ã€ŠRebirth of a broken demonessã€‹


 Ch 1 - Bad endings have good beginnings

    I hated the smell of gunpowder.

    Whenever death was close, that smell would be present too. Together with the pungent smell of rotten corpses and scorched flesh, it holds a marvelous symphony that no one wanted to hear.

    Still, I couldn''t help but be driven towards it.

    At the end of my life too, I was met with that smell. That putrid stench of sulfur would penetrate through my nose and engrave itself onto my bones. The smell of rotten eggs. It''s distinct. It''s disgusting.

    Still, I couldn''t help but be driven towards it.

    I knew even if hell were to freeze over, even if I was reincarnated, even if I was given a second chance, that aroma would never change. The world would also never change. So, to never encounter it ever again, all I could do was avoid it. It shouldn''t be that hard, I thought, after all, many have died without ever truly witnessing it.

    Still, I couldn''t help but be driven towards it.

    -

    Common sense:

    a basic ability to perceive, understand, and judge things that are shared by nearly all people and can reasonably be expected of nearly all people without need for debate.

    Unfortunately I was not an owner of such a convenient ability. It''s sad, but it''s the truth. All I could do was mold my mind into something similar. However it was in the end just a copy, it could never hold up to the genuine article. Many times, it had shown its disadvantages in everyday life. Apparently, not being able to comprehend, what everyone else saw as obvious, was not highly thought of. Well, sorry, but I like to think for myself, instead of blindly following the ideas build by society, or what others might refer as "common sense".

    In the end I decided on my own rules. I developed my own "common sense", my theory about "Applied Facts vs. Circumstantial Facts".

    Now, before you looked at me like I was crazy, let me explain myself.

    Applied facts. That was what anyone else would regard as "common sense". For example, we do not float, because gravity pulls us down. We do not eat rotten food. We do not call a girl fat. Those are all facts that are seen as natural. There was a critical flaw in this kind of thinking, though. It caused one to rely on it. Many times, people took their common sense for granted and don''t question it''s legitimacy.

    In other words, it sealed the option of asking - "Why?". As doing that would be going against common sense.

    The eternal question of humankind. The question, which distinguished us from animals, disappeared just like that. Oh, what a tragedy.

    Truth is, there were times when those Applied Facts are not right. In this world, nothing was certain after all.

    Imagine suddenly starting to float. I understand it was an incredibly small possibility and ''Common sense'' would tell you - "that''s impossible". Still, it is how it is, right now you are in the air. That was also an undeniable fact. Now we had two different viewpoints clashing with each other.

    This was where the Circumstancial Facts come in. Facts based on the circumstance. Not based on instinct or thinking drilled in by society, but sorely on the given information. That was the part that differed my theory from ''Common sense''. For an average person, as it went against their ''Common sense'', they would have a hard time believing it, and their innate thinking ability is sealed. But for me it''s different, I would just take those Circumstancial Facts and overwrite the Applied Facts, and in the end, it gave me a more critical and simultaneously more creative mind. In other words my horizon was broadened.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    It did of course, have it''s disadvantages. That was that those Circumstancial facts are pretty uncommon. It might never occur in anyone''s mind, that their common sense was wrong, that''s just how rare it was. After all Common sense, even though flawed, was still based on many different factors of the human brain. It couldn''t be that useless.

    Why did I bring this up then?

    Well, we might have a Circumstancial fact, right here.

    I travelled through different worlds.

    No really, I''m not a nutcase. Okay, I may be, but still, stay for a bit longer, please.

    It all started while I was robbing an art museum. Yes, you heard right. Oh, didn''t I tell you? I''m a trickster. A swindler. In fact I was the worlds best swindler. Together with my friends, we stole more than a nation possessed. My bounty was higher than that of the most heinous criminals. No one could catch us, we were always ten steps ahead. Everybody feared me, but everbody also revered me. I stood at the top. I achieved things, no one would even dream of. All at the tender age of nineteen.

    However, that was all in the past now. Because at the time I was reaching for that beautiful painting, everything exploded. And then I died. I repeat, I died. My lungs had ruptured, blood was clogging up my throats, as I took my last breaths, tasting of iron. My consciousness had slowly faded away, but my eyes never closed. I died.

    Or not. Or maybe I did. Fact is, right now I was standing on two feet, using my two eyes, gazing at two people. Even though, I died, I was still alive. Weird, right?

    "Simmer your gaze, you spiteful fiend," the male spoke. Clear, unadulterated malice decorated his words. This guy seemed to hate me.

    Huh, but I just got here. I had no idea what you meant. And that language. It was mainly English, but different. Calling it a dialect would be wrong.

    There was a mix of German, French, but also Chinese and Arabian. And, maybe Latin? I''m not sure, as the intonations were wrong. I knew though, that this isn''t a language spoken in our world.

    This alone could not have accounted for travelling through dimensions. It could''ve also been a dream. So I pinched myself.

    It was not a dream. Ouch.

    "Look at that harlot not even able to mutter a single word. It is said that peasants are illiterate, but are you per chance also mute?", the female asked, in a sweet voice. It was said so naturally, I almost thought I misheard.

    Aliens? No not with that setting. Currently, I was standing in a grandiose hall.

    The cold marble was penetrating my naked feet. A plethora of colors, reflecting on the floor, were caused by the stained glass that decorate the walls carved with exquisite patterns. Above me were chandeliers made out of pure gold, dangling down the ceiling. To my sides, many pillars stood erect, symbolizing that they could even hold the sky if they wanted to. Behind me was an antique wood door, which made even a giant look small. The whole place was layered with different silk and fabric. And also fur. Lots of fur.

    No matter how I perceived it, this place reeked of money. What was most daunting though was the seat placed in front of me. It was massive. Embroidered with innumeral jewels and gold, I could tell at first glance that this was the most valuable item here. If not, then it would be that self portrait above it. But, I still had a slight trauma from paintings, so I shall refrain from any comments.

    Certainly, it was a throne room. This was clearly a medieval setting. Aliens? Don''t joke around.

    So, disregarding the ''another world theory'', there was only one remaining. This was the afterlife. Not heaven, me going to heaven would be impossible, but not quite hell either. If anything this could have been purgatory. But it wasn''t. I was quite sure.

    Because I was not in my own body.

    I looked down on my chest. Even if it''s infinitely small, I could see that I had breasts, meaning I was a girl. I felt around my neck, to find the second most prominent male feature, the adam''s apple. To my despair, there was none. Also, I could have sworn I was taller before. No matter how crazy I was, I knew that I had always been a guy. Born a guy, died a guy. There''s absolutely no sense in changing my gender after I had entered purgatory.

    In the end I could only accept the fact that I had travelled to another world and took over some girls body. I sighed and resigned myself to this peculiar fate.

    "Ah maybe she died? Is that maybe the rotten smell coming of from her? No wonder she wouldn''t react. Servant, where are the Servants? Somebody get rid off the corpse, " while tasting the bittersweet wine called destiny, the female spit out some pretty harsh words towards me.

    Speaking of which, they had been quite rude since I came here.

    Who were they? A male and a female. Age, probably fifteen to seventeen, maybe older, as they looked quite malnourished. Still, they wore some luxurious clothes. I wondered why there was such a disparity. Peculiarly the crown on top of that males head was quite conspicuous. In this era, he could only be one of three things - a king, a prince, or an idiot. Well, some might argue that you could still be an idiot even if you are a king, so let''s strike that out.

    Then was he a king? His age doesn''t matter. After all, Louis the 14th became a king at the age of four. But I don''t think we had such a case here. The reason was simple. If he was the king, he would be sitting on the throne, not standing in front of it. Meaning, he probably had no right to it. So, he must be the next best thing, the prince. Wow, I met such an important figure on my first day.

    Now, all that''s left is that girl. Her clothes didn''t fall behind the princes clothes either. So someone important. Also, they were on equal standing. Even if she was some rich merchant, she would have had no right standing next to him. Lastly, we had her speech. To speak in such a condescending tone in front of royalty is highly disrespectful. Unless you were royalty too.

    That leaves only two options - His fianc¨¦ or his sister. But, I see that the prince was wearing something on his left ringfinger. Oh, so he was engaged. On the contrary the girl didn''t have a ring.

    Okay, it''s concluded then. Standing in front of me is a prince and a princess. Wasn''t that too high of a hurdle for my first day? However, I liked a good challenge.

    A slight smile appeared on my face. Suddenly those two froze and shuddered. It''s been a long time since I was this happy, so I might have scared them a bit, with my face. But do forgive me. It has also been a long time since I have been so disrespected. It was quite amusing.

    Those two, I wanted to bathe in their blood. See them squirm and wail as they begged for my forgiveness.

    Oh lord, in the end I just couldn''t escape the alluring smell of gunpowder. Ah, but in this era, had they discovered it yet?

    In my previous world, nobody could overpower me in a battle of wits. In fact, there was never a battle to begin with, so how will this world, which seems to be hundred years behind fare, I wondered.

 Ch 2 - Urgency is the muse for creativity

    I should try finding out more information. Frankly, this transportation to another world thing was a bit too abrupt, even for me. I''m still slightly confused. Above all, I should solve that small conflict in front of me. I could try deducing it again, but there was a much easier way.

    "Why?" I asked.

    Ah, I tell you, this is the question, you really can''t live without. I pity those who have lost it.

    My voice was more feeble then I had expected. A soft voice with an alluring charm, but hidden behind a coarseness, that scratched the eardrums.

    It was filled with bitterness. I wonder what the original owner must have gone through, to end up like that. May you rest in peace.

    Also, I tried asking in english. Without really knowing their language, there''s not a lot I could do about it.

    "Why you ask, even after all this?", the prince replied, while his eyebrows wrinkled.

    Yes, I do. Please answer this humble peasant.

    Suddenly the sister cut into the conversation, and shouted, "I will tell you why. You are simply not fitting to be with him. You, who is only a bastard child of the Dukes son, with the third son of the King? Don''t make me laugh."

    "Most importantly, it''s your attitude, that is the worst. Even though you were cold to me, even though you ignored me, I did not mind. But to think that after all I had given to you, you dared to harass my sister. Truly, I must have been blind when I thought I could still save you."

    Now it was the brother talking again.

    They really have a good synergy, do they. I didn''t respond, though. I''ll just let him speak by himself, and get some more information.

    Soon, he opened his mouth again and sighed, "You were always broken, but I did not pay it any heed, as I thought it was caused by your environment. I could still deal with that. However, showing your fangs against my sister, now that was inexcusable. Thus, as the bearer of the sacred blood, representative of the fiefdom "Kastra", and a symbol of the monarchy, ''Edward Adelli van Karen'', I hereby announce our engagement as annulled."

    Ah, so that was it, it was actually me, who was his fianc¨¦e.

    Thinking about it makes cold sweat run down my back. Thank you sincerely, for canceling this marriage. But this was quite bad. To have been reincarnated into the Dukes grand-daughter and not only that, but have my engagement annulled at the same time, wasn''t I already in the end stage of the story, what am I supposed to do now.

    "Speak your excuses, wench."

    I wonder if I should just let it be. If he throws me out, I''m pretty sure my household would not treat me too kindly. Furthermore, he said I was an illegitimate child, then I guess they don''t really like me anyways. I can''t imagine what kind of punishment I had to face, back at home.

    Then, should I try to rebuild the engagement? Absolutely not. I really don''t want to marry a dude. In the first place, I don''t even know how to make him reconsider. There''s not much information, for now. And as a prince, he holds the absolute authority. I have to think, there must be some kind of way out of this situation.

    "I wish for an audience with his majesty." I asked, and met his harsh gaze with a soft one.

    A bold sentence, coming from a small girl like me. I could tell that those two are surprised. In fact, I am also surprised. It''s a risqu¨¦ move, incredibly risqu¨¦.

    To speak with the king, the absolute authority, not everyone has the right to do that. Not even me. At least that was the case if this was a normal event. But a marriage in this time period holds an immense political impact. It could determine the fate of two families, and play an important role for the future. A marriage here means mutual trust between two households, and a life long partnership. To break it means rejecting everything about it. Surely, even the king had to pay attention to this.

    The only problem is if the prince agrees to my request.

    In these short interactions, I was more or less able to tell what kind of person he is.

    A prince holds a special kind of arrogance. An arrogance, which stems from being a unique existence. Always showered with praise, followed by many who adore him, more than once, he must have felt quite valued. Now, such a person was engaged to a bastard child. This was a hit to his pride. It would come to no surprise if he acted out. Well, In the end he did.

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    However, it was not because of his pride. From what I hear, I did not have the most enchanting personality. Even so, he put up with me. Though I did not love him, and he probably knew, he still accepted me. Only after I hurt his sister, did he decide to annul our engagement.

    It was probably because of this mentality that he was chosen as my partner.

    I could tell that he''s selfless and kind. Or at least he didn''t really dislike me.

    So, I put on some puppy eyes. I am an illegitimate child, who has been treated as trash of society, and shut down all my emotions. Now, after being cornered and losing my fianc¨¦, I showed a moment of weakness. Judging by his personality, it''s impossible for him to ignore my request.

    The prince knitted his eyebrows and looked at the ground. After contemplating for a brief moment, he said, "Alright, I shall allow it."

    See, I told you.

    "Two days, it should take two days, before you could meet his highness."

    After he had told me, the prince promptly left with his sister. Alright, two days is more than enough.

    I sigh in relief. After traveling between worlds and immediately being hit with a broken marriage, I started a life where I was already checkmated. After averting the immediate crisis, I could finally relax. Realizing that, my knees gave up. What a frail body.

    I wonder how my friends are doing now. Maybe they also died. I want to meet them.

    No, this is not the time to grow sentimental. No matter how tired I am, fact is, that I am still in a dire situation. I guess the first thing I should do is learn the language. I might be somewhat able to understand it, but I don''t really know how to speak it. If I met the king without the ability to talk, I would end up as a laughingstock. Everything else can be dealt with later.

    Let''s go outside. The best way to learn, is through practice. Anyways, where''s the exit?

    -

    "Ah, miss, it is not good to leave like that." A thin guard said, clad in metal and holding a spear in his left hand. His armor was reflecting the sun into my eyes.

    I should have known that there was someone protecting the gates. Why would someone frail like him protect the gates anyway. I can''t even talk my way out, since I don''t know the language. What is this irony. All I could do was give him a quick bow, as if I understood, and walk back to where I came from. This is quite the predicament. Dejected, I walked around the inner garden.

    The fresh fragrance was gently tickling my nose. While I felt the plants between my feet, I ran my fingers through the bushes. A light breeze was caressing my body, making me feel afloat. The sun rays gently kissed the flowers, creating a colorful scenery. Occasionally I could hear the birds sing and the leaves rustling. Amidst everything, a single tree stood erect and slowly I made my way towards it. Meanwhile the morning dew was still lingering in the air and stimulated my senses. As I leaned against the tree, I slid down and sat on the ground. I felt the grass wettening the thin fabric I was wearing. Around this place, a lot of servants were passing by. They met up and chatted for a while before they departed again. Sometimes they would even sit down on a nearby space, and sometimes they would ask if I was feeling well.

    I was sitting under the shade cast by the tree and listened to the chattering servants. Quietly, I fell into a trance.

    Only after the sun had completely disappeared behind the horizon, did I regain my consciousness. It took me about eight hours until I had learned the language. I would have been faster if it wasn''t for the fact that not many traverse this path. Normally, it would have taken only half the time. It also didn''t help that nobody came when dawn broke in. Damn you, guard.

    What time is it now, I wonder. I think it''s around midnight. I should go to sleep now.

    Ah, that reminds me, I don''t know where my bedroom is.

    Well whatever. I''m too tired anyways. I felt my conciousness slowly fading away and my eyelids growing heavy. Soon, amidst the stars, I fell into a deep slumber.

    -

    The next morning, I was awoken by the morning sun. It has been a long time since I had slept in the open, surrounded by nature. It felt quite soothing.

    After I woke up, I had time to calm my mind.

    Now that I had successfully mastered the language, it is finally time for me to see what''s outside those gates.

    "Ah, miss, it is not good to leave like that." The guard said, almost blinding me with his shining armor. However this time, I am fully prepared.

    "I understand sir, it is just that my mother always had a weak body. Recently I heard rumors about her health deteriorating, so I only wish to see how she is faring," I said, while clenching my fists and avoiding his gaze.

    It was uncommon for anyone to joke about their family, so the guard didn''t hesitate to believe me and spoke, "this is indeed quite unfortunate, I shall get a carriage and some servants for you to get ready."

    I bit my lips and stared him in his eyes, my eyebrows twitching and tears welling up, I stuttered, "No, it might be too late if we wait this long. If my mother were to draw her last breath without me supporting her, how would I dare meet her in the afterlife? If my mother was suffering, while I was busy caring about my own well being, how could I still call myself a filial daughter?" I paused, and lowered my tone, "don''t you also have a mother, how would you feel if she died, even though you had a chance to save her?"

    "But miss, your safety-"

    "It is but just a few meters. The chance of anything occurring to me is low. On the other hand, if she were to die, would you bear the responsibility? I don''t think I could forgive you if that happened. But if you leave me through, I shall put a good word in for you. Speak, what is your name. I will make sure to tell the prince about you, and let him handsomely reward you," I told him.

    "Miss, it is my duty as the guard to protect you," the guard said, and after contemplating about it, he added, "but I guess if that was the cost of another life that you hold dearly, such a protection would be counterproductive. Okay, I understand. Go now, make haste, and come back as swiftly."

    He took the bait. Delighted, I gave him my thanks and soon ran away.

    Guilt, fear and salvation. The most common form of persuasion.

    First, I had to suggest something which made him feel conflicted. Talking about my mother had done the job, but that wasn''t enough. I had to really bind him into my story, make him involved and give him an active role. So, I told him that she might die, if he doesn''t let me through.

    The second step was to induce fear. It is similar to the first step, but there''s a delicate difference. Guilt makes the victim believe they are on the same side. If I lose something, he would feel bad, too. Fear however, shows him that he stands alone. If he loses something, it wouldn''t matter to me. A threat is the most obvious choice, the intent must be sufficiently hidden behind a facade, though.

    I added a lot of If-clauses. Because I wanted him to associate those sentences with the truth. The special thing about If-sentences is that it rouses the imagination, which then makes them feel reasonable and logical. That then causes him to make an association between what he can imagine and the truth. So if I told him the obvious truth using them for a while, he would also swallow the hidden lie.

    That is where the point lies. If-clauses don''t need to be true to work.

    ''If it doesn''t rain today, I will die.'' Obviously, that''s not true. But it still works grammatically. In essence, no one would take it seriously, either.

    However, before, the guard was bound by the idea, that whatever he could imagine, has to be the truth. And as he could imagine any sentence as long as it is grammatically correct, he would also believe that to be the truth, too.

    This is what I call the "cause and correlation effect".

    Also, by adding a false time constraint, it limits his thinking, and renders him unable to think as clear as he used to.

    The last step is salvation. Offer a solution to his problem. This is the most important step and must be handled with great care. Especially the timing is important here. If the victim is given a solution before he feels the urgency of the matter, he will reject the idea. On the other hand, if the solution is given too late, he might find one himself.

    But if those three steps are executed in a smooth way, it most often opens a path for negotiations.

    As I took my first step out of the palace, I was greeted with a surprising scene.

    In front of me, a narrow dirt road spread into different directions. I was still not wearing any shoes, so I was able to feel the cold sand rubbing against my skin. As I carefully walked around I realized that the buildings were densely packed, and mostly made out of wood, with a touch of sandstone.

    No building would reach higher than 2 stories. The wood was cracked, while the stone had gone brittle, dust was gathering around the rooftop of their houses. An intense smell of horse manure and alcohol would sometimes be carried by the wind. Still, I felt the fragrance to be oddly satisfying. Occasionally I would walk past a peddler, intruding into the daily life of the citizens. In the meantime, I had walked past a cathedral and an inn. The cathedral was lavishly decorated while the inn was bigger than most homes. The laughter of children and a bard playing his music were the most prominent sounds that I had heard. In the far distance, the crenelated city wall stood fiercely. It was when I encountered the second child selling flowers, did I realize that I had really travelled to another world.

    Finally I was lured in by the aroma of bread coming from a nearby bakery. After I looked around, I had noticed that I had strolled to a plaza or some sorts. In the middle stood a monument, while on the periphery many different sorts of shops, mostly selling food, were set up.

    A large smile appeared on my face. This was exactly what I''ve been looking for.

    My stomach grumbled. I hadn''t eaten for at least a day.

    I was really hungry.

 Ch 3 - To learn is to consume

    Of course I didn''t only come here to eat. It was still my main reason though. However, a good side effect was that I could learn a lot about this world just by conversing with the shopowners.

    I could have also just gone to the library at the palace, but there were many reasons for deciding against it.

    The most obvious and proportionally important one was that I wouldn''t get to eat all this stuff. I would be insane to let such an opportunity go.

    Another factor was that I can''t read. This fact is quite shameful. Even though the language was roughly the same, the letters used were entirely different. I hoped they would use the alphabet, but then I remembered that there was a mix of Asian and Oriental languages, too. If someone taught me how to read, I would have learned them in a matter of minutes, but right now I had no one I could confide in.

    The last problem was that I don''t like books in general.

    I felt they were boring. The reason was that I could predict the ending just by reading the beginning.

    It didn''t matter if it was a fantasy or a mystery, I was always able to tell how it would end. No matter what kind of foreshadowing, plotwist and flashback was used, I would know the conclusion just from the introduction. At first I would find entertainment by comparing my guess with the true ending, but that feeling soon dissipated, the moment I realized that I was always right. A hundred percent, without fail. And with that discovery, my attachment to books completely disappeared. Or at least I didn''t read them until the end.

    The only obstacle I had to face right now, was that I had no money, which for someone like me, was not an obstacle at all.

    Suddenly, I could see a small kid approaching me from the distance. It was young boy.

    "Uhm miss, would you like some flowers?" He asked me. He was wearing nothing but dirty rags, and his face looked quite thin. In his left hand, he was holding a basket with different kinds of flora.

    Hm, I think I can use him.

    "Oh, what is a boy like you doing in a place like this," I replied with a counter question.

    "I sell flowers to earn money, miss. If I do that, I can help the orphanage," the boy answered.

    "Then how much have you made, until now?"

    "I-I, uh," he muttered.

    "You don''t have to be scared, I promise I will buy a lot of flowers if you answer me."

    Suddenly, his eyes brightened up, "really? To be honest, I made about 13 copper in the last few days. I''m saving up to buy everyone a treat," he said, with a bright smile.

    That kid is really gullible. But 13 copper. This reminds me of the fact that I don''t know the conversion rate, yet.

    "How much is 13 copper?"

    "What miss, you don''t even know that?" The boy said while looking at me, as if I was an idiot. This kid is quite the rude fellow. "10 copper is 1 silver, so 13 copper is 1 silver and 1 copper." He answered with a smug smile. This brat. The conversion rate is wrong by the way, it''s 3 copper, who''s the idiot now?

    "Hey how about I teach you a way to earn lots more?"

    Suddenly, his attitude changed abruptly and the brat shouted, "really, really? Tell me, what do I have to do?"

    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    "Simple, give me your money."

    A short silence sweeps between us. His eyebrows twitched and he questioned, "are you serious?"

    "Don''t look at me with that doubtful gaze. How about I give you this in return? If I can''t make any money, you can keep it," I responded while showing him a ring. Yes, it''s my engagement ring. It''s not like I had a use for it anyways. There''s no need for pearls in front of the thirsty, they say. I don''t know how much the ring costs, but judging from the standing of the original owner, it had to be at least worth more than 13 copper.

    "Why didn''t you say so, from the beginning? Here take my money and those flowers. Also do you want my clothes too?" The brat said and waved his hands around.

    "Calm down, this is only a transaction. I will take it back after I have shown you."

    "Yeah, sure, whatever."

    This cheeky brat had no intention to give it back. Well whatever, he won''t escape me.

    To my surprise, the money was just copper and silver in name. They actually had the same color, and only differed in number and size. After he gave me the money, I started walking around the stands and looked for anything that interested me.

    At the plaza many different food stalls were lined up. The fresh fragrance of meat tickled my nose. Soon, my sight landed at a baked potato. I was quite surprised to see them here. Even though I knew that this was a different world, I thought the history was somewhat similar, but a potato should have only been discovered at the early 16th century. So some parts of the history was correct, while other parts aren''t. I wonder why. Well, whatever. I didn''t have a potato for a long time. Also, it was lavishly decorated with herbs and doused with a brown sauce. The smell was bewitching my senses. Okay, I have decided, today is potato day.

    I walk up to the stall, and was greeted by an older person. I asked, "Excuse me sir, would you be willing to trade my 10 copper for a silver?"

    The clerk was first puzzled by my random question, but soon he put on a business smile and told me, "of course, here." He promptly took out a silver coin, while I exchanged it for 10 copper coins.

    "Actually, those potatoes you are selling, they look quite delicious. I wonder how much they cost?"

    "Miss, you have a good eye. My potatoes are the freshest on the market. Those herbs, I had just picked up today. Oh, and I usually keep it a secret, but there''s also the meat of a goat mixed in it. Topped with our homemade gravy and sour cream, they are the tastiest in this fiefdom. I dare say that no one can compete with us in the potato business. It''s 3 copper, young miss."

    Bombarded by his sudden advertisement, I didn''t know how to react and stared him in the eyes. Why is he trying to convince me of his product, even though I already decided to buy it? However, I soon pulled myself together and requested for one serving. I took out the silver that he had just given me, and paid with it. After he returned the 10 copper, I exclaimed, "Ah, I still need that one silver though, can I have it back while I give you another 10 copper?"

    "Sure thing, here," he said and gave me the silver, while I was still collecting my money together.

    Seconds later, I handed him the 10 copper. As soon as he received it, he started counting and noticed something peculiar.

    "Miss, you actually gave me the wrong coin, you gave me 1 silver and 9 copper."

    "Ah, I''m such a fool," I cried, while he was about to give me my silver for a copper. "Wait, let me just give you another copper and you give me 2 silver, how does that sound?"

    The clerk stopped his motion, and thought things through.

    "Sure sounds fine to me. Here take it."

    In the end, I gave him 1 copper and he gave me two silver and I then walked away.

    I now hold 2 silver and a baked potato. Meaning I gained a small income of 1 silver. This trick is called change raising. It''s an easy trick, but can be quite confusing, for those who don''t know it. The magic behind this is taking his silver before I gave him the 10 copper. I then switch one copper for the silver and give him 1 silver and 9 copper. Confused, he would agree to my request of handing me 2 silver, and forget that he had given me another silver already.

    To protect against this scam, always keep the transactions seperate, or there might be a small surprise, while counting the money and comparing them to the sold items. I doubt though, that people this age had an account book, so he would never notice that he had just been scammed.

