You monster!

09: YOU MONSTER

Fenris lapped my face and neck, pushing me into a state of wakefulness.

I was drenched with drool. The heavy panting of the werewolf above me fanned the dampness of his own saliva.

Once the buoyant licks ceased, I was able to open my eyes and perceive the high-spirited werewolf smiling at me with his sharp teeth. His tongue rolled out to the side in a dotty manner.

"Ohayou Gozaimasu (Good morning) Fenris," I greeted the wolf monotonously. "Is it really time to wake up?"

There weren't any windows in the Boonies so I could not tell whether it was finally time to rouse. Fenris took my arm into his mouth, being careful not to bite down too hard. He pulled me into a sitting position before releasing my arm and leaping off of the bed. He then bit me again as gently and as mindful as possible to haul me out of the room.

A few of the residents of the hideout just got out of their rooms. I noted that most of the people in the hideout wore dark-shaded clothing except for Lucius, Laeroth, and Ikesha. As soon as they saw Fenris and me, they presented a sprightly smile and an exuberant greeting.

I thought that the world outside of Florencia was living in misery every day yet they have proven me wrong. They had ebullient attitudes despite knowing and experiencing harshness.

The werewolf led me upstairs where most of the residents of the Boonies were. I stopped to look for the table where Lucius was.

"Lord Lucian, it is such a pleasant morning to witness such pulchritude." Garrison was standing behind me with the quirky Lettice who still seemed to be under the influence of some powerful herbs.

"Yohooo!" she greeted us.

"I am looking for onii."

He hadn't joined us in bed last night but then again, there would be no space for him considering how huge Fenris was.

Garrison was wearing a black wide-brimmed hat today with a tight-fitting corset over a white garment that exposed his smooth and milky shoulders. His long legs were covered in tight black leather pants as he strode towards me.

"But of course, this way please," he assisted.

He took me to the hallway where Lucius and the others headed last night. Lettice tagged along and began to ask questions about my life back in the Kingdom. There was really nothing to share at all that she would find appealing.

"So Lord Lucian, I heard you are engaged!" She was excessively giggling and snorting.

With that statement, Fenris released a questioning groan. He glanced at me with wide eyes as if he could not believe what he had just heard.

"Lettice, please do not ask such personal and trivial questions! And to refurbish your cognizance about the matter— he was engaged. Lord Lucius will not allow Lord Lucian to be tainted by the Higher-Order's vindictive and rapacious intentions," Garrison scolded.

Fenris gave nods of approval to his statement and was very pleased about it. Lettice released a huff, waving Garrison's words off.

"Oh please Garrison, I was merely asking. Besides Lucius can't do anything if true love is on the line! He can't decide everything for Lord Lucian because after all, he is a young man with a libido to take care of!"

Fenris howled in disapprobation. I stayed silent throughout their bickering. I wasn't able to answer any of Lettice's invasive questions because Garrison would reprimand her every time. They seemed to have a loving relationship and I would rather not get between them right now.

We reached the double-doors at the end of the hallway. Garrison stepped aside to let me in. Three heads snapped to our direction. They were sitting around the round marble table with stern expressions. Lucius' forbidding mien changed into a warm and mirthful one as he welcomed us.

"Good morning little brother, how was your sleep? We did not bother waking you up for supper because Fenris and you were sleeping so soundly."

"Fenris is fluffier than you. You can sleep on the floor tonight."

"Wh…What the? My little brother has really grown up into rebellious little shit!" he cried out dramatically, causing Laeroth and Ikesha to drop their own steely faces to chuckle in amusement.

"Have you eaten yet, Lord Lucian?" Ikesha questioned.

"I have not. I was looking for Lucius."

"I am certain that the wolf is famished as well. Don't worry, the other lads have hunted down one whole bison just for you," Laeroth assured.

"That is unnecessary. Fenris is on a spinach diet," I deadpanned.

Lucius snorted, giving my back pats.

"This kid is making a werewolf go vegetarian."

"Ha! Once you go meat you can never go neat!" Lettice piped.

