around the food, I see.” Sheyla commented with a faint smile on her face as she hung further back into her chair, crossing her left leg over her right.

“No,” Cain replied with a mouthful. “Especially food this good.”

“Ha ha ha, eat away. There’s plenty of it. I just wished I’d saved you some Yool’s tail.”

“--e-eh? You... you hunted that... that thing?!” Cain asked with a horrified expression.

“Yeah,” she nodded. “Right after I realized you used me.” she added with a smirk. “I wanted to distract myself, so I went after her. Took me good two-three months to chop off a few pieces. But, wow, it was worth it. If I had known you’d have stolen the Cube, I would have saved you enough at least for a sandwich.”

“T-that’s cool,” Cain said. “I’m fairly certain I’d be too afraid to even eat it.”

“Don’t worry; I would have cooked out all the poisons,” she said. “Well, maybe not all. Just the most dangerous ones.”

“... I always knew you were quite strong,” Cain said, wiping his lips. “But never would have thought you were strong enough to not be affected by the Timecube.”

“That’s right, I am quite strong. And, you know, there aren’t any rules on what I am allowed to do. I could, for instance, kill you right here. Or, better yet, imprison you to be my slave for all eternity.”

"Oh, like you imprisoned that girl who stole a good fortune from you?" Cain looked at her indifferently. "And made a public mockery of you?"

“That was different.”

“How?”

“She didn’t break my heart.”

“...” Cain sighed, though he didn’t look away from the genuine pair of eyes. She didn’t hide it, the hurt. She never hid much, he’d realized a long time ago. Sheyla lived life as she wished it, and showed whatever she felt. “You’re a big girl.”

“Well, I did gain some weight.”

“You know what I mean,” he chuckled, shaking his head. “And I’m hardly the lot to suffer for. Plenty of handsomer and meaner and better boys out there.”

“... you really have changed,” Sheyla said, taking a sip of wine. “Too much, if you ask me. I’ve no idea how you got here like that.”

“Well, you know, the blade’s the sharpest when it leaves a sheath,” Cain said. “So, I’m, you know, sharpening myself so that when I burst out, I’m deadly. AND--I don’t mean that kind of burst out.”

“Tsk.”

"Your love for dirty jokes is... really weird."

"I'll just treat you as two separate men," she said. "There was Cain, a man so haunted by his demons he couldn't even trust himself. The man who slept once a month because of paranoia. The man who saw the world as hollow and beyond salvation. The man who swept me and took me up on top of the clouds. And then... and then there's you. A joker, a mellowed-out Conqueror who formed a team of all things and put enough faith in them to let them be on their own. The man who apologizes for his wrongdoings. The man... who believes.”

“... why do you make it sound like it’s a bad thing?” Cain asked.

“It’s not,” Sheyla replied. “It’s a wonderful thing, Cain. You know, most Time Thieves never learn the lesson. They return and believe themselves the chosen. They become arrogant and destroy whatever tiny piece of humanity they had left. And... without a fault... they all end up dying. Returning is as much of a blessing as it is a curse," she added. "Knowing the future causes people to become drunk with power, with this idea that they are somehow Divine and Godly. You... you, however, seem to know that's not the case. And I envy that."

“Envy?” Cain asked, confused.

“Do you know why I never pursued to leave this Strata?” she asked suddenly.

“Huh? Why?”

“Because, here... I am Godly and Divine. I can go wherever I want, do whatever I want, say whatever I want, and nobody dares do anything to me. But up there, I know, deep down, I’d be just another speck. I’d be a Conqueror seeking fame and glory and riches. I’d be a dreg at the bottom of a well.”

“Isn’t that fine?” Cain asked. “Everyone starts from the bottom.”

“But it’s difficult to go back down there when you’ve already reached the top once.”

“... if I can do it,” he said. “So can you.”

“No -- you were never at the top.”

“Oi!!”

"... it's scary, Cain," she sighed, closing her eyes and resting her head onto her arm pressed against the table. "The Crucibles are... Immeasurable. And everyone's -- everyone's -- goal is the same -- to be Crowned a Divine. Every single creature and soul that you meet is holding onto that rope -- that they’ll eventually climb to the summit and see the lights.”

