《Divine Macabre: The Philosopher》


 Chapter 1: He doubts, so he thinks. He thinks, therefore he is (Part 1)

    Chapter 1


    He doubts, so he thinks. He thinks, therefore he is


    Some things are repeated every day, almost the same ¨C the sun rising and it "chasing away" the darkness of the sky, starting another day. For some it is hard, for others it is beautiful and for others it is sad and desperate. Only with time did I notice how many different views you can have of one thing... for me, for example, the sunrise is unique yet sad. Unique, because I see the golden summer fields illuminated by the glow of warm, life¨Cgiving rays; birds waking up, combing their feathers with their beaks and searching for food; and I also see how the navy blue sky mixes with the pleasant, bright blue... and here begins the sadness, I say ¨C looking at the sky at night, I see thousands, billions of lights... and yet, the sky is still empty and black. Isn''t that what our life and our world is like? There are billions of us, and yet we still cannot find our place in the great world, and it is... empty. The stars are almost like us. When one disappears only a few will notice, and the world still continues. And it is tragic that we often hide the pitifulness of our fragile existence under false smiles and lies, just as the stars hide behind the blue sky. And even if we were honest with our feelings ¨C those positive and negative ¨C we will disappear one day. Either in the glory, or in the shadows of poverty. So, do we really exist when we leave a practically negligible trace after our lives disappear forever?


    Small beige paws moved a piece of manuscript, reading it with a sour face. Orange, extremely bright eyes stared at every word, written in a very careful, almost calligraphic writing. The fennec, who sat on the ground, surrounded by similar notes, read them fiercely, but with its mouth crooked and bored. After reading it, it grabbed one piece of paper in its mouth, then the second and the third... it placed them on a pile on the desk, on which they should have been lying since the evening, but as always it was bored in the morning, so it dropped a few of them with its tail on the ground, so as not to make too much noise. This fennec was a female, as the long eyelashes and a well¨Cgroomed, redheaded, long fringe could indicate. She sat on the desk trying to kill time, hit it with her tail, exposed her tongue, scratched her ear. She looked out the window, the sun was lazily rising from behind the horizon, it was very early in the morning. She sighed hard, full of irritation.


    She jumped off the desk and started walking through the corridor. It was an extremely well-built house, with large rooms, a beautifully decorated courtyard and a sturdy wall. But it wasn''t as big as it might seem. The wealthy citizens of the city could boast about their truly monumental houses - in comparison to them this one seemed tiny, but by the village standards, such as Rebellar village, the house seemed gigantic. The surroundings were virtually deserted, although you could see a bit of grass, small shrubs and miniature trees here and there. The desert landscape was ruined by a green forest visible from afar, a real work of magical art. Under normal circumstances it would be impossible for such lush greenery to grow in a habitat like this, but it''s not the first time magic could work a miracle. Nobody was surprised by its progress anymore.


    The fennec climbed the pillars, then jumped on one of the walls and went through a tiny window at the top. She fell down with a quiet squeak. She landed on the ground with a few books and fell into them. She quickly got up and looked around the room when she saw a young man sleeping between some books ¨C she came to see him. She lowered her ears downwards, twisted her mouth again, and sighed deeply. She started hitting the floor with her fluffy tail, and after a while she approached one pile of the books and kicked it with her leg. They collapsed on the ground, waking up the boy sleeping on the floor. With a mean smile she announced:


    ¡°Kalimera (1)! I don''t know how much longer you were going to sleep, but that''s enough, honey. There''s work to be done, and now you can stop reading your stupid boo...¡±


    She glanced at him. He was sitting comfortably on a stool with an open book and reading it calmly. He wasn¡¯t listening to her. The beige fennec looked as if it was about to explode from anger ¨C she jumped on another stool and then on the desk, right in front of the boy. She then jumped on the book he was holding and looked at his face. He calmly shifted his gaze on her and blinked several times.


    ¡°Go away, you¡¯re bothering me¡±, he said without much emotion, and then he started reading again.


    ¡°YOU WEIRDO, LEAVE THESE BOOKS AND LISTEN TO ME!¡±, she snapped, then pressed the book firmly with her front paws, knocking it out of his hands, which fell down on the desk with her. She approached his face, closed his eyes and made a serious face. He grabbed her by her giant ears, then put her down on the ground and went back to reading. The fennec growled again.


    ¡°Hey... at least maybe you''ll be tempted to see my naked body, and not just read those dumb books, huh?¡±, she said with a stupid smile, expecting his reaction.


    "Stupid... You have to tease me like that every morning?¡±, he sighed without taking his eyes off the text, ¡°Besides, it would be pedophilia. And also zoophilia... since you are in this form.¡±


    ¡°Pff¡±, she laughed. ¡°And right now you have lost your only chance in your whole life to see a naked female body, you dolt.¡±


    ¡°The only one? Why do you think so?¡±


    ¡°What woman would want someone like you? A blond guy who writes strange things on paper, a loser who reads sick books and the most important ones, a YELLOW BOY WITH A STRANGE MUZZLE?¡±, she pointed her paw at his face. The boy had golden, sun-kissed hair tied in a long ponytail, bright green eyes and slightly rounded cheeks. His clothing consisted of a black jacket, a black T¨Cshirt and black trousers. He wore heavy military boots, which were now placed beside him, for he took them off before sleep.


    ¡°Do I have a strange face?¡±, he asked, still staring at the book.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.  ¡°Of course; a round snout, a long nose, big, bulging eyes, a smile that looks like a muscle cramp, and a ponytail like a girl¡¯s!¡±


    He finally looked up from his book and looked into a rather blurry mirror. He patted himself on the nose, cheeks and the mouth, and even smiled once.


    ¡°Come on, my eyes aren¡¯t protruding and I have no long nose.¡± Before he finished looking at himself in the mirror, the fennec jumped on his head. She pressed her paws on his cheeks and whispered:


    ¡°Stupid sucker with a weird muzzle¡±, she said it as if she wanted to sing it.


    ¡°A redheaded monkey with a terrible personality.¡± He answered with a smile.


    ¡°Whaaat?¡±, She slipped off his head and hung on his ponytail, pulling him hard. He bent backwards from the pain, grabbed her gently by the neck and put her on the desk.


    ¡°Ouch... Well, don''t get upset,¡± he said, laughing and massaging the back of his head. ¡°You never change. You do this ridiculous, meaningless teasing in the morning.¡±


    ¡°Just so you don''t get bored, Eddie. Are you reading your philosophy thingies again?¡±, she asked when she looked at the book.


    ¡°Yes. I''m getting ready to go to the college. The Yodiara¡¯s Academy doesn¡¯t accept just anyone.¡±


    ¡°And you''ve been writing even weirder texts since you discovered the subject.¡±


    ¡°Kasei, have you been reading my notes again?¡±


    ¡°Well...,¡± she admitted with shame, ¡°Because when you sleep, I''m very bored because I can''t call you names, so it''s extra boring.¡±


    ¡°Then sleep longer or find yourself a job.¡± He sighed and smiled. ¡°Unless it''s your morning duty to read my notes when I''m lying between the books like a drunkard, then you''re welcome to read them. I won''t suffer from it.¡±


    ¡°But you will suffer from insults.¡±


    ¡°Come on, I don''t care what you think.¡± He stuck his tongue towards her and she scratched him on it. Edward whined and Kasei ran away with a disgusting smile. The scratch wasn''t deep at all however, but Ed suddenly remembered that he had some work to do today.


    ¡°Kasei, come on, I''ll give you a snack before we leave so you don''t complain about being hungry afterwards. When we get back, I''ll make you something.¡±


    ¡°A poisoned one?¡±


    ¡°You''re messed up,¡± he laughed. ¡°Change into the human form, and sit down.¡±


    Ed took an apple out of the closet and put it on his desk. Before he knew it, a girl around ten years old ran around him. She had long, red hair, a tanned complexion and bright orange eyes. She was wearing a yellow shirt with a brown bolero on top, and some brown shorts. She quickly took the apple and ate it in the blink of an eye, crushing the pieces with her sharp, fox-like teeth. Her beige fennec ears stood at the top of her head, looking exactly the same as they had under her animal form.


    ¡°And where are we going to go?¡± Kasei asked.


    ¡°We have to go to the city to renew the registration, I''m supposed to get some herbs for Peter... Oh, I can''t even have a moment of peace, because Ian and Peter are bussing around and inventing new medicines...¡±


    ¡°That''s a good thing, isn''t it? Thanks to this, many humans and animal-people were saved.¡±


    ¡°But they still don''t have a cure for one thing...¡± he sighed. ¡°It''s almost six o''clock, so we have to go. Have you finished eating yet?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± She got up and approached the boy.


    ¡°So let''s go to the city.¡±


    (1) From Greek ¨C "good morning"

 He doubts, so he thinks. He thinks, therefore he is (Part 2)

    ¡°What''s that? It doesn''t look like the kind of herbs that Peter collects in the woods...¡±


    Kasei looked at the glass flask Ed was holding. There were some blue, frosted flowers in it, and they were shimmering like diamonds in the sun''s rays.


    ¡°These are the flowers created by magic. I made them myself once, but these are much better.¡±


    ¡°Wow...¡±, she sighed in awe and looked at the beautiful plants. They walked through a town that was located quite far away from their village. Merchants called on people to buy anything, poor people sat by the walls and others just chatted, or, more interestingly, showed off their magic tricks. Among such people were people similar to Kasei - people with ears of animals. She watched as weak, colourful sparks, corresponding to the colour of their eyes, came out of their hands and did some basic things ¨C for example, lifting a stone upwards with the magic. When one with blue eyes managed to lift a fairly large stone with a blue, shiny cloud, all of the rest of the bunch of kids clapped their hands. Kasei''s face was groaning at the sight.


    ¡°Wah, why can''t I be a magician like you, sucker?¡±, she started once again. Ed smiled.


    ¡°Because fate wanted you to be my weapon, not a magician.¡± Kasei hit him in the face after these words.


    ¡°YOURS? WATCH YOUR WORDS!¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry.¡± He laughed, but the impact was pretty strong. ¡°How much strength do you have, woman?¡±


    ¡°What, you haven¡¯t chosen just any weapon, did you?¡±, she said pridefully, and went ahead. Ed laughed.


    ¡°Women¡± he whispered under his nose.


    After a while they found themselves in the place they were supposed to come to. It was the office. Here, every inhabitant of the city and its vicinity was registered and put into the appropriate categories. Every year every inhabitant also had to renew the information about their family, place of residence and social status, because it changed quickly and made it easier to identify citizens. Gormilia was an extremely developed country, with modern laws and an army. This began hundreds of years ago, when the first king, not the queen, took the throne ¨C it was the only such case in history, because in Gormilia¡¯s law it was written that the heir was a woman, not a man. He turned out to be the perfect ruler to introduce many good changes ¨C such as equality before the law for every citizen of the country, including the abolition of slavery, and so it remains to this day, no one, not even the present queen, has tried to change it. Ed, however, did not take much interest in it. He came here only out of pure compulsion, just because he had to do it. It was necessary to renew the documents so that they did not recognise them as illegal immigrants, and so that they had fundamental civil rights. He entered the civil office building, which was at the same time the main military base, where the General herself was in charge. People went out or entered, stood by the windows, were writing things down, or waited or stood in line. Ed sighed and waited for his and Kasei''s turn. He approached the window, which finally was empty. The military man sitting behind the window looked at him mockingly and with boredom.


    ¡°Parents'' names and surnames.¡± He ordered harshly.


    ¡°Edward of Rebellar, parents: General Carolina of Rebellar, and Norbert of Yodiara.¡±


    The man froze when he heard the mother¡¯s name. He looked at Ed and started laughing nervously.


    ¡°So you are the son of Mrs. Carolina?¡± He asked with a much less harsh voice. ¡°I am very sorry about her death...¡±


    ¡°She died ten years ago.¡± He emphasized.


    ¡°Oh, right, but there¡¯s never too much mourning... You¡¯re here for the registration? So I invite you to go through this corridor, to the door number ten, andijo! (1)¡±


    Ed left with Kasei. Once they were quite far away, they burst into laughter.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.??¡°It''s always like this,¡± Ed laughed.


    ¡°Well, your mother must have been quite frightening.¡±


    ¡°Ah, she certainly was.¡±


    Although they were told to head for door number ten, they didn''t. They went to the door no.1, signed as "The General''s office¡±, and they walked through it casually, as if it was their own home. Inside, behind a giant pile of papers and documents sat a tall woman dressed in golden armour, decorated with many dark green jewels. She had a light complexion, short black hair and green eyes. Her helmet was resting on her desk, right next to another pile of documents. She looked at the people who dared to walk into her room without knocking. She did not get angry.


    ¡°Hello, Edward. And Kasei.¡± She greeted them with a slightly serious but calm voice.¡°Emerald!¡± Kasei said, as she approached. ¡°Finally I see someone normal in all of this mess.¡±


    ¡°If you''re here, you probably want your registration renewed?¡± she asked. ¡°You don''t want to wait in queue, I understand?¡±


    ¡°Yes, indeed¡± Edward snorted with a smile. ¡°That bodyguard in the reception showed us a lot of insolence, so I told him what my pedigree was. Oh, how the boy was surprised. Who do you hire?¡± He laughed. Emerald smiled lightly.


    ¡°I''ll talk to him later.¡± She whispered and started to fill the form quickly. Kasei looked at the sheets of paper that had already been put aside and filled in, which the general was supposed to accept. Kasei was wondering what was in them.


    ¡°What is all this about? With this social status...¡± the redhead asked.


    ¡°Oh, you see,¡± Emerald said. ¡°Since the introduction of the new system, weapons, mages and people have become equal before the law. Slavery has been abolished and social status simply means: citizen, immigrant, member of the military or a priest. Just below is the column of what kind of race you are, whether you are a magician, an animal-person or a man without any magical powers. You, Kasei, are an animal-person, so unlike average humans, you have an ability to turn into an animal, but you are also a weapon, that is, you can turn into a tool for combat. Your kind can be magicians without such a form, that meaning they can¡¯t turn into weapons, just like you can¡¯t use magic, so your type should be entered here as well. Ordinary people, on the other hand, are either devoid of such abilities at all, or are magicians and you as a weapon can accompany them, just as you accompany Ed and help him protect himself.¡±


    ¡°Yes, because Ed is a weakling¡±, She laughed.


    ¡°I am not a weakling!¡±, He protested.


    ¡°But back to the topic, there are so many of these types...¡±, Kasei thought about it.


    ¡°That''s the way it is.¡± Emerald Sand said. ¡°However, thanks to the magicians and weapons like you, the world is more interesting. Alright, that''s all. I also filled it out for Peter. I have to fill a dozen or so more of them, because the officials are in no hurry. I don''t have much time anymore, because recently there have been a few terrorist attacks, most probably on religious grounds.¡±


    ¡°Again?¡±, Ed asked. ¡°They will never learn... Okay, good luck dear sister, and thanks. Come on, Kasei, let''s go to Peter.¡±


    ¡°Ah... Okay, I''m going now. Bye!¡±, Kasei shouted to Emerald, who bowed slightly and went back to work.


    ¡°The army has a lot to do, doesn''t it? I wonder what those priests are doing, that they haven¡¯t calmed those fanatics down yet. After all, they have the task of controlling the situation somehow, as far as I know.¡± Kasei sighed. Ed lowered his head. ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No... nothing, I was just thinking.¡± He answered mysteriously.


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    (1) From Greek ¨C Have a nice day

 He doubts, so he thinks. He thinks, therefore he is (Part 3)

    ¡°It''s... it''s not gonna hurt, right?¡±


    A young boy with a broken knee asked the doctor who was sitting next to him and was squeezing a cloth out of the water into a bucket. He had golden short hair with a fringe combed to the side and bright green eyes. He was a person of medium height and was very skinny. On his right cheek there was a scar, apparently after a deep cut. His laugh was very warm and very pleasant to listen to.


    ¡°No, nothing will hurt. Unless you run away, then yes.¡± He answered cheerfully and put the material to his knee. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve cleaned the wound. Try not to go run around much, so that it doesn¡¯t get infected.¡± He said while patting him on the back. The young boy smiled, nodded and ran out. The doctor sighed and looked at the shelf that was hanging right above him. There were various little bowls on it. He stood on tiptoes and looked closely at each of them. Each of them contained herbs, leaves, and other similar things, but unfortunately there were few of them, and some bowls were even empty. He sighed again. He walked into the other room, but before it casting some kind of protective spell on himself. It was a room where there were no windows, only beds where people were lying. They did not look good ¨C some had bandaged all over their bodies. Among them was a young girl who looked the healthiest of them. It was her that the boy approached.


    ¡°How do you feel today?¡± He asked with care. The girl blinked and shifted her gaze at him. She had brown, a bit short hair and amber eyes. She smiled.


    ¡°Nothing has changed since yesterday.¡± She answered. Although she was smiling, one could see that she was hiding a lot of fatigue. The boy nodded.


    ¡°I understand. I have to go out for a while, so don''t go anywhere alone, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± She answered. The boy left the room, took off the spell, then moved the bedspread from the passage to the side and went outside the building. His journey lasted for a while, but finally he found himself in his final destination - in a magical forest. He will not be able to collect everything he needs here, but some of it for sure. He looked at the plants thoroughly and then carefully picked the leaves, green stems and even roots. He collected them in order to be able to heal people in the village and its surroundings ¨C this is what he did. He used magic to heal and prevent diseases. He spent days doing this, researching, putting out hypotheses, practicing and learning to help as many lives as possible.


    Once he had gathered enough, he smiled under his nose slightly. He finished, wiped off his clothes, which consisted of a white shirt and black worn-out trousers, and turned around to notice that he was not alone in the forest... but with his much-disliked ¡°buddies¡±.


    They were thieves, a gang of bandits and bastards of all kinds, who could not earn an honest living, and to anyone who dared to disturb them while doing their "job" they stuck to like leeches and didn''t let go until they drank enough blood. It was no different here.


    ¡°Well, well... the dear doc Peter is walking around again collecting weeds!¡± Said one of them. There were three of them, they were young rookies following in the footsteps of their parents, but it didn''t mean they weren''t dangerous. Peter knew very well that they had been training from a very young age to be equal to their parents and grandparents in skill, or even better. He tried to keep his cool, but he wasn''t doing very well. His legs started to shake a little, which they noticed right away and burst into disgusting laughter.


    ¡°And as always, he¡¯s pissing his pants when he sees us. So, partners, are we doing the same thing we did a week ago? Throw him on the ground and kick him a bit?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± The second one answered, and the third one smiled broadly. Peter panicked hard, and it could¡¯ve been seen from his eyes, which pupils quickly constricted. He tightened his eyelids and waited for them to hit him, but... but that didn''t happen. He heard the sound of an argument and then a fight, but he didn''t have the courage to look. He quickly ran a little deeper into the forest and began to take nervous breaths, already with his eyes open. When he heard someone coming, he started to hyperventilate again, but he calmed down when he saw it was just his friend. He was a tall, well¨Cbuilt person, his complexion was tanned, with hair as black as tar, and his eyes were like the colour of caramel. He had a hood on his head, and the rest of his body was decorated with a dark grey sweatshirt, green military trousers and shoes.


    ¡°And again the same thing, you pussy¡±, he said to the golden¨Chaired and laughed.


    ¡°M¨CMateo... How good it is that you are here¡­¡± Peter laughed nervously. Mateo snorted, still with a typical mean smile.


    ?If I wasn''t there, those fuckers would have wiped you out.¡± He answered. ¡°You''re collecting your weeds again and you''re not even careful. You know they will attach themselves like a bur to a dog''s tail even when under their parents¡¯ care. Your mother had to give their pops a real hard time.¡±


    ¡°Well, mother was rather stone-cold for people like them...¡±, he thought about it.


    ¡°Aight, I don''t have time. Come with me, Ianny is trying to do something for you again and he wanted me to bring you back, it''s so good that I came at the right moment. Which time this week is it that it happened?¡±


    ¡°The fourth...¡± Peter sighed. ¡°But let¡¯s go, I''m curious what he''s doing¡±


    ¡°I hope it¡¯s nothing crazy. I''ve just finished rebuilding that wall after the last explosion.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Ian and his magic.¡± Peter laughed.


    ~


    Ed and Kasei went to the Peter''s. They were a bit confused, as they almost broke the flask when the golden¨Chaired stumbled over a pebble. Then the frozen flower, which would heat up from the sun, would simply melt. Peter had no money for a new one, and this one did not cost little, and was a component of many effective medicines which he needed. So they stopped to hurry and walked quietly. Suddenly the fennec noticed a group of people dressed in golden robes, bowing and praying in the sunshine.


    ¡°Soon the time of doom will come!¡± One of them shouted out. ¡°The devil will come and his evil powers will bring us another apocalypse!¡±


    Edward closed his eyes and sighed loudly. Kasei continued to listen, and then grabbed his hand. He looked at her.


    ¡°Are they The Followers of the Light?¡± She asked. ¡°Unfortunately.¡± He answered. ¡°They believe in Ra, the old sun god, and most of them are very radical. These are supposedly harmless, but most of the thieves who usually attack Peter are their brothers. And they believe in some kind of devil from the legends, who¡¯s tempting people with the wishes, they talk all the time about him. Come on, before they see us.¡±


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.They finally reached their destination ¨C Peter''s "crypt", where people from the village were treated. The road took some time for them, because it was already three in the afternoon, so they were happy when they saw that they were finally there. They removed the curtain from the passage and went inside.


    ¡°Peter? Are you here?¡± Ed asked, as he put the flask on one of the shelves and got a bit upset. ¡°Now where did he go?¡±


    ¡°Maybe he''s with Mateo.¡± Kasei said to calm him down.


    ¡°Mateo hasn''t been around at all lately, so I don''t know. But it''s better to search for him, because if he''s stuck with the thieves again, it won''t be nice.¡±


    ¡°He lacks self-confidence...¡±, the redhead moaned.


    A few minutes later they found themselves in front of a house built in a forest. Ed knocked on the door and went in, and Kasei followed him. They walked through the corridor, where the stairs led down to the room, then descended down. That''s where they saw Mateo, who was carrying some boxes. After a while they also noticed the golden¨Chaired boy.


    ¡°Peter! There you are... I thought they got you again.¡± Ed sighed with relief.


    ¡°No, no¡±, he answered with a smile. ¡°Mateo just asked me to help him carry the boxes.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s in them?¡±, asked the redhead.


    ¡°Some shit.¡± Mateo said. ¡°I was supposed to put it in the basement, because Ian thought it might still be useful.¡± He said it with difficulty, as he put the box on top of another, then sat and put his hands on his knees and took some deep breaths to recover. Peter looked at the box close to him and then lifted it up without any difficulty and threw it easily at the top of the one with which Mateo had been having trouble with, creating another ¡°floor¡±. Mateo opened his mouth slightly.


    ¡°I¡¯ve told you he lacks self-confidence...¡± Kasei whispered to Ed.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± He answered calmly.


    ¡°Oh, did you hear about what''s going on? Some people are going around and shouting that soon the devil or a deity will come, or whatever it was¡± Peter began the topic.


    ¡°The devil? Deity?¡± Mateo thought about it. ¡°I¡¯ve heard something about it once. He''s some kind of thingy who fulfils wishes, and those sun freaks believe it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡±, Ed nodded. ¡°I have always considered it senseless, like a fairy tale for small children. They take it too seriously, and the violence started again, Emerald told me.¡±


    ¡°Again...?¡± Peter was terrified.


    ¡°I don''t want to think about what they can do again.¡± Said Mateo and put his hand to his forehead.


    ¡°What... can they do again?¡± The redhead asked.


    ¡°Well, it''s normal that you don''t know, we didn''t tell you.¡± Peter went up to Kasei and stroke her head a little. ?Do you know what Ian and I are working on?¡±


    ¡°On... um, diseases?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, but... we''re working on one that''s... different from all the others.¡± He added mysteriously. ¡°It''s a blood disease, we don''t know where it comes from. Many years of research have shown that it was created by magic, but nobody knows how to reverse it.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute, is it about this... terrible disease I¡¯ve heard about?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes. A disease in which parasites slowly eat the host from the inside, its organs, muscles.... Hemasitus.¡± Peter answered and curled up. ¡°I look at people suffering from it every day. I locked them in a special magic barrier and all I can do is... ease their pain a little. I can''t cure them, and often I just have to....¡±


    The golden¨Chaired started to shake slightly. Kasei lowered her head down.


    ¡°But...¡±, Peter continued in a quiet tone. ¡°I''m doing all of this so that my mother''s sacrifice won''t be in vain....¡±


    ¡°So, Kasei.¡±, Ed interfered, seeing her confused little face. ¡°My mother was a general in the army, right? When the riots broke out ten years ago, the so¨Ccalled Rebellion of the Light, she went to a small village to calm down the killing of each other by the Ra worshippers. But then one of them spilled infected blood on her. And we saw our mother dying slowly and in excruciating pain. I was eight years old, Peter was seven. Then... Peter decided that he would devote himself to medicine, that he would sacrifice his magical talent to treat people. I decided to become stronger... I don''t know if I can do it, but I¡¯m trying my best¡± He laughed. ?But... Well, at least I can help Emerald with them...¡±


    ¡°But we''re gonna succeed!¡± They turned around when they heard a positive-sounding voice. A grey¨Chaired boy with blue eyes entered the house and fell from the stairs immediately. He wore a navy blue sweater with a white collar, short, grey trousers and sandals.


    ¡°Ian...¡±, said the embarrassed Mateo. ¡°Were you making medicine again?¡±


    ¡°Oh, dear brother¡±, Ian moaned to Mateo, rising from the ground. ¡°And you won''t even tell me you''re going to bring someone here. Oh, but it''s only them, so there''s no problem. Eddy-ooo¡± he said, extending the sound. ¡°Did you bring the Frozen Flower?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes, I left it in your clinic.¡±


    ¡°Really? Oh, that''s great, we can make more syrup¡± he answered. ¡°There is nothing better for pain than Frosty Flower syrup! Oh, but if you were to add a Silver Daisy, the effect would be doubled! Come on, Peter! We''re going to make some syrup!¡± Said the silver¨Chaired while grabbing the gold¨Chaired by the hand and pulling him outside. Ed laughed, while Mateo had a concerned face.


    ¡°Okay, fine. Just come back and eat with us or something, Peter!¡± Ed shouted out.


    ¡°Will do!¡± His younger brother answered equally loudly, because he was already outside.


    ¡°So I¡¯m going to take Kasei and go home. I still have some work to do.¡± Edward said to Mateo. ?Like reading those stupid books?¡± The redhead smiled.


    ¡°You... Come here!¡± Said Ed and stretched out his hands to her. Kasei ran away with a disgusting laughter towards the exit, and Ed followed her, but he stopped for a moment. ¡°Oh, something else. Mateo. Talk to us more often if you could.¡± After that, Ed also ran out of his house and closed the door. Mateo smiled, but after a while his smile disappeared.


    ¡°What absolute dumbasses.¡± Said the black¨Chaired and went back to carrying the boxes. ¡°This Ian too, thinks only about researching the... AH! FUCK! PETER, WHY DID YOU HAVE TO GO TOO?¡± He yelled at himself angrily when he couldn''t pick up one of the boxes.

 He doubts, so he thinks. He thinks, therefore he is (Part 4)

    Night fell. The only sounds that could be heard were the steps of a rather young boy walking on the terrace with a lamp in his hand. He had hair reaching his shoulders, which alternated between black and pure white strands. His eyes were brown. He wore a shirt with a buckle on his shoulder, and a pair of racoon ears were poking out from the sides of his head. Pushing the wooden doors away, he entered a room. Before his eyes appeared a silhouette of a man who was sitting on the ground.


    ¡°Master, are you dyeing your hair again?¡±, asked the boy, and then he closed the door behind him. He put the lamp on the ground and sat down next to it. The man to whom he had spoken to only smiled. However, this was not a grateful smile, more full of venom. He put down two bowls, one with water, the other with paint, and looked at his reflection in the mirror.


    ¡°It irritates me that I have to do it so often, otherwise it comes down quickly.¡± He spoke to himself. The boy who came to him was playfully poking the lamp with his finger, but stopped immediately when he accidentally touched the fire and burned himself.


    ¡°Is it soon?¡±, the young raccoon asked, but then the man came closer to him and bent down. The man whom he was addressing had his hair dyed black. Unfortunately, it was impossible to determine his natural colour, because even his eyebrows were dyed. His eyes were green, and they did not feel pleasant ¨C you could practically see cynicism and excessive self¨Cconfidence in them.


    ¡°Yes, it will be soon.¡± He answered. He took some cloth to wipe his neck, on which the paint had gathered, and then he straightened up. He looked out of the opening in the wall at the starry sky and smiled again. ?Soon we will go for a trip and see many places. But it will be quite fun.¡±


    ¡°Won''t it be boring?¡± The young boy asked him.


    ¡°If I say ¡®fun¡¯, it means ¡®fun¡¯.¡± He answered in a harsher tone. ¡°I hate it when you ask me about such little things. Listen to me more carefully. I assure you, however, that you will not be bored for sure.¡± Then the black¨Chaired took a spear leaning against the wall and started to make various, very admirable moves with it. ¡°Why do you think we trained so much? So that we could have a good time afterwards!¡± He said, throwing the spear through the hole in the wall. The young raccoon stood up and looked out of that window to see that it had hit a tree not far away.


    ¡°You convinced me, Master...¡± He answered with fear. The older man at that moment was walking around the room, looking after various knives and poisons, he had a whole collection of them.


    ¡°Well, my dear... if we''re going on a trip, we should pack up too, right?¡±


    ¡°Huh... Yeah.¡± He answered carelessly. ¡°So what should we take?¡±


    ¡°There''s one thing I''m going to ask you to¡­ bring me.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°One thing¡±, he answered meanly and pat him on the head. ¡°You will find out soon enough, but I advise you to be prepared.¡±


    ¡°Can''t you tell me now, Master Goro?¡±


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.??¡°That would be too boring.¡± He answered with a smile. ¡°Alright, enough bullshitting: you''ll get me some blood.¡±


    ¡°Blood?!¡± he shouted.


    ¡°Did I tell you to raise your voice?¡±


    ¡°N¨CNo... I''m sorry,¡± said the boy and curled up.


    ¡°But it won''t be that easy. I mean, getting the blood of those infected with Hemasitus.¡±


    ¡°...Master Goro, are you crazy?¡± He swallowed saliva. ¡°I think you remember what happened just two days ago... When Hagan finds out about it...¡±


    ¡°Hagan can kiss my ass!¡± he growled. ¡°What happened two days ago allowed me to understand how great of a weapon this parasite can be. Contact with the skin is enough for a man to die.¡±


    ¡°But... do you really want this? And how am I supposed to get it for you? I''m going to get infected!¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re careful, you will be fine. You¡¯re just going to... sneak into this clinic, find secured blood samples for tests and bring them to me.¡± He answered with a mean smile. ¡°I am your master, you should do what I tell you to do. Well, who saved your life?¡±


    ¡°Well, you...¡±


    ¡°Well, you have an obligation then, don''t you? And don''t worry, I won''t let your life be endangered.¡± Still smiling, he was combing the boy¡¯s hair. ¡°So will you do it for me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will¡± The boy answered hesitantly.


    ¡°Excellent. That''s what I expected from you, Prash. When it comes your job, you have to go to Rebellar. So I advise you to leave in the morning, because it is a long way from here.¡±


    ¡°I understand this will be useful for our... trip, right?¡±


    ¡°I think you know very well why¡± Goro sat in the chair that was near his "collection". He took one of the knives and started to turn it around in his hands. ¡°Because this trip will be... full of adrenaline, blood and tears. Isn''t this something you''ve been waiting for with me, Prash?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I waited for it!¡± he answered.


    ¡°Good¡±, Goro answered. ¡°As soon as you return, come back to me. Try not to run into that fool who is to come back here tomorrow. You know who I''m talking about, about Hagan.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master.¡± The boy answered by bowing his head.


    ¡°And one more thing, Prash. Stop having talking with such a... tone. It irritates me, and you know what I do with things... that irritate me.¡±


    ¡°I beg your forgiveness...¡±


    ¡°And you''re getting it right now. I''m talking about the future. Now go to sleep, you have a mission in the morning. And you better get some sleep... because soon our dear deity will come.¡± He said with a mysterious smile. Prash, feeling unsure, again bent down his head, took a lamp and left. Goro threw a knife at the wall, which stuck deep into it. Satisfied, he sat down comfortably on the armchair, still smiling.

 He doubts, so he thinks. He thinks, therefore he is (Part 5)

    The person wearing a red coat with a hood was walking on a desert road. The sun was just showing on the horizon, but it was already very hot. He pulled out a container of water from a bag and drank it. There was not much left, but enough to satisfy his thirst. He was close to his goal.


    After about half an hour later he found himself at his home. One of the servants opened the gate for him, he pulled a hood from his head.


    ?Welcome home, sir Hagan.¡± She said. Hagan was a young adult, with brown, slightly curly hair, tanned skin and amber eyes, and a very pleasant looking face. He took off the coat, and gave it to the servant. He was dressed in a grey shirt, brown shoes and black pants.


    ¡°Welcome.¡± He greeted her. Then he looked closer at the woman''s face. ¡°What happened to you? Why do you have such a bruise on your cheek?¡±


    ¡°It''s... nothing important¡±, she answered.


    ¡°Goro.¡± He snorted. ¡°Take care of yourself.¡±


    Hagan entered the courtyard where three women with children were sitting. They were his father''s wives. Seven children were playing by the fountain. After a while one of the girls left the group and ran in his direction. She was about ten years old. Similarly to Hagan, she had brown hair, but with blue eyes.


    ¡°Brother!¡± she squealed and hugged him. The rest of the children, who heard this, also approached him and greeted him.


    ¡°This Hagan is a good boy¡± said the first woman. The other one nodded her head.


    ¡°He''s not like Goro. He is calm, listens to us and does not feel that he¡¯s better than others.¡± Announced the other one, while eating some grapes.


    ¡°But I don''t think today''s news will give him joy.¡± Added the third one.


    Finally, most of the children who were his half siblings left him to have play. Only the blue¨Ceyed girl, who was the other child of his mother, stayed with him.


    ¡°How''s it going, Alana? Weren''t you bored while I was away?¡±


    ¡°Completely not! Dad recently took us all to the city, it was great! And where were you?¡±


    ¡°I had to bring these old books from the capital for father...¡± He said and then became confused, because he saw that his mother wasn''t on the terrace. He also looked around among the other children. ¡°Alana, where is Yvon? And what about Mom?¡±


    ¡°Mom is...¡± she stuttered. Hagan¡¯s eyes widened. But after a while he closed them and stroked the girl on the head.


    ¡°Probably her weak heart couldn''t take any more, but it¡¯s nothing to worry about. Mum will come back one day, in a new body.¡±


    ¡°I know she will come back! In a few years, but she will come back.¡±


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.?? ¡°But... where''s Yvon?¡±


    ¡°Yvon got sick. That''s what I heard from Dad.¡±


    ¡°She got sick?¡± He had a bad feeling. ?Go play with the others, I''ll go to the father...¡±


    The girl ran joined the rest of the children, and the brown¨Chaired man went towards his home. He was walking through the corridors when he finally found himself by a rather large door. He opened it.


    ¡°Who comes in here without knocking? Ah, it''s just you.¡±


    Hagan closed his eyes in disgust and walked on. He threw the package right under the feet of a man who was sitting in a chair. The room in was devoid of any windows. The only thing that illuminated the old man was a large number of candles and a chimney. The man had brown hair and grey eyes. He was dressed in grey clothes resembling a suit. He looked at the package and then at his son.


    ¡°As always, your approach to me is cold, Walwan¡±, Hagan answered with hard tone. ¡°I did what you wanted, so now tell me, what happened to my mother and where is Yvon.¡±


    ¡°So you''ve already found out?¡± Walwan snorted. ?We had a certain... problem.¡±


    ¡°What problem?¡±


    ¡°The Believers of Light could not stand the fact that I don¡¯t believe in gods.¡± He answered with a nasty smile. ¡°So they decided to attack the house at night. One of them was suffering from Hemasitus, he wanted to infect me. Joanne wanted to protect me, and so did Yvon, who was hanging around there instead of sleeping. As a result, she was splattered with blood and your mother¡¯s heart gave out when she saw it.¡±


    ¡°You let a Hemasitus patient... get into our house?!¡± He screamed at the man. ¡°How could you let mother get involved in this?! How could you let Yvon get infected?!¡±


    ¡°I can''t help it. I sent Yvon to Rebellar and buried Joanne. That''s why I think believing in any god is an idiocy. Fanatics will do anything to crush the others who disagree with them. But it''s a good thing it was only Yvon. I heard she followed in your footsteps. Who knows, maybe soon you and her would¡¯ve also assaulted me?¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Hagan whispered, furious.


    ¡°And besides, what are you afraid of? You believe in reincarnation, right? So if Yvon dies, what loss is it for you?¡±


    ¡°What do you know about it... What do you know about me, you piece of shit bastard...¡± Hagan said, and then he left. His father was extremely pleased that he had managed to throw him off balance. Walwan closed the door with magic.


    Hagan leaned against a wall and started sobbing quietly.


    ¡®So what if she is reborn... if there forever will stay a sad memory in her soul, that she had to die so unhappy?¡¯ He thought.

 He doubts, so he thinks. He thinks, therefore he is (Part 6)

    Peter and Ian, as always, were working since dawn to help people in the village and the surrounding area with various health problems, starting with broken knees of brave kids, or treating colds, flu and fevers, headaches, giving advice, but also tiring themselves out while searching for a cure for the awful disease, Hemasitus. Nobody knows exactly where it came from, it is estimated that it appeared for the first time about one thousand two hundred years ago, although many scientists keep disagreeing about the date. The truth is that it is a magically created parasite. Many great magicians have devoted their entire lives to finding a solution, but none succeeded. There were some substances that relieved the patients¡¯ pain, but they could never cure anyone. Peter and Ian were just like these scientists, they did everything they could to find a cure for it. Three years they fought for permission to treat such people, and after countless hours of study and practice in various institutes they finally succeeded. They still continue to learn and test various medicines and methods to cure their patients. However, although they have finally invented something groundbreaking that relieves pain for a long while and slows down the parasite from eating its host, they still cannot prevent the worst.


    Just like today.


    They both were standing over a patient. They were protected to not get infected, although they still had to be careful. It was a patient who had been with them for a long time, and he was moved to a separate room some time ago. He was all bandaged up, and lacked an arm - they amputated it as parasites led to its necrosis.


    ¡°You¡¯re in the terminal phase.¡± Ian said sadly.


    ¡°Well...¡± the patient moaned. ¡°I knew it would happen long ago...¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry...¡± Peter said. ¡°I''m sorry for what I''m about to do... I''m sorry for not being able to cure you...¡±


    ¡°Kid, listen, well...¡± he coughed up blood. ¡°Keep fighting. I will be alright, I think you have something you can put me to sleep with.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t do that this way.¡± Ian said. ¡°A parasite would neutralize the poison. So we have to... do it differently...¡±


    ¡°...Excuse me? You won¡¯t euthanize me¡­?¡± he asked with a weak voice. Magic scrolls entangled around him, which pressed on his body. He could not move. After a while, one of the scrolls also pulled his head backwards to make his neck visible. The patient was not even frightened anymore. He was calm since his torments would soon be over. Ian gave him a morphine injection so that he would not feel any pain, but they had to hurry, because the parasite would neutralize it very quickly.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.?? Peter put a special material and spell on his hands, and then took the knife. There were tears on his cheeks.


    ¡°Peter... I will do it.¡± Ian said.


    ¡°No... I have to do it... It''s my punishment that I couldn''t cure him...¡± The gold¨Chaired answered while weeping. He put a knife to the dying man''s neck and pulled it quickly, once, then a second time. It was all over. ¡°Forgive me, please, forgive me...¡±


    After the whole "procedure", his body was cremated, and the ashes were collected. Ian wrote down all the needed details, so that he could send the urn back to his hometown, where the patient wished to be buried. Peter was sitting in the next room, yet he could still hear him cry. When he had finished writing down the information, he went to him. The golden¨Chaired kept his hands on his head, sat curled up, and couldn¡¯t stop crying. He was shaking at the thought of what he had done. And he did it for the third time in his life.


    ¡°I''m useless... I¡¯m a murderer...¡± he mumbled to himself.