Ikesha held her hand up. "Okay before you say anything else that would embarrass everyone in this room, I'm putting my foot down. "Are you two ready to head off to New Berkton City?"

"I'm ready to check out some right-handed man booty!"

"Has sleep detained your memory of our mission, Lettice?" Garrison questioned with a shamed smile.

"Don't even think about sexually harassing anyone, Lettice. You will go to New Berkton and gather information about the fairy killings. The Right-Handlers seem to be busying themselves with atrocities for their own benefit," my brother reminded her.

"Then we must depart now." Garrison grabbed Ikesha by her slim arm.

Laeroth waved. "Take care."

"Oh, we will! Garrison, let's hook up with those Right-Handlers. I bet you that they're good with their right-hand!"

"I'm sure you'll enjoy getting new orifices but not me."

Once Garrison and Lettice left the room, the rest of us followed suit and headed to the Great Dining Hall. It was still bustling with activities. Fenris' food was on the floor. Eating with everyone like this was very... Different. It did not bother me at all and I can breathe better. It was nice to watch everyone enjoy each other's company.

"Where is Aramastus?"

Lucius made it his mission to pile food on my plate, ensuring that Fenris had enough fill.

"He has a...unique way of feasting," he tried to explain. "You'll find out soon enough. I just hope that you're not going to become his victim. If he tries to lay a single finger on you I swear by Tom-Ak-Ta's name that he'll be chewing his own digits," he grumbled.

"Aramastus is a great warrior. He is even better than your brother here," Laeroth teased, causing a jab on his pride.

"Take that back Laeroth! Are you trying to smear the great respect Lucian has for his big brother?!"

"I have none of that," I deadpanned.

Lucius can be really delusional most of the time.

"My little brother hates me!"

After breakfast, Lucius, Fenris, and I walked back to our room. I still had lots of queries concerning...everything and every time I heard a foreign terminology in a topic that I had no idea about, the world around me grew larger. I cannot help but find ways to keep up with its growth.

"What is a wicket? Why is one of the Higher-Order in here? What is a Right-Handler and will they perish if they turn left? Onii —"

"Lucian please one at a time!" he laughed.

As we sat on the lectus and with Fenris lying comfortably on the floor, Lucius started his explanation.

"You do know about the war, don't you?"

"They didn't allow me to read anything about it..." I replied.

They said that it was unnecessary because I wouldn't be going out in the open world. All I had to know was what they needed me to know. He pursed his lips in obvious melancholia before smiling and squeezing my knee. "Alright, I shall try to summarize it."

The war sparked between the Vampires and the Hanumans. Princess Sorina was assassinated in her room and the royal family blamed it on her Hanuman lover, Sakrias.

In the first round of the war, the Vampires were evidently losing against the Hanumans, especially when the latter was backed up by the Werewolves. The Right-Handlers then came in and took sides. They helped the Vampires fight against the Hanumans. The cycle of being on the brink of losing and forming alliances to prolong the war commenced.

The Ancients sided with the Vampires together with the Shadow Dwellers, shamans, and djinn. The Hanumans, on the other hand, had a pact with shape-shifters and all kinds of beasts.

It was a long battle that created a river of blood.

The Ancients were a formidable race but like any other beings, they cannot push themselves past the limit of their mana that was needed in orchestrating the elements. Once the mana is drained, they must rest to refill the gauge of the mana used. However, the Right-Handlers were not pleased with the withdrawal of the Ancients from the war. The day of departure from the warzone was the day when King Genshi's husband was assassinated. His death was blamed on a Hanuman.

Naturally, the king felt the need for vengeance. Instead of pulling back the troops, King Genshi pushed past their limit and forced the knights to carry on with the war, not minding the grim consequences of doing so.

While the knights battled they gradually turned into catastrophes. They attacked both friend and foe and with that destructive power, the opposing parties united against the Ancients. King Genshi had to snap out of his rage and use the power of the Higher-Order to save the remaining troops.

