(CHAPTER 34: THE MOON)
"Boss! Two bowl of noodles. Extra wine for one, add more toppings!"
Fei