Part 6

Suddenly, the dark burned away and Knight’s eyes were forced open. He shut them almost instantaneously as sunlight glazed through the window and blinded him. It was a futile attempt.

The beams of light penetrated his eyelids, blocking the darkness he craved. Knight moaned, providing a thick wall via his forearm to blot out the horrid sun.

Yet, the sun did not stop when faced with this new hurdle, nor did it jump over. Instead, it stepped around it, smouldering the flesh wall with its hot rays.

“Who left the curtains open!?” Knight cried, flailing his only protection in anger.

The relentless star took its opportunity and impaled his eyes with scorching rays of light. Luckily, Knight was prepared to overcome it this time.

His hand shot to his face. Covering his right eye with his palm, his fingers tore at his left. His savage rubbing killed two birds with one stone. It eased the scorching rays and rid his eyes of the crusty mucus known as sleep.

Victorious against the sun’s harsh awakening, Knight turned to face the source…

“Huh?”

Contrary to his assumption, the sunlight was seeping through a piece of maroon velvet hung from a pole. ‘Seriously? The curtains were closed… The sun’s that strong huh? It’s like a wicked daystar.’

With Knight survival against the sudden attack of light, it could harm him no more. Free of the blinding burden, he noticed a weight against his torso.

“Huh…”

A mess of sky-blue silk was bunched on the edge of the bed. It wasn’t dredged with grime nor was it overgrown. It was messy but it seemed intended. At first glimpse, it appeared to be Rei, but her hair was everything this wasn’t. Her hair was far from being silky. A small red ribbon keeping the hair from flowing freely was the only thing telling Knight it was indeed hair. That and two pale elbows poking out

She appeared to be the complete opposite of the girl he had been stuck with but who else could it be? Was it Rei or not?

“Um, hey,” Knight spoke out, tapping her shoulder. “You awake?”

“-shhht…”

“…? Did you say something?” Knight asked whilst sitting up, carefully pushing the girl’s head off his torso.

“-sshhhht…”

“...Uh, didn’t catch that,” Knight said, moving his head closer.

“Psshhht…”

With a long sigh, Knight moved his hand to his face, “Really now?”

After a few minutes of telling her to wake up, Knight knew it was hopeless. He looked around the room to see if there was anything to clue him in on where he was.

The room was filled with rosy candles, velvet curtains and the sweet, pungent smell of incense. A bad feeling coursed through Knight’s body. ‘This looks like a…’ before he even finished the thought he cried to the girl, “You gotta wake-!”

At that moment his worse fear became reality. As the door was slammed open a familiar voice called out.

“Yo, Knight-bro! How ya feel…ing.”

“Not what it looks like,” Knight stated ever so calmly, not even turning to greet his new pal Cerrin.

“…What?” Cerrin said with a confused expression.

“I don’t know why I’m here so don’t jump to conclusions,” Knight said, his calm voice deteriorating.

“I think your jumping to conclusions bro,” Cerrin assured him, walking towards the heart-covered bed.

“Yeah, she gave you her room but nothing’s happened here,” Klavier appeared behind Cerrin.

“Right… Well, where the hell am I and who’s…this girl?”

“…”

“…”

Cerrin and Klavier exchanged looks, shook their heads, walked over to Knight and slapped him.

“The fuck guys!?” Knight cried, rubbing his red cheek.

“You serious dude?” Cerrin sighed, disappointment showing in his eyes.

Knight’s mouth widened in confusion. All he had done was ask where he was and who the girl was. What was so insensitive about that?

Klavier let out a sigh, placing a hand on Knight’s limbless shoulder. “That’s Rei, Knight.”

“…”

“She’s been at your side ever since you were taken here.”

Knight could only cover his face in shame as he realised how insensitive his question was. Of course, he thought the girl was Rei. He was 90%. Why would a random girl be asleep next to him? It was just that she looked so much… cleaner. Knight had known a grimy girl whose overgrown hair was so dirty he could barely tell it was blue. The girl next to him, however, was clean, almost pristine. Her hair was messy, but it was clear that was the style and not the product of it being unkempt.

