II

Reminder

"Nysha, we got him! We told you we could get him!"

"Both of you get off of me before I drop this on you," I caught up to the twins running ahead of me to find them tangling with a woman. The stack of crates she carried wobbled worryingly.

"You're actually alive?" She noticed me, her voice mildly surprised. I didn't know how to answer her. "It's all the city's been talking about, you and... sorry, never mind."

She dropped the topic, averting her gaze as I found myself frowning harder than I'd have liked. I followed after her as she led the way while Rin and Ren scurried around her like a pair of dogs, wagging their tails. She shooed them off with her feet, but their excitement stuck to her relentlessly until we arrived in front of a trapdoor, embedded into the side of a house. She knocked against it with her foot, and it flung open, revealing a hooded man.

"Grey, please take this," the man took the stack and disappeared downstairs, leaving her with free hands to pinch the twins by the ear with. "I told you not to disturb me when I'm busy!"

"I'm sorry," the two cried, "but we got him to join even when you said we couldn't do it!"

"I..." she sighed, her eyes darting sideways as she loosened her grip, "...fine. You two did great. I was wrong."

The children beamed satisfied, as they hurried down ahead of us. She gave me a wry smile, inviting me inside, where a room most unusual awaited me.

"Surprised?" Their voices blended into one.

I wasn't sure if you could call it a cellar. The red carpet covering the ground from one wall to another was too large, bulging like billows on the ocean. A man with short, snow-white hair sat on a rocking chair, reading one of the many books splayed around his table. Silver and gold littered the ground like pebbles on the road. In one corner, a weapon rack had been thrown over, and an entire closet worth of clothing covered the large couch that had been ripped in half like a piece of bread.

"Are you sure I should've come in?" I asked. That wasn't what I'd expected from a den of pocket thieves. "We've just met."

"It's alright," the woman waved off my concerns, "most of what you see here is pretty much worthless. Also, Boss Jin vouched for you."

"Worthless?"

"They're leftovers we couldn't sell," the man in the chair spoke up, putting his book down, "almost everything in here has been around for decades, accumulating long before any of us joined."

"Rael Kelrek," she introduced him, "he's in charge of making our sales."

"Kelrek Rael," he corrected her and gave me a nod. "Rael will be fine. I'm glad to see you accepted our..." he shot a glance at the twins who responded with wide grins, "invitation."

"Family's first, right," the woman massaged her temples, " sorry, must be tired, I usually don't forget about that one anymore."

"I'm Xiao Rin!" Her hand shot upwards. "I'm Xiao Ren!" His' followed suit, and they bowed overzealous, their heads almost touching the ground.

"I'm Numer Nysha," she gave me a polite smile, sticking out her hand. I looked at it taken aback for a moment.

Dyrakiel customs, I remembered a thing or two about them. Her manners and appearance certainly had that southern air about them. I decided to take an educated guess and extended my right arm, supporting it with my left hand under the elbow. Numer Nysha responded in kind with widening eyes, grabbing my hand with a smile that seemed a bit more relaxed.

"Call me Nysha. I'm the leader, sorta. Hardly matters. That big guy over there who looks like he's dressed for the wrong season is Grey," he nodded in two slow motions before going back to his business of stacking crates.

"Greetings, everyone," I bowed, clasping my hands in front of me, "I'm Shin. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintances."

The group stared at me in a mixture of joy, silent politeness, and blank curiosity.

"You said, they're leftovers you couldn't sell?" I looked around. "How come?"

"They don't sell for pellets," Rael answered me, "silver and gold we have enough we don't know what to do with. We give it away whenever Boss Jin comes by with someone who needs it, but it doesn't happen too often."

I thought of the beggars I'd met so far. None of them had been in the business for food or other necessities; only pellets. It was true that cultivators wouldn't have a need for any of what was lying around. The quality of the weapons was too low, and the clothing was without protection.

"Who do you think would win in a fight, Grey or Shin?" While I studied the room, the children were immersed in their own little world.

"Shin!" Ren declared loudly.

"Really? But Grey's never lost before!" Rin refuted him and a pointless argument ensued. I hoped I wouldn't be dragged into it.

"Grey. Grey!" Ren scurried over to his side, pulling at his long cloak while he was busy stacking the boxes. He didn't let it faze him at all.

"Don't know," he grumbled, his words slow and chopped off at their syllables. I had to listen carefully to make sure we spoke the same language. "Him," he sluggishly turned his head to me before resuming his work. Every gaze in the room focused on me again.

"I wasn't aware of being that famous."

"It's kind of what happens when you try to assassinate a duke, one of old royalty no less," Rael laughed, his eyes gleaming, "and live to tell the tale."

It wasn't just them. The whole city seemed of the opinion I died that day. An understandable conclusion, albeit a bit hasty. Was that Huo Lan's doing? Sticking his nose in again...

"We were all there," Nysha said, failing to hide her curiosity from me, "it's not often that you find such a great distraction within the city, especially around those few merchants that have anything worthwhile."

What she said didn't sit right with me, but I refrained from saying anything.

"Done," Grey came over to us, towering above me with two heads taller. The dim lanterns helped little to make out any of his features beneath the hood he wore.

"Thanks, Grey," Nysha turned to me. "Feel at home, Shin. We're all happy to welcome you to our humble abode. Let me get some drinks. Do you want anything to eat?"