    ¡°No, Peter...¡± Ian said softly, and squatted in front of him. ¡°Hang in there, we''ll find something soon for sure...¡±


    ¡°Never...! It''s never going to work...¡± He moaned. ¡°I can''t help them... I can''t even euthanize them in a humane way... I have to make them suffer in one way so I can spare them another¡­ I''m disgusting...¡±


    ¡°Peter, you know it¡¯s not true. You do it, so they don''t need suffer, it''s not torture.¡±


    ¡°I can''t do a damn thing!¡± he shouted. ¡°So many tries, and nothing came out of it...¡±


    ¡°So...¡± Ian straightened up. ¡°I will do everything in my power to finish it.¡±


    Peter looked at him. His eyes were bloodshot and his face was red. Ian smiled a slightly. ¡°I will do it! Just give me... some time. I will do succeed, I promise you. You will never have to go through it anymore.¡±


    ¡°Ian...?¡±


    ¡°You''ll see... everything will work out.¡± Ian said, and then left. Peter didn¡¯t understand, he couldn¡¯t think clearly. He couldn¡¯t make sense of anything.

 He doubts, so he thinks. He thinks, therefore he is (Part 7)

    A golden¨Chaired young man was sitting at his desk. This time he got up earlier, so he decided to use the morning time to read another book. This one was about religions. Edward decided to go deeper into the subject, although he was not fond of it. However, he was curious about the differences and similarities between these religions. In Gormilia people mainly prayed to a deity called Mars, the fiery god of war. It was this faith that Edward left, as this god is sometimes associated with Ra, the god of the sun. He began the lecture with a book on the Followers of the Light¡¯s religion.


    ¡®It is very harsh and orthodox...¡¯ he thought. ¡®I know about their beliefs, such as that the sun should burn all the disbelievers to death. It even urges it¡¯s followers to attack others. I will never understand their... "philosophy". What do we have next... "the sacrifice for the sun is made by burning the unbeliever at the stake". Charming.¡¯


    Ed flipped a few pages when he suddenly found himself at a page about a different religion. It was called "The Law of the Loop". The golden¨Chaired thought about it.


    ¡®Where did I hear that name?¡¯ he thought and started reading. A few minutes later Kasei appeared. She was in her animal form again, so she jumped on the desk.


    ¡°Kalimera! What are you reading?¡± she asked and sat on one of the books which was lying on the desk. ?Religion? So you read something other than the dumb books about the thoughts of some mad people?¡±


    ¡°There you go again. I read something else than ¡®dumb books about the thoughts of some mad people¡¯¡± he answered with a mean smile. ?Seriously, I just want to learn more about religions.¡±


    ¡°Huh... "The Law of the Loop", what¡¯s that?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I was just reading about it myself. Full of quite interesting beliefs; it considers the cosmos to be a god. It might make some sense, as the cosmos is something we still can''t understand.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡± she got curious. ¡°What else?¡±


    ¡°It is one of the branches of ¡°the faith of The Twelve¡±, as well as the Faith of the Light. Followers believe that every star is someone''s soul. They also believe in reincarnation and that the higher power rewards them and punishes them for what they did during their lifetime. It also says here that the soul returns to its loved ones after the rebirth.... It''s quite typical, isn''t it?¡±


    ¡°For me... it¡¯s beautiful. The fact that every star is one soul, and that the cosmos is a god...¡±


    ¡°For me it¡¯s foolish.¡± He responded coldly. ¡°I believe that death is the end, so I can''t agree with this view. Although, the idea of the universe being a god is really interesting.¡±


    ¡°But why can''t you agree with that? This is different from the Faith of Light.. And your vision is so... sad.¡±


    ¡°Why is it sad? I just think that if reincarnation truly existed... someone would notice it. Imagine that you have a friend, that he dies, and after a few years you meet him again. It sounds a bit like a fairy tale. Of course, you can also think that this person has been reborn in another place, but quoting "the soul returns to its loved ones", it means that you would meet such a friend sooner or later. And I know many people who lost their loved ones, and somehow they never told me that they had met them again. And it¡¯s not sad. I have accepted such a reality. For me there is no point in staying in the world forever. The fact that life is so short, and that it always ends, gives it meaning, because we want to use our limited amount of time well. And with the awareness that we will be reborn anyway... it¡¯s not so important anymore. Although it depends on how one feels.¡±


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.?? ¡°Well... it does make sense.¡± She answered.


    ¡°It''s just my opinion. If it''s meaningful and interesting to you, I can''t blame you.¡± He answered with a sincere smile.


    ¡°Pff, I don''t need your permission, stupid.¡± She answered with her usual mean tone.


    ¡°Good, you were so nice to me that I was afraid that someone replaced you.¡± He laughed, but their everyday "tradition" of teasing each other quickly ended. They heard that someone had entered the house. It was Peter, who came back after the night shift. They went out to greet him. He had bloodshot eyes from crying. Kasei was worried, but Ed knew what was going on, he approached and put his hand on his shoulder.


    ¡°You couldn''t have done anything...¡± The older brother said.


    ¡°I could have...¡± Peter answered and went ahead. He sat down on a wooden bench on which the blanket was lying. The red fennec jumped onto it and laid down on his knees. The golden¨Chaired started to stroke her head slightly.


    ¡°Hey, don''t give up yet. You have other patients who believe in you.¡± Ed sat down next to him. Peter smiled a little.


    ¡°In fact, you''re right, but what is a loser like me supposed to do...¡±


    ¡°Such a loser does a lot of work¡± he rubbed his hair. ¡°Rest a little bit now. Where is Ian?¡±


    ¡°Ian also went home, although now it was supposed to be his shift. I know it''s irresponsible to disappear like that, somebody might need help...¡±


    ¡°If that''s the case... I was supposed to go practice with Kasei, so we can do it near the clinic. If something happens, we''ll call one of you, or grandma Casandra.¡±


    ¡°This is... a good idea. But I would like to come with you anyway.¡± Peter then picked Kasei up into his hands. She made a face like an offended child, but after a while she started laughing.


    ¡°I have to show you how much I have improved!¡± she squeaked, wagging her tail.


    ¡°What? You?¡± Ed laughed at her.


    ¡°I''ll murder you while you sleep.¡± She answered with a terrifying tone, Ed was pretending to be scared. Peter smiled lightly, knowing that he was an important person for them and they wanted to cheer him up. He appreciated it very much, but he was worried about Ian, he still didn''t know what the grey¨Chaired was really talking about before.

 He doubts, so he thinks. He thinks, therefore he is (Part 8)

    Ian walked through the woods to his home, feeling guilty about leaving Peter alone. He thought he could at least walk him home to make sure he was safe, and not assaulted again by bandits. The grey¨Chaired himself met them today, but managed to escape quickly. After a while he found himself at his home. He opened the door and went inside. He took off his shoes and cleaned the dust on his sweater a little, when suddenly he heard footsteps. Mateo appeared before him.


    ¡°You¡¯re early. Didn''t you have a day shift today?¡± The black¨Chaired asked, but when he saw his brother''s bloodshot eyes, he immediately understood. ¡°Oh... Can I make you some tea...?¡±


    ¡°No, I''m fine¡± Ian answered with a forced smile. ¡°I would like to have some peace alone today. I will test new substances on the parasite, and I want to study a bit.¡±


    ¡°Again for Peter?¡± Mateo asked. Ian walked past his brother, opened a glass¨Ccase on the wall and took out a knife. ¡°You are trying too hard for him. Besides, these tests of yours are a bit dangerous. You should not sacrifice yourself for him all the time, think about your health. I would like you to give it up, your mental state is bad because of all this. You are a descendant of the Jenkins, one of the noble families. What you¡¯re doing is too dangerous, what if you get infected? Didn''t you think about it?¡±


    ¡°Stop it. I can''t waste grandfather''s and mother''s research...¡± The grey¨Chaired answered, while picking up books and bowls that fell out of his hands. Fortunately, Mateo caught them in time. ¡°Just because you started to ignore our friends, doesn''t mean I will.¡±


    ¡°I ignore them?¡± Mateo asked furiously.


    ¡°You never ask how Peter is doing, you''ve just chased off a few thieves lately and nothing else. You don¡¯t talk with Ed almost at all lately... Besides, I''m not sacrificing myself; I want to do it, for myself, for my ancestors... for you... for Peter... and for all the dead and the sick. I don''t want to see their pain, Peter''s tears... I don''t want to cry anymore.¡±


    Ian put everything he took into his room. After a while, he went out of his room again to enter the warehouse to take out various vials of different coloured substances. His older brother put the books and bowls he had grabbed at the door of his room. Ian was running from and to the storeroom every now and then. Mateo was upset about everything his brother said. After a while, he sighed.


    "Just don''t do anything stupid, okay?¡± Mateo asked, with his eyes closed.


    ¡°Okay, I won''t do anything. But... can you leave the house for a while? I really want to focus.¡±


    ¡°Leave? Eh...¡± The black¨Chaired sighed again. ¡°Alright. But really ¨C nothing stupid.¡±


    ¡°Take it easy!¡± Ian smiled.


    Mateo went outside, not knowing where to go. He decided to walk around the village. He looked at some desert plants, home gardens and other things. He was not interested in such things, but he had nothing to do.


    ¡®Am I really ignoring them?¡¯ He was constantly tormented by what Ian said. Suddenly he found himself near a clinic, and was surprised by who he found there ¨C Edward, Kasei and Peter.


    ¡°Oh, Mateo!¡± He was called by Kasei, who noticed him. The black¨Chaired man approached them.


    ¡°...Yo. I¡¯m sorry, Peter, I know what happened.¡±


    ¡°It''s nothing, really¡± he responded, while sitting on the ground.


    ¡°What are you doing? Are you resting?¡±


    ¡°Well, sort of¡± said Ed. ?Peter preferred not to leave the clinic alone, so we decided to train with Kasei here.¡±


    ¡°I see" said Mateo and sat down next to Peter. ¡°Then show us your skills.¡±


    Kasei''s body shone with white light and turned into something else ¨C into something that resembled a steel spear, but wider, and its end being bigger and sharper. There were symbols on the handle that looked like engraved. Ed looked at the tree in front of him. He prepared himself, then ran out and stabbed with a sharp tip. He easily pierced the trunk through. Peter applauded and Mateo nodded his head.


    ¡°You haven''t been able to pierce the trees before, you''re doing well.¡± Said the black¨Chaired man. Edward smiled and pulled the spear out of the tree. After some more exercises, they sat down together. The sun was setting slowly.


    ¡°Well, such a break from work was useful for you, wasn''t it, Peter?¡± Ed asked.


    ¡°That''s right. I remembered my childhood for some reason¡± he answered.


    ¡°Hah, that''s right. We''ve been sitting around here for hours and stealing fruits, and for that old farts were chasing us with sticks¡± added Mateo.


    ¡°Speaking of which, where is Ian?¡± Peter asked.


    ¡°Ian... Well, he said he would be testing something again.¡±


    ¡°It must have been because of me...¡± he curled up. ¡°I really feel useless. I feel like I can''t do anything right...¡±


    ¡°Bullshit!¡± Kasei shouted out and jumped on his head, she was in her animal form. ¡°You always dress my wounds when Ed messes up something during training.¡±


    ¡°HEY!¡± Ed laughed, Kasei stuck her tongue at him.


    ¡°Back to the topic, you always do everything you can to make sure it''s as good as possible. You and Ian do. Many people in the village owe their health and even lives to you. I think that is the most important thing. And it''s also very important that you''re trying!¡± She smiled.


    Peter was embarrassed.


    ¡°I don''t even know what to say...¡±


    ¡°You don''t have to say anything¡± Ed added. ¡°Just keep doing what you''re doing, and one day you''ll manage to do something special. Just as one philosopher did... Thanks to him, we know a lot of useful spells today.¡±


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.???No, I don''t think I''m going to achieve that much¡± Peter laughed. ?But it''s nothing, I don''t have to be remembered to help anyone.¡±


    ¡°You are too modest!¡± Kasei shouted. ¡°You deserve some reward for all of this!¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s more for Ian.¡± Peter answered. Mateo opened his eyes wider.


    ¡°You know what...¡± Mateo said, standing up. ¡°I think I''ll go home now. I''d better check what this crazy guy is doing again, so that he won''t blow up my cottage again.¡±


    ¡°Uh, you''ve been seeing us less and less lately.¡± Kasei said. ¡°You used to be with us all the time.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Really?¡± The black¨Chaired man asked, when he suddenly remembered what Ian had said. ?Well... I have a lot work to do at home, I have to study all these family books, then go to the military training, because that''s what my father wanted... I just don''t have much time.¡±


    ¡°I understand...¡±


    ¡°But... I''ll try to come by tomorrow.¡± He said. Kasei smiled widely hearing this.


    ¡°You¡¯ll come for sure?¡± the redhead asked.


    ¡°I said I''ll try.¡± He laughed, and, after saying goodbye, went ahead.


    ¡°Oh, Mateo, wait¡­¡± Peter said, stopping him for a moment. He turned his head. ?Thank Ian for everything that he is doing for me. Please take care of him. And make sure he doesn''t overwork himself.¡± He said with a smile, then turned around and followed Ed home. Mateo closed his eyes and smiled.


    ¡®What was I even thinking about?¡¯ he thought while he was walking. ¡®Peter is a good man. It''s no wonder that Ian is trying so hard... for such a good friend. I tried to do the same for Ed when I was younger. Sigh... Maybe it''s time to take an example from this grey head and start caring more about the loved ones...¡¯


    He stopped to think more about it. After a while, he smiled happily.


    ¡®I''ll talk to Ian when I get back. I want to help them. Really... how could¡¯ve I forgotten about it?¡¯


    ~


    ¡°Peter! Run faster or they¡¯ll catch us!¡± A little golden¨Chaired boy screamed when running through the forest. A little further, the younger one, also with golden hair, was following him.


    ¡°I¡¯m trying, but...!¡± Then he stumbled on the root of one of the trees and fell down. The group that chased them picked him up by his clothes. They were people not much older than them, roughly eleven years old.


    ¡°And so we have one of the brats.¡± One of them said, he had ginger hair and red eyes, the other one had brown hair and black eyes. ¡°Your mother overdid it by throwing my father into the dungeon. Now I¡¯ll play with you.¡±


    ¡°Peter!¡± Ed screamed and started running towards his brother, but then he got hit in the face by another thief and fell to the ground. Then the other one steped on him with one foot.


    ¡°Lie down, loser. We''ll soon beat you up too.¡± The orange¨Chaired boy nailed Peter to the tree and pulled out the knife from his pocket. ¡°Now look what''s waiting for you. We will deface these beautiful faces of yours a little bit¡±.


    Tears began to pour from the eyes of the golden¨Chaired boys. They did not expect any rescue from their attackers. Orange haired one had already cut one wound on Peter''s right cheek, then the boy started screaming and his attackers laughed.


    ¡°HEY!¡± But suddenly they have heard a voice. The bandits looked at the source of the voice. They saw a black¨Chaired boy with caramel eyes. ¡°Leave them alone!¡±


    ¡°What is this?¡± a boy with brown hair moaned. ¡°Vin, do you know him?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡± He answered, letting go of Peter, who immediately fell to the ground. ¡°I think the revenge for our parents has to wait.¡±


    ¡°Ah, do you think so?¡± The black¨Chaired mocked. Then two bandits started to approach him. Mateo laughed, when they got close enough, he hit the brown haired in the face. Vin was confused for a while, but in the meanwhile Edward took one of the big stones that was lying nearby, then he ran up and hit him in the head with it. Mateo laughed.


    ¡°You fucks...¡± Vin hissed from pain. He was barely standing on his feet, but managed to pull out his knife, as did his colleague, who had already recovered after a hit. But then, from afar, they saw a black¨Chaired girl with emerald eyes.


    ¡°VIN, RUN AWAY, IT''S EMERALD SAND!¡± The brown¨Chaired screamed, then casted the spell of teleportation on himself and the stunned Vin. They both disappeared. Emerald was upset.


    ¡°Ed, Peter, are you alright?!¡± she asked, and looked at Ed first.


    ¡°I am, but Peter...¡± Emerald approached the boy who hid his head in his hands and cried. She lifted his head up and saw the badly wounded cheek with blood still flowing out.


    ¡°We have to treat this wound.¡± She took him in her arms and looked at Edward. ?I ask you to forgive me for not showing up earlier.¡±


    ¡°N¨CNo, sister! They attacked us right next to the house... You couldn''t have foreseen it, you left only for a moment...¡± Emerald gave Ed a hand, who immediately took it.


    ¡°And you, who are you?¡± Emerald asked. ¡°You deserve to be paid for your deed.¡±


    ¡°I am... Matevigo Sivio Jenkins, but you can call me Mateo.¡±


    ¡°Jenkins... No wonder you are so brave.¡± She answered and the boy blushed. ?Come with us, I will have to tell your father what a noble thing you have done.¡±


    ¡°It''s nothing special...¡± Then he saw the smiling faces of Edward and Peter, who looked at him from Emerald''s shoulder. Mateo returned the smile.


    ~


    After a while, Mateo found himself by the house. It was already quite dark. He was walking with a smile, and could not wait to talk to his brother. He wanted to apologize. But when he stopped at the front door, he felt a strange feeling of magic. It was not nice at all. It was terrifying. He did not breathe for a moment. Then his pupils narrowed, he quickly opened the door and ran into the house. But what he felt there... he knew it wouldn''t end well. He started slowly approaching the door leading to Ian''s room. He wanted to go in there...


    He put his hand on the doorknob and pulled it.

 He doubts, so he thinks. He thinks, therefore he is (Part 9)

    Reincarnation... something I dare doubt.


    Reincarnation is a term I know well, and I know some people who think it''s real. However, my vision of death is dark for most people, but for me death is not the end of the life, but its completion, so if I have completed something, I shouldn''t start it again. It''s like finishing a book, and then rewriting it again from the beginning. But this is not the case, in every book, even in unfinished books, there is a point where there is no more text. I see the life of each of us in the same way. We are, we write our lives, but in the end our pen stops, and we no longer have ink to continue. And we cannot refill the ink called life, it¡¯s just impossible. Life is meaningful because we know that it¡¯s temporary, so we want to give it meaning, to exist... and when we are aware of reincarnation, that our life repeats itself, can we give it meaning? After all, if I will live forever, I don''t have to worry about the meaning of my existence, because I will simply exist. If however at some point my existence ends forever, I can feel the determination to give it meaning. Of course... I don''t feel any need of it. I want to live, I live, but I don''t need to be remem


    ¡®Shit.¡¯ Ed growled to himself. He started looking for ink, but couldn''t find any. He sat down, put the pen down and read what he had written. ¡®Funny, my own comparison has just come true. Well, I indeed can replace the ink in the pen, but I couldn¡¯t do the same with my life if I died. When I think about it, it''s a little sad. But everything ends, after all.¡¯


    He got up from his desk taking a candle with him, it was already late in the evening. He left the room and started walking through the corridor near the courtyard. He looked into Kasei''s room ¨C she lay on the bed, cuddled up in a blanket and sleeping in her human form. Ed giggled quietly and closed the door. He looked into the next room. Peter slept, wrapped in a blanket all the way up to his nose. Today they asked their ?grandmother¡±, though she was not blood-related to them, Cassandra, who was also a medic, to take care of the patients. Considering the circumstances, she agreed, so Peter could rest peacefully today. Ed closed the door quietly and walked away. He leaned against the railing that was in the hallway, and looked at the courtyard.


    ¡®But if reincarnation was real... would Peter meet anyone he was treating? As healthy people? Would we meet our mother? Ah... It sounds like a beautiful fairy tale... too beautiful to be true. Meeting those who are gone...¡¯ he thought with his eyes closed.


    ?Something lost once... doesn''t come back.¡± He said out loud. After a while he walked away from the railing, opened the door to his bedroom, which was right next to Kasei''s room, and laid down on the bed. For the first time in a week he decided not stay up late. After a while he fell asleep.


    He was walking through a forest of dried trees. Everything around him was grey, the sky was covered with clouds, the leaves were rotting under his feet, there was no place he could go without seeing this image. He walked on, through the endless dead forest, looking for a way out. But all he could see after a few minutes of walking was... blood. More blood. And then he heard a scream, the second one, third, then more screams¡­ And then he woke up.


    Ed opened his eyes wide. He was breathing deeply, but after a few minutes he calmed down. ¡®It''s just a nightmare,¡¯ he thought. He got up from the bed together with a blanket, with which he covered himself tightly and looked out of the window. The sundial indicated six o''clock in the morning, Ed took off the blanket and threw it on his bed, and left the room. He wanted to go and write down his dream, as a new thing to think about today, but unfortunately his plans were quickly thwarted. As soon as he entered the library, Kasei appeared.


    ¡°ED!¡± she screamed. The golden¨Chaired man turned around and looked at her, she was terrified. ¡°Peter... THEY ATTACKED HIM AGAIN!¡±


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ?? He ran out without even waiting for her, but Kasei was running fast enough to show him the way. After a while, they found themselves near the clinic, where their grandmother was cleaning the blood off from Peter''s face ¨C he had a black eye and a nosebleed. His clothes were dirty, the rest of his body was full of bruises.


    ¡°To hell with those little bastards!¡± Growled Cassandra, gently wiping Peter¡¯s face with a wet cloth. She had brown eyes, grey hair and was dressed in a long dress, her body was curvy and a bit chubby. ¡°My grandson, also a member of military, they got him for punishing one of them. I will never understand their sick "solidarity" of revenge!¡±


    ¡°Is he all right now?¡± Peter asked.


    ¡°Yes, except for a broken nose¡± she said, as she lightly touched his nose, Peter quietly squeaked from pain. ¡°Fortunately, the same didn¡¯t happened to you, as I see.¡±


    ¡°Peter!¡± Edward yelled. He opened his eyes wider when he saw the condition of his younger brother. ¡°Is it them again? What did they look like?¡±


    ¡°There was one¡± The grandmother answered. ¡°Had a hood on his head, I chased him away, but I noticed it all too late.¡±


    ?Didn''t you see the face, grandma? This gang of theirs is placed all over the country, but we also have some ?natives¡± here, so maybe I''ll know which one, because they chased me more than once.¡± Ed replied, clenching his fists.


    ¡°I didn''t see the face because of the hood¡± she answered and sighed.


    ¡°It''s nothing. If that¡¯s the case, I will deal with each one I meet.¡±


    ¡°What? Ed, don''t do this...¡± Peter begged.


    ¡°I will do it!¡± He answered furiously. ¡°I once let one of them cut your face, I can''t let them do what they want! What about the other people? They''re throwing themselves and attacking others too! Damn fanatics! And most importantly... Where the hell is Mateo?!¡± Peter opened his eyes more widely when he heard his name. Edward took a deep breath just to calm down.


    ¡°I''m sorry. I''m really sorry, Peter... that I let you down again... Come on, Kasei, we have a few mugs to turn to pulp...¡±


    Kasei, with a serious expression on her face, jumped on Ed''s shoulder. Peter watched them go away. He knew they were doing it for him. He didn''t feel comfortable with it.


    ¡®And as always...¡¯ thought the gold¨Chaired. ¡®I''m the problem... My older brother has to defend me forever... I can''t cope with anything... I''m pathetic...¡¯


    ¡°Edward, son of Carolina...¡± Cassandra sighed with a smile. ¡°I knew that he had her character, just as right and brave. And like you, he has a big heart, doesn''t he?¡± She looked at Peter, who was crying quietly. ¡°Peter, don''t be so soft¡±.


    ¡°I''m sorry... I''m sorry to be a problem, grandma...¡± he said, wiping his face from tears.


    ¡°Stop it, sweetheart. Your mother has helped my son and grandchildren many times, and so has this country. You always have my support, and now you better look at your injuries carefully, because I know you¡¯re a better medic than I am.¡±


    ¡°Okay... I''ll do that. Thank you...¡± he said and stood up. He started walking away slowly, barely stpping the tears that were gathering in his eyes. Cassandra took a bucket of water with a cloth soaked in it. It coloured the water red.


    ¡®Oh, dear children... You are so young and your life is already stained with blood.¡¯ She thought of Edward and Peter, then she poured the water on the ground and took the cloth home.

 He doubts, so he thinks. He thinks, therefore he is (Part 10)

    ¡°Where do we go? Do you know where the thieves might be?¡± asked the redheaded fennec.


    ¡°Probably behind Sevla. There are abandoned houses, a real paradise for these types.¡± He growled. ¡°Sister Emerald once told me that they often run away there, it''s strange that military hasn''t ambushed them there yet.¡±


    ¡°Probably they don¡¯t want to rouse a bad reaction. The only way to get there is through the village, and probably their gang has spies there.¡±


    ¡°Someday I will kill them all with my own hands. All of them, every single one of them.¡± He said seriously.


    ¡°Now you''re scaring me...¡± Kasei responded. ?But... where''s Mateo?¡±


    ¡°Ha, I''m thinking about it myself too. You must have noticed that he''s been ignoring us lately.¡± He answered coldly. Then they entered the village.


    ¡°Yes, I noticed... but why is that?¡±


    ¡°I think the reason is his brother. Ian and Peter were given permission to treat Hemasitus only two months ago. They had been treating only colds and such stuff before. Mateo didn''t like the fact that Ian meddled in something as risky as treating a deadly blood disease. And when Ian and Peter had to take the life of their first patient, they couldn¡¯t take it. I think you remember, when Peter didn''t want to leave the room for two days. You weren''t home then, because you went to town, but that''s when Mateo came and started screaming that it was too much, and he wouldn''t let Ian work with Peter again. Peter heard it all, unfortunately. Ian, however, protested and is still with Peter in the clinic treating others.¡±


    ¡°So Mateo distanced himself from us because he''s worried about his brother?¡±


    ¡°I think so, he probably thinks that Peter dragged him into a dangerous game. It''s a fact, that this disease is dangerous, but... I have to support Peter in his struggle to cure it. And so should Mateo. Mateo was like our personal defender... Maybe I just got used to it?¡± He laughed. ¡°But that''s enough.¡±


    They walked through the village. They were only a few minutes away from finding out whether they would meet the thieves or not. Kasei noticed that some young man was following them.


    ¡°Hey, Edward...¡± she whispered in his ear.


    ¡°I know,¡± He said quietly. They left the village, and found themselves in an empty area, from a distance they could see a few destroyed old houses. A few shrubs were growing around them, and it was from behind them that the people that Ed was looking for emerged. There were three of them, and each of them had an animal standing next to them. As Ed guessed, they were their weapons.


    ¡°Well, who do we have here? Edward.¡± One of them said mockingly.


    ¡°Well, who do we have here? The sissy.¡± Edward answered with a smile.


    ¡°I understand you¡¯ve missed us? That''s even better, we didn''t have to look for you again.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve indeed missed you. I missed hitting your face, so be nice and satisfy my deep desire.¡±


    ¡°We will, in the name of Ra.¡± Their pets have turned into weapons. Kasei did the same, and landed in Ed¡¯s hands. ¡°The three of us, versus you alone. Who will win?¡±


    ¡°Let''s find out.¡± He marched in their direction, crossing one of their weapons with his own. The two next to him tried to attack him, but he quickly avoided them and then hit one in the neck - he had lost consciousness after being hit by a spear handle. Two more were left, but it wasn''t that easy. Edward reacted in the last moment, blocking a sword blade by hand. Blood flowed from the cut wound. Ed had difficulty holding his weapon, but he wasn¡¯t going to give up. He had to fight, to revenge Peter.


    ~


    Peter was in the clinic. He treated his wounds a few minutes ago, so he was just sitting in the corner. He was looking at the wall, waiting for Ian, worrying about Ed. He couldn''t stop his tears. What happened in the morning was too overwhelming for him to bear. He clenched his hands together and wept quietly. There was a bandage on his right wrist, just like on his left shoulder.


    ¡°It was all my fault... It was all my fault...¡± he spoke quietly to himself. He cried when suddenly he heard someone''s footsteps. He felt shame, he couldn''t believe that someone was about to see him like this.


    ¡°Why are you crying? Are you sad?¡± Peter opened his eyes widely to the words he heard. He looked and saw a little brunette with beautiful amber eyes.


    ¡°Yvon...¡± he said with amazement. ¡°Are you able to walk?¡±


    ?A little... your medication helped... I won''t come near you, but I heard you cry.¡±


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.?? ?It''s amazing, you''re really strong...¡± he said, and then he cast a defensive spell on himself. ¡°Come here, now you can.¡±


    The girl came closer. She was looking at him.


    ¡°Did someone hurt you?¡± ??¡°Yes... You see, I have a bit of a problem with bullies... They keep coming to me. But my brother protects me from them... Now he''s gone to fight them for me again...¡±


    ¡°My older brother also protects me.¡± She answered. ¡°And I''ll get better for him.¡±


    ¡°Yes... You will certainly do it...¡± he said pathetically, and then the girl grabbed his hands. Peter smiled. In general, he forgot about the possibility that he might become infected. He was so enchanted by the fact that he could help someone, so that the person could stand still and comr to him. But he did not notice how the little raccoon had just slipped into the clinic. He was too focused on Yvon.


    ¡®You''ll be all right Prash... you just have to find blood... right, yes...¡¯ he thought nervously, and quietly squeezed himself under one of the cabinets, and looked at Peter and Yvon. He decided to rest there, and at the same time wait for them to leave, so that he could freely look for what he came. Still, he was terrified to death by possibility that they would find him.


    ¡°Why do you treat people like me?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Because... I want to. My mother died of this disease, so I want to fight it. How did you get sick?¡±


    ¡°I tried to protect my father. Some people came to our house and started screaming that we were unfaithful. And they threw something red at us, and when my mom saw that I had got dirty with it, she fell to the ground and she wasn''t moving anymore. And soon afterwards I woke up here.¡± ¡°The Believers of the Light...¡± he whispered. ¡°I''m very sorry... I''m really sorry for you... that''s how my mother got sick. She was attacked by them. That''s why they attacked me too.¡±


    ¡°Why are they doing this?¡±


    ¡°They think that only their religion is true. They are... full of hatred. Do you believe in anything?¡±


    ¡°Yes, in the cosmos.¡±


    ¡°But... the cosmos exists, you don''t have to believe in it.¡±


    ¡°No, I believe that the cosmos is a god, and that I will meet my mother after death, in a different world.¡±


    ¡°Reincarnation? I frankly don''t doubt it myself.¡±


    The girl then smiled. Peter, embarrassed, scratched the back of his head.


    ¡°What is your brother like?¡± she asked.


    ¡°He... is brave. He likes philosophy and I often hear him do monologues on various subjects... He takes care of me...¡±


    ¡°Oh, my brother is very kind. As often he has to go somewhere far away, he comes back with different things for me and the rest of the siblings. And I wonder if he will visit me...¡±


    ¡°I am sure he will visit you¡± he said. Then a dignified woman with emerald eyes, black hair and golden armor came inside. Yvon escaped to the sick room, so as not to create a threat to her. Prash¡¯s heart almost stopped when she stopped nearby. He calmed down when he realized she couldn''t see him under the cupboard.


    ¡°Is Edward here? We have a serious problem.¡± Emerald Sand said.


    ¡°Edward... went to fight the thieves...¡± he answered with shame.


    ¡°Peter... They attacked you again?¡± she came closer and started looking at his injuries. The golden¨Chaired sighed.


    ¡°Yes...¡± he answered quietly. ¡°I don''t want to talk about it... Oh, what''s the problem, sister?¡±


    ¡°Strange magic was detected all over the village, so I was sent here. I don''t have any good news. The taboo was broken.¡±


    ¡°Taboo...?¡± Peter was awfully scared. He lowered his head. ¡°Now what happened this morning... makes sense to me...¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Emerald asked surprised.


    ¡°Sister... I know what it might be...¡± he whispered, still with his head down. The sun was setting slowly. ¡°But I don''t want to talk about it right away, please... Not here...¡±


    ¡°Am I to understand that I should call for reinforcements?¡±


    ¡°Yes... Because it won''t be an easy opponent...¡±


    Emerald helped him to stand up, and they slowly left. Prash jumped out of the cabinet, then climbed up and opened it. Fate wanted him to find what he wanted to find. He changed into his human form, took a jar and covered it with a cloth that was lying next to him. He jumped out of the window and then ran away as quickly as he could. He was happy that he had managed to complete his mission.

 He doubts, so he thinks. He thinks, therefore he is (Part 11)

    Edward, a little injured, was running across the village. The sun was setting, it was getting colder and colder. He managed to defeat two, the third one was barely hurt by him. Fortunately, he managed to escape. When he was at his village, Rebellar, he started laughing.


    ¡°WHAT ARE YOU LAUGHING AT?¡± Kasei was screaming, and she had turned from a spear into a human being. ¡°DO YOU SEE HOW BEATEN UP I AM? YOU COULD¡¯VE FOUGHT BETTER!¡±


    ¡°I laugh because we beat two of them... Maybe they''ll stop torturing Peter eventually.¡±


    ¡°Or they will start to do it more, because you know how they work.¡± She sighed. ¡°Can we go home now? Peter may need our care.¡±


    ¡°No. We have to do one more thing.¡±


    ¡°What is it now?¡±


    ¡°Mateo. He promised to protect Peter from these bastards, so I want to know where the hell he was. He even told you that he would try to come today.¡±


    ¡°Oh... Well... But I don''t know if that''s the best idea... Maybe he was somewhere far away, he didn''t notice...¡±


    ¡°But Mateo always looked after Peter when he was going to the clinic in the mornings. So I just want to make sure... because maybe something happened to him too. So let''s go.¡±


    They were walking through the forest, heading for the Jenkins'' house. It took a few minutes, it was already dark, but they knew that they were not far away. However, what they saw exceeded their wildest expectations. The house¡¯s front wall was destroyed, and large cracks were visible on the rest of it.


    ¡°Ian apparently played with some magic...¡± The redhead said. But just like Edward, she wasn''t laughing. They were really scared.


    ¡°I have a strange feeling, that what happened to Peter today is not an accident...¡±


    Ed and Kasei came closer. They gently opened the door, as they were afraid that the wall might collapse. They entered the house carefully, inside it was a total chaos. The house, which was always clean, now looked like a battlefield; papers were lying on the ground, one of the doors leading to a room was wrenched. The whole house was drowning in darkness. Suddenly, Ed got a strange, piercing feeling that made him bend slightly.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Kasei asked.


    ¡°Nothing, I just feel some... strange magic.¡± The golden¨Chaired approached a room which doors were wrenched. Kasei walked in slowly after him. They didn''t see much, it was too dark in there.


    ¡°Eh, Ed, make some light with a spell¡­¡± Then Kasei felt that she had stepped on puddle. ¡°Ew, I stepped into something...¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­¡± Ed focused, and then a golden spark came out of his hand. It fell to the ground and created a small flame, which illuminated the room. Then Edward saw that this room was in the worst condition. All the walls were cracked, the debris was lying on the ground, the furniture was shattered, and the books were scattered all over the place.


    ¡°Holy shit... What happened here?¡± he asked himself. ¡°Kasei, we should go find...¡± He looked at her. Kasei¡¯s shoes were dirty from blood, she was looking at one point. Her whole body was trembling, her eye pupils were visibly reduced. Edward shifted his gaze at what she was looking at, and then he experienced an unimaginable shock himself. They saw Ian, dead and massacred. His body was torn apart. The golden¨Chaired put his hand to his mouth and bent in half. Willing not to, but still seeing it, he threw up. Kasei, on the other hand, started screaming in horror and stepped backwards until she leaned against the wall.


    ¡°ED, WHAT IS THIS?!¡± She was screaming and crying at the same time. The golden¨Chaired tried to regain control of himself, but he could not.


    ¡°Kasei, please don''t cry...¡± He said quietly. He held his hand on his stomach and straightened slightly. ?What... What have you done... Ian...?¡±


    ¡°What has he done?¡± They heard a voice, and saw Mateo, with a hood on his head, bloodshot eyes, and a big wound going though half of his face, that stretched all the way to his neck. He spoke without any emotion. ¡°You should not be here.¡±


    ¡°Mateo...¡± Kasei said quietly, and hid behind Ed.


    ¡°I don''t think you want to tell me...¡± the golden¨Chaired said. ¡°That he... used the magic of blood... And it was so strong that¡­¡±


    ¡°Ha...¡± Mateo smiled slightly. ¡°Yes, he did. That''s exactly what he did. For your little brother. This is all your fault. Your brother took care of something he shouldn''t have, and dragged my brother into it...¡± The black¨Chaired man started to walk slowly towards them.


    ¡°Mateo... S¨CStop it... Y¨CYou know very well, that Peter would never allow the taboos to be broken...¡± Ed and Kasei were carefully moving away.


    ¡°Oh, yeah? And what do you see here...? I told you, I told you to get it out of Peter''s head, god damn it... I knew that in the end there would be a catastrophe... And what''s the funniest, IT IS RIGHT NOW, WHEN I STARTED TO THINK YOU WERE DOING THE RIGHT THING. BUT I WAS JUST STUPID!¡± He shouted, and then threw a beam of magical energy at Ed and Kasei. The gold¨Chaired covered the girl with his body, but they both flew out through the back wall.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.?? ¡°Kasei... Get out of here...¡± Ed said, as he got up. ¡°It''s Jenkins, I can''t win with him¡­¡±


    ¡°NO! I''ll never leave you, you idiot!¡± The redhead screamed. ¡°Mateo! Stop it! We are your friends!¡±


    The black-haired came out through a hole in the wall. He smiled coldly, but after a while he started laughing disgustingly.


    ¡°Friends. It¡¯s really wonderful. Just as Ian considered Peter a friend... AND NOW HE IS DEAD!¡± He shouted, but then he got hit in the face. Ed just walked up and hit him with all his might. Mateo hesitated after this blow, but returned the favour, after which he grabbed Ed by the neck with both hands.


    ¡°Look at me... I have defended you and Peter for so many years... And you... and you killed my brother in the name of science...¡±


    ¡°We didn''t kill anyone...¡± Edward said. Mateo twisted his face. ¡°Ian decided for himself. Ian decided to take the risk. Ian agreed to this. Ian wanted it. Ian was happy to be able to treat people.¡±


    ¡°Happy?!¡± The black¨Chaired man hit Ed¡¯s forehead with his own. ¡°Do you think someone who had to cut other people''s throats could have been happy? Someone who couldn''t heal them, so he had to kill them?!¡±


    ¡°Ian did not slit throats. Peter did it all...¡± Ed spoke with difficulty. ¡°Peter did it, so that Ian wouldn''t have to¡­ They were friends... They risked it together... So why now...¡±


    ¡°Oh, this barking of yours. I''ve always hated it. The fact that you always have such thoughts on everything, that you think so deeply about the meaning of everything. Are you happy now... It''s thanks to you that he''s dead. You fed him with a vision of healing something that the greatest scientists and magicians have not been able to for centuries. You brainwashed him, you made him love this sick dream so much that he went as far as using blood magic for it. But you know what? It''s nothing. IT''S COMPLETELY NOTHING. BECAUSE I''M GOING TO FUCK YOU UP, I''M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU AND YOUR BROTHER FOR LYING TO HIM, CHEATING ON HIM, AND FOR MURDERING HIM!¡± He threw the gold¨Chaired on the ground, and then tried to cast another spell on him. But then, Kasei turned into her form of a weapon and stabbed him in the back. Mateo coughed out from pain. The redhead tried to hit him again in her human form, but then he grabbed her by the hair and threw her away.


    ¡°Stupid bitch...¡± he growled.


    ¡°We cheated...? We lied...?¡± asked Ed, who slowly started to lose consciousness. ¡°How naive you are. You can''t understand that your brother wanted to fight for it... That he fought for it to the very end... Although at the end he committed this stupidity, that we always forbade him from doing... You attacked Peter, didn''t you?¡± ?? ¡°And you keep talking shit about the same thing. ¡®Ah, Ian wanted Peter to be happy¡¯, ¡®Ah, Ian certainly wouldn''t want you to beat him¡¯. It''s just proof for me how you brainwashed him. You made a puppet out of him on your orders. But right now... I¡­ I''ll kill you... I''ll kill him... for Ian...¡± Mateo burst out again with manic laughter, and started approaching Ed. Kasei, who tried to stand up, started crying again.


    ¡°Edward... Please... RUN AWAY!¡± she screamed. Mateo stepped on his head and laughed at him by pushing him to the ground. The redhead could not watch it.


    ¡°Don''t you have anything else to say to me, fucker?¡± Mateo asked, taking his foot off his head.


    ¡°Just one thing.¡± Ed said. ?You''re pathetic. Pathetic. You couldn''t stop Ian, so you blame us... for your weaknesses. For your mistakes. For not keeping an eye on him. You are a coward....¡±


    ¡°You... little...¡± Mateo went furious. He picked up Edward by his hair. Kasei was sure that they¡¯re finished.