“You too?”

“Especially me,” she chuckled. “My Bloodline had only ever produced one Divine... a long, long, long time ago. And, to this day, she is like a Goddess to us. Even though we all know she is dead, we pray to her. We hold rituals in her name. We display her portraits everywhere. And we hold some status even on higher Strata because of her. And it’s a dream of everyone to achieve that status. But, at the same time, it’s nigh-impossible. There can only ever be 999 Divines in the Hall, and billions line up every Cycle for the tiniest chance to get in there.”

“... you should go.” Cain said after a momentary silence.

“Huh?”

“You should head up.”

“Did you not listen to a word I said?”

“I did. And all I heard were a bunch of excuses,” he said. “You clearly don’t want to be here, Sheyla. And no matter how many years you live, what worth are they if you are miserable?”

“I’m not miserable.” she said.

“You will make it,” he said. “You are one of the smartest people I know, and, no matter what Strata we’re talking,” he added with a grin. “Huge tits will always open up a lot of doors.”

"... pfft, ha ha ha ha..." Sheyla's laughter rang out like music throughout the room, mellowing the atmosphere. She truly was a beyond-beautiful woman and was the first to put the 'kingdom-toppling beauty' description into perspective for him. "You're right, you're right. They really do open up the doors.”

“It is unfair, you know? I mean, us guys, we have to work and work and work--”

“You are gonna say something really unflattering, aren’t you?”

“I was gonna, so thanks for stopping me.”

“Heh,” she chuckled, taking a deep breath. “This went better than expected.”

“Tell me about it.”

“I still have to punish you, though.”

“Ugh...”

“So, I’ll give you a Quest.” she added.

“A Quest?”

“Yeah,” she nodded. “You’ve stirred enough shit here so it’d be best if you and your friends left for a while. You can take that Dragon kindling with you while you’re at it.”

“... you’re... khm, where are you sending us?” Cain asked, feeling his throat dry up.

“I think you kind of already know.” she grinned.

“Don’t.”

“Huh?”

“I’m begging you.”

“I gotta. He’s been very lonely... for very long.”

“I--I--I’ll take Yal under my wing!” Cain exclaimed. “Teach him everything.”

“Nope. As a matter of fact, you won’t be seeing him from now on. I’ll bring him back with me.”

“Huh?!”

“Well, somebody’s gotta take care of the Clan when I leave.”

“...”

“Oh, don’t sulk, you big baby,” she rolled her eyes at him. “I’ll save my parting gift for you with Tai.”

“It’s not a parting gift,” he said.

“Hm?”

“It’s a ‘see ya’ later gift’.”

“Oh, wow, you really are cocky,” she said. “Do you think I’ll ever let you catch up to me?”

“I’ll keep chasing.”

"... liar." she smiled tenderly for a moment as she stood up and walked over to his side, bending forward and resting her forehead against his. "There are many things I am not allowed to tell you Cain, no matter my love for you. But... I can offer you some advice: the higher you go... the fewer people will look kindly on you being the Thief. Past a certain point, most will try to capture you and torture information out of you. And the Crucible... is not kind to your lot. It will try to break you, in body and spirit. Don’t give in, okay? Never give in.”

“I won’t.” he mumbled.

"And if you ever meet that Melhee bitch," she added. "Promise me you'll skewer an iron rod so far up her ass she'll be sneezing sunshine for the rest of her life?"

“You really don’t like her, huh?”

“Do you?”

“... well---no, of course not. I absolutely hate her guts.”

“Good,” Sheyla chuckled as she pulled back and stretched, her robe slipping to the side and revealing her breasts. “You can look, you know?” she teased.

“Mighty moronic of you to think I’m not.” he replied as she followed his gaze that rested on a clean plate that perfectly reflected her figure. She smirked, shaking her head and pulling up her robes.

“Good luck, Cain. I hope you make it.”

"Same," Cain added as the world warped around him and as he felt tossed out through the tunnel of spacetime, notifications for a quest ringing in his mind for a brief moment before he landed on the outside of her residence, in the dead and horror-like courtyard, a sigh escaping his lips as he landed gently onto the ground. I’m sorry Sheyla... I really am...