    "Hey young''un, just as I promised, take those 2 silver and buy something for your little friends," I said to the brat. "Now give me my ring."

    "Um, about that-" Not thinking that I was actually able to do it, the young boy thought that he would keep the ring forever. Now that he had to give it back, he showed some slight reluctance.

    "What, you didn''t think of keeping it did you? Well, doesn''t matter to me, but let me tell you that the ring isn''t worth much."

    Baffled by what I said, the boy stared at me wide eyed, "huh, really, but it looks so shiny?"

    "Are you a raven? Is anything shiny valuable to you? Want me to polish a stone and gift it to you? If I had such a valuable ring, would I be standing here taking your 13 copper? Would I stand here, bargaining with the clerk for an extra silver? Do you really want to keep the ring?" I shot at him with one question after another.

    "Of-Of course not, A promise made, is a promise kept for life. He who trust me with his valuables, earns my eternal respect. Here you can have your ring back." He said, while stretching his arms and bowing down. I take the ring and in exchange give him the 2 silver. The boy was delighted by his quick fortune and thanked me repeatedly.

    I however felt quite dismal. That I had to trick children and scam people for 7 copper, only to get a good meal. I think this is a new low, even for me.

    I sigh and bite into the potato.

    It''s already cold. Well, whatever. I like my food cold. As I savor the potato, I silently walk around the plaza and listened to the chatter resounding from the citizens.

    -

    "I heard the prince is getting married?"

    "Which prince?"

    "Are you an idiot? Our prince obviously, the prince of our Kingdom. The Prince of Endeara."

    "Huh, are you starting a fight right now?"

    "The crown prince?"

    "No, the third prince. Edward."

    "I heard he is marrying the second princess of Erdsburg."

    "No, I heard that he is engaged to the Dukes granddaughter, what''s her name again?"

    "Anna."

    "Wasn''t it Annette?"

    "The taxes are rising again."

    "I heard the prince is only searching for a concubine?"

    "Rumors say that he is actually in an incestious relationship with his sister."

    "Which cave did you crawl from."

    "I don''t care about the prince, what I want to know is if those taxes are going to drop or not. If this goes on, I don''t know if I can still look after my daughter."

    "Don''t worry, if you are gone, I''ll make sure to keep her company."

    "I see your mouth is as loose as your mother, Harold."

    "How vulgar."

    "Miss, you should try our homemade skewers, with those chestnuts imbedded into the meat, they can be called a delicacy."

    "No miss, try my rye bread instead, for you, I''ll add a slab of meat for 6 copper."

    "Who would want your rotten meat? It''s been bathing in salt for so long, I wonder how many you have killed already. In all honesty I don''t know how you still have a business."

    "Would you like a serving of carrot soup?"

    "I''m hungry."

    "The famine has arrived."

    "Just eat your own food. Oh, nevermind. I can see why you wouldn''t."

    "It''s already hard enough to feed the family, now they even increase our taxes. Oh lord, what will happen from now on."

    "This year will be a harsh year."

    "I hope I get drafted as a soldier. At least I could earn some money."

    "You think the neighboring kingdom will invade us?"

    "The question isn''t if they are going to invade us, but more of a who is going to invade us"

    "Let''s see, there''s Erdsburg, the Kingdom of Fallacy, Randes Empire, oh I suddenly don''t feel to well."

    "And you wanted to be a soldier? Bloody pathetic."

    "It''s because I ate your food yesterday that I feel like this, go to hell."

    "How about I send you there right here and now?"

    "What''s the nobility thinking? Instead of marriages, they should do something about our wellbeing."

    "They don''t care."

    "I''m tired."

    "Who was he engaged to again?"

    "Ann-"

    "No, that''s wrong."

    "It''s Agnes."

    "Agnes who?

    "Agnes, the illegitimate child."

    "The bastard child of nobility"

    "Agnes, as in pure and innocent? That naming sense is quite ironic."

    "--Agnes, the horsemen of pestilence."

    "Not Alice?"

    "The royal peasant."

    "Agnes Maria D''Anel¨¦, spawn of the Devil. The broken demoness."

 Ch 4 - Blood is thicker than water

    I''m getting more confused as time goes on. There''s just some things that don''t add up.

    I''m well aware that this is not the world that I have lived in my previous life.

    Still, it is at least adapted to it. In this world, humans exist. There''s a king, there''s a prince, people talk in a familiar, although otherworldly language. We have the same flora and the same fauna.

    I paced back and forth, next to the desk illuminated by a candle.

    Then there are those parts which differ from my old world. Why do the Countries have different names than in my world, why is there such an abundance of meat, even though we are in the medieval ages. Why has the potato already been discovered.

    In short. Why are some things identical to my old world and why are some things different?

    There has to be a reason, and not knowing it, is bothering me.

    While feeling stifled by my lack of knowledge, a servant knocked at the door, and declared with an imperative tone, "young mistress. His highness is ready to meet you."

    "Come in."

    "Excuse me then."

    The person who came in was a young girl. Her brown hair was neatly organized, but still had a touch of individuality. She was wearing a maid outfit and held a silver tray between her hands. Particularly her nails stood out to me, as they were neatly trimmed. Her serious demeanor was a stark contrast to her childish face. She gave a light bow as I stared at her.

    The moment I meet a person, I intuitively categorize them into to types. The introverted and the extroverted. Usually this information only serves as an initial anchor for me to base more detailed information on. But she was a bit peculiar.

    "Aren''t you a weird one," I said.

    The first impression anyone would get from her, is probably that she was a good servant. She was neatly dressed, had trim nails and a tidy haircut. This image is however betrayed, by the necklace she is wearing and the aggressive fragrance she is giving off. Clearly, those are not the givings of a good maid.

    Turns out, she is not good at her job, but just pays particular attention to her outer appearance. Combined with how she carries her speech with confidence, it is save to assume, that she is accustomed to the external world of people and things.

    Stunned by my statement, the maid almost let the tray fall on the ground.

    At least, that is what I perceive from the subconscious level.

    On a concious level, or only towards me, she acts closed off and serious, as she speaks with the least possible amount of words and tries to converse as little as possible. Also, to not break her facade, she stays unmoving, which creates a crafted feeling.

    In other words, she is an extrovert pretending to be introverted.

    Slowly, I approach her, while she still felt puzzled by my words.

    There''s only one reason that causes such behavior, that is to conceal their feelings.

    Especially love and fear are the most prominent ones to be hidden.

    Which of the two she was trying to hide, is not hard to find out. Fom all the emotions residing in the human mind, it is elation and annoyance that are the easiest to spot.

    To find out her real feelings, I gave an ambiguous statement and observed how she reacts, when faced with an unexpected situation.

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    "I have met a lot of people that feign romantic intent, even though they aren''t interested. Most of the time, it''s because they are pulling a scam or having an affair. Rarely do I meet people, who are wholeheartedly devoted, but pretend they aren''t. I wonder what your story is."

    From the loose grip of her tray, which almost fell down, I was able to tell, that even though she was shocked by what i said, she did not feel gripping fear towards me, as being afraid would cause her muscles to tense up, and leave a sinking feeling in the abdomen, making one feel petrified. Especially if their secret is to be found out.

    So it had to be something like love.

    The only conclusion left was that she was an extrovert trying to hide her feelings of attraction or interest, by being introverted. So I just went with it.

    I see her face slowly turn aghast, and filled with guilt. It felt like I was watching a child who got busted for stealing candy. It looks like my assumption was right.

    "I''m terribly sorry if this one had offended thee in any way." She uttered, while bowing in a perfect angle.

    "No, I do not mind. That fragrance you are wearing, is it almond oil? It''s a nice smell."

    "Y-yes, it is, thank you."

    As she stole a slight glance at me, I send her a warm smile, to indicate that she had done nothing bad. She heaved a sigh of relief, and only then did she rise up again.

    Well, seems like she was feeling fear after I found out what she was trying to hide, though.

    I walked towards her, and put my hands upon her chin. Gradually, I lifted her face up. As we stared at each other''s eyes, our breathing started to synchronize. While we breathed in and out, I could see in her amber eyes, that she held some inexplicable expectations towards me.

    "You, what is your name?" I said while putting my arm around her waist.

    "It- it''s Estella," she answered in a coy voice.

    "I see, it''s a beautiful name. Do you wish to serve by my side?"

    "Yes, of course, but I''m not worthy of such honor."

    "That is for me to decide. In the meanwhile, why don''t you bring me something to drink?"

    Estella nodded vigorously and walked towards the the exit. Well, it is more accurate to say that she hopped to the exit. It took her less than a minute to come back with a glass of ale, she was panting and looked visibly tired, she must have ran as fast as she could.

    After handing me the ale, I swirled it around, before taking a sip. I drank only half of it, so I could give her the rest.

    "Now, drink what''s left of it."

    "I couldn''t possibly, I''m just a lowly servant," she replied while frantically waving her arms.

    "No, I insist, it''s my way of telling you that I will be relying upon you from today, and that you should rely on me. I hope that we could walk the future path as equals, so do not say that you are only a lowly servant to me."

    Stunned by my declaration, she absentmindedly stared at the glass I gave her.

    "What, are you dissatisfied with my decision?"

    "No, it''s, it''s just," Estella paused for a moment, before looking at me, "I just can''t stop smiling," and revealed a silly grin.

    In the end, she gulped down the whole glass, with an elated face.

    Afterwards, she kneeled on the ground and exclaimed, "this serv-'' I mean, I, Estella, would like to follow you through life and death, serve as your boulder in needs of help and serve as your wind when stuck. I wish to become your light in the darkness, just as you had been the fire that stimulated mine."

    "You don''t have to be so formal. Come here."

    I stretched my hands and gave her a big hug. She sunk into my side and I could feel her warm breath tickling my skin. The smell of almond invaded my nose and her heartbeat was rising.

    "Thank you miss." She said, her head buried in my chest.

    "I have a name, you know?"

    "I, uh, thank you, Agnes," she corrected and I could feel her squeezing a fraction tighter.

    And with this I''ve completed my conquest of Estella.

    What is the most important aspect of a companion?

    Is it talent? No, that''s wrong. I do not need talented people. I have enough talent myself to fill the gaps, I''d rather have an honest idiot than a lazy genius.

    Then is it loyalty? No, wrong again. Let me make this clear, there''s no such thing as loyalty. There''s only mutual benefit and temporary awe.

    It''s devotion, which is the most important.

    Those who had fallen in love with someone, would know what I mean. Devotion, unlike friendship, is unconditional.

    Friendship only exist because of certain factors. That person is funny, that person goes to the same school, that person has the same hobbies. It''s these conditions that cause friendship. Consequently, if they disappear, so does the friendship.

    The same goes for loyalty. Loyalty is based on giving and taking. Loyalty is something that can be traded for benefits. Loyalty can be given before and after the transaction.

    Loyalty is only temporary. If the trader thinks he has given enough, or if anyone makes a better offer, that loyalty will disappear too.

    Only devotion stays, because devotion is unconditional.

    Even if that person changes hair colors, I will accept them.

    Even if that person switches personalities, I will accept them.

    Even if that person, became crazy, became disabled, became a plant, I will still accept them.

    This is what devotion is.

    But because devotion is unconditional, it is also irrational.

    Feelings of devotion, appear as they like, but if handled carefully, will never disappear.

    That is why such a rare gem as Estella should be kept around at all cost.

    "I believe his highness is waiting," I said, while still holding her in my arms.

    Following that, she snapped out of her trance and answered, "uh, yes, of course."

    I observed her face and could see that tears had formed in her eyes. I wonder how long she had stifled these feelings.

    "Lead the way, please."

    "Naturally, just follow me."

    We separated from each other and I began walking behind her.

    It was only now that I had realized how big the palace was, how many rooms it had and how long the hallway reached.

    "Do you know why I am headed to his highness, dear?"

    "No, This o-, I do not."

    "It''s because I had annulled the engagement with the prince."

    Suddenly she stopped walking. Not expecting her to halt, I rammed into her. Ouch, I''m just a delicate girl, warn me next time.

    "Eh, what did you say? Isn''t that a big deal, no this is definetly a big deal."

    I laughed, "that''s why I''m meeting the king."

    "Why are you taking it so nonchalantly?" Estella shouted with a pouting face.

    "What do you think will his highness do to me, after he found out?"

    She pondered for a moment, "I believe he will not take this too kindly."

    I nodded.

    "So you also think so. Well, I wouldn''t just march there without any plans. Estella, today, you''ll get to witness something beautiful, so find a good seat."

    "Well if you say so." She sighed, "ah also, I have a question."

    "Oh feel free to ask."

    "What were you doing in the guestroom, Agnes?"

    Huh? That was a guest room I resided in? But it was so big.

    While I was still pondering about the size of a guest room, we had already reached our destination.

    No but, that was bigger than my old house. Guest room?

 Ch 5 - The king reigns but does not govern

    As I stood in front of the wooden door, I felt like I was standing on the frontline. If this was a normal story, this would have been the ending. I took a deep breath. The original owner of this body, might have just died today. Ah, I''m kind of getting nervous now.

    "Hey, Estella do you know which child is engaged in the kings family?"

    "This is not hard to answer, everyone who''s not married, yet. Well, I guess the third prince isn''t engaged to anyone."

    "Is that so."

    "Yes, they get engaged pretty early after all."

    "Okay, I understood, let''s go."

    Estella nodded and opened the door, together, we enter the throne room.

    A solemn atmosphere filled the place.

    I have been here on my first day already, but this time, it''s is different. Last time, the person I met was only a prince. A not yet matured brat. The man sitting on the throne right now, held the real authority.

    He, well, he looked like a king would look. He was a middle aged man, wearing a crown. Of course he was also wearing different kind of ornaments and decorations, but these are not important. Only the crown symbolizes his standing. The crown is what separates him from me.

    With a sharp glint, he analyzes me from head to toe.

    I instinctively lowered my head and spoke, "this one is honored to be graced by your presence, your majesty"

    "Pay it no heed, my child. What is your tidings, on this day? Hath the likes been plagued by the engagement? Does thou not know, I am a busy man?"

    Getting straight to the case, I replied, "the third born hath just annulled the marriage, your majesty."

    "Whence?"

    "Now."

    Although subtle, his face twitched a bit. Ah, I want to go home.

    "Speak, no, stay and tell me more."

    "I was certain his majesty had already found out about it?"

    "Such information is of no small matter. Tell, and I shall compare it to the testimony of my son. I warn thee, that a single lie will cost thy head."

    "I pray that the story is to your liking then."

    "What has been the cause?"

    "The cause has been very much me, sir."

    I have made many plans in my head, and I believe this current option to be the most suitable.

    "Thou are quite honest. Does thou believe I will not beat you to death on the spot."

    It is also the riskiest, though. It felt like the temperature had dropped a dregee.

    I lowered my head even more and said, "this one was just following orders. This one asks not for forgiveness, but hopes his majesty would allow me to impart the story, objectively."

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    "I hath already told you to speak your mind, child. Your judgement shall be postponed to afterwards."

    Okay, the first lock has been opened. With this I know that he is not a foolish king who resorts to useless violence. If he was, the whole plan would crumble and I had to show them the speed I had attained trough running away from the police.

    "His majesty is merciful. Firstly, I wish to make clear, that I want nothing but the best for this country. Thus I had deemed it as disadvantageous for an internal marriage, between me and the prince."

    "Elaborate."

    Now, comes the second lock. It all depends on if he swallows my lies.

    "Yes, At the moment, we face three major problems. First we have the famine. It has come to my notice, that the goddess of fertility is not on our side this year. Secondly, there are the neighboring countries. I hear there''s a high possibility that they will choose this time to invade us. The last one is a consequence of the two above. That is the citizens unrest."

    At least that is the information I got from my day outside.

    "What hath this to do with thy marriage?"

    "A lot, my majesty. To solve these problems, I propose an external marriage. A marriage with the princess of Erdsbrug to be exact. I understand that his highness wishes to strengthen the royal blood, and bond the aristocracy in the times of uncertaincy, still I believe it is not a wise decision, to carry on with the engagement, between the prince and I."

    Actually, I have been thinking about this, since the time I planned on meeting the king. If the prince marries someone else, soon everyone will forget about me. Still, the external factors had to be right. If anyone else was free for marriage, I didn''t know what to say. That''s why I confirmed it with Estella first.

    "You dare question my will, do you not know that women have no place in politics?"

    "Oh, but I hath only annulled the marriage with the prince. It has nothing to do with politics. No, as a matter of fact, it was the prince who had annulled the marriage.Thus, it will not harm the royal prestige, and my household would not care about a child like me either. On the surface, it will seemeth as if me and the prince had a fallout. Of course, the truth, we will hold next to our hearts," I send him an mischievous smile.

    Here comes the lie. After saying everything I wanted to say, my throat felt itchy. Meanwhile, the King seems to be in deep contemplation. I wait for him to answer.

    "What if the princess of Erdsburg rejects the idea?" He asked.

    "Possible, but I believe it''s unlikely."

    "What brings you that confidence."

    "The commoners, my majesty. Rumors say, that the second princess is fond of the third prince. Those rumors, they do not spawn without a cause. I believe that it is worth corroborating.

    If we have the support of another kingdom, our problems might just be relieved."

    "If we should fail?"

    "Then we fail. It is unfortunate, but not a loss. However, from moving nothing, there is no place to arrive," I said, meeting his gaze to show my determination.

    The king began to smile, creepy. What is that smile supposed to mean.

    "I have understood your story, and I find your idea to be intriguing. We shall build upon this idea. You have earned a selfless merit, dear. Speak, what do you desire in exchange?"

    Okay, great, I got him. I take a deep breath, this is the last lock, an all or nothing act.

    "The service in loyalty, by acting out, pays itself, your highness. However, there''s one thing that I wish for."

    "What is it."

    "The servant over there, her name is Estella, I wish for her to be by my side."

    I point towards Estella, and she suddenly tensed up.

    Of course that''s not all I want, still, I have to show that I do not care about materialistic needs. Or else, everything I build up would crumble. But if I were to leave empty handed, I will surely die from the hands of my household. Now, this is the time to show how wise you are, king.

    "If it is that much, I can grant it. Still, do you wish for nothing more."

    Yes, yes so close.

    "No, that is all."

    "Your magnamity impresses me. Still, I cannot leave you empty handed, thou may have said, that the Duke will not care about this matter, but I think otherwise. I believe, that he would not receive you with much hospitality."

    He at least understood that much. I swallow my saliva, and felt my sweat drenching my garment.

    "That might be the case. However, I believe in the idea of one for many, and me for the country. If that''s what it takes for our kingdom to florish, than it is only a small price to pay."

    "That would not bode well for me, to lose such a talented sprout. You have no need for money, as the greed of aristocracy would rip a tender one as you apart. You have no need for land, as the mangament will overwhelm a youngling.

    So I will confer you a title. I confer you the title of an Archduke."

    YE- wait, huh? Archduke? What''s that. I''d rather have money. No you can also give me some land too, just give me something so I can live independently.

    A slight commotion broke out. Apparently everyone knows about it, except me.

    Suddenly, one of the butlers argues, "Your highness, is that not too rash?"

    That butler looked like he could be my grandfather, still he exuded more elegance than a bonsai tree. Anyways, grandpa, go tell him how this is not a good idea.

    "It is only a title, I believe that she is worthy of such honor. Today, she had thoroughly earned my respect," he said," the title of an archduke, is the only title higher than the duke. Unlike the other titles, it cannot be passed from generation to generation. It will act as a protecting halo, on your way home. Is that not the perfect title?"

    No, what am I supposed to do with that. That title is absolutely useless to me. You want me to eat the title or what. Just give me a little bit of money. The butler too, seems to have something to say. You do you grandpa.

    "But-"

    "Have I grown lax, that you can talk back to me now. The decision hath been made. This child has risked everything for her country, now I also wish to do something eccentric."

    "I, I understand."

    Why are you so weak you damn butler.

    "At the forth-night, the title will be officially yours. Tell only your grandfather about this, and no else. I do not want rumors to spread, understood?"

    "Yes, your majesty," I may be smiling on the outside, but I''m crying on the inside.

    "I will be leaving then. The maid over there, stay with her."

    "Yes, your majesty," Estella answered and bowed deeply. At least she is happy.

    After he said his words, the king left with his servants and guards. Grand entrance and grand exit, I guess.

    My knees immediately gave up after that. My body swayed and I fell to the ground. From the periphery of my eyes, I see Estella approaching me, her eyes glowing.

    "That was magnificent, Agnes. I did not know you were such a patriot. To sacrifice yourself for the kingdom. How noble."

    "Patriot your mother. Do I look like a patriot to you? As if I''d sacrifice myself for the nation. It can go to hell for all I care. I can always find another place to live, but I can''t find another me."

    "Huh, but you said-"

    "Obviously it was a lie."

    "What, you mean, you lied to the king?"

    "I guess."

    I hear Estella''s voice raising, "that''s even more daring, to have even gotten the title of an Archduke from that, you must have been the youngest in history to get it."

    "Uhh, don''t remind me." Thinking about it made me feel like spitting blood. To have only obtained something like a title. This wasn''t everything or nothing, this was everything for nothing.

    Just leave me on the floor to rot.

    While wallowing in my sorrow and listening to Estella''s praises, I realize that I have finally completed the first event.

    Timing: A

    Skill: S

    Ingenuity: A

    Reward: Junk.

    Or something like that?

 Ch 5.5 - Records of a king

    Greetings, My name is Sebastian IX, King of the capital Rjokallem, land of Endeara.

    Today, I had quite the fortuitous encounter.

    First, my son informed me of how he had annulled the engagement. I was surprised at first, but it was not unfortunate. I had long planned to break the engagement, but never found a reasonable excuse.

    My son, was always a good hearted human, and could not bear sight to injustice. So, even though my heart ached for him, he would still choose to be with that bastard child.

    It was my fault, that he had to undergo such hardships. Many years ago, If I had known that she was the daughter of a servant, I would have never accepted the proposal.

    But at that time, I was still immature.

    I made a promise to the dukes son, and soon after he perished. Bound to his last words, it was hard for me to overturn the engagement.

    At least we could bind the dukes household to us, I thought.

    What really astonished me, was that that child, Agnes, had pleaded for an audience. Normally, I would have shown it no heed, but the marriage was of no small matter. Even though she was unimportant, her family was not.

    More importantly, I was intrigued by what she was going to say. Well, if it was some nonsense, I would just appropriately punish her.

    -

    My thoughts immediatly perished after I met her.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    As we exchanged glances, I felt cold sweat running down my back.

    Her Ice cold gaze shook my very foundation. Those eyes, I had seen them many times as a king.

    Those were eyes forged from numerous hardship and surpassing countless of others.

    An executioners eyes, is what I call them.

    Eyes, that held contempt towards humanity, eyes, which said, they stood above everyone. That''s what they implied.

    Such an intense gaze was shot by a 15 year old girl.

    I can''t help but shudder.

    Absolutely beautiful.

    I can''t help feeling excited. What she must have gone through, I can''t begin to imagine.

    I would know, after all, we have the same eyes. Still, mine aren''t close to the darkness she is hiding within her.

    Finally, after all these years, I had found my kin. And it was such a young girl, too.

    That''s why I can''t help feeling excited.

    Soon, she started explaining her circumstances.

    I was sure that she was lying.

    I may not know her purpose, but there was no way that she would sacrifice herself for the nation.

    A person like her, would never care about something like that. I''d rather believe that pigs fly, than that she was a patriot.

    Such a person, would only care about themselves. They are all egoistic traitors. That''s the only way to survive after all.

    Still, her logic was flawless. I was sure, that even if I rebutted, she would have several excuses already lined up. With just a few sentences, that girl had perfectly set up an escape route for herself.

    No matter what happens from now on, she would not have to take the blame for it. A clean sweep.

    I wonder, If we had a debate on even grounds, who would win?

    I thought to myself that such a talent had to be brought to my side at all cost. Before I knew it, I had already conferred her the title of an Archduke. It may have been a bit whimsical from me, but I was moved from her display today.

    However, I know, that even though anyone else would be happy for the title, that girl would not be.

    A title, after all, is useless for someone like her. She probably might have found a better use if I gave her something that allowed her to move independently.

    Well, that''s the punishment for lying to me.

    Afterwards, I promptly left the palace. There was still a lot of work to do.

    On my way back, I couldn''t help but think about her.

    When she gets home, I''m sure she will have a lot of enemies.

    There will be many who underestimate her and in the end get swallowed whole. I already pity them.

    More importantly though, there will also be some, who can compete against her. I''m sure if such an encounter would ever happen, a storm will lay waste to the whole world.

    No, maybe the clouds had already assembled.

    I wonder what little schemes she has planned. Thinking about it, I can''t help looking forward to the future.

    Maybe I should have let her marry the third prince after all.

 CH - 6 Break a butterfly with a wheel

    Agnes, it is time to leave."

    "Yes, I''m coming."

    I walked out of the guest room.

    After I had avoided the immediate crisis, I began preparing my way back to the D''Anel¨¦ territory.

    Apperently, travelling was a big deal in such a day and age.

    We had to prepare food, weapons, tents, clothing, documents, horses and guards.

    It took us the entire night to to get ready, and now that the sun had risen, we could finally depart.

    The moment I stepped out of the gates, a fresh breeze had greeted me. The morning light was warming my body, and I immediately felt refreshed.

    In front of the palace, Estella waited for me with three guards. This time, she was not wearing her maid uniform, but a simple shirt and a dress. I, on the other hand, still wore my loose garments.

    Looking around, I noticed something was missing, which striked me odd.

    "Estella, where is the carriage?"

    "There''s none." A swift answer, befitting a capable maid. How come she isn''t that serious when we are alone?

    "How do we travel then?"

    "By foot and by saddle, of course. A caravan is not useful for long distance travels, as the roads are in poor condition."

    "But I''m barefoot."

    "Footwear tends to obstruct the journey, as they break quite easily. You will use the horse anyway, so why does it matter?"

    It matters because I have no experience in horseback riding. I''m a person who grew up in the city, nobody uses horses there. The last time I touched one was as a kid on a pasture.

    As I tried thinking of a solution, Estella had already mounted a horse.

    "You know how to ride a horse?" I ask her in wonder.

    "Of course, it''s not that hard, horses tend to follow other horses, so as long as I stay behind, there won''t be any problems."

    What''s this, she is so dazzling.

    But this saves me some trouble.

    I walked towards her horse and put my hands on it''s back. Promptly, I lift my left foot up, while pushing myself off the ground. After settling gently on the horses back, I tried making myself comfortable.

    Since I never rode a horse, I had to adjust my balance by swaying my arms around, but once I felt that I wouldn''t fall, I firmly clung to Estella''s waist, and laid my head on her back.

    "Wha- Agnes?"

    "Let''s ride together," I mumbled, as my mouth was covered by her clothes.

    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    "That won''t do, you should use your own horse," she said. Even though she refused, she was grinning, and her face flushed red from emberassment.

