-Chapter Eight-

Sombre - Part One

“We have arrived, Young Lord,” the bulked Calipeo pushed open a large door and stepped aside. Lia gave him a nervous glance before her eyes returned to her uncles, who had also been eyeing him up. Between them, who was the strongest? Outcast warriors as opposed to a Knight Captain. She could tell both her uncles were asking that question, but Calipeo was focused on Aelius more than anything else. The young teenager immediately stepped into the large room with no hesitation, keeping his hood over his head and stepping up onto the platform in the centre. Lia followed closely behind him with her eyes wide in wonder. Mana stones of rainbow and numerous variety’s hung from the ceiling and she could feel the vibration of its power beneath her as well. An energy she had some sort of odd kinship with. Her attention returned to Aelius who wore a narrowed, calculating gaze. He was strong, she could tell. Not in the sense of a fight, but in the sense of spirit. She couldn’t quite place it but many adults she had seen were far weaker than he was. While he pays attention to small details and doesn’t neglect what may appear to be unimportant, he also forges forward without ever looking behind him. A person with a clear goal, anyone could tell by his stride. Assertive, at times aggressive, but otherwise always soft in her presence and toward her. Why was that? The captain behind them joined a small group of operator-mages at the front of the room, lowly whispering to them before Leo tugged her on the sleeve, catching her attention. As usual, they only exchanged eye contact with each other, but the young child gently pulled Lia toward the platform until all five of them were stood there.

“Captain,” Aelius called as the light began to grow brighter and an overwhelming humming filled the room.

“Yes, Young Lord?” Calipeo asked with his hand on his chest.

“Let my father know in regards to the King’s announcement, the Southern Coast is indeed a strong point of interest for the invaders, but also tell him I guarantee other enemies will flank us from different directions, and to not let his guard down.”

“I will pass along all of your messages without fail. Please… stay safe, Young Lord,” the captain said with earnesty. Aelius returned a small smile.

“Worry about yourself first. I’ll be off now.”

“Have a safe trip.”

After their words finished the exchange, Lia felt her being propel into the air and her vision leave her, gasping from the sudden jolt.

As soon as they hit the other side, Aelius threw his hood off him and took a deep breath. Finally, he feels like he can breathe again. It was unbearable, trying to avoid conflict because he didn’t want to kill anyone. Not his style at all. The young man glanced behind him with relief to see the others were with him, and quickly took the cloak off and returned it to the swordmaster.

“I appreciate it,” Aelius told the man, who shook his head as he took it.

“A small price to pay for the curing of my niece’s poison.” Aelius gave him a smile.

“Move along now, move along. We got more incoming, hurry on please,” the voice of a conductor from behind them called, gesturing to the nearby exit.

“Let’s find us some accommodation first. I think I need to rest,” Aelius gestured and quickly hopped off the edge of the platform. The clattering of footsteps could be heard from all around as the small group moved down the large hallway, bustling with people.

“Is this your first time coming here? I’m assuming it is, if you hailed from all the way up North,” Aelius remarked while they made their way out into the city centre. The sun shone down brightly from overhead, casting light over the modern tall buildings.

“Wow…” Lia’s eyes lit up bright as she looked around her.

“It should be nothing impressive compared to the Empire though,” Aelius commented, leading them down the street.

“I don’t have any memories of that place,” Lia explained. “I’ve been travelling for as long as I can remember from village to village.”

“I see…”

Swiftly, the small group was led by Aelius at full speed via carriage to a discreet inn located in the corner of the city. Just as they were entering through the door, Aelius felt pain begin to gnaw away at his skin and bones. The healing effect given to him by Asura’s Blood Essence was slowly expiring, it appeared. Almost frantic, as soon as he entered, Aelius tossed a pouch of gold coins onto the counter to the inn-master and demanded two rooms. As she showed the way to them, he felt his strength leave with each step down the wooden corridors. Aelius could feel his head slowly lightening up, his vision fading. Before he was completely gone as he arrived at the door, he turned back to the two uncles.

“Go find a doctor to treat your injuries,” he told them, but they gazed back at him unsurely.

“Umm… Young Master, your wounds are slowly opening,” the spearmaster hesitantly pointed out, looking at the cut on Aelius’ shoulder magically open up on its own out of nothing.