    But she was, luckily, wrong.


    ¡°STOP, MATEVIGO SIVIO JENKINS!¡± One of the soldiers shouted out. There were several of them, headed by Emerald Sand. They were sitting on horses, but not on ordinary ones, since they had wings. ¡°You are suspected of practicing magic of blood, a forbidden taboo!¡±


    ¡°What the fucking fuck... Hah, the army. That''s what I needed today. Unfortunately, I don''t have any time for you.¡± Mateo let Edward go, and then... used a teleportation spell and vanished.


    ¡°LOOK FOR HIS MAGIC TRAIL, DON¡¯T LET HIM ESCAPE!¡± Emerald gave a loud order.


    ¡°UNDERSTOOD!¡± Most of the soldiers flew away on the winged horses, and the rest of them went deeper into the broken-down house. Kasei started crawling to Ed.


    ¡°Ed, Ed...? Are you alright? Ed... say something...!¡± She begged him with a weak voice, and poked him. Emerald came closer and put her hand to his neck.


    ¡°There is a pulse. He is alive.¡± She answered. ¡°I think Peter will have to explain himself to you later.¡±


    End of Chapter 1

 Chapter 2: The Deity of Wishes (Part 1)

    Hemasitus - A parasitic disease of blood, caused by the parasites of the same name.


    Origin: unknown; Type: Magical; First occurrence: approximately 1200 years ago.


    First case recorded: Nihoria.


    Description: Disease with a 100% mortality rate, widespread throughout the world. No news of any cure. Symptoms usually occur one week after the infection, interspersed with short periods of remission, which result in a sudden deterioration of the disease. The parasite feeds on the infected tissue. Effectively neutralizes all poisons.


    Infection route: any contact with the infected blood, usually through the skin.


    ~ Common Medicinal Encyclopedia, Voyca, 645 C.E.


    Chapter 2


    The Deity of Wishes


    ?Hey, there''s something I''ve been curious about.¡± The grey-haired boy turned to his golden-haired colleagues, who immediately shifted their gaze to him. ?I once read that forests do not grow in the desert regions, so why is it growing here, and with so many fruit trees too?¡±


    ?It''s all a result of the earth magic¡± Peter explained. ?The better the spell, the tastier the fruit and the more valuable the plants.¡±


    ?That makes sense. After all, some plants are created by magic. For example, the Frozen Flower...¡± He said dreamily.


    ?So let''s try and make it!¡± Ed yelled.


    ?Do you know how to do it?¡± Ian asked. ?Our grandmother said something once or twice about that¡­ so...¡± Magic gathered around his hand, then he put a leaf and a flower together on the ground, and tried to fill it with his magic. The effect was not satisfactory, the only thing that appeared was the frost, which quickly melted. Ed wasn''t happy about it.


    ?Oh, by the way, I wanted to ask, what happened to your parents?¡± the grey-haired boy asked. Gold-haired brothers looked at each other.


    ?Our mother got infected with a terrible disease, and father... he just disappeared one day. What about your parents, Ian?¡±


    ?My dad died in the war, and my mum was researching a disease and she got infected, and died too.¡±


    ?Was it a blood disease?¡± Peter asked. ?Well... I guess so, because she was testing blood.¡±


    ?You know, I always wanted to be able to cure this disease...¡±


    ?To cure it? Do you want to be a medic?¡± asked Edward.


    ?Well, Grandma Cassandra knows a lot about medicine. I like to read her books sometimes.¡±


    ?Oh! I like this subject too!¡± the grey-haired shouted out excited.


    ?Why don''t we ask her if she can teach us?¡±


    ?Do you really want to be medics?¡± Ed repeated the question.


    ?Actually, why not?¡± Peter asked. ?I could at least cure other people who have it.¡±


    ?Exactly, we would find a cure, so that no one else would have to die like our moms!¡±


    ?I hope you know that it''s not that simple...¡± Ed said annoyed.


    ?So what? We are going to work for a dozen or so years, and eventually we will succeed!¡± Ian shouted proudly. ?Come on, Peter, let''s go to Grandma''s!¡±


    Ian grabbed Peter by the hand and ran towards Cassandra''s house. Ed was amazed that they were speaking quite seriously. He followed them. When he entered her house, he saw Ian and Peter kneeling in front of the elderly woman. ??Edward laughed at the sight.?Why are you laughing?¡± said the embarrassed grey-haired boy.


    ?Because you look funny!¡± He continued laughing, but when he felt Cassandra''s cold gaze on him, he fell silent and stood up straight.


    ?So you want to become medics?? She raised her eyebrow. ?Well, well. That''s good. You will be the heirs to my skills.¡±


    ?Really?!¡± Ian shouted excited.


    ?Thank you, Grandma!¡± Peter added. ?Yes, we will start learning tomorrow, in the early morning. And you will work hard... You will work so hard, that you will become masters in your profession. I will make sure of that!¡±


    Ian and Peter were so happy that they started running around Cassandra while laughing. Edward, although he didn''t show it, was proud of his brother. Suddenly he thought that he also had to start doing something himself.


    It''s been four years since then. Under Cassandra''s watchful eye, Ian and Peter opened a clinic in the village and started their business. Many of the residents were very surprised that the fourteen-year-olds could be so familiar with the treatment; but that was only the beginning of their journey. Their teacher knew what exactly they wanted to treat well, and supported them. After three years of hard study and practice, the time has come.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.???Your test is in a month''s time¡± she said. ?Are you sure about that? Are you sure you are ready to see death, and sacrifice many years for the research?¡±


    ?Yes¡± Ian answered seriously. ?We haven¡¯t been working for all these years studying all our current knowledge, just to give up now.¡±


    ?We must succeed.¡± Peter added. ?We are doing it in the name of our ancestors, and our mothers.¡±


    ?I understand that.¡± She smiled. ?I can see that the pupils have surpassed the master. I am very happy to have such talented heirs.¡±


    ?I will do everything I can to ensure that your efforts are not in vain¡± said Peter with a smile.


    ?Alright. And remember: never use any blood magic. Do you understand?¡± ?Understood.¡± They both answered at once.


    ~


    Ed slowly opened his eyes. He didn''t know where he was, he wasn¡¯t fully conscious yet. It was only when he heard some voices that the brain fog dispersed fully. He raised his head a little and looked around. He was in the clinic, dressed in a white, long shirt. Suddenly somebody held him tightly. It was Kasei, and just like him, she was dressed in a patient''s clothes.


    ?You idiot!¡± She was screaming with affection. ?How could you not have escaped when I asked you to?! Idiot, idiot, idiot..!¡±


    Ed moved his gaze further away. He saw grandma Cassandra and Emerald. He sighed quietly and then embraced Kasei, who was sniveling in his arm.


    ?You''re the idiot if you protected me and didn''t run away¡± he said with a mean smile. Kasei pushed him away, got off his bed and stood by the women. She was not as hurt as Edward, but her condition was not very good either. Then he also saw Peter, sitting in the corner.


    ?I think you have something to explain to them.¡± Emerald called him. Peter nodded his head slightly, got up and came closer.


    ?That¡¯s right. It was Mateo who beat me up.¡± He admitted. ?I didn''t understand why. The previous day I took another patient''s life. I broke down... but Ian said that soon I would not have to kill anyone anymore... that I would see that everything would be all right...¡± He spoke in an increasingly trembling tone. ?And when Mateo beat me up, I was afraid that something might have happened to Ian. And when I came here, my fears started to deepen... because Ian was nowhere to be found....¡±


    ?Why didn''t you tell us it was Mateo...?¡± Ed asked.


    ?I didn''t want to give him away... Besides, if something really happened to Ian... It was my fault and I just deserved it...¡± Tears appeared in his eyes. ?Mateo was right... we shouldn''t have tried to treat this disease... and it''s because of me that Ian isn''t here now...¡±


    ?Peter!¡± Ed yelled and quickly jumped out of his bed to him. He clenched his hands on his shoulders and started to shake him. ?You did it for our mothers, for all those people, and for the animal-people who suffer, you improved their lives at least for a little bit! Ian and you were happy to heal them, Ian wanted to heal them, so don''t say it was for nothing!¡±


    Then Ed felt a piercing pain in his whole body, he bent over and started coughing persistently.


    ?Dumbass, don''t move like that. We haven''t given you any medicine yet!¡± The grey-haired woman scolded him.


    ¡®??We did... okay?¡¯ Peter thought. ¡®Yvon was standing on her feet thanks to my medicine... Oh, no, no... I''ll still fail, I''m sure...¡¯ He turned his face away.


    ?So... what about Mateo?¡± asked Ed, who had already calmed down a bit. Cassandra gave him a bowl with a specially prepared potion medicine.


    ?We have not found him yet, but my people are searching the village and the surrounding area.¡±


    ?What has this Ian even been thinking...¡± Grandma Cassandra whispered angrily. ?I have always been saying: no blood magic... Oh, Peter....¡± she turned to the golden-haired man. ?You don''t even know what a tragedy this is for me... You don''t even know how much I feel sorry for you and Ed that all Matevigo''s anger is now upon you....¡±


    ?Matevigo... he seemed like a good friend of yours.¡± Emerald added.


    ?He was eternally opposed to the Ian¡¯s fight against Hemasitus. I understand the worry, but it already turned into an obsession... Just look at what he has done to them.¡± The grandmother pointed to the three victims.


    ?Don''t worry, I''ll catch this madman.¡± She assured. ?Your injuries should heal faster after drinking these potions. I''m going back to work, I have to find this bastard.¡±


    ?Then I''m coming with you.¡± Ed said seriously.


    ?No way, you''re supposed to rest now, and so is your brother and your fennec fox.¡± She ordered and left. Ed got upset.


    ?I''ll walk you home, there''s no need for you to lie here. Peter. Today I will take care of the clinic, so go with them. All of you should rest.¡± Cassandra said, and then gave Ed his clothes. He grabbed them and looked at Peter and Kasei. He couldn''t believe their own friend could have done this to them.

 The Deity of Wishes (Part 2)

    ¡®Who''s the champion? Yeah, I am~!¡¯ The black-and-white haired boy, who went through the gate of the estate, thought to himself. He opened the door and went inside, then went out into the courtyard and terrace, approaching his master''s room. Suddenly, however, he crossed the way with a certain somebody.


    ?Oh¡± The brown-haired man said in a calm voice. ?Hello, Prash.¡±


    ?Hello, Hagan.¡± He answered by lowering his head down and pressing the wrapped jar closer to his body. ?What are you doing here?¡±


    ?I''m just passing through.¡±


    ?Oh, ah, I understand...¡± ?Anyway, what do you have there?¡± Hagan asked for a look, but the boy with the raccoon''s ears quickly passed him.


    ?Something for Goro, nothing important.¡± He answered, trying to camouflage his fear.


    ?...If you say so. Well, see you later.¡± Hagan left as if nothing had ever happened, and Prash took a deep breath. Then suddenly Goro pushed the door open.


    ?I hate his curious nature.¡± The black-haired groaned with a low voice. ?You did well.¡± He praised the boy indifferently, taking a wrapped jar from him. They went inside, Prash closed the door and bowed to Goro. ?Now we are ready.¡±


    ?Yes, master.¡± He stood up.


    Hagan entered the library and pulled out a map. He was looking for Rebellar, the village where his sister was. Because of everything he found out, he didn''t know what to do. He marked his destination on the map, rolled it up and started thinking. He knew he had to help her.


    ¡®If only there was a way...¡¯ He was thinking nervously.


    ¡®There is a way. But will you be ready to fight with your brother to achieve this?¡¯


    He heard a voice out of nowhere, and began to look in all directions. He was a little scared.


    ?Who¡¯s there?¡± He asked out loudly.


    ¡®Hagan Delaunay, I think you''re the right person to join this ancient game. I know of all your desires. So, will you be ready to fight for them?¡¯


    Hagan heard the same voice in his head again. He closed his eyes.


    ¡®Alright... Since you''re here, let''s talk about this... proposal.¡¯ He answered in his mind. ¡®Excellent.¡¯


    ~


    Kasei went home holding a wicker shopping basket in her hands. There was nothing unusual in it, just a bit of meat, vegetables and fruits. She decided to let Ed rest, and go to the marketplace by herself. Many of the neighbors asked her about what had happened to them, and how they feel now. She wasn''t too enthusiastic about it, all those questions were uncomfortable.


    ¡®Oh, those too... they already know that Ian broke the taboo...¡¯ she sighed in her thoughts.


    ?Excuse me, would you like to buy some?¡± Kasei stopped and saw a girl with a basket of oranges, a small boy stood by her, holding her dress tightly. Kasei could see that they came from a very poor house. She closed her eyes in sorrow.


    ?Yes, I''ll take three¡± she said. Apparently the kids were very happy with her answer; they gave her three ripe and big oranges, and she gave them five coins. As she walked, she bit the skin of one of the fruits with her teeth and felt a juicy taste.


    ?Very good¡± she thought. Finally she found herself at home, walked through the gate and saw Edward sitting on a bench in the courtyard, looking at the ground. She approached him by placing a basket next to him.


    ?Thank you.¡± He said, casting an indifferent look. ?Oranges?¡±


    ?Yeah, I thought it would be a good idea to buy some.¡± She sat next to him. ?Where¡¯s Peter?¡±


    ?He locked himself in his room. I don''t know what I did wrong...¡±


    ?You think it was your fault? Who could have predicted it...?¡±


    ?I don''t know. I can''t believe that Ian could have gone as far as that... Blood magic has been forbidden since Hemasitus appeared. I think that Ian knew this well.¡±


    ?He probably just... wanted to see if it would help in any way.¡±


    ?And he used it so unreasonably that his own blood destroyed him¡­¡± He couldn''t sit any longer, he got up and took the basket. ?We should eat this meat today, so that it doesn''t spoil... Let''s hope that Peter will come out at least for a moment.¡±


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.???I will ask him to.¡±


    ?It won''t be that easy.¡± He said, walking slowly up the stairs to the kitchen, Kasei following him. ?When Peter locks himself in his room, nothing will get him out of there. You know what it''s like with him.¡±


    ?Don¡¯t you think¡­ that Peter... blames himself too much for everything?¡±


    Edward put the basket on the countertop and then slowly shifted his gaze to her. He nodded his head.


    ?No wonder. When you meet all kinds of horrible things in life, a lot of people harass you... Finally you start to think that everything is your fault. Despair takes over the mind of its host... I think Ian''s death is my fault, because I could have watched over him, I could have gone to him after Peter came back that horrible day, check if he was okay... And yet I didn''t do it.¡±


    ?But... you couldn''t do anything... You didn''t know...¡± She lowered her head.


    ?I know this very well. But Mateo behaved like a coward... I guess he witnessed Ian''s death, you saw that wound on his face. But that doesn''t give him any permission to attack Peter. I''ll beat his ass when I find him.¡±


    ?Haha¡± she laughed quietly. ?I''ve always liked this about you, that you want to protect others.¡±


    ?Oh, so is there something you like about me?¡± He smiled meanly.


    Kasei growled, giving her eyes an ominous expression, but after a while they stopped laughing, remembering what was actually happening.


    ?So...¡± Edward continued, pulling out the kitchen knife and cutting the meat into the pieces. ?The funeral is tomorrow.¡±


    ?Yes. We should buy some flowers....¡±


    ?We''ll do it tomorrow morning. Now check on Peter, okay?¡± ?Sure.¡±


    Kasei left the kitchen, went down the stairs and started walking through the corridor. After a while she found herself at the door from Peter''s room. She knocked on it.


    ?Um... Peter? Would you mind going out of the room? Ed is making food for all of us.¡±


    ?I don''t want to eat.¡± He answered quietly from behind the door.


    ?Peter, if you don''t eat anything, you won''t have any strength left. You know it''s not healthy...¡±


    ?It''s... nothing. Really, I can''t swallow anything right now... Please, Kasei, leave me alone...¡±


    ?Well...¡± She withdrew. ?If you say so...¡±


    Kasei went back to Edward, who put plates of fried meat, vegetables and pasta on the table. They both sat down next to each other. Both of them ate their meal sadly.


    ?He didn''t want to come out.¡± She said.


    ?I understand, let''s leave him there for now.¡± He answered by pecking his dish.


    ?It doesn¡¯t taste well?¡± ?Well... It''s difficult to eat anything after what I saw...¡± he sighed, then pushed everything that was on the plate into his mouth, and then swallowed it loudly.


    ?That was disgusting.¡± She said.


    ?Shut up. Better to eat like this than not at all.¡± He got up and walked out of the kitchen into the hallway. He leaned on the railing and looked into the sky, dominated by the red and orange colors. Kasei continued to eat and her head was full of thoughts. Finally, she followed in the footsteps of the golden-haired man and pushed the leftovers from the plate into her mouth, then swallowed them. She got up from the table and went out to him. He stood with his back to her, still staring at the sky. Kasei sighed.


    ?Ed...¡± she started.


    ?I''m listening.¡± ?You''re just pretending, aren''t you?¡±


    ?Eh?¡± He turned to her. ?What am I pretending about?¡±


    ?You shouted at Peter... You said you blamed yourself for Ian''s death... but you didn''t cry. You didn''t cry at all. In addition, you speak with this empty tone... Are you pretending that it doesn''t hurt so much?¡±


    ?Tears won''t change anything.¡± He answered harshly. ?They won¡¯t bring Ian back to life. And besides... On who will Peter rely on now? On a crybaby older brother?¡± And it was then that small tears gathered in his eyes, which he wiped off immediately. ?If I break down now, who''s going to support him?¡±


    ?However.... Don''t you shut everything deep in your heart?¡±


    ?Absolutely not. I just... have to be strong. Someone has to be. And now he needs someone who is standing steady on his feet. If I break down, it will be even worse for him. And Peter... and you too, are the most important things for me.¡±


    ?Pff¡± she snorted with a blush on her face. ?I don''t need your... care...¡±


    ?Of course not.¡± He smiled lightly.

 The Deity of Wishes (Part 3)

    And then the next day came. It was silent in the village, there was no murmur of open markets, no sound of children playing in the fields, no chatter of men and women. Everyone gathered in the cemetery, where the funeral ceremony took place. The inhabitants which dressed in black clothes brought candles and flowers. Peter stood by Ian''s closed coffin. His whole body was trembling, he clenched his eyelids and sobbed quietly. After he calmed down, he spoke:


    ?His name was Ian Visivio Jenkins... He was a wonderful friend, heir to the Jenkins family... A medic who fought to overcome a deadly disease... But his time in this world is over.¡± He said these words in a breaking voice, with tears in his eyes, which he rubbed off immediately. ?Goodbye, Ian.¡±


    Two men slowly started lowering the coffin into a dug hole. Ian''s burial did not last long. A stone slab with his name and surname, and a date of birth and death was set up. Flowers and candles were placed on the grave. After a while people went back to their homes, only Ed, Peter, Kasei and Cassandra stayed.


    ?He did not come to his funeral...¡± Ed whispered, clenching his fist tightly.


    ?Are you talking about Matevigo? No wonder, if the army is after him.¡± Casandra answered. ?But I can see that your wounds have healed a little, that''s good. Still, don''t strain yourselves, I advise you to rest now.¡±


    ?Okay¡± Ed nodded. ?Come home now.¡±


    ~


    A black-haired man was sitting in a dense forest, by the pond. He took off his clothes and started to looking at his body. The wound reached from his face to his waist. Every time he touched it, he gave out quiet groans of pain. He looked at his reflection on the surface of the water and saw that wounded face, which reminded him of only one thing...


    He carefully approached the door, put his hand on the doorknob and pulled it. When the door opened slightly, the thick essence of magic made him choke.


    ?Ian?!¡± He screamed and opened the door wider. Magic in the air was so thick that it could be seen, it was hovering all over the room; but he could see his brother barely leaning on his desk and writing something on paper. After a while, Ian looked at Mateo. Blood was spilling from his mouth. He smiled.


    ?Forgive me, Mateo....¡± Ian said with a weak voice. ?I thought I was doing the right thing...¡±


    ?DUMBASS! WHY BLOOD MAGIC?!¡± The black-haired screamed and ran into the room. Then he saw circles painted with blood shining with a blinding glow. Mateo covered his eyes, but wanted to take his brother out of the room.


    ?Please, run away...¡± Ian insisted. ?If you don''t escape, then...¡±


    He didn''t have time to end the sentence. The circles sparked even brighter, the walls started to crack, Ian''s body was torn from the inside, and Mateo was blown out by the explosion into the corridor, and then through the destroyed wall into the courtyard. He was lying there, still having before his eyes the image of his brother, whose body had been ripped apart. In addition, he felt awful pain, not only psychological, but also physical, stretching from his face to his stomach. He started screaming. He was screaming and crying, crawling towards the house.


    ?Ian, Ian...! Please, Ian, be okay!¡± He begged. He crawled into the house, then, bumping into the rubble, he fell to the ground and squeezed his lips in pain. He tried to get up. He succeeded, and with a lame step he went to his brother''s room. It was completely silent there, no sparkling circles or signs, no dazzling light... There was only the stench of blood and magic that was still hanging in the air. Mateo fell on his knees, approached the dismembered body of his brother, whose face looked very calm.


    ?Ian...? Hey... Ian... say anything!¡± He started to poke him, hit him, every move he made was more and more hysterical. ?IAN, GODDAMN IT, LIVE! DON''T LEAVE ME ALONE! IAN, IAN!¡±


    But the grey-haired man was dead. With a peaceful face, with his whole body torn apart, he was lying still, not moving. Mateo started screaming again and grabbed his head.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.???It¡¯s all their fault...¡± He started laughing all of a sudden. ?Yes... They... they... took my brother away from me...¡± He laughed, cried and screamed alternately. He got up with difficulty and sobbed... He didn''t even know where to go. He fell down the stairs, and there he laid for a few hours, until he felt a desire for revenge...


    Once he cleaned his body from blood using pond water, he got dressed. He had no idea what he was going to do now. He didn''t even know what was overflowing his mind: Despair? Anger? Hate? But he didn''t have much time to think.


    ?There he is!¡± One of the soldiers shouted out. There were two of them. Mateo did not move. ?Matevigo Jenkins, you are arrested on the charge of breaking a magic taboo, and for severely hurting three people.¡± The second soldier said, drawing his sword. His partner focused magic in his hands.


    ?You know what?¡± Mateo said, turning around. His pupils narrowed to small points. ?You''re pissing me off.¡±


    Then he focused the magic himself and started throwing it at them. The soldier-magician jumped away, and the other one, holding a sword, bounced the thrown missiles away, but it didn''t stop there. Mateo struck the ground with his fist, which caused it to break under the swordsman feet, yet he jumped and cleverly charged at the black-haired. Mateo barely escaped the stabbing, but suddenly the pain from his extensive wounds tore at him again.


    ¡®Ow, fuck. I can''t do it like this.¡¯ He thought, putting his hand on his stomach. He looked around quickly, wanting to withdraw. When the bullets made of magic started flying in his direction, he started running. The soldier with a sword charged towards him, but Mateo jumped away very quickly. This did not last very long, however, as the pain was so severe that it started paralyzing him. The black-haired man fell to the ground when his back was suddenly hit by a magic beam.


    ?Well, that''s the end of fun for him.¡± The soldier-magician said. ?Comrade, what shall we do with him?¡±


    ?We''ll take him to the General.¡± The swordsman grabbed Mateo by his hair and lifted him up and put a sword blade to his neck. ?What now, citizen? You are probably not guilty of breaking the magic law, but you are indeed guilty of a severe assault. What do you have to say for yourself?¡±


    Mateo looked at the face of the man who was holding him. He smiled lightly.


    He grabbed the blade of the sword with his hand, tore it away from swordsman, and before he could see it, the blade of his own sword was stuck in the soldier. A trickle of blood flew out of his mouth. He fell to the ground. The magician wanted to react, but Mateo, with the rest of his strength, quickly focused magic in his fist and hit him in the face. The magician began to scream while covering his face with his hands, and soon afterwards he fell as well. He threw himself on the ground and cried loudly from the awful feeling of burning.


    ?And now you wriggle like a worm...¡± Mateo commented with disgust, and got up slowly. He pulled the sword with difficulty from the swordsman''s body, which was slowly bleeding out into the ground, and then he approached the magician and stabbed the blade into his chest. After this, Mateo also fell to the ground. He had difficulty with breathing and his wound hurt terribly.


    ¡®You impress me, Matevigo Sivio Jenkins.¡¯ He heard a dark, masculine voice. He slowly opened his eyes, began to look around, but saw nothing.


    ?...Who the fuck?¡± he asked out loud.


    ¡®Huh, I see you like some sharp vocabulary. I feel the bitterness in your heart, it was the reason that made me choose you.¡¯


    ?Choose...? Who are you, and what do you want?¡±


    ¡®Some say that I am the devil, others call me a god... Some think I do not exist, and yet for some I am something for which they are ready to kill. Aren''t mortals funny creatures?¡¯


    ?Bullshit... You can''t be...¡±


    ¡®Oh, yes, I can.¡¯ The voice laughed. ¡®So, Matevigo, would you like to play a game?¡¯

 The Deity of Wishes (Part 4)

    Today I buried one of the people closest to me, Ian. For a reason unknown to me, he decided to break the magic taboo and use the magic of blood. I can''t understand why he did it. Did he want to see if he could find anything to heal Hemasitus with this magic? Blood magic has always been considered horrible, but it wasn''t a taboo until this disease was discovered. So why did he do it? I don''t know if there¡¯s any sense in thinking about it now. I have to take care of Peter and Kasei now, and I have to find that crazy Mateo before he does anything worse....


    Edward was sitting at his desk writing another note. Kasei, in her human form, was sitting nearby, eating an orange she bought yesterday and reading a book about legends from all over the world.


    ¡°Hey, Ed¡± she said, not taking her eyes off her book.


    ¡°Yes?¡± He didn''t stop writing either.


    ¡°Peter hasn''t left his room since the funeral. It''s already the evening, some time has passed since then¡­¡±


    ¡°15 hours has passed.¡± He answered. ¡°The funeral was at seven in the morning, now it¡¯s ten at night.¡±


    ¡°Even the hunger will not make him go out?¡±


    ¡°No, he''s probably starving himself again.¡± He put down his pen and then stood up. ¡°I will pull him out of the room, even by force. It''s not normal to not eat for so long.¡±


    ¡°Peter doesn''t eat much in general, as I noticed....¡±


    ¡°I know that, and I don''t like it.¡± He approached the door. ¡°I think I''ll start controling it more.¡±


    Edward went out and then walked towards his younger brother''s room. He wanted to knock, but he stopped because he heard some strange, quiet sounds. They resembled painful sobs clenched with teeth. The golden-haired was terrified, quickly he opened the lock with magic and went inside. Candles lit the room, as the window was covered with a black foil. Peter was sitting by a desk, with his back to Ed. He turned his head around suddenly.


    ¡°Why did you come here...?¡± he asked in a weak and scared voice.


    ¡°Well, you didn¡¯t eat anything, you locked yourself in your room again, and I thought I heard...¡± Ed''s attention was drawn to something on the table, something that reflected the light of the candle. When he took a closer look, he saw that it was a scalpel. He came closer. ¡°Peter, what is it?¡±


    ¡°Ah-- Y-Yes, it''s just a scalpel. You know, a knife for treatments!¡± He explained and quickly covered it with his hand.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.?? ¡°...Why is this covered in blood?¡± Edward asked him, worried.


    ¡°Well... You know... I was researching something, and...¡±


    Edward came even closer because he felt something was wrong. He took a good look at his younger brother who tried to hide his hands. And then he saw that the bandage on his right wrist was red.


    ¡°Peter...¡± he began.


    ¡°Y-Yes...?¡± ¡°Show me your hands.¡±


    ¡°But... why...?¡± he asked terrified and started shaking a little. Ed threw himself at him and pressed him against the wall. Peter struggled, but Ed grabbed his hands tight and immobilized the rest of his body with his own. He let go of his brother''s left hand quickly and then tore off the bandage from his right wrist. He saw a few deep wounds, older one along the vein and several newer ones still bleeding. At this sight, Edward''s eyes were full of fear, anger, and sadness, his pupils were like speckles. He also tore off the bandage from his left shoulder, and there were also wounds. Edward thought at first that Peter had bandaged the injuries Mateo had inflicted on him, so he didn''t ask. But now, knowing the truth, he couldn''t believe that his brother had mutilated himself.


    Edward slowly let go of Peter and moved away, still looking at him with those eyes.


    ¡°Edward... I-I-I...¡± he spoke with a trembling voice. The older brother couldn''t say anything, he moved even further away and then ran out of the room. ¡°ED, WAIT! PLEASE!¡±


    The younger golden-haired boy started crying hysterically. Kasei, as soon as she heard it, got up and ran quickly towards his room. When she arrived, she saw it all: a bloody scalpel, bloody bandages, crying Peter and wounds on his hands. She put her hand to her mouth.


    ¡°What have you done?!¡± she asked terrified.


    ¡°EVERYTHING I DO CREATES PROBLEMS, DOESN¡¯T IT?!¡± He answered with a loud and extremely desperate scream. ¡°I HATE MYSELF! ALL I DO IS HURT OTHERS! I... I... I can''t stand it anymore... I can''t stand it...¡±


    ¡°P-Peter¡­¡± She came closer. ¡°You''re not a problem, it''s just... It all must''ve too much for you...¡±


    ¡°Please... Get out...¡± He moaned. ¡°Peter, I''m not leaving until...¡±


    ¡°I SAID GET OUT!¡± He pushed her out of the room, slammed the door, and then strengthened the lock with magic. After that he fell on his knees and cried. He cried loudly, pulling his hair with his hands. Kasei was still standing behind the door, listening to his terrifying sobbing. She put both hands on the door and touched them with her forehead.

 The Deity of Wishes (Part 5)

    Edward ran straight ahead, just ran. He didn''t know what to do, he felt hopeless, and guilty. After a few minutes of pointless running, he stopped somewhere in them middle of an empty space, far away from any home. He leaned against some lonely tree and gritted his teeth out of rage. He was furious at himself.


    ¡®Can I really never truly help him?¡¯ he thought. ¡®No matter how many times I chase away the thieves, they come back anyway. No matter how many times... whatever I try, he still blames himself... For what? Why couldn''t they just invent this fucking medicine and be happy? Why... nobody could? And now... he even hurt himself like that... And I couldn''t do anything about it... I can''t do anything about it... I can''t spare him the pain...¡¯


    ¡®There is always a way, Edward of Rebellar. But is your faith in it strong enough?¡¯


    Ed was paralyzed. He felt a mysterious, heavy and dark aura in the air, so strong that it made him suffocate. He didn''t know who was talking to him. He started to look around nervously.


    ¡°Who is here?!¡± He shouted.


    ¡®Oh, you people... You always have to yell "who''s there?" when someone appears?¡¯ The voice giggled. ¡®Edward, I know your thoughts. Surely who I actually am does not agree with your image of the world.¡¯


    ¡°So who are you?¡± he asked warily and looked around again.


    ¡®Interpret me as you wish; a devil, a deity, a god, a magician, or perhaps a hallucination. To be honest, I don''t care much about what you call me.¡¯


    ¡°God...?¡± At that moment, the golden-haired man remembered the Followers of the Light and their legends. He smiled, but his eyes showed that he was terrified. ¡°You must be joking. You really think I''m going to believe that?¡±


    ¡®I told you, I don''t care what you think or believe. I came to you with a proposal.¡¯


    ¡°About what? Listen to me, you''re probably someone from some shitty sun god cult, who''s trying to prove the devil''s returning and his faith. Am I wrong?¡±


    ¡®What?¡¯ He laughed with a disgusting voice. ¡®Doubting mortals will always find an explanation for everything. You despise religions, I know that, and I know why. That''s why I chose you, because you are an extremely interesting person.¡¯


    ¡°So why don''t you tell me who the fuck you are?¡± He was more and more upset.


    ¡®But I have already said: the Followers of the Light think I am the devil who fulfils the wishes with my dark powers, others think I am the great spirit who can make the most secret dreams come true, and you think I am... some shithead who tries to prove that the faith of light is real.¡¯ He giggled. ¡®Do you see how many interpretations there are?¡¯


    ¡°No...¡± Edward started shaking his head.


    ¡®Is it possible that I just ruined your worldview? I''m sorry, really. I could leave you in that sweet, contemptuous illusion that there are no gods. In fact, I will not tell you whether there is a god or not. I exist, but do I have to be a god? So can god exist then? Philosopher, you''ve probably thought about it.¡¯


    ¡°Stop playing with me!¡±


    ¡®Oh, I think I''ve just messed a bit too much with your head. To be honest with you, you''re one of the most interesting creatures I''ve ever met. So, I came to you with a proposition: would you like to play a game?¡¯


    ¡°A game?¡± he asked seriously. ¡°The fulfilment of a wish? I''m sorry, but I''m not interested in such a thing. I don''t have any dreams, I don''t need them. And I won''t trust some shitty ¡®god¡¯ that came out of nowhere.¡±


    ¡®Geez, you know what? You could at least have a little more respect for me, since I''m above you all. But what do I expect from a ¡°I hate everything¡± type of atheist? Edward, are you sure that you don''t have any wishes? Maybe your wish would be... the happiness of your brother, whom you cannot protect?¡¯


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.??Ed took a deep breath in concern. He couldn''t answer at all. The following thoughts were tangling up in his head: ¡®How does he know?¡¯, ¡®Is this really a god?¡¯, ¡®It''s impossible, he doesn''t exist...¡¯


    ¡®How do I know? Am I really a god? It''s impossible that I exist?¡¯ He repeated his thoughts. ¡®Edward, I do exist! If I didn''t exist, I wouldn''t be here. After all, philosophy doesn''t allow the existence of something that doesn''t exist, does it? It''s irrational. But you still haven''t answered me, are you so sure you don''t have any wishes?¡¯


    ¡°Are you really not joking...?¡± he asked, in an empty-sounding voice, even though he was terrified.


    ¡®The proof was that I could hear your thoughts. Unlike you people, I don''t lie. At best I can ignore the question, or answer it unclearly, but I will answer your question with the utmost sincerity: I¡¯m not joking. Think about it, wouldn''t you like to give your brother something that really can heal Hemasitus? Wouldn''t you like his friend''s sacrifice not to have been in vain? Wouldn''t you like to help him?¡¯


    ¡°So I understand that if you were to give it to me... I would have to join this ¡®game¡¯.¡±


    ¡®Indeed. After all, there''s nothing for free, and don''t think you¡¯re the only one I chose. There are many interesting souls on this globe, whose hearts hide beautiful and dark dreams. And like every game, this one also has rules. You will have to get something that will entitle you to make a wish.¡¯


    ¡°Entitle? Isn''t it enough that you chose me? ¡°


    ¡®It is not, it would be too easy. Each of you will have to find at least one of my seals, of which there is a total of twelve. Once you have one, you must fight to keep it.¡¯


    ¡°And then?¡±


    ¡®Those who have managed to keep the seals will be summoned to one place, where a decisive battle will be fought over who will make a wish. All in all, I won''t tell you the details, because it would be, of course, too easy. You will have to find out the rest yourself. In this world, it is not only you and the other chosen ones, who know that. There are people who have been preparing for my arrival for years, there are also people who control the course of the whole game. Find them, and they will certainly help you.¡¯


    ¡°It sounds like an idiotic game from some kids¡¯ story...¡±


    ¡®See, this is an idiotic game from some kids¡¯ story.¡¯ He laughed. ¡®So how about it, Edward of Rebellar? Do you want to give your brother what he was looking for with the late Ian Visivio Jenkins? You would also have a chance to meet your friend.¡¯


    ¡°Mateo...¡±


    ¡®Exactly, that Matevigo. I''ve made assaulted your poor brain so much that you probably can¡¯t think straight now. It''s not like I feel bad about it. But if you''re confused, I should leave you alone to put it all in order. But hurry up with your decision, you have time until the next evening. Think carefully - will your disbelief in my existence win, or will you want to free your brother from the pain of being a hopeless pile of meat? Choose wisely, Edward. Your enemies do not sleep.¡¯


    The voice became silent and the heavy atmosphere began to fade. Ed grabbed his head with his hands, and laughed. He laughed at what had just happened.


    ¡°Wonderful... Really... Wonderful!¡± He laughed at himself. ¡°God exists...¡± He burst out laughing. ¡°WHAT AN IDIOTIC THING TO SAY! WHAT THE FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO BELIEVE IN, EH? WHAT IS THE TRUTH?!¡± He was shouting at the sky as if he was expecting an answer. But he didn''t get it.


    He started walking back. He tried to arrange all of this in a logical way in his head, but he could not. It was true that his lack of faith came from disgust and contempt. He despised religions, he also despised the Followers of the Light ... but now he did not know what to think. He experienced something that wasn''t normal, wasn''t explainable... His views slowly broke apart under what had happened a few minutes ago. He walked and thought, thought and thought... because that was the only thing he could do now.

 The Deity of Wishes (Part 6)

    Goro sat in a dark room near a table, looking at a small black stone with a gold seal on it. It suddenly began to spark.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t the first time that somebody had been awaiting me, but you¡¯ve truly impressed me.¡¯


    ¡°It is an honour.¡± The black-haired man said with satisfaction. ¡°I would never dare to expect praise from such a powerful magician.¡±


    ¡®A magician?¡¯ the voice giggled. ¡®I¡¯ve just crushed the worldview of one of you people, maybe I should do the same to you?¡¯


    ¡°There is no need for that¡± Goro calmly answered. ¡°All I care about is your game and what I''ll get out of it. Not who you are.¡±


    ¡®What lovely words... What you can get, you ask? Fulfilling your desires, if you win. I admit that it often happens that someone from the outside, not chosen by me, gets a seal, but you really intrigue me. It would be a sin not to give you a personal invitation.¡¯


    ¡°So you chose me, deity¡± Goro smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, even if you had chosen another country, I would have found you. I have a souvenir of my ancestor here.¡±


    ¡®Ah, some of my mana?¡¯ the voice laughed again. ¡®Delaunay are really smart. I still remember Vinte, who managed to win one time. I understand that I don''t have to explain, or ask you if you want to fight, because the decision was made long time ago, wasn¡¯t it?¡¯


    ¡°Do I really need to answer?¡±


    ¡®Oh, I like you. You really are a lot like Vinte, and I don''t forget people like him. Seriously, he created one of my favourite wishes.¡¯


    ¡°I am aware of which one. After all, he wrote everything that has learned from your game and left it for the next generations. Well, now I guess you should go get the rest of the players. I can''t wait to meet them.¡±  ¡®


    I feel that your actions won¡¯t bore me. When the time comes, I will call upon those who managed to survive. Though who knows, maybe only you will?¡¯ He left laughing. Goro was satisfied with himself.


    Hagan was standing behind the door of his room, and heard the whole conversation. He clenched his fist in anger and then quietly withdrew.


    ¡®Goro... I won''t let you win...¡¯ he swore in his thoughts.


    ~


    ¡®God... Does God exist? Is God bad or is he good? Does he care about us or not? I stopped asking myself these questions when my mother died... Do I really not believe in gods? Or did I just hate the Believers of Light so much, that I told myself I did not believe in such beings? In the name of faith they fight countless battles... But I put everything into one bag... I rejected all views that were based on something divine, that is the truth... I despise it all only because my mother died. So does this God, who never gives us any signs, exist? I can¡¯t believe that I think like that now... God? I really am now wondering if God is there? I don''t know completely what to think about it, what should I do now? Maybe this is just an opportunity given from... this God to free Peter from pain? I don''t know. I don''t know anything at all...¡¯


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.??Edward opened the gate, and then walked towards the house. He spent all night outside, and before he realised the sun started rising. He was absolutely terrified, terrified of what Peter had done, terrified of what he had been offered, and terrified of who had given him the offer.


    He entered the house and walked through the corridor with his head lowered. He was going to the library, there he wanted to look for some books in hope to find any clues in them. He knew that he had gotten himself into something that an average person wouldn¡¯t understand. An invisible power came to him, in which he doubted for so many years, and had chosen him for something, and he was definitely not safe.


    ?¡°WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!¡± He stopped when he heard Kasei''s hysterical voice. ¡°I WAS AFRAID SOMETHING HAD HAPPENED TO YOU, YOU IDIOT!¡±


    She sniffed and wiped her nose with her wrist. The golden-haired sighed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry... Where is he?¡±


    ¡°He said he wouldn''t be able to look you in the eyes, so he decided to go to the clinic while you¡¯re gone¡­¡±


    ¡°I see... You probably haven''t slept all night. Please, get some sleep now, I¡¯ll take care of it all... somehow.¡± He said and went to the library. Kasei drooped her ears and went to her room.