She was the complete opposite from the last time Knight saw her. A quick wash and hair-cut couldn’t have been enough for this transformation. How long had Knight been out for?

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Knight realised none of them mattered.

He grabbed the velvet bed cover and wrapped it around Rei.

Only she mattered right now. Only Rei, the first person to stay by his side no matter what, mattered now.

“Aw, nice guy Knight,” Cerrin teased.

“…Shut up,” Knight mumbled, his pale face tinted red.

“Hah! Well, good to see you fixed your mistake Knight-bro!” Cerrin chuckled as he patted Knight on the back.

“Thanks…I guess,” Knight said, swivelling his body to the side of the bed and dropping his legs. “So, how long have I been asleep for?

“About a day and a half,” Klavier stated.

“Half a day…” Knight mumbled, leaning on his only hand before realisation hit him, burning through his body. Eyes widened, Knight clutched his left shoulder, his mouth rapidly moving as a slew of questions poured out. “What happened to me? Where’s the sword? What was the flame? Where’s that bitch? Why am I here?”

Klavier hesitated, taken back by the fear and confusion branded on Knight’s face. Cerrin, however, pressed forward and clutched Knight’s shoulders.

“Knight-bro! Snap out of it!”

As Cerrin’s words fell into his ears, Knight fell silent. Yet a dark glint appeared in his left eye. It was as if it was moving, like a flickering flame.

Cerrin knew something wasn’t right despite the silence.

“Wh-what is this sword and flame you speak of is?” And with the worst timing, Klavier probed for information.

Cerrin glared at Klavier, telling him it wasn’t the time. Yet-

“Err, Cerrin? What you doing mate?”

Cerrin looked back to the youth he was clutching. A wry smile was plastered on his face and his eyes were the same old dull-green. No dark glint in his eye. He looked back to himself. What was Cerrin worried for?

Ridding his perplexed look with a toothy grin, Cerrin released Knight and explained with a chuckle, “ah, you just wouldn’t shut up, to be honest, bro. Rapid-fire questions that you know we can’t answer. Sheesh, us a break, man”

Weirdly, Knight only had a vague recollection of doing something as Cerrin explained, but acknowledged Cerrin’s words with “I see.”

After a slight pause, Knight moved his head around the room, as if counting the total who had come to see him.

“So, everyone’s here…apart from them kids?”

“That’s right.”

“Yeah, bro.”

Pausing a second for their reactions, Knight went ahead and revealed the contradiction.

“So, everyone but Iroha is here.”

The two men both opened their mouths, but could not let out a single word. Instead, they turned to one another searching for some help.

Of course, there was none to be found.

“Uhh...”

With no help, Cerrin and Klavier resorted to strange contortions of their face. This was there attempt at telling the other to say something without words.

“The girl went to the inn.”

“-!!”

The voice did not come from either Cerrin or Klavier, who were now scratching their heads with guilty grins. It came from behind them, where two identical girls stood. Knight wouldn’t have been able to tell them apart if it wasn’t for the difference in hair co-

“-!! Wait a minute, you’re the bitches who strangled me and dragged me to Lavri!”

“Oh, you remember?” The white-haired girl asked, tilting her head.

“Of course, he remembers sis… we strangled him,” the crimson-haired girl answered with a sigh.

After a couple of seconds, twiddling her black tail, the white-haired girl let out.

“True. I guess that makes-”

“That’s not even half the reason why!” Knight interrupted, a vein bulging from his head. “If it wasn’t for you brats then I would have experienced paradise!”

“Yeah, bad girls,” Klavier scolded the pair with a wag of his finger and a suspicious grin. “Now, any of you fancy accompanying me out for some dinner tonight?”

