The Witness

“Tsk…Naen…you died to a mere boy?” A hooded figure watches Merekeep intently as a new day dawns. His glowing blue eyes stare deeply towards the palace. “I served Selena to you on a platter. And you still failed. How disappointing.” Presently, the man frowns. The light in his eyes fades. In his mind, he watches one of his shadows fleeing the raging flames consuming a dying man. The strand of his intent latches onto the closest living thing it sees. A teenage boy. Abruptly, the image cuts out. He cannot see what’s happening in the palace anymore. But no concern touches his face. For he senses that his shadow has found new prey. Turning away from the palace, his expression turns into a wonderful grin. Drool runs down his cheeks and he swallows, already imagining how he will devour this juicy morsel. Incredible. The perfect host. I was wrong about you, Naen.

“You weren’t completely worthless.”

#

One Month Later.

Myrr:

I stand by the smoking ruins of the Demi-bazaar. It took me a while to consolidate power in the city. Even with the Rainstopper Sect acting as my enforcers, Merekeep is too dangerous. To be honest, I’m not entirely sure that I really own this city. The Stranger…he spoke of secrets. To this day, I still don’t understand what exactly is hiding in this place. A large number of the Omniscient Guard remain unaccounted for, even after we tallied up the mutated bodies. Additionally, Selena’s mysterious lieutenant, a man known as Azhi, never showed during the final battle. Despite our best efforts, he seems to have just vanished into thin air. Catching assassins is a pain.

“Finding slavers isn’t as bad.” Surveying the collapsed wreckage of the slaving sector, I allow myself a tiny grin. The luxurious slave shops have been swept away to reveal the piss-stained cells and horrid viewing rooms that have tormented the Demi’s for the last decade. But they’ll all be gone soon. In a week, construction will begin to renovate this place into Demi-schools and orphanages. After contacting the Upper Houses for a meeting, I made it clear that Demi-slavery was done. It was…a risky move. A lot of the House Leaders did not come personally, having fled the city during the night. They sent representatives to speak with me, but I also felt a lot of unseen eyes watching during the meeting. Maybe I control the city, but they still know it better than me. If I’m not careful, it’d be easy to end up like the Stranger and find myself deposed. Luckily, I came prepared with a decoy. The Lord sitting on Merekeep’s throne during the meeting was not me…but rather Janus. I doubt I’ll be able to keep up the ruse forever, but for now, he stands in the light while I walk in the shadows.

There was surprisingly little resistance to our takeover. After the Omniscient Guard turned into Issel’s monsters, the Upper Houses that didn’t flee were desperate for assistance. We stepped in at just the right moment. Merekeep’s overall battle power has decreased significantly with the death of Selena’s forces and the loss of the Omniscient Guard. They have no choice now but to temporarily accept Rainstopper control. And that means I can do things. Like clean up this city’s trash.

As the Stranger said…there are perks to being the City Lord.

“Jero…are you scared to see me?” I say, not turning around. The pathetic sack of crap tied up behind me knows who I am. He should have ran for it and never looked back. But he didn’t think that I’d be the last one standing. Now, he’ll pay for his greed. “You should be scared.”

“Master, please!” The Demi-Rat denies his crimes. “I really didn’t do anything! This lowly rat swears-”

“You didn’t?” My voice is flat. There is no escaping judgment for scum like this. “I had Kisa distribute three Icebombs that night. Everyone else’s detonated just fine. But she had to check on yours. Strangely enough, the Omniscient Guard were waiting for her when she did.”

“No…! I don’t know what went wrong!” Jero’s eyes squirm as I turn around and draw Mephis’s dagger. He wriggles against the ropes binding him. “Master, I’m innocent!”

“Are you?” Walking to him slowly, I raise Mephis’s dagger up high. Jero struggles harder. “I think you’re lying to me-”

*Shing*

I cut the ropes binding Jero’s hands. He stares up at me. Hope blossoms on his face. But when he sees my cruel eyes, his rat-like instincts tell him this is not a reprieve. “M-Master? Thank you for believing!”

“Enough.” Putting Mephis’s dagger away, I watch him tense as I put my palm in front of his face. “I’m going to ask you a couple questions. If you answer them correctly, I might let you go.”

“O-Of course! Ask me anything!” He emphatically shakes his snout up and down.