    Ed closed the door behind him, put the key in the lock and locked the door. After that, he lit his hands with magic and began to pull the books off the shelves, which floated around in a golden glow. People were often surprised to see the colour of his magic, since it was quite rare for it not to match with magican¡¯s eye colour. Peter¡¯s magic obeyed this rule, while Edward''s was gold instead of green, just like his hair.


    He pulled out the books one by one to himself, read the titles, and put those that he believed that could help him on his desk. After he had enough, he started to browse through them. He checked one and threw it away, second one and threw it away, another one and threw it away. He could not find anything but legends about the deity that he had already read before. He searched for two hours without success and felt furious. He thought, if he was to join the game, where should he look for the rest of the participants, and where should he look for those who have known the game for a long time? He didn''t know what was awaiting him, but he felt he had to do it... That it might be a chance to reward Peter for everything he couldn''t protect him from. But what exactly was he supposed to do? Who should he ask for help? He did not know.


    He felt that if he decided to join the game, it would be the hardest thing he would ever do in his life.

 The Deity of Wishes (Part 7)

    Peter was sitting by a desk with all sorts of potions and herbs lying on it. He threw some ingredients into a bowl and mixed them with magic, the mixture turning into a blue gel. Then he shifted his gaze onto his wrist and slowly started loosening the bandage on it, under which he hid his deep cuts. He also took the bandage off his shoulder, put some gel on his left hand¡¯s fingers and tried to apply it on the mutilations he had inflicted on himself.


    He tried, but he could not.


    He wept, remembering the desperate gaze of his brother, then Ian, who had sacrificed his life for him, but also Mateo, who had gone insane because of all of this. He felt so guilty that he didn¡¯t even know if he was permitted to heal his wounds. But his crying was heard by someone.


    ¡°Where did you get these wounds?¡± asked a girlish, quiet voice, the owner of which looked insecure from behind the doorframe. Peter would not stop crying.


    ¡°I... I made them myself...¡± he answered, hiding his face behind his hand. ¡°Because I am a bad person... And I hurt others...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± Yvon shook her head. ¡°For me you are the same as my brother, who always takes care of me and tries to make me happy. And thanks to you... I feel so much better.¡± She smiled shyly. Peter looked at her with a begging gaze.


    ¡°I''m glad that I could at least help you...¡± He said, at the same time wiping away tears. ¡°Helping others is my duty, in the end...¡±


    ¡°I''m sure you''ve helped a lot, and you''ll only help more.¡± She answered confidently. ¡°But... take care of yourself too, so your loved ones won¡¯t be worried.¡±


    Then she returned to where she came from. Peter spread the ointment on the wounds on his wrist and forearm. He waited for a few minutes and then wiped off the excess. Now it looked much better, as if the wounds would soon close completely. But then he noticed something.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.??¡®Even if the wound heals, there will be scars left...¡¯ He thought, looking at the already visible white marks on his wrist. ¡®It''s the same as emotional wounds... How big of a scar did I leave on Ed''s heart because of what I did? But I know one thing... I can''t let what Ian did go to waste. I will continue to heal people on his behalf. And I must do something for Ed..."


    So he thought while he was doing the rest of the ointments, the medicines and the syrups. He sat with an open book in which he looked for information about plants that he could use to treat Hemasitus. Ian had previously marked the most important pages in the book, so he decided to study them today. He did not have the courage to return home that day, so he decided to spend the night in the clinic to study, and think about how to deal with this hard situation.


    ~


    The sun was setting when Kasei put a bouquet of flowers on Ian''s grave. She sat down in front of it and smiled slightly.


    ¡°You know...¡± she said to the grave.¡± It''s been different since you left. Peter hurt himself like that, Ed discovered it, and Mateo...¡± She sighed, taking a short break. ¡°You would probably tell me what to do, if you were still alive...¡±


    Then she heard something from afar. She moved her ears to hear them better; they were the Followers of the Light who were shrieking again about the apocalypse and the devil who was fulfilling evil wishes, and about everyone who ignores the sun being cursed. Kasei was a little embarrassed, but suddenly something came to her mind.


    ¡®Hm... What would it be like if that deity of wishes really existed?¡¯ she wondered, and then thought about something else. ¡®I think I''ll try to talk to Ed about Peter... We can''t give up like this, we still have to beat up Mateo¡¯s butt!¡¯


    She got up from the ground and then, with a certain step, walked towards the house.

 The Deity of Wishes (Part 8)

    ¡®I''m an idiot. Really, I went mad.¡¯


    Ed has just finished writing another note. He hid it in a book ¨C he knew that the time was coming when the deity would come back. He thought about it all day long, and already had a few questions prepared for it. At some point, however, he began to consider that maybe, out of nervousness, everything that happened yesterday he simply hallucinated. But soon he got the proof that it didn''t: the candles in the room extinguished, and the atmosphere became heavy.


    ¡®Philosophers... You think about everything so deeply, you make thousands of theories and believe in each one of them, and then you cannot even explain your point of view logically.¡¯


    ¡°I am not a philosopher.¡± Edward answered calmly. ¡°I have a few questions for you before I answer whether I have made my decision or not.¡±


    ¡®For example.¡¯


    ¡°How do the Believers of the Light know about you? Why are they talking about your arrival?¡±


    ¡®They always did, haven''t you noticed?¡¯ The voice laughed. ¡®And they know, as the creator of their religion inscribed me as the devil, and that it is a grave sin to take advantage of my offer. And as you know, they¡¯re fanatics, so they believe it all.¡¯


    ¡°Another thing, can you fulfil any wish?¡±


    ¡®Yes. Even if someone wants to be a god, I can make it happen. But I usually avoid such people, unless the fools change their minds during the game. It''s a nuisance, really, sometimes humans are so goddamn undecided.¡¯


    ¡°I''ll admit, you''re right here. Next, how often do you appear? Have you also appeared during the Old Era?¡±


    ¡®Ha, you have an awful lot of questions! It depends. I can appear again after five hundred years, or after three thousand. It depends on how fast my powers regenerate. And yes, I did. I can even tell you that I appeared at the time when mankind established the Current Era, 976 years ago, because that''s what we have now, isn''t it? And only if you humans didn''t play the game of selecting times for some eras, it would be now the year 3789. Well, but if we added the prehistory and some other periods, this number would be much bigger. Although, this world is still older than you could ever imagine.¡¯


    ¡°Don''t waste the time talking about meaningless things. Alright, another question. You said something about seals... What''s that about keeping them?¡±


    ¡®It''s rather simple. A seal entitles you to be summoned by me to the place where the final fight will take place. And it''s rather normal and logical for some players to want to reduce their competition by gaining the seals of others. Of course, you can always try to take it away from them afterwards, or hide yourself until the final match, but the second option is extremely cowardly. The more seals you have, the merrier, and the less enemies you have at the end, the better.¡¯


    ¡°And how do you get such a seal?¡±


    ¡®You have to look for it! And if they''re all actually taken, look for those who have one! The seal attaches itself to a hand, some may give it to you voluntarily after losing, if they are a type of ¡®honour warrior¡¯, otherwise just tear it away magically. Or, most effectively... just cut off their hand.¡¯ He laughed. Ed didn¡¯t feel like laughing at all.


    ¡°How many people do you choose?¡±


    ¡®I usually choose one or maybe two people more than total number of seals. Of course, there may ultimately be less than twelve of you, if someone at once gets two of these.¡¯


    ¡°I see.¡±


    At the same time, Kasei entered the house. She went straight in library¡¯s direction knowing that Ed was here. She wanted to talk about Peter and convince him that everything was not lost yet, and they should continue to fight.


    When she came to the door, she felt something.... strange. Even if she wasn''t a magician and didn''t feel the magical energy so well, she knew something was wrong. She pulled the handle slightly, the door was open because the deity made sure to loosen the lock before.


    ¡®I think we have a visitor.¡¯ He said in a playful tone. The golden-haired man moved his gaze to the door with horror.


    ¡°Ed?¡± Kasei asked. ¡°Everything okay...?¡±


    ¡°Kasei... Um. Yes, it''s okay... Could you... get out?¡±


    ¡®But why would she?¡¯ As the redheaded girl heard the voice from nowhere, she threw herself in Ed''s direction, hid behind him and started shaking. ¡®She''s your weapon, right? Aren''t you going to take her to battle with you? Not doing so would be foolish, Edward.¡¯


    ¡°Ed... What''s going on?¡± She asked, frightened.


    ¡°Kasei... Uh... This is the... deity of wishes.¡± He explained with shame.


    ¡°WHAT?!¡± she screamed. ¡°BUT... WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!¡±


    ¡®Haha! Those reactions never bore me!¡¯


    ¡°Tell me...¡± Edward started. ¡°Is she in danger for finding out about it?¡±


    ¡®No. I told you, some people already know about me. So, any more questions, Edward?¡¯


    ¡°Yes. When will you summon us?¡±


    ¡®When I¡¯ll feel it¡¯s about time.¡¯


    ¡°Yet another question. Where are we supposed to look for information about you?¡±


    ¡®Do you really think I will answer this one? That would be too easy, mortal. If you want a wish, fight for it with your own blood. All I will tell you is that I have chosen Gormilia as a gathering place, and this is where the final fight will take place. It may be that you¡¯ll need to look for information abroad, but it is really not my business how.¡¯


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.?? ¡°Heh... I knew it wouldn''t be easy... But it¡¯s nothing. What is simple in life?¡±


    ¡°Ed... You really want to fight to get a wish from this deity?! You?! But you... don''t believe in gods....¡± Kasei told in a breaking voice.


    ¡°Don''t believe in gods? It''s hard not to believe when you have experienced something like this...¡± He got up from the stool on which he was sitting all this time. ¡°I have always despised the gods, I have despised... I still despise the Believers of Light for how fanatically they approach their beliefs. But you know what? Since I got proof of the existence of a higher power in this world, I will try to get to know it. To find out who it is, how it sees us... and why it doesn''t reveal itself, because I think one deity doesn''t have to be the only being standing above us, the mortals. And besides... I owe this wish to Peter. I owe it to him for never being much of help to him in anything... I want to fulfil his dream, and try to find an answer to my new philosophical question: who is standing over this world, what is the truth.


    ¡®Amazing!¡¯ the deity laughed. ¡®I really don''t regret choosing you. I didn''t think you''d change your attitude so fast! But, well, you people are unpredictable. So answer me, Edward of Rebellar: are you joining this game or not?"


    Kasei looked at Ed, who gently lowered his head. He smiled.


    ¡°Do I really need to answer?¡±


    ¡®Ha, you got me.¡¯ He laughed again. ¡®I will give you one basic clue: Look for the traces of an energy similar to my own all over the country, then you will find the seal. Find out the rest yourself. Have fun, see you in the finale! If only, of course, you will survive until then. Don''t disappoint me!¡¯


    ¡°Ed.... How is it even possible...?!¡± Kasei shouted out, and then the heavy aura subsided, the candles lighted up again.


    ¡°I don''t know. But it doesn''t matter. I have to go, now.¡±


    ¡°What about Peter?!¡±


    ¡°You will tell him that I left village for a while to rest...¡± He started walking quickly to the door, but then Kasei blocked the way with her own body, spreading her hands wide open.


    ¡°NO WAY, YOU IDIOT!¡± She screamed. ¡°IF YOU''RE FIGHTING, I''M FIGHTING WITH YOU!¡±


    ¡°No, Kasei, it''s too dangerous. I got into a divine game...¡±


    ¡°So what?!¡± She threw herself at him and grabbed his shirt. ¡°You''re fighting for Peter, for whom I want to fight too! You are fighting for Ian, who died! You fight to teach Mateo a lesson! You are my master, damn it! Military masters don''t go to a battle without their weapons, no matter how good they are! I want to fight with you, I want to fight for Peter!¡± She pulled his shirt aggressively while talking, Ed closed his eyes and patted her on the head. He laughed quietly.


    ¡°WHAT ARE YOU LAUGHING AT?¡±


    ¡°Because you showed me your soft side. And you called me your master, I didn''t believe that this day would ever come. But, well, there''s a lot of things that are impossible that happened to me lately...¡±


    Kasei¡¯s face reddened, she pushed him lightly and turned around.


    ¡°S-Stop making fun of me, you idiot... I hate you.¡± She hissed.


    ¡°Yes, I know.¡± He smiled.


    ¡°But... really... what about Peter?¡±


    ¡°If you''re going to come with me, we have to fool him that we¡¯re going to travel for... something. For some new books for me, for example... Of course, if it takes longer than two weeks, he will get suspicious for sure, but what else can we do? I don''t want him to get involved.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to destroy Hemasitus using that wish from a deity?¡±


    ¡°No. I want to use the wish to give Peter something that heals Hemasitus. After all, he said himself that he could fulfil any wish.¡± Then he took a sheet of paper and started writing a message to his brother on it.


    ¡°I still can¡¯t believe that it''s really happening... You have a lot of explaining to do.¡±


    ¡°I will. How nice it is that Peter is not currently here...¡± He sighed.


    ¡°He¡¯s been in the clinic all this time. I saw him there.¡± They went out to the courtyard together, and left a note in a clearly visible place here. ¡°So, Ed... what now?¡±


    ¡°Let''s take some money. We need to get a seal and some information on what exactly this game is all about. Apparently there are people who know it... Maybe the noble families for example, but if so, then which one of them?


    ¡°We will succeed! You will see!¡± She shouted, self-confident, raising a clenched fist high. The golden-haired man smiled lightly.


    ¡°We must. This is our chance, which not everyone gets. If I can help Peter in this way, I will do it, I do not have any wishes myself. So... are you sure? Do you really want to come with me?¡±


    ¡°I do, you moron.¡± She put out her tongue.


    ¡°Well, Kasei... Let''s go before someone sees us. The hardest fight of our lives awaits us, a real divine war for one goal...¡±


    End of Chapter 2

 Chapter 3: To heavens, or to nothingness (Part 1)

    (...) Long ago, only those who had the form of an animal were able to wield magic. Later, when they had enough of racial segregation, they joined with people. Some used their mana and form-shifting abilities t0 experimentally transform themselves into battle tools created by humans. This weakened their magical skills, locking them in a third form. Shockingly, their descendants were born with this form instead of being mages, with the same form as chosen by their initiator, which could not be reversed. The military in every country saw the potential in this and encouraged the animal-eared to abandon their magical powers in favor of becoming a weapon of war, for they were better and more durable than the prototypes that came from humans. Then those born without magical powers began to be born with them through blood mixing, and by combining them with the animal-people weapons, armies of havoc and death have been created. However, even the victims of the war cannot deny that the sight of the master and his weapons at his side is one of the greatest works of art.


    ~ Rin via Kavaru, History of the Old Era.


    Chapter 3


    To heavens, or to nothingness


    A young boy ran into the office where the army base was located. He was an adept, most often involved in the transmission of information, and the rest of his duties were to train his abilities. He knocked on the door of the general''s office.


    ¡°General!¡± he shouted. ¡°We have some important news!¡±


    ¡°Come in, comrade.¡± The young boy obediently opened the door. He saw a black-haired woman sitting by her desk filling in the rest of the census documents. She bent down while sitting on a chair with papers in her hands and started putting them into a big box.


    ¡°What news do you bring?¡±


    ¡°We bring news... Unsatisfactory ones.¡± He swallowed hard. Emerald shifted her sight to him.


    ¡°Speak, comrade. No one will cut your head off for bringing bad news.¡± She looked at the box again, took different files of paper and put them carefully into it.


    ¡°...General, we¡¯ve found two dead bodies. They belong to a magician and an ordinary soldier, but we¡¯ve noticed traces of a magical aura as well. One of them belonging to the soldier and the other to the murderer... We¡¯re suspecting Matevigo Jenkins.¡±


    Emerald squeezed the sheets of paper in her hands. A drop of sweat appeared on the young man''s face.


    ¡°But I will cut off the head of the one who made this happen. - She answered in a terrifying tone. - What were their names?¡±


    ¡°Edmund of Videni, Herweush of Myzen.¡± He answered solemnly.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got two orders, comrade: First of them is to take their bodies to their hometowns and bury them there. Second: I¡¯m ordering for the manhunt for Matevigo Sivio Jenkins to be extended to the whole country¡¯s area, he is to be declared a dangerous criminal. Execute immediately, pass it to other stations, Matevigo is to be captured alive!¡±


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.??¡°Yes, general!¡± he saluted and then ran out of the room. Emerald closed the door using her magic, sat down in her chair and put her fist on her forehead, leaning her head against her.


    ¡®What an absolutely shitty situation...¡¯ she thought. ¡®Hopefully it''ll get him away from Ed and Peter... And then when I catch him, I''ll put him on trial.¡¯


    ~


    Finally, after spending the night in the clinic, Peter dared to go home. He spent the whole night thinking about how to apologize to Edward. He thought he would explain why he did it, swear he would never harm himself again, and do everything he could to make up for it. All the way home he thought about what he would say to his brother. He stopped in front of the gate, breathed deeply, then opened it with a key and went towards the house. The closer he was to it, the more his breath and heartbeat accelerated. When he got to the library door, he shyly knocked on the door.


    ¡°Ed? Are you...?¡± He opened the door and looked inside. He didn''t find his brother there. He was a little surprised. ¡®Maybe he went into town?¡¯, he thought.


    He looked into Kasei''s room, Ed''s bedroom, and other rooms, such as the kitchen, the large storage where they kept most of their things, and even the bathroom, but Edward or Kasei were nowhere to be found. Peter was worried. He went out into the courtyard with no idea where else to look, and then he noticed a piece of paper lying on a wooden table. He came closer and read it. He recognized his brother''s handwriting.


    ¡®Left with Kasei?¡¯ He thought, and then closed his eyes. ¡®It''s understandable that he needs to rest...¡¯


    Peter fold the card and put it in his shirt pocket. He went into Ed''s library again thinking he could find something here. He looked carefully at the titles of books that were lying on his desk, the majority of them were about philosophy, which did not surprise the golden-haired man. But after a while he found a book about plants, the natural ones, as well as those created by magic. He thought he could use it, so he willingly took it into his hands and opened it. He flipped a few pages and then closed it and put it under his arm. He searched a bit more, but he didn''t find anything new. After a while he thought he might find some useful books at Ian''s home, but quickly got the thought out of his head. The military forbid him from going there until Mateo was caught.


    Peter went out of the house, worried about them, but knew they needed a break. Now he wanted to focus on hard work to make up for the stress he caused them. H also decided to prepare something during their absence that would make them feel better when they returned. He didn''t know what he will do yet, but he believed that the idea would soon come to him. When he closed the gate, someone stopped him. It was Cassandra.


    ¡°Peter, there you are... What happened? Ed ran away from home crying, then you...¡±


    ¡°Well, we had a fight.¡± He said, lowering his head down. ¡°Doesn''t Granny know where he might be now?¡±


    ¡°He isn¡¯t here?¡±


    ¡°Well... I think he was, but he left me a message that he''s going somewhere with Kasei for a while and that I don¡¯t need to worry.¡±


    ¡°Strange...¡± The old woman thought. ¡°He hasn¡¯t told me anything, and most often he tells me about his future trips. ??Maybe it¡¯s for some books again, or to listen to some lectures. I don''t know well where he goes. Don''t worry, I know you''re stressed out after that quarrel, but Ed will come back for sure.¡±


    ¡°I know¡± he answered with a slight smile. ¡°Thank you, Grandma!¡±


    Peter ran straight ahead and the granny only smiled. Peter''s concern, thanks to her assurance, has diminished. Now he wanted to focus on his work and his patients.

 To heavens, or to nothingness (Part 2)

    Kasei and Ed were on a train. The golden-haired man was leaning his head against his hand and looking out the window. The redhead was sitting next to him and she was getting impatient.


    ¡°So then...¡± she said. ¡°What do we do?¡±


    ¡°This thing talked about our country.¡± Ed said ¡°That this is where the finals will take place. And also, that we have to find a seal. I don''t know how and I don''t know where.¡±


    ¡°Argh, why does it have to be so difficult?!¡± she started whining.


    ¡°It¡¯s no wonder, looking at the prize for winning this game. We need help, someone who might know what to do well¡­¡±


    ¡°But who could know about it?¡±


    ¡°Probably families like Kavaru, I guess, at least. I think we should go to the capital. Arthur can give us access to the books from the Great Library, maybe we can find something there. But getting there will take awhile, so it is wise to stop somewhere and check the area. For the seals, of course. I think it will have the same kind of aura as that deity.¡±


    ¡°So which city should we choose? We''ve already passed Virtice, Pel...¡±


    ¡°Nayo. There¡¯s a lot of nobility and priests there, so maybe the deity left something there.¡±


    ¡°So there''s still some time before we get there.¡± She smiled, but her smile quickly faded when she remembered something. ¡°Hey, Ed... I have a question for you. Don''t you really have a dream? Aren¡¯t you... unhappy about what''s going on?¡±


    ¡°Unhappy?¡± He asked with amazement and then sighed. ¡°It''s true that all this is tiring me out, but... At least, I will clear my conscience by winning what''s due to Peter. What the deceased Ian wanted. I know it won''t be easy at all, but I have to do it. My... honor as a brother depends on it. And when Peter and you are happy, I will be too.¡±


    ¡°PFH!¡± She looked away with a red face. ¡°You don''t have to be happy because of me, you idiot.¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± He smiled meanly. They spent a few more minutes teasing each other.


    After less than an hour the train stopped, and Ed and Kasei went onto the platform. The city of Nayo was quite big, but also very clean. New, beautifully painted buildings, decorated streets and a peaceful rhythm of life were the symbols of this place. Aristocrats, wealthy people without a family and priests lived here, ordinary citizens in most cases were only guests. Ed thought that there might be a seal here. Logically speaking, it''s more often the poor people that have wishes they can''t fulfill, and here, where beggars live in the shade of splendor and wealth of others, it was likely that the deity would decide to throw them a piece of meat, which would mean the seal. They walked through the city together, seeing beautifully dressed women, well-groomed men and children running in different directions. At one point Kasei noticed that one of them had fennec''s ears and laughed. She continued to see people without animal ears, or with ears of a wolf, a cat, a mouse or even of those, which she did not know the name of.


    ¡°I wonder if they''re magicians or weapons.¡± Kasei thought.


    ¡°Well.... Did you know that according to Rin Kavaru, that famous historian, people with animal forms were once the only ones who could use magic? In addition, they fought with people. Only after some time did they realize that humans and they actually had one thing in common... And they began starting families together and then they created weapons.¡±


    ¡°You know, Eddie...¡± Kasei laughed nervously.


    ¡°I''m listening.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to say that this story sounds great, but then I had a vision of how my ancestors came into being...¡± She blushed. ¡°I mean, you know, a man with an animal form... and how they had to start families with people...¡± She giggled and covered her face with her hands. Ed stopped and thought about it when he suddenly went red himself.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.?? ¡°I must admit that I wondered about it once myself, although the law forbids... you know, those things, under the form of an animal. But let''s hope that our ancestors did nothing strange with animals. Nor with animal-people. Because both are zoophilia.¡± He laughed a bit. ¡°Although many think that animal-people were created at the same time as humans, or by magic. But according to some beliefs, your race is a gift from god, or something. Of course I denied it before, but now I¡¯m wondering if it could be true...¡±


    ¡°I still don''t believe it! The philosopher Edward is thinking about the existence of gods!¡± she joyfully shouted and went further ahead.


    ¡°I am not a philosopher¡± he whispered with a smile. Kasei was walking when she suddenly bumped into someone and fell. Ed quickly ran up to her.


    ¡°I''m sorry!¡± said the redhead. Ed came up and picked her up.


    ¡°Edward!¡± exclaimed the person that the girl crashed into. She was a woman with blue hair and cherry eyes. She was dressed in an extremely elegant silver dress reaching down to the ground, but her arms were completely uncovered. ¡°I didn''t expect to see you here!¡±


    ¡°Lady Elizabeth of the Bas family?¡± he asked with a smile.


    ¡°Lady, lady, feh! You used to call me auntie! How you grew up, I last saw you many years ago when Carolina brought you and Pereter here!¡±


    ¡°Peter.¡± He corrected.


    ¡°Ah, Peter! My poor memory!¡± She laughed. ¡°What brings you here?¡±


    ¡°Actually, we¡¯re here temporarily. We want to get to the capital, since I have to take care of a few things.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I understand! You know, you can stay at my home then. Today we¡¯re having a ball, it would be nice if you came by! Oh, with her, of course!¡± She pointed to the redhead. ¡°Well... who is she? Your fianc¨¦e?¡±


    Kasei started fuming. Ed laughed seeing her reaction.


    ¡°YOU MORON! WHAT IS SHE TALKING ABOUT?!¡± shouted the animal-eared. ¡°WHAT FIANC¨¦E?!¡±


    ¡°Oho? So you''re not his future wife?¡± asked the confused blue-haired woman.


    ¡°No, no¡± Ed quickly explained. ¡°That''s Kasei, my weapon. She is only ten years old.¡±


    ¡°Ten? Oh, then it''s a few more years before looking for a husband! But, what, Ed, are you going to marry her someday?¡±


    ¡°Heh, heh... No¡± he answered with a bit of annoyance.


    ¡°I WOULD NEVER MARRY SUCH A DORK!¡± she screamed.


    ¡°What a sweet girl!¡± said Elizabeth with a smile. ¡°So Edward, will you come home with me, or do you want to look around the city?¡±


    ¡°We will go with you. Come on, ¡®Fianc¨¦e¡¯¡± he teased Kasei.


    ¡°One more word and I''ll cut off your tongue.¡± She threatened and Elizabeth laughed. Then Kasei changed into her animal form and jumped on the gold-haired man''s shoulder. She whispered in his ear:


    ¡°Hey Ed, but are we sure we''re doing the right thing? We were supposed to look for a seal.¡±


    ¡°Thanks to this, we will camouflage ourselves a little bit.¡± He whispered. ¡°We don''t know who might already know about us being part of the game, and during the ball we can always sneak out and sniff around...¡±

 To heavens, or to nothingness (Part 3)

    Goro had been training for several hours. He locked himself in the training room and did stop exercising even for a moment. For many years his father had been preparing him for this fight - Delaunay, as one of the three ancient families, had knowledge of the divine game, which they hid from the rest of the world. They were also well prepared, thanks to the observation of the situation and the experience of their ancestors.


    He trained with the raccoon, who was now turned into a weapon; it was a silver kusarigama with a chain that could be freely extended, with a large sickle at the beginning of the handle, and a small spiked ball at the end of the chain. Logs were hung from the ceiling and used for training. The black-haired man grabbed the handle, positioned himself properly, then jumped out and started striking and cutting them with a sickle, then with a hook, to lengthen the chain with a spike and hit again.


    He looked at the fruit of his work - pieces of wood were lying on the ground cut or torn apart. He sighed.


    ¡°It could have gone better¡± he commented and closed his eyes. Prash then turned into his animal form.


    ¡°You did well, master.¡± ¡°Well?¡± He smiled. ¡°Well is not acceptable in this game. It must go perfectly.¡±


    ¡°Goro.¡± An adult voice called. The black-haired man turned around.


    ¡°Ah, greetings, father¡± he said, still with a smile


    ¡°Come with me.¡± Goro, like Prash, followed Walwan to his room. Inside, there was a large number of candles lit, and a few people standing attentively by the wall. Goro looked at them and closed the huge door.


    ¡°Nice-looking guests.¡± He laughed. Walwan sat down on his chair.


    ¡°Goro, you said that the deity came to you yesterday. I did not think that our desires could be noticed by him. I am very satisfied. Since the search for him is over, it is time for the more important issues.¡± The man waved his hand, then one of the people by the wall approached Goro, bowed down to him and gave him a scroll. There was a number eight on it. Goro opened it, and the scroll immediately shone with a white light and then disappeared. The black-haired man was confused, but then he saw the number on the inside of his hand, surrounded by various symbols.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.??¡°A seal?¡± he asked, obviously irritated. ¡°I could¡¯ve gotten it myself!¡±


    ¡°Goro!¡± His father growled. ¡°I understand that you want to fight, which I respect, but don''t let yourself be bothered by it. If we want to win, we must prepare ourselves properly, just as Vinte did. I promise you, you will still have a chance to fight.¡±


    ¡°Well, fine! So what should I do next?¡±


    ¡°You and the men I assigned to you will go to our military base tomorrow. Spies have started looking for traces of other participants of the game in the cities, and when you make sure it''s the right time to attack one of them, you will.¡±


    ¡°So I have to sit back and wait until someone graciously brings me information?¡± he asked, again upset.


    ¡°Do you think it''s better to go blindly? You are not a magician, so it will be difficult for you to target your opponents properly. As long as you have a seal, you have the right to get into the final fight, don''t forget about it. And even if you have to wait until the end to kill any of them, you will do it because you have a duty to do so.¡±


    ¡°I understand, father¡± he said with his mean smile. ¡°I will not let you down.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Now go, continue training. You have to be in the best possible shape!¡± He ordered harshly. Goro took Prash and left the room.


    ¡°Master...¡± The raccoon started.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Is it fine just making your father¡¯s dreams come true? Don''t you have any?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Prash, Prash...¡± He smiled darkly and looked at the raccoon. ¡°Of course I do, but I don''t need any gods to fulfill them. I''ll take care of it after winning.¡±


    ¡°If you don''t mind my asking... What''s your dream?¡± ¡°Revenge. And I think you''ll help me with it when the time comes.¡± He answered with an even more terrifying smile. Prash lowered his head down. ¡°Come on, we still have some work to do before we leave. Unfortunately, you have to wait for the real fight, you heard my father, I hope it doesn''t bother you.¡±


    ¡°O-Of course not, master¡± he answered.

 To heavens, or to nothingness (Part 4)

    He was tired. He had to run from one place to another, avoiding the army, guards and onlookers who might want to turn him in. He felt annoyed about it, very annoyed. But his priority now was to find what the deity has left - the seal. However, his legs refused to obey him. In the end he leaned against a tree and settled on the ground. He was breathing hard, wiping waterfalls of sweat from his forehead.


    ¡®Well, my boy, you''re better than I thought! You''re wanted by the whole country!¡¯ A voice laughed out of nowhere.


    ¡°Shut up¡± Mateo growled. ¡°Tell me, why don''t you show your ugly mug?¡±


    ¡®Because currently I don''t have the power to materialize my form. You know, it takes a lot of mana to fulfill wishes.¡¯


    ¡°I thought you, the gods, had enough of it to last for a while.¡±


    ¡®This is punishment for the things I used to do.¡¯ He laughed.


    ¡°Punishment? Ah, I see. After all, gods must be pretty sadistic if they let so much wrong shit happen in this world.¡±


    ¡®They allow? Oh, Matevigo, you''re so naive.¡¯


    ¡°What?¡± he answered, not hiding his anger.


    ¡®It¡¯s in human nature to look for guilt. Most often you choose superhuman beings, or gods, or whatever you want to call it, as the guilty ones. But do you know what "free will" is? It''s actually people who themselves are guilty. Look, Matevigo, you smashed your friend, and his brother without thinking earlier, you hurt them. You believe that a god was involved here? Ah, yes, you think he could have forbidden you from doing that, but it would¡¯ve been a violation of your free will! Do you now understand who''s to blame for what''s happening to you? Your brother, who broke the taboo. It was his will, and through that will he hurt you. Simple, right?¡¯


    ¡°Stop your fucking yapping!¡± he screamed out. ¡°Ian didn''t do anything wrong! Ian wanted to... help them... Yeah... Now I know what¡¯s going on. What''s going on with you.¡±


    ¡®Oh? You know?¡¯ he cackled. ¡®What do you know?¡¯


    ¡°I know who''s to blame. Ah, I knew from the beginning... it¡¯s Peter and Edward. They got Ian too into it all, promising miracles. It was probably Peter who persuaded him to break the taboo... And you know what? If it''s true, I''ll destroy the pain... by destroying them. I will destroy them all.¡±


    The deity laughed disgustingly.


    ¡®Amazing, I haven¡¯t expected that.¡¯ He kept laughing. Suddenly he noticed that Mateo was focusing his magic. ¡®Oh, the tracking spell?¡¯


    ¡°Thanks to the aura you created, I feel that the seal is close.¡± He smiled.


    ¡®Clever. But how are you going to catch Edward if you''re being pursued? I guess he''s got a friend in the army, huh? Well, unless...¡¯


    ¡°What?¡± he growled.


    ¡®Unless you track him down using the seal.¡¯ He laughed disgustingly.


    ¡°HE''S IN THE GAME TOO?!¡± screamed Mateo.


    ¡®Remember, I never lie! At worst I can answer vaguely.¡¯


    ¡°I see. It''s perfect then...¡± His face has taken on a disturbing expression. ¡°You''re saying that as long as I have a seal I can join the final battle?¡±


    ¡®Yes. You could even not kill any of your rivals at all. Duh, you may actually wait and fight only at the end, if you prefer.¡¯


    ¡°...Perfect¡± he repeated. ¡°But I''m going to get to Edward much earlier. And then... I''m going to win this and resurrect Ian...¡±


    ¡®Resurrection of someone¡¯ repeated the god, with a obvious amusement. ¡®A noble wish. Good luck in destroying the suffering, Matevigo!¡¯


    ¡°Wait¡± he stopped him. ¡°One more thing.¡±


    ¡®Yes?¡¯ he asked, curious.


    ¡°I swear to you, I''ll win this fucking game, even if I have to massacre everyone in this country. You understand me?¡±


    ¡®Well, that¡¯s what I call an ambition!¡¯ He laughed out loudly. ¡®I''m counting on you to keep this up and that I''ll really see you in the finals.¡¯


    ¡°You will.¡± He assured and began walking to the direction where the magic that gathered at his hand indicated. The deity laughed again, and then his voice went silent.


    The black-haired man was heading for the village. He put a hood over his head so that no one would recognize him too quickly. It was dark, so it was a comfortable situation for him. After a few minutes he reached the village, which was larger than the name indicated. He walked along the dark streets so that passersby would not notice the magic around his hand. Suddenly he found himself at an old warehouse.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.??¡®Well, there''s nothing like a well thought-out hideout...¡¯ He commented to himself. He opened the door as quietly as he could with magic, then slipped inside. But suddenly he felt someone else''s presence. He smiled. ¡°I see you care about the seal, you fuckers.¡±


    ¡°Fuckers? Is that what you say to women?!¡± They''ve emerged from the shadows. The first one of them was pretty tall. She had short brown hair, grey eyes and clothes, which consisted of a gray jacket that slightly revealed the shoulders and reached to the navel, and equally gray pants, apparently of some kind of leather, but her shoes were white, with low heels, and her complexion was tanned.


    The other one though looked comical - she was small, had blue, medium-length hair with spiky fringe, creamy complexion and brown eyes. Her clothes were made of multicolored fabrics, incompetently sewn together - one sleeve of the shirt was long, reaching to her wrist and the other to her elbow, the collar covered her left arm, but left the right one revealed. At the bottom it didn¡¯t look much better either, one part was short enough to reveal a piece of her belly, where the other part of the shirt reached to her thigh. It was similar with the trousers, one side exposed practically the whole thigh, when the other reached to her knee. Her shoes were black, and a pair of blue rabbit ears grew out of her head. Mateo barely stopped himself from laughing.


    ¡°I can see that the deity has visited the circus too!¡± He snorted.


    ¡°You little...¡± They started growling. ¡°We have a weapon. You, only fists!¡±


    Then the rabbit turned into a chainsaw that had a rainbow handle. Mateo, unable to hold on any longer, burst out laughing.


    ¡°You may have a weapon, but you must be joking!¡± he commented, then he focused the magic on his hands. The brunette jumped out and stabbed him in the shoulder, but he quickly moved and hit her in the belly. She jumped away, wanting to strike again, when suddenly the chainsaw got jammed. Mateo grabbed her blade with both hands in the middle and pushed it back hard. The crazy mistress started to hit the saw with her fist.


    ¡°Iris, focus!¡± she ordered.


    ¡°I''m doing the best I can!¡± answered the weapon, and then she started working again. At the same time Mateo was focusing on tracing the seal, considering this "fight" like some kind of performance. Suddenly... he felt it. He gathered magic in the soles of his feet and knocked himself up high. He grabbed the beam, which was placed by the roof, and on it the seal waited. He took it and then unfolded it, the number three appearing on his hand surrounded by various strange symbols, which disappeared after a few seconds.


    ¡°EVA, HE HAS THE SEAL!¡± screamed Iris. Eva laughed.


    ¡°Number three? So we''re one place ahead of you¡± the brunette said.


    ¡°I don''t know if this changes anything¡± said emptily the black-headed, though deep down he was surprised that his ridiculous opponents were able to get one.


    ¡°Yes, it has. BECAUSE WE KNOW WHAT A NICE NUMBER WE''LL HAVE WHEN WE CUT YOUR HAND OFF!¡± Eva screamed with a maniacal smile on her face. Mateo laughed too.


    ¡°Well, then show me you doing it!¡± He jumped in her direction again. Eva grabbed the saw firmly, then charged towards Mateo, who knocked the weapon out of her hand with a kick, and before she knew it, he punched her in the face with his fist with all his might¡­ of course, spicing the blow with magic. Eva and the saw fell to the ground, Mateo smiled. ¡°You have a weapon. A shitty weapon. And I have my fists!¡±


    ¡°No...¡± Eva squealed. ¡°Don''t hurt me...¡±


    "But I won''t. I''m just going to cut your hand off.¡± He smiled again. But suddenly he heard the military coming. ¡°Fucking hell.¡±


    Mateo, forgetting about Eva, made a hole in the roof using a magic bullet and jumped through it, focusing magic in the soles of his feet to get out. He was quickly noticed that way, so he ran away fast.


    Iris turned into a rabbit, Eva grabbed her by the ears, and also started running.


    ¡°OW OW, STOOOP!¡± the rabbit was screaming.


    ¡°Shut up or we''ll get caught!¡±


    ¡°Where now?!¡±


    ¡°Wherever, we''ll catch that son of a bitch later!¡±

 To heavens, or to nothingness (Part 5)

    The evening came faster than they expected. Elizabeth''s cozy mansion was a gathering of various people, most of whom threw themselves at the tables with appetizers and other great-looking dishes. Kasei commented this very meanly, but funnily nonetheless; "they are so rich, but they behave as if they hadn''t eaten for a month". Ed was standing


    together with her next to a table with beautiful glasses and bottles of wine, alcohol and even top quality beer. As a thoughtful woman, Elizabeth made sure that the golden-haired man and red-headed girl were dressed the best they could: Ed wore an elegant suit, and Kasei was dressed in a red dress with pinned-on real roses, and her hair was styled.


    ¡°I don''t like it¡± she said suddenly.


    ¡°What exactly?¡± asked the golden-haired.


    ¡°That I must look like some pretty girlie!¡± She made a scrunched-up face and did a pose to show she¡¯s unhappy. ¡°Eddie, let''s wrap up quickly and do something else, I want to go back to my own clothes!¡±


    ¡°Stop it¡± He smiled, grabbed a glass and poured some wine. ¡°You look so cute, you could look so wonderful every day! Maybe I''d think more seriously about what ¡®auntie¡¯ said today.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®auntie¡¯?! She said a lot of things, starting with the fact that I have ¡®incredibly lovely hair¡¯ and ending with praising you, so what do you mean?!¡±


    ¡°About getting married!¡± His smile widened. ¡°Seriously, you look so cute now, I think I''m going to fall in love with you.¡± He started drinking from a glass, still happy. Kasei started laughing quietly, she felt humiliated.


    ¡°One more word...¡± she threatened him with a terrifying tone, and with a nervous smile. ¡°And I''ll stick a really thick nail down your throat...¡±


    Edward swallowed the wine, and put the glass down.


    ¡°Then I''d better not joke around, with that threat! Although if you''re talking about the ones in our house, maybe I can swallow them because they''re pretty short. And then I''ll survive and be able to joke with you again!¡±


    ¡°I''ll kill you.¡±


    ¡°I love you too.¡± But Ed and Kasei realized it''s time to stop fooling around. Kasei started thinking about how they could get out of the ballroom without getting too much attention. Suddenly the fenec saw one door that no one was standing by. Edward asked Kasei to put her hands on his forearm to make them look like a couple, so as not to get noticed. After many internal protests, the redhead finally agreed, for a "higher goal". They started to walk calmly, and were getting closer and closer, getting very nervous. When they got to the door, fate wanted them to be stopped.


