By the time the party reached the edge of Tapiola’s inexhaustible forests, the sun had begun to fade, and the dancing winds had sharpened their bite. As the trees finally shed their chains and the sky reclaimed its freedom, Number 25 climbed a nearby hill to fill her lungs with the clean scent of liberty.

  "Huh! Praise be, we can actually see what lies ahead. Are you feeling any better, Miss?"

  Fidelis, resting his arm on the cloth-wrapped ghoul head, let the last rays of the sun fill his eyes as the wind toyed with the few strands of hair remaining on his head.

  "Yes, I feel as though I am alive again," Number 25 replied; the heavy earth that had weighed upon her gaze had finally lifted.

  Seeing her relief, Fidelis abandoned himself once more to the wind’s kisses.

  "Fidelis, is the Old Wolf’s camp far from here?"

  At Number 99’s question, whose hair was locked in a battle with the wind, Fidelis covered his pale face with his hands and shook his head from side to side.

  "Fuck... I forgot about Master Veteris!"

  "Who is Master Veteris, Fidelis?"

  Curious at the mention of this new name, Number 25 placed her right hand on Fidelis’s back. Fidelis lowered the hands covering his face and explained.

  "Miss, Master Veteris is Her Highness the Princess’s staunchest supporter. Furthermore, he is one of the most experienced men in our kingdom who can speak with swords."

  "Speak with swords?"

  "There are those who claim he is the strongest knight in the realm."

  Number 99 interjected, turning to Fidelis.

  "I asked about the Old Wolf’s camp, Fidelis."

  "Master 99, it is but a few hours away, however..."

  "However what, Fidelis?"

  99’s piercing gaze bored into Fidelis, seemingly inflicting a wound upon his very soul. Finding it difficult to form sentences, Fidelis barely managed to spit out the words.

  "Master 99... I merely cannot predict how Master Veteris will react regarding the Miss."

  With Fidelis’s words, Number 25 suddenly felt the alienation seep into her entire being, casting aside the fleeting sense of freedom she had just tasted. The uncertainty of the future infected every part of her with dread.

  "She has my approval, does she not, Fidelis?"

  "Of course, Master 99!"

  "Then there is no need for Veteris to trouble himself, is there?"

  With Number 99 cutting through the unease like a knife, the group maintained their silence and resumed their journey.

  Turning her head to look at the remnants behind her with questions swirling in her mind, Number 25 looked first at the great Tapiola Forest, and then at the Crystal Mountain trying to hide amidst the trees.

  Number 7...

  Burying what had transpired in the depths of her mind, she continued to follow 99 and Fidelis, who were waiting for her.

  ***

  After the sun had retreated from the meadows and vast plains spread before them, and the Moon and stars had reclaimed their dominion, the group finally breathed a sigh of relief as the campsite came into view.

  Positioned along a reaching arm of the river, the camp resembled a silent fairground. Soldiers gathered around the fires like moths; some swam in their own thoughts, while others chatted with ale in hand to better feel the warmth.

  "A golden dragon wrapped around a silver sword."

  Number 25, who had whispered the words thinking only she would hear, was unwittingly caught by Fidelis.

  "That is our banner, Miss. Our kingdom, Vallis Heims."

  Fidelis’s chest swelled with pride as he boasted, causing Number 25 to giggle involuntarily.

  "Hey Fids! You damn rat."

  "Look at this, lads! Our rat has returned!"

  Fidelis, waving and smiling broadly enough to reveal every deep wrinkle on his face, turned to 99 and 25, whom he had guided this far.

  "Ah, Master 99... Master Veteris is in the large tent just ahead. Er, I... I shall strip off these rags clinging to me and join you immediately."

  "The ghoul, Fidelis."

  "Ah! Of course, Master 99."

  Fidelis handed the cloth-swathed head to Number 99 and scurried off to join the soldiers waiting by the fire.