    "I don''t want to, horses scare me," I pursed my lips and pouted.

    That''s the truth, They really are intimidating.

    Seeing that I wouldn''t budge, Estella and the guards felt stumped.

    "If miss doesn''t want to ride on the horse then there''s no choice, still is it wise to ride bareback?" One of a guards asked, in a cheerful tone, but still failed to hide his hidden contempt.

    It''s not that surprising, since on the surface, I am the useless granddaughter of the Duke, who''s just had her engagement annulled. Seeing me in this situation, they must think of me as a spoiled child, so they clearly held no respect towards me.

    Well, whatever.

    "Then what are you waiting for? Get an extra pad," Estella ordered and flung her arms. She had also noticed their attitude, and grew impatient.

    "Of course."

    Soon after, they had placed a pillow on the horses back and attached it with the saddle.

    Seeing everything had been prepared, I said, "well then, everyone, let''s depart," while pointing towards the horizon.

    "Ah, Agnes, hold tight, or you might fall."

    "Ah sorry."

    In the end, instead of clinging, it was more accurate to say I was cuddling her, as I pressed my breasts against her and caressed her with my hands. Estella''s hair was tickling my skin and I breathed down her neck.

    Again, the intoxicating smell of almond was lingering in the air.

    -

    "How long will the journey take?"

    "About 1 1/2 days, it''s quite close after all."

    On our way towards the D''Anel¨¦ territory, I chatted with Estella, while basking in the crisp nature. It was quite peaceful, as the horses galloped in a rhythmic manner and the wind whistled in my ears.

    "Ah, Estella look, a butterfly."

    "Yes, I shall immediatly kill it," she declared and squinted her eyes.

    "What? huh, no don''t. Rather, isn''t it beautiful?"

    "Really, you find that thing beautiful?" Estella asked in a confused manner.

    "Yes, I can''t help admiring it. They say a buttefly''s wings can cause a hurricane on the other side."

    "What''s that supposed to mean?"

    "It means that small changes in the system can lead to drastic effects in the long term. In general, it tells us how unpredictable the world actually is."

    I hug her tighter and continued talking.

    "It is the same for humans. They are unpredictable, which in the end, makes them predictable. Do you understand?"

    "No, I don''t."

    "Okay, I''ll explain it to you then. Take for example a girl standing in front of a bakery. Now, what do you think is more probable, that she is standing in line to buy bread, or that she is actually the princess of a fallen country, who is hiding from spies, disguising herself as a peasant?"

    "Obviously, the first choice is more plausible."

    "And that is where you would be wrong. Truth is, they have the same probability. Sure, in a mathematical sense, there are probably more people buying bread, than there are hidden princesses, which is why we feel the first option to be true, but from a psychological standpoint, we have to regard them as having the same chance to occur."

    "Why?"

    "Because, we humans are unpredictable and predictable at the same time."

    "No, as I said before, I don''t get it."

    "Well, on one hand, we humans are all the same, but on the other, we are all different. Everybody believes they are unique, which in the end, makes them identical. Then again, there are those who think they are normal, that in turn, are the craziest."

    Estella held her head, while contemplating about what I just said, "I never thought about it in that way."

    "We are creatures of probability, and those probabilities, since we don''t know what factors causes them, are in other words, random. And the beauty of true randomness is that everything has the same probality. Everything has a hundred percent chance to occur and nothing is a hundred percent certain," I say while getting louder, "the future is build upon many different encounters, and often chooses what comes as most unexpected, just like the hurricane, which might appear as random, but in reality, is caused by the butterfly."

    "Hah, I don''t think I''ll understand it even if you explain it again," she said, as she let out a long sigh.

    I began to laugh, as I watch her, trying to comprehend what I said, "you will understand it one day."

    I then rest my head on her shoulders, and patted her head.

    "I hope you won''t refer it as something mystical when the time comes."

    Suddenly, Estella claps her hands, and stares at me with her large eyes, glimmering in the light, reflected from her irises, "So, if you say mystical, do you mean something like magic?"

    Surprised by her words, my eyes widened in wonder.

    "Magic, what do you mean with magic."

    "Something like the gods blessing you know? People who can bend what we perceive. Like mages, witches, clerks, and occultists."

    Ah, I forgot that the medieval people believed in magic, rather than science. It is quite amusing hearing someone talk about the occult, unironically.

    "Listen Estella, there''s no such thing as magic. Magic is only science we can''t explain, yet. People, who say they can use magic are either people who lie, or people who don''t know they are lying."

    "No, really, I saw someone use magic, the nobles can use it, you know?" Seeing I didn''t believe her, she started sulking.

    "Sure if you say so."

    Magic, huh. That would be interesting. If I remembered correctly, aren''t those who travel into another world, always able to use magic.

    Now, that she brought it up, I can''t help holding some slight expectations towards it.

    I close my eyes, and imagine the water whizzing around, slowly gathering in the air, and forming a shape. I imagine it floating along me and Estella, dancing with the wind, then slowly losing to gravity and falling on the ground, leaving a wet puddle.

    When I opened my eyes, I saw...nothing. It turned out as I expected.

    I sigh and flick Estella''s head. As I looked back towards the way we came from, I noticed that we couldn''t see the city anymore.

    Once again, I am reminded that I am in another world.

    The time has been short, and I still can''t quite fathom it. I wonder what my purpose in this world is?

    Silently, the horses continued galloping towards our predestined fate.

 Ch 7 - Know thy enemy and you shall win a hundred battles

    As the last rays of light were washed away by the looming clouds, and the horizon drew it''s curtain towards the sun, we were reminded that dusk had hit.

    We had long separated from our starting point and decided to set camp close to a forest.

    "It took longer than I had expected to get here," one of the guards said and clicked his tongue.

    "I was hoping that we could sleep in a nearby farm," another one commented.

    I slowly made my way down the horse and tried landing as delicately as possible. Since I was sitting on its back all day, my bum hurt and my legs felt all sore.

    The moment I placed my feet on the ground, I lost my stability and fell. Luckily, Estella was there to catch me and I landed in her arms.

    "Agnes, are you alright?" She asked, and held me tight.

    The moment Estella pulled me towards her, I once again discovered how pretty she was. Now, she was not beautiful in the classical sense, she had no wavy, golden hair or glowing green eyes. She was not exceedingly tall, or had mesmerizing curves, but her brown hair and amber eyes, had a bewitching harmony. The warm air coming out from her small, blood red lips and the sweat she build up from the warm summer day, gave her an irresistible charm.

    The more I was with Estella, the more I liked her. I knew that keeping her around would be a good idea.

    "Is there something on my face?" She questioned and tilted her head.

    I pinched her face and stretched her skin, "yes, my hands."

    "Owie, why wphould chu do thwat."

    "I wanted to find out how flexible your skin was."

    Most importantly, teasing her seemed to be rather fun.

    "Miss, we wish to set camp here," a guard approached me and spoke.

    "Yes, let''s do that."

    Ah, those three guards, I almost forgot that they existed. Rather, I purposely ignored them. Ever since we departed, they have been quite rude. Obviously, they did not explicitly state their discomfort, but that did not stop them from occasionally have a chatter about me. I might not have heard what they said, but I still had eyes. Something like reading their facial expressions and lips had been long ingrained into my bones.

    I did not mind that some mere guards talk bad about me, but what really annoyed me is how they include Estella in their conversations.

    ''It is unbecoming of a servant to act like that'',''a servants child is naturally attracted to another servant, as mice also tends to live around trash,'',''who does she think she is,'' they said. I mean, they weren''t wrong¨Cbut what gave them the right?

    "That was strike number two," I thought in my head.

    They had displeased me twice how. Once, at the beginning of the journey, and secondly now.

    Another strike, and I would have to show them what it meant to disappoint me.

    Soon, everyone started preparing for the night close to a cave. At the beginning I wanted to help out, but was later urged not to, by Estella.

    While I was waiting for them to set everything up, I sat on a tree stump, and observed the dim moon. When everything was done, Estella approached me and asked what I was doing.

    "I''m looking at the sky."

    "Why?"

    "I was bored," I pause and wave my hand, "hey, come here."

    Before she could react, I tugged her arm, and the inertia caused her to fly towards me. With her butt, she landed on my lap and was faced away from me. I rest my arms on her shoulders, as if she was carrying me on her back.

    I found that hugging her was the most comfortable position for me. It might be because of her reactions, or that she was naturally fluffy, but being with her calmed my mind.

    "Agnes!?"

    I rubbed her head in an attempt to still her embarrassment, and she just kept her head down, while tightly gripping her skirt.

    For a long time, we did not converse, quietly, I ran my hand through her hair in a metric manner. Only the clicking cicadas and our heartbeats, which grew faster as time went on, interrupted the serenity.

    I felt her skin sticking to mine, as the humid summer caused us to accumulate a lot of sweat. I took the liberty to unveil parts of my garments, so that we would feel more comfortable.

    In the end, Estella broke the silence first.

    "Hey, Agnes, you might not have known, but I had always been dying to talk with you."If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    No, I had known since the very beginning.

    "I don''t know how to say this, but I had always been a very curious child," she added.

    Yes, that too, I had found out.

    "That is why, I couldn''t help myself, when I saw how you shut yourself off from any outside contact. Slowly, I began observing you. At the beginning, it was out of interest, but before I knew it, I found myself attracted towards you," she took a deep breath and looked towards the stars, "I felt that the you, who was ambitious and cold, was really beautiful."

    I already felt that she was an unusually curious girl. I couldn''t explain, why she would associate with the old me, other than just being intrigued, because I couldn''t imagine the original owner doing anything to win her over.

    As I said before, devotion was blind and often whimsical. It comes without a warning, but left only after a storm.

    "At the time when the prince had annulled the engagement, I felt that you had changed. How do I say this? It felt like you were freed from any shackles. Still, your eyes grew even colder, and I couldn''t help but shudder. At that moment, I felt that your beauty had again reached a new level and my admiration similarly grew another level. Say, does that make me weird?"

    She stared at me with her round eyes, and her heartbeat hit an apex.

    Around the times we talked, I did find her interested in many different topics, and noticed that she asked a lot of questions. Whether it was about the duration of footwear, or how horses travel, she had a lot of different trivia, which she liked to mention.

    It just showed how much experience she had in many different fields. That could only be achieved by having a high drive for knowledge.

    Especially the part where she said she had seen the nonsensical ''magic'' before. How would anyone be able to witness something like that, without being an adventurous child?

    "Ah, but I do not mean attraction, as in love. It is more abstract, it''s, uhm."

    "Devotion?"

    She clasped her hands in an exaggerated manner and exclaims, "yes exactly."

    I really was glad that I had pulled her to my side. A girl like her was more valuable than any jewelry in this world.

    "Estella, you aren''t weird at all. Rather, anyone who says otherwise is the weird one. Do you know why I chose to be with you?"

    "Uhm, no I don''t. It did make me really happy, though."

    "I admit, first it was for your attraction towards me, but what really tied the knot, was your childlike curiosity. The feeling of wanting to understand anything is something not everyone has."

    "Ah, you had already known? And I tried to hide it, too. Whether it was my mother, my sister, or the head-maid, they always told me to stifle these feelings. That I should behave like an adult, or I wouldn''t have any worth. So, I tried really hard to change who I am." Estella said, with her voice cracking, and a tinge of sadness mixed in her tone. Still, she kept on smiling, "Now, I feel kind of embarrassed, after confessing everything."

    Is that why she sometimes appeared like an adult, but on other occasions like a child?

    "Then let me say this now, I want you to be inquisitive. I want you to roam free, being whatever you like."

    "Why?"

    "Because, people who don''t question anything, are no different from rob- from puppets. There''s nothing more beautiful than knowledge. Still, for some reason, it is seen as bad, if you strive for it. As an adult, you''re supposed to have all the answers already, or else you are stupid," I keep patting her head, while we watch the stars, "but let me say this right now, there''s a difference between not knowing, and being stupid."

    In a daze she asked, "what do you mean with that?"

    "I hate stupid people, but I don''t hate those who do not know. Those who do not know, are that way, because of external factors. Say, is it their fault, if no one taught them? Is it their fault that they are uninformed? On the contrary, if you are dumb, it is definitely your own fault."

    Her voices choked up, and stared at the ground, with her eyebrows wrinkled, "but why is it then, that they are often recognized as the same?"

    "Because those who are stupid, often compensate with their education. Now, I''m not saying that those who are educated are dumb, but that the stupid ones love to flaunt their knowledge," I breath in, "most of the time, it''s the ignorant ones, that believe they are the smartest. They believe, that their limited knowledge makes them special and anyone who is still searching for more, has to be an idiot."

    I look at Estella, and I could tell, that her head was spinning again. I wait for her to digest all the information, before I continue speaking.

    "It is said, the difference between a genius and an idiot is, that one can pretend to be the other, while another one can''t, but I digress. If there are a suitable amount of loud mouthed idiots, they too can pretend to be smart. Of course, for those who truly have an ability, they would rather use their time, searching for more answers, instead of being content with what they have, which leaves the categorizing of intelligence only to the lesser minded."

    With my hand I turned her head so that she would face me. Her shimmering eyes, reflected my

    smiling expression.

    "So, don''t listen to what others say, listen only to me. Your curiosity, I will properly nourish it, keep you by my side and raise you into someone who decides her own worth. Because I too, find you beautiful."

    "What?"

    I hugged her as tight as I could, and brushed her hair away. Gently, I placed my lips on her forehead.

    "You are beautiful, I admire the you, who''s so pure and willing to go through great lengths, to gain more knowledge and wisdom. You are someone with ingenuity, and that wholeheartedly impresses me."

    For a short while, it felt as if time had stopped.

    It felt as if the air ceased its flow¡ªour heartbeats skipped innumerable beats¡ªand nature held its breath.

    After a long pause, a single tear ran down Estellas face.

    "I, I don''t know what to say. Th, these, these feelings, I, for so long-"

    I took my small hand, and covered her soft lips with my index finger.

    "You don''t have to say anything for now."

    Yes, this was perfect. Just stay silent and bask in the present tranquility. I too, enjoyed the quiet nature.

    However, that silence held only for a short while, before we were immediately interrupted.

    "Miss, it is time to eat," a guard promptly told me, and left as fast.

    "Well, but with every genius, came quite a few of idiots," I said and sighed.

    "Hmm, what are you saying?"

    "Nothing much, but if my prediction is correct, you''ll be witnessing a good performance again."

    "Oh, I do enjoy a good show."

 Ch 8 - Plans are only called plans if they work

    Quite some time had passed, and if it was not for the bonfire guiding us, it would''ve been hard to see, on what we were stepping on.

    As Estella and I made my way towards the light, an alluring smell was wafting through the air.

    It appeared that they had somehow brewed a stew, with dried meat and herbs found around the forest.

    I held Estella''s hands and we made our way towards a protruding stone. The moment we took a seat, one of the guards started serving the dishes.

    "Hold on, where''s Estella''s dish?" I asked them.

    I had noticed that they had skipped Estella, even though they gave me the soup.

    That won''t do. I had just established my feelings towards her, I can''t just let them ignore her like that.

    The guards look at each other with neither of them speaking.

    In the end one of the guards reluctantly stepped forward and said, "there''s none," he spoke in an imperative tone.

    the guard had blond hair, and was the tallest out of the three. He had slanted eyes, and a washed appearance.

    "What do you mean there is none?"

    Even though I asked, I was pretty sure on what they implied. Since they couldn''t actively bother me, they decided to lay their hands on Estella.

    Really, how petty was that? I always thought, that there are no villains in the world. There are only people, who had conflicting ideals. After all, those regarded as villains, had friends too. They would also not want to be despised by everybody. They also had principles they stood for.

    But after transferring to this world, I had realized how different everyone in this age were. In the era that I lived, the social reputation was regarded as way more important then it is now. In war, politics and relationships, everyone tends to be a bit more direct in the middle ages. Their interactions were filled with only their truest intentions. No false smiles, hidden lies, or underhanded tricks, only good old verbal truth.

    "As a servant, should she not be able to make her own food? Why is it, that we have to do it? If she wants to eat, she should pick her own herbs," another guard interjected. This guard was a bit younger, and his facial features were sharper. He wore a necklace with a crescent moon, which made him look like a dog on a leash.

    It seems like they are adamant about being in the right.

    "What''s there to pick in the middle of the night, you better hope that your mother comes pick up your dead carcass after I''m done with you."

    "Agnes," Estella uttered, and pulled on my sleeve. I think she was indicating that she could do without food, but I disagree. She already looked malnourished. If she doesn''t eat, how would she grow?

    "With all due respect, but how she makes her food doesn''t concern us," The last guard said. He was a plump guard, with brown hair and blue eyes. His nose was crooked, and his armor was filled with scratches.

    "Hmm, Is that so."

    Strike three. This is definitely strike three. No more vetoes, I''m going to rip them apart.

    "Estella, let me show you one way of deciding your own worth, which is by showing ignorant fools their place."

    I pull Estella towards me, in a swift moment and our shoulders hit.

    "Hueh?"

    "You, the plump one, what''s your name?"

    Surprised, the guard answered, "It is William, miss."

    "William huh? I wonder how your wife feels about your philandering?"

    "Wha-"

    "No need to deny it. Too fat to be poor, but too scrawny to be a war maniac. Still I wonder, you got so many scratches on your armor, you must not be home a lot? There''s a tan line around your finger, indicating a missing ring. It seems that you are dissatisfied with your marriage?" I continue shooting one statement after another, giving him no time to rebut.

    Petrified by what i just said, the William was at a loss for words.

    "But I guess the money''s got you hooked. Wouldn''t it be bad if she found out what you do in your spare time? That''s some nice bracelets you got. Got them from your wife? But why would she give you so many. Unless, of course some of them are from another source. I guess it''s something like a competition for that other woman. Is it perhaps the sister, or someone close then?"This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    Complete silence. Everyone Including Estella, stared at me with astonishment. The plump guards face has turned chalk white, and looked as if he had just aged a decade.

    "Speaking of jewelry, that''s a nice necklace you got there. Your name?" I asked the young guard. The moment I pointed at him, he froze up.

    "Robert," he replied after a long pause.

    "So, someone in your vicinity has fallen ill, hm? Wouldn''t it be a shame if something happened to her?"

    "How, how did you know?" Robert stuttered, and his body swayed.

    "That necklace has a unique design. Not exactly something a young man would wear. Just like now, you like touching it when you are nervous. I guess it is a present by a female counterpart? But by whom I wonder. Someone that is important enough for you to become a merc and earn money. A trained upper body and a dark tan, you worked in the fields? Changing professions, hoping to earn some quick cash in the upcoming war, huh?"

    I stare at him, to confirm whether what I said was correct. Judging by his reactions, I had to be somewhat right. My eyes narrowed, and I continued interrogating him.

    "Saving money for marriage? No, that''s not it. Doing this dangerous job is the last thing anyone with a bright future would do. I take it you have a more desperate reason. Debt or illness sounds pretty reasonable. Even though you have a tan, your complexion is pale. You have dark circles around your eyes, and your skin is loose, from the recent weight loss. I take it you have also contracted the disease."

    "Im, impossible," the guard mumbled and staggered backwards. Seeing that I was right, the other guards also stepped away from him in a hurry.

    "Your sister, your mother, your lover. Don''t know who you hold dear, but it''s not gonna be hard to find out when we are done here."

    Williams face turns dark, and he looks like he chewed a bug. I feel like I''m going to see a lot of different shades on their faces today.

    "Well, that leaves only one. So, what''s your name?" I questioned the last guard. The fire continued to flicker in between us, while the tense atmosphere is stifling the air.

    "You, you demon," he called me, while pointing his finger towards me. How rude.

    "Well, I have nothing on you for now. Just keep doing your job," I told him and threw my hands up the air.

    "What?" Perplexed by what I said, his eyes widened in astonishment.

    "But for you two, I''ll deal an appropriate punishment. Even though you aren''t directly my guards, that doesn''t mean I can''t mess with you two. Do you think you can get away with offending someone like me?"

    I pointed at them and hearing me say that, they both went on their knees and and stared at the ground.

    "Wait, my name''s Lidra. I wish that you wouldn''t harm these men," a voice suddenly rang out. It was the voice of the last guard. He no longer possessed the arrogance he held in the beginning, and kneeled on the floor.

    Well, just as I predicted. I knew he couldn''t leave these guys alone. He had a tall and robust body, he must take his job seriously. Also, how he lead the conversation in the beginning, I guess he is the leader of that group. So it was no surprise that he stepped up for them.

    "And why should I listen to you?"

    "I beg your pardon, we are sorry if we have offended you in any way. In a moment of folly, we were blinded by idiocy. I''m willing to take full responsibility for my men," he exclaimed end also kneed down.

    I wait for some seconds, before I nod.

    "Alright, I shall forgive your offense, However, there will not be another chance, did I make myself clear."

    "Yes, miss," the trio shout in unison.

    Well, this has gone rather well. It''s not like I have really forgiven them, but I can''t push it too far.

    I mean, I may have a big mouth, but if they ever decide to stab me in the woods, there''s nothing I would be able to do. And the message should have been clear enough already, so this is a good conclusion.

    In the end they served Estella her stew, which she tried to decline at first, but the guards insisted. After the wholesome meal, we went to sleep.

    As we were out in the open, there was of course no actual bed. We piled a bunch of plants on top of each other, before beating it with a stick, to get rid of any insects. Afterwards we put some blankets on top of the heap.

    "Estella, come here, sleep with me."

    "Wha, Agnes? I don''t think that is such a good idea."

    "Why are you being humble again, didn''t I say I want us to stand as equals?"

    "No, this is not a problem of hierarchy, you know?"

    "Enough, just get over here, I''m tired."

    In the end, we shared a makeshift bed. I snuggled up to Estella, while she was hiding her face under the blanket.

    It has been another tiresome day, so it wasn''t long, before fatigue overcame me and I fell asleep.

    While I did so, I had a dream.

    In my dream, I stood in front of a figure. It was girl. She had long wavy hair and ivory skin, with eyes that glow blue. She had a small stature, but her sharp features made her look mature.

    Her upturned eyes, and high cheekbones, made her quite charming.

    Slowly, she descended towards me, one step at a time, which made her look like a goddess out of a painting. Only when she had approached me, did I realize that she wasn''t wearing anything. The girl had ribs sticking out her chest, her skin was droopy, with occasional dark spots showing on her hips. Her hair was greasy, and her face looked oily. Even so, it was not enough to hide the natural beauty she possessed.

    The girl took her thin hands and placed it on my face, for some reason, I did not feel any danger. Rather, I felt that my mind was soothed. Her small lips opened, and revealed a smile.

    Afterwards, she drew near my ear, and whispered in a hoarse voice, "fuck off."

    I was immediately jolted awake. Sweat had drenched my garments and I could feel my palpating heartbeat.

    That girl, I think I know her, I''ve heard her voice before.

    I began checking my surroundings and saw that I''m still in the woods, with Estella sleeping soundly on my side. In fact, she slept so well, I had to poke her cheeks. But she still did not wake up.

    "Miss, are you awake?" Interrupting my thoughts was Lidra, who appeared out of nowhere. In his hand, he held a sword and he had a grave expression.

    "What''s the matter?"

    "I think we have company," he said and clenched his fist.

    In the distance, I could hear the rustling leaves.

    "

 Ch 9 - It is he who made us, and we are his

    Miss, they are bandits, hide behind us!"

    "Estella, wake up, this isn''t the time to sleep!"

    Immediately, I dragged Estella out of her sleep, and we hid behind the guards.

    Soon after, several shadows stepped through the bushes.

    "four on the front, and two by the side, huh?"

    "Damn, the odds are with them."

    It was not uncommon in this day and age, that bandits would rob incoming travelers (at least if my history teacher was correct); that was why, when traveling, there would always be guards. Still, there were some brave thieves, who would risk a fight, and attack.

    It all depended on luck, whether they attacked or not. And this time, luck was simply not on our side.

    "Lidra, do you think we could take them on?" Robert whispered.

    "I''m not sure, but the odds are certainly not by us," Lidra answered and gritted his teeth.

    More often than not, defending was harder then attacking. One has to not only fight against the opponent, but they would also have to protect the carriage, and the non-combatants. Also, in this case, the attacker had the advantage of an ambush and was better prepared.

    At such times, it would be better to surrender, instead of risking unnecessary casualties.

    "Miss what do you think we should do?"

    How should I know? Well, okay.

    It was a tough decision to make, whether to take the risk and fight or just to give up and let them take our goods.

    While I was thinking, I held onto Estella in the back, and I could feel her shaking. I guess the best option was to peacefully resolve this, or else we might fall in harm''s way.

    Estella clutched my hands and I answered, "let''s surrender, and hear them out."

    "I understand."

    Following Lidra, Robert and William put their swords on the ground, and their hands in the air.

    From the darkness, we could hear sighs of relief, and the bandits holstered their weapons. They too, would rather not fight, even against smaller groups. As doing that would risk their companions to die.

    If they could resolve everything without a fight, they would happily choose to do so.

    In the end, we decided to surrender and let them take the goods.

    "Oh, what do we have here," a voice suddenly rang from the darkness. The person began approaching us, and I could hear his feet crushing the grass on the ground.

    As he came closer, he was illuminated by the moonlight, and I could finally make out his appearance.

    Hmm, was that what a bandit should look like?

    It was a bulky middle aged man, who had come close to us, he had a scruffy beard and yellow teeth, which made him look disorganized. There were black spots all over his face, and he revealed a hideous grin.

    "I take it that you guys surrendered?" He asked and leaned forward. His beard moved, while he was talking.

    Seeing that the bandit had no intention of fighting, Lidra answered, "yes, as for coins and goods, they are on the other side."

    "Great, boys get over here," he shouted and indicated that it was safe. In a fast motion, one guy after another popped up, until, I could count six. It appeared that he was their captain.

    Odd. What''s with these numbers? Six people? What''s this, were they tired of living? Which bandit group consisted of only six people?

    "Miss, is this okay? What about the money?"

    "I''d rather lose the money than my life," I told him and smiled.

    "I understand. I too, would rather not fight," Lidra replied, "I also which that no harm was done to you."

    Oh, looks like he could actually act like a proper guard.

    "There won''t be a problem anyways, as we only have minimal stu-" I planned on saying, but abruptly stopped.

    Yes. We only had minimal stuff. Why did they attack us? We had only minimal stuff. On the outside, we would only look like ordinary travelers. Shouldn''t they attack people with more loot, I thought.

    Unless of course, they were not attacking us for the loot.

    My mind started spinning and calculating the possibilities, it felt like I had gone into overdrive. In the end, I came to a natural conclusion.

    "Okay boys, we''ve gotten the approval, collect their swords!" The bandit suddenly announced.

    A plan, I needed a plan.

    They made their way towards the weapons and were about to collect them.

    "Wait!"