The two girls turned to each other in response, their lips contorting into devilish smiles, before one went, “not so sure about ourselves, but there’s definitely others that will.”

Klavier’s mouth dropped.

“Wait, really?”

“Yeah, really. Come, we’ll show you.”

The pair grabbed one of Klavier’s pale hands and led him out the door.

“W-Well, I guess I’ll see you. Been good seeing you Knight!” Klavier cried, his red face perfectly accenting his short silver hair.

“Why that bastard…” Cerrin clenched his fist and mumbled to himself, looking like he was about to follow suit before he spoke. “Oh yeah, Iroha said she’ll be heading here soon.”

“Oh, right... “Knight mumbled his acknowledgement before addressing something else. “Not sure what Klavier’s thinking, but that reminds me…”

Cerrin’s eyes narrowed as he gulped, prepared for the worst.

“What was it like?”

“Eh…”

Cerrin scratched his red and black hair as he tried to decipher Knight’s vague question.

With a cheeky grin and raised eyebrows, Knight asked again, “Come on Cerrin. What was it like?”

“It?”

“It.”

“I see.”

“Sooooo…? Was it…” Knight’s words trailed off as a faint flame enveloped Cerrin. “Good…?”

Eyes burnt wide, Cerrin made a strained smile, tapping the hilt of his katana.

“Good?”

“Uh…Cerrin? Don’t be rash. I…uh…” Knight stumbled across his words as he tried to create physical space between them. He couldn’t. The only way to get some real space was by walking right past Cerrin, or, jumping out the window. Being an average male, he decided against the window. With no options for escape, he tried to calm Cerrin down. “Um… It couldn’t have been that bad, could it?”

“Oh no, it definitely wasn’t bad.”

The overwhelming sarcasm wasn’t the only thing Knight noticed. An abnormal amount of smoke was filling the room. Cerrin’s flames were still faint, where was-

“Oh…Um, Cerrin? It was just a question.”

Cerrin’s katana was still sheathed. Yet, he held a flaming sword that cast shadows of smoke as it flickered.

“It wasn’t bad cause nothing even happened!”

With a cry filled with pure passions, Cerrin swung the sword into thin air with shadowy smoke left to infect Knight’s lungs.

With a few spluttering coughs from Knight, Cerrin let out an exasperated sigh.

“Well, nothing we can do about it now bro.”

“Hehe-cough-heh, yeah…”

“Though it’s your fault…oh, better open a window for you,” Cerrin mumbled the first part before walking to the velvet curtains. “Or should I?”

“…I am so so sorry for ruining your fun time,” Knight apologised sincerely. “But please don’t smile like that when making a joke.

“HA-HA, well, I guess now I know not to bring you along when I’m in need of pleasure!” Cerrin laughed wildly as he patted Knight on the back. “Guess I’ll open it and then go and find-”

Two light knocks shoved Cerrin’s sentence away.

“Ah, I wonder who it can be?” Cerrin said with a sly smile pointed Knight’s way. “I’ll be going now, so I’ll open the door for whoever it is.”

“Aye, please don’t do-”

“SEN. PAI!”

A cute voice cried and a small figure rushed across the room.

“Well, have fun you two,” Cerrin waved goodbye.

Knight cursed under his breath, “Fuck you, Cerrin,” and averted his gaze from the small, animal-like girl who clutched his hand.

“You’re awake?!”

“Looks that way…”

“Aw, don’t be like that,” Iroha said, her warm hands caressing Knight’s.

Immediately, Knight pushed her hand away, as he grunted, “stop acting like this.”

“Oh…what do you mean, senpai?”

“Stop calling me senpai and stop pretending you care about me!” Knight spat, his sharp eyes stabbing into hers.

“S-Stop being friendly?” Iroha asked with a tinge of sadness, despite her bright smile.

“Stop faking friendliness,” Knight corrected.

Her shoulder’s drooped as his answer entered her ears. She continued, her pained smile obvious, “Stop… caring about you?”