“I know,” Aelius answered.

“So shouldn’t you come with us?” the swordmaster questioned.

“No, I have my own ways. Just don’t get into any trouble before I wake up, that’s all I need. You two and Leo can take the room next door. This one has two beds, I can share it with Lia,” Aelius spoke but before anyone objected, slammed the door shut behind him and collapsed onto the bed, wheezing and breathing harshly. He felt his body melt and his brain turn to liquid as a feverish dream took him and his eyes glazed over.

The prerequisites for the innate talent Phoenix’s Love has been satisfied.

Phoenix’s Love is now taking effect.

「Phoenix’s Love」

Wounds that greatly impair or have the chance to cause permanent damage to the individual will trigger this skill and heal over a good nine-hour sleep.

The power to heal over sleep is only possessed by the Phoenix. For a human to come to possess this power, they must be the one the Phoenix blessed, at the cost of their own life. Imbued with power from the one who adored you, may you wake up from the long dream anew.

Side effect: Rekindling!

This skill heals by administering an effect similar to rewinding time. This effect however, if triggered, will affect parts of the User’s mind.

Caution is recommended!

The worse the wounds, the higher chance of triggering or increasing the intensity of the side effect Rekindling.

Alert!

Rekindling has been triggered.

Repeat, Rekindling has been triggered.

The system urges the user to protect their psyche so it may remain intact and… sleep well…

…

…

Far off in the distant lands, further North than even the Northernmost nation, in a place where not a single soul dared to enter, heavy ranges of mountains covered in snow spanned beyond what the eye could see. Silence would echo throughout the ranges as not even predators would dare to make noise, lest they scare off the prey they stalk. The prey dare not make noise, lest they attract a disaster upon themselves. Amidst this never-ending land of white snow, with solemn a river or a flame, one patch of the angel-tears was dyed a deep red. Laying at the centre of it, mangled and disfigured from a fight for life, was a horrific scaled monster akin to a hellspawn. Standing over it was a heavily panting figure, embodying a golden glow that slowly faded away. A distinct, long-grown brown hair hung down from the head of the only life visible on such a mountain range, and the figure slowly turned away, using his blade as a cane to limp toward… anywhere. Anything. The once hailed prodigy in his teenage years, aged twenty now, slowly and softly crunched through the snow with heavy breath. Off in the distance, his brown eyes spotted a river that had miraculously not frozen over, far far below him into the descenting valley. He began to make his way down to it, from far up the steep path, and his mind was clear as he did so. It was a clarity that would only surface after a triumph. It’s a feeling that never gets old. Whilst hunting, Aelius would dare not indulge in such clarity. His mind would always be dedicated to one thing. The next Devil to be his target. This particular one was quite strong compared to others he had killed so far. It was definitely a step up, on the higher-side at the Thirtieth Ring. It had led him quite far from the central land of the Sacred Continent in hopes to throw him off its trail, but he got the fucker in the end. Now, until he settles on his new prey, he is temporarily without a specific purpose. It was such times that this clarity would grace him, like a reward for killing yet another one of these monsters.

The fight took a heavy toll on Aelius and he knew what was coming next. His Divine power and swordsmanship alone, nor the revolvers he carried were enough to kill that Devil. In several moments of crises, he ended up with no choice but to rely on Mana. Having arrived at the river and started a small campfire, Aelius was just finishing the dish of fowl he had roasted at it when he felt the poison in his core roar out in venomous rage. Yet another relapse. Though incredibly painful, he was long since used to them. He was a man who fought with his life on the line constantly, and so far, he’s withstood the effects of poison with pure willpower. There were no lasting effects, other than that overtime, the poison has slowly started to relapse more frequently. He knew his time was running out, but it was fine. He will kill every single last Devil before he dies. At least, that’s all he asks for from the Goddess. He’ll withstand any pain he needs to in order to succeed his goal. With the campfire’s warmth, Aelius collapsed onto a small bed made out of bush and felt his eyes fall shut. Damn… can’t even finish a skewer of meat.