    ¡°Oh? And who do we have here?¡± asked a man who apparently had already given in to the wonderful influence of alcohol. A second, smaller one joined him after a while.


    ¡°Ah! That''s Edward from Rebellar¡± added the other one. ¡°Elizabeth was just talking about you!¡±


    ¡°Is he the son of this... uh... Carina?¡± asked the first one.


    ¡°Carolina¡± Ed fixed.


    ¡°Oh, right. Carina from Relar.¡± The drunk man laughed. ¡°I am Stavu of the Heven family. I''m telling you, she was the hottest chick, absolute number one! I remember, yeah, I was sixteen, I was a little shit, I stole something with my friends. But what was it? Eh, I don''t remember, never mind it, it was over twenty years ago! So we''re sneaking around, stealing, when suddenly a young girl comes up; with a braid, golden hair, green eyes, big tits. So what then? She''s starting to throw spells at us! And we can''t use spells! Well, she got us, although she was a woman, but a beautiful one! She was something to look at. And then it turns out she''s an army cadet, we messed up hard, Mr. Edward! She was younger than me by a spring, but stronger, and how much! Our faces were so blue and red, sir, you¡¯ve got no idea. Even so, everyone was in love with her! She sometimes got flowers, sometimes gifts, and even once she got a rotten apple! But that time no one laughed, because she caught the one who brought it to her. But what can you do, later she became such a general! She fought in wars when we were being attacked on the border! And here a few years ago Voyca was fighting with some country, eh, well, with Nihoria! You know, Mr. Edward.¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.??¡°I think I know¡± he said sleepily, and Kasei was literally already hanging on to his shoulder.


    ¡°Well, Mr. Edward, you think, you know!¡± Stavu laughed again. ¡°I heard that this... Perfer or whatever, the younger one from Carina, who was born, even got permission to treat blood diseases! Well, good wombs make good sons, not some sons of bitches, like those thieves or other bastards. Ah, Mr. Edward, I have a feeling that you will take care of them soon! Since you shouldn¡¯t mess with Carina¡¯s sons the way they are! Strong ones that everyone will fear. So, you know, Mr. Edward, we could use a bit of help around here.¡±


    ¡°Around here?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Edward! There are two thieves. They''re burning towns, they even tried to set fire to my villa once, they stole my expensive carpet, that''s unforgivable! And now they''re making a mess in the village of Epis. They''re boasting something about having an army and being like those thieves... You know, Mr. Edward, those thieves. That take revenge.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Well, Mr. Edward, you must know that Carina''s been chasing them around, because they''ve been messing with me too for a long time. They pray to the god of light, and as you know, they''ll always find a reason to fight for their faith. And, well, Mr. Edward, since you¡¯re here, please do something with them, if you can. Because they''ve been talking about some devil, like those vengeful thieves or something, who the hell knows, they''re mad people.¡±


    Kasei and Ed looked at each other.


    ¡°...I understand¡± Ed said quietly. ¡°We''ll try and do something about it. By the way, we planned to go through Epis anyway.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Mr. Edward, that¡¯s great!¡± Stavu laughed again and slapped his tiny comrade in the back. He coughed on impact. ¡°So what, Den, more liquor, eh? We can''t waste this opportunity! We''ll bring some for Mr. Edward too.¡±


    ¡°Fine, come then¡± his companion said and they went away. Ed and Kasei then got through the door and started running through the hall.


    ¡°I thought it would never end!¡± she said with relief. ¡°But at least we have some information!¡±


    ¡°True, but now we should search the area. I have to look for the mana that I felt next to the deity before. I don''t really know any tracking spells, so... we have to rely on my intuition.¡±


    ¡°Just so it doesn''t fail. AGH! CAN I TEAR THIS DRESS APART?!¡± she screamed when she tripped and almost fell over.


    ¡°Just turn into a weapon.¡±


    Kasei followed his instructions. Her body shone with white light and then she turned into her third form, which he caught in his hand. They finally got out of Elizabeth''s house. Edward focused on tracking down the mana of the deity. However, it was a bit difficult, as it consumed a lot of his own energy, since he was not an expert in such spells. Thanks to magic, he was able to fix something or combine it with itself, but he didn''t know anything about combat or spying art. His mother did not want him or Peter to join the army, so she only taught them practical spells. Ed regretted it a bit now, though, and thought that his mother could have taught him a few combat spells, but now he had to learn everything himself.

 To heavens, or to nothingness (Part 6)

    They were walking, the night sky was covered by dark clouds. The city looked as if deserted, since most of the people went to Elizabeth''s, and the rest of them were asleep. Ed unbuttoned his jacket and shirt¡¯s collar, as he had a bit of a trouble breathing. It wasn''t at all warm outside, however, as it was October and even considering the climate in which Gormilia was located, the nights were cold. Suddenly, he felt something. He wasn¡¯t sure, however, if it was the aura of the deity, yet he still walked where the smell of magic was leading him. Unfortunately, he was getting more and more stuffy, when he felt stronger traces of mana and got shivers on his spine.


    ¡°What is it, Ed?¡± Kasei spoke to him, still in a form of a weapon.


    ¡°I think we¡¯re here.¡± Ed was looking at a white brick building. It was apparently the City Hall. He silently slipped inside. He looked around to see if there was anyone inside; except a bodyguard sleeping in a chair, he didn''t notice anyone else. He carefully began walking towards the stairs, which were on the other side of the hall. The rest of the room was filled with sculptures, painted portraits hanging on the wall, doors to other rooms and carpets on the ground. Together with the weapon held in his left hand, Ed walked with his right hand stretched out in front of him, where he focused his magic.


    Slowly he took a step on the staircase, when suddenly the bodyguard mumbled something in his sleep, but did not wake up. Ed took a deep breath, and took the next step. After a while he found himself upstairs, but the aura he felt led him higher and higher. He continued, still keeping his eyes wide open and listening carefully for a slightest sound. After a while he reached the very top, where the surroundings weren¡¯t as pretty: there was a rusted bell hanging from the ceiling, but you could see the panorama of Nayo. The room itself was made of wood, with lots of pillars that supported the roof. Ed now felt the aura even more clearly: he wiped the sweat from his forehead as he started to feel like he was burning.


    ¡°How is it?¡± asked Kasei.


    ¡°I''m sure there''s something here... but where?¡±


    As he started looking, he got a little calmer. However, this did not last long, as he heard someone''s footsteps and quickly hid behind a pillar. He looked out from behind it, and saw an adult man climbing the stairs. He had black hair, bright complexion and blue eyes. He was in his forties or so. A black coat covered his whole body. The man started looking around the room as if he was looking for something.


    ¡®Another chosen one?¡¯ Edward wondered. He grabbed the handle of the spear firmly, then jumped out from behind the pillar and pointed the blade at the stranger. The man froze for a moment, raising his hands slightly up. He looked straight into Edward''s eyes, who was obviously anxious.


    ¡°Heh¡± the man snorted, relaxing a little. ¡°I thought so.¡±


    ¡°Thought what?¡±


    ¡°That it wouldn''t be easy to get a seal.¡± He dropped his coat, revealing a shirt with a vest underneath. He wore gray pants and a belt, on which he hung a case with a sword. He quickly pulled out his weapon and hit the spear. Edward jumped back. His opponent smiled and combed his hair with his hand.


    ¡°I am Hemv of Myzen, one of the chosen ones.¡±


    ¡°I''ve already figured that out for myself¡± said the golden-haired. ¡°I¡¯m Edward from Rebellar.¡±


    Hemv jumped at Ed again, he pushed him away with Kasei and his magic. After the push, the black-haired man managed to regain his balance and then he straightened up.


    ¡°You fight well for a young man. However, the fact that you have an animal-person weapon is not enough to defeat me!¡±


    ¡°GAH, WE''LL FIND OUT!¡± screamed Kasei. Hemv and Edward fought, clashed with each other, trying to hurt one another as effectively as possible. Hemv managed to slash Edward¡¯s arm, and the boy jumped away. He clenched his teeth and looked at the hurt arm. The fabric of his clothes was cut and blood was flowing from the wound. Then Hemv charged at him again, but despite the pain he managed to avoid it.


    ¡°Ed, are you okay?!¡± asked Kasei.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine...¡± he spoke with pain in his voice.


    ¡°How long can you hold out, Edward?¡± asked the black-haired, and then he struck him with another blow, trying to hit his belly. Luckily, the golden-haired man turned around in time, so only his hip took a blow. ¡°Soon I''ll send you back to where the deity came from.¡±


    ¡°What are you fighting for, Hemv?¡± Ed asked, slightly limping. ¡°If you want to kill me, you must care very much about it.¡±


    ¡°What do I want?¡± He smiled. ¡°Wealth. Disgusting wealth.¡±


    ¡°Wealth? Is that what the deity chose you for?¡±


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.??¡°Exactly. Nayo used to be my home. I was one of the richest, if not the richest of all. I had a wonderful woman, with a well-known name. But one day they robbed me!¡± He screamed and threw himself at Ed again, the injured golden-haired man used his spear, this time managing to stab the enemy with it. The black-haired man jumped back and put his hand on the chest Ed just hurt. He laughed.


    ¡°They took everything from me. They framed me for some religious crime... You probably know, the thieves believing in the god of light. They believe that if they destroy all the unbelievers, their beloved god will take away all the suffering that he allegedly cursed this damn world with because of those who don''t believe in him! They framed me, they robbed me, they took away my woman... My wish is to make all of them, these thieves, die in agony. And then I will take all their wealth! And then I''ll be rich again! So a brat like you won''t take my seal! There¡¯s no way you could understand!¡±


    He shouted and then charged. Edward also jumped at him, they clashed, tried to hurt each other. Edward felt a strange anger grow in him, one he had never felt before. One which he... couldn''t explain.


    ¡°I understand more...¡± said Ed, who looked at him with fury, reminding himself of his mother, who had been killed by the believers of the Light. ¡°Than... you think. But... you, despite losing someone close, still want money?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do. They''ll help me find someone new. I will be respected again, I will have a beautiful woman! It''ll be like old times! And the deity will provide me with that!¡±


    ¡°The new one...¡± he repeated it and got even more pissed off. ¡°So you didn''t really love her, this woman?¡±


    ¡°What...¡± Hemv looked like he was about to explode. ¡°OF COURSE I DID! BUT THAT DOESN''T CHANGE THE FACT THAT I CAN''T FIND SOMEONE NEW AND REPLACE IT, YOU STUPID BRAT!¡± He attacked him again, Edward blocked his sword with his spear.


    ¡°If you loved someone...¡± Edward clamped his hands firmly on the spear handle and focused his magic. ¡°You don''t forget that someone. You don¡¯t replace them... They can¡¯t be replaced...! And the death of these thieves won''t ensure your wealth¡¯s return!¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP!¡± screamed Hemv, then jumped far away from him. He grabbed the sword''s grip harder, then resumed his attack, running straight at Edward. ¡°PEOPLE LIKE YOU WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER! AND NOW BE SO NICE AND JUST DIE!¡± He ran, aiming the sword at him. Edward felt sudden fury.


    ¡°You, too... will never understand why I have to win!¡± The golden-haired shouted and stabbed in the man¡¯s direction. After a few seconds, blood started dripping on the wooden floor. Edward slowly opened his eyes, but quickly regretted it. His opponent was pierced on the spear that Kasei was turned into. His pupils turned into small points. Hemv coughed, and drops of blood fell on Edward¡¯s face. He quickly pulled Kasei out, and the man limply fell to the ground and slowly bled out. Then... he was dead. At that sight, that strange anger disappeared. Instead, he got hysterical, he didn''t know what to do now. He started panicking. He dropped Kasei, grabbed his hands by the head, and started... laughing, out of fear. He couldn''t do anything else, so he laughed even though he was absolutely scared. Kasei had turned into her animal form, she was also shaking, her fur was dirty with blood.


    ¡°Why... Why have I done that?!¡± He was laughing. ¡°Why did I... Why did I kill him?!¡±


    ¡°ED, CALM DOWN!¡± screamed the frightened redhead. ¡°TAKE THAT SEAL AND LET¡¯S RUN!¡±


    The boy started looking around. He finally noticed something strange near the bell. He ran up there, saw it was a scroll. He took the scroll in his hands, felt the stifling aura again, then he and Kasei started to run. They just ran. Luckily, the bodyguard didn''t wake up, when they exited the town hall


    They were running, just running, no matter where, just away from there.


    ~


    Elizabeth said goodbye to her guests, she talked to each one herself. Mr. Stavu had four men having trouble taking him out of the house in their arms, because he got drunk so he couldn''t walk. The woman ordered the servants to start cleaning, but then she realized that her main guests were nowhere to be found. She left the room through a large door, walked through a dark corridor, and headed for the room she had assigned to them. She opened the door. It was dark inside, but the window was wide open. She looked at the bed, there was a square red dress, and an elegant suit next to it. She came closer, looked at the clothes, which looked unused. After a while, she also saw a piece of paper. She picked it up and read the thanks and the request not to worry, written in beautiful letters. Elizabeth smiled.


    ¡°Oh, that Ed. Carolina disappeared sometimes like that too.¡±

 To heavens, or to nothingness (Part 7)

    There were still a few hours left until sunrise. The night was the best time for a search, because there was no one around. Four people were walking together, side by side, three girls, and one boy. In front walked a girl of medium height. She had long, straight red hair, her eyes resembled the color of fire: yellow mixed with orange and red. she was wearing a white T-shirt, on which she put a navy blue jacket. She also wore black trousers and laced shoes reaching a little above her ankles. She had wheat-colored complexion, and her face was freckled. She was the leader of the group. Behind followed a taller girl, the oldest of the group. Her straight hair was pale violet and reached to her shoulders. Her eyes were pale red in color and had a serious expression. Her skin was very light. A pair of white fox ears poked through her hair, and she was dressed, like the leader, in a black jacket under which she wore a white blouse. On her lower body she wore black trousers, which accentuated her nicely-shaped legs, and black military boots, fastened with belts rather than laces. On her hands she had black fingerless gloves. Her right hand was stretched forward - she was currently using magic. She was followed by the shortest person of the group. She had, like the oldest one, very bright skin. Her hair was black and curly, very fluffy and thick, with blue rabbit ears sticking out of it. She had grey eyes, with two tattoo-like stars under her left eye. Her clothes consisted of a blue golf sweater, black trousers and shoes. The last one, the sole boy of the group, had the highest height, and was slightly younger than the girl with violet hair. He had fluffy dark brown hair and a pair of light brown fox ears. His eyes were olive-colored and his skin was slightly tanned. He wore a checkered green shirt and dark blue trousers, laced shoes, and wore a bag on his shoulder. They were walking along the street, which was lit by the faint light of the lanterns. Suddenly the animal-people moved their ears in the direction of a sound. The leader looked and her sight fell on a brown cat, the most ordinary domesticated pet. They breathed out, except for the black-haired one, who immediately threw herself at the cat and caught it.


    ¡°Eris, what are you doing?¡± asked the violet-haired.


    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®what¡¯?!¡± she replied in an upset tone. ¡°It must be some kind of spy! Some kind of weapon of our enemy! Or some kind of magician!¡± She shaking around the cat that was meowing and hissing. The red-haired girl covered the cat¡¯s body with her magic, then pulled it out of Eris'' hands and brought it to herself. She took it into her hands and looked at it.


    ¡°No, it''s just a pet¡± she said and put the cat down, which quickly ran away. ¡°As always, your suspicions turn out to be false.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡± Eris was offended. ¡°And Kyoko, what, did she find something? Since she''s so great and all.¡±


    ¡°Calm down¡± answered calmly the violet-haired. ¡°If you scream like that, I won¡¯t be able to feel out anything¡±


    ¡°Oh, so it''s all my fault again?!¡±


    Without answering, the fox just sighed and walked away, followed by the leader and the boy. Eris got angry for a moment more, muttered something under her nose and followed them. They walked for a few minutes when another problem came up.


    ¡°Hey¡­¡± sighed the brown-haired. ¡°I know it''s dumb, but...¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± asked the red-haired one.


    ¡°...But I''m terribly hungry, and there''s nothing in the bag anymore.¡± He smiled innocently and put his hand on his belly. The rest of the group stopped.


    ¡°Of course, because you must have eaten everything, Lorenzo!¡± Eris exploded.


    ¡°Hey, come on! I''m a man, I need to eat a little more!¡± He protested.


    ¡°You''ll become fat!¡± barked back the black-haired.


    ¡°Never, because the stress you cause makes me lose weight!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re dead!¡±


    ¡°HEY! Calm down!¡± the leader stopped them. ¡°If you don''t stop arguing, someone will find us! Then you¡¯ll have nothing to laugh at anymore!¡±


    ¡°Okay, Aru...¡± they answered together. ¡°Relax, master, we''ll soon find the seal.¡± Kyoko comforted her.


    ¡°I hope so...¡± Aru sighed. ¡°And the food will be taken care of later. For god''s sake, it''s only been a few hours, and you''ve eaten everything...¡±


    ¡°We''re not far from the capital, and there will be plenty of food there.¡± The tall girl focused her magic again and they continued on. It''s been half an hour since Kyoko suddenly came across a mana trail. The group was happy and they gladly followed her. Suddenly they stopped by a house. It didn''t look deserted, which quickly quenched their enthusiasm.


    ¡°So what now?¡± Lorenzo asked. ¡°Take a crowbar and break in...¡± snorted Eris.


    ¡°Well, I''ll admit you''re right.¡± Aru nodded ¡°We really have to break in there.¡±


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.??¡°But you''re one hundred percent sure there''s a seal there? Maybe it''s not worth the risk...¡± the brown-haired man asked.


    ¡°It''s worth the risk, Lorenzo. What we got into is worth the risk.¡± Aru and Kyoko started tinkering with the door using magic. They finally managed to open it, entered the house one by one, trying to be as quiet as possible. They didn''t know whether the residents were home or not, so they had to be careful. Suddenly they all had trouble breathing.


    ¡°I guess that''s it.¡± The red-haired one became happy. Eris decided to take on the task of finding the seal, as she was the most trained and the smallest of them all. She sneaked quickly through the corridor of the house, at the same time Kyoko pointed out with gestures where to go. Eris opened the door to the room where she was told to enter by the girl. She saw an obese man sleeping on the bed, with many beer bottles on the ground. The black-haired woman expressed a great deal of disgust and irritation with her facial expressions, but she still went in. With neat, theatrical movements she avoided the bottles, looked around the room. It was stuffy. The window above the bed was wide open, but this did not help to fight the feeling. Eventually, she saw some shape at the very top of the bookshelf. She swallowed her saliva and then put her feet on the shelves and gently climbed up. She hoped it was really a seal, but the higher she went, the harder it was to breathe. She grabbed the strange object and smiled, but suddenly one of her feet slipped and fell down. She was terrified and quickly looked at the bed, but the man sleeping on it did not move. She breathed out. She avoided the bottles again and then returned to the group, giving them the scroll.


    ¡°You see how wonderful I am?¡± Eris ripped nose off.


    ¡°And you must''ve had hit something, as we heard.¡± Aru smiled, Eris¡¯ face reddened. She crossed her arms and turned her head away, and, of course, she snorted.


    ¡°The guy is drunk anyway, so he didn''t wake up¡± she said with anger. Aru opened the scroll, which then flashed, and the number six appeared on her hand.


    ¡°Well, my favorite number!¡± The leader laughed.


    ¡°So now we''re officially in the game!¡± Lorenzo was happy.


    ¡°Now just to find the rest of the players, or wait until the finals¡± added Kyoko. ¡°Although I think the less competition the better. But as we agreed, without any dishonorable moves, right, master?¡±


    ¡°Of course, we decided that from the beginning.¡± Aru nodded her head. ¡°Okay, so... now to the capital.¡±


    ¡°Yes! I''ll finally eat something!¡± Lorenzo smiled wide.


    ¡°Glutton.¡± Eris barked. But suddenly something changed. They started to feel the suffocating aura again, but now a little more heavy.


    ¡°The deity?¡± Lorenzo asked, the whole group moved closer to each other.


    ¡°No¡± denied Kyoko. ¡°It''s something else...¡±


    Suddenly the wall in front of them was exploded. They covered their faces with their hands, and when the dust fell, they saw a woman sitting on a pegasus around which black magic was spinning. The pegasus itself had white fur, a black mane, very red eyes and two pairs of wings. The woman, on the other hand, was dressed in white, in a button-up shirt with short sleeves and a long white skirt. She looked at them and laughed terribly. She had short brown hair, light skin and brown eyes.


    ¡°She has a magical winged horse!!¡± screamed Lorenzo.


    ¡°Plus it¡¯s a weird one!¡± added Eris, who was hiding behind him. A woman with a maniacal smile showed them a hand with the number five on it. Aru got nervous.


    ¡°She¡¯s using black magic¡± Kyoko said seriously. ¡°We can''t do it, we have to go!¡±


    ¡°What?! But we were supposed to fight!¡± Eris shouted.


    ¡°WE''RE RUNNING AWAY, NOW!¡± ordered Aru, then threw fireballs at the enemy, which stunned the newcomer for a bit, and used it to withdraw.


    ¡°The magic of fire?!¡± laughed the brown-haired. ¡°Not bad! I heard it wasn¡¯t doing well lately!¡±


    They were running away, and the enemy flew after them on a pegasus and slowly started catching up. They noticed, and Eris panicked. Kyoko and Aru started focusing their magic, they grabbed each other''s hands.


    ¡°LORENZO, ERIS, GRAB US, QUICK!¡± shouted the violet-haired. Lorenzo grabbed Eris by the wrist, jumped out and grabbed his mistress'' hand at the last second. The magic flashed, and they disappeared. The Pegasus stopped on the ground, and started neighing. The brown-haired woman stroke it on the muzzle.


    ¡°Easy, Karia, easy...¡± she whispered to her with a smile. ¡°Soon we will find these cowards.¡±


    The pegasus spread its¡¯ four wings again: two were big, another two grew right next to them and were much smaller. It then flew up, into the night sky.

 To heavens, or to nothingness (Part 8)

    They were sitting at the station. Both curled up, with their heads down. It was the beginning of another day. Kasei wanted to say anything to break this terrible silence, but she didn''t know what. She looked at his face, he was terrified.


    ¡°Ed...¡±whispered quietly Kasei, but didn''t continue. She stayed silent for a few more minutes.


    ¡°No¡± he finally said. The redhead turned her face towards him. The man stood up and clenched his fists. - I know why I had to feel it.


    ¡°Ed...?¡±


    ¡°...Now I know how Peter feels when he takes his patients'' lives.¡± He clenched his teeth. ¡°Now I know what it feels like... to take someone''s life. I''m never going to do it again. I''m never going to... I''m not going to do it by killing others. I''ll make sure Peter doesn''t have to kill anybody either... - He put his hands to his face. - I''ll do it, without killing anyone. I will win... honorably. I''m sure Peter wouldn''t want me to kill anyone for him... What''s gotten into me... I was so angry... I don''t even know why... But I can''t do it anymore... Mother won''t forgive me, if god and heaven really exist... Mother didn''t want us to ever have to kill, like she did in wars...¡±


    ¡°It''s okay...¡± Kasei wrapped him in her hands. ¡°It''s both our fault.¡±


    ¡°Heh...¡± He laughed. ¡°I didn''t think you''d ever hug me, since you¡¯re a mean woman.¡±


    ¡°...Come on, you idiot!¡± She let go of him and acted like she was mad. ¡°Where are we even going?¡±


    ¡°I think we should check... Epis.¡± he answered.


    They were still waiting a while, but finally their train arrived. They got into it, paid for the ride and sat down. Ed took out a small notebook from his jacket pocket, which he always carried with him, together with a special little pen filled with ink. He started writing.


    Today I took someone''s life. I, with those hands that are writing now, murdered a man. I sent him into nothingness... or to heaven? Or to hell? I don''t know. But now I know how my brother feels... No. I don''t know that at all. He must be killing the people he wanted to save, and I killed someone out of anger. Why? Why did it take control over me?


    He was writing, and Kasei was swinging her legs and looking out the train window. They didn''t talk at all during the journey, their faces showed sadness. Ed kept on writing, Kasei was only looking at the moving images outside. They didn''t even feel the flow of time, as they were still thinking about what happened the previous night. None of them could get their thoughts together. Suddenly the train stopped sharply, and most people got up and started looking out the windows.


    ¡°What is happening?¡± Ed asked when he got up and looked out the window, when he saw smoke and then the building that was on fire. Together with Kasei, they ran out of the train. They ran to the village, the inhabitants were carrying buckets, pouring water from them into the flames, in vain.


    ¡°Those damned women!¡± One of the people, with unique sea eyes, screamed, creating water from his hands and throwing it into the flames. He was a natural water magician. ¡°They¡¯re robbing and setting fire to things again!¡±


    Edward was searching for the source of a water, and after a while he saw a well around which a large number of people were gathered. Edward ran and then concentrated his magic: he picked up the water through telekinesis, people moved away. Ed was struggling: he never carried such a large load, especially liquid, so some spilled on the way. Then, he took a deep breath and threw the water towards the burning building. Some of the water fell on the flames, some on the ground, and the rest on a few people standing by. The water magicians took care of the rest, finally putting out the fire.


    ¡°Look, a stranger, how he helped!¡± one of the village dwellers shouted joyfully.


    ¡°He¡¯s a good magician, since he moved the water. What''s yer name? Where are ye from?¡± asked another one.


    ¡°I''m Edward of Rebellar.¡± ¡°Oh, from Rebellor. I heard good people come from there.¡± Some huge man with a black, lush beard, wearing a red checkered shirt tapped him one the back. ¡°Welcome to our town. What brings ye here?¡±


    ¡°I heard someone saying that something¡¯s happening here. As you can see, he wasn''t wrong.¡±


    ¡°Yah.¡± The black-haired nodded his head. - Iris and Eva, I think that''s what they call the vermins. They''re making trouble for us! They steal, they burn things! They talk about some diablo! That we''ll all be bowing to it soon!¡±


    ¡°Diablo? What¡¯s diablo?¡± Kasei asked Ed. He whispered:


    ¡°The devil, only this man is speaking in a dialect a bit.¡±


    ¡°Yah, the diablo. They''re both crazy! Today too, this morning I was going back to the cottage, because I''ve worked all night, so I has to rest. But naw. Again, they''re setting the buildings on fire! I didn''t know if they were working with these robbers, but they''re stealing, terribly. And something needs to be done. If ye are looking for them, maybe ye can do something with them, don''t know.¡±


    ¡°I''ll try¡± Ed said. ¡°How long have they been attacking and what have they been stealing?¡±


    ¡°Hurm...¡± The woman standing next to him wondered. ¡°Money, more valuable things.¡±


    ¡°It''s possible they belong to this particular gang of thieves¡­¡± thought Ed. ¡°That would explain the ¡®devil¡¯... But that drunk guy over there said they weren''t the believers of the Light. We should check it out, Kasei.¡±


    ¡°Okay. We''ll take care of this! Where can we find them?¡± asked the enthusiastic redhead.


    ¡°I think they''re hiding nearby, since the nearby towns and our Epis are being attacked...¡±


    ¡°We can do it. We have magic.¡± They said their goodbyes to the locals and started walking. They still heard words like ¡®good luck!¡¯, ¡®thank ye for yer help.¡¯ It was nice, but it still didn''t make them feel better.


    ¡°Strange¡± Ed said. ¡°One day we murder a man, the next we help people.¡±


    ¡°Ed... I know I''m gonna sound weird, but... are you sure we did the wrong thing?¡± ¡°Oh? What are you talking about?¡± he turned his head towards her, they were still walking.


    ¡°Because... didn''t you do it in self-defense? Hemv tried to kill us...¡±


    Ed stopped and lowered his head down. He sighed heavily.


    ¡°You know, Kasei... You''re right. But... I still feel guilt... even more so because I used you to do it. I didn''t have to kill him, I could have paralyzed him, anything...¡±


    ¡°It was my decision to go with you. I was prepared for these kind of things, Ed¡± she assured and smiled a little.


    ¡°You''re becoming more and more kind to me every day.¡±


    ¡°I''m gonna kill you.¡± She threatened. The golden-haired laughed. ¡°Actually, dumbass, we''re going nowhere. Why don''t you try using the seal?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know if it''ll do anything. If they don''t have a seal, we''re not going to find anything... but maybe it''s worth a try. If they''re talking about a god, there''s a possibility...¡± Ed looked at his left hand, since he had the number eleven seal on it, it appeared suddenly. Then he focused his energy on its¡¯ aura, on the aura of the deity. He felt something nearby, something very similar. He did not know what, but it certainly came from the deity. ¡°And yet it did something.¡±


    ¡°Where are we going?¡±


    ¡°Straight ahead. I''m not sure if we¡¯re going to come across our thieves or maybe another seal, but it''s worth checking. At worst, we''ll play the defenders of Epis and find these two.¡±


    They were walking when they suddenly saw a house. It was a rather strange view, as there was nothing around, and only from a distance could you see the silhouettes of towns or villages. Kasei looked at Ed, and Ed looked at her. Both of them had surprised faces.


    ¡°That¡¯s one hell of an original dwelling¡± Kasei commented.


    ¡°They¡¯re mocking us¡­¡± He got annoyed. ¡°If they''re really here, how could anyone not find them?!¡±


    ¡°Maybe they were waiting for someone to do it for them.¡± She shrugged. Kasei turned into the form of a weapon, Ed grabbed it in his hands, and then he slowly approached the building. He opened the door, looked through it, and then he went inside. Suddenly he heard a crackle, jumped quickly to the side, and where he had been standing a moment earlier, a few bags fell. Ed walked up to them, and then carefully touched them.


    ¡°Stones. Awesome¡± he commented out loud. Now he knew he''d have to be even more careful. He looked around the house, which wasn''t very pretty thanks to its construction, although some of the elements were like stolen out of a noble house: in the room in front of them, Ed saw a white carpet embroidered with a golden thread, and there was a beautiful sculpture standing against the wall. Ed continued on, taking every step the most careful he could, while looking at the ceiling, and checking if there was anything hanging there that could fall on him any moment.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.?? ¡°I wonder how they can live with such traps in the house...¡± whispered the redheaded.


    ¡°Maybe they put them when they leave, you''ll never understand mad people.¡± He continued sneaking around. He went through a doorway into a room, and stopped on the carpet. Even though he was wearing heavy military boots, he could feel how soft and fluffy the carpet was. He walked further, when suddenly he heard cracking again. He quickly began to run when a few sharp shots flew towards him. One almost hit him in the leg, but the golden-haired one jumped in time, and ended up only with a fairly deep calf cut. He realized that he had lost his vigilance, which he should not do in this situation. He went further, this time much more carefully. At the end of the room was a wooden door, full of scratches and neglected. He used Kasei to press the handle and then jumped away, but nothing happened, so he took a slow step, still keeping the distance, and looked inside. He saw a bed, not a very nice one, but padded with a velvet blanket, and a lot of flammable materials lying on the floor. Ed walked in slowly, still being very careful. He bent down, put Kasei next to him, took one of the bottles. He also looked at other bottles and boxes.


    ¡°And?¡± asked Kasei.


    ¡°Oil, gunpowder, matches. This is definitely their home. If only we could find them and find out if they really have anything to do with the game...¡± He got up and took Kasei in his hands. ¡°Well, we should still tell the people where they''re hiding. Maybe eventually the owners will get their stolen things back.¡±


    ¡°Like a that drunkard¡¯s rug.¡± She laughed.


    ¡°Yes, exactly.¡± He smiled too.


    Then two people came into the house.


    ¡°Eva, look!¡± said the blue-haired girl. ¡°Someone was here!¡±


    ¡°Or are they still here? Iris, put the bounty down, remove the traps and see if they took anything!¡±


    Ed smiled even wider, hearing their voices. He didn''t leave the room, but leaned against the wall, holding the spear in his hand. Eva and Iris ran, pulling down the traps and yelling at each other. The golden-haired heard one of them approaching the room he was in. As she crossed his threshold, Edward jumped out and stopped the spear blade right in front of her face. The brown-haired girl froze, shaking slightly.


    ¡°So what? Wanted to steal some?¡± he asked with a tone of insult. Eva jumped away.


    ¡°Iris, come here!¡± A moment later, the tiny girl with bunny ears came running. When she saw her, Kasei started laughing out loud. Even when she was under the form of a weapon, she saw and heard things happening around her.


    ¡°WHAT ARE YOU LAUGHING AT?!¡± screamed Iris. Kasei calmed down after a while.


    ¡°Eddie, I didn''t know that the deity also picks insane ones!¡± the red-haired spear laughed.


    ¡°INSANE?!¡± Iris started boiling and turned into a chainsaw. Eva turned it on.


    ¡°No one''s gonna mock Iris! I''M GONNA CUT YOU INTO PIECES, BASTARDS!¡± Eva screamed and started running towards him, smiling. Ed calmly moved aside, so the brunette drove the saw right into the wall. She tried to pull it out, but her blade got stuck.


    ¡°EVA, DON''T BE STUPID, GET ME OUT!¡± Iris panicked. Eva pulled with all her might, she put one leg against the wall and pushed, unsuccessfully. Then Ed grabbed the brunette by the hair and threw her down on the floor. He put a spear blade to her neck.


    ¡°Don''t move¡± he ordered. ¡°If your weapon comes up with the idea of turning into the human or animal form, it will die, since it will be crushed by the wall it''s in. I guess you care about it, so if you answer some of my questions, I''ll help it out. First, why did you set fire to Epis?¡±


    Eva smiled, but her whole body was shaking in fear. Ed was looking at her coldly.


    ¡°For fun!¡± she said. ¡°Our goal is to be much better than this one infamous band of thieves. Arson, stealing, you don''t even realize how much fun it gives us! How much adrenaline you feel! We never had anything, but once we saw them, those thieves who rob and steal things from rich morons! We want to be better, and we do it just because we want to!¡±


    ¡°Idiots¡± Kasei commented.


    ¡°I don''t think you can do it anymore.¡± Ed smiled. ¡°If you really don''t want to lose your weapon, you''ll come with me to Epis and politely hand yourself over to the military. I think they''ll know what to do with you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Eva started laughing. ¡°Me? You don''t even know what you''re talking about, idiot! Me and Iris were chosen by a power from another world! Something you can''t even imagine! It will make all the people on earth fear us!¡±


    ¡°Fear? That''s your goal?¡± He lifted one eyebrow. ¡°To make people afraid of you?¡±


    ¡°I think it''s rather impossible with such a stupid looking weapon.¡± Kasei giggled.


    ¡°Shut up! That''s right! I said that we want people to be scared, to steal, set fire to things because it''s all so funny! And now we''re the chosen ones!¡±


    ¡°Let me tell you something¡± Ed whispered. ¡°You shouldn''t talk so much.¡±


    He magically raised both her hands, and pushed Kasei away so he wouldn''t stab her body on the blade. Eva was wriggling, then number two appeared on her right hand. Ed sighed.


    ¡°Is it the deity that really picks the ones to play?¡± he commented out loud.


    ¡°W-wait! What are you trying to do?!¡± Eva screamed.


    ¡°I''ll take what you have here¡± he said quietly.


    ¡°So you¡¯re... I won''t let you!¡± Eva kicked him hard in the stomach and Ed lost focus on his magic. Eva then pulled dynamite out of her jacket, lit it up with a match, then threw it into the wall where the saw got stuck. It exploded after a few seconds. She went through the broken wall, took the weapon in her hand and started running away.


    ¡°WE''LL MEET AGAIN, YOU MORON!¡± Eva screamed, running away with Iris. Ed wanted to chase them, but Eva was too fast. He sighed loudly, and Kasei turned into her human form.


    ¡°Cowards! Stupid cowards! Stupid-looking cowards! Stupid-looking stupid cowards with stupid desires!¡± Kasei screamed out at the dust they left behind them.


    ¡°Really, I didn''t think the deity could choose those people. But they''re certainly not easy opponents.¡±


    ¡°But they''re cowardly, so we''ll take care of them once and twice if they get in our way again! I hate thieves!¡± ¡°So far, let''s go back to Epis. I think there are some things here they''ll want to get back.¡±


    They went back. The people were apparently waiting for them. Ed and Kasei were carrying some of the things they found in the hiding place which, as it turned out, all belonged to the villagers.


    ¡°There are more in that house. Turns out that they were hiding there. You have to go straight on the road I came back from. And I''m sorry, I couldn''t catch them, they ran away.


    ¡°No, no! Ye have nothing to apologize for!¡± said the black-haired man with a beard. ¡°We''re grateful we got something at all! And it''s because of ye, my boy.¡±


    ¡°Are ye staying here, or are you going home?¡± one of the women asked.


    ¡°No, I have to go to the capital. I have a lot of things to do.¡± He smiled.


    ¡°Oh, dear boy, we''ll give ye money for the train ticket!¡± People started pulling gold coins out of their pockets and then giving them to Ed.


    ¡°But you don''t have to!¡±


    ¡°We must, we must!¡± A happy woman nodded her head. ¡°Ye went and ye scared those thieves away, ye must have some kind of compensation for that! Well, then go, because yer train is about to leave!¡±


    They patted him on the back, thanked him, told him to come over next time. Ed walked away with Kasei, they stopped on the platform. Next to him stood a mother with a small child and some traveler.


    ¡°It was quite nice, wasn¡¯t it?¡± started Kasei. Ed looked at her. ¡°You help, and then people thank you for that.¡±


    ¡°Hah, it¡¯s not the first time we fought with thieves, so what''s wrong with helping. And now at least we¡¯ve got some more information.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. But where to next?¡±


    ¡°To the capital, we have to ask Arthur for help. And finally, get some sleep...¡±

 To heavens, or to nothingness (Part 9)

    Yodiara, capital of Gormilia, was a huge city where the queen herself lived. This is where Ed hoped to find any clues about the divine game. The golden-haired one and the red-haired one finally arrived. Kasei hadn''t been here for a long time, so every sight amazed her: beautiful buildings, beautifully dressed people, beautiful trees and plants, and sculptures and ornaments that were set up in the streets as well. Eventually they found and entered a tall apartment building. They went up the stairs, until they finally found themselves on the seventh floor. Ed was looking for a red door, and when he found it, he knocked on it.


    ¡°WHO THE HELL IS IT AGAIN?!¡± They heard a voice screaming out from behind the door. ¡°I DON''T WANT TO BUY ANYTHING, I DON''T WANT TO GIVE ANY MONEY, LEAVE ME ALONE!¡±


    ¡°Em... Arthur? It''s me, Edward from Rebellar.¡±


    There was no answer. Instead, they could hear sounds of having trouble moving something. After a bit, the door was opened by a sweaty and panting boy about Edward''s age, with orange hair, apricot-colored eyes and tanned complexion. He wore a white shirt, short brown trousers and sandals.


    ¡°Oh, man!¡± he shouted happily, then dried the sweat off his forehead with his own hand. ¡°Dude, it''s been a long time since I''ve seen you! What¡¯s up, Eddy!¡±


    ¡°Hi¡± Ed said. ¡°What were you doing? You''re barring the door with something?¡±


    ¡°Oh... Yeah, just the closet. Those people piss me off! They come here all the time and try to sell me useless thing! I¡¯ve had enough when they just walked into my house! I''ve been barricading the door ever since! But please, come in, what brings you here?¡±


    Ed walked into his apartment with Kasei, and took off the shoes. The apartment was pretty big, even if there lived only one person in it. It had three rooms, each separated by a door, a kitchenette and a bathroom. Arthur took them to the living room and made them some tea.


    ¡°What brings me here, you asked¡± Ed said when Arthur sat by him and Kasei. ¡°Business.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°You still have access to the ancient books, right? I need something about religions.¡±


    ¡°Wow, religions?¡± Arthur was surprised. ¡°What do you need it for? Did you convert?¡±


    ¡°Me? Edward laughed.¡± You could say that. I just want to learn about it.


    ¡°But why the ancient ones?¡±


    ¡°I think there might be a lot of interesting information there. And besides, I have a wonderful friend who can get me books like these, right?¡±


    ¡°Heh heh heh!¡± Arthur laughed. ¡°I''ll get it for you, alright. Do you want to stay here for a few days, or did you just want to see my face?¡±


    ¡°If it''s not a problem, I¡¯ll stay for a bit. I''ll pay you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you! Don''t give me that! My parents left me a giant house. You''d help me chase those idiots out of my house too, who are trying to sell me this trash.¡±


    ¡°Haha, I''ll do it if I have to.¡± Ed grabbed a cup and started drinking tea.