    I couldn''t let them do that, if my deduction was correct, then us losing our weapons would be fatal. Swiftly I tried making my way towards the closest bandit and shoved him away. I tried taking a sword, but without warning, another bandit came from the other side and slammed my head on the ground.

    My brain was shaking inside my skull and I felt dizzy. Ouch.

    Estella, who was still shaking from fear shrieked, "Agnes!" And was about to run towards me, but Lidra was faster.

    "Hey what are you doing, we have already surrendered!" he screamed and helped me up. He then shot a vengeful gaze at the person who threw me¡ªhe simply turned away.

    "Are you dumb, was that how someone who surrendered looks like?" A younger one said.

    "You," William intervened.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    "Now, now, we don''t want this to escalate into a fight, right?" The leader said, and calmly collected the swords.

    When he was done, he also reprimanded the bandits and said, "also, don''t be so rough, what if you had harmed our precious goods."

    perplexed by what he said, Robert muttered, "what?"

    "Anyways, thank you for surrendering, it really helped us out. Now, bring me the girl."

    Damn it. I knew it. These guys weren''t bandits. They were kidnappers. I made a serious miscalculation.

    I bit my lips and I could taste the iron, as there was now a fresh wound.

    "Wait a second this wasn''t the deal," Lidra said.

    "So, what are you going to do about this," the leader said, and kicked him in the stomach, causing him to groan.

    And this was why we couldn''t give them our weapons. God damnit, we had failed. No, I had failed. What should do I do now:

    "Wa, wait, we have surrendered, haven''t we? Don''t harm us, and we will do whatever you want."

    My vision was spinning, and I couldn''t see properly, but that didn''t stop me from calming my mind and choose the best possible solution. For now, I would stay silent and polite, that was the best possible route.

    I believed what they want is money. For that, they would have to leave me alive.

    The problem here lies in, who they wanted to collect the paycheck from. Whoever that was, I didn''t think they were going to get it. The prince had annulled the marriage and my family probably hated me.

    Then what were they going to do, when they realized I had no use for them?

    So the best choice now, was to act sympathetic and then escape.

    I called this plan the ''Reverse Stockholm Syndrome''.

    "That''s the attitude I like, now why don''t you all get over here and act like a good hostage?"

    "Hey captain, we have a problem! There''s another girl here," a bandit said, as he made his way towards Estella.

    "Oh this is great! Let''s keep the one we don''t need as a slave," the leader replied and licked his lips. It was so disgusting, I felt goosebumps.

    "So which one of you is the 1000 coins girl. Come on, answer fast, and I will spare you," he added.

    Ah, I forgot about Estella. This was a problem I hadn''t predicted. Even though I might not have sounded like it, but my mind was in disarray.

    "Uhm, mister, even if I said I was the person you were looking for, would you believe me?" I asked from the sides.

    "Hmm, what''cha you saying," he said and glanced at me.

    "Well then, let me tell you, that she is the person you are looking for," I said, and pointed at Estella.

    Surprised, she immediately rebutted, "no, she is the one, if you want to harm anyone, harm only me!"

    "Okay, I''m the one," I added.

    "Yes, she is the one, please spare her!"

    "Oh wait a second, I''m not the one after all," I replied and and laughed. I then locked eyes with Estella, to tell her she should play along.

    The child was more perceptive than I thought, and I felt like I saw a light-bulb turning on above her head, "maybe it is me after all," she whispered.

    At the end, I turn towards the bandit and argued, "see what I mean?"

    "Yes, I certainly do."

    The leader clenches his fists, and hit me in the face. It was so fast, the moment I saw him move, his punch had already connected. He wasn''t done though. As I fell to the ground, he kicked my stomach. I felt like the earlier stew was just about to fly out.

    "You cheeky brat, think you can win one over me, what?"

    He continued kicking me, until my breathing grew rough. Desperately I tried holding back my screams. This was for the best, though, I did not want them to hurt Estella.

    Hmm, when I had grown so attached towards her? This really wasn''t like me.

    Well, whatever.

    And I''ve dealt with way more pain than this. I even died before. This was nothing.

    "Captain, didn''t you tell us not to hurt the goods?" Another bandit said and laughed.

    "Yeah, you are right, excuse me. My anger had gotten the better of me, for a sec. Alright, load them all up and let''s hide in the cave for reinforcements."

    We then began to made our way towards a nearby cave.

    -

    "Ugh, it''s not coming off," Estella uttered, while her face filled with tears.

    My face on the other hand, had grown swollen, and there was dirt all over me. Also, a stone had found its way towards my skin and pierced it. There might also be some broken bones. All in all, I was pretty hurt.

    Still, I felt like I made the right choice.

    Stay calm. Because that was the only advantage that I had. If my mind was clouded, so would my judgement be.

    More than anything, I felt relaxed when Estella''s with me.

    "You stupid, why would you go so far for me?" She asked and continued wailing.

    I tried calming her down by placing my hands on her face, but she just got louder.

    "I don''t know, either."

    I really didn''t know. Still, I couldn''t bear the thought of her getting hurt, at that time. Really, what was wrong with me?

    Why?

    ''Ah, but I do not mean attraction, as in love. It is more abstract, it''s, uhm.''

    ''Devotion?''

    ''yes exactly.''

    It was at that moment, that a voiced popped up my head.

    ''What, are you dissatisfied with my decision?''

    ''No, it''s, it''s just. I just can''t stop smiling.''

    One after another, with every tear drop falling from Estella''s face, another memory had surfaced. It couldn''t be, right?

    ''Is there something on my face?''

    ''yes, my hands.''

    ''Owie, why wphould chu do thwat.''

    ''I wanted to find out how flexible your skin was.''

    What''s this. How was this possible?

    ''Estella, come here, sleep with me.''

    ''Wha, Agnes? I don''t think that is such a good idea.''

    ''Why are you being humble again, didn''t I say I want us to stand as equals?''

    Oh lord. Right now, I felt like a barrier had been broken. I felt like a caterpillar who had evolved into a butterfly. As if I was reborn. Wait, I was. No. That''s besides the point.

    Like a dam, the memories piled up.

    ''I, I don''t know what to say. Th, these, these feelings, I, for so long-''

    ''You don''t have to say anything for now.''

    To think I had neglected such an important factor.

    ''you''re beautiful.''

    Perhaps, Estella had become more important to me than I thought.

    Pathetic, that it would take such an occasion for me to realize it. Me, who was supposed to have the sharpest mind.

    In a quest to raise her devotion towards me, I had unconsciously become attached to her, too. Is this the case of a hunter becoming the hunted? No, rather hasn''t it only been three days? When had I grown so shallow? Something was seriously wrong with me.

    Well, whatever.

    Those feelings inside me, as they welled up, I couldn''t help but notice them.

    Those feelings, they transcended time. Whether it was three days or three decades, it would not matter.

    Those feelings weren''t infatuation, they weren''t devotion, and they certainly weren''t love.

    They were compassion. Compassion gained from giving birth. From a mothers love to a child. Or was I a father?

    Is that why my mind was in jumbles? Is this why I couldn''t think straight?

    So, it was not because I felt danger for myself. It was the danger I felt for my kind, which made me panic.

    Those feelings, I have felt a long time before. I thought I had stored them far away. Why would they surface from a person like her¡ªI didn''t understand. This wasn''t right.

    Well whatever.

    Maybe traveling to this world had made me weak, or maybe it was just Estella, but I can''t help getting excited at the thought of being with Estella.

    As I was wallowing in my newly achieved enlightenment, I heard a silent voice echoing next to my ear.

    "Miss, I think we could ambush them now," Robert said.

    "Hmm? What do you mean by that?"

    "If they aren''t bandits, we should have nothing to fear."

    I suddenly saw a slight glint reflected into my eyes. It was a knife, in Roberts hand.

    "Of course, we didn''t give them all our weapons, if we take them by surprise, we could kill of 3 of them at once," he added.

    I look around the place to check our surroundings. The guards, Estella and I were the furthest in the cave. In the darkness, I was able to make out four silhouettes. The other two, I take it, are outside the cave, waiting for something¡ªor someone.

    Suddenly, Estella stopped crying, well, she tried holding it back as well as she could and said, "Well, if they aren''t bandits, but just ordinary people, they would never win against trained mercenaries."

    Now it was my time to ask her why.

    "Because those bandits are often exiled knights, or soldiers who have retired, so there''s a sufficient risk in fighting against them, but a normal person, would be easy to defeat," she whispered.

    "I see."

    I rested my chin on my hands, and stared at the trio. Even though it was dark, I could see the determination in their eyes.

    "Wouldn''t it still be dangerous though?"

    "Yes, it would be," Lidra answered, "but more than anything, I think we have disappointed the miss often enough, so we are willing to take the risk."

    Risk, huh?

    That reminded me, since when was I someone who cared about the risks? I might have really changed a bit, being with Estella. It''s time to get myself together.

    In a low voice, I answered, "alright, I will allow it."

 Ch 10 - Curiosity killed the cat...

    The most important thing I had to do now, was to separate my feelings from my logic.

    I already made a miscalculation once, which lead to my current state.

    I had to recall, that this was not a safe world.

    This was not a world, where I could recover from mistakes.

    What I needed now, more than anything, was to calmly judge my situation.

    To adjust my mind, I breathed in and I breathed out. Haa. Just like that. For the last time, I observed my surroundings, only to realize that it was still dark.

    I closed my eyes, and listened to wind entering the cave. I listened to the rustling leaves, and I listened to the cries of the night animals.

    Haa. The sounds soon began drowning out, as I stored my concentration only onto the the tears dripping from Estella''s face.

    Drip.

    Drip.

    And slowly, that sound disappeared too.

    My mind entangled itself with the cave, and connected with the void. A whetstone carved my consciousness, and honed it into a spear. Just like the clouds clearing after a storm, and a wave washing away the dirt, I cleansed myself from any emotions.

    The moment I opened my eyes, the guards had already freed themselves from any ropes.

    That previous endeavor was really unlike me. It really was unlike me. I said it twice because it''s important, as never in my whole two lives did a I make such a blunder. I could only blame that on still being half asleep.

    But now I remembered, that things such as emotions and feelings, were factors of distractions, which I had long sealed away.

    It was a fluke, a fluke, I said, caused by the fact that I was overwhelmed with bizarre thoughts, which lead to a simple misjudgement.

    At that time, I honestly couldn''t believe that I would ever feel a protective urge for another human being, so I did not even realize that I had instinctively based my plans on Estella''s well-being.

    It still felt surreal to me, to say the truth.

    Several shadows started moving around. I could vaguely differentiate between the silhouettes of the bandits and of the guards, by how they were positioned. Those holding us hostage, stood a few meters away from us, While occasionally watching our moves.

    "Miss, let me free you," Lidra spoke.

    I vacantly looked towards where the voice came from, and said "no, take care of those bandits first."

    Lidra nodded, and the trio began to move out. Stealth was an important factor, when it came to assassination, but there was not much of a surprise that we could prepare, as the were closely eyeing us.

    However, it didn''t matter, because before the bandits could react, the guards had already appeared next to them.

    It was a fast procedure, and before I knew it, they were already engaged in combat.

    The first to reach its target was Lidra, as expected of the captain. He hit one bandit with a hard fist, and before the bandit could recover, the bandit was slammed on the ground. As he fell, I heard a light cracking sound reverberating through the cave walls.

    "Kuagh," the bandit cried out and shook his body.

    "Andre, what happened?"

    The bandits'' shout had attracted the gaze of its partners causing them to be distracted for a second.

    Still that second was crucial, allowing Robert to sneak up on his target and with a precise punch, he hit the throat of his opponent. As the bandit gagged, Robert made use of the chance to grab him by his head, and repeatedly kneed his face.

    Once, twice, thrice, he continued bashing his head in, while the bandit groaned in pain.

    Only after Roberts breath grew ragged and the bandits body went limp, did he stop his assault.

    In a swift manner he pulled his pocket sized dagger and marked it down the bandits throat. A light, but deep stab, and blood spurted out.

    Even though, I wasn''t able to ascertain the color in the darkness, I was able to tell by the smell alone that it was a lot of blood.

    I silently watched as Robert held the bandit by his head and let him bleed out. Yikes.

    The whole process took less than a minute.

    And with this, I had witnessed the first death in a new world. However, there was no time to celebrate this milestone, as it was not long before Lidra had also completed his deed.

    The bandit who fell down was grabbed by Lidra and held in a chokehold. While Robert was still kicking the bandit, I saw another lose its consciousness from his respiratory system being blocked. In the end his throat was also slit.

    Of course this was the outcome.

    Ordinary people would never fend off against actual trained combatants. Rather, if it didn''t end up like that, I might question why we paid these guards in the first place.

    If that was their way of redeeming themselves, then they were doing quite a job. Should we keep going like this, we might be able to escape this predicament after all.

    Two bandits were now incapacitated, leaving only another two guarding the cave. We were five people, of whom three are able to fight. Objectively speaking, the odds are on our side.

    "Kuaah!"

    Before I knew it, I heard another scream.

    I looked towards the source, only to find my hope betrayed by the sight which laid before me.

    Let''s say, what I expected was a dead body. Even though I most certainly did get the dead part, but that wasn''t what exactly I had in mind.

    I rubbed my eyes, to ascertain what I see was correct.

    It was.

    I felt like going crazy. No, I already was, but still.

    In front of me was a body shrouded in darkness.

    The body lied in a puddle of blood, which dyed the surroundings red.

    The body made twists and turns, resembling a macabre art, of a morbid individual.

    Like a broken doll that fell from a high place. That''s what it looked like.

    Decorated with several bracelets and a breastplate covered with scratches, it didn''t take long for me to figure out, who it was.

    "Ah, is he dead? He is dead right?"

    "I told you not to go too far, but you wouldn''t listen."

    "What, would you rather have died? You should be thankful that I saved you."The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Suddenly, two voices resounded in the cave.

    One was a deep and raspy voice, while another was vibrant and full of energy.

    Those voices also caught Lidra and Robert off guard, who then focused their gaze towards its origin.

    What actually had occurred?

    "How would I know that they were actually brave enough to ambush us?"

    "Well, whatever, let''s take care of them first."

    "Give''em hell."

    My vision was still locked onto the two bandits who conversed as if they had an afternoon chat.

    It was not long, before one of them began stretching his left hand out. It was a simple movement, but it felt heavier than gold.

    I squinted my eyes and concentrated upon his hand, and I saw something unbelievable.

    A small area around his hand started distorting, as if a force, invisible to the naked eye, was gathering on his palm, and solidifying into a ball. It resembled an undetectable hurricane, and was not bigger than a head. Still, it held an incredible amount of density and many different layers. It was as if not just the air, but space itself was growing wild around the area.

    With just a simple snap, it flew towards Robert like a projectile, in a straight line, not affected by gravity at all.

    Even though he tried to block the sphere with his dagger, it was of no use. The second it touched him, I saw him twisting and churning, just like the ball itself. His limbs turned into directions not possible according to its anatomy. Just like a puppet who had his strings cut, Robert went limb. The dagger he had in his hand fell towards the ground and the sound of iron hitting stone echoed in my ears.

    However, that was the only thing that I had heard.

    Roberts body was still warping and contorting, changing different directions and deforming into something that looked just like William currently did.

    It felt like an eternity until everything had stopped. In the end, he could only leave one last cry out, before dropping dead.

    "Woah, beautiful."

    "Obviously, who do you think I am?"

    Only after the two bandits started talking again, did I realize what had happened.

    Lidra gripped his dagger, and his wariness grew exponentially.

    Estella lost all color in her face and stared towards Roberts corpse in a trance.

    But the most surprised one here, was me.

    That had to be a joke.

    No, really. That had to be a joke.

    The first thing on my mind was to run away, but that thought immediately perished. Where was I supposed to escape from this?

    Absolute dominance. There was neither the option of retreat or the option to fight.

    I now finally understood, why they would attack us with only six people. They were allowed to have this confidence.

    I now also understood, why the guards in the palace would look weak, why there was an abundance of meat, why we had different names for the countries and why there was already a potato.

    The answer, no matter how dumb it appeared to be, was magic.

    The reason for having frail guards was because they have magic that can overpower strength.

    The reason for the abundance of meat was because there were some who are able to use magic to hunt.

    The reason for the different names was because those with magic held more importance than those without, and rulership was discerned by magic.

    The reason for the potato was also because magic enabled better circulation methods and faster globalization.

    Even though it made no sense, everything began to make sense.

    And with that, I also realized another crucial thing¡ªour plan has failed.

    I bit my lips and the fresh wound which had already began to heal, opened up again.

    I was an absolute idiot.

    Why would I assume that there was no magic, even though being transported through different worlds was a miracle close to magic. No, maybe it already was magic.

    Even though I spoke about common sense and how it was limiting the critical mind, I myself got caught in the very thing I denounced. I was the worst kind of hypocrite.

    I let out a dry laugh. I wondered when I had grown so cocky to act so prideful. I felt like I stood at the top of this world, when in fact I hadn''t even played the tutorial.

    I must have forgotten, what turned me into a swindler in the first place.

    Was it not to change my own fate? While walking on the thin thread of life, I discovered how unfair it really is.

    Who did I think I was, giving a lecture when I myself had so much to learn.

    I was but just a normal person. I was but just a normal person. I was but just a normal person.

    I felt pain, I felt pleasure. I felt sympathy and I felt disgust.

    I made plans, which sometimes succeeded and sometimes failed. That''s just life.

    I was not a psychopath and I was not a sociopath either. There was no bad day which made me into the person I was, because I never changed.

    I was but just a normal person.

    And that''s what made me the best swindler.

    I threaded my own path.

    I did not begin as genius with an inborn ability, I was not a master-mind, and I was not a king. I could not draw excellent forgeries like my schoolmate, I was not a mad scientist like my partner, I was not a multi talent like my sister and I was not a serial killer like my friend.

    I was only the common folk who fought its way to the top. That''s what made me special.

    I, who was not bound to anything was also someone who could be shaped into anything.

    I, who was just average understood humans the best.

    But after being transferred into this world, I somehow thought I must be a unique existence. With the freshest memory in my mind being that I was the best swindler, I forgot my core.

    I was the lowest of human beings, I was a hypocrite.

    "Oh, I went away for just a second and look what happened," a familiar voice rang through everybodies ears. It was the captain.

    "What, Andre, Jack!"

    Suddenly, I heard a second voice, and footsteps approaching us in a frantic manner.

    "Haha, looks like they died," the magician said.

    "You, what happened here," the voice asked.

    The captain interjected and spoke,"well, I can kind of guess what has occurred. There is still one left though, why don''t you finish the job?"

    "Oh can I?"

    "Yes, show them why we shouldn''t be messed with."

    It did not take long before the shadows started moving again, However, it was not the magician, but his partner whom he was talking to the whole time.

    Even though Lidra stayed vigilant, his opponent was so fast, before anyone could see anything, a blade was rammed through his heart.

    And with that all my guards had died in an unspectacular fashion.

    Why were my guards so damn weak. We may not have hired the best ones, as we did not want to grab unnecessary attention, but they should still be pretty skilled.

    No, rather it was those bandits who were strong. Well, some of them were at least. I''m not sure if we could still call them bandits to be honest.

    "Agnes."

    "Estella."

    "Can I just tell you something?"

    Just when I wondered what Estella wanted, she appeared with a sudden request. Normally, I would have rejected it, but oddly enough, I felt that I should hear her out.

    "Sure, what is it."

    "Did you know that I have a sister?"

    "Yes, you told me briefly."

    "See, my sister and I were always inseparable. Even though We were like fire and ice, we held an indestructible bond," she took a breath, "she would always be the serious one who protected us and I was the child who needed protection."

    "That sounds like a great relationship."

    "It was. We grew up in the slums, so as you can imagine, we did not have the best life. I know, it is probably incredibly common, but at that time, I felt why I was the only one who had to suffer. But thank goodness, my sister was always by my side. Even when we became servants and were ostracized by other maids, did my sister stand by me."

    "I take it that your sister must have been what caused you to develop such a childish personality."

    "Well, I guess you could say that. In the end, she was the only one who carried the responsibility of us both, and for that I am incredibly thankful. To me, she was the most important person I had in my life."

    "I must thank her properly for raising you then."

    "No you mustn''t, because I now have a person who I hold even dearer than my sister, Agnes, I love you."

    "Yes, I know, I love you too."

    "No, that''s not what I me-"

    "Oh hey what are you talking about, let me join."

    While I was engrossed in the conversation, I had not noticed how close the four bandits had gotten to us. The smile of the captain was as disgusting as ever. He held something in his hands, which resembled paper.

    "Hey, look what I found in your luggage. It''s your documents. It says here, that the Dukes granddaughter is named Agnes. If I''m correct, that should be. . . that should be you," he pointed at me.

    Shit, there was that too. Estella did scream my name when I was assaulted.

    "So we have no use for the other one."

    "Wait, wait, wait, wait," I stuttered.

    Still he did not wait. I tried protecting her, but the strength of my body was meager in comparison with the strength of a male. He violently shoved me away, and I felt the air flow out of my lungs.

    I ran towards Estella again, and he shoved me away again. But I did not give up. I tried again and again, but I fell again and again.

    "It was only the guards who attacked you, someone like her should do you no harm," I proposed, while gasping for air.

    "You may be right, but I like to be thorough," he said and laughed.

    "I can understand your behavior and I will forgive you even when everything is over, so why don''t you let us off."

    "I see, you''ll forgive us you say?"

    He grabbed me by my hair and hit me in the face.

    "Will you forgive me even if I do this."

    I tried grabbing his hands, but I couldn''t muster any strength. All I could do was let him beat me up. In the end it was Estella, who stopped him.

    "Enough," she shouted.

    My eyes grew swollen and I gaze at Estella. My vision was blurry and all I could see was her faint smile, and her eyes that began tearing up.

    Slowly my view descended into darkness and the last thing I saw was the grinning captain, an exaggerated swing, and a head separating from its neck.

 Ch 10.5 - Records of a Maid

    Hello there, it''s me Estella.

    Uhh, I think I died.

    But that was to be expected, huh?

    I mean, my life has long been overdue.

    I was just a little kid from the streets. I came from a poor family, with no one but my sister who could take care of me.

    Mom worked at night, and Daddy left for another woman.

    I was always alone.

    Sure, I had my big sis, who would take care of me, but we were always different.

    She was quiet, I was energetic.

    She was calm, I was emotional.

    She was cold, I was warm.

    She was Ice, I was fire.

    However, despite our differences, I held her dear.

    I don''t know if it was the same for her though. I wonder, if we hadn''t been family, would she have cared as much as she did now?

    I was just a burden for her. Even as we became the servants of a noble family, she had to take care of me.

    Even though I thought it was our turning point, nothing had really changed.

    Most of the servants, were from distinguished families, using the opportunity to learn about proper etiquette, or to make ties with the household. Even the most worthless servant, had a standing that I couldn''t ever dream of.

    In the end, nothing had changed. My sister had to take care of me, while we were still at the bottom of the foodchain.

    She had to protect the me, who was weak enough to get bullied by the others.

    It was no wonder that we had a fight.

    In the end, she left me for another household, and I was all alone.

    I became a drifter, living without meaning. Hmm, maybe I had always just been like the wind, flowing without anyone noticing, but at that time, I had realized that my existence was a waste.

    But it''s okay.

    I found solace in the feeling of emptiness.

    Maybe I am a spoiled brat.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    I may have been poor, but I had a sister who cared about me and I was given an opportunity to become a servant. That is way more than any peasant could have hoped for.

    But I threw it all away. I only saw the bad side of everything.

    Every night, I would cry in my small, cold bedroom.

    As I continued surviving my life, day after day, I became detached from any feelings.

    But there was something interesting that came with it, as my curiosity grew only bigger.

    I had not given up hope, yet. I was always searching for the core, that could make my life worth living.

    And, I had found it at last.

    I had found it after years of searching. It was so simple, but so radiant. It was my light, shaped like a 5.3 feet tall girl, wearing nothing but a loose dress.

    Agnes.

    The moment I saw her, I knew, that she was my raison d''etr¨¦.

    Her eyes were cold, her face was expressionless, her demeanor was dead. She had the appearance of a doll, shaped from ice.

    My first thought was, that she resembled my sister, but after further consideration, I retracted that idea.

    She was colder than my sister.

    I fell into confusion, how can she, who was born with everything have more hatred than my sister, who had nothing?

    If the me, who was spoiled by my circumstances, then what was she?

    It was not long before I started observing her, from nook to cranny.

    If possible, I would have loved talking with her. There were so many things that I wanted to say, that I wanted to ask, but I knew, deep in my heart, that that wouldn''t be an option.

    Quietly, I kept memorizing her everything into my mind.

    It was for the best.

    No, it was more than the best. I couldn''t have wished for more. There was no way, someone as her, would ever cross paths with someone like me, under normal circumstances

    She was destined to shape the world, no matter what she did. I was just a roadside pebble, that could be swapped, without anyone ever noticing.

    I will just watch over her from the shadows, because I am content with just that much.

    Still, when I went to sleep, it was her that I would dream about.

    I really am spoiled.

    But I can''t help it, why am I always bound by so many shackles? Even though I want to be free, it contradicts with my feelings of wanting safety.

    I want to roam around the world, living the way I want, but every single time, something stops me.

    I want to live with my sister, but I can''t.

    I want to satisfy my curiosity, but I can''t.

    I want to be with Agnes, but I can''t.

    If I want freedom, I have to sacrifice my safety. What is this world I live in? Yes, I am spoiled. I am incredibly spoiled, but how would anyone understand what I feel, if they haven''t walked in my shoes.

    I just wish I have never been born at all. Maybe then, I could contribute to this world. Maybe then, there would be one less unhappy person in this world.

    Selfish thoughts, I know, but that is just who I am.

    Maybe that is also why, in the end, I confessed my love to Agnes.

    Agnes, please don''t forget me.

    Rather, take my feelings and turn them into yours.

    I had finally found my reason for living. I live as a pawn for you to further sharpen your life.

    I am sorry, if I am playing with your emotions, I am sorry if I had planted this seed of guilt onto you, I am sorry for manipulating you.

    I knew, that I would die one day. My life was long overdue, I had used to much karma for the most unnecessary reasons already.

    At least let me use this death as a means for you to grow, and please accept my last selfish wish to plant myself into your heart.

    It is the perfect path for both of us. You will develop you character and I will never be forgotten.

    I am sorry Agnes, but thank you for giving a meaning to my life.

    I love you.

 Ch 11 - The path less taken

    Where had I gone wrong?

    Let''s see, it all started when I was born.

    Okay, maybe that was too far back.

    Was it when those bandits had attacked us?

    No, it was sooner.

    Everything went wrong after that strange dream. What was it again?

    There was a girl¡ªa beautiful one. But that wasn''t the important part.

    Who was she? Black hair, blue eyes, couldn''t say I''ve seen her before.

    What was she saying? I couldn''t remember. That is the problem with dreams. They aren''t meant to be remembered.