In the strange, half-conscious slumber forced upon him by the poison, Aelius’ eyes opened and he briefly awoke for a few moments to see an odd silhouette stand over him in the snow. But he could not move nor speak, and soon unconsciousness took him again, until he awoke a second time, drowsily seeing his limp legs being dragged along the snow, and the heavy breathing of a person beside him. Still, he couldn’t move nor speak, and fell asleep again. He awoke yet a third time, fading in and out of consciousness to see now he was being taken along smooth stone ground, no snow around him any longer. As the cold faded, a warmth replaced it, and the cackling of fire slowly came into earshot, and then he fell asleep once again.

Slowly, very gradually, his consciousness returned to him. Amongst the silence of the world that was returning to him, he could hear a weird sound of scraping from beside him. As his mind grew clearer and clearer in his wake, the sound grew louder as well. Aelius was unable to tell how much time had passed when his eyes shot open again, and he quickly sat up in bewilderment, looking around him in search of any imminent danger. He found himself deep in a cave, where light from the entrance shone far, far away down the stone tunnel. His legs lay warmly in front of a small fire and he gazed at the blazing flames for a moment before he felt a presence behind him, and spun his head over his shoulder. Blinking in surprise, Aelius found his eyes landing on a slender woman seated on a rock closeby. Wearing a torn and dirty purple dress, the royal shade matched with her long, straight lavender hair falling to her hips. Her attention was busy focused on a mortar and pestle before her and she ground away at various leaves before she blinked and noticed him gazing at her. Through the soil and soot, he was surprised to see she was quite the graceful beauty beneath it all. They continued exchanging glances for a short moment before she cleared her throat. “So you’ve woken,” she spoke as she turned her head back to her task, continuing to grind away. Aelius remained silent a while longer, before he turned back away and tried to gauge the situation in his Mana core. The poison had subsided. He was ready to get moving again. As the young man rose to his feet, he noticed a dozen skewers left in a small bowl beside the campfire, and felt his stomach rumble. With a frown, he turned back to the woman.

“Where is this?” he asked before looking around them for his sword.

“A cave that’s close to where I found you collapsed. It’s not smart to have a campfire out in the open, there are dangers about in this place, you know,” she placed the mortar down and turned to him with her full attention. As his eyes met hers again, a small smile spread on her face.

“Are you planning on leaving?” she asked and he returned a firm nod.

“I wouldn’t recommend it. The poison in your core has left you with a very short amount of time to live if you continue exerting Mana,” she spoke and he blinked in surprise. This woman knows of the poison in him? Aelius has visited many renowned doctors but none of them had any idea at all.

“How… in the world…?” He found himself at a loss for words. She gave him a beaming smile.

“I’ll treat it for you!” she offered with a hand out, leaving Aelius standing in front her, flabbergasted.

“I’m sorry?” he asked in confusion.

“The poison that’s cursing you, I’ll get rid of it for you,” she repeated with her smile ever-sustaining.

“You… can do that?” he asked with a raised brow.

“There’s no poison in this world I cannot cure!” she heartedly boasted with a laugh. “Hohoho!”

Aelius found himself thinking she was a little bit eccentric.

“What do you want from me?” he answered.

“Oh, you’re smart too. No wonder you’ve survived so long with that curse in your core,” she dropped her hand back to her lap. “I want meat!” Aelius blinked in surprise.

“I’m sorry?” he asked again, even more taken aback this time.

“I’ll treat your poison, but in the time that you’re here, I would like you to provide me with meat to eat, hehe,” she chuckled. “You see, I’m a sucker for the taste of meat, but I can’t hunt at all with this feeble body. When I saw your campfire and found the meat you were cooking,” her eyes lit up with desperation and addiction, a crazed craving gleaming back at him. Drool was already slowly trickling out the corners of her mouth. “I ate your meat and I felt bad, so I brought you here.” She raised her arm and flexed her non-existent muscles. “It was a tough job, you know!” She exclaimed. “Anyway, I noticed your poison. So here’s my offer. What do you think?” she asked. Aelius’ frown did not fade as he pondered for a long moment.

“Then you must be a doctor?” he asked and she excitedly nodded.

“Correct!” Unsurely, Aelius looked back out the exit of the cave to see the snow heavily piling down.

“Why would a doctor like you be in such a place?” he asked.

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” she waved her hand. “Deal or no deal?” she rocked back and forth.

“Hah…” Aelius sighed heavily. “How much meat are we talking? There’s not much wildlife in these parts.”