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.??¡°But alright, now that you''re here, I need to tell you something.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± The golden-haired looked at him, Kasei did the same.


    ¡°There''re some really weird things going on around lately.¡± Arthur put his cup away, and Ed became serious.


    ¡°What kind of things?¡± asked Kasei.


    ¡°Well... cannibalism.¡± ¡°Cannibalism?¡± she questioned. ¡°What''s that?¡±


    ¡°...When a man eats a man¡± Ed said.


    ¡°Disgusting...¡± she commented. ¡°The queen is worried¡± Arthur continued. ¡°It''s still unclear who''s doing it. In the beginning, bodies were found that lacked arms, legs or even organs. But soon afterwards it was discovered that there was some cannibal behind it.¡±


    Ed looked at Kasei. For them, it sounded too suspicious to not have been related to the game. They drank their tea, then put the cups away.


    ¡°Good thing you said that¡± Ed smiled. ¡°Me and Kasei still wanted to walk around town, it¡¯s been a long time since we¡¯ve been here. It''s good that you warned us.¡±


    ¡°Ha, you¡¯re welcome! If you want to go, go now while it''s still light out there. Curfew starts in the evening. You mustn''t be out and about then.¡±


    ¡°We understand. Come, Kasei.¡± ¡°Ok!¡± They got up and left the house.


    They were walking through the city that had its¡¯ own rhythm, the sun was slowly approaching the horizon. Ed and Kasei were looking for anything that could lead them to the other players.


    ¡°Cannibalism...¡± Ed thought out loud. ¡°Am I the only one thinking that it¡¯s related to the game somehow?¡±


    ¡°Not just you¡± Kasei said. ¡°Who knows what kind of weirdoes this deity chooses...¡±


    ¡°Right. We have time until evening to look around. ¡°


    They''ve been walking around all this time, trying to make sure no one pays too much attention to them. Ed was focusing his magic, looking for the mana traces. It was getting darker and darker. They walked through different places, buildings, parks, markets and bars. But they couldn''t find anything. The sun had almost set, they decided to search one more place. It was a factory with big windows, where they found cartons and machines. He felt the mana trace there. Kasei slipped inside, the golden-haired man still focusing the magic around his hands, concentrated... He felt something, weak, but something that resembled the aura of the deity. He stopped.


    ¡°I think we have company.¡±


    Kasei turned into a spear, and Ed grabbed her in his hands. He waited, when a girl with long, red hair appeared in his sight. And right behind her stood three more people, two with fox ears, one with rabbit¡¯s. The one with violet hair was focusing her magic, but then she stopped.


    ¡°Master, this is...¡± said the tallest one, with pale hair. ¡°One of the players.¡±


    Ed got a little nervous because of the current situation. The red-haired girl smiled slightly.


    End of Chapter 3

 Chapter 4: A risky move (Part 1)

    Demonic Weapons ¨C A special type of weapon, born from black magic. Unlike regular animal-people they do not change their forms, their bodies are that of an animal, although built anthropomorphically. They fight using black magic and spells. The only ones able to control them are Delaunay, born with a special birthmark (the so-called Delaunay Birthmark). The capture of wild demonic weapons, however, is done by the specially trained hunters working under the clan¡¯s name all over the world. Capture of the demonic weapons is great importance, because wild and uncontrolled ones contribute to the rising of the Soul Plague. The biggest hunts happen during the mating season, when the unaware younglings are taken away, and later socialized.


    Soul Plague ¨C is an infection of the body by black magic, in most cases leading to death. In rest of the cases it causes madness in the infected and murderous impulses. Since the beginning of New Era an obvious decrease in immunity to the plague has been observed. Neither medics nor mages know the answer why. According to the Faith of the Twelve, the reason for this is the death of the deity of purification, which protected the mankind from plagues.


    Brisian Language , also called the Common Language ¨C universally used all over the world. In the beginning it was spoken only by animal-people, who with time became part of human societies and began using their national languages. The exact date of Brisian language becoming the common language is unknown. It is estimated that about 98.7% of the world population knows the brisian language in some way, and 95.3% knows it at a communicative level.


    ~ Universal Encyclopedia of magical issues, 910, Gormilia


    Chapter 4


    A risky move


    Edward was uneasy. Meeting his opponent was very inconvenient. He wasn¡¯t sure if the group standing before him had nothing to do with cannibalism that Arthur told him about. He held his spear tightly in his hands, he was ready to fight. The red-headed girl was still slightly smiling.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± she asked suddenly. Ed noticed that she wasn¡¯t speaking gormilian, but the language common for all countries and people all over the world, brisian.


    ¡®A foreigner¡­¡¯ he thought.


    ¡°I could ask the same of you¡± he answered without emotion, also in brisian. He knew exactly how and what to say. The redhead sighed a bit.


    ¡°Hm, very well then. My name is Aru, I come from Voyca nation. So, now you will introduce yourself to me, or maybe, you actually prefer dishonorable ass beating?¡±


    ¡°Dishonorable?¡± he asked, not hiding surprise. ¡°If you¡¯re talking seriously, I¡¯m astonished. I¡¯m Edward from Rebellar.¡±


    ¡°Edward.¡± Her smile widened. ¡°Indeed, I¡¯m talking seriously. I see that you only have one weapon, so I will also use one, but if you cheat, the others will intervene. I¡¯m warning you.¡±


    ¡°Heh, so let it be that way.¡±


    ¡°Lorenzo¡± she called. After a moment the boy¡¯s body shined with white light, and in a form of a colt pistol he appeared in her hand. Eris and Kyoko moved away. ¡°The rules are simple. If I win, you will give me your seal, but if you win, I will give you mine.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Aru shot in his direction with a fast magical bullet, Edward managed to avoid it with difficulty. Now the golden-haired had to focus, he felt that his enemy wasn¡¯t an easy one; the red-haired girl continued shooting, and Ed tried his best to deflect the bullets with his spear. In one moment Aru shot more of them, Ed bounced them back like a pro, although he had to jump away. Then one of the bullets cut his fringe a bit. Ed sighed loudly, tightened the hold on his spear, and started charging. Aru slid her hand on the gun using her magic to strengthen it, Ed quickly got closer and tried to stab her, but then the redhead started shooting again. He got hit with two bullets in his shoulder, bit his lips from pain, and made himself counterattack. He managed to hit his enemy, who tripped and fell to the ground. She got up quickly, though, and moved away from him. She wiped the sweat from her forehead. She felt a bit of pain around her ribs, where he hit her. She glanced at him, he had his hand on his hurt shoulder, and was using magic. It was a spell that Peter taught him, which stopped the bleeding. Aru closed her eyes. She put the colt gun in her other hand and focused her magic, her free hand started burning a second later. Ed¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°A fire magician¡­¡± he whispered to himself. Aru started throwing fireballs at him, at the same trying to shoot with her gun. Ed shielded himself with magic as much as he could, he ran over the whole room that was more and more filled with fire. Aru seemed not to care much about this, she stopped creating fireballs, and started attacking the boy with a stream of fire, like a flamethrower. Eris screamed out when flames almost touched her.


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.??¡°Withdraw!¡± commanded Kyoko, who together with the blackhead ran towards their master. They stopped behind her, still observing the battle.


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit too much!¡± shouted Eris to Aru. ¡°You¡¯re gonna burn everything!¡±  ¡°This battle requires sacrifices¡± she answered calmly. Ed strengthened Kasei with magic, Aru tightened her hold on her pistol. They began getting closer to each other. Fires destroyed everything in their way, yet the opponents were only focused on the battle. Only one of them would have their wish fulfilled, and they knew it well. Ed started running in Aru¡¯s direction, and she was only waiting for the right moment to use the flames raging around her and to shoot her gun. Ed ran, and she waited¡­ When suddenly they heard the sound of cracking glass and a horse¡¯s neighing. Aru got frightened, and the golden-haired stopped. Through the window flew a brown-haired woman on a white pegasus surrounded with black aura. The pegasus stayed in the air, flapping its two pairs of wings. The woman sitting on it licked her bloody hand.


    ¡°Well, well.¡± Laughed the newcomer. ¡°I¡¯ve just finished my supper, and here awaits my dessert!¡±


    ¡°Shit!¡± shouted Eris. ¡°It¡¯s that mad woman with a demonic pegasus!¡±


    ¡°Is this actually¡­¡± thought out loud Edward ¡°¡­that cannibal?¡±


    ¡°CANNIBAL?!¡± Lorenzo started shaking under his weapon form. After a moment the pegasus with the newcomer flew out in their direction, everyone jumped away. The brown-haired woman whispered something in its ear, the pegasus laughed with a human voice.


    ¡°Understood¡± replied the horse with a feminine, but low voice. It stretched its wings, and the black aura around it started swirling. It shot with magic in their direction. Aru and her weapons, Edward too, flew out with the wall to the other part of the factory, and all flames created by the redhead went out. They were lying on the ground between the rubble. Kyoko got up first, picked up Lorenzo, and held him tightly in her hands, ready to shoot. Aru got up after a while, and a moment later Ed did too, and picked up his spear.


    ¡°Who the hell is this?¡± he asked out loud.


    ¡°One of the players¡± replied Aru. ¡°We met her when we were heading here.¡±


    ¡°In addition, she has an infected weapon¡± added the violet-haired. ¡°This shouldn¡¯t be taking place. It¡¯s too dangerous.¡±


    ¡°And on top of that, that stupid pegasus obeys her!¡± Eris, who just dig herself up from the rubble, got angry.


    ¡°Alright!¡± shouted Aru. ¡°We need to join forces! Eris, change into a weapon, Kyoko will fight using you, while I¡¯ll take Lorenzo.¡±


    ¡°Let me help you¡± Ed seriously suggested.


    ¡°What?¡± Eris was surprised. ¡°Are you out of your mind? You really think we¡¯ll trust you?!¡±


    ¡°Aru and I wanted a honorable battle. And this woman isn¡¯t your average enemy, if she has an infected magical pegasus. I think it¡¯s logical that we should join forces¡­ It also seems to me that this is the cannibal that one of my friends talked about. It¡¯s terrorizing the city. I wanted to find the culprit, and I think I¡¯ve found them.¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Eris turned away. ¡°Get out! We don¡¯t need any help! Especially from an enemy, who¡¯s just waiting to take the wish and our heads!¡±


    ¡°DAMNIT!¡± Ed¡¯s spear screamed out. ¡°SHUT HER UP, OR I¡¯LL TEAR OFF HER EARS!¡±


    ¡°WHAT DID YOU SAY?!¡± replied angrily Eris. After a moment in their direction flew the next wave of black magic, which they somehow managed to doge. Aru seriously looked at Ed.


    ¡°Listen to me, you black-haired brat!¡± Kasei called out again. ¡°And everyone else! Ed may be an idiot, but he¡¯s not a bad man! He doesn¡¯t plan on killing anyone in this damned game! And you think you will manage to deal with this woman? Haha, I want to see that! Me and Ed wouldn¡¯t manage alone, but if we join forces, we can defeat her. You don¡¯t know how awful this woman¡¯s wish could be! Do you really want someone like her to win? Think about it!¡±


    ¡°Kasei¡­¡± whispered Ed, but then he smiled. Aru looked at Kyoko and Eris, the black-haired still looked mad. Fire mage turned her gaze at Edward.


    ¡°Alright¡± she replied. ¡°Edward from Rebellar¡­ let us join forces to defeat her. Until then, let¡¯s call it a truce.¡±


    ¡°So be it. I think I can trust such an honorable person.¡±


    Eris shone with a white light, and turned into a crossbow, which Kyoko took, after giving the pistol into Aru¡¯s hands. They lined up, the pegasus slowly walked towards them, and on his back sat the satisfied brown-haired woman.


    ¡°You¡¯re a cannibal?¡± asked the golden-haired.


    ¡°Hah, you thought it out, Mr. Obvious?¡± She licked her hand again.


    ¡°Disgusting¡­¡± commented the violet-haired. ¡°To eat people¡­ your own kind¡­¡±


    ¡°Please. What¡¯s the difference between people and pigs, which they eat for dinner? A pig is as useless as you are. I, at least, make something useful out of you: food.¡± She laughed crazily. All three, including the weapons, felt disgust. ¡°I¡¯m Catherine. And this is my pegasus, Karia, I¡¯ve found her not long ago, I think she became fond of me.¡±


    ¡°How dare you ride an infected pegasus?¡± Kyoko sharply asked. ¡°Do you know how dangerous they are? It¡¯s black magic after all!¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, sunshine. You¡¯re so beautiful, you must taste great. KARIA, ATTACK!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± she replied, stretched her wings and ran in their direction. Aru started shooting,  Ed jumped out and ran with Kasei in the pegasus¡¯ direction. Karia quickly kicked Edward sideways though, and Lorenzo¡¯s bullets weren¡¯t much of a challenge for her. She was coming closer to Aru. Kyoko jumped in the front of her mistress, she shot with the crossbow at the pegasus, which stopped for a moment. Catherine took out from the horse¡¯s side the magical arrow, and it started focusing magic again.


    ¡°Take it, master.¡± Kyoko gave the crossbow to Aru, who also began focusing her magic. Ed then got up, although he was pretty beaten up. The violet-haired then began running in the direction of Catherine and her pegasus, their magic collided. And then Ed and Kasei felt shock: Kyoko took out from her body a sword, which she stabbed the horse with. It started neighing, and some blood fell to the ground.


    ¡°Now¡¯s our chance, run!¡± shouted Aru. Ed started running behind her, Kyoko took the sword out of the pegasus and also withdrew. Catherine was angry, but started laughing. She pet the pegasus¡¯ head.


    ¡°Easy, easy¡­ We¡¯ll have a chance to eat them again, you¡¯ll see, sweetheart¡­¡±

 A risky move (Part 2)

    They hid quite far away. They could see security service heading to the factory, but somehow they managed to miss them. Catherine flew away on the pegasus, which didn¡¯t amuse the service men much.


    The group stopped at a small street, they were breathing hard, but felt relief. Aru stepped closer to Ed and reached out her hand.


    ¡°Thank you, Edward.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± He shook her hand as a sign of agreement. ¡°But I believe that this isn¡¯t the end.¡±


    ¡°Yes, for sure it isn¡¯t¡­ So¡­ do you plan on helping me?¡±


    ¡°The answer is rather obvious. We called a truce until we¡¯ve defeated her, and we still haven¡¯t done that. How are your weapons? Are they fine?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Aru looked at each of them. Lorenzo had a few bruises, Eris was just a bit dirty, but Kyoko didn¡¯t look well, her hand was scalded. ¡°I think only Kyoko has been hurt.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Can I look at her hand for a moment?¡± Ed asked a bit shyly.


    The violet-haired girl walked closer to him, got off her jacket, and rolled her shirt¡¯s sleeve. The burns reached from her hand to her shoulder.


    ¡°The pegasus¡¯ magic was so strong that it burned her.¡±


    ¡°No surprise there¡± said Kyoko. ¡°It¡¯s an infected being, after all.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­ I¡¯m not very knowledgeable about this, but my brother taught me some healing magic. I can try and treat the burns a bit¡­  if you want.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll trust you, Edward¡± she replied with seriousness. Ed focused his magic, after which he moved his hands closer to Kyoko¡¯s shoulder. The violet-haired girl shut her eyes a few times, but nothing happened. Ed didn¡¯t heal the damage, but eased the pain a little.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not as good as my brother, so I can¡¯t heal it.¡±


    ¡°No matter. I¡¯m surprised, though, that you decided to help your enemies. Even if we¡¯ve called a truce, it¡¯s a little risky, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Heh, you¡¯re right. But I trust you too.¡± He smiled slightly. ¡°You¡¯re not an average magician with animal ears. You took a weapon out of yourself, so¡­ might you be...¡±


    ¡°Animal-person, and at the same a magician and a weapon?¡± Aru completed the sentence for him. ¡°That¡¯s right. Kyoko is one of the few animal-eared people who can use both abilities.¡±


    ¡°Awesome!¡± shouted out Kasei, who changed from a spear to her human form and excitedly looked at Kyoko. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about people like you, but I didn¡¯t know that you really exist! I¡¯m Kasei from Rebellar!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get excited so much, or you¡¯ll scare her off, Kasei¡± Ed smirked meanly.


    ¡°SHUT YOUR MOUTH!¡± she shouted at him, and Ed started laughing.


    ¡°Oh¡­ We haven¡¯t introduced ourselves yet!¡± Lorenzo walked up to them. He was also in a form of a human. ¡°I¡¯m Lorenzo from Voyca nation.¡±


    ¡°Kyoko from Nihoria nation¡± the violet-haired girl introduced herself.


    ¡°And I¡¯m Eris from Moonstone clan!¡± shouted out proudly the black-haired. ¡°And don¡¯t think I¡¯ll trust you, stupid!¡± She stuck her tongue out in Edward¡¯s direction. He giggled.


    ¡°Kasei, I didn¡¯t know that you had a clone.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna¡­¡± The redhead got angry, and Eris joined her.


    ¡°Can I help you?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Alright, alright, calm down. I see that no one is from here¡­ And the deity said that he only chooses people from our country, so¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been here for a year now¡± answered Aru. ¡°We travelled to find something, but it seems it has found us. But let¡¯s not talk about it today¡­¡±


    ¡°I understand. Ah, Arthur¡¯s going to kill us for coming back so late...¡±


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.??¡°It really is late¡­ Alright¡­ tomorrow at the same place?¡± asked Aru.


    ¡°Sounds sensible. I¡¯ll come here in the morning, or try to at least, because I haven¡¯t been sleeping at all lately. Come on, Kasei.¡±


    Kasei turned into her animal form and sat on Ed¡¯s shoulder. Aru widened her eyes.


    ¡°Wait!¡± shouted out the red-haired.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Ed turned around. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    Aru didn¡¯t say anything. She only looked at Kasei, who felt more and more uncomfortable. The red-haired girl walked up and took her in her hands. Ed didn¡¯t understand, neither did the weapons.


    ¡°It... It can¡¯t be¡­¡± Aru started seriously.


    ¡°Y-Yes¡­?¡± Kasei¡¯s voice was shaking.


    ¡°A FENEC FOX?!¡± she shouted out with a smile, then started hugging her. Ed, Eris, Kyoko and Lorenzo froze. ¡°AH, I LOVE THEM! I NEVER THOUGHT I¡¯D SEE ONE IN PERSON! AND AS A WEAPON AT THAT!¡±


    Kasei¡¯s face turned red, Ed quickly took her from the red-haired¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Really, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s time for such things¡­¡± he said, embarrassed. Aru smiled dumbly, but then realized what he meant.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been charmed by her beauty¡­¡±


    ¡°B-Beauty¡­¡± Kasei blushed harder and put her small paws on her nose. It was a very pleasant moment, and everyone needed it to relax, even for a moment. Yet it was time to part ways, since tomorrow a lot of work awaited them.


    ~


    Arthur wasn¡¯t happy that they came so late, but Kasei and Ed calmed him down. The golden-haired missed his bed, but it wasn¡¯t his fate to rest nicely. He couldn¡¯t fall asleep for a long time, although he felt heavy fatigue. When he did fall asleep though, it wasn¡¯t a peaceful sleep; he wriggled from side to side, he sweated and quietly groaned; he dreamt of his mutilated brother, then Ian, who they¡¯ve found in his destroyed house and his friend Matevigo, who attacked him brutally. On top of that, in his dreams appeared the deity, and blood too¡­ a lot of blood, and the dead Hemv. The moment when he killed somebody for the first time came back to him. Then he saw a golden-haired woman with green eyes. Her hair was braided, she wore golden armor. She looked straight at Ed, when she suddenly said ?you¡¯ve disappointed me¡±. Tears flowed on her face, he started quietly sobbing through sleep. Suddenly he opened his eyes and took a few deep breaths, he wiped sweat off his forehead and the tears from his cheeks.


    It was morning already, which comforted him a bit. He took clothes, that he left aside last evening, dressed himself and sat on the bed. For a longer while he thought about his dreams, then he got up for good and left the room. Kasei was sitting by a table and eating a meal made for her by Arthur. It was obvious that she also didn¡¯t sleep well, but surely a bit better than Edward.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Arthur?¡± asked the golden-haired.


    ¡°He said that he¡¯s going to work. He¡¯ll do his best to find us the books we requested, but doesn¡¯t promise anything.¡± ??After these words she pushed everything she had on her plate into her mouth, chewed it and swallowed.


    ¡°I see. For now, let¡¯s go see the fiery Aru, your big fan.¡±


    ¡°Are you jealous, Eddy?¡± she asked with and obvious smile, then got up. ¡°And eat something, or soon you¡¯ll be as thin as Peter.¡±


    ¡°Later, I don¡¯t have time for such unimportant things as eating.¡±


    ¡°Ah, sure. And later you¡¯re gonna scream for someone to feed you, because everything will hurt, life is suffering or something, you runt.¡± She stuck out her tongue at him. ¡°Just as that one day when you didn¡¯t eat anything, because you kept on reading, and then you left your cave called the library and you¡¯ve shouted out these words.¡±


    ¡°Well, if it happens again, you¡¯ll just feed me.¡± He smiled.


    ¡°OVER MY DEAD BODY!¡±

 A risky move (Part 3)

    Goro changed into a special clothing given to him by his father. It would protect him during the battle: a steel breastplate, leg and shoulder covers, and all of it hidden under a thick, black material of the highest quality and the highest endurance: pegasus¡¯ skin ¨C a material reserved for the military, although Delaunay as it¡¯s part had the right to this rarity. The set was completed by a belt, in which the black-haired hid his knives and other ?relics¡± that might help him in a battle. He was alone, waiting for his father¡¯s people that would take him to the base, in which he would wait for information on other players. It wasn¡¯t pleasurable to him, but he decided that it¡¯d be better to be patient. The last thing that he packed was the bottle with infected blood, he smiled seeing it. When he hid it, he heard someone¡¯s footsteps, and saw Hagan, who looked with suspicion at him.


    ¡°I see that you¡¯re taking off somewhere¡± said the brown-haired and leaned against the wall. Goro giggled quietly.


    ¡°It¡¯s father¡¯s will¡± he answered.


    ¡°Oh, father¡¯s will. And was letting the Believers of the Light in father¡¯s will too, Goro? I thought that protecting this house and its¡¯ residents was your duty. And yet, they burst in here, and now two people that should be here are gone!¡±


    ¡°What is your point?¡± he smiled disgustingly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb!¡± shouted out Hagan. ¡°What was Yvon doing there?! How could you let her be there?¡±


    ¡°The answer is simple, I ordered her¡± he laughed. Hagan froze. ¡°When I tried to get rid of those fanatics, this hysterical brat was crawling around, disturbing me. So I told her to check on father, since this is the only thing she¡¯s able to do. A And that she got infected? Sad, but it happens.¡±


    ¡°You bastard¡­ Your own sister¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care who she is. To me, she¡¯ll always be useless, she¡¯ll be no use to Delaunay clan. It¡¯s the same with you and a lot of other brats, that live here. Neither you nor her are magicians, and you don¡¯t have the birthmark, so you can¡¯t use demonic weapons. You¡¯re like parasites. ¡°


    ¡°And you, you piece of trash? Do you use magic? No. Although you do have the birthmark, I rarely see you using it well. You¡¯re as useless as we are.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Hagan. At least I did something to be of any use to our family. I trained til I was coughing blood, I learned how to fight when you and your sister did nothing but bring shame to our father. Pity that you wasn¡¯t there then. You could¡¯ve died with your mother and little sister.¡±


    The brown-haired threw himself at Goro and punched his face with all his strength. The black-haired smiled, and then struck Hagan too, they fought, both of them managed to give each other blows, Goro in one moment moved his hand to his belt and got out a knife, with which he cut Hagan¡¯s cheek, the boy then kicked him in the stomach. Goro hit the wall with a thump.


    ¡°It seems¡­ that I¡¯m not that useless, eh?¡± Hagan asked mockingly.


    ¡°Still too weak.¡± Goro got out more knives and was ready to throw them at Hagan. But then into the room walked three men of his father.


    ¡°Master Goro?¡± asked one of them. The black-haired glanced with disdain at the brown-haired, and put away his knives.


    ¡°No matter, it¡¯s just an average quarrel between¡­ brothers.¡± He smiled and went outside. He got on a pegasus, that was brought to him, behind him sat Prash. The rest of his convoy sat on normal horses. Hagan turned around and walked away, he was boiling more and more with anger.


    ¡°Heh, he left¡± mocked Goro. ¡°Where are the others?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re waiting for you at our destination, master¡± answered one of them.


    ¡°Eh, fine. Lead, then, before that idiot decides to follow us.¡±


    ~


    ¡°Everything points to Catherine being that infamous cannibal¡± started Aru. Everyone was sitting next to her, at the place where they said their goodbyes last time.


    ¡°If I saw right, then the pegasus had two pairs of wings¡­ That¡¯s probably why it was able to talk with a human voice. It¡¯s a magical pegasus, right?¡± asked Edward.


    ¡°Animals talking in human voices is nothing new¡± answered Kyoko. ¡°Although magical pegasuses, like demonic weapons, don¡¯t have a human form, but speak. Well, the most disturbing thing is that that pegasus is infected with black magic, yet it¡¯s alive, so it can pass the plague to others. If it has infected Catherine, it may explain why she became a cannibal ¨C because of the insanity that the infection causes. On the other hand, if she really was infected, she¡¯d look like that pegasus. I think that the magic she is dealing with affects her, but if so¡­ it seems that Catherine has something on her conscience.¡±


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.??¡°Show me someone that doesn¡¯t¡± sighed Ed.


    ¡°There¡¯s another thing¡± Aru spoke. ¡°There¡¯s someone else in this city besides us and Catherine.¡±


    ¡°A player?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure of that. I felt it tonight, I think they were walking not far away. Because of so many of us being here, the number of people can increase even more. If so, we have to be careful.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯d be nice if we had more information on the game...¡± Ed sighed again.


    ¡°Actually¡­ that¡¯s why we came to the capital¡± said Lorenzo, who was quiet until now. ¡°There¡¯s a big library here. We planned on finding something on aristocratic clans, who might know something about the game. We tried talking with Delaunay, but... well, they¡¯re not very pleasant.  ¡°


    ¡°LORENZO!¡± Eris screamed out. ¡°DON¡¯T GIVE THE ENEMY ANY TIPS!¡±


    ¡°But what¡¯d I say?!¡±


    ¡°THAT SOME ARISTOCRATIC CLANS MIGHT KNOW ABOUT THE DEITY, YOU DUMBASS! AND THAT INFORMATION ABOUT THEM CAN BE IN THE LIBRARY!¡±


    ¡°Haha!¡± Ed laughed out loud.


    ¡°What are you laughing at, you trash?!¡± the black-haired girl barked at him.


    ¡°It just so happens that I have friend in that library. And I¡¯m searching for books like those. The ancient one, to which only the queen and the most important aristocracy has access.¡±


    ¡°And why are you telling us that?! You¡¯re probably lying!¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Edward smiled. ¡°I think that it¡¯s fine if we share information. The finals will happen sooner or later, and I want even my enemy to be informed.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s funny¡± Eris hmphed and turned away.


    ¡°Really?¡± Aru asked with suspicion.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine if I lose a bit. You don¡¯t seem like a bad person, and I think your wish is also like that. Oh, right, what is it actually?¡±


    ¡°I prefer... not to say¡± she answered a bit sadly. ¡°Anyway... what books did you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°Religious ones, since the Believers of the Light talk about the deity, but if it¡¯s like this¡­ the ones about the most important clans, huh?¡±


    ¡°It would be most reasonable. Religions are religions, everyone can write them as they wish, and the clans¡­ Well. We can check what kind of clans are there and what information they might have.¡±


    ¡°I understand, I can go there next, if you don¡¯t have any other requests for me. Since we¡¯re on the topic of religion, do you follow any? I didn¡¯t, but the deity wrecked my worldview.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ he didn¡¯t really, in my case. I believe in Mars, the fiery god of war, you, Gormilians, call him Ares¡­ And that after death the soul goes to another world. But if one was evil, there will be punishment. There must be punishment.¡±


    ¡°Another world after death, huh? ¡°


    ¡°Yes. I also believe that a lot of things are planned out for every person.¡±


    ¡°So what about free will?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s look at it this way¡­ If according to your beliefs a lot of things are predetermined, it means that a human, no matter what action they¡¯ll take, the result will be as decided by a higher power. But it is known that nothing happens randomly; everything has its beginning in the past, even the tiniest detail affects the future, every smallest decision. And since so many things are planned ahead, it means that people can only make decisions, which will take us on one, predetermined track. It means that our free will is actually controlled, and created in such a way that we¡¯d choose options taking us to what is destined. So we don¡¯t control our lives, but life controls us?¡±


    Aru and her group were speechless. Ed shrugged.


    ¡°You¡¯re a... philosopher?¡± asked Lorenzo. Edward giggled.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not. I¡¯m just a crazy guy, whose hobby happens to be philosophy.¡± ¡°But you just¡­ said everything so¡­¡± Aru couldn¡¯t find the right words. ¡°Like philosophers do!¡±


    ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t make me a philosopher, I think?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ Maybe. But¡­ It¡¯s hard to describe how I see it. As for me¡­ it is as it is, but doesn¡¯t negate my free will.¡±


    ¡°As you wish.¡± Ed smiled. ¡°What now? Me and Kasei will go to the library, and you?¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ I think we¡¯re going to search around a little. We¡¯ll come over soon.¡±


    ¡°Alright, my ally.¡± He smiled again, and walked away with Kasei. Aru and her group walked in the other direction.

 A risky move (Part 4)

    Ed and Kasei went into a giant building: it was Yodiara¡¯s library, which had the biggest book collection in the whole country. The building, in which it was located, was fully build from white stone, which shined in sunlight. The rest of the building¡¯s charm made a glass ceiling and big, beautifully decorated pillars. Books stood on wide shelves, sorted by right categories. All over the room bustled library employees and city residents, who either wanted to learn, or read something as entertainment. Far away from them stood massive doors; just behind them ancient book collection was located, fully belonging to the queen. No one, other than specially authorized employees or high-ranked aristocracy, could go in there. Edward, though, was lucky enough to have already read a few books from that section, and all that thanks to Arthur, who illegally lent them to him.


    Arthur was sitting by reception, and writing down something.


    ¡°Ed? What are you doing here?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Ah, a little change of plans. Could you¡­¡± He bent down and started whispering ¡°...get me some books about aristocratic clans?¡±


    ¡°Edward¡­ it¡¯s a weight off my shoulders!¡± Arthur breathed out.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°These books are easier to get than those about religions! Religious ones are protected with magic, I checked today. But I won¡¯t be able to get them right away, since¡­ you know. It¡¯d be suspicious if I went there two times. But I¡¯ll get them for you, alright?¡±


    ¡°Okay. Thanks for doing this for me.¡± He smiled.


    ¡°Hm¡­ You can read a bit about aristocracy here. You have to go left, there will be tons of books about aristocracy.¡±


    ¡°Well, Kasei, let¡¯s go and check it out. Thank you again, Arthur.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome!¡± He was beaming with joy. Ed and Kasei went in the indicated direction. The redhead turned into a fennec fox, climbed the shelves and got a few highly placed books. They spent some time on reading.


    ¡°Delaunay¡­¡± Edward started thinking. ¡°The most important in Gormilia, but as I heard earlier, you can¡¯t really talk things through with them.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Ed, do you really plan on sharing this information?¡± Kasei asked. ¡°I get that knowledge about the game is important, but¡­ they still can be¡­ No, they are our enemies.¡±


    ¡°Even so, it¡¯ll be more interesting this way.¡± He smiled. ¡°And also, do you see anything bad in them? In my opinion, they¡¯re as insane of a group as we are.¡±


    ¡°I wonder what they¡¯re fighting for¡­ For some reason she didn¡¯t want to tell us.¡±


    ¡°Your fan? You probably saw the sadness on her face when I asked her about it. You know, I also possess the thing called¡­ empathy. They remind me a bit of Peter, they look like they keep fighting for something, but get no good results.¡±


    ¡°Huh... Didn¡¯t think such a dumbass like you could notice something like this.¡±


    ¡°See how smart I am?~¡± He smiled dumbly. ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t intend on trusting them fully¡­ But a bit of it is needed in this situation.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re right, stupid. And now listen!¡±


    ¡°Ah? Did you find something?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something about Kavaru clan written here. They¡¯re seen as gods¡¯ high priests.¡±


    ¡°Kavaru...¡± Edward took the book from her. ¡°But where could we find them¡­ There¡¯s not much information here¡­¡±


    ¡°Below them there¡¯s one more clan, Enzern.¡±


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.??¡°Enzerns are from Nihoria. But they¡¯re considered as one of the most important clans¡­ That Kyoko is from there, right?¡±


    ¡°I think so.¡±


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s write this down¡­ We¡¯ll check it out later in detail, when Arthur gets those books. Alright, let¡¯s continue the search.¡± Ed began writing, Kasei though took another book. Suddenly, she saw something suspicious in the corner of her eye. She turned around, and saw a raven, who all this time was looking at them, yet when Kasei glanced at it, it quickly flew away.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Kasei?¡± Ed asked, seeing her worried face.


    ¡°No, nothing. Just... some raven was sitting there.¡±


    ¡°A raven¡­ I hope it¡¯s not a bad omen.¡±


    ~


    ¡°Hey, master¡­ Are you really sure about this alliance?¡± asked Lorenzo. Aru nodded.


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m not, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Edward from Rebellar doesn¡¯t really have a bad aura¡± Kyoko finished for the red-haired girl.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re idiots!¡± Eris shouted out. ¡°Do you really think that he¡¯ll share the information with us? That he doesn¡¯t have any bad plans? You¡¯re naive! I know people like him! First they make puppy eyes, then stab you in the back!¡±


    ¡°His way of fighting is honorable, though¡± the violet-haired firmly replied. ¡°Believe me or not, Eris, but depending on the style of fighting, you can see the personality and goals of the person. I¡¯m knowledgeable about it.¡±


    ¡°Right, because you¡¯re The Amazing Kyoko¡± she hmphed.


    ¡°I¡¯m wondering... wouldn¡¯t Edward be a good ally for the whole game?¡± Aru said out loud. ¡°I know that we¡¯d have to fight in the end, but¡­ it would give us a chance to survive.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯ve... gone insane!¡± Eris shouted. ¡°GINE! If that¡¯s what you want¡­ we¡¯ll check him out!¡±


    ¡°How?¡± Lorenzo asked, intrigued.


    ¡°There¡¯s only one state in which people tell full truth! Or so at least everyone thinks¡­ So, let¡¯s try it!¡± The black-haired laughed dirtily.


    ~


    Edward was sitting and writing notes in his notebook about the events of the last few days and about what Aru told him. Kasei, on the other hand, was still reading books and writing down clans¡¯ names. It was getting dark outside, but they didn¡¯t feel the passage of time. They came back to reality only when they heard a familiar voice. ¡°Hello.¡± Aru smiled, all weapons were with her. ¡°How¡¯s the search?¡±


    ¡°You will have to wait for the books¡± Ed talked, but didn¡¯t move his sight from the page he was writing on. ¡°But Kasei wrote down the clans, in which we should be interested about.¡±


    ¡°Enzern, Kavaru, Brando, Yanara, Kasuse¡­¡± Kasei read. Aru gestured for her not to continue.


    ¡°Since you worked so hard¡­ What about taking a little break from all the stress?¡± Eris proposed mysteriously. ¡°And to forget for a while that we¡¯re playing a damn dangerous game? Wanna drink with us?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Drink?¡± Edward was surprised.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing better for relaxation than cold drinks!¡± Eris giggles. Aru, Kyoko and Lorenzo looked at each other. Ed sighed.


    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s drink so we get to know ourselves better.¡± He smiled. Eris laughed menacingly.

 A risky move (Part 5)

    The next evening was yet another chance for an attack; although people heard the warnings and the city¡¯s society was in panic, Catherine still could hunt for new victims. She chose them carefully, planning everything ahead. She was pleased that she succeeded again, and all that thanks to the pegasus. The brunette has just finished with her ?meal¡± ¨C the velvet dress she turned into dirty rags, beautiful jewelry was thrown somewhere aside, and the woman¡¯s body massacred, she did it all for her own fetish. After her ceremony she threw the body far away from her hideout, where she abducted her. She left tracks, manifested her presence to people and willingness for even worse acts . Crows¡¯ wings flapped, the black birds surrounded the discarded body ¨C for people, what Catherine did was a macabre, for birds ¨C an opportunity to fill their stomachs.


    A raven observed the crows¡¯ feast, a dignified bird. In his shining eyes contempt was visible, he spread his wings and flied up, when Catherine sitting on Karia rode without a goal in mind. A black feather fell from the sky, it danced in the air before her face, she caught it into her fingers.


    ¡°Ravens¡± she murmured to Karia with closed eyes. She took a deep breath, and then slowly breathed out. ¡°Smell it? It¡¯s the smell of death.¡±


    ¡°Yes. You¡¯re right. But... I don¡¯t feel any presence¡± answered the pegasus, which opened it¡¯s wings. Catherine felt anger, she looked around.


    ¡°Interesting¡­¡± A mean smile appeared on the woman¡¯s face. ¡°Who might we have here?¡±


    The brunette became frightened, when she felt something surrounding her body; it was black magic, even darker than Karia¡¯s. The pegasus and its owner instantly jumped away. The brunette held her throat and started breathing hard. She wasn¡¯t as calm as before. The black mana once again jumped at them, Karia resisted and tried to push away the strange energy. Catherine was becoming more and more scared; she never saw her pegasus getting so tired in battle. She cursed to herself, kicked Karia in the stomach with her leg ¨C it was a sign to run away. The pegasus opened its wings wide, and then flew up. The black mana quickly backed into the shadow, and from it after a bit flew a raven, following the pegasus and the cannibal.


    ~


    ¡°I never thought, that on this journey¡­ I¡¯ll use any money on something like... alcohol¡± Ed said. He and his companions were going to a pub chosen by Eris; not big, but very popular in the city. The black-haired girl rubbed her hands together with a maniacal smile, Lorenzo felt fear every time he looked at her. They went in, there were a lot of people of different ages inside; some laughed, some arm-wrestled, and some sat quietly. The whole group walked in and sat on stools by a small table.


    ¡°How old are you, anyway?¡± Edward asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m fifteen¡± Aru said. ¡°Eris too, Lorenzo is seventeen, and Kyoko - nineteen.¡±


    ¡°So I see that only Kasei won¡¯t be able to drink.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll drink from your cup, stupid!¡± the redhead hissed. The order was made by Eris, who put the pouch with money on the inn owner¡¯s table, and then came back to the group¡¯s table with her maniacal smile. Lorenzo once again shook from fear, Aru acted like everything was fine, although in her opinion Eris betrayed herself too much.


    ¡°I see that today you¡¯re in a good mood.¡± Edward smiled, looking at the black-haired. ¡°Is your hate gone?¡±


    ¡°In your dreams, fucker¡± she said sharply, still smiling. The inn owner then came with a formidable number of bottles with liquor. Seeing this, the golden-haired¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a bit too much?¡± asked the red-haired.


    ¡°Of course not! Lorenzo, open the bottles!¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright¡± said the brown-haired. He took one of the bottles in his hand and uncorked it with experience. He poured the liquid for everyone, except Kasei, who got juice. Aru just acted like she drank a lot, she had to stay sober. Lorenzo, on the other hand, drank greedily.


    ¡°Hey, Lorenzo! You¡¯re drinking too fast!¡± Eris laughed. The fox blushed.


    ¡°Sometimes you have to!¡± he answered.


    The golden-haired drank the first cup, then put it down. Eris instantly poured him more, smiling at him meanly.


    ¡°What is this kindness?¡± Edward asked, shocked.


    ¡°An average one.¡± She moved away, then she drank the remaining liquid in the bottle. Lorenzo opened another one, when Kyoko and Aru drank in moderation.


    ¡°So¡­¡± Aru started. ¡°You¡¯re from Rebellar, yeah?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­¡± Kyoko thought. She put down her cup and looked at him. ¡°I¡¯ve once heard about a magician from Rebellar. Some say he could change a material¡¯s structure using magic and permanently change one thing into another.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes¡­¡± Ed moved the cup from his lips, a small wrinkle appeared on his forehead. ¡°For reasons unknown to me, such ¡°legends¡± about my father keep circulating.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s not true?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, I honestly doubt that, because a case of a permanent change has never been recorded. In the end, it¡¯s a cheap magical trick. I saw his notes on it, tried to recreate it, but nothing came out of it. We¡¯ll never know the truth, though. My mother died during the Believers of the Light¡¯s uprising ten years ago, and father a few days later just disappeared.¡±


    ¡°He broke down¡­?¡± Aru quietly asked, not awaiting the answer.