“Stop pretending that you care,” he corrected her again.

Iroha opened her mouth, yet nothing came out. Her grey eyes became foggy, yet the fog was dispersed as she scrunched her eyes.

“So… you want me to stop travelling with you then?” Iroha asked, but this time she wore no smile.

“That would be-”

“Nice? Then why have you been following me then?”

Knight a long sigh and started with the preface of, “Look,” before he explained himself. “You helped me escape. I thought ‘might as well follow her whilst I figure things out,’ but then you ditched me.”

“…” Only air came out of her open mouth as sound failed to be made.

“But hey, people can get scared. That, and I still had no idea what I need to do,” Knight continued. “Then you try telling me what I can and can’t do with the excuse that you care.”

“I…”

“And then what goes and happens? I end up at some psycho’s mansion and get stabbed by some flame sword! Yeah, it looks like it would be my fault, but you obviously know Lavri.”

“That’s…”

Ignoring Iroha’s quiet words, Knight continued.

“If you really cared, then you would have done something to show your sorry. Rei’s looked after me for the whole time whilst I was asleep but you’ve waited till now? And to make it worse, you come in with your usual act?”

This time, no words came from Iroha. She didn’t even open her mouth as an obvious tear streamed down her face.

“I haven’t even mentioned the odd vibe you give off. It’s probably your BS act of ‘senpai’ this and ‘senpai’ that. The king’s summoning went wrong? You were ordered to take me to him? How do I trust that blindly when all you’ve done is mess with me!”

“That’s…” Swallowing the words she wanted to shout, Iroha shook her head. “I’ll be at the inn if you decide to see me again.”

With those empty words, she turned to leave.

“Oh, I forgot to give you this. Courtesy from Lavri.”

Iroha turned back, placing the black katana on a small stool.

“Bye… I guess.”

With an empty goodbye, the room was now filled with an odd silence.

With a lonely feeling, Knight turned to look at Rei-

“Huh?! R-Rei…?”

The cute Rei that had been sleeping calmly next to Knight was gone. A deep scowl contorted her face and flared her eyes into a dragon-like glare.

“Master!”

Knight didn’t have any time to adore her new clothes as she laid into him.

“I gave you time to fix your mean words and you didn’t!

“…” Knight opened his mouth to protest, yet nothing came out.

His eyes were fixed upon hers, and although the beauty remained, it was not the same. It was as if all of her pent-up anger had been channelled into those golden, draconic eyes. Enforcing the wrath of a dragon.

“Iroha has been here from the very start! She’s the one who took care of you all this time!”

Knight couldn’t speak, but he was protesting in his mind. ‘There was no way.’

“All the sick you spewed? She made sure it went in a bucket!”

‘She would not.’

“Every time you cried out as you slept, Iroha made sure to calm you. Not just me!”

‘No chance.’

“Every time you screamed in agony and clutched your left shoulder, she soothed you!”

‘Never.’

“When I was dragged out to be cleaned up, she was here! Tending to you.”

‘Impossible’

“If you’re going to continue being nice to me but mean to Iroha, I’ll hate you!”

“…”

Her pent-up anger dissipated along with her draconic glare that held a dragon's wrath. The built-up pain and anger of her scars were used on scolding Knight and praising Iroha. It was the first time she had people to talk to and have fun with. The first time she had, dare she say it, friends. There was never a doubt that she'd break her character and scold her saviour if it meant keeping this trio together. This, dare she say it, family.

“…Please.”

“Sorry-”

“No, don’t say that to me, say it to Iroha. Please. Please go and fix what you caused, Knight.”

It was the first time that Rei had uttered Knight’s name. It wasn’t due to joy. It wasn’t due to relief. And it wasn’t because she was forced. She chose to do so out of disappointment. But not only that. Most importantly she chose to do so out of hope. Hope that her saviour could fix the problem that he had caused.

“-Sure, Rei.”