“Hmm… it doesn’t have to be everyday.” She reached her hand out and raised two slender fingers up for him. “Meat for dinner every two days, how about it? If it gets too tough, we can cut it down a bit. I’ll still treat your poison regardless.”

“Well… I can’t refuse, I guess,” Aelius sighed.

“Yayyyyy!” She cheered and clapped, laughing happily. “I looked forward to working with you. I’m called Violet. How about you?” The woman named Violet asked him with shining eyes.

“Aelius,” he responded as he sat down again. “Same here. If you can really cure this poison, I’ll repay the debt a hundred fold.”

“Oh, don’t worry. The meat and company is plenty!” she turned back to the mortar and began to grind again, cheerfully humming to herself. “You’re probably hungry, right? I found a half eaten skewer on the ground beside you, along with the others. But I’m sorry, I was so starved for meat I ate everything, hehe,” she nervously giggled. “I have some plants around if you need something immediately, but otherwise, I’ll be leaving food duty to you.”

“I see,” Aelius chuckled. So she ate everything I caught before I passed out. “Sure, leave it to me,” he answered as he looked to her working figure. For some time, other than the sound of the grinding, only silence rang out between them until Aelius finally took a deep breath and rose to his feet. “How long have you been here?” he asked as he fetched his sword and pulled his jacket over him.

“Hmm… hold on a moment,” she sprung off the edge of the rock and approached a wall deeper into the cave. Aelius squinted to see dozens of tally marks carved into the stone. “Hmm…” she hummed as she quickly counted them. “As of today, six months, three weeks and two days.”

“I see.” For some reason, Aelius felt like he shouldn’t pry, even though she was being open with him.

“Are you going out hunting?” she suddenly softly asked from behind him. He could detect a bit of solemness behind her tone.

“Yeah. I can tell it’s going to get dark soon. Better to hunt while it’s still daylight.”

“Okay. I needed to mention something.” She returned to grinding the herbs. “If while you’re out and you see a group of suspicious people, don’t let them spot you and just come back to tell me. Please, no matter what you do, do not fight them.” Her voice was cold at the mention of this random group.

“Mmm, sure. Though I could kill them easily, I’m sure.”

“It’s not about killing them. Well, maybe I’ll explain more around dinner. Another thing I forgot to mention, I don’t have unlimited herbs. To treat you, we’re going to have to go out and collect some from time-to-time. That should be okay, right?” she asked him.

“Yeah, it should be fine,” Aelius casually responded.

“Okay! Good!” she gave him a warm smile again. “Have a safe trip.” At the words, Aelius felt a strange emotion well up in his chest.

“Ah… yeah, thanks. I’ll be back.”

“Mmhmm.”

The sun was setting as Aelius returned to the cave with a deceased deer slung over his back. He entered the cave to see Violet asleep beside the fire, passed out soundly. A variety of herbs had been assorted on the rock that substituted her workbench, Aelius noticed as he looked around at the shabby state and sighed. Even her clothes were a mess. At the sound of him tiptoeing around her, she woke up. Aelius found himself thinking she has surprisingly sensitive sleep.

“You’re back?” she asked.

“Yeah, I just got back.”

“Welcome back,” she answered as Aelius dumped the deer down closeby and began to use his sword to skin it.

“Whoa!!!” her eyes lit up at the sight of the carcass. “Hehehe, I can’t wait.” Sleepily, she leaned up against the wall, patiently waiting for Aelius to work.

“Ah… if we had a pot, we could’ve made a stew,” she sighed and rose to her feet. “I’m going out for a moment.”

“Huh? Where to?” Aelius heard and asked in worry. “It’s nighttime, it’s very dangerous.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I’ve been here for long enough to know the place like the back of my hand. I won’t be going far. A maiden needs her girl-time, hehe,” she winked to him. “Hopefully by the time I’m back, the meat will be readyyy~~” she hummed blissfully as her silhouette faded into the darkness. Aelius watched as she left before he sighed to himself and focused on preparing the deer, hoping she won’t wound up in some sort of danger.

As Aelius watched the deer meat roast in boredom, he felt a chilly breeze come through the cave and sneezed. “Goddess…” he exclaimed. Will she even be fine in the cold with half her body showing in that dress? He leaned back and sighed. Six months in this place? How the hell… His attention was taken away as he heard the soft patter of footsteps from the entrance of the cave, and turned his head to find Violet returning. He noticed she didn’t even wear shoes while treading out in the snow.