“First question then.” I call upon Foresight. My body tenses, I still halfway expect time to shatter, but the future comes to me more easily now that the Stranger is dead. Still, there is this odd static…some of the different timelines buzz and flicker. I don’t know why, but I can push through it. That’s all that matters. After simulating several possible scenarios, I have my answer. Nodding, I start channeling mana before Jero says a word, “Ah I see. Thank you for answering honestly, Jero.”

“Master?” His eyes turn puzzled. “You haven’t asked me anything…?”

[Flaming Ember of My Desire, Burst Forth-Burn]

*Swoosh*

A dark haze passes over my eyes like black film.

“Gyaaaaa!”

The heat from a blazing inferno spreads over my hand as Jero ignites. Closing my eyes, I blink away this strange darkness over my eyes and shake my head. Lately, I feel like I haven’t been entirely in control of my emotions. Regardless, Jero had to die. In two seconds, I simulated dozens of possibilities. Things like: what would Jero say if I pressed him for key details? What if I threatened him? What would happen if I walked away? So many possible timelines, yet not a single one suggested he was innocent. In the end, the verdict was just as I suspected. Guilty. Watching him burn, I wrinkle my nose at the smell of singed fur. Jero only had time to let out a single cry before the flames consumed him. It’s a shame. I couldn’t bring myself to make him truly understand the gravity of his sins. He died without suffering…much. Already his whimpering screams are long gone and in a few seconds, he’ll be naught but ashes. A better death than he deserved.

That makes two.

I probably shouldn’t keep track of the number. It’s not like I haven’t been responsible for taking lives in the past. Most of the kills credited to my Icebombs were actually Echo’s work, but not all of them. Some were actually mine. Turning around, I walk away from the crumbling bazaar. In the street outside, several teams of free Demi workers smile at me. I recognize Sila, Nika, and Jinta, the Ferry-Rat’s kids carrying buckets of water. They’re eager to get back to work. I figure there’s no one better to demolish this place and turn it into a place of learning. At the speed they’re going, it’ll be done before we even find enough students. Feeling melancholy, I turn around and head for home.

*Knock Knock*

“Myrr! You’re back!” When I get back to the shop, Nya greets me at the door. At first, she’s hopeful, but when she sees I’m returning alone again, her face falls. “Is Kisa…? Oh, she’s still busy...”

I’m scum.

Patting the little Demi-Cat’s fuzzy ears, I walk past her into the lobby and uncorking the remnants of last night’s wine. There isn’t enough left for a glass so I just finish it straight from the bottle. Staring at her expectant face, I have to resist the urge to smile and lie to her again. Can’t keep putting this off. Nya deserves to know.

“Nya. About your sister.” I sigh, unable to look her in the eyes. Fumbling beneath the display case, I find a fresh bottle of wine. Using my teeth, I rip out the cork. Taking a swig of the red liquid, I grimace. Definitely, not ready. But I drank everything else.

“Big sis is still working hard to rebuild the city, right?” Nya says quietly. Her expression isn’t forlorn like it was last week. Instead, it’s almost desperate. She’s starting to figure it out. After all, there’s no way Kisa would ever leave her little sister for this long without saying something. Now, we’re both just clinging to the lie. She puts on a false cheery expression, “I…did you see her today? She’s doing…okay, right?”

“I…yea…I saw her.” Grunting, I ignore how sharp the wine is and take a long swig. The sour liquid burns like wildfire on the way down. But I barely feel it. Damnit. “She asked me about you actually.”

“Really?!” Nya dashes over and grabs my waist. She stares up at me and I can’t…I just can’t look at her. Small paws knead me through my shirt, desperately hoping for answers I really don’t want to give. “What’d she say! Is she coming home soon!?”

“No. NO! She’s busy!” I burst out. Clutching the stupid bottle like it can help me, I grit my teeth. And take a deep breath. I have to do this. The longer I lie to her, the worse it’ll be. But why is it so damn hard to just say it?

“Myrr?” Nya lets go of me and backs away slowly. Her tail inflates like a brush, lifting the back of her skirt. She bumps into one of the display cases and presses herself against the wall. “F-Forget I said anything!”

“Nya…stop.” I feel awful. My stomach drops sickeningly. Putting down the wine bottle, I trudge over slowly and hold out my arms. “There’s something I have to tell you.”