    ¡°And your parents?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve passed away too.¡± She took a sip.


    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry¡± Ed answered.


    ¡°Eh¡­ Because of those wars, so many kids lost their parents. Lorenzo, Kyoko and Eris are also orphans, their parents died during Voyca¡¯s war with Nihoria, as did mine.¡±


    ¡°Kasei also doesn¡¯t have them¡± he said.


    ¡°Why are you talking about me?!¡±  She wrestled the cup from his hands and drank the liquid. Her face twisted. ¡°Yuck. Disgusting.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a little brat, it¡¯s obvious that it won¡¯t taste good to you.¡± He took the cup away from her with a smile, Kasei growled. The bottles were emptied one by one. Edward drank the most, since Eris convinced him not to stop, but Lorenzo¡¯s score wasn¡¯t any worse. The golden-haired slowly started becoming fully drunk, he laughed for no reason, and his face became slightly pink. Eris couldn¡¯t stop laughing when Edward started swaying from side to side. Kyoko nodded to Aru.


    ¡°Hey, Ed¡­¡± she began.


    ¡°Whaaa?¡± he lengthened, but then started giggling. ¡°You, do you know that your face looks like a tomato because of your red hair?¡± He exploded with laughter. Aru¡¯s brow went up, Kasei on the other hand, tried not to laugh.


    ¡°Beautiful, amazing!¡± the little redhead said quietly. ¡°What about Lorenzo?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I¡¯m feeling like always.¡± He smiled. The girl slightly opened her mouth.


    ¡°Well, you have a strong head, I see¡­¡± Kasei whispered.


    ¡°Lorenzo likes to drink some!¡± said Eris, Lorenzo glanced at her with some embarrassment. Aru sighed and looked at Ed.


    ¡°Eh¡­ Tell us, why did you want an alliance with us?¡± the girl asked suddenly.


    ¡°Um¡­¡± He thought, at the same time he scratched the back of his head. ¡°Don¡¯t know, you¡¯re cool and all¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have any plans for us?¡±


    ¡°Maybe to defeat you in the final!¡± He giggled and started drinking again. ¡°Really, I¡¯ll fuck you guys up! And then you¡¯re gonna cry like babies, ¡®cause Ed the Amazing has defeated you!¡±


    ¡°THE AMAZING?!¡± Eris shrieked, who also got a little tipsy, and started punching him with her fists. The golden-haired exploded with an even louder laughter. ¡°I¡¯M GONNA BLOW YOUR HEAD BEFORE THAT, DRUNKARD!¡±


    ¡°HEY!¡± Kasei shouted out. ¡°I¡¯M THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN BEAT ED UP AND CALL HIM NAMES! YOU DON¡¯T HAVE PERMISSION!¡±


    Eris and Kasei started wrestling, Kyoko sighed from embarrassment. Lorenzo in the meanwhile tried to separate two girls.


    ¡°I really wonder if it was such a good idea¡­¡± the violet-haired girl sighed.  ¡°Let¡¯s never trust Eris¡¯ ideas again¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s take advantage of it until the end, since we¡¯re here¡­¡± Aru whispered as a reply.


    ¡°Eh? What secrets do you have here?¡± asked Ed, whose head rested on his hand, and was looking in their direction. The red-haired girl looked at Kyoko and shrugged.


    ¡°What¡¯s the reason you¡¯re playing for anyway?¡± Aru asked.


    ¡°Ohhh, you didn¡¯t tell me, so why should I?¡± He crooked his head, but after a moment smiled. This time he looked much more peaceful. ¡°I¡¯m playing... for my brother. I have to pay him back for all the suffering. Hah, you know, because I¡¯m not a good brother and all that! Everyone would like to have a bro like me, right?~¡±


    Ed started laughing, but Aru and Kyoko looked at each other. They didn¡¯t expect such an answer. Lorenzo finally severed Kasei from Eris, then sat them down far away from each other. Both still wanted to fight, but he didn¡¯t let them.


    ¡°Thank you, Lorenzo¡­¡± said Aru, embarrassed, and looked aside.


    ¡°What happened?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you later¡± Kyoko answered for the red-haired girl. Lorenzo sat by Kasei, he felt more safe by the redhead than Eris. Ed still joked about random stuff, Eris bullied him, and Kasei protected him. Aru was sitting and thinking.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.??¡®So he was honest all this time?¡¯ she thought. Suddenly, she felt a choking aura in her throat. As it turned out after a while, she wasn¡¯t alone ¨C all her weapons, Kasei, and even the drunken Ed felt it. Some other people from the bar started looking around too. Aru gulped.


    ¡°If this is what I think it is¡­ then I regret listening to you, Eris¡­¡± whispered Aru.


    ¡°What did I do?!¡± The black-haired girl answered, much louder.


    ¡°Stupid!¡± Kyoko cut in. ¡°This is the aura of¡­¡±


    Then the doors opened with a bang. The thick atmosphere got even more unbearable, and inside came a pegasus surrounded with black aura, many people started panicking and running away. Aru wasn¡¯t exactly sure what to do now. After a while she saw Catherine, who, surprisingly, had some wounds on her body. When she saw the group, she smiled.


    ¡°Well¡­ It seems that it¡¯s our destiny to meet each other¡± she said. Lorenzo turned into a gun and jumped into Aru¡¯s hands, Kyoko got her sword out of herself, Kasei and Eris stood close to Ed. After seeing Catherine he stood up, then, with a wobbly step, moved in front of Aru and Kyoko, who were confused. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± the violet-haired girl shouted. Ed squeezed his fists and started throwing blows in Catherine¡¯s direction, it looked comically. The brown-haired woman smiled.


    ¡°Come on!¡± drunk Edward shouted out. ¡°I¡¯m gonna shove your pegasus¡¯ feathers so far up your ass!¡±


    Everyone was frightened, and Catherine exploded with disgusting laughter.


    ¡°I REGRET LISTENING TO ERIS!¡± shouted Aru, who then started shooting at her opponent, who jumped away with no trouble.


    ¡°Excuse me, darlings¡± said the brown-haired woman. ¡°But I most likely have no time for you¡­¡± She smiled again, then ran out of the building. Ed chased after her, everyone else went after him.


    ¡°Edward! Don¡¯t do anything stupid!¡± Aru shouted. Kyoko managed to catch the golden-haired in a cloud of magic, but he was wriggling so much that he fell over.


    ¡°I HAVE TO FUCK HER UP!¡± he screamed, trying to stand up straight.


    ¡°But she¡¯s¡­¡± They looked at Catherine, who was running, when suddenly another heavy mana appeared. It threw the pegasus with the cannibal woman in their direction, everyone fell to the ground, dodging.


    ¡°What might this be¡­?¡± asked Lorenzo, Karia opened her wings and started charging at the unknown enemy, she didn¡¯t care at all for the people lying on the ground. She ran over Edward, who became furious.


    ¡°YOU BITCH!¡± he screamed and started blindly throwing magic at her, although it was obvious that it won¡¯t do anything. He hit the strange energy though, which then became bigger and broke the pegasus¡¯ wings. Catherine was frightened out of her mind, she started running. The strange energy wanted to go after her, but Ed was still attacking her with his magic. It looked like it displeased the mysterious mana, since it seemed that it turned in their direction. A while later Aru hit Edward in the face, and he stopped.


    ¡°I repeat... I¡¯ll never... listen to Eris again¡­¡± said the frightened red-haired girl. She was aiming her gun at the strange energy, when it¡­ suddenly turned into some shape. Edward started acting tough again. When everyone was deadly frightened, the shape started moving towards them.


    ¡°Alright¡­¡± Eris started. ¡°What do we do¡­? What can this be¡­?¡±


    ¡°It... has an atmosphere¡­ even worse than Catherine¡­¡± said slowly Kyoko.


    ¡°Why did we even get him drunk¡­ Now he¡¯s in a state of pleasant ignorance, for which we¡¯ll probably pay with our lives!¡± said Lorenzo, who began shaking in Aru¡¯s hands. She tried to calm him down. Even Eris and Kasei got ready for battle. Suddenly the strange shape became human-like. The closer it got, the more they saw. They saw something in a shape of a scythe, and then the thing that got closer jumped at them. They were getting ready for an attack, when Ed incompetently shook from side to side, saying all kinds of uncensored words. Suddenly he got hit in the head and fell to the ground.


    ¡°ED!¡± shouted Kasei, who threw herself in his direction. Aru and Kyoko tried blocking the strange energy, who easily hurt them and passed them. She was moving so fast, that they saw nothing except the human silhouette and the scythe¡¯s blade. After that she got closer to Ed, who Kasei tightly hugged when seeing the incoming danger, wanting to shield him. Then Lorenzo jumped from Aru¡¯s hands, turned into a human and stood in front of Kasei and unconscious Ed, ready to protect them. He knew, that it was his group that thought of this dumb plan of getting information out of them, and was ready to pay for it. And then the aggressor let him be. Lorenzo, frightened, was breathing hard, the black silhouette stopped, next to Lorenzo it seemed very small. They took a closer look then: it was a black, long coat, which flowed in the air without wind, and by the sleeves and the bottom of the coat floated black magic. They also noticed that the person who wore it had a hood on their head. Lorenzo couldn¡¯t see the person¡¯s face, but he saw a petite, light hand, which poked from the long sleeve, holding the scythe¡¯s handle. The weapon was silver, the scythe¡¯s blade didn¡¯t connect to the handle though, even though it was close to its beginning, it most likely floated magically. The scythe, though, after a while dissolved in a black cloud, the figure got closer to Lorenzo, the hood moved up a bit. The brown-haired saw then lips and a part of the face. The mysterious person smiled.


    ¡°You¡¯re lovely¡± said the voice of a girl. Lorenzo swallowed. ¡°And I see that you probably wanted to protect your friends? It¡¯s a shame that you people chased my prey away, especially this¡­ little drunkard.¡±


    She put her hand on Lorenzo¡¯s chest - there, where the heart was located. She started stroking that place a bit, still smiling. Kyoko was getting ready for an attack, but Aru stopped her. Lorenzo was absolutely scared.


    ¡°Hm¡­¡± The person spoke again. ¡°Your little heart is beating hard. Are you scared?¡±


    ¡°Would... ¡®yes¡¯ be a wrong answered?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Of course not.¡± She took her hand from his chest. ¡°You smell strange¡­ You must be the players!¡±


    ¡°And who are you?!¡± asked the red-haired. ¡°Another player¡­?¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± The person laughed. ¡°You¡¯re wrong.¡±


    Then she took the hood in her hands, and took it off. In their sight appeared a slightly round face of a young woman. She had pale complexion, and grey-black hair of medium length. Her eyes were big and of color of beer, she was also very short. She smiled again.


    ¡°Eh¡­?¡± Eris was surprised. ¡°A child?¡±


    ¡°Someone with such mana can¡¯t be a child, Eris¡­¡± Kyoko whispered.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a child¡± the mysterious character calmly replied. ¡°I¡¯m someone who hunts for people like Catherine and her pegasus. That meaning wild demonic beings.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not a player?¡± asked Aru, suspicious.


    ¡°Ah, a player. That¡¯s right!¡± She giggled cutely. ¡°It¡¯s natural that you might take me for such a person. But you¡¯re wrong! I¡¯m only someone who has to take care of such brats.¡±


    ¡°Then... how do you know about it?¡±


    ¡°Ah, you know, the deity makes a proposal to different people, but not everyone has to take him up on it. Or simply, I just know about it.¡± She smiled. ¡°I think that you also have a problem with the cannibal, so I can help you solve it.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re... from Delaunay clan?¡± asked Kyoko.


    ¡°Another mistake!¡± She smiled, and then¡­ hugged Lorenzo. Everyone was amazed. ¡°I¡¯m just Ivory, and Ivory is taught to deal with such beings, everything done for people. I¡¯m a hunter!¡±


    ¡°W-W-What are you doing¡­?¡± asked the embarrassed Lorenzo.


    ¡°I like you.¡± She smiled innocently.


    ¡°Stop, let him go¡­¡± Aru said, irritated. Ivory evidently didn¡¯t want to listen to her. ¡°Help? What about the payment?¡±


    ¡°What times we live in¡­ Do you have to pay back for everything now? It¡¯d be enough for me if you let me fulfill my duty! That means catching something that shouldn¡¯t be walking with a cannibal! Then you can go back to playing your game. I¡¯ve got no use for it!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not lying?¡±


    ¡°I swear.¡± She smiled. ¡°Give me some trust! I¡¯ve attacked you as self-defense, but when I saw this wonderful fox, my anger passed right away and I forgave you!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s... weird¡± Kyoko commented. ¡°You really hunt, just because you¡¯re a hunter?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± she giggled, hugging Lorenzo tighter, whose face was burning from embarrassment.


    ¡°HEY, COULD WE TALK IT OUT LATER?!¡± Kasei shouted out. ¡°ED IS LYING HERE, UNCONCIOUS!¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± Ivory laughed. ¡°Let¡¯s move him somewhere, then! And when he wakes up and stops being a drunkard, we¡¯ll talk out the details of our partnership, hm?¡±


    ¡°Seriously? Who said that we agree?¡± Aru asked.


    ¡°Hah, you think that you¡¯ll manage without me?¡± Ivory smiled.


    ¡°You¡¯re full of black magic!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a sorcerer, that meaning a magician, who was born naturally with black magic. You know, black magic isn¡¯t just being infected! You can get infected only if you can¡¯t control it!¡± she said, a bit offended. ¡°We hunters do so much, yet you don¡¯t appreciate it! But you understand, right, foxy?¡±


    ¡°Y-Y-YES!¡± he shouted, embarrassed.


    ¡°Master Aru¡­¡± Kyoko whispered. ¡°I think it could be a great idea¡­ hunters protect people, after all¡­ So maybe she¡­¡±


    ¡°Understood¡± answered Aru. ¡°We¡¯ll talk it out with Ed¡­¡±

 A risky move (Part 6)

    Ed slowly opened his eyes. He didn¡¯t know what was happening around him. He felt dryness in his mouth, his head hurt, he remembered Catherine, a strange silhouette, a scythe¡¯s blade¡­ but nothing more.


    ¡°Ow, my head¡­¡± he said, and got up from the ground. He saw that he was in some room, illuminated by a flame. It was Aru and her weapons¡¯ hideout. He saw Kasei, who sighed and suddenly punched his face. A few seconds later he saw Aru, Kyoko and Eris, right next to them was Lorenzo. Some girl was sticking to his shoulder, he was embarrassed. Ed touched his hurt cheek. ¡°Alright¡­ Could someone tell me what happened when I lost consciousness?¡±


    ¡°Eris.¡± Aru looked at the black-haired. She made an unhappy face, got up and... slightly bowed at Ed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± she said even though she didn¡¯t want to. ¡°It was me who thought about getting you drunk¡­ I wanted to check if you really didn¡¯t plan anything bad for us, you trash¡­¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­¡± He laughed. ¡°The talk of a drunkard is simply the thoughts of someone sober, nothing happed. But¡­ where¡¯s Catherine? And who¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s... one of the hunters¡± Kyoko said. Ivory then smiled and got up.


    ¡°The little drunkard got up!¡± she rejoiced. ¡°I¡¯m Ivory. I want to help you, the players, in defeating Catherine.¡±


    ¡°Players¡­? You know about the game?! Do you know any details?!¡± he asked, serious.


    ¡°Nooo, sadly not.¡± She smiled carelessly. Ed became angry. ¡°But I know that it¡¯s serious bussiness and I prefer helping you remove someone, who has an infected demonic being in their hands.¡±


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.??¡°What a strange help¡± he said, suspicious.


    ¡°Hey! That¡¯s the hunters¡¯ job! Delaunay wouldn¡¯t manage by themselves.¡± She smiled again. ¡°You seem strong, but such a pegasus is no joke. That¡¯s why I¡¯d prefer if our collaboration happened with no problems. I promise to get out of your way when I defeat the pegasus.¡±


    ¡°Are you really not a part of the game?¡±


    ¡°And do you smell the deity¡¯s mana on me?¡± she asked. ¡°Later I¡¯ll let you look at me closer to let you see that I don¡¯t have a seal. I really don¡¯t want to talk about it more, I was taught to help people! Ah, foxy, you¡¯re the only one who understands me, right?¡± She looked with her puppy eyes at Lorenzo, whose face reddened again and shyly nodded. Ed sighed.


    ¡°Fine¡­ I¡¯ll trust you¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s a shame that you don¡¯t have any information, though.¡±


    ¡°Well, unfortunately.¡± She smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll be going now! Go and rest, because tomorrow a lot of work awaits you! I also think that the drunkard has to sober completely too. So bye bye, until tomorrow!¡±


    Ivory opened the door and disappeared in the night¡¯s shadow. Ed had trouble thinking, but was angry that the lead turned to be a red herring. The only thing that consoled them was the hope, that soon Catherine would be defeated. Everything was happening so quickly, that they didn¡¯t even know if Ivory was honest, but it was their only chance, they had no time for stopping and thinking, the bid in this game was their life, after all. Aru, though, still couldn¡¯t forget what Ed told her this evening.


    ¡®Brother... A suffering brother¡­¡¯ she thought.


    End of chapter 4

 Chapter 5: An Eternal Flame (Part 1)

    Elemental Magicians ¨C Magicians born with a natural ability to control an element. Four types of them can be observed:


    Earth Magicians ¨C They possess brown-green eyes (with no noted exceptions) and are able to manipulate the earth element. Famous for patenting ?the miracles of nature¡±, such as forests growing in the middle of the deserts, which thrive for many years, even centuries, despite not being suitable for the selected environment. Hired to prevent, or cause earthquakes and other natural disasters related to the earth element.


    Air Magicians ¨C They possess light silvery eyes with white pupils, and slightly gray sclera (with no noted exceptions). Often mistaken for blind people. Able to manipulate the wind. Hired to fight against typhoons, hurricanes or tornados, or to cause them during wars. The most infamous case was the Nihorian Typhoon in year 2104 of Old Era, caused by air magicians.


    Water Magicians- They possess eyes of the color of the sea (with no noted exceptions) and the ability to manipulate water. Especially appreciated in fishery and in naval warfare. Similarly to earth and air magicians, they can stop natural disasters, and cause them.


    Fire Magicians ¨C They possess golden-red, sparkling eyes (with no noted exceptions) and are, very often, born with fully or partially red hair (although, in contrast with eyes, it is not always the case). They manipulate fire, and are particularly wanted in the army. They also work as people preventing arson, or as arsonists. They are the only group of elemental magicians, which possesses an animal related to them magically ¨C a phoenix.


    Since the year 376 of New Era, a sharp drop in the births of water, earth and fire magicians has been noticed, with no change to air magicians¡¯ population number. Although birth numbers in all groups have stayed the same, or even grew, most of the offspring didn¡¯t  inherit their parents¡¯ abilities. It was then when the term ?The Fading of Elemental Magic¡± appeared, and induced great panic among people. However, since the year 455 of New Era, a noticeable rise in births of earth magicians has been noted, and in the year 598 of New Era, a similar rise in births of water magicians was also noted. Since then their population numbers have stabilized, and the term ?The Fading of Magic¡± now only concerns the fire magicians, whose population number since the year 376 is still falling. The reason for this, or what caused the sudden rise in the birth of water and earth magicians, and why the fire magic after so many years has still not stabilized, is unknown. It is still a mystery why the air magicians have not been affected. This, similarly to the Soul Plague, is explained by the Believers of the Twelve as caused by the death of three elemental deities.


    ~ Universal Encyclopedia of magical issues, 910, Gormilia.


    Chapter 5


    An Eternal Flame


    ¡°¡­And then that girl showed up¡± Kasei told Edward, when they walked back to Arthur¡¯s house. They spent the last night in Aru¡¯s hideout. The redhead told him about everything that happened.


    ¡°It¡¯s crazy. Everything that¡¯s been happening... is insane. And now another person that wants to help us has appeared. That girl is strange¡­ She knows about the game, but nothing more? Something¡¯s wrong here¡­¡±


    ¡°I know that it¡¯s suspicious. We should deeply think this through¡­¡±


    They opened the door to Arthur¡¯s home, when in their direction flew a book, which hit the center of Edward¡¯s face, and then fell to the floor. The golden-haired recovered, and saw his friend, furious.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ??¡°Where have you been?! I was getting afraid that the cannibal got you!¡± Arthur hissed out. Ed scratched the back of his head, and sighed.


    ¡°¡­I was drinking with a friend¡± he confessed, embarrassed.


    ¡°DRINKING?¡± Arthur was close to hyperventilating. ¡°Hey, you should use your head a little, I told you what¡¯s happening in this city!¡±


    ¡°Relax, we moved to her¡­ house soon after. I remembered to be careful.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t do this again. You¡¯re my guests, I can¡¯t tell anything bad happen to you.¡±


    ¡°I know, I¡¯m sorry.¡± He said humbly.


    ¡°Right, now it¡¯s ¡®sorry¡¯, but yesterday you parted quite hard, Eddy¡± Kasei pointed out."


    ¡°You¡­¡± Ed growled, and Kasei ran away. Arthur giggled.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. I¡¯ll make you a tea for headaches, because¡­ everyone knows what happens after drinking too much.¡± He smiled, then left for the kitchen. The golden-haired sat down on a stool, took out his notebook and started looking through his notes.


    ¡®Hemv¡­ Then Aru and the cannibal¡­ Now some mysterious girl¡­¡¯ he thought. ¨C ¡®This game isn¡¯t easy. But what is really behind it? Maybe that girl is hiding something?¡¯


    Edward took out his small fountain pen and started writing. Arthur brought the tea, and Kasei was sitting in the other room.


    ¡°What are you writing there?¡± asked Arthur, Ed quickly covered the notebook with his hand.


    ¡°A letter¡­ to Peter¡± he said quietly. The orange-haired boy put the tea on the table and moved away from Ed.


    ¡°Hey, Ed¡­ If something¡¯s worrying you, please tell me. I¡¯ll try to help you the best I can¡± he suggested.


    ¡°Thank you. But this is something that I¡¯ll have to deal with myself. You know¡­ A philosophic thought.¡± He smiled.


    ¡°You¡¯re weird.¡± Arthur giggled. ¡°And about your books, I¡¯ll try to get them for you! But I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll manage today, since the security will be¡­ well, walking around.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to hurry¡± he replied, writing.


    ¡°Heh, alright. But maybe those books will help you in your¡­ philosophic thought?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think they¡¯ll help a lot. But really, don¡¯t hurry.¡± He grinned slightly. ¡°We managed to write down a few clan names with Kasei, that we want to thoroughly investigate, so no need to stress here.¡±


    ¡°I wonder what kind of philosophic thought it is, to be related to aristocratic clans¡­¡± Arthur thought out loud. Ed knew, that he made no sense, but he had no other idea. He coughed.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to describe.¡±


    ¡°Ah, those philosophers.¡± He laughed. Ed wrote, sometimes sipping his tea. Then he heard a knock on the door. Arthur puffed up.


    ¡°Them again?!¡± he growled, furious. The golden-haired was confused for a second, seeing Arthur so mad. He went up to the door. ¡°Leave! I don¡¯t want to buy anything, so frick off!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here for Edward¡± a womanly voice said. Arthur looked at Ed, who was similarly surprised. He opened the door, and saw a tall, thin girl with violet hair, from which white fox ears poked out. She fixed her hair a bit, then slightly bowed to Arthur. ¡°I apologize for disturbing you. I¡¯m aware, Edward, that you just came back, but master Aru wanted me to come get you already.¡±


    Then she looked at Arthur¡¯s face, which expressed deep surprise; his pupils were visibly dilated, on his cheeks appeared a soft blush, and his mouth was slightly opened.


    ¡°Um¡­¡± he stumbled. ¡°T-That¡¯s fine! It¡¯s me who¡¯s sorry!¡±He giggled dumbly, then hit himself in the face. Kyoko still stood straight, undisturbed by the situation. Edward, on the other hand, couldn¡¯t hide his surprise . Then, she finally came inside, Arthur followed her with his eyes, while making strange gestures in Edward¡¯s direction, which he wasn¡¯t able to understand. Kyoko stopped right next to him, when Kasei entered the room.


    ¡°Aru wants to see me already? Is it about that kid, who appeared yesterday?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she came already, so master Aru wanted me to get you.¡±


    ¡°Alright, come, Kasei.¡± Ed hid his notebook in his coat, they started leaving, first Kyoko, then Kasei, and Arthur still stood with the same face expression. When Ed walked past him, he caught his arm and moved him closer.


    ¡°Is it that friend of yours?!¡± he asked shyly. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you take me with yourself?! I can¡¯t, what a beauty!¡±


    ¡°¡­What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, what?! You¡¯re eighteen already, I think it¡¯s logical, that you¡¯re searching for a spouse! Maybe I want one too, huh?!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re messed in the head¡­¡± Ed sighted. Then they realized, that Kyoko and Kasei heard all of their conversation. The orange-haired went red in the face.


    ¡°Ha! Look, Kyoko, you¡¯ve got a fan!¡± Kasei giggled meanly. Arthur let Ed go and jumped away.


    ¡°Well¡­ It¡¯s like that sometimes. Can we go?¡± asked the violet-haired, unmoved. Ed nodded and left. Arthur shivered, repeated ¡®I¡¯m a dumbass¡¯ under his nose, when suddenly he felt Kyoko¡¯s eyes on himself. She smiled at him, then closed the door. Arthur stood, dumbstruck, but then started laughing from happiness.

 An Eternal Flame (Part 2)

    Aru, together with Lorenzo and Eris, was waiting in the place, in which she and Edward formed an alliance. Lorenzo was stuffing his mouth with some loaf, for which Eris was once again making fun of him. But the red-haired girl wasn¡¯t listening to their quarrel. She was sitting and thinking about everything, about Edward, about Ivory. She was wondering, if their alliance was really a good idea, she was thinking about what Edward said yesterday. She didn¡¯t know what to do. She daydreamed, cutting herself fully from the world, not hearing even the voices of her weapons.


    ¡®A brother¡­¡¯ she wondered. ¡®So he¡¯s playing for something like that? For a brother? But¡­ I have no right to give up on my goals... Why would I? In what way is his wish better than mine? Why was I ever thinking about¡­ quitting the fight? It¡¯s idiotic, right, master?¡¯


    A small girl with red hair fell to the ground, and magic, which she focused in her hands disappeared. An adult man, with similarly red hair, fiery eyes and tanned skin looked at her stoically. He stopped focusing the magic in his hands and walked closer to the girl.


    ¡°Why do you give up so quickly, Aru?¡± he asked. The girl was panting while getting up.


    ¡°I don¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lie¡± he interrupted. ¡°Every time you start doubting yourself  and feeling that you should withdraw, you quit. Why? Every time, when I¡¯ve got advantage against you in a battle, you stop focusing on it. That¡¯s wrong.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ sometimes it¡¯s better to concede, right? I wouldn¡¯t win anyway¡­¡±


    ¡°Foolishness.¡± He lightly hit her head. ¡°You should not give up in a battle. You should be fighting for what you want to achieve, no matter the price.¡±


    ¡°But there are so many people stronger than me¡­¡± she answered, sad. ¡°So sometimes it¡¯s better to give up, surrender¡­¡±


    ¡°And would you surrender, if you could get something that you really want? Ah, Aru¡­ I know, that you¡¯ve got a tendency for withdrawing, because the other person is better, stronger, but this is not the way. You should be fighting honorably. To not give up, but to fight, even, if you feel that you won¡¯t manage to win. You should keep your head up high even if you¡¯re defeated; show, that you¡¯re fighting with your heart, and that what you¡¯re fighting for is truly important to you. Your life, your dreams, someone else¡¯s life¡­ Or anything else, that you will be fighting for someday¡­ Show, that you truly care for it. Don¡¯t surrender to others, even if their goals seem more sensible than your. Make them fight with you ¡®til your last breath, show them, that you won¡¯t lose so easily.¡±


    ¡°But isn¡¯t that egoistic?¡±


    ¡°No. The whole life is a battle. So remember, do not give up so easily. Fight for what you desire, what you want to protect, fight¡­ and don¡¯t give up. Alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes, master!¡± she replied earnestly, but this time with a smile.


    ¡°Great. Now try your best not to let me defeat you!¡±


    Aru smiled. She felt strange anger inside herself¡­ that she never felt before.


    ¡®You¡¯re right¡­ I don¡¯t need Edward as an ally for this game. I¡¯ll win it. I¡¯ll do it¡­ alone.¡¯


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.??¡°Huh, did something happen, Aru?¡± asked Lorenzo, Eris was sitting next to him, with a chunk of the loaf she stole from him in her hand. Aru instantly came back to reality.


    ¡°Ah¡­ no,¡± she replied. ¡°I was just thinking.¡±


    ~


    Hagan was sitting in a dark room. He was preparing himself mentally, but the memory of  Goro, talking about Yvon and his mother, as if they were mere objects, didn¡¯t let him have his moment of peace. It was disturbing him again and again, waking up anger, which he couldn¡¯t curb. He punched the wall by which he was sitting, which let him calm down a little.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡­¡¯ he muttered inside his thoughts. ¡®I¡¯m sorry for not saving you¡­¡¯


    ¡®Oh¡¯ whispered the eternally pleased voice, already known to Hagan. ¡®I can sense your sadness much more than last time, so I decided to check on you.¡¯


    ¡°I can hear that¡± he replied. ¡°But I don¡¯t need your help, I need to silence my mind.¡±


    ¡®You don¡¯t have much time left. Before you realize, all seals will be taken away.¡¯ Hagan then took something out from under his shirt. ¡®Ah. Clever.¡¯ The deity laughed.


    ¡°I¡¯ve understood the rules. So I got myself this, which will give me the right to my wish.¡± Then he hid the scroll under his clothes again. ¡°But it¡¯s good that you¡¯re here, since I have to make sure of something.¡±


    ¡®Ask away.¡¯


    ¡°You said that as long as I have that, which gives me the right, I¡¯ll get to the ¡®finals¡¯, right?¡±


    ¡®Heh, naturally.¡¯ He giggled. ¡®So you¡¯re planning on sitting here and ¡®silencing¡¯ your head, rather than fighting? That¡¯s also an option. The easiest one. And the most cowardly. You¡¯ll have to fight in the end anyway, in addition with people with a few seals already, with experienced fighters. And right now you¡¯re like a chick, sitting in its nest and not once trying to learn to fly.¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t plan on waiting. My main goal is to defeat Goro, I can¡¯t let that monster win¡­ I have to defeat him. To avenge my mother and Yvon¡­ Then I¡¯ll deal with the competition. Now, I have to focus on that piece of trash.¡±


    The deity laughed disgustingly.


    ¡®Very well!¡¯ he screamed out, joyous. ¡®I was getting worried that you¡¯ll bore me out!¡¯


    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll try not to¡± he replied, slightly irritated by his behavior.


    ¡®Splendid. I¡¯ll observe how you¡¯ll deal with Goro Delaunay, Hagan. And for now, I¡¯ll leave, so you can¡­ ¡®silence your mind¡¯.¡¯


    The deity left, Hagan could then finally breathe like before. He closed his eyes, not thinking about anything. He had to relax before he sets off.

 An Eternal Flame (Part 3)

    ¡°Again, I apologize for him¡± said Edward to Kyoko. ¡°He never acted like this, I don¡¯t know what made him behave this way.¡±


    ¡°You have nothing to apologize for¡± the violet-haired girl replied. ¡°No one has ever reacted like this when seeing my appearance, it was a bit awkward, but¡­ nice.¡±


    ¡°Hehe!¡± Kasei started laughing. ¡°I¡¯m waiting for Ed to start drooling like that because of some girl.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t live to see that, stupid¡± replied the golden-haired.


    ¡°Oh Eddy, how can you say that?¡± she replied with a mean smile. ¡°Even Lady Elizabeth was hoping that you¡¯ve found someone, sadly, I¡¯m too high-grade for someone like you.¡±


    ¡°Well, when she said that, you didn¡¯t look glad.¡±


    ¡°You know, it¡¯s because she equaled me to a dumbass like you! But she was right, you need someone! And Arthur was so delighted by Kyoko, then maybe you¡¯ve found someone too, but you don¡¯t admit it?¡±


    ¡°The hell are you fantasizing about again?¡± he asked in an angry tone.


    ¡°Have I, maybe, found out your secret?¡± she giggled disgustingly. ¡°Talk! You¡¯re fond of Aru, or Eris?¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯ve become fully brain-dead¡± he sighed, irritated. ¡°Neither. And did you really have to include that second one? With Aru at least you can have a conversation, but it¡¯s impossible to even sit with that rabbit-eared magpie.¡±


    ¡°Haha!¡± the redhead laughed. ¡°So it¡¯s Aru after all?!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s with you¡­¡± he sighed again, tired of the situation.


    ¡°Do you like master Aru, Edward?¡± asked Kyoko. The golden-haired put his hand on his forehead, Kasei was still laughing.


    ¡°Even Kyoko knows it!¡± the redhead shouted out.


    ¡°No. It¡¯s Kasei who¡¯s making up things that never happened. She¡¯s bullying me.¡±


    ¡°Understood. You should not treat your master like that, Kasei¡± she pointed out. The redhead froze.


    ¡°Master?!¡± she took offense. ¡°He¡¯s a dumbass, not a master!¡±


    ¡°Well, Kyoko, meet my mean weapon¡± declared ceremoniously Edward. ¡°She should¡¯ve be a tiny monkey, not a fennec fox.¡±


    ¡°Start writing your testament, Edward¡± Kasei threatened, then hit his face with a fist. The golden-haired smiled.


    ¡°An angry Kasei, as always all according to my plans¡± he whispered quietly.


    ¡°She¡¯s still better than our Eris. Because Eris doesn¡¯t restrain herself, Eris speaks honestly¡± said the violet-haired.


    ¡°Yes, and thus Eris should¡¯ve been born as a magpie¡± he commented.


    At last, they got to their destination. They saw Aru, training shooting with Lorenzo, not too far from her stood Eris, but when she saw them, she stopped the exercise.


    ¡°Finally! ¨C the black-haired girl shouted out.¡± I thought I¡¯ll go bald before you get here!


    ¡°With this attitude you sure will go bald quickly¡± commented quietly Kasei, Ed laughed. Aru glanced at Ed coldly.


    ¡®No allies¡¯  she repeated in her thoughts, Lorenzo turned into his human form, they walked closer to them.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re here¡± the red-haired girl said emptily.


    ¡°So, where¡¯s our hunter?¡± asked Ed, looking around. Suddenly Ivory appeared by Lorenzo¡¯s side and right away hugged his arm. Everyone jumped away slightly, surprised by her appearing out of nowhere.


    ¡°So we¡¯re all here!¡± said the satisfied Ivory. ¡°Now, we should plan out our hunt!¡±


    ¡°So then? Do you have any info on the cannibal, or do we go into the fight blind?¡± asked the golden-haired.


    ¡°How rude.¡± She got sad and hugged  Lorenzo, now red-faced, tighter.


    ¡°Stop hugging him so much¡­¡± said slightly embarrassed Aru. Ivory shook her head.


    ¡°No!¡± she said with a smile. ¡°Well then, listen! Our cannibal attacks only at night, in the surrounding area of the local park. In addition, only rich people! I¡¯ve analyzed her assaults thoroughly. All of them happened around the park, only on wealthy people!¡±


    ¡°Interesting¡± answered Ed. ¡°So, what do you want in exchange for helping us?¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­¡± she sighed. ¡°You really think that I want something? Maybe only for you to be nice to each other during your little game, and not to do anything similar to what that girl is doing.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a peculiar person¡± he confessed. ¡°Now we just need a plan.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ what if someone dressed up as a wealthy person?¡± proposed Kyoko. ¡°And went to the park at night¡­¡±


    ¡°A bait? Would she fall for that?¡± thought out loud Aru.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.??¡°She¡¯s not a magician¡± Edward stated. ¡°At most, her pegasus could smell the seal.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ It¡¯s a pretty good plan. So should one of the weapons dress up?¡± Kasei inferred.


    ¡°But... which one?¡± asked Lorenzo. And then everyone¡¯s eyes fell on him. ¡°N-No! I can¡¯t do it!¡±


    ¡°Oh, Lorrie¡­¡± Ivory touched his face and looked into his eyes, he froze. ¡°But I¡¯ll protect you, you know that.¡±


    ¡°Y-Y-YES! ¨C he replied, embarrassed.¡± BUT I¡¯M STILL NOT CONVINCED.


    ¡°So everything¡¯s decided¡± said Aru. ¡°But you will take care of  Lorenzo, because if anything happens to him, don¡¯t count on me being nice.¡±


    ¡°What? I¡¯ll never let Lorrie get hurt!¡± she insisted. ¡°So you all, together with the drunkard, will stay in your hideout. Now we should just get Lorrie the right clothes and get him ready! And in the evening we¡¯ll start the fun, I heard that there¡¯s a banquet tonight!¡±


    ¡°But will Catherine really come?¡± asked Edward.


    ¡°Since she¡¯s a madwoman, let¡¯s hope that it¡¯ll work¡± answered Kyoko.


    They started walking, Ed walked closer to Aru, which got irritated a bit by it.


    ¡°Hey, I need to talk with you about something¡± he started.


    ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡±


    ¡°I know, that we agreed on our alliance until we defeated Catherine¡­ but I think that you¡¯re an alright person. And the deity didn¡¯t prohibit alliances, did he?¡± Ed asked. ¡°You also said that there¡¯s one more player here, so¡­ maybe joining forces and our fight at the end will be a good idea? The deity¡¯s power can be as helpful as it can be dangerous, but I¡¯m sure that if I lost to you, your wish won¡¯t hurt this world. That¡¯s why I¡¯d like you to be my opponent only at the end.¡±


    Aru opened her eyes wider, and Edward gave her an honest smile. But inside, the red-haired girl felt¡­ some kind of anger.


    ¡°Yes¡­ this¡­ might be a good idea¡± she said, very unsure.


    ~


    He had to be careful, so his father wouldn¡¯t catch him when he got closer to Goro¡¯s room. Hagan knew that battle preparation was extraordinarily important, but he himself didn¡¯t possess any good weapons. He also knew that there was something hidden in this house that he needed. He gently pushed the door and silently entered the room. He quickly looked around, because he felt uneasy, and was scared of being caught. He deeply sighed once, twice, and then walked closer to the shelves and the closet, in which Goro kept his weapons. The brown-haired man checked as fast as possible which of the weapons were of the highest quality, but like he thought, his brother - his rival - took most of the best ones. He didn¡¯t have much time; he took two knives and one sword, which seemed the most solid. He gently slid his hand down the sword¡¯s blade, and hurt himself a little. But it made him satisfied, since it showed that the blade wasn¡¯t dull. He secured the weapon and exited the room. Even though it was evening, he had to be careful. He closed the door as quietly as he could, but with the corner of his eye he noticed someone standing next to him. He jumped up out of fear, but his heart calmed down when he saw a small girl.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± asked Alana. Hagan looked away from her.


    ¡°I have to go and travel for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Really? First Goro, now you¡­¡± she whispered sadly. The brown-haired boy walked up to the brunette and pet her head.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon¡± he said. ¡°And then... you¡¯ll see. I¡¯ll bring Yvon back home, I¡¯ll exile Goro, and I¡¯ll deal with father¡­ Everything will change now, I promise.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± she asked shyly.


    ¡°Yes. You won¡¯t be unhappy because of them anymore. I just¡­ need to do something. So wait for me, alright?¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± She smiled. ¡°And I shouldn¡¯t say anything to father?¡±


    ¡°Exactly, don¡¯t say anything.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re leaving, then¡­ when you¡¯ll see Yvon¡­ could you tell her that I miss her?¡±


    ¡°Of course¡± said Hagan, a bit sad. ¡°Now go, before father catches us.¡±


    ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll be waiting for you! And remember, you promised!¡± she laughed, and then ran away. Hagan quickly started walking in the direction of the training hall. Earlier he left his sword sheath and protective garb there. He put them on his body, then covered them with a brown leather jacket and beige pants, at the same time recalling the faces of his sisters and his mother.