    However¡ªI knew¡ªit all turned bad starting from that point.

    "So, will you forgive me even if I did this?" The bandit asked.

    Fuck him, I will kill him.

    I clenched my fist and swallowed the sour taste coating my throat. With a forced smile, I faced him.

    "Of course," I answered clearly.

    I will kill him¡ª, kill him¡ª, kill him.

    The bandit started to laugh, "oh, that''s good, I wouldn''t know what to do if you hated me."

    I wouldn''t flee. There was no reason to. I would slit his throat, watch, as blood clogged up his airways, and listened to his muffled cries, echoing in my ears.

    "Men, have you heard this, she has forgiven us," he shouted and turned towards his companions.

    Tell me, what color is his blood? What does he want written on his gravestone?

    My eyes met Estella''s head. She looked just like a tragic heroine.

    If it wasn''t for the lack of her body, anyone would mistake her to be asleep. Her eyes were closed, and even in her final moments, Estella left with a faint smile.

    A calm face, facing death. What her last thoughts were, I would never hear.

    I would cry, if I could, but unfortunately, I couldn''t.

    Emotions do hamper the process of thinking logically.

    I had suppressed them again. Now that Estella was gone, there was no need to feel anything at all. I had returned to my normal state.

    Or rather, I had returned to my previous state.

    Being cold was what I was best at after all.

    I needed to make something clear. I was normal, I was average, but I was also unique. I was not special, but there''s still only one me.

    I had found peace with that idea a long time ago. It was a problem that had already found a solution, which was why I forgot it.

    I had already been shaped.

    This was not my first life. I did not have to go over it again. The real question was, how did I make those pests in front of me realize that?

    How could I make them understand who I was? How could I make them understand what dilemma, what existential crisis, they had thrown me into?

    It was simple, I kill them all.

    "What should we do know," the magician asked.

    "Let''s wait until dawn."

    I wondered, what was their connection with each other?

    Obviously, they were a pack, but what were their relations?

    Why was the leader, the leader for example.

    Simply put, the mage stuck me as the strongest in the group, as the current leader presumably didn''t use magic. He used a longsword after all.

    I took a quick glance at him, only to see that he was already making his way towards the exit.

    Then was their leadership based on a hierarchy?

    The current one was the oldest. If I had to take a guess, he would be around 40. Meanwhile, the other three looked like they were approaching their early twenties.

    Now, age might be a factor, but there were more important elements that came into making this decision.

    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.Experience for example. It wouldn''t rule out age either.

    What kind of experience, though?

    It couldn''t be the experience of being a bandit, because I think we had established that those definitely weren''t bandits.

    Not the experience of being the strongest either.

    Was it the experience of having lived through many battles?

    I had no idea. There were too many variables to make any assumptions, but for now I could tell that they aren''t a randomly assembled group.

    Well, not totally random.

    Another thing that interested me was that guy who walked in with the leader.

    From the group, four people were still alive: The mage, his partner who he was protecting the hostages with, the leader, and the one who was with him.

    He was the only one who cared about the death of their two comrades.

    Above all, those who died were actually quite weak, in comparison to the others. A group with such a disparity in strength was weird.

    Unless, they were actually two groups of three who merged into one group of six.

    Meaning, that I could probably ignore him.

    There was also the leader, who seemed to be a more standalone guy. His actions often were not based on what is logical, but on what he felt. He didn''t consider the consequences of his actions and how it might affect his companions.

    It looked like the group wasn''t as harmonious as they appeared to be.

    The crux of the problem lied in the magician and his friend. From their short interactions, I could tell that they knew each other well.

    Then if I could separate them, killing them might turn out easier than I initially thought it would be.

    The mage was a slim youth with black, unkempt hair, reaching down to his eyes. His dark brown eyes absorbed the light, and the circles around them indicated his lack of sleep. His clothes were old, slightly frayed and too large.

    His friend, on the other hand, had long blond hair tied into a ponytail. His skin was white and he had deep blue eyes. On his hip hung a sword.

    After the leader left, silence began to reign over us.

    Only after some time has passed, and the cave fell into total darkness, did the mage ask, "should we get rid of those corpses?"

    "That is a good idea, or they might start rotting."

    "Let''s throw them out of the cave at least."

    Promptly, the duo stood up and made their way towards Estella and the guards.

    As the black-haired mage tried to pick up Estella''s body, I stopped him, and said, "wait, let me help you."

    Suspicious by what I said, the youth stared at me.

    "No need," he answered, and carried her body.

    As if I was just going to let him touch her.

    "Relax, it''s not like I could run away, with you here," I tried arguing.

    "Fine, suit yourself."

    And so I did. Slowly, I picked her head up. The moment I lifted her off the ground, blood started flowing down her neck. It swept over my hands, like a red flood, it covered my clothes too. The warmth emitting from her cheeks and her blood, gently embraced my cold body.

    Estellas soft lips began to lose its color, and her complexion turned white. Her hair was in disarray, and hid her face. For the last time, I took a look at her, to remind myself of her appearance.

    Her brown hair, that smelled like almond oil and her amber eyes, resembling little jewels are all ingrained into my mind.

    "Are you done," the mage said, with a clear voice, breaking me out of my illusion and pulling me back into reality.

    I nodded and start walking behind him.

    "I won''t let you leave just yet," I softly whispered into Estella''s ear and my voice got washed away by the silence of the night.

    Tonight I was not the only one grieving. In the darkness was another person, clasping his hands, and praying for his dead comrades. He too left after offering his prayers.

    Only after I reached the exit, could I see anything.

    I was in the cave for less than an hour, but it felt like an eternity. How much had happened, and how much I missed the fresh smell of nature.

    I had no time to enjoy it though, as it was overwhelmed by the fresh smell of blood.

    I still held on to Estella''s head and watched as the duo piled the dead bodies together. I wasn''t actually really helpful. While stroking Estella, I¡ªafter spotting a nearby tree stump¡ªtook a seat and let my feet dangle in the air.

    "Should we burn them?"

    "No, let''s do it when we leave."

    "Hey you, bring the head over here."

    The blonde guy suddenly pointed at me.

    Huh, me? Why?

    I asked him, "what do you need the head for?"

    "Too turn it into ashes, of course. What do you need the head for," he responded, placing the emphasis on ''you''.

    I gave him a sarcastic smile and answered, "sentimental reasons."

    Suddenly the black haired magician started talking, "Don''t worry, it won''t be long before you two will be together," and threw the last corpse on the ground.

    Quite direct, I see, but that was just the way I like it.

    "You shouldn''t scare a kid like that," the blond guy said and laughed.

    "Hiding it doesn''t change the truth."

    "Doesn''t mean you have to slap her with it."

    It wasn''t long before they began to argue with each other.

    It wasn''t a serious one, though. It was more of a quarrel between friends.

    I think this was a good opportunity to act my plans out.

    Gradually, I stood up from the tree stump and made my way towards them. The moonlight shone upon me, reflecting back into the surroundings, making my skin paler than it actually was.

    A pleasant breeze continued blowing my garments into the air, causing it to float in the wind.

    My hair waved at the nature around me and with a sharp gaze, I took my steps.

    The sound of crushed leaves on sticks kept reappearing in a rhythmic manner, whenever I moved my small feet.

    The whole time, Estella''s head dangled in my arms, and I felt like a ghost out of a painting. That feeling was quite mystical, but the scene was tranquil.

    I faced the black haired magician. As he was taller than me I had to really lift my head.

    With my raspy, but feminine voice, I told him, "don''t take me for weaker than I am."

    Surprised by what I said, he stared down at me.

    "What could you possibly achieve?"

    That''s the question, hmm? I''d show him. What it meant to underestimate me.

    I lifted my arms that was holding Estella''s head, and before long, Estella''s face reached the same height as his.

    Small quantities of blood droplets were still dripping down her mouth.

    Her rugged hair was all over the place.

    Her skin was colorless.

    I opened her eyes so that she would stare at him.

    "Tonight you''ll die," I declared.

    I pull my hands back, and Estella, who was obstructing the view between us, disappeared, revealing his complicated expression and my most alluring smile.

 Ch 12 - Life and destiny

    "What''s that supposed to mean?"

    "I don''t know, I thought I was being quite straightforward."

    To be honest, If only intent could kill, they''d all be dead already. Alas, now I had to do it myself, what a chore.

    The mage''s expression turned grave. He squinted his eyes, with his eyebrows following right behind, forming an arc similar to a groove.

    "Are you saying that you''re going to kill me?"

    "Take it however you will, but you can''t escape the reality that you''ll die tonight."

    Slap. Without any warning, he hit me across the face and my head flung towards the side. Even though I was just a frail girl, he did not hold back.

    "I see you haven''t learned anything," he said with a stern voice.

    I slowly reached towards my swollen cheek and began to caress it. Meanwhile a short pause resided between us.

    "Self hypnosis, have you ever heard of it?" I asked. When I stared at him, I saw a trace of confusion on his face.

    "Of course not, it''s not something the likes of you would know about." My gaze which was unfocused turned sharp.

    "It doesn''t hurt. As long as I tell myself that, my brain will follow my will. In turn, even if I bleed out, I break my bones, carve my flesh or scorch my skin, it will not hurt." The edges by my mouth curve up and reach towards my eyes, which were reflecting his face. A smile has inadvertently formed on my visage.

    "It''s similar to feeling numb. Would you like to give it a try?"

    Without me realizing it, his face that looked confused at first, had already turned into disgust. His hand, just as it was about to connect to my cheek, stopped within the motion.

    109 times. That''s how often I''ve been in such a situation, some were similar, some were worse. That''s how often I was close to die, to breathe my last. But in the end I didn''t. Rather, it was those who had the upper hand that were strangled by them.

    A long time ago in China, there existed a poison that even the gods feared. The poison was created by sealing countless venomous insects in a jar. Those in turn, with nothing to eat, will soon resort to fighting each other. Deadly venom is shot and injected while they gnaw on each other''s bodies. After devouring everything, only one survivor is left. Instead of an insect, it has turned into a monster. That survivor has been concentrated with all the venom of it''s foes. It is filled with the strongest, the most vile poison to exist.

    Now, if a new round was to begin, and that deadly thing, after surviving once, was placed into another jar again, wouldn''t the result be obvious?

    The mage''s eyes fell upon mine. Within I could see reluctance, angst and a brooding paranoia. I could tell, deep inside, he was nothing more than an insect ready to be swallowed by the survivor.

    "Haha, you are actually being disrespected by the little girlie, how does it feel?," his friend with a ponytail asked, interrupting our small talk.

    The mage faced him, and afterwards looked at me again. In the end, he clicked his tongue and began walking away.

    Displeased, displeased. Even if he was, there''s nothing he could do.

    His blond friend, seeing the mage go, decided to follow him. Their footsteps crushing the leaves on the ground, and squishing the wet grass. The breeze caused by their movement rustled the dormant nature beneath them, resulting in a tiny pitch.

    "Where are you going," the blond guy asked.

    "Away for now. Let the captain deal with this girl."

    "Wait, don''t tell me you really are scared by that kiddo," his friend questioned.

    "Of course not," he answered, balling his hands into a tight fist, "but that girl," he breathed out, "that girl isn''t normal. She is crazy."

    "How different can she be? She''s still only a kid."

    "Of course you''d say that. Actually I would think the same. However, you haven''t seen her eyes. They are eerie. Their movement, their dilation. Her gaze, glance, glare," he stopped to breathe in again, "absolutely inhuman," he said.

    "Well, I''m sorry if my eyes scare you," I replied.

    My sudden voice surprised both of them, and after realizing that the duo has turned into a trio, they turn around at the time the strong gust started shaking the robust trees causing them to sway. Caught in the whirlwind, leaves that fell off, never reached the grass. Due to the air clashing with the grass, a ghastly note was played, resembling a whistle.

    In the middle I stood, patting Estella''s severed head, while the wind fluttered, my blood soaked garment, and lifted my hair.

    I walked towards them, slow but steady, as one stared at me out of curiosity, and another out of confusion.

    "What, can''t I follow you?"

    "No, you can''t, stay put," The mage answered.

    "Or what," I laughed, "are you going to hit me? I think that gimmick has aged already."

    "Hey, let''s just let her follow us. We have to keep our eye one her anyways," the blond guy chimed in.

    "Why do we have to, it''s not like she can run away deep in the woods, at night no less," he spoke and looked at me, "I''m sure she wouldn''t have the guts to."

    Was he challenging me? But he was right. There was no reason for me to escape, when there was an easier way.

    "How about you just suck it up and let me come with you guys. It''s quite boring sitting alone," but I remembered Estella, so I quickly corrected myself, "well, half alone."

    In the end he gave up and uttered, "fine, suit yourself."

    The walk itself was quite uneventful, as the reason they left in the first place was to avoid me. Now that I was following them, there was nothing to do. The mage didn''t feel like talking to me, and I didn''t have anything to say, so there was only silence and oxygen between us. Oh, and maybe a slow creeping dread.

    It was the blond guy who ultimately broke the awkwardness first.

    "Are you just going to hold on the head?"Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    Obviously, he was referring to Estella.

    "Sure, as long as it hasn''t started rotting yet, I don''t see why not."

    "Don''t you feel weird, holding on to that?"

    "Why should I be, she was the one who watched out for me, carried me in her arms, and then sacrificed her life for me. What was there to feel weird about? In fact, don''t you think that is the least I could do, rather than let her die graveless in the woods."

    "Ok, if you say so."

    "I''m glad you understand then," I added as a closing statement and we continued walking around the woods.

    It may seem like we had walked for a while, but we were in fact only drawing circles, as our sight never left the cave.

    The corpses lying close to it, were in turn also visible. Some were barely distinguishable from lumps of flesh, while others were preserved well.

    Staring at them, I couldn''t help thinking about those guards that followed me.

    How would Williams wife feel about his death¡ªwould she grieve or would she finally realize what he had been hiding from her?

    Will Roberts relative survive without him under those harsh conditions?

    And surely Lidra too, had someone he would hold dear. Maybe a family, maybe a friend, or maybe a lover, we will never know.?

    Even in this age, death didn''t only affect one. As Estella too, left a dent in my soul.

    Death, just like a story, was anachronistic. Because at the end of a life, was the end of a story.

    However, I might just be a special case.

    This time, I felt like asking a question, "do you guys have family?"

    Well, it was more like I was planning on asking anyways.

    Really, it was all part of a plan, I did not suddenly feel like buddying up with the group that has taken my precious gem in this world.

    Perplexed by what I said, the mage''s friend stopped in his tracks, while he himself chose not to answer.

    "That''s a sudden question," the blond guy fell into contemplation, "but sure, I can entertain your thought."

    "Go ahead, the stage is yours."

    "Disregarding the place I came from, my social status and any other identifying parts, I can tell you that I have a younger sister."

    For the first time, the black haired magician chose to react and yelled, "watch your tongue."

    "Relax, I know what I''m doing. Sometimes you just have to lose that rigidness of yours," his friend rebutted and continued the story, "my sister is quite cute, I have to admit. I hear a lot of siblings would fight with each other. Something along the lines of vying for their parents attention, but my sister isn''t like that. She''s always docile and knows how to behave herself. Sometimes I even wish she was a bit wild, just so I know that she can be a normal sister," he kept on rambling.

    "Fine, if you get caught, don''t call me for help," the mage grumbled.

    "What a coincidence, I too had a little sister, your description reminded me of her," I said.

    "you speak as if it was in the past, is she dead, or what?"

    "Well, you can put it that way," I smiled faintly.

    "I''m sorry for your loss then."

    "no you aren''t."

    "you''re right," he responded and laughed.

    "Anyways, she too was the silent type. Never causing trouble as she had too many responsibilities to bear. Even at a young age, pressure was applied on her, having to live her life with someone like me. It''s for her that I lived my life the way I lived. Finally, it was because of me that she died too. If there''s one thing I would wish for, is that she would have had a more normal upbringing and be a normal girl."

    "It seems like we have more in common than I believed at first."

    "I hope not." We kept walking. "By the way how should I address you two?"

    He pointed at his head and answered, "just refer to us by our hair color."

    "Alright then blondie," I said and glanced towards the mage, "you''ll be Blacky then."

    "Whatever."

    "So, who actually wants to kidnap me," I asked, but didn''t receive an answer.

    "Is it somebody important? Do you have to keep me alive?" I continued.

    Blondie responded with a shrug. Well, Okay then.

    Another round of silence fell upon us.

    While we continued strolling through the woods, a small white flower fell upon my eyes. At first glance, it''s appearance may seem unassuming, especially in the night where it would be easy to simply walk past it. However, upon further consideration, one could see a hint of purple at the edges of its petals, making it look frightening under the dim moonlight.

    Surrounding the flower were branches and boughs of nearby trees, and the thorns from shrubs sitting next, as if trying to protect it.

    That ordinary flower resembled a wraith, stalking the night, as it swayed in the howling wind.

    Slowly I walked towards it, avoiding the branches, and touch the stem with my cold, pale hands. Using a soft pull, I claimed it from the ground and as the roots left the earth, tiny lumps of dirt fell off.

    I lifted the flower towards the moon, and a vague shadow left an imprint on my face.

    Intrigued by my actions, the duo made their way to me and inquired what I was doing.

    Without facing them, I answered, "did you know, upon being poisoned, a sense of impending doom will hit the whole body, alarming the host that it''s about to die? It''s as if the brain knows that death is imminent and tries to leave one last message in an effort to fulfill its duty."

    I swirled the flower in my hand and the shadow that was on my face, began dancing on the ground. My gaze then fell upon the mage.

    "the human mind is really peculiar. It takes in the information it wants, and interprets it to fit into whatever image it has. Everybody has that kind of bias, it''s just the severity of it, which decides whether it is harmless or life threatening. For example, this toxic flower, " I exclaimed, and my gentle hands crushed the petals and the stem.

    The flower, which was fully intact, crumbled and lied lifelessly on my palm.

    With a soft blow from my lips, a gust of wind carried the shreds towards Blacky.

    Surprised by what I did, his face turned somber, and he flung his hands harder than necessary, trying to avoid the remnant plant coming in contact with him.

    As a consequence, he hit a branch covered in thorns leaving a small scratch on his left arm.

    "Ouch," he blurted out.

    However, before he was able to access the wound, I grabbed his wrist.

    "Oh my, would you look at that. If you aren''t careful," I grinned. "The wound might get infected, you know?"

    A small shiver ran down his spine and his hand shuddered. Using a strong force, he pulled himself from my grasp and watched me with vigilance. I did not bother pursuing him and only said, "see, just look at it. Look what happened, doesn''t it hurt," I pointed towards his arm.

    All of a sudden Blackies arm started to twitch. Trembling and confused, he lifted his hand only to turn pale.

    "What the hell did you do," he hissed. Soon, he fell on his knees. "Shit, my arm, my arm. Why, why is it swollen and blue," he exhorted and gripped his arms, leaving a mark.

    "How is it, can you feel the sense of dread slowly creeping towards you," I whispered in his ear, and ran my finger through his arm, "do you feel the numbness and the acute pain intertwining in your wound and spreading?"

    Seeing that something was wrong, his friend Blondie ran towards him, "hey, hey, what''s going on, are you okay?"

    The mage wanted to answer, but he was rendered speechless, instead with his other arm, he felt around his neck, and could only utter, "it''s, it''s reaching my head¡ªHelp."

    Confused by what was happening, Blondie observed Blackies head but found nothing.

    "I don''t see anything, what are you talking about," he spoke hurriedly.

    "Can''t you see, my arm, it''s color. Black, it''s black and spreading like a curse," he groaned and touched his eye, "ugh, I can feel my vision fading."

    However, no matter how hard Blondie searched, he couldn''t find anything. "There''s really nothing except for your gash, for real, you are scaring me."

    I crouched next to the mage, and again my eyes met his. This time however, our roles had changed, now it was me who had the upper hand. I watched, as his pupils dilated and slowly lost its glimmer.

    "Look again, your partner here is right, there really is nothing, " I declared.

    The moment I said that, he stopped trembling. The desperate struggle he just had, disappeared, and without his rugged breath, it was as if nothing had happened in the first place.

    Confused, he stood up, and with utmost care, he accessed his wound and saw only a small scratch and claw marks left by himself. It was neither black nor swollen, in fact, if no one paid attention, the wound couldn''t even be seen. The pain had vanished and there was no numbness. His vision returned to normal, and the strength that left him, also returned.

    His chest was rising and lowering rapidly and still in a daze he wondered what had just occurred.

    There was never a problem to begin with. The shallow wound was neither infected nor poisoned. It was only his mind that let him to believe that. But he wouldn''t know.

    "What the hell did you do?"

    I laughed.

    "I said it already. You''re already dead. Do you want to know why?"

    It''s because he wholeheartedly believed me.

    His mind believed me that I want to kill him, and would twist the facts to fit the image, whether he liked it or not.

 Ch - 13 Destiny and Life

    In the silent night, only the wind made noise. A single scream could never attract any attention deep in the woods.

    "So you really are scared by that girl," Blondie said, and his lashes swept up as he blinked.

    "It''s not her, but death that scares me, okay? It''s a normal reaction, really," he tried explaining, but could not make his friend believe.

    He was just a coward, that is all there is to it.

    Seeing that his plead was not working, he turned towards me and started interrogating.

    "You whore, what the hell kind of spell was that," he screamed.

    "As if I was able to use magic. I didn''t do anything at all."

    "Don''t fucking (I did not approve of his language) lie, then how do you explain what happened just now?"

    "Honestly speaking, I have no idea."

    Realizing he would not get any useful information, he grew increasingly frustrated and closed in on me, but I didn''t feel intimidated at all. In fact my mind was serene and I stood steadfast.

    "Didn''t I already say? Violence doesn''t work on me," I stated calmly, "but think about it, if I was able to use that kind of magic, would I have let you all get this far?" I shrugged.

    "Maybe you need a rest," Blondie chimed in.

    Shocked that his friend would say that, he gritted his teeth and uttered, "so you are also believing her?"

    "That''s not what I meant, but just look at your arm, nothing''s there."

    The mage observed his wound and in the end swung his arm away.

    "Tsk, fine then. Let''s go, I don''t feel like walking anymore," he remarked and trudged towards the place we came from.

    Meanwhile, the trees were rustling quietly. We soon reached our original starting point¡ªthe cave. Nothing really had changed here, so there wasn''t much to report. The trees were still the same, the rocks were also still the same, and the corpses were naturally also the same.

    "Get some wood, let''s burn those corpses, the mere sight of them is annoying me," the mage declared.

    "Like, right now, In the middle of the night? That''s not a good idea, don''t you think?"

    "I don''t care, I want them gone," he said, and afterwards pointed towards me, "and you just stay put. Don''t you come near me, you hear that. Also that head," he hesitated, "just keep the damn thing."

    Afterwards, he left promptly. his friend Blondie took a quick glance at me and then followed suit. While he was running, I was able to hear him mutter, "always so willful, how am I supposed to explain this to the captain," and sighed.

    Without realizing it, I was all alone again. Well, half alone.

    I searched for anything that I could do to relieve my boredom, when I suddenly remembered the dead bodies. If they were going to burn them anyways, I might as well see if there''s anything interesting.

    First, I went towards the thing that I wanted to get done with as soon as possible.

    In front of me, lumps of flesh, mixed with metal, leather and blood, laid before me. Reaching out of it were different parts of the human body, and it did not discriminate between the interior or exterior. They turned left and right, like a maze without an exit. While a hand may go one way, the arm and legs would go towards another. The blood was still fresh, and dripped from time to time.

    So this was what magic in this world could do. Even a life could be taken that easily.

    I thought back to what had occurred about an hour ago. A slight distortion in the air and it sucked in everything in its path, afterwards, it disappeared without any traces.

    I took a short breath to compose myself. I knew, right now, the feeling I felt wasn''t the right one, but I couldn''t help it.

    Sure, I was still wallowing in sadness due to Estella''s death. Of course, I felt vengeful towards what had occurred.

    But, I started quivering, wasn''t it also exciting?

    Magic. After all, who hadn''t dreamed of using magic before?

    I pondered about what its mechanisms were, how it interacted with nature, what it limits were and how to activate it.

    From Teleportation to Telekinesis, where did it end?

    I took another breath to compose myself. This wasn''t the right time to think about that.

    The reason for me to look at those corpses to begin with was because I hoped that I''d find something valuable no matter how small, but it seemed like this wouldn''t be happening here.

    Since I''ve been in this world, my life had many twists.

    At the beginning I was dead, afterwards a girl, then an Archduke and lastly, a beggar. I can''t remember when the last time was, that I switched so many roles.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    I also looked through Lidra body, but there wasn''t anything worth noting either. I couldn''t take his dagger because there was no place to hide it, and he did not bring any coins.

    I moved on towards the bodies of the kidnappers, and finally, there was something interesting. While searching through their belongings, I found out, they had a slight discoloration on the left side of their chest, basically the place where the heart is. Upon further inspection I realized, it was actually a tattoo. It was pitch black and primitive, but I instantly realized what it represented.

    The tattoo was a chess piece. More specifically, it was a pawn. Although blurry and hard to make out, there was no mistaking it.

    It seemed like they are part of an organization. And from the looks at it, they were at the lowest of the food-chain.

    I wonder if the rest were also part of the group. If so, what rank were they at?

    I said so, didn''t I? My life had done many twists. Here''s another one.

    However, right now I didn''t really care, maybe later I would try to find out more about it, because there was something even more urgent that I had to do.

    The last body in the pile of corpses was Estella. My stomach sank when I saw her headless state.

    She laid there peacefully, seeming like no worldly horror could disturb her tranquility. Her arms tucked in like a mummy and body tilted towards the side made her look as if she was trying to protect herself from the cold.

    I carefully lifted the body up and took her away from the others.

    Next, I stuck my hand into the cold soil and started digging. At first, a slight chill enveloped my hands causing me to flinch, but soon after I found it quite comforting. Gradually, piles of dirt began to form and slowly a hole had appeared in the ground. It started to grow deeper and wider, until it was big enough to fit a human body.

    By the time I was done, I was already drenched in sweat. I patted the dirt from my hands and my cloth and not until it was completely clean did I grab Estella and placed her in the ditch.

    One last time, I stared at her headless body.

    I also let her head take one last look. Yeah, I wasn''t gonna leave that one.

    After properly burying her, I clapped my hands twice, and send her away. May she rest in peace.

    Not long after, the duo came back with a bundle of dry wood and tinder.

    "Ok, let''s start."

    Rather than taking the bodies towards them, they spread the tinder all around it. A large amount of dry leaves, bark and some wood shaving began to hide the dead. To keep the flame from burning out too fast, they placed small twigs next. Lastly, the duo took the thickest logs they could find and using a flint, ignited it.

    At first, only a small spark appeared, but soon it began spreading. The tinder was the first to dissipate, as it rapidly turned into ash. Afterwards, the fire engulfed the kindle and in the end even the logs catched the flames.