“W-What is it?” Her cat-like ears twitch. She already knows. But like all innocent children, Nya wants to believe it will be okay. “Is Kisa…hurt? Or did I…do something? Does she not want to see me?”

“Nya…come here.” I go to her since she won’t come to me. Gathering her in my arms, I feel her shaking. Slowly, I let out the breath I’ve been holding. It’s time.

Nya clutches at me, and buries her face in my shirt. I feel two wet puddles blossoming on my stomach where her eyes are. “Myrr, where’s Kisa?”

“I…I lied to you-”

“N-No! Myrr wouldn’t lie to me!” Nya’s paws tighten at my sides. I feel her claws pricking at my skin before she retracts them. “Kisa’s just busy, right? Big sis is going to come home soon-!”

“Nya, listen to me!” It’s time. Bending down, I make sure Nya is wrapped up tight as I whisper in her ear. My lie tastes disgusting as it mixes with the sour wine on my tongue. But I can’t tell her the whole truth. “That night. I was late. Kisa was already dead by the time I got there-”

“N-No! Stop! It’s not true!”

“It’s true, Nya. I messed up.” Holding her tight, I don’t defend against her claws. It feels better that they should drasw blood. My youngest employee squirms, trying to break free. But I know I can’t let go. In absolutely no circumstance can she be allowed to face this alone. “You can blame me if you want.”

“Why…why is Myrr lying to me?” She looks up at me with tear-stained cheeks. Her wild-eyes flicker to mine and I can’t hold her gaze. The burning shame of replacing one lie with another eats at my stomach. But I can’t let Nya know who really killed Kisa. Whatever happens, she can never know it was Echo. Nya yowls as I refuse to look her in the eyes, “Why would Master say such things!”

“I’m sorry.” I whisper such pointless inadequate words. In all of human history, how has no one found a better way to say this? Closing my eyes to avoid her scorching gaze, I tell Nya, “I’m so sorry. I was late. I was really late! I promised you everything would be okay. But I didn’t MAKE it! I’m so…soo…sorry!”

“No…no…it’s not real…not again…” Her moans die out until I worry that she fainted. But when I open my eyes, Nya is still awake. Her eyes are wide open. She stares through me blankly as foam dribbles from her lips. Over Nya’s shoulder, I find Elina watching me. She must have heard the commotion. The Healer sees the cry for help in my distraught gaze. She comes and takes Nya from me. The young Demi-Cat’s claws drag along my sides as she’s pulled away. But I don’t mind. I deserve it.

“Go. I’ll take care of this one.” Elina tells me before sweeping Nya into her arms. My auntie rushes Nya to her room. Through the cracked door, I see a faint yellow light spill into the hallway as someone channels healing magic. The flickering sunshine fails to warm my heart as I walk by and close the door gently. Though I want to stay with Nya, I suspect seeing my face would only remind Nya of the grim truth I just told her. Hopefully Elina will be able to help somehow. But I don’t have high hopes. There’s no spell for what Nya’s going through. Stepping further down the hall, I head for Meera’s room. On the way, I consider stopping to check on Natalia. But after the lie I told Nya, I don’t have the stomach for it. This is so messed up. I’m hiding her sister’s killer in her own home. Nya…I’m sorry.

“I’m back.” Walking inside Meera’s room without knocking, I allow myself a little bit of hope. But it’s quickly dashed as I see her still form on the bed. Striding gingerly to the window, I close the curtains. Once it’s dark, I light the lamp on the nightstand beside Meera’s bed with magic and grab the open bottle of wine I left behind last night. But it feels oddly light. Shaking the empty bottle, I curse, “Damnit, could you last a little longer please?”

…

Beside me, Meera stays silent. I put the bottle back on the desk, and take a seat on my chair next to the bed. Looking at her sleeping face, and the random tufts of dark Demi-Cat fur, covering her cheeks, I sigh. “What happened to you?” My fingers brush against the freaky, lone cat ear poking through her messy hair. It makes no sense. Feeling distraught, I lean back and stare at Meera’s other, still human, ear. “Why won’t you wake up?”

She never answers, no matter how often I ask. When I told Elina a carefully edited version of what happened in the throne room when I used Time Reversal last month, my Auntie’s face went white. She had no explanation for why space broke, but begged me once again to never use that spell in the future. As if I had a choice. I wasn’t going to let Meera die. Anyways, so far as Elina can tell, both girls are physically fine. Natalia wasn’t critically injured to begin with, and even if Meera looks a bit different, the Stranger’s devastating blow has turned into nothing more than a fuzzy cat-hair lined scar on her chest. They could have woken up at any time…in theory.