  With every step taken toward the tent, feeling the eyes from the fireside burning into the back of her neck, Number 25 realized that the majority of those gazes were fixed not upon her, but upon Number 99. As the warmth of the atmosphere bled away into a chill near the tent, that sweet unease reawakened in her chest.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  When they reached the entrance, Number 99 swept the flap aside and stepped in, but Number 25 faltered, frozen in place by the crushing pressure radiating from within. Gathering her focus and struggling to draw even a sliver of oxygen, she stepped into the source of the oppression.

  Inside, not a trace of the outside warmth remained. Number 99, standing with his back to her, had simply dropped the severed ghoul head onto the map-strewn table and was now scrutinizing the shocked faces before him.

  Veteris, flanked by a knight on either side, looked from the severed head to Number 25 as he noticed her gaze. His deep wrinkles and gray hair betrayed a life lived with brutal intensity. A scar across Veteris’s left eyelid caused the eye to twitch rhythmically, like the mechanism of a broken clock.

  After scrutinizing Number 25 for a long moment, he turned to 99 and spoke.

  "A ghoul in the Tapiola Woods, is it?"

  "Not one. Two, Veteris."

  "It is impossible for them to leave the Kirola region!"

  As Veteris’s rising temper heated the room, Number 99 continued without breaking his composure.

  "What do you know of the Sun Goddess’s Tears, Veteris?"

  At the question, Veteris clenched his right fist with all his might, breathing heavily through his nose like a bull.

  "Master 99! Forgive my rudeness, but that accursed Goddess’s Tears..."

  "Flora has taken the Tear found in Tapiola."

  99’s words struck Veteris’s brain like a dagger, cutting him off before he could finish. After gritting his teeth hard enough to shatter them, the words that escaped his mouth mimicked the aggressive hiss of a serpent.

  "And how, Master 99, could Flora possibly have achieved this?"

  "Thanks to four desperate souls she dragged along for her own nonsense... Of course, only two remain. One suffered a ruthless betrayal at the very start of the path; the other realized her turn had come and rose up in rebellion."

  Veteris, digesting Number 99’s words with all the patience he could muster, fixed his eyes upon Number 25 and continued.

  "Truth be told, Master 99, I should very much like to see the rebel who provided you with this intelligence."

  "I suppose age has dulled the sharpness of your sight, Veteris. For she is standing right in front of you."

  In the deep silence that followed words loosed like arrows, the only sound Number 25 could hear was the frantic beating of her own heart. With her spirit crushed by the unbearable pressure, she stood frozen before the predator facing her.

  The deathly silence was shattered by the sharp ring of steel as Veteris drew his blade with sudden fury. Not leaving their master unaided, the two knights flanking him unsheathed their swords in unison.

  Veteris, his left eye twitching with increasing violence, began to bellow.

  "So, Flora’s cur stands before us, does she! You little..."

  Veteris, foaming with rage, was cut short by a sudden, crushing pressure that enveloped the tent, instantly dousing the heat of his fury like ice water. He struggled to maintain his grip on the blade he had drawn in anger, unable to command his trembling arm.

  One by one, the candles on the table were extinguished as a dark mist began to claim the tent. The severed ghoul head rattled on the table, vomiting black mist from its empty sockets and gaping mouth.

  Unable to withstand the pressure, the knights dropped their swords and collapsed to their knees. Both clutched their heads, desperate to halt the poison seeping into their minds.

  Finally, unable to endure the oppression any longer, the sword Veteris held was freed from his grasp and abandoned him, clattering to the floor.

  Collapsing onto the table, Veteris had lost all dominion over his own face; the twitching in his eyes had spiraled into chaos, while his jaw remained obstinately locked. He struggled violently to force a cry from lips that barely obeyed him.

  "Damn... it!... Stop!"

  "Veteris! How dare you draw your blade against my companion!"

  Unable to bear looking into Number 99’s eyes, now veiled in black mist, Veteris had no strength left to speak.

  "Hmph... ngh!"

  As Veteris struggled to turn his head from side to side, emitting only meaningless grunts, Number 99’s eyes returned to their natural state, and the dark mist shrouding the tent began to slowly dissipate. The ghoul’s head ceased its trembling, and the candles on the table flickered back to life, burning as if they had never been extinguished.