    The heat washed away the darkness and the cold of the night. The frigid air that was always present had disappeared, replacing it with only warmth.

    The fire was flickering, and wildly danced as its glowing embers fell like snow. It was bright and lively, as if a kitten trying to catch the attention of its owner.

    At first, the fire had a hard time penetrating the dead bodies, unsure what do with it, but it did not take long until it gathered the confidence and swallowed everything in its path.

    The fire was mesmerizing to watch, swinging from left to right, almost following a rhythm, causing the observer to fall in a trance.

    The blazing fire was reflected in my clear eyes and when I stared at the mage, he too was swept up by the beautiful flame.

    As of right now, the only thing that kept us from total silence, was the crackling fire.

    "Isn''t it captivating?"

    The mage nodded slightly.

    "Especially that sweet smell of almond, quite alluring. It just makes you wanna follow it," I walked closer towards him, "can you smell it?"

    Without realizing it, he took a deep breath.

    "Did you know, there''s chemical compound, which also has the smell of almond. It''s a gas found in plants and fungi, they emit it as a defense mechanism against herbivores. It''s name is Cyanide, it''s also highly toxic," I moved even closer. "Can you still smell it?"

    His eyes opened wide, and stared at me. Soon, he started to lose his sense of balance. However he managed to hold on this time. I flung my arms and turn around.

    "Look at the smoke, isn''t it a beautiful color? So dark, so black," I paused slightly, "just like death."

    He held his his head in an attempt to not fall and said, "you think I would fall for the same trick twice?"

    "What trick? I am not doing anything at all. Oh the smoke is rising."

    The mage backed away, he stared towards the flame to see if anything was wrong with it.

    "One, two, three," he started counting, "wait, ones missing, where is it," he muttered. His voice was raspy and almost overshadowed by the roaring blaze.

    "Right now, your throat must feel like it''s burning up. Take a look at me, Inhale, and exhale. Follow me. In and out. In and out. Faster, now even faster." His breathing grew rugged, and as he was about to clutch his chest, I stopped him, "do you feel it spreading in your lungs? That unbearable itch, that sweet almond smell?" I laughed.

    "The dread you feel, it''s consuming you right? Just like how the poison is consuming you. Next, it will reach your stomach, a bitter taste will start wafting through your mouth, and then," I clapped, "it''s over."

    Unable to hold it anymore, he vomited clear water and fell. His eyes lost its luster and I knew that he was slowly turning crazy.

    Just as I was getting to the best part, his friend had realized what was going on and rushed towards us. Seeing how the mage was clutching his throat, he immediately knew something was wrong.

    He tried helping him, but was thwarted away. As they kept on struggling, I knew that was as far as I could go for now and left. The moment I did that, the mage ceased the resistance and fell in the arms of his friend and his breath slowly stabilized itself.

    "The smell of almond," he gasped, "it disappeared."

    Hearing him say that, I almost laughed again. I covered my face to not be discovered and took a deep sniff.

    A wave of almond hit my nostrils.

    If the mage was more perceptive, he would have known that the smell wasn''t coming from the fire but from me. It was while I buried Estella, that her almond has rubbed onto me. Ultimately the thing that he himself killed, was his downfall.

    Having faced death twice, it would be hard for him to hold on to his sanity, I believed.

    As the mage felt himself returning to his normal state, he glared at me with bitter hatred. Immediately he rushed towards me, and lifted his hand. A slight distortion appeared, forming a ball. I pulled my hand off my face and revealed my eyes which were covered. The smile that I had, had vanished and all that''s left was coldness.

    "Are you going to kill me? I would like to see you try."

    His hand, ready to deliver the finishing touch, hesitated in midair. What reflected from his eyes wasn''t hatred anymore. It was fear.

    In the end, he stopped his spell, and went away, with his friend following him again.

    I said so in the beginning, right?

    He was just coward.

 Ch - 14 Third timeâ€™s the charm

    "Hey drink some water, it will help," Blondie said and took out a leather sac.

    "No, I don''t want to."

    Right now, the mage was sitting on a stone and staring into the distance. His eyes, which were black to begin with, seemed to have turned even darker.

    "Why not," he urged.

    "I don''t need it, it''s poisoned."

    "What do you mean, stop with this nonsense already."

    The mage clenched his fist and trembled.

    "It''s toxic, it''s not toxic, everything is toxic. What are you hiding from me," he grabbed

    his friend, "why can''t you tell me the truth," he screamed, "just leave me alone."

    "Fine then, do what ever you want," he spoke and walked away. Specifically, he walked towards me.

    "What the hell did you do?"

    "I didn''t do anything," I replied.

    Suddenly, he seized my throat with his large hands and began squeezing.

    "Don''t forget, you are in no position to be cheeky. I will ask you one more time, what the hell did you do?"

    I gasped for air, and held on to his arm, with my feeble strength, I was able to squeeze out a single sentence, "maybe he''s scared of the dark?"

    Enraged, he threw me on the ground.

    "I swear, the moment our captain is back, I''ll ask for permission to kill you," he paused, "enjoy what''s left of your life until then."

    I lifted myself up and began walking away, "sure whatever, empty threats are all you guys are good for," I said and waved my hand.

    "Where are you going."

    "To sleep. Wake me when you are ready to kill me."

    Ignoring Blondies intense glare, I walked towards a tree and laid down and slowly, my eyes closed.

    Too tired, I was simply too tired. Soon, I fell into a slumber.

    While sleeping, I had another dream. The dream wasn''t long, but I found myself immersed in it.

    In the dream, I was in a room. It wasn''t a room in the medieval ages. Instead, it was furnished like a modern room. An old television was constantly flashing and the worn out air conditioner kept buzzing. In the middle was a table made out of old wood, barely supporting the leftover dishes on it.

    It was my old room.

    The room, which was slightly stuffy and had no ventilation was where I had spent most of my life.

    I dreamt about my old life, how I was living with my friends and our experience. It was like the last flash of memories before I left the world.

    I dreamt about how my life started, every decision I made, and then how I died.

    I dreamt about my happiness, my sadness, and finally my indifference to everything.

    The only regret I felt is that I would never know what happened to the people that followed me. However, if I think back about it, dying was probably the only option that was left to choose from anyways.

    Still, fate had a slightly different view it seemed.

    Instead of vanishing, I transmigrated to another world.

    My sight grew foggy and suddenly, the setting changed. I was standing in a white empty space. In front of me were two paths for me to choose from.

    One was brightly shining, decorated with rubies and gold, and at the end stood Estella, waving at me.

    The other was equally dazzling, like a current of electricity, it lead my gaze towards my sister waiting for me to get over to her.

    I sat a the fork road, unable to choose were to go. Plagued by my decision, I sat there while time flied by. And slowly, without me realizing, they both withered away.

    I opened my eyes and woke up from my hazy dream.

    When I stared into the sky, I saw that it was almost morning. The moon had left, with nothing to replace it, and the darkness, which engulfed everything began to disappear, leaving a tinted blue.

    "What a bitter dream," I muttered to myself.

    Even in this world, I wasn''t able to protect my happiness.

    I sighed and stood up. I scanned the surroundings and saw only the mage still staring into the distance. Neither the leader, the other guy nor Blondie could be seen. Where exactly did these people keep going.

    But since the night was almost over, and I had a promise to uphold, I decided to end the game right here, right now.

    I made my way towards the mage. He was so caught up in his delusion that he did not even realize I was already next to him.

    "Had fun staring into the distance," I whispered.

    Surprised by the sudden voice, he shrunk back and with a low voice snapped, "where did you come from?"

    I chose to ignore his question and instead replied, "I came to fulfill my duty."

    "What are you trying to say?"

    "Questions, the only thing you know is asking questions." I grabbed his hair, and pulled his head up, "I''m done answering."

    He clenched his teeth, and didn''t say anything anymore.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    "The scene, you can''t get it out of your head, right? How the fire swallowed everything in it''s path. Not discriminating between a corpse or a tree."

    The black haired mage covered his ears and screamed, "shut up, I''m not listening to you, you demon!"

    I peeled his hands from his ears, "no, you will keep listening, whether you want to or not," I stared into his eyes, "because you can''t help but want to hear it."

    His arms, which were struggling at first, lost all resistance, "you monster," was the only thing he managed to release out of his mouth.

    "You, you''re scared of death- Wait No, that would be wrong. You are terrified of it. It sends your skin crawling doesn''t it. A genuine phobia," I declared," yet, you keep killing and killing others. For you, every human is already a walking corpse isn''t it? Quite the irony."

    "What''s it got to do with you?"

    "Nothing, I''m just warning you. If you keep walking that path, retribution might just come your way, " I cup back his head lightly and press his forehead, "for example, if you are too fixated on one thing, it will keep haunting you. Perhaps you might just start seeing things from the perspective of the dead?"

    His eyes rapidly moved and his pupils rolled up his head. For just a split second, he lost his consciousness. The moment his mind came back, he retreated as far back as he could. Holding his mouth, he felt something welling up inside his stomach and puked.

    "you, you''re already, you''re a co-corpse," he let out shriek and ran, "fuck this, I''m not dealing with this."

    From now on, he will see everyone as a Zombie.

    "hey, it''s almost morning, you know."

    The moment I said that he stopped. He swallowed once and screeched, "disappear, just disappear already, don''t come near me you devil."

    "If that''s what you want, I can do it for you. Just like the fire turned these bodies into ash, the dead will also disappear from your world. But remember, I said you''ll die tonight. The nights almost over, so see you soon."

    Afterwards, there was a short silence. Carefully he turned around and saw nothing. Even though I was standing right in front of him, he couldn''t tell.

    The mage gripped his shoulders in fear.

    "Where have you gone, I''ll kill you," he said, silent but determined, "I''ll kill you."

    I watched him frantically running around, searching but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn''t find anything. At his wits end, he let out a soul piercing howl.

    "So that''s how you did it."

    The sudden intrusion of another voice, made me reflexively turn around, only to see the mages friend unsheathing his sword and pointing it towards me.

    He wasn''t the easy going Blondie anymore, what was left of him was only a determined face to kill.

    "You are a dark mage, aren''t you?"

    "Huh, I have no idea what you are talking about."

    "You don''t have to hide it from me, I saw everything that happened, " he squeezed the hilt, "there''s a myth that has existed since the break of dawn. People who once pursued magic, but lost their will being tested by the devil. They sacrifice their soul in exchange for power. Instead of following the divine, they turn towards blasphemy."

    "Well, it seems like you know your stuff."

    "You could say I had an unfortunate encounter with them before, " his eyes turned ferocious, "using dirty tactics, like deceit and hypnosis, they turn you into a puppet. Luckily, I know just the way to break the spell," he inhaled, "and that is to kill the caster."

    "Try it and see if you can then."

    "I can''t wait for the captain anymore. I''m executing you right here," he asserted and ran towards me, his speed was astonishingly fast, I could hardly follow him with my eyes.

    In an instant he closed the distance between us. Just as his sword was about to connect, something surprising happened.

    His arm disappeared.

    It was being sucked in by an unknown force, and started bending into different shapes, until it turned into nothing more but just mincemeat.

    In the distance, I could hear the mage mumbling, "I found you."

    "Woah, how were you able to dodge that? You must have quite the reflexes,"I said sarcastically.

    Unable to comprehend what just occurred he let out a, "what the fuck."

    "Don''t swear, it''s not elegant," I told him, but he wasn''t listening, as another round was fired towards him and he lost another limb. Even though he was moving and jumping around, he couldn''t avoid it.

    "Hey, are you retarded, look where you are shooting," he screamed and turned slower, as the wounds have gotten to him. Desperately, he tried communicating with his friend, but there was no reaction.

    "He can''t hear what you say. He can''t see you either. In fact he probably doesn''t know you are here in the first place. All he sees and hears is the rustling grass and the howling wind, caused by your rapid movements."

    Blondie stared at me in astonishment.

    "You''re kidding me."

    "Oh watch out, if you don''t pay attention, he will hit you."

    Right when I warned him the third round hit him square in the chest. Just like everything else touched by the twisted ball, he himself began to twist. His waist down went into one direction, while his upper part went into another direction. Like noodles on a fork, he twisted and twisted, until he was no more. No time to scream, no time to cry, his life had ended.

    And then, the silence came back.

    "I''ve done it, I''ve finally killed that girl," the mage muttered and suddenly started laughing hysterically.

    "Oh, why would you think that, when I''m still standing here with my two feet."

    His celebratory laugh stopped abruptly, and he stared at me.

    "But, but how?"

    "Oh you can hear me again. That''s nice, looks like the curse was lifted when you thought I was dead. See for yourself if I really am, though."

    Hearing what I said, he gulped and went towards the thing he had just created. It didn''t take long for the realization to dawn upon him and he fell on his bottom. It wasn''t like the other times, where he was fighting against the poison. This time his body gave way towards gravity without a resistance. He crawled away and gazed at his trembling hands,

    "I, I killed him, oh god, what have I done."

    "Yeah, you did."

    A single tear fell down his face, like a dam, it then broke through, and soon he began wailing like a kid.

    I walked towards him and gently embraced him from behind.

    "See, this is retribution, because you, who was scared of death, would still kill other people. Do you see where you went wrong."

    "Y, yes, I shouldn''t have killed."

    "False. It''s because you are a hypocrite, " I assured him.

    Without emotions, he replied, "I see, you''re right."

    Turns out, it all went as planned. Taking advantage of his inherent fear, I amplified it and used it against him. Just like a magician leading the audience, I led him towards his doom.

    Now, for my last magic act, I took the dagger hanging from his waist.

    "Kill yourself," I told him, and put it in his palm.

    "Huh, but why."

    "Do you wan''t to escape this darkness, or do you want to be swallowed by it. Show the heavens that you aren''t afraid. Show them, that death means nothing to you and only by that will you overcome this tribulation." I held his hand that was grabbing the dagger and smiled softly, "relax, your friend is waiting for you."

    The black haired youth gripped the dagger tightly, and the fire which had vanished from his eyes returned and burned fiercely, "yes, you are right," he concluded and promptly stabbed himself in the heart. Like he was petrified, he sat there, unmoving with the blade digging into his flesh. Without a warning, he slumped into my arms.

    And so it has ended. I let go of him and laid him on the ground.

    "Wa... wait."

    Oh he wasn''t dead, yet. How tenacious. He tried glaring at me, but his vision was already gone, as he was looking in the wrong direction.

    "How, how many times," the boy coughed some blood, "urgh, how many times could you have killed us."

    Unexpectedly, that was what he decided to use his final words for. I rest my hand on my chin, so I could think.

    "eight times, I could have killed you both eight times tonight."

    "I don''t understand, then why," he tried saying, but the thick blood leaving his orifices rendered him unable to do so.

    "Why I killed you that way, is that what you want to ask," I pulled the dagger out and more blood started oozing, "because that was the most interesting," I smiled in a way that I myself could only describe as grotesque, "two friends and companions as they began to kill each other and the survivor, ridden with guilt, decides to take his life, doesn''t that sound charming?"

    While I was immersed in the tale, he started struggling intensely, and I heard him choking on his own blood, with his last breath he left the world accusing me, "you''re mad," and then turned motionless.

    He didn''t even let me defend myself. That reminds me, I never found out their names.

    I looked up and saw the distant sun appearing in the colorless sky. The night was over.

 Ch 15 - If your hands are cold, your heart is warm

    Next thing on my list, uh, I guess I had to kill the leader now? It was already dawn so he should appear at any moment.

    I swirled the bloody dagger around.

    "I''m kinda thirsty, where did he put it." I rummaged through the dead mages clothes and found a small leather sac, "ah there it is," I exclaimed, and poured the water inside my mouth. "Refreshing."

    How should I kill him? Using suggestion and hypnosis again? That would be boring though. Well, I''ll think about it when the time comes. Meanwhile I stared at the mark on the magicians chest.

    "It''s a bishop."

    I was right, they really were part of a group or something. Made me wonder what they would wanted from me.

    A bishop should be quite high, right?

    I looked at the other corpse, which used to be Blondie. Yeah, I was not gonna touch that one, it''s not like I was that interested to begin with, ugh. Nasty.

    I shook my head, it seemed that the leader was still not back, so I started preparing for when he came.

    While searching for a suitable spot, I found a place with a lot of branches and many roots.

    Using my hands, I dug a shallow trench right in front of me and filled it up with sticks. Afterwards, I placed some dirt above it.

    I also took some stones and placed them in a pattern. Some stones were big and flat, while others were hidden under the loose ground.

    Lastly, I planted some flowers around the place where I stood.

    That''s basically all there was. Now that I was done, I just had to wait for them to arrive.

    I sat down on the grass and dazedly stared into the distance.

    It was kinda boring.

    Was there anything that I still had to do? I didn''t think so.

    Maybe I should wash my clothes. But I didn''t have a spare.

    Should I prepare for after I''m done killing? No, I''d do that when the time comes.

    I lifted Estella''s head and moved it towards mine.

    "Hey, what do you think I should do?"

    She didn''t answer.

    Now that I thought about it, she might start rotting if I kept her like that. That wouldn''t be good. Maybe I should clean it.

    That actually sounded like a decent idea.

    The sun was still not above the horizon, which meant I probably had some time left.

    First, I washed the dagger that I had pulled out of the mages heart. The fresh blood started mixing with the water and swiftly left the blade, leaving a slight luster.

    I placed Estella''s head on a flat stone and made her face me.

    With a sharp motion, I used the dagger and chopped down. To stop a body from decomposing, the skin, flesh and tissue had to be removed.

    Just like an ingredient, I pierced through her delicate flesh, and from the nose up, drew a line until it reached the bottom of her neck. I cut her short brown hair even shorter and started skinning her face.

    Afterwards, I gently opened her lower jaw, and stabbed into the tendons that connected it to the head. Twice the outside, and twice the inside. The moment I felt it was loose enough, I pulled the jaw off. While at it, I also removed the eyes and began working on the tissue and flesh. With every slice, more meat was removed until most was gone. The blood, of which most had already left from her neck, began dyeing my hands red again.

    To remove the grease, the next thing to do was boil the remainder. If there was peroxide, I could''ve cleaned the skull faster, but since there was only water it would take a while.

    I wasn''t actually sure if the leader would be back by then, but I didn''t want to stop halfway.

    I took the flint from the mage to start a fire, and used the kettle that we had brought to make the soup in to boil water. After the water was hot enough, I placed the head in and covered the lid.

    Now remember, while soaking in water, the teeth would probably start to fall of the skull, so close attention must be paid, as they had to be popped in later.

    I opened the lid again, and a sweet almond aroma bursted through. A sizzling sound came from the inside.

    Using a pair of sticks, I carefully fished the skull out and saw a thick juice following right behind. Without waiting for it to cool down, I rinsed it with water, and got rid of the flesh hanging on to the skull. With a much thinner stick, I poked through a hole in the back of the head to remove the brain. Lastly I washed it once more, this time cleaning every orifice to get rid of any hidden tissue.

    All that was left was a glimmering skull, hard and beautiful as jade.

    Its color was yellowish, almost white and the bones were well structured.

    Under the right angle, the luster made the skull resemble a rough jewel.

    I expected nothing less from my maid.

    However if possible, I''d love to try this process on an animal once.

    Now, it really was time for him to come back.

    As if heeding my call, the sound of rustling grass moved towards my direction. Behind a line of trees that unwashed, muscular man appeared. He was scratching his beard and cracking his neck. With a slouch, he leisurely walked. A yawn escaped his mouth.

    "That was a good rest," he exclaimed.

    For real, all this time he was sleeping. If I had known sooner, I''d have sneaked up on him. Maybe use some hypnosis or a quick stab through the eyes. But there was no use crying over spilled milk now, was there?

    "Oh, it seems the missy was also awake already," he commented and licked his lips, "and where are the others, don''t tell me they left you alone here, god-damn if I see them, I''ll whoop their asses straight."This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    "You don''t have to," with my long, white finger I pointed towards the ground, "they are right here."

    Suddenly, he stopped walking and started examining his surroundings, using his hand, he blocked the morning rays to obscure his eyes, which made him resemble a traveller in search of treasure.

    He tilted his head in confusion, as he was not able to find anything.

    "Girly, are you pulling my leg?"

    It seemed that he did not understand, or maybe he didn''t want to understand.

    I took my dagger out, and sawed through the mages neck.

    The only way to make him comprehend the situation was to let him see for himself, so without a run-up, I kicked the lopped off head his way.

    The head didn''t fly in the air or make a beautiful arc, instead it clumsily rolled forward while spraying blood everywhere.

    The red color had a nice contrast next to the green nature though, so I''ll give it that.

    For the first time his expression turned grave and his mocking tone was finally gone.

    "I guess you really are pulling my leg."

    He picked up the head and immediately smashed it on the ground causing it to be crushed on impact.

    "I knew at first glance that they were useless," he shouted, "damn it, to actually have died on me, if you weren''t dead I''d have killed you myself!"

    He started stomping on the head and glared at me. His greasy face reminded me of a bear.

    "You just stay put, I''ll come and take you. And then we''ll have a nice long chat," he said but did not pursue, "how did you kill them?"

    "They killed each other, I just took the opportunity and went with it."

    "Bullshit, as if that would ever happen."

    "It''s true you know, take a look for yourself and look at this chunk of meat, it''s still fresh. There''s no way I would be able to do that, " I chuckled, "I still remember how they looked at me when they both died. Especially the mage who was so scared of death. He kept crying even though his eyes were watering endlessly. It made me almost want to stab him again."

    The leaders face, like a card deck, shuffled through many different emotions. First, confusion, then suspicion, and finally anger. In the end, he couldn''t take it anymore and made the first move.

    "You''re done," he declared, and sprinted towards me.

    "Aren''t you going to pull your big sword," I asked.

    "I don''t need it to catch scum like you."

    He was still hellbent on capturing me alive, good thing is that I only wanted him dead, so I took the dagger and strengthened my grip.

    Within the time it took me to blink once, he had already halved the distance, when I blinked again, he was so close that I could make out the minuscule details on his face.

    Not hesitating the slightest, he ran towards me like an arrow that had left the bow. Only after he had almost reached me, did I notice him decelerate.

    He was staring at the trench I had hidden in front of me, it was only a quick glance and although it was camouflaged, he managed to discover it.

    "Such a petty trap," he murmured and sidestepped, avoiding the hole.

    Thinking that he had escaped the danger, he lunged towards me and was just about to grab me- when he tripped anyways.

    Like, right in front of me.

    I used the chance to stab the guy with my dagger, avoiding his leather armor and pierced him right under the armpit.

    "Uargh," he let out a questionable groan and during the time he tried to understand what had happened, I used all my strength to pull his sword out of the sheath, and using the momentum, made a turn with my body and aimed for his neck.

    Let me just say that he was the leader for a reason. The strike that was supposed to end it all was blocked, when he used his intact arm to shield against the attack. Although both of his hands were now incapacitated, he was still alive.

    I swiftly pulled out the heavy sword, and the recoil made me bounce back a few steps.

    Everything went by like a flash. Maybe it was even quicker than that.

    Just from that little exercise my breath grew sluggish, but I guess I was still better off then my foe.

    "God, it hurts! Why does this hurt so much," he fell and screamed, "how did I trip, I avoided it perfectly! That doesn''t make any sense!"

    I used the sword as a support to rest my body. Meanwhile I started explaining, "you dumbass was so elated by dodging the trap that you didn''t realize I placed the exact same one right behind it. You literally fell for the oldest trick in the book."

    He gritted his teeth, and his eyes seethed with rage. "I''ll kill you, even if it''s the last thing I do."

    "Your comrades said the exact same thing. Should have done it when you still had the chance. Maybe you''d have had an happy ending," I paused, "but it''s too late now."

    Just as I was about to clash with him again, a voice echoed in the distance.

    "Captain!"

    At such a timing, it was actually the partner of his. At the beginning, I said that I could forget him, but I didn''t really think that I would have actually forgotten him. From the looks of it, he seemed ready to join this messy brawl. However, he was stopped by the leader.

    "Don''t butt in, you maggot, I''m dealing with this myself," he yelled, "no matter what happens, stay there, or you''ll be the next dead person."

    The wounded lion wanted to recover his pride, huh.

    Upon hearing the command, the add-on reluctantly faltered away.

    "Sorry for the disturbance," he said and laughed, "now show me what other tricks you have."

    "I don''t need any tricks against someone like you. I''ll fight you here fair and square."

    "Somehow, I find that hard to believe."

    "Why, do you think you are so much superior? First of all, I have a weapon, you don''t. Secondly, you are injured. Even though I am too, it doesn''t hinder my movement, and lastly" I clenched my fist, "I''m not weak."

    Hearing me, he was at a loss what to say, ultimately he decided on, "I hope you can still spout those lines after being crushed," and punched me in the stomach. I in turn, sliced his face.

    He hit me, I cut him. He kicked me, I stabbed him.

    No one had any intention of defending.

    I slashed his leg and he retaliated with a blow to my head.

    The only sound resonating was the shifting ground, the grass being unrooted and the stone being shoved around.

    I tried avoiding his next attack but it was no use, his foot made contact with my ribs.

    It was a test of endurance, to see whose will was stronger.

    I pulled the dagger left in his armpit, and the wound that started healing opened up again and the blood gushed forth. He let out a miserable roar.

    The one standing would also be the only one alive.

    Without letting him recover, I tried stabbing his throat but I missed.

    The warm sunlight combined with the wind soothed my wounds.

    His barrage became weaker and it was turning easier to dodge. I aimed for his throat again, this time grazing him. He threw out a fist, but I didn''t feel any pain.

    The early birds began singing their morning song, awakening anyone that wants to listen.

    I took a stone and threw it against his head.

    Soon, other birds joined the choir and it did not take long until the sound was everywhere.

    He packed me by my sides and slammed me on the ground. I kicked him away.

    Droplets of blood kept spraying from our bodies and evaporated into thin air.

    He headbutted me causing my mind to go blank. He also fell back. Blindly, I swung my sword with both hands, and discover to my surprise that I had actually hit my target. With my sudden advantage, I aimed for his chest and stabbed right through.

    I took the dagger and gouged one eye out, again, he screamed. Coincidently harmonizing with the birds.

    I shoved the dagger into his mouth, he let out a muffled cry.

    I crushed his knees with a stone, he fell down.

    I cut his stomach, his organs started revealing themselves.

    The fight had ended.

    I stabbed him one more time, out of good measure.

    "Im. . . possible," he whispered and stared into the sky. His body was riddled with wounds, there was no place which wasn''t scarlet red. It was already impressive that he managed to stay sane.

    "Shut up."

    "Pleas... sp,spare...me," he desperately pleaded. I crouched so we were on the same level. A compassionate smile was coating my face as I stared at him.

    Promptly, I stabbed through his eye, into his brain. My smile had turned into a grin. My usual cold face was replaced by my exhilaration.