"Thirty-eight years later after the war, everyone is still sitting on eggshells. The scent of open flesh is getting close and the only way to stop it is to assure everyone that there will still be food for their future children." Lucius brought out the Golden Wicket, holding it as if the future depended on it.

"This wicket will give us access to the core of the world. If we can obtain the twenty-one Tokens of Blessing, the wicket will grant us a pass and a chance to provide a future of foreseeable good. We can spread the Ancient's power throughout the world and reach places we have never been to."

That seemed promising.

"Where did you find out about that?"

Lucius' mouth went ajar for a few seconds, his eyebrows scrunching up.

"Actually... A giant nut dropped on my head and knocked me into semi-consciousness. This man began talking to me..." Lucius stopped abruptly, reaching to his chest and hitting it with his fist. "I felt Him Lucian...Tom-Ak-Ta."

"Who?"

So a man threw a nut at his head. He believed the voice that spoke to him in his state of bewilderment from a possible head injury.

People were depending on my onii and he was being...

"Estupido..." I sighed.

"I am serious, Lucian!"

"Seriously stupid. Baka," I deadpanned.

"Why would the royal family keep this in their possession if it was not valuable?" he pointed out.

"To hit you with it in case a giant nut was thrown at you and caused a severe fracture to your intelligence."

I have a bit of faith in Lucius' goals but the way he discovered the last hope of this world proved to be difficult to digest. Laeroth passed by our room and asked for a bit of Lucius's time. Onii left the wicket beside me.

Fenris inspected the object; sniffing it, before taking it into his mouth and gnawing it. He laid on his stomach, rolling it on the floor with his nose.

"Hello friends." Aramastus was standing by the doorway. His footsteps weren't heard so it brought alarm to Fenris who snarled at him in annoyance.

"I have this coin that I found from the grave of an important figure. It is a Token of Blessing. Perhaps we can give the wicket its first tip," he suggested as he showed us the golden coin with a number II on it.

II...

I have frequently seen that number on that person's chin.

The wicket was snatched from Fenris. Aramastus pushed the coin inside the slot. The sound of reeling wheels emerged. The three rectangles bearing the numbers rolled in dissimilar directions before they came into an abrupt stop. Instead of presenting the next number, the rectangles merely sported blank spaces.

The three of us waited for something else to happen but it was met with an uneventful silence.

"It must be broken." Aramastus rose, tossing the wicket up. "Remember I was not here. You do not know me... I am invisible, " he whispered, disappearing into thin air.

The wicket dropped on top of Fenris' head. The werewolf tottered, attempting to gain control of his spinning eyes. I retrieved the sphere from the floor and jiggled the wicket to get the coin back, but there wasn't even the slightest sound.

Fenris and I wandered about on the fourth and third floor. We were not allowed to visit the second floor yet for it contained recovering individuals from the scouting, rescuing, and purifying missions as well as people who just fled from the kingdom. We were asked by the female residents to deliver freshly washed clothes to each door as I was branded as a 'chivalrous, courteous, and honorable prince' without knowing that I had thrown many women in jail for just sparing me a glance.

"Fenris, I will just go to the bathroom. Mademoiselle Penelo said that you can ask for snacks in the kitchen," I urged him.

Fenris looked unsure whether to leave me and get snacks or to accompany me back to the room. The people here depended on my brother and my brother had expectations for them too. It was a safe place.

"We can eat the snacks in our room so hurry back," I encouraged him.

He nodded dutifully and sprinted upstairs. I went my own way. When I was finally done with my business in the bathroom, I exited and shut the door, lying down on the lectus while I waited for Fenris and the snacks.

I closed my eyes, letting the mattress absorb the slight exhaustion from my body. With the stillness of the rhythm of my calm heart then came the storm that brought it into a pounding mayhem.

Hands gripped my neck. A weight pressed firmly on my waist. My eyes snapped open to the view of red that was laced with a metallic scent. His eyes were glaring at me intensely. His pearly white teeth ground together with his jaws clenched tightly. His bare skin was painted with fresh blood. There was nothing to cover his skin and dignity.

"You monster!"