But it’s been a month now, and they’re still sleeping. Laying my head against the side of the bed, I try to sleep. But my mind keeps thinking about Nya’s blank face.

Damnit, I hate lying to her.

But if she learns the truth she’ll never have peace.

This is for her own good…right?

…

I sigh as no one answers. Not even the Voice. Ever since she saved Natalia and Meera from the space storm in the throne room, I haven’t heard her once.

Damnit, I feel like the Stranger.

He was always lying to people ‘for their own good’.

Sometimes, I think he actually believed he was doing the right thing.

Ugh, what if he was really…?

“No…stop it.” Groaning, I rub my temples. “I only have one father. And his name is…”

Mephis…Mephis…MEPHIS…!

But what if…

“He’s not my father damnit!” I keep repeating the words as if they’re a spell. But in the end, all I manage to conjure is a confused heart. “HE’S NOT! HE’S NOT! HE’S NOT!”

“Myrr…my boy.”

“Stop it, get out of my head!”

“Have I ever told you?”

“You’re not my father!”

“That you look like her?”

“I don’t care, just shut up!”

“My beloved Lian…ehehe…”

…

…

…

#

“W-What is this?!” A panicked cry pierces the still night.

“Meera!” I wake from my troubled sleep unwillingly. But when my brain catches up to reality, I gasp. “Stop, it’s okay!”

Dear god.

“Whyyyy?” The terrified assassin stares at me, sitting bolt upright in her bed. She has her eyepatch in hand. Her blind covered eye is no longer gray and foggy. Instead, it’s vibrant, and alive, but slitted like a Demi-Cats. “Myrr…what the hell is this?! Oh Raingods…I can’t. Please, why? Why did you bring me back!”

“Meera, just breathe!” I hurriedly lean over and try to reach her. But she screams as I touch her skin and yanks her hand away. “What’s wrong?”

“No! NO! NO NO NO!” Her expression changes rapidly. One second she looks like she’s being stabbed, the next, she seems to not know where she is. But then her gaze focuses again. Meera’s trembling hands claw at her face, tearing at her new eye. “I…why didn’t you let me die! I felt it! I still feel it! I was…everywhere! Bits me twisting and turning! I was…real…and then not real! This…I can’t be alive!”

“You…remember that?” I gulp. The experience inside the fractured space was thoroughly unpleasant. Natalia pushed me out before it got too bad though. I didn’t realize Meera felt it all. “I’m sorry, Meera. But it was the only way to save you!”

“Why…?” Meera stares at me, tears coursing from her good eye as blood streams from her new one. She keeps digging at her eyelids. “Why didn’t you just let me DIE!”

“I…I didn’t know that was going to happen!” My voice is small. I don’t know what to do. This isn’t how it was supposed to go. “Meera, please. It’s over, you’re safe! Relax!”

“I c-can’t.” Meera’s teeth start to chatter. She stares at me with undisguised fear. “N-Never…again…I can’t…my skin…it’s still crawling…my fingers…I can still…feel them…not being there…it’s like fire…and ice…all at once. P-Please…just make it stop!”

“ELINA!” I shout, realizing that I’m out of my depth. “HELP!”

“What is this…?” The girl in front of me shrieks as she discovers the strange cat-ear on top of her head. “Myrr…why did you bring me back! What did you do!”

“I don’t know! Please, just wait, Elina’s coming!” Panicking, I reach out for her once more. Big mistake-

“DON’T TOUCH ME!” Meera blanches. She whips herself out of bed before I even realize what’s happening. Staring back at me from beside the window, the girl who would have gave her life for me now looks at me like I’m the devil, “STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!”

*Crash*

“Meera no!” I yell, but she’s already gone through the window. By the time I get there, all signs of her have disappeared. Behind me, I hear the door open. Elina stands there, in a nightgown. Hopping through the empty window frame, I frantically try to give orders, “She’s scared! We have to find her!” As I drop half a story to the ground, I feel wind rushing overhead. Elina appears next to me, somehow jumping after but arriving before me. Exchanging glances, we nod and split up, running down different sides of the street. “Elina, I got left!”