    "Fucker, you''re a thousand years too early to go up against me."

    Dead, dead, dead, that''s what you get, get, get.

    While basking in the excitement and joy, I saw an opportunist clutching his weapon.

    "Do you also want to kill me, that''s fine but," we made eye contact, "can you bear the consequences?"

    Terror began overwhelming him and he did not dare moving anymore.

    Seeing his reaction, I finally relaxed and fell on my back.

    Above Estella''s skull, I could see butterflies fluttering around.

 Ch 15.5 - Records of a Rook

    Impossible, impossible. It''s ridiculous. How the hell did I lose to a runt like this.

    Let me try again. I don''t understand. Truly, I don''t.

    The scene replayed in my mind, and I felt a slight shiver- I mean, I saw her hateful eyes staring at me.

    Look at how she took my sword, that little shit would''ve been nothing without it.

    Afterwards,Afterwards-

    What happened afterwards.

    I hit her, I think. I remember her cold glare, though. Oh, and one time, while exchanging blows or something, I saw my reflection in her iris.

    If anything at all, I would say it was them that left an impression on me.

    I wasn''t scared at all, okay?

    But why, even though I know she had clear blue eyes, even though my brain tells me that, why do I only see them as scarlet red in my head?

    I know they weren''t actually red, but I could see it, her thirst for blood. It''s something you learn to do when you went through numerous battles, you learn who to mess with, and who the fuck to stay away from.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    While everyone human searches for water, they strive for blood. Go ahead, set them down into the wild. Let them walk freely and I guarantee you, they will come back with blood.

    If they haven''t, well, then you better clench your butt.

    I understand how they died now. How my companions got crushed so mercilessly. I can''t really put the blame on them, though I really want to.

    That one guy, what was his name. Dumb shit didn''t know how to appreciate his talent.

    Always out killing and then hide his tail when danger approaches. If he wasn''t snuffed by an enemy, then he''d have died sooner or later due to himself. The burden must have really weighed on him. Then again, he wouldn''t have that power if he wasn''t like that to begin with.

    Tsk, why am I wasting my inner monologue on him. Can''t wait to meet him and beat the shit out of him.

    Maybe the afterlife isn''t too bad after all. Where would I be headed.

    Just kidding, it''s hell. We all know it is. I''ll send out a complaint if it isn''t.

    Shit, anything''s better than being close to that demon. Even an actual demon.

    From the beginning, she wasn''t something I should''ve messed with. Foolishly, I thought I was the hunter when in reality I was the prey. Like a lamb entering the lions den, or a fly caught in a web.

    This really is unfair. If I had known, I wouldn''t have gone up against her.

    It was never about the money. Sure, it was alluring, but I just wanted to proof my worth to the princess.

    Why in the gods name above and below, did this have to happen to me.

    Oh lord, I don''t know, lil'' princess, what you have gotten yourself into, but she is not something you can handle. For the first time, you were wrong. And what a grave mistake it was.

    I pray for your safety and that you shall meet with good fortune. If not, I''ll reserve a nice spot for you here.

 Ch 16 - Where to go next

    Now, why did it end this way? Why did he die, and not me?

    Was it because I had a weapon, and he did not?

    Was it because I could move flexibly, while he lost both of his arms?

    Was it because my will to survive was stronger?

    Well, it''s all of the above, with some additional spice.

    Right now, I laid weakly in the luscious grass. My chest was evenly rising and sinking. My arms were spread in one direction, while my legs went another.

    Even though there was no pain, I couldn''t move a single finger. Ok, I could, but I didn''t really feel like doing it.

    Surrounding me were the stones and flowers I had placed. Some were kicked away, and some were crushed, but surprisingly most of them hadn''t moved from their original place. Even more surprising was that those who were, had been destroyed by myself. Meaning that the leader tried not to harm my creation.

    It wasn''t because he found my setup endearing, though. At least I don''t think that''s the case.

    However, when in a fight, what was the most important thing?

    It was the ground. Specifically, it was the stance.

    To stay steadfast, or to move with agility, both are linked to the stance.

    If there were an obstacle such as a stone or a flower on the ground, what should be done?

    Naturally, it was to avoid it.

    It was something everyone knows. So the leader, who was supposed to have the most experience in their group, obviously does too.

    Since that was the case, I could more or less use it to predict how he would react.

    If a bird was flying above me, it could see that the stones and flowers around me actually formed a pattern. They were neatly arranged and former a circular array that resembled a crude mandala. Some parts repeated itself while some were different.

    I had build it in a way which made it perfect for me to learn his behavior.

    I could see how he would react with this stone that way, while that flower was on the other side. Or one flower faced towards the stone, while another was next to it.

    It kept repeating itself, but still left an option for change.

    Through reading his movements and seeing his reactions, I could learn how to predict his next actions and see what his habits were. Thus, it did not take long until I had gained the upper hand.

    I did say we would fight fair and square, but really.

    I may have killed him without those tricks, but why take the risk?

    Was my way of handling things dirty? No I didn''t think so, because everything was fair in love and war, after all.

    If they hadn''t crossed paths with me, I would have no intention to do it either.

    Since they wanted a mud slinging competition, I could only give them one.

    Too bad I was a professional at this game.

    If that was the way I had to live, then so be it.

    I turned my head towards Estella and tried reaching out, but I had no strength left, so in the end I could only silently gaze at her.

    It''s not that different from my old way, anyways.

    I''ve been in this world since maybe three days. Since then, I had to complete one impossible mission after another.

    I had just died, so why did I have to fight for my survival again, didn''t make any sense.

    If there was a god in this world, I was sure he hated me.

    Well, whatever.

    I said so, it didn''t matter, what comes at me, it wouldn''t sway me. Whether it was the deplorable world from before, or the vicious world I was in now. How bad could it really be?

    "Hey, you. The one who''s just standing there. Yes you, who else? So are you going to kill me or what?"

    The one I was referring to, was the sole survivor from the calam- I mean, from our little stand-off.

    Now that the sun had risen, I was able to make out his features. The boy was only a few years older than the current me. Maybe eighteen or nineteen at most. His beardless cheeks were flushed with a tinge of red, while the rest of his skin was white and freckled. His blond hair was long for a guy, short if he was a girl and fell without style. He was about 5 feet 10, but somehow he felt smaller.

    As of this moment, he stood listlessly and unmoving. Only when I talked to him, did he show a reaction.

    "Snap out of it. If you aren''t going to kill me, then help me up."

    His eyes widened in surprise, "why would I do that," he asked.

    I was still lying on the ground, with my body stretched afar. If I wanted to face him, I''d have to turn my whole body, which seemed to troublesome, so I urged him to come closer.

    "Well, you''re not going to kill me, you''re not going to help me, so are we just gonna stay here until we die?"This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    He loosened his grip, unsure what to do.

    "Look me in the eyes," I instructed, and he followed, so I smiled, "give me a piggyback ride."

    As if I said something incredulous, he went into another standstill.

    Why does he have to react like this to everything I say. Try to keep it together.

    In the end, he did sheath his sword though, and approached me, albeit reluctant.

    Still it was a start. With his hand he slowly reached out to me, keeping his vigilance. The moment he touched my skin, he shrunk away.

    "It''s cold," he exclaimed.

    Hey.

    Anyways, like a small animal, he sized me up, and finally when he felt that I was no danger, he picked me up.

    I frowned and told him, "a bit more gentle, please."

    "Ah, sorry."

    Flustered, by the idea that he might have hurt me, he tried putting me down again, but then decided against it, causing him to be in a state where he did not know what to do.

    In the end, he carried me on his back with the most delicate touch.

    While I was on him, I could feel the warmth emitting from his body. His hair kept falling on my face tickling my nose, but he was very steady so I didn''t voice any complains.

    That reminded me, it''s been a long time since I had someone carry me. Most of the time, it was me who took the burden. I was not complaining, though. I was really not. However, sometimes it felt nice to let someone else take care of these problems. So even though he moved a bit slow, I let him off.

    "Hey, don''t forget the skull," I reminded him.

    Immediately after I said that, he showed an expression similar to eating something disgusting. His face scrunched up in disgust. Unwittingly, he let a groan.

    "What''s with the reaction. Just wrap it in a cloth, if you are so abhorred by the idea."

    As if he was granted mercy from the highest order, he let out a sigh in relief. With movements that were even softer than the time he lifted me up, he took a piece of his cloth and fully covered Estellas head.

    The actions of this boy really made me wonder what went through his head.

    It didn''t matter though, there were more important things.

    I pointed towards the sky and imposingly shouted, "let''s go to the D''Anel¨¦ territory."

    I didn''t look as grand as I hoped, though. Since it was still hard for me to move around.

    "Where?"

    "D''anel¨¦ territory"

    "Ah yes, you''re right."

    And so we did. At least I think, I didn''t actually know the way.

    But he walked anyways, he walked and walked, and then he stopped.

    Wasn''t that a tad bit short?

    "Agnes, didn''t you guys have horses?"

    Oh yeah, I almost forgot. It''s been happening quite often recently, I wondered what the cause was.

    "How did you guys make it here, shouldn''t you also have horses or something like that?"

    "We walked the distance."

    "Ah, I see, what a pain."

    I hoped I wouldn''t have to use a horse again. They scared me.

    I guess it''s faster than him carrying me all the way. Also, the horses were expensive. In addition, I should take the stuff I had taken with me.

    Damn, why were there so many good points?

    In a safe pace, we made our way towards the place I was ambushed at.

    It didn''t take long for us to arrive there, as we weren''t too far away. The place in question still had makeshift beds made out of wheat next to a smothered campfire. At some places, the grass was flattened, while the dirt was riddled with footprints. Given these circumstances, it was hard not to find the place.

    Still, no matter where we searched, the horses could not be seen. The hooves in the ground and uprooted patches of greenery were a clear indication for their existence, but they could not be found. Truly peculiar.

    We tracked the traces they left behind only to see them diverge into messy branches, leading out the forest.

    "I think they might have run away," I suggested.

    "That seems to be the case here," he relied with a hollow laugh.

    Which idiot forgot to tie them up?

    Well, it was reasonable, though. No one would have expected for this situation to occur. What was supposed to happen was that at least one person kept watch, while the others were sleeping.

    And if something unexpected were to happen, we could immediately ride away, so there was no reason to tie them up.

    Who could have guessed that we would be the victims of a targeted kidnapping.

    The horses, with no one to tend them, thus went away.

    "The only option left is to walk then," I said.

    "Why do you not sound sad at all."

    "Oh is that so, I think it might just be you imagination."

    Now that this had been cleared, I thought about whether there was anything else that had to be done.

    It''s too bad that I had no strength left. I would have liked to check if the leader also had a tattoo, and in that case, what rank he was at.

    However, it''s not that big of a deal. There''s a high chance, that he had. Or well, he definitely had. Since he was the leader, he should also have a higher rank. If I had to guess, I would presume that he was a Rook or higher. It''s just that having definite proof would have been better. Nothing was certain after all.

    "Do you want to do anything with these corpses," I asked.

    He contemplated for a bit, and in the end decided against it. It appeared like there was no real bond between him and the other three. Made me wonder what kind of organization they were from. This was also a question for another time, though.

    Since there was nothing more to do, it was time to set out again.

    Not discouraged by my setback minutes ago, I pointed at the vast horizon again and yelled, "okay then, let''s start our travel towards D''Anel¨¦ territory."

    As if used to my actions, he started marching without any words while holding me tightly.

    With a sheathed sword on one side, and a skull hidden in fabric on the other, he began leaving the forest, moving towards the flatlands.

    In my sight, we passed one tree after another. Some were big and strong, while others were small and wallowy. The wind brought their branches in motion and the longer I looked, the more I felt as if they were waving to say goodbye. The birds that kept singing grew quieter, until it was faint, and then disappeared. The rustling too, became less prominent and as we got closer towards the exit, the smell of nature gradually dissipated.

    The flatlands, hidden behind the towering trees, began to take its place.

    As we stepped out the forest, I felt a huge pressure, which I had never even noticed until now, lifted from my shoulders. I could taste the sweet air again, now that the stifling sensation disappeared.

    I felt that I had began to acclimate to this bizarre world and for the first time breathed, not as a transmigrator, but a citizen. It was a weird feeling, kinda like my first step into the unknown, not knowing what the future holds. Like undergoing a metamorphosis. Like a butterfly, but a bit bloodier. It wasn''t a bad feeling, though.

    If only Estella was with me to witness this moment, that would have been for the best.

 Ch 17 - I remember the fairy at the pond

    Hello there, Agnes my name, or it had been since about week.

    As you may have guessed, we were still walking. I felt like we were getting closer though. I was not quite sure.

    Was this what god wanted? Put me in this world so I could take a look at the beautiful scenery? Seemed like it.

    I wished that the circumstances were better at least. The blood and sweat, stuck the fabric to my skin, making me feel itchy. Any sudden movement hurt and I was using the world''s worst transportation mode.

    The sun had no intent on making it easier. As if paid by ray, it kept bombarding us with its light, thus turning the world warmer and warmer.

    "Let''s rest at the lake over there," I urged the boy carrying me.

    The lake I was referring to glimmered like diamonds in the sky under the evening sun. The water was almost completely tranquil, only the occasional leaf betrayed its clarity, creating a concentration of rings, rippling the surface.

    He gave me a nod, indicating he had heard me, and walked in the general direction. As we got closer, I gradually got off his back, putting effort into not hurting myself. While he supported me with his shoulder, I limped towards the water.

    "Alright, I can walk the rest of the way."

    He looked at me, and squinted his eyes, "are you sure?"

    "Wait, don''t tell me my irresistible charm made you unable to leave me."

    "Wha," he pushed me away, and took a few steps back, "don''t misunderstand, I was just trying to help you," he explained, while fidgeting.

    I flew a steps forward and landed in the cold but refreshing water. The momentum created a big splash and spewed everywhere.

    "You''re being a bit too rough there," I complained and massaged my neck. Some droplets had hit my eyes, making my vision foggy, so I tried rubbing them.

    "Ah sorry, I didn''t mean to."

    As my sight began to return, I squinted because of the brightness from the sun working overtime and automatically jerked my head to the water in the hopes of protecting my eyes in the shade.

    Thus, I had inadvertently caught my own reflection in the lake.

    "Hello? Are you fine," the boy asked, but I didn''t answer.

    It was the very first time I had seen what I looked like in this world.

    "What are you doing," he called out again, but I had fallen in a daze.

    The person I was looking at was a delicate girl, who was around 15 years old. Her long wavy hair, and eyes that glowed blue made her quite attractive. Even though she had prominent dark circles and was very thin, it could not hide her natural beauty.

    "Hello?"

    I let out a hollow laugh, and then promptly slammed my fist on the picture painted before me.

    The impact created huge waves and caused the fish to swiftly swim away. The loud sound startled the boy, making him shrink away and swallow the question he had just decided to ask.

    Like on a broken mirror, my reflection distorted and was torn into many piece, until they were washed away by the waves.

    Still, I had already gotten irritated.

    The reflection I saw was no other than the person that I had met in my dream, before I was ambushed.

    The same high cheekbones and upturned eyes. There was no mistaking it.

    I let out a sigh and massaged my glabella, as I realized that another hurdle had appeared in my life.

    I quickly washed my face, hair and feet. Afterwards I simply got up.

    "Are you done already?"

    "Yes, I''m not in the mood anymore. Let''s go."

    Just as I was about to jump onto his in his arms, I heard another splash. Unlike mine, which was strong and overbearing, this one one was like a caress. A silent breeze. We both did a synchronized head turn, only to see that the source was hidden behind a protruding tree branch.

    I turned towards the boy and saw that he had done the same again. An awkward silence hung between us, making me gulp. I guess we had the same thing on my mind.

    "Should we check it out," he whispered.

    "I think we should,"I replied, with a library-approved volume, "pick me up."

    And so he did. We then sneaked towards the sound.

    As we got closer I could make out a human silhouette.

    It was young girl, wearing something similar to a nun dress, only a bit more liberal. Maybe even blasphemic. Her hair, including her eyebrows and lashes were pure white and her eyes held more tranquility than the lake. The girl had a small stature but could have been older than she looked.

    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.She was silently sitting on the elevated ground, swinging her bare legs on the surface of the water.

    It was like I was watching the fairy queen who had descended into the mortal world to bless us. For a moment, I thought I had actually walked into a painting. It was almost too fake to be true.

    I wasn''t the only person baffled by the scenery, because the one who was supposed to carry me had lost his strength and kept on gawking at the young girl. Not even a solid kick could make him snap out of the hypnotic state he was in.

    The girl realizing she was being observed, listlessly scanned us from head to toe, while her head occasionally swayed from side to side. Her glimmering emerald eyes, which were only half open, were still bigger than most and made it look like she was in a dreamy state.

    That single action had already caused my partner to tense up, like he was staring into medusa''s eyes, petrified to his very soul.

    I mean, I too felt that this scene was quite ethereal, but did he have to overreact like that?

    The girl whose eyes were half shut already, closed even more, and with a high voice, that could be mistaken for choir music, she asked, "who are you guys?"

    Since I was the only person capable of answering the question at the moment, I simply replied, "we are two travelers."

    Her eyebrows scrunched up as if skeptical of what I said. I used my most innocent smile I could muster to show that we were no threat, but somehow she just grew more vigilant.

    Wait. Maybe it was just my imagination, but I sensed that suspicion wasn''t the only thing she felt. There was something else. It was very very miniscule, though.

    Soon enough, that feeling disappeared and all that I saw was a smile so bright, it could summon an angel.

    Stop it, she are killing the boy, he couldn''t handle this much stimulation.

    And sure enough, his final strength had left him and I slipped through his hands, causing me to fall on my bum. The dull thud awoke his mind and he immediately tried to help me up.

    I hissed at the traitor and told him to stay were he was.

    Seeing our little antics, the girl covered her mouth. Unable to hold back, she let out a cute giggle. Her once dreamy state was replaced with an innocent and bubbly one. In an effort to help me, she stretched her hand to pull me up.

    "My name is Seraph, what about you?"

    I took her offer and grabbed her wrist that were surprisingly cold, "my name''s Agnes. It stands for pure and innocent," I answered.

    With a slight jerk she hauled me from the ground, and my partner came at the perfect time to catch me in his arms and placed me on his back again. Seeing his actions, Seraph let out a small smile, and also asked him his name.

    "My name is Gerald," he enthusiastically blurted out, then immediately realized his mistake and covered his mouth. He took a quick glance at me and I just sighed.

    I was baffled by his stupidity.

    "How come you are traveling together?"

    "Because we both had lost the people close to us, we felt that doing that was only right," I said, my voice unable to hide the bitterness.

    While I was putting on an act Gerald glared at me, trying to express that I am the cause for the death of his friends, which in my opinion was a little bit selfish, as his group had also killed mine.

    Still, the most important thing was that I had convinced the girl. She stared at me, and I could see her tears welling up, forming little pearls and threatening to fall.

    "That is so tragic, I wish there was something I could do for you," she wiped her tears, "Oh wait there actually is, you seem to be hurt, let me help you once more."

    Without letting me process what she meant, she struck her palm out and a pale light surrounded her hand.

    The moment she touched me, I felt a cooling sensation spreading through me. A slight glow overlapped my body, illuminating the surroundings, and dyeing the nature turquoise. The cold feeling coated my skin, it then dug through my flesh and finally engraved itself within my bones. My nerves, which felt muddy the whole time, retained their former glory and had become clear.

    Using my eyes, I was able to see my wounds closing, while the inner bleeding also disappeared in a visible pace.

    The sudden change in my condition caused me to let out a silent whimper.

    "Is that magic," the boy asked curiously.

    "Yes it is. Healing magic to be exact."

    The bleeding had stopped and my tendons and broken bones reconnected. My skin which was black and blue had turned into a pasty white with a healthy glow. The numerous abrasions and lacerations I collected from all the beatings had left without leaving a scar.

    A surge of energy stirred my whole body.

    I moved my hands and tried making a fist. There was no problem at all.

    Stunned by what she had just said, he tensed up. Suddenly his voice went an octave lower, and he grimly asked, "wait, healing magic? How long does it take for her to be healed?"

    "Now," I replied in a swift manner, without giving the girl time to even think of an answer.

    "Shit," he cried out and reached for his blade, but I was faster.

    With both my hands I lunged forward, grabbing the hilt. Since I was still on his back, we both lost our balance and fell to the ground. Stumbling around, I tried to find my footing and in the midst of our little struggle, I slit his throat.

    Blood came out gushing like a flood. Bravely, he tired covering the open wound with his hands, but no matter which part he held onto, it could not stop the blood leaking through his slender fingers trying to act like a dam.

    He writhed in agony. He yelled, but the yell never left his mouth, as even though his teeth clattered and his tongue moved like a snake slithering through the grass, his windpipes remained still.

    If he had known that this would be his fate, perhaps he would have chosen a more appropriate final word, but just like his death now, the past couldn''t be changed.

    Soon, the scarlet-red flow began to slacken, but it had no intention of stopping. The lonely drops of blood knocked on the brittle and dry ground, sounding like a rain in a cozy autumn squall. His chest dropped one more time, only to never rise again.

    I wiped the sweat off my forehead and basked in the new found vigor.

    It had ended as fast as it began, such that I didn''t even have to stabilize my breath. With my arms mounted on my hips, and my nose held up high, I showcased my newest creation.

    Meanwhile, Seraph stood there, unmoving and with her hand stretched out while her left eye was twitching.

    Thinking that she might misunderstand I waved my arms as if trying to fly.

    "I know what you are thinking, but I really am not a psychopath," I told her hoping I would get through to her.

    I moved towards her, while she stepped backward, with her outstretched arm, she fended off my approach.

    "Uh, would you be mad, if I didn''t believe you," she said with her squeaky voice.

    "No, no you don''t understand, he would have killed me if I didn''t do it first," I kept waving my hands.

    She took another step back, only to collide with a tree. Seeing that there was no space left for retreat, she said in a high pitch, "Yes, okay, I believe you," and then drew a line in the dirt, "but don''t get closer than this."

    I threw my hands up in the air, "alright, I won''t."

 Ch 18 - Oh, heâ€™s back

    I kicked the now lifeless body and blood splurged out of his open throat. With only a slight push, I made him lie down and then sat on his back. I rested my chin on my hand and observed the girl, Seraph.

    "We may be in the outskirts, but that doesn''t mean this place has no laws," she advised me. I didn''t really take it to heart, though.

    "I only killed that guy, what''s the big deal." I laughed. "Besides, you won''t rat me out anyways."

    She shrunk back and her sharp eyebrows formed a beautiful arc, pointing upwards. Her hands grasped the tree behind her.

    "Will you get rid of me too?"

    "Ah, that''s not what I meant at all," I said and tilted my head, "hey, are you perchance part of a theater?"

    Perplexed by my question, Seraph simply shrugged in confusion.

    "Well, it doesn''t matter anyways," I stretched my arm out, "Say, do you want to travel together with me?"

    "Who would want to travel with a suspicious person like you," she yelled, her face slightly red.

    "I''m not suspicious at all, see look at my smile," I said and used my fingers to pull the edges of my mouth upwards.

    "The smile just makes you more suspicious," she argued while filling her mouth with air to making a pouting face and stomping the poor ground.

    As that did not seem to work, I pulled the edges downwards to create a frown, "why are you acting like that, others may have been terrified by a person dying, but I know that you wouldn''t be."

    The moment I said that, the girl Seraph promptly stopped her protest. The innocent smile, which she kept even after I had killed someone, turned stiff. She squinted her fully opened eyes.

    "What exactly are you trying to say."

    "Huh, I thought you already knew."

    Her mouth was still curved upwards, but her smile did not reach her eyes. The line that she drew was crossed by herself as she stepped closer.

    She uttered only a single word, "elaborate."

    "You are a great liar, if I hadn''t seen the real you at the lake, I would have also fallen for your tricks."

    A sudden silence resided within our talk. In the end, Seraph just sighed.

    "I knew it, you are crazy," she said. Was everyone this mean in the medieval ages?

    "Why are you keeping this farce. It''s only us two, who are you trying to convince, as I obviously won''t believe you."

    "This conversation is over. You should stop it while you can."

    "But we are just getting to the best part. This innocent personality, you can drop it. I can see it, the real you, because we are the same," I clapped my hands and kicked my feet out, afterwards I raised my index finger, "you are a cold and detached bastard, who looks at everyone in disdain. I''m not joking you were really good, it''s just that you had to meet me."

    As she kept listening, her smile, which had never disappeared, slowly left without a trace.

    Her eyes became half closed again, only this time those emerald irises weren''t glimmering. Rather they were lifeless and unfathomable.

    Her friendly facial expression turned Ice cold, as she gazed at me with contempt.

    The ticks and habits, such as the way she slightly lowered her head, how she touched her hair out of nervousness and her slouch were nowhere to be seen.

    I would even argue that it was her imperfections that had gone away, and left standing was not a person resembling an angel, but a true angel. The kind that could burn the eye of anyone glimpsing at her beauty. Only that this one had already fallen.

    If anyone else had seen her, they might have thought she was bipolar. Her personality turned from one kind, into the exact opposite with an award-winning performance.

    Truth be told, she was almost a better actor than me.

    Had I not caught her at the lake unprepared, I would have never been able to tell. At least not this fast.

    She opened her mouth and with a voice that could lure a wayfarer to his death, she complained, "sigh, it''s only because I wasn''t used to playing this kind of role."

    "It was still really good though, so won''t you travel with me?"

    She massaged her glabella, "why should I?"

    I then stood up, proudly displaying the bosom that I did not have, my hands fanning my face, I said, "because I am the dukes granddaughter, you know?"

    It was in these times where one should use the influence they were given.

    She stared at me, her eyes filled with disdain again, "even if you were the ancestor of this kingdom, it would be you that had to listen to me," she humphed.

    Ah, it seemed like it did not work, what a chore. I knew it, these titles are all useless.

    "Come on, I don''t have anyone else to rely on, why else would I put my trust on you," I folded my hand in a way that entangled my fingers and pleaded.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    She took a glance at me, "alright, where are you headed?"

    "D''Anele territory," I said.

    "Where?"

    "D''Anele territory," I said again.

    "sorry, I can''t remember where these small towns reside in," she replied nonchalantly.

    Small town, what did she mean by that? No matter what, a Dukes residence could not really be that insignificant, right?

    "But the way you are going, you will soon cross the borders," she continued.

    "Huh, what do you mean by that?"

    "We are at the edge of Endeara, any further and you would walk into unclaimed land."

    What, for real? Well, it did not look like she was lying, there was no point for doing that anyways. Then it could only mean that Gerald had brought me to the wrong place. Damn, I knew something was fishy the moment he helped me up.

    Seraph, meanwhile, kept staring at me with her zero temperature eyes, which would not even reflect the light, "it just so happens that I was heading to a small village, why don''t you ask them for directions?"