  As the crushing pressure lifted, Veteris gasped for air, coughing violently as though seeking to expel the darkness that had seeped into him.

  On the other hand, though she had been spared the direct weight of the pressure, Number 25 stood petrified by the horror she had witnessed. She gripped her clothes with white-knuckled fists, refusing to blink even for a second.

  "Master 99! Master Veteris!"

  Fidelis burst into the tent breathless, having found no time to wipe the froth of ale from his mustache.

  "Shut your mouth and approach, Fidelis!"

  Approaching the table at 99’s command, Fidelis first laid a steadying hand on the back of the petrified Number 25; then, he simply watched in silence as the battalion leader opposite them gasped helplessly for air.

  "In all sincerity... Master 99! I offer my apologies."

  "If words are to spill from your mouth, let them be for 25, not for me."

  Veteris, bracing his hands against the table, felt the twitching in his eye begin to subside. He turned his head toward 25, bowed before her, and spoke.

  "Forgive this old man’s rudeness, little Miss."

  Feeling the warmth of Fidelis’s hand upon her back, Number 25 felt the heavy tension crushing her begin to lift. She nodded silently, as if to seal her forgiveness.

  "Now that matters are settled, Veteris... shall we begin again?"

  ***

  "Ah... Fuck! I never imagined King Ferox would go to such lengths."

  Plunged into despair by the tale he had just heard, Veteris raised his left hand to his twitching eye and began to massage it.

  "The Tears of the Sun Goddess... There are three in existence. Judging by the weakening of the barrier in the Kirola region, I surmise the second stone resides there."

  "Indeed, Master 99. The second stone constitutes the very skeletal structure of the Kirola barrier. Moreover, the removal of the stone from Tapiola has birthed fractures within the ward."

  Veteris fell silent for a moment, his twitching eye fixed upon the map. Filling his lungs with a deep, steadying breath, he spoke once more.

  "Master 99... If Flora seizes the stone in Kirola, the barrier will shatter, and the entire continent will descend into hell. Furthermore, I dare not even contemplate the possibility of the Goddess’s resurrection."

  "You know the location of the third stone, do you not, Veteris?"

  "Yes, Master 99," Veteris replied, forcing the words past a throat constricted with dread.

  "Vallis Heims... Or rather, in the hands of King Ferox himself."

  The heavy silence that had conquered the tent following Veteris’s confession was shattered by the man himself, slamming his trembling hand onto the table with all his remaining strength.

  "Damn it all! It was not enough that King Ferox placed Princess Luna under house arrest and aligned himself with that witch Flora... now he seeks to resurrect the Sun Goddess herself..."

  Veteris lapsed into silence before he could finish his sentence. As he stared down at his trembling arm, the relentless twitching in his eyelid finally ceased, only for the lid to droop heavily, obscuring half his vision.

  "Master Veteris, you must return to the kingdom at once! While you deal with King Ferox, I shall accompany Master 99 and the Miss to..."

  "You will return to Vallis Heims with Veteris and secure the third stone, Fidelis."

  Fidelis’s eyes went wide as Number 99 cut him off.

  "But, Master 99!"

  "He is right, Fidelis! Have you forgotten that we are servants of Princess Luna?"

  With a crack in his voice and clouds of sorrow descending upon his face, Veteris continued.

  "King Ferox’s time has come to an end. Princess Luna needs us."

  As eager as he was to aid Number 99 and 25, Veteris’s words struck a chord in Fidelis’s heart. It was now imperative that the Princess he served be freed from her chains to take the throne.

  "Then enough talk for now."

  With Number 99 putting an end to the discussion, Fidelis and Number 25 were the first to leave the tent.

  "You’d best get some sleep for now, Old Wolf."

  As Number 99 turned to leave, Veteris stopped him.

  "You know what lies on the road to Kirola, do you not, Master 99?"

  "Yes... Sisula Village."

  CommentRating