Chapter 138 – Wintery Days 7

The Gates of Soren was high, it stood tall and towering. In front of the gate were soldiers checking on everyone that tries to enter. While doing so, the ballista on the two sides of the gate seized them up. Behind the travelers were the snowy plains.

Ramiel lined up along with Peronell. They were quite silent, only hoping that the line would go faster. They already traveled for too long and the night was deep. The snow doesn’t help either and the people lining up were freezing due to the cold.

It took the two about thirty minutes until they arrive in front of the gates. The Guards, as usual, seize the ones entering and told them to pay up the tax required to enter the gates. Ramiel and Peronell paid up, and the guards let them in the city.

When Ramiel entered the city he saw the building lined street filled with people. The Buildings were made of brown bricks, the hipped roofs were tiled. The road was paved with polished stone. The busy building lined street was quite large and in the distance, Ramiel could see the castle of the King sitting gloriously on top of a small mountain.

“Let’s go already, I am tired.”

Peronell pulled Ramiel out of his bemuse. They then started searching for an Inn to stay for the night. They found one, it was quite cheap and there was a bar on the first floor. Ramiel paid for his own room, Peronell did so and the two separated for the day.

Ramiel didn’t want to sleep yet so he just carried his belongs to his room. His room was quite small. It had a soft bed, a bedside table and a window on the wall where one could see the street. The floor of the room was paved with shaved wood. The walls were stone so it was rather warm.

He sat on the bed, he removed his wooden backpack, put it on the bedside table. He stood up, twisted his hips for a bit, before locking the door. Ramiel went down the Inn, and as he does he walk out of the street where he put his pockets on his pants.

Ramiel looked around him for a while, the place was quite grand and he could feel that the city was prosperous. As he continues walking along the building lined streets of Soren, he spotted a crowded place where there are still a lot of people.

Approaching the place, he discovered that the place was littered with stalls. There was street food around, and even stands selling hot soup. Ramiel noticed that the folks buying are either travelers or rugged guards that decided to stop by. Ramiel was quite hungry so he walked into one of the stands selling grilled meat. The stand was only grilling the meat. They were applying salt to the food they were making.

Ramiel didn’t bother caring about it, so he just bought two pieces of grilled meat, sat near a stone fountain along with the other weary travelers and eat the grilled meat, watching as the snow falls on top of the land. Above the sky there are lines of red lines forming into a magic circle, seeing this line, Ramiel guessed that the city must have a huge magic formation.

Unlike the outside walls of Soren, Ramiel could feel that this place was rather warmer. It is the work of that formation that allows the streets of Soren to keep being warm. It was convenient for Ramiel, and even though snow is still falling on top of his head it didn’t bother him. He was busy eating the grilled meat he has in his hands. They were with a stick, and despite the meat just being salted, it was enough for him to be satisfied.

...

Ramiel went back to the Inn. It was already two hours past midnight when he arrived. He climbed up back to his room and sat on his bed. He wasn’t sleepy in fact his limbs were quite in pain. He felt a burning sensation in his throat, and there was a sensation of burning on his right arm. Ramiel pursed his lips; he leaned on the wall, mustering the courage not to feel the pain.

It took him quite a while before he calmed down, the pain subsides and he rested his back on the soft bed. His eyes could see the lamp on the wall. Ramiel wanted to sleep but find himself burning up, a spicy feeling on his stomach. He rolled over his bed. He waves his hands for a while, before moving his fingers.

His expression is blank, his eyes vacant. It was empty inside his head. He turned to the window, he could see the light snow falling around the tiled roofs of the buildings, tracing down a line that eventually falls to the ground. Ramiel was so bored; it made him able to watch all of this, hoping to fall asleep.

Minutes passed and the only thing Ramiel could hear was the lamp and the bashing of the wind on the paneled glass window. He was getting sleepy, and before long the tiredness made him think back to the time he killed that cultist. He knew that there was something wrong with his head, and every day he felt like he is drifting away from the moral standards of the modern world. He felt bad about it, worried that sooner or later he will get so numbed. Logically being numb in killing would be great, but morally it is out of the question.

Ramiel felt sickened that he was quite getting numb, yet his head would reason out to him. Telling him that he is a fool for thinking such a sham mindset, he already killed and betrayed. The world he is in now is callous about it. Ramiel was in a dilemma, yet sadly he was accepting the jaded numbness.

It was natural for him to do so.