    "Ah, so you''re telling me to follow you?"

    "Whatever."

    And thus, I joined her party.

    "Yay," I cheered, "okay wait here, I got something I have to get first."

    I had not forgotten about Estella''s skull. It was still hidden under a brown cloth, and laid next to the now lifeless body of Gerald, so I picked it up.

    There was no point in hiding it anymore, which is why I took it out.

    Her bones glimmered together with the lake, as if vying for the crown.

    Her uniformly shaped eye sockets and clean cut jaw looked like they were shaped out of marble.

    Her teeth were like little gems with a shimmering luster.

    Honestly, I missed staring at it.

    "Are you referring to the head in your hands?"

    "Yeah, doesn''t it look nice?"

    "It looks like every other skull in this world, you better put it away if you don''t want to scare any passerbys."

    "Eh, but I just took it out."

    "And I''m telling you to put it back in, or else I''m leaving without you."

    Che, I put the skull away again and l exhaled audibly. why couldn''t anyone appreciate your beauty, Estella?

    Finally, we set out.

    Two small girls, who did not look like they had finished compulsory education yet, began making their way towards the unknown.

    One of them was me, happily trotting, while I followed behind the other girl Seraph, who quietly walked the road I came from.

    The new-found energy made it possible for me to resist the sun beating down my face, while Seraph who was like winter itself didn''t even sweat.

    I asked her where exactly we were heading to, but she didn''t answer.

    I asked her why she was wearing those nun clothes, but she still didn''t answer.

    I asked her whether she was born here or somewhere else, yet all she did was look at me with her sleepy eyes, and yes, no answer.

    I did not let those failures discourage me though, so I kept on with my line of questioning in hopes of breaking the ice queen in front of me, and before I knew it, dusk had set.

    At last, a crack appeared in her calm facade, "will you stop pestering me, if I reply."

    "That depends on whether you can satisfy my boredom."

    "Alright, what do you want to know."

    "Why are you wandering around this place, all alone."

    "I like traveling."

    Is she one of those millennials I''ve heard so much in my previous life about.

    "If you tell those kind of lies, what''s the point of this conversation?"

    "Sorry, force of habit."

    Who had these kinds of dumb habits, I wanted to rebut, but then I realized- oh, I did.

    I locked eyes with her chest, and blew a warm current of air towards it.

    "What are you doing."

    "I''m trying to thaw your frozen heart."

    "You want me to kill you?"

    "Hey, don''t say such things so casually, or I might have to kill you, too."

    "Don''t steal my lines."

    "I was thinking about it, you just said it first."

    She closed her eyes, and began trudging faster, to keep up, I had to jog. "I should have left you behind," she said.

    "Come on, don''t be like that. I was just kidding. In troubling times like these, you need those occasional jokes to de-stress."

    "Ok then, jokes over now. Is there anything else you want to know."

    "Yes, what is magic," I asked her.

    Suddenly Seraph came to a halt. I almost bumped into her, but learning from past mistakes had always been what I was good at and thus I managed to not collide into her, by hairs breath.

    "Well, that is a topic to deep for us to dive into."

    "We have time. Just tell me, how does it work, what''s the system behind it?"

    For a short moment, Seraph kept debating whether she should tell me or not. Her small head kept swaying to the left, and then to the right. Her expressions had no intention on changing, though. It seemed like it was more of a chore for her, than anything important.

    "Magic is based on philosophy," she declared in the end.

    So Seraph sasid, at least. Magic, philosophy, she couldn''t just explain one abstract thing with another abstract thing, really. That was really too big of a baggage she had just thrown at me.

    I pressed my index finger and thumb on my forehead. Let us take this slowly. Magic is philosophy. Then was philosophy magic? Didn''t sound right to me. It may be something unfathomable, but it was certainly no magic, or maybe it was.

    That seemed like a topic for philosophy.

    Alright, this had gotten too confusing.

    I tried wrapping my mind around her statement, but could not understand what she meant.

    How was one thing derived from the other, when they had no connection at all?

    "You look confused."

    "Are you lying again."

    "Shouldn''t you be able to tell if I was."

    "Maybe you have turned into a better liar since the last two minutes, such that I couldn''t even tell, because I can''t understand what magic and philosophy could possibly have I common."

    Seraph groaned, "I thought you were the dukes granddaughter, shouldn''t you have gotten at least an introduction to magic."

    "To be honest, The only thing true about the statement is that I''m part of the family tree, any implications with the title, I do not have," I smiled.

    "Forget it, it''s easier if I show you."

    She then left the road and strolled towards a field. I naturally began following Seraph and saw how she approached a small flower.

    It was a pale white lily, fighting back against the summer wind. I only knew that it was a lily, because I had once learned that it symbolized the restored innocence after death.

    It was in an ironic twist of fate, that it was a present I had gotten shortly after my own. It did suit my current predicament as the little girl named Agnes.

    Anyways, with her cold hands she plucked one of the petals off, and held it against the sun.

    "Normally, when you chant small magic like that, you do it silently, however," she said, but didn''t finish her sentence. I mean, I get it you didn''t want to talk, but at least end your thoughts.

    She opened her mouth again, and with an icy sweet voice, she recited, "the dead live in the memories of the living."

    It was a short sentence, with a small layer of profoundness behind it, but the implications it had, I would never be able to forget.

    The petal in her hands began to vibrate and shortly after it shook violently. Afterwards, a blinding light engulfed it, and it started changing shape. Unlike its consistency, it moved like jello, forming into something else.

    Only after the brightness wore off, could I make out its shape.

    The lifeless part of the lily had turned into a small little boy. He was no more than the size of my hands. He had blonde hair, and his face was freckled but white. His cheeks were flushed red and he had hair that would be long for a boy, but short for a girl.

    Holy shit, it was Gerald.

 Ch 19 - A cold town in a warm world

    "but I just killed him, what''s he doing here."

    "I brought him back," she answered as if it was an everyday task for her.

    I''d only been here for a week at most, weren''t you stretching my beliefs a bit too far. In the first place, even if magic exist, shouldn''t resurrection be like at the very end?

    "I can already tell what you are thinking, don''t worry, it''s only a mirage."

    Seraph pinched the chubby cheeks of little Gerald, and lifted him up. He then swung his arms around in an effort to escape. Seeing that he was in a hopeless situation, he soon began crying.

    Yep, that''s Gerald alright.

    "It looks like you didn''t know him well enough, he can''t even talk," she said and kept tossing him up in the air. Juggling him like a ball.

    "You mean to say that he was based off of me?"

    "Based off of what you remembered about him. It''s one of my abilities."

    As she said that, She catched Gerald one last time and crushed him with her palms.

    The expected screams and blood didn''t appear, though. The only thing that happened was the sound similar to shattered glass ringing in my ears and Gerald turning into a ray of light as he slowly dissolved. In the end, only a transparent fluid was left dripping through her fingers.

    "Don''t worry, he would have disappeared anyways."

    "Why?"

    "The strength of your magic is based on how strong your philosophy is, the more it is aligned to the truth of this world, the powerful it is," she then added, "actually, stop calling it magic, that name''s only for peasants. Call it Alterea. To change abstract things into physiccal components, that is what it means."

    "Alterea," I repeated in a daze. I then took the lily and also plucked a petal. Unlike Seraphs, mine was a bit smaller, but it shouldn''t matter, I thought.

    Just like her, I held it up against the sun that was already setting and cited, "the dead live in the memories of the living."

    I closed my eyes to rouse my imagination, when I opened them again, I saw . . . A pale white petal, fluttering in the currents created by the wind.

    "Damn it," I shouted and threw it on the ground.

    "Obviously my Alterea doesn''t work when you use it."

    "How is that obvious," I replied in defeat. Maybe I was just not destined for magic.

    Seraph listlessly scanned me from head to toe while massaging her forehead in irritation, "listen, only your philosophy on life can invoke the Alterea, it must be a belief that you wholeheartedly abide to, if you don''t understand the nuances and meaning behind my sentence, how could you possibly understand the ''magic'' behind it?"

    "Oh, so what exactly is your philosophy?"

    "Even if you knew, there was no use if you wouldn''t follow it. Besides, I''ve wasted enough words on you, let''s keep moving."

    She then turned around and without waiting for me, left.

    "Hey wait, is that it? Aren''t you gonna tell me more," I comlained.

    She replied with a volume that was just high enough for me to hear, "what I''ve just told you is the very core of the Alterea, you should be grateful. Not even your king knows that much."

    And that was the end of the conversation. We made our way back to the road and neither of us talked. The sun soon disappeared, leaving only silence between us.

    However, I did not mind it. I had my thoughts that occupied me, and I''m sure she had her own, as well.

    Thus time had slowly passed.

    The remaining light was swallowed by descending blackness. Night had fallen.

    Without rest, I kept following Seraph, in hopes that she would lead me to my destination. The pale moon kept following us and guided me with his illumination. The evergreen forest and vast fields had been covered by a dark blue tint. My sight remained on the starry sky, as I sorely relied on the footsteps before me to lead the way. What I was thinking about, I already forgot.

    The quiet night I was experiencing, was a lot different than the noisy morning I had.

    I tacitly let the sound of crunched gravel overwhelm me and fell in a trance.

    Suddenly, in the inked sky, an evanescent streak of light lightly flew parallel to our path. Similar to a flare, the single star bravely soared amidst its still species.

    My eyes widened in admiration and I tugged at Seraphs sleeves.

    "Look, a shooting star."

    She drowsily lifted her head and stopped walking. To confirm whether she was truly watching, I glanced at her emotionless face, only to see an ever so slight sparkle in her round irises, an expression that was really impressive for someone like her.

    I was just wondering what she could be thinking at the moment, when another flicker of light moved through the ocean of darkness. Soon, one star after another began their motion, as if inspired by their predecessor. Like a snowfall they headed towards the earth.

    My eyes glistened and I unwittingly let out a ", woah," in astonishment.

    "It''s a meteor shower," I whispered, but my voice was drowned out by the breathtaking atmosphere.

    Seraph kept on staring at the wondrous sight before us. Her lips were closed and eyes half opened, but she never looked away. She didn''t make any noise and just kept focusing on the falling stars.

    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.I felt like even if the world were to end, she would still not show any emotions.

    I placed my cold hands on her equally cold shoulders and we observed the enchanting night-sky.

    "Let''s keep going," she said after a while.

    And so the meteor shower continued above us, as we marched forward.

    Only after we had encountered a small town before us, did the shooting stars decrease.

    The town was still far away and I was only able to make out it''s silhouette even with a dim light emitting from it.

    The town consisted of no more than just a few houses and even then, they were smaller compared to the place I resided in. Surrounding it were some farmlands with crops that had yet to bud.

    There was a loose wooden fence surrounding the whole town. Who it could possibly fend off was not known.

    I asked Seraph, "is that the village you wanted to go to?"

    "No, it''s still a bit further," she told me.

    As soon as we arrived, a person stopped us from approaching any further. I didn''t want to refer to him as a guard. He wasn''t even close to being a patrol. At most, he was only a concerned citizen. His body was robust, but his clothes were just too shabby.

    "What''s two kids like ya doin'' in a- uargh!"

    Just a moment ago, that guy stood there with his intimidating aura preaching like a proper adult, and the next thing I knew, it sounded like he had swallowed his tongue.

    "Hey, you scared him with those eyes of yours," I told Seraph.

    "Mine? I would argue it''s your murderous intent that made him choke," she replied.

    "What did you say, I''m just an innocent little lady, can''t you tell from my name?"

    Listening to our talk, the person in question, gulped once, and soon his face reddened in embarrassment.

    He scratched his head and said, "well, looks like everything is alright, I will be taking my leave now, enjoy your stay." He then took off with his toned body shaking violently.

    "Ah, wait a minute," I shouted.

    As soon as I did, I swear I saw him run even faster.

    Only after I shouted again, did he come to a full stop. It was like I was watching a burglar who got caught, as he rigidly turned his face to our direction with a stiff smile. Is that how the police felt every time they had to chase me in the past?

    I walked towards him, while pulling Seraph along, and the distance he had created so painstakingly was slowly closed.

    "Good evening, my name''s Agnes, what about you?"

    "Um, Harold," he replied and then cautiously stared at Seraph, who stood next to me.

    I shot her a look indicating that she should also introduce herself. Instead of reciprocating my thoughts, she actually had the nerve to reply with a, "I don''t wanna," in her mind, thus creating an awkward pause.

    "Sorry, that girl is a bit shy around strangers, don''t mind her."

    "Uh, is that so," he laughed humourlessly.

    "Now, that''s not what this is about. Say, is there an inn nearby for the two two of us to stay in?"

    "Oh so that''s what you needed, as a matter of fact there really is. Walk towards the end of this road and turn right, you should see the shield hanging there. Anyways, I just remembered I had something to take care of, bye bye."

    I couldn''t even thank him properly, when he already jogged away. Was I really that scary? Maybe this was my Alterea, the death stare. I jest, it''s probably Seraphs fault.

    I asked her, "hey, why didn''t you say your name?"

    "I didn''t feel like talking."

    "You could have just acted like when you met me."

    "To be honest, I was so embarrassed when you exposed me that I''m now scared to do it again."

    "So you also know how to make a joke."

    "In troubling times like these, you need jokes to de-stress."

    "Don''t use what I say against me."

    I wanted to flick her forehead, but I decided against it.

    It did not take long for us to reach the inn and we promptly opened the door. It was only two stories high, and even though the inn was double the size of its neighboring houses, it was still small in comparison to the one I saw in the plaza.

    The floor was paved with stone, while the walls were entirely wooden and a thick fabric covered the windows. A dim fire illuminated the humble decorations. There were chairs and tables arranged in a way that would be efficient to save space. In the furthermost corner was a bar. A bodily odor and the smell of burned herbs wafted through the air, as it was surprisingly busy.

    Different groups of people were doing different kind of things. Some were drinking beer out of a keg, some chattered while eating a sumptuous meal and some went upstairs. Nevertheless, they were all people who decided to find lodging in this place. As soon as we entered, we caught the attention of the customers.

    "Hello, welcome to the ''Vanilla Pixie'' inn, how may I help you," a voluptuous woman dressed in brown tavern clothes with a red trim asked us, "oh, a priestess, how rare," that woman then added. Her maroon hair was tied into a bun and covered by a headband. She was wearing long sleeved clothing that fully covered her arms. There was a small bruise on her lips, but nothing too noticeable.

    "We are searching for a place to stay the night at. Oh and some food would be nice," I pointed at Seraph, "she''s paying."

    "Two silver," she replied and scrutinized us from head to toe. In an effort to not have the same tragedy from before happen, I covered Seraphs eyes and tried mustering the most innocent face I could. My acting skills were apperently still pretty good, as she led us upstairs to our logding, "check for yourself if it''s to your liking, afterwards come back down for a stew," she then swiftly closed the door behind us.

    The accommodation we were given was a cozy room. The interior was only a makeshift bed with straw replacing the mattress and a thin cloth covering it. Next to it was a small shelf carved out of wood. The only way to navigate in the room was by walking sideways. Above the bed was a single window that could more or less be closed. It was in all honesty, really shabby.

    "Well, let''s eat something first," I suggested and she nodded.

    The food in contrast was great. It was a thick milk-based soup, containing vegetables and thin slices of bacon. The sweet aroma tickled my nose. I took a wooden spoon

    and scooped a mouthful after another, and before I knew it, it was already gone. The soup had a creamy texture with a tartan taste, the bacon was smokey, creating an equilibrium between sweet and bitter.

    "Did you enjoy the food," the woman asked, and I replied with a smile.

    "By the way, I want to ask you something," I said, "how do I get to the D''Anele territory from here?"

    "D''Anele territory, uhm, if you take the exit where the eastern tower is and only turn left on the way, you would reach it in half a day."

    "The eastern tower?"

    "Yes, it''s the only watchtower in this town, you should find it as long as you search for it," she told me with a smile.

    "Ok then, thank you."

    The woman took our plates and went away.

    "Did you hear that Seraph, let''s head to the tower tomorrow and check it out."

    "Don''t act that friendly with me, and yes, I think we should."

    Was the first part of the sentence really necessary?

    With nothing better to do, we moved back to our room.

    As soon as I opened the door, a chilly breeze blew through the closed window, sending shivers through my whole body.

    I looked at Seraph and saw no reaction. Well, if she wasn''t complaining, then I couldn''t either.

    Gently I got onto the bed that had not been warmed, followed by her who went from the other side. It was just big enough for us to not touch each other. With a blanket, we shielded against the wind. The wooden walls which weren''t properly insulated, kept collecting the cold from outside.

    "Isn''t it freezing?"

    "Not at all."

    She moved towards the edge and curled up.

    I stood up and wanted to berate her, but she had already closed her eyes. Her long white eyelashes fluttered in the moonlight, while a warm vapor escaped her pale lips. Her face was relaxed as she breathed in a rhythmic manner. From afar, she looked like the sleeping beauty in a fairy tale.

    I raised the blanket up to cover her shoulders and silently ran my hand through her silky smooth hair.

    Afterwards, I simply turned away and also went to sleep. My eyelids closed like the curtains I wish this room had and my sight descended into darkness.

 Ch 20 - Inside the town was more coldness, but they left after a meal

    We had another soup in the morning. Unlike last time, this one was more mellow and rich in nutrients.

    Afterwards we made our way to the tower. It had a cylindrical shape and was made out of stonebricks. The tower which was quite new, watched over an old wooden gate, leading to a gravelroad. Surrounding it were makeshift guards that checked for any strangers.

    After they quickly examined us, we were let through and they told us to be careful.

    "Will you also go with me," I asked Seraph.

    "Looks like it for now," she replied.

    "Alright then."

    We thus resumed our little trip.

    At the beginning, we met some farmers tending their crops or feeding their cattle, but gradually they were all left behind, and only Seraph and me remained.

    "So how is life as a priestess," I randomly asked.

    She tilted her head in confusion, "a what?"

    "A priestess, I mean, your clothes."

    "Ah, I''m not one, I just like wearing it. It''s not even the proper attire."

    "Huh, is that so. Won''t you get punished if the church catches you."

    "Well, if."

    "Yes, but still," I moved near her.

    "Alright, worry about yourself first," she said and pushed me away.

    Hmm, I thought we would had grown closer after the day we had spent together, but guess I was wrong.

    In the first place, her whole background was mysterious. She kept on avoiding any personal questions that I asked her.

    Who was she anyways?

    Her personality, abilities and demeanor all indicated that she was not a normal character.

    Also, she was very pleasing to look at. It''s nothing worth noting, just my personal opinion, but how her small head bobs every time she''s walking and how she looked like she could fall asleep at any moment, it was quite charming.

    Nevertheless, I couldn''t let my guard down on her. It wasn''t like we had any hostility between us. Quite the opposite, I found it rather fun to annoy her. Still, my instincts told me that she was a dangerous individual.

    Similar people understand each other, after all.

    However, she won''t ever hear that from my mouth. I felt like she''d just tease me if she found out.

    Quietly, I kept my thoughts to myself, while inhaling the fresh nature.

    After half an hour we had met a crossroad. If I remembered correctly, I was told to keep left.

    It was a worn out path leading towards the rising sun.

    The rays deluged my sight such that I had to cup my hands above my eyes. I looked towards the way we came from and realized that I wasn''t able to see the town anymore.

    "I wonder if they will be alright," I muttered.

    Without showing a reaction, she chose the left path and said, "they will manage, I''m sure."

    "Eh, aren''t you surprised by what I said?"

    "Why, I got the meaning."

    "Che, how boring."

    Good job, you killed the conversation, now it looked like we spoke in riddles.

    It was somewhat peculiar though, the towns vigilance. If they were a big city, I would''ve understood, but the place was just too small and insignificant.

    Who would want to attack that place.

    Still, they fenced the whole area off and even build a new tower. Also, there were men protecting the place day and night.

    It was only rudimentary but the intentions were clear.

    I would have understood if they were just being cautious, but the way the townspeople handled the situation made me believe that it had only been a few weeks since they decided to secure their home.

    Those action didn''t seem arbitrary. It was more like a reaction towards something.

    The fact that they would go to such lengths makes me wonder what menace was threatening them.

    "Don''t think that hard about it," I heard Seraph abruptly say.

    "Hey, stop reading my thoughts."

    "I wasn''t reading it, you were projecting them."

    "Whatever."

    Have my thoughts been to obvious lately?

    "But to answer your question," she gave me a quick glance, "they are preparing for war."

    War?

    I tilted my head in confusion.

    What war could they possibly lead? Against another town? That would be a small skirmish at most. Might as well solve their problems with a game of rock-paper-scissors.

    "Obviously not in a full scale," she added, "as you may know, there was a famine that ran rampant."Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    Hmm, what''s that got to do with anything. I closed my eyes and using my index finger I massaged my temples.

    War.

    Famine.

    War, famine.

    Ah, I got it.

    Still Seraph already began explaining, "not only this kingdom has suffered from it, the neighboring countries had their fair share of backlash. Now that there was a food shortage, the political stability is threatening to topple over, and who knows when the countries will go to war."

    "Due to that, many suspicious people had been coming and going as they pleased. Spies, mercenaries, bandits, all kinds of characters have been assembled," I completed her monologue.

    She slightly raised her eyebrows, "oh, looks like you aren''t as stupid as I thought you''d be. Then you explain the rest, I''m taking a break."

    This hateful girl.

    Still, I continued, "well, as you may have noticed, even though the town is small, it was still a hotspot for travelers. Not only did they have an inn, but it was rather lively in there as well. Given the circumstances it was only natural for them to be vigilant. If I had to guess, someone tried assaulting the well-endowed inn owner."

    "Oh, how would you know?"

    "I''m just guessing, but who in their right mind wears long sleeves in the middle of the summer. Especially in the kitchen were it''s extra hot. Also, it''s pretty annoying to carry plates if you don''t roll them up," I raised my finger, "it''s probably because she''s trying to cover her bruises," I then pointed at my mouth," there was also the small wound on her lower lip. I didn''t see a husband by her side, so it probably wasn''t domestic abuse. Since most strangers go to the inn, I would say there was an altercation regarding a customer. Did I miss something?"

    "No, you got it. Good job," she said and clapped once. Yes, just once.

    I placed my hands on her head, even though we were around the same height and gave her a simple, "thanks."

    She was just about to swipe my hand away, but for some reason decided against it. In the end she said, "I don''t get why these small kingdoms would wage a war. Those insignificant squabbles, they should just settle it with a game of rock-paper-scissors."

    I used all my power to grab onto her forehead and swung her around, "stop stealing my sentences," I told her.

    She tried reaching for my hand, but due to her swaying side to side, she couldn''t properly grasp it. It was like I was watching a chick trying to catch the worm hanging

    above her, as she arduously flailed her arms.

    Seeing that there was no chance for her to retaliate, she bit her lip out of frustration and her face slightly flushed. Her pearl-colored brows formed two sickles hovering above her eyes and she pouted her cheeks. It was honestly an expression I didn''t expect to see.

    It was also an indication that I might have gone to far. Just as I was thinking about to run as far as I can, she stepped on my foot. It wasn''t a playful one, she put all her strength into it. In other words, it hurt like hell.

    Without giving me a chance to retaliate, she added more pressure on my toes.

    "I was joking, I was joking," I pleaded, but she showed no signs of stopping.

    Only after she had her way with me, did she decide it was to stop. My foot was metaphorically swelling, and I felt like I needed Gerald to carry me again.

    Without me realizing it, she had returned to her cold expression void of any emotions. As if nothing happened, she started picking her pace and let the way with her half-opened eyes.

    I could only follow her quietly.

    But I''ll remember what occurred just now. I glanced at Seraph one more time.

    Just like ever, she had the face of a poker player performing the biggest bluff of their life.

    White, white and some more white. That''s the only thing that sprung to my mind every time I saw her. Her ghastly appearance was unfitting for the peaceful scenery behind her.

    She held her hands folded and in front, while gracefully taking her steps. Since I had nothing to say I just kept observing her features, trying to make a mental imprint.

    Suddenly she turned around. Startled by her actions, I almost slapped her, but I knew that would be the last thing I''d do in my life if that happened, so I restrained myself.

    The point she chose to stop at was another crossroad. On the left was the vast plains, while on the right were some steep hills.

    "This is were we''ll part ways," she abruptly said.

    "Huh, this soon?"

    I raised my head to the sky and saw that the sun had yet to reach the zenith meaning the afternoon had yet to be over.

    "Well, I didn''t build the roads, so what can I do."

    "But we were just beginning to have fun."

    "I feel like we have different interpretations of what happened," she replied.

    I turned my head towards the plains and then towards Seraph.

    I repeated my actions. Plains, Seraph. Plains, Seraph.

    My behavior apparently made Seraph misunderstand, so she knitted her brows and voiced with a low sound, "you can join me if you want to."

    "ah, no I was just thinking how you and the plains were pretty similar."

    "What do you mean."

    I pointed towards her chest.

    There was a short silence between us. Only a reckless bird dared to chirp his morning song.

    "Forget it, just drop dead," she sighed.

    "Well, it''s not like I have any room to judge," I told her and ran my hands through my own bosom. There was really no difference between her and me. To be fair, I was still growing. I don''t know about her.

    Wait a minute, I was adapting a bit too well there. I''m a guy.

    "I take it that you won''t follow me."

    I regretfully shook my head.

    Truth be told, I did want to follow her. Toying with unsuspecting prey and teasing her was probably one of the most fun activities in this world. My partner in crime always told me I had the most vile hobbies, but I believed that he just didn''t understand true entertainment.

    What''s more fun than than playing with the emotions of others?

    If you felt like it, you could make them happy, sad, angry. A myriad of expressions, waiting to be uncovered.

    It''s too bad, I could not follow Seraph, as I still had some unfinished business to take care of.

    "It''s not a big deal," Seraph said, and to my horror let out a slight smile. Don''t get me wrong, it was nice to look at, but I would have never expected it.

    But she was right, it really wasn''t a big deal.

    I began to laugh, "I''m pretty sure we will see each other again."

    I didn''t have anything to prove my conjecture. It was just something I felt deep in my guts that this wouldn''t be the last time we meet.

    Maybe we had build a karmic bond, or maybe it was just fate. Still right in my heart, I was sure of it.

    People like her and me, unlike normal people who search for warmth, we look for the darkness. The depraved, perverted or the corrupt, anything is fine, as long as it could fulfill our needs.

    It was hard for people like us, because those shadows always stay hidden from the light, which has unfortunately become the default of society.

    So now that we had found each other, we couldn''t possibly just let go. Where''s the fun in that?

    It was obvious that she felt the same way, as she said, "talk to you soon," and left without any fancy ceremony. She didn''t even give me a hug. It did not take long, before her original size was reduced to a pint, as she disappeared into the distance.

    "Don''t get kidnapped, because you look like a doll," I shouted.

    Hearing my voice she turned around and just stuck her tongue out.