"A little," I said, letting myself be dragged by the turn of events when I hadn't even decided yet if I should really stay with them.

***

"We don't usually keep the good stuff, it's what we sell," Nysha said, pouring wine for everyone but the children. "You're old enough to drink?"

"More or less," I said as he handed me the jug.

I'd had liquor back when I was still a cultivator. It was one of the first exercises to learn about how to expel foreign substances from your body, and arguably one of the more popular training methods. I put the jug to my lips, taking the time to study my situation over the rim.

Someone had had the great idea to give both Rin and Ren the same haircut, which was on the short side; rough and untamed as if they'd been in a tussle. They both wore the same yellow robe, streaking like lightning whenever they scurried around. I could only tell them apart by the way Ren kept looking at me.

Nysha revealed that she was indeed from Dyrakiel. A scarf bound her black hair in a pony, fluttering behind her in a reminiscent way, even though she looked nothing like Mei. Her face was too hard and her eyes too round to fit among the locals. She was the same height as me, making her taller than most women I'd known; even her beige robe had been tailored to fit her long legs. I caught traces of martial arts education in how she carried herself, though I wasn't entirely sure.

Rael was a more common sight, to me at least. His hair was telling of his origin from Nyrkan, though the people of the white land tended to grow it out longer. I'd never seen a northerner without a full beard either. He was either skinny, or his robe was too large for him, and his skin seemed a bit pale. He was probably quite a few years older than me. I also noticed something else.

"I was born with it," Rael took note of my staring. His cane tapped against his right leg which limped behind him. "That's why I'm in charge of sales. Unfortunately, I won't be coming with you on any of the action."

"My apologies, I didn't mean to..."

"No offence taken," he gave me a reassuring smile. I still felt as if I had wronged him and I hurriedly looked for something else to focus on. Thankfully, the twins provided an excellent distraction as they fooled around with Grey who skilfully avoided crushing them with his enormous body. He was surprisingly nimble for his size, and he didn't seem to mind their antics, but Nysha was adamant about tearing them off of him.

"It's quite the group," I said. One from the north, the other way south, and a pair of young twins. Grey gave off an air that raised all kinds of impressions. If you were to include me, I'd probably be drastically understating it.

"It's what you get with Zhanhai," Rael took a sip. "Popular city. As long as you make it here, you'll survive, somehow. Attracts many. Both peace and wealth are abundant with members of the old royalty watching over it. Even so, a certain kind of people always finds their way into this group, one way or another. Boss Jin is the only one I know who was actually born in this city. He's also the only one who ever stayed after finishing the trial."

Rael looked like he wanted to say something more, but he kept himself from doing so. I was anxious about any of their inquiries, especially since they'd been there. Nysha had said to feel free to talk about anything, but to never push a topic - group law.

"But that might change soon enough," he said, looking into his wine with a concerned frown. I remembered the fire earlier. It hadn't been the first one of the day.

"I'm keeping an ear out for any new developments," Nysha joined us with Rock and the twins behind her, "but we should tighten our schedule regardless. I've got something for us tomorrow. Sorry, Shin, we usually take more time when including new members. Start things slow."

"All fine by me."

"Great. You won't need to do much, anyway. We'll go over the details later."

"Shin," I was about to relax when the twins' faces peeked out from behind her. Innocent, but deadly curious. "Why is everyone so angry? Is it because of her? Who was she?"

I almost dropped the jug in my hand. It wasn't only the two of them. They all hid it out of politeness, but I felt it; the unspoken questions I dreaded. It was easy to say I wanted to accept my past. Doing so... My heart raced, remembering the girl I'd wronged while their gazes pierced into my chest.

"Shin?" Rin tugged at my robe without me realizing, "Why are-"

"There are plenty of reasons for them to be angry," Nysha cut her off, her voice stern. "They're fighting beasts in the north in a divided land that isn't even their own. A drain of life for no apparent reason. People suffer while the nobility seems to reap the benefits, pushing their boundaries of what they can get away with. This time is no different."

"But-"

"Enough!" The twins ducked their heads, "it's getting late, time for you two to hit the bed."

"But-"

"To. Bed." Nysha pointed to a nearby door. "Rock, if you will." He carried the two off like luggage while they squirmed in protest.

"Sorry, about that," Rael said hesitantly, "they're smart kids. Crafty, but they lack maturity."

"No, I'm the one who has to apologize," I emptied my jug of wine, "sorry, but I'm turning in for the night."

"We've got some spare beds if you want," Nysha chimed in, her eyes worrying. Nothing which I wanted to see.

"I'll be fine," I left for the staircase, "Tomorrow, right? I'll be back before dawn. Good night."

The trapdoor fell shut behind me and I exhaled a deep breath. I walked the streets for a while before finding an appropriate rooftop to lie down. In the distance, another fire was flaring; the smoke blowing over the city like a thin veil, carrying a smell that had grown familiar to its residents.

People shouted in the streets, their cries for help intertwining with the rattling of armour. A distant world, far away from mine where I brushed her red ribbon still bound around my arm. I will to change, it alone carried the echo of my vow. It'd remind me of it when I tried to keep my doubts at bay. Is it possible for me? The question never left my mind.

"Justice for the Red Maiden!"

The shouts of the insurgents travelled into the night as the guards carried them away in chains. No one was there to listen.