    ¡®This is not just a fight for a wish¡¯ he thought. ¡®This is a fight for the honor of my family. This is a fight¡­ for the happiness of my loved ones. And if I fail¡­ may a lighting strike me dead.¡¯


    When he was prepared enough, under the night¡¯s shadow he took his horse and set off in Rebellar¡¯s direction. He had to talk to Yvon before he joined the battle. He had to... apologize to her.

 An Eternal Flame (Part 4)

    ¡°What is this¡­¡± groaned Eris, who was looking through empty money pouches. The whole group was staying in Aru¡¯s hideout. ¡°YOU THREW AWAY ALL MONEY WE HAD FOR THIS DUMBASS?!¡±


    ¡°Well, aristocrats¡¯ clothes aren¡¯t cheap¡± Kyoko said.


    ¡°BUT THAT WAS A MOUNTAIN OF MONEY!¡± she hissed out her answer, then snatched the suit that was bought for Lorenzo. It had a velvety texture, and was of a color of a nut, with some darker brown tones. It looked a bit similar to the boy¡¯s shirt, since it was also plaided. They also bought for him shoes, a tie and a white button-up shirt to wear under his jacket, also soft to touch. ¡°Amazing, I don¡¯t remember ever touching material like this¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, so you like it after all?¡± Edward asked with an obvious smile.


    ¡°Shut up, you trash, or I¡¯ll cut off your tongue¡± she answered. ¡°But you didn¡¯t have to pay so much for something that Lorenzo will wear only once!¡±


    ¡°We have to prepare the best we can¡± Kyoko said again. ¡°Furthermore, if it¡¯ll stay in mint condition, we can return it.¡±


    ¡°You believe it?¡± she giggled meanly. ¡°Lorenzo will mess up, as always.¡±


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t!¡± he denied suddenly. ¡°After all, we still need to pay for food, so I have to take care of it to return it!¡±


    ¡°BECAUSE YOU ONLY CARE ABOUT EATING! I KNOW YOU, YOU ASS!¡±


    Then something hit Eris¡¯ head. The furious blackhead turned around. She saw Ivory, who was holding a stick of impressive length.


    ¡°You can¡¯t talk to Lorenzo like this!¡± she said with a childish, unhappy face, and then stepped in front of Lorenzo to shield him, ineffectively, since she was very small in comparison to him.


    ¡°You won¡¯t be telling what I can or can¡¯t do!¡± Eris screeched out, similarly childishly.


    ¡°SILENCE!¡± it was Aru who shouted out this time. ¡°Rather than scream at each other, it¡¯s better if we start with our plan. Lorenzo, dress up.¡±


    The red-haired girl gave him his clothes. He looked at them, then at the whole group, and smiled shyly. Everyone understood what he meant, so they turned around, so he could change. Lorenzo first unbuttoned his shirt, took it off and elegantly folded it. Suddenly he felt a bit uneasy. He saw with a corner of his eye Ivory peeping at him with a meaningful smile, but after a while she quickly looked away. The fox¡¯s face became fully red, he felt embarrassed, but at the same time, for some reason, he also felt quite nice¡­


    When he finished changing, he let them turn around again. Everyone reacted very enthusiastically when they saw him, the suit suited him well.


    ¡°Well, I gotta say that you look good¡± Eris commented positively, surprising everyone. ¡°But just try damaging it, and I promise you that I will kill you.¡±


    ¡°Eris, is your period blood leaking, making you so nasty all the time?¡± asked Edward with a mean smile. The black-haired girl looked at him with eyes of a murderous beast.


    ~


    For now, everything was going according to the plan ¨C Ivory took Lorenzo to the meeting place of aristocratic and wealthy people, and the rest of the group stayed in Aru¡¯s hideout. They decided to wait there, so the cannibal¡¯s pegasus wouldn¡¯t sniff out the seal, or notice the high number of people present. The fox yielded to his peers¡¯ requests and started sipping drinks with them. Fortunately, Lorenzo was known for ?holding his drink¡± well, so he wasn¡¯t afraid of losing self-control, like Edward did before. It seemed like the meeting would never end, but finally the guests went home. They were lucky that such parties were an everyday occurrence in Yodiara, but now they had to act carefully. Ivory turned into a raven, sat on a tall tree and observed. Lorenzo started thinking if Ivory might be a weapon, but in the end decided that she was simply using a transformation spell, which was much more probable ¨C her scythe was made up of magic, and not of soul energy, like his gun, or Kyoko¡¯s sword.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.Lorenzo was loitering by the park¡¯s trees. Ivory took him here, hoping that their cannibal would show up soon. The brown-haired boy acted as if he was going in the town¡¯s direction, but tried not to go too far from Ivory¡¯s position. She was concealing her presence and mana, after all. Suddenly, Lorenzo heard rustling, he was breathless, and his heart skipped a beat. He started feeling stuffy, so he loosened his tie a bit. Although he was scared, he kept going forward, and tried to act as naturally as possible. Ivory spread her wings slightly and noiselessly began gliding between branches of different trees. Lorenzo was stepping slowly, his heart was beating very fast, and his legs began to shake a bit. He took a deep breath, but felt something preying on him. It was a blessing in an awful disguise. Then he heard loud neighing, he turned into his fox form and quickly started running, but Karia was as fast as he was.


    ¡°Get him, Karia!¡± shouted out Catherine, who was holding her pet¡¯s neck tightly. The panicked Lorenzo hid behind some trees, but the pegasus was able to sniff him out. Ivory jumped down and hit the ground like a thunder, took off the transformation spell off herself, and together with the now fully formed scythe in her hand, charged at her enemies. The pegasus dodged by flying upwards, and Ivory with the tip of her blade hit the ground.


    ¡®She¡¯s using her wings¡¯ thought the huntress. ¡®Damn it, she was able to regenerate them so quickly after breaking them?!¡¯


    She stopped on the ground, jumped in fox Lorenzo¡¯s direction and lifted him up using magic.


    ¡°We need to create distance¡± she said with a commanding tone and started running. She was holding Lorenzo in a cloud of magic in front of her, so as not to endanger him. In her hands, other than focusing the magic, she was holding her scythe, ready to fight. Pegasus, together with Catherine, started charging at them. Lorenzo then understood what was happening.


    ¡°Ivory! You can use me! I¡¯ll be much more effective than a scythe in a long-distance battle!¡±


    Ivory nodded, dispersed the scythe, and Lorenzo turned into a handgun. Ivory took the magic cloud closer to herself and then let it go, letting it freely fall into her hand. With a strong jump, supported by magic focused in her shoes¡¯ heels, she started shooting in the pegasus¡¯ direction. It was dodging the bullets quite skillfully. Karia flew upwards and kicked her with her hooves. Ivory fell, rolled over the ground and hit a tree with her body. She quickly recovered, however, and jumped even higher, still supporting her body with magic. She hid behind a large tree, from behind which, from time to time, she peeked out to track down her enemy.


    ¡°Now you¡¯re the one running from us?¡± Catherine laughed disgustingly. Ivory was breathing hard, she suffered a few injuries.


    ¡°Are you alright?!¡± asked Lorenzo. The huntress slid her hand over his gun form, and then brought the gun¡¯s side closer to her face. She kissed it shyly. Lorenzo stayed silent.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I fought worse battles¡± she said, fully serious. ¡°But I¡¯ll be needing your help this time, dearest¡­¡±

 An Eternal Flame (Part 5)

    Everyone waited patiently. Everyone, including Eris, which was unusual, sat silently. Their companions were gone for only an hour, but everyone was worried - even Eris, who was unskillfully trying to hide her feelings. Aru was sitting the farthest from the group. She wasn¡¯t sure if putting trust in Ed and Ivory so soon was a smart move. She was starting to regret it, making up dark scenarios in her head. She wrapped her hands around herself, before her eyes appeared images, which she wanted to forget; of military, people with weapons in her hands, the color of blood, the cries of men, women and children, burning homes, towns and villages. She shook her head, but it did nothing, bad thoughts kept attacking her; then her mind brought back memories of certain beautiful, proud birds ¨C sick or dead ones, eaten by flies. She bit her lips then, and looked in Edward¡¯s direction with anger in her eyes. Suddenly, a plan appeared in her mind. She took a deep breath, then got up and walked over to the golden-haired boy. Everyone looked at her.


    ¡°Could I¡­ talk with you?¡± she asked. ¡°Alone.¡±


    Edward nodded his head, surprised. He got up and followed Aru to the courtyard. Kyoko saw this as a bit suspicious, Eris ?hmphed¡± and looked away. Kasei, on the other hand, thought about ways to mess with Edward, when Lorenzo got back.


    Aru walked ahead. Edward was behind her, although he wondered why she wanted to walk so far away. In front of them there was nothing, only a wide valley filled with sand and bits of grass. Only long distance away could one see silhouettes of houses and tall buildings in far away towns. However, behind them rose Yodiara ¨C a gigantic city, with the tallest buildings built in Gormilia to this day.


    ¡°I¡¯m curious about something, but I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s the right moment¡­¡± he started.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°This house, is it yours, or have you found it?¡±


    ¡°Found it. But it doesn¡¯t make a difference, since it¡¯s abandoned anyway¡± she replied in an empty tone.


    ¡°Yeah, it probably doesn¡¯t. Thanks for quenching my curiosity.¡± He smiled slightly, but she didn¡¯t smile back.


    ¡°Why do you trust me, Edward?¡±


    ¡°Well, good question, I think I told you the answer once already. Because you seem like an alright person, so that¡¯s the reason.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ thank you¡± she emptily replied again. ¡°But ¡®seems¡¯ is still not a sure answer, right?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± he asked. Aru smiled, and also giggled quietly. Edward¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°I¡¯m na?ve¡± she said out loud, with a noticeable irritation in her voice. ¡°You are too. You really thought I¡¯d believe your words so easily? That I¡¯ll give you my seal, so you can get your wish? That I¡¯ll make it easy for you?!¡± she shouted out. The golden-haired moved away a little. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Edward of Rebellar!¡±


    She threw a fireball at him. Edward jumped away at the last moment. He quickly got up from the ground, while focused huge amounts of fire around her hands.


    ¡°So that¡¯s the kind of person you are, Aru?¡± he asked, although he felt like he saw this kind of behavior somewhere before. The red-haired laughed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of wish you may be holding. I don¡¯t know the details, Edward. But you know what? I don¡¯t give a damn! Have you heard about the war between Nihoria and Voyca? My parents died in this war! I¡¯m Aru of Voyca, my role is to be a caretaker of phoenixes, of beautiful birds, which are permanent companions of fire mages. But as you know, there¡¯s less and less of us. Fire magic is disappearing, and no one knows why ¨C phoenixes are dying, and magicians of fire together with them. Nihoria destroyed us, killed many wonderful mages, and less and less of them are being born. Phoenixes are on the brink of extinction¡­ And my role, like my mother¡¯s and grandmothers¡¯, father¡¯s and grandfathers¡¯, is to care for them! So, you know, Edward¡­ I didn¡¯t have any bad intentions¡­ Yes, I even believed that we could be partners! But no! I have to win this game! My honor depends on this, the honor of my family and the future of fire magic! So fight with me, number eleven!¡±


    Edward suddenly remembered the fury he felt when fighting Hemv. Now he knew what Aru¡¯s behavior reminded him of. However, he had no time to think, Aru threw at him a set of fire bullets, Edward ran, defended himself with his arm that got burned. He stumbled from pain, quickly used a simple healing spell, to give himself at least a bit of relief. He cursed himself inside for not learning more spells for battle, gave himself a philosophy ban and an order to learn more spells, at the same time trying to create a plan for the battle. He focused energy around his hand, deciding to try anything. He threw a stream of magic in Aru¡¯s direction, which turned out to be effective, since she had trouble stopping it. He bought himself a few seconds to analyze the situation.


    ¡°I feel sadness¡± he said. ¡°But I was prepared for betrayal from you. The die has been cast.¡±


    ¡°Of course it has been, philosopher.¡± She smiled.


    ~


    She tried to buy as much time as she could. She ran, sometimes hiding behind trees, at the same time planning her next steps. She tightly held Lorenzo in her hands, trying to protect him from any danger. In one moment her legs got hit by magic and she fell forwards. She felt burning sensation in her calves, leaned on a tree and breathed heavily.


    ¡°Hey, Lorenzo¡± she said. ¡°I want to tell you something before Catherine gets here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m listening¡­¡±


    ¡°I know that I¡¯m advancing too quick, but¡­ You remind me of someone who I met long ago. That person¡­ was very precious to me. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t manage to tell him about my feelings. You know¡­ I believe in reincarnation¡­ and maybe it¡¯s dumb but¡­¡± She laughed. Lorenzo didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°But I think that the moment I saw you, I fell in lo¡­¡±


    The pegasus pierced the tree by which they were sitting. Ivory jumped away with her hurting legs and stopped a bit further ahead, kneeling. She squeezed Lorenzo close to her chest, her face was beaming.


    ¡°Heh¡± she snorted. ¡°Maybe I should stop babbling, and start thinking about what I¡¯m doing?¡±


    ¡°Ivory¡­¡± he whispered shyly.


    ¡°You can ignore what I said, if you want. I just wanted you to know that. But now¡­ please, help me in this battle.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡± he answered boldly, but a mix of different emotions could¡¯ve been heard in his voice.


    ¡°I think that a normal weapon like you won¡¯t do¡­ Simple spells too¡­ But if we used black magic, then¡­¡±


    ¡°Do it.¡±


    ¡°But I could hurt you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I trust you.¡±


    These words made her giggle cutely but sincerely. Then, she got up. She felt burning in her legs, but even this pain has now been rewarded. She focused the black magic on the gun, it soaked into Lorenzo, who only hissed a little. Catherine seated herself more comfortable on Karia, she looked quite calm.


    ¡°Ended your show?¡± asked the brunette. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯ve no idea what you are, and when I look at you, I get shivers. So will you let me in on the secret and let me get to know you more?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± she said with a smile ¡°but I don¡¯t enter relationships with creatures that disgust me.¡±


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ??Ivory held the gun more confidently in her hands and started shooting in her enemy¡¯s direction. Karia still dodged skillfully, but Lorenzo¡¯s bullets, seasoned with a pinch of black magic, let them finally injure her. When the pegasus slowed down because of wounds, Ivory shot out a spell out of her hand. Unfortunately she missed, but the pegasus¡¯ mane still got hit. Black hair split like an overloaded line and fell to the ground. Catherine pet the pegasus on its snout, then whispered something in its ear. Black magic around the pegasus started to pulse more violently. Ivory fortunately was ready for this. Despite the pain, she focused magic in her legs and jumped out in their direction. The pegasus, wanting to protect its owner, knocked Lorenzo out of Ivory¡¯s hand using its snout, and the girl returned the favor by kicking Catherine¡¯s face with all her strength. The gun turned into a brown fox, which under the blow¡¯s strength became incapacitated. He flied a few meters back, fell powerlessly to the ground and started shaking from pain and black magic that was floating around his body. Catherine, on the other hand, also flew back, but in the other direction. Ivory now had a few seconds to decide; she didn¡¯t know whether to go to Lorenzo¡¯s side, or to take care of the pegasus, since it was so close. Karia however threw her in the fox¡¯s direction that was oversaturated with magic. Ivory groaned from pain in her legs, that was getting worse with every second. She crawled closer to Lorenzo and lightly pet his shivering body. The pegasus slowly walked in her direction. She thought about what to do next. Catherine, lying on the ground, was looking at her, laughing.


    ¡°Come on, Karia¡­ Crush them¡­ I¡¯ve had enough of them all.¡±


    ¡°Understood¡± replied the pegasus, which began charging in their direction. But then it was Ivory who smiled. She got up quickly, trying to ignore the pain, focused as much magic as she could, then punched the horse in the snout as hard as she could with her fist covered in condensed aura. Pegasus stopped, its hind legs started shaking.


    ¡°Poor animal¡± she whispered with humility in her voice. A scythe appeared in her other hand. ¡°It¡¯s sad that those like you can¡¯t be saved yet.¡±


    She quickly moved her fist away from the horse¡¯s muzzle, gripped the scythe¡¯s handle in both hands, and with a quick, practically invisible move, made a cut. The pegasus fell, headless. Ivory was shaking from the pain her legs, she felt a burning sensation. There was no blood; the pegasus¡¯ body turned into shining ash, which slowly floated in the sky¡¯s direction. The huntress looked at the scene with a tired, sad look for a while. Lorenzo, a witness to what just happened, was still lying like he was paralyzed. Ivory lowered her head, her scythe disappeared, and she put her hands together.


    ¡°Please, God of Cleansing¡­¡± she said almost inaudibly. ¡°Save those, whose souls were corrupted by darkness¡­ Take away the corruption in their hearts¡­¡±


    Ivory stopped the prayer, when she heard laughter. She looked in Catherine¡¯s direction, who was slowly getting up. She wasn¡¯t afraid or her because she knew that Catherine without her pegasus wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything. The only thing that was still creeping her out, was her laughter. It was an insane, disgusting, and scornful laughter.


    ¡°God?¡± she mocked. ¡°There¡¯s no god! God was created by people, just that they could believe that there¡¯s something righteous in this damned world! But you know what? There isn¡¯t one. There completely isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡± the huntress replied, calm. ¡°Says someone that hunts innocent people?¡±


    ¡°Innocent¡­ there¡¯s no one completely without sin. I only punish people overflowing with pride, who don¡¯t care for anything else than wealth! I hate them! They don¡¯t know hunger, poverty, only prosperity and the belief that they can have anything they want! You know what happens in a village struck by famine? Dwellers start eating each other. And I, to survive, had to eat my own friends. Aristocrats took everything from us! They bought our village, took our money, our fields, everything! Help never came, and anyone who tried to run was caught and murdered! They made us slave away, just so they could stuff their faces, fatasses! AND THEY GAVE US NOTHING! But that ended. I was the last one to survive¡­ so I ate them too. If they made me eat my friends, then I went and ate their flesh too! And now I eat those similar to them! Aristocrats, everyone wealthy¡­ because it was them that imposed their own rules on us! I¡¯ve had enough of them not doing anything and having everything! My dream is to become a man-made god. To get rid of all pain in the world! To give everyone all that they want, and to slaughter those pigs, all of them! Maybe you destroyed my pegasus¡­ But I won¡¯t let you win so easily. I will also slaughter you, eat you¡­ I¡¯ll give your bones as a gift to those idiots¡­¡± She suddenly began laughing disgustingly. Ivory got up, completely unmoved.


    ¡°Do you even know what you¡¯re talking about?¡± asked the huntress.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Catherine stopped laughing.


    ¡°Equality? For everyone? Create an ideal utopia without any suffering?¡± she asked with a visible scorn in her voice. ¡°Get rid of pain? Give everyone everything they want? What would that be? If everyone could get all they want¡­ what would that look like? People are blind. They would go and riot in the end, because each and one of them would think that they can have anything. Wars would break out, murdering others for one¡¯s own goals would be an everyday occurrence¡­ and finally someone wouldn¡¯t have something they want. Pain truly is the worst evil¡­ but can a rainbow be made without a bit of rain? By losing something, we learn to care for what is then given to us, by knowing pain, we can be truly happy! Even, if there are those who are defeated, even they have a bit of happiness in their lives! And those, who fight for happiness¡­ possess the truest happiness on this earth! Not one given that¡¯s given to you, but the one fought for with own hands is the most valuable on this earth! You would take away this happiness, no, you would take away all of it, if people wouldn¡¯t know pain! Their life would become colorless, and later full of brutality. And the whole utopia would perish, having made the world worse than it is.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lying¡± she hissed out. ¡°Liar, liar¡­ Who are you even to know that?!¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± She looked in Lorenzo¡¯s direction. ¡°Also lost something that meant a lot to me. But I believe that, nevertheless¡­ my prayers have been answered. But you¡­ desire something that you don¡¯t deserve. Happiness¡­ true happiness won¡¯t be given to someone, who killed innocent people! You¡¯re disgusting. You¡¯re a hypocrite¡­ and you don¡¯t even have any idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP!¡± she cried out. ¡°I¡¯LL WIN THIS GAME! I¡¯LL CREATE A PERFECT WORLD WITHOUT PAIN AND SUFFERING, WORLD, FOR WHICH PEOPLE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR! AND FINALLY I¡¯LL BE HAPPY, FINALLY!¡±


    Catherine threw herself in Ivory¡¯s direction, who caught her arm and twisted it. After a moment she kicked her in the stomach with her knee, the cannibal fell to the ground, she hugged her torso.


    ¡°You killed innocents for your own enjoyment¡± said scarily serious Ivory. ¡°Someone like you¡­ won¡¯t understand what is the true happiness, gotten through working humbly. I can understand your hate, I don¡¯t blame you for it, it¡¯s fully understandable. But what you did to all those people¡­ it¡¯s unforgivable.¡±


    ¡°Who are you even to judge me?!¡± she screamed out. Ivory kicked her again, this time in her face. She slowly bent down caught her twisted arm by the wrist.


    ¡°I can¡¯t let someone like you participate in the game.¡± Ivory held her other hand closer, and with magic started to tear out Catherine¡¯s seal with number five. She started kicking, but it was for nothing. The huntress got up, looking from above at the weak Catherine, who without her pegasus was weak like a work. ¡°Who am I? Something that awaits everyone.¡±


    Ivory summoned her scythe and carefully caught it in her hands. She moved it behind her head, then with all strength stroke Catherine. Lorenzo heard the very unpleasant sound of bones breaking. He didn¡¯t look.

 An Eternal Flame (Part 6)

    It was hard for Edward to dodge fire magic, which Aru has been training since childhood. One could see it in her moves: elegant, coordinated, ideal, like a dance. However, he couldn¡¯t just limit himself to dodging her move forever, but focusing magic was going poorly for him ¨C he was never in a situation where he had to concentrate it so quickly. He couldn¡¯t repel Aru¡¯s fire at all, he only burned his hands more as a result. He didn¡¯t plan on giving up though, they threw a series of missiles at each other. At one moment they hit each other at the same time, the redhead and the golden-haired both took it bravely. Now it was Edward who tried to quickly think of things he could use in battle, he didn¡¯t have Kasei by his side, and he fought much better while using weapons than magic. He suddenly noticed something; a piece of wood buried under some sand, a quite big one. Now he had to think how to get to it, since he already had a plan about using it. Knowing that his opponent won¡¯t let him get it so easily, he decided to risk it ¨C he suddenly ran and threw himself in the plank¡¯s direction and quickly hit it with focused magic. Aru reacted, but Ed managed to stop her attack. He made from the plank a spear, that looked similar to Kasei¡¯s weapon form. Though made from wood, it looked like it was made of stone. It was a result of a transformation spell, very temporary, but he hoped that it¡¯d be enough for this battle. Now with a weapon, Edward felt more sure of himself. Aru, on the other hand, became even more furious. Another round of attacks started; Aru aimed at Ed, who shielded himself with the spear he made, and also tried to get closer to his opponent¡¯s position. When he almost managed to get close enough, she attacked. He protected himself with his hands once again, but their state was getting worse. Blisters from burns started appearing, Ed had to be even more careful.


    ¡°How much longer can you manage?¡± asked Aru. ¡°Isn¡¯t it easier to just give up? I¡¯ll spare your life if you give me your seal and withdraw from the game.¡±


    ¡°Then I prefer to die with honor¡± he answered, serious. Aru looked at him with unsatisfied face and started walking closer in his direction. What was strange though, was that she didn¡¯t focus her fire magic.


    ¡°As you wish¡± she answered with disappointment in her voice. ¡°Since you don¡¯t care for your life this much, I¡¯ll end it. Because¡­ I have to win, no matter what.¡±


    Then the golden-haired recalled the day when he killed Hemv.


    ¡®Did my face look like that back then? Was contempt so visible in my eyes? And the tone of voice so furious?¡¯ he asked himself inside. He clenched his teeth, closed his eyes and took a deep breath.


    ¡°Aru, it¡¯s not worth it. Stop it.¡±


    ¡°Never!¡± she shouted out and aimed a flame at him. Edward jumped away, resumed defending himself against her missile¡¯s with his spear, from which the transformation spell started slowly fading. He knew that the red-haired girl won¡¯t let him approach.


    ¡°But is it really worth it, Aru?¡± he asked. ¡°Do you want to kill others, like those who killed so many fire mages and phoenixes?¡±


    ¡°If I have to do it to win, I¡¯ll do it!¡±


    ¡°So you prefer to be like them¡± he replied boldly. ¡°Listen¡­ I killed a man. Because of the exact same reason ¨C I felt like I had to win¡­ I regret this. Nothing will ever wash away the blood from my hands¡­ But you still have the chance to stop yourself! You just want to help the fire magic, or maybe you want to be the one who will save it?¡±


    Aru jumped in his direction. She hit the plank with her fists that were saturated with magic, and it suddenly turned back into a wooden plank and started burning. Ed fell, Aru held her hands tightly on his throat, although he could still breathe a bit. The golden-haired knew in what a hopeless position he was. He didn¡¯t move, but just looked at the girl¡¯s face. It was quiet, the only thing he heard was cracking of burning wood next to them.


    ¡°And you want to be who, Edward? Someone who will just help his brother, or someone that will solve his problem?¡± she broke the silence.


    ¡°Neither. I guess I told you something while I was drunk, and that¡¯s why you know. My wish is to get something that cures hemasitus, a sickness that he¡¯s trying to fight. I don¡¯t want to gain anything myself. I prefer my brother profiting. Because giving this to him is the only way to reward him for me being unable to help him! So you prefer to save phoenixes by using somebody else¡¯s blood? Blood, that doesn¡¯t really need to be spilled?¡±


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ?? ¡°It¡¯d be better if you didn¡¯t bark this much¡± she threatened harshly. ¡°I could burn your throat any moment.¡±


    ¡°¡­Then do it.¡±


    Aru didn¡¯t. Although she tried to tighten the grip on hit throat even more, to suffocate him¡­ she couldn¡¯t. What he said was buzzing in her head, she didn¡¯t know what to think anymore. He smiled.


    ¡°If I can be fully honest¡­ looking at how perfectly and gracefully you use fire magic¡­ I believe that you could help the fire magic even without a wish.¡±


    ¡°The same can be said about your brother, huh?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. But here it¡¯s rather my fault for messing up. So¡­ I want to fix it. Because I lost a person close to me, because another ran away, and because I¡­ disappointed my only family. I want to end this suffering¡­ but it won¡¯t be my achievement. After all, the deity will be the one to give me the answer, and I won¡¯t be the one to find it. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t desire any fame. And you¡¯re just like me. You¡¯ll make a wish, but actually it will be the deity who saves fire magic, not you. You would be only someone who had a chance of making it happen. So if you want to fight¡­ don¡¯t fight like this.¡±


    ¡°Stop it¡­¡±


    ¡°To be honest, you yourself are like an eternal flame of fire magic. Of magic that¡¯s fading away, and you being its personification. But it¡¯s only for you to decide, how you¡¯ll proceed with the chance to fight for a wish, with gift of such magic.¡±


    Aru¡¯s body strongly winced. She let go of Ed¡¯s throat, who breathed out a bit, but still wasn¡¯t calm.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­¡± she whispered. ¡°After all¡­ I didn¡¯t think this way before. Then why? Why did I explode like that in your direction¡­?¡±


    ¡°It seems that¡­ mortals let themselves be carried away too much by a chance to get their wishes fulfilled. So madness takes them.¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡± she moved back and turned away from him. ¡°Will you forgive me?¡±


    ¡°I forgive. You calmed down¡­ I couldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Do you regret it?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ will you stay with me until the end of the game?¡±


    ¡°Please, it sounds weird.¡± He got up and looked at his hands, full of blisters. ¡°But yeah. I¡¯ll stay. Because I have to look after madmen like you, right?¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t joke around, it¡¯s not time for this.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Until the finale. Then, I¡¯ll beat your ass up.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± He laughed, although it was a wrong moment.


    ¡°And your hands?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll need a medic.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t need to be.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know what made me act like that¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be sorry, stupid.¡±


    ~


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lorenzo¡± said Ivory, lifting the fox up into her arms. ¡°I know that black magic had to be painful for your body. I¡¯m also sorry that you had to see all of that¡­¡±


    ¡°Never mind it¡± he replied. ¡°I was worried about you. But is it good that you... killed her?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t good. It was right. I¡¯d like you to promise me something now, okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Never, ever, let anger overtake you in this game. Even if you felt like you¡¯d be torn apart by it inside, don¡¯t let it control you. You mustn¡¯t do what this feeling dictates you. Promise me this.¡±


    ¡°I p-promise¡­¡± he replied quietly.

 An Eternal Flame (Part 7)

    Edward bit his lips from pain when Kyoko bandaged his arms. They had a surplus of them in a bag that Lorenzo wore. Aru didn¡¯t say anything, she probably didn¡¯t want to explain herself.


    ¡°A medic really needs to see this. Let¡¯s wait for Lorenzo and the huntress for a moment, and then let¡¯s go¡± said the violet-haired girl.


    ¡°I just wonder what you argued about¡­¡± whispered Kasei, distrustful.


    ¡°It¡¯s complicated, but everything¡¯s okay¡± said the golden-haired and hissed from pain again.


    ¡°WHAT¡¯S OKAY?¡± she exploded. ¡°THIS WOMAN BURNED YOUR HANDS, IN WHAT WAY IS THIS OKAY?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what made me act like that¡­¡± Aru said with embarrasment in her voice.


    ¡°Just you wait, I¡¯ll¡­¡±


    ¡°DON¡¯T SCARE MY MASTER!¡± Eris screeched and stepped closer in Kasei¡¯s direction.


    ¡°Enough¡± ordered Kyoko. ¡°Let¡¯s say it was a one-time misunderstanding. Alright, master?¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡± said Aru, dropping her head. Doors opened, and through them came Ivory with Lorenzo in his animal form. She put him on the ground, he dusted himself off then. The huntress walked up to Aru, and put a seal in her hand.


    ¡°I did my job, it won¡¯t be of any use to me. Take it¡± she said with a smile.


    ¡°Well. It¡¯ll be our shared seal ¡®til the finals, right, Aru?¡± asked Ed, also smiling.


    ¡°Excuse me¡­?¡± asked Eris quietly. ¡°No, no! DON¡¯T TELL ME THAT YOU DECIDED TO¡­¡±


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ?? ¡°Yes¡± Aru confirmed. ¡°Edward is staying with us until the finals.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck¡­¡± the black-haired girl commented this with a bad word and retired resigned from the group.


    ¡°I have to go now. Thank you Aru, Edward. And Lorenzo. I¡¯m really grateful that you helped me in catching the cannibal. I hope that we¡¯ll meet again!¡± she said and turned around, started walking away.


    ¡°Ivory!¡± Lorenzo shouted. She stopped for a moment and looked in his direction. ¡°We¡¯ll meet again. There are so many things I¡¯d like to ask you, about¡­ what you told me.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± She smiled. ¡°But now I have to go harvest, as I call it. But you¡¯ll see, I¡¯ll find you!¡± she laughed and left the hideout. Aru was looking at the ground, but suddenly ran after her. Ivory summoned her long, black cloak and put it on.


    ¡°Hm? Aru, did something happen?¡±


    ¡°I just¡­ thank you. For help, for taking care of Lorenzo, for this seal¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it!¡± she said with a mysterious smile, turning her face in her direction. ¡°But soon you won¡¯t need any seal. Of course, if you manage to discover ¡®it¡¯ in time. Farewell!¡±


    Ivory then turned away, focused magic in her legs and disappeared in a flash of magic. Aru stood with slightly opened lips.


    ¡°What could this mean¡­?¡± she asked herself out loud.


    End of chapter 6

 Chapter 6: The Furious Thief (Part 1)

    ¡°The war with Voyca was one of the worst moments of my career. We¡¯ve only just signed the long-awaited treaty with Nihoria, when they simply went and took advantage of the situation, and through us attacked Voyca. I didn¡¯t want to do it, but for the good of the country I had no choice. But to this day I remember how, when coming back from a battlefield after praying - because I pray even for my  enemies - I found a tiny fenec fox, which didn¡¯t even know the common language. She was crying, bawling and shouting something in voycian. When she saw me, she ran in my direction and started rubbing against my legs. Did she see me as her hero? She was wrong, because I was her tormentor. But I couldn¡¯t leave her there. I took her and brought her to Gormilia, officially as ?war trophy, a weapon¡±. It was the least I could do for a child which lost its parents because of my country.¡±


    ~ Emerald Sand¡¯s diary.


    Chapter 6


    The Furious Thief


    He was walking through dirty alleys of a similarly dirty town. It was dark, all street lamps were broken, and the cracked glass made a distinctive sound when he treaded over it. It was irritating him, people¡¯s laughter irritated him, the stench irritated him, but he walked on, hooded, hiding the wound on his face. It irritated him too ¨C every time he looked into a mirror, he wanted to shatter it. He hated what it reminded him of.


    What also annoyed him was the fact that although the locating spell was pointing to this village, he couldn¡¯t feel the aura of the seal at all. Then irritation turned into real anger. He was angry that he made himself come to the dirtiest village in the whole Gormilia just to learn that the item was gone. Resigned, he sat down, and leaned against a wall of some house. His wound was itching, and, like everything around him, it irritated him. He looked at the space in front of him, not even knowing what he¡¯s supposed to do now, or where to go next. Then he heard that distinctive cracking, it looked like someone was walking in his direction.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got something I need¡± the mysterious person suddenly said.


    ¡°Oh. And what might it be, if I might ask?¡± he answered without a trace of emotion in his voice.


    ¡°Something, that some trash took from under my nose¡± he growled. ¡°You know well what I mean. I felt the seal in this area, and now I¡¯m feeling it from you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Sadly, it wasn¡¯t me who took the one you have in mind.¡± He got up and looked in the direction of the person talking to him. He opened his eyes a bit wider from surprise when he saw the armor the stranger was wearing ¨C it was golden, and in the middle of the chestplate an emerald was embedded, a symbol of Gormilia ¨C the person standing in front of him was a soldier. He had brown hair, green eyes and tanned skin. It seemed that the man was also surprised to see Mateo, but after a moment he smiled.


    ¡°So it¡¯s you. Well then, I suppose the fortune is smiling on me. I had enough of listening to general Sand screaming about how incompetent we all are because we can¡¯t catch you.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Well, I agree with her.¡± He smirked. ¡°But more than that I¡¯m wondering what a soldier like you might want from the deity.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my business. I don¡¯t even want to imagine what a person like you might want from him. But it¡¯s unimportant, since you¡¯ll be giving me your seal soon. I¡¯ll also ensure that you¡¯ll hang for the death of my comrades. So come, Matevigo Jenkins! Fight with me!¡±


    ¡°If you insist...¡± He smiled disgustingly.


    ~


    ¡°W-We wish to inform you, G¨CGeneral¡­¡± The young boy shivering, and his voice was cracking. Distinguished army men were standing right behind him, at attention. Emerald, on the other hand, was sitting with her side to them, on a chair behind a desk. Her face showed no emotion. ¡°¡­That on October the fourth, of year 976¡­ Marco of Heven clan from Nayo has been murdered. As shown by an investigation done by our detectors of mana from Pirivin village¡­ the magic traces left there belonged to Marco himself, and to¡­¡± He stumbled.


    ¡°¡­And to?¡± Emerald pressed him.


    ¡°And to¡­ Matevigo Sivio Jenkins, General.¡± He dropped his head. Emerald sat without movement for a longer while, when everyone suddenly saw her muscles tense. She was clenching her fist, and then she hit the desk with all her strength. Everyone straightened their backs again.


    ¡°What the fuck is this supposed to be?!¡± she screamed in fury. ¡°What is that damned bastard thinking?! It¡¯s the third person he killed!¡±


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.        ??    ¡°G¨CGeneral¡­¡±


    ¡°SILENCE!¡± she looked away from them. ¡°I order you to get the best weapons you have, use the strongest spells and be as merciless as possible. And now fuck off. As long as you don¡¯t catch Matevigo, don¡¯t even dare show yourselves to me. Get out!¡±


    Everyone obeyed the order, left the room and closed the door behind them. Emerald threw everything that was on the desk on the ground. She was panting from stress.


    ¡®I don¡¯t remember the last time anyone got under my skin like this¡­ Ah, Master¡­ You¡¯re not proud of me, right?¡¯


    ~


    ¡°Excuse me? Huntress Ivory really said that she¡­ loves you?¡± Kyoko asked in disbelief. Lorenzo nodded. They were sitting together in the hideout, waiting for Edward.


    ¡°Well, to me she¡¯s a perverted hag anyway.¡± Eris hissed out. ¡°Someday I¡¯ll beat her up, damn it¡­¡±


    ¡°Kind of too fast to fall in love, don¡¯t you think?¡± asked Aru. ¡°Although I don¡¯t know much about all that stuff.¡±


    ¡°Well, actually¡­ she said that she believes in reincarnation. And that I make her think of someone she knew once¡± he replied and took a loaf into his hand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stuff yourself, I went to the marketplace for this!¡± Eris shouted out.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m hungry¡­!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re always hungry, d o r k.¡±


    ¡°Calm down, you¡¯re both acting like children¡± Kyoko said calmly, herself taking a piece of bread. ¡°Reincarnation¡­ Might it be related to the Twelve¡¯s religion?¡±


    ¡°Or the faith of the Cosmos¡± Aru added. ¡°But is it possible? Ivory is younger than Lorenzo, after all.¡±


    ¡°Or not¡± replied the violet-haired girl.


    ¡°How old is she really? She looks at least¡­ fifteen?¡± Aru thought out loud.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Lorenzo muttered, chewing the loaf. ¡±Maybe she¡¯s older than we think?¡±


    ¡°Maybe she¡¯s lived for at least ninety years?¡± Eris laughed disgustingly.


    ¡°Stop it, even if she made her herself younger using spells, you can¡¯t turn a ninety year old into a teenager¡± replied Kyoko.


    ¡°Then maybe she¡¯s around thirty?¡± proposed Aru. ¡°She was rather skilled in battle, wasn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll ask her someday.¡± Lorenzo shrugged.


    Suddenly the doors opened. Through them came Edward with Kasei, both of them also eating loaves.


    ¡°Oh. I see we¡¯re not the only ones that got bribed with the smell¡± said the redhead and took another bite.


    ¡°Apparently.¡± Edward pushed the rest of the loaf inside his mouth and stepped closer. He was holding three books under his arms. ¡°Arthur said that he¡¯ll kill us if we come back so late again. He also added that it¡¯s morally wrong that I can ¡°party¡± with you, and he can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Yeaaah. You party.¡± Aru giggled. ¡°Are those the books?¡±


    ¡°Right. Unfortunately, you have to look through them yourself. I have to help Arthur in library, and also to guard him, so no one realizes he took any books out.¡± He put them in the red-haired girl¡¯s hands. The rest took a closer look at them and became breathless. They were beautiful - they had leather covers with embossed, detailed patterns.


    ¡°They¡¯re lovely¡­¡± Aru said, amazed.


    ¡°Hah, I reacted similarly the first time I saw a book from that closed section. So I¡¯ll go now. Come to the library if you¡¯ll be needing anything. Kasei, are you coming?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ Could I stay? I¡¯ll help them.¡±


    ¡°If you want to, then sure. I¡¯m going.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Well then¡­ let¡¯s start!¡± Aru spoke ceremoniously. ¡°I and Kyoko will look through this white book, Lorenzo and Kasei through the brown one, and Eris through the black one.¡±


    ¡°Fine then.¡± The bunny girl took the black tome, and Lorenzo the brown one. They prepared paper and a fountain pen with ink as well, to write down important excerpts. Kasei gave them a scrap of paper, on which she and Ed earlier noted down individual surnames. Each of them found something and read it out loud for everyone else. After several minutes of writing they decided to rest for a bit.


    ¡°Actually¡­¡± Kasei spoke. ¡°It¡¯s a good moment to learn more about each other, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d like to know something about us, Kasei?¡± Aru asked.


    ¡°Weeell, yeah, a bit. But I can tell you about myself too! Just so it wouldn¡¯t only be you talking. When I look at you, I see you make a good team¡­ But how did you meet?¡±


    They looked at each other.


    ¡°It¡¯s not really a happy story¡± Kyoko said. ¡°But¡­ one by one, let¡¯s tell how we met. I think you have a right to know, since now you¡¯re one of us, hm?¡± she smiled. The little redhead blushed a bit and as an answer also smiled.


    ¡°Well then¡­ I¡¯ll start!¡± Lorenzo exclaimed, taking another loaf.


    ¡°You ate everything!¡± Eris screamed at him.


    ¡°S h u s h¡± he said. The black-haired girl took offense. ¡°So¡­¡±