“You’re back?” he asked and noticed as she sat down at the campfire opposite him, her skin slightly glossy from being wet, and her hair darkened with water, braided into a twirl as she dried herself at the fire. She was now much cleaner than in the morning.

“If you want to take a bath, there’s a lake closeby,” she offered him and he looked at her doubtfully.

“I’d rather not freeze to death,” he responded and a moment of realisation crossed her face.

“Oh, true!” She frowned. “Hmm… what shall we do then?” she leaned back, pondering her mind.

“It’s fine, I’ll just wait until I get back to civilisation to bathe.”

“Are you sure?” she asked him unsurely.

“Yeah? Why?” he asked.

“Oh it’s just… I estimate we’re gonna need six months minimum to treat the poison.” Aelius’ jaw dropped to the ground.

“Really?” he asked.

“You should consider yourself lucky it’s even getting treated at all,” she clicked her tongue at him.

“You’re not dragging it out for more meat, are you?” he asked her with distrust and she cracked up into laughter.

“Hahaha! If that was the case, I would’ve said a year minimum!” she heartily laughed again and Aelius found himself giving a chuckle.

“Okay, okay….” he leaned down and sighed as well. “Well, I’ll think of something, I guess,” he shrugged. “Will we be staying here for the whole six months? In this cave?” he asked.

“If I can help it, yes. But… who knows, things might change. Either way, we can’t be separated until your treatment is done. Once I start, if we stop halfway, you’ll meet a fate worse than death,” she explained to him.

“Okay… I guess I’ll have to protect you like my life depends on it.”

“Well, it does!” she answered before her eyes settled back onto the deer. “I think it’s ready!”

As they ate, Aelius found himself with more questions about Violet the more time passed. He wasn’t sure to ask or not, but he did regardless.

“About the group of people you spoke about…” he began to speak.

“Right,” Violet spoke through her chewing. “Yes, it’s unlikely you’ll meet them but I’m taking precautions. You know that anyone who comes to these mountains is either escaping from something or pursuing something, right? Who else would come to this hell-hole otherwise,” she rolled her eyes. “I’m telling you to leave that group alone ‘cause if we’re smart, they might just pass right by us and disappear all on their own. Whereas if you kill them, their backers will send even more ‘cause they’ll know they’ve hit the right spot,” she explained.

“Okay. Easy enough,” Aelius shrugged. “And if we get exposed to them?” he asked.

“Hmm… just gotta run, I guess. Don’t worry, I’ll deal with them. It’s better if they don’t see your face, in case you get caught up with them. I didn’t offer you this deal for your protection. I’m simply treating you because being a doctor is my duty, and… I also want meat, hehe,” she wryly chuckled.

“It’s fine, I don’t mind getting involved.” Aelius sighed heavily. Six months in this back-wood valley. Who knows how much havoc the Devils could wreak in that time?

“So why did you come here, if I may ask?” Violet asked as she placed her empty wooden bowl down and tilted her head to him.

“I was hunting a monster, it led me here,” Aelius shrugged and he noticed fear cross Violet’s face.

“W-what type of monster…?” Do monsters scare her? Aelius wondered with a frown.

“Mmm… a man-eating monster, simply put. Don’t worry though, I killed it quite thoroughly.” A look of relief flooded her face and she gave a tense breath away.

“I see. Well then, feel free to get some sleep. I’ll be continuing to concoct the medicine,” she remarked as she climbed onto the rock.

“Alright then,” Aelius nodded.

“Treatment will start tomorrow,” Violet smiled. Aelius laid down and watched as she started to work away at the various herbs. She said she had been here for six months. Her worn dress certainly reflected the truth in that answer. Though she had bathed everyday, it did look like she had no other clothes to wear. With a groan, Aelius turned to his other side.

“Just how did you survive in this place for six months?” he asked.

“Hmm? Well…” she thought in silence for a moment. “I ate plants to live. The cold doesn’t bother me too much either. But it’s really the boredom that’s the hardest obstacle. Anyway, I’m really happy to be with someone else now.” He could hear the smile through her voice.

“Yeah, I’m happy to be here,” he gave a soft laugh. “Don’t worry, I understand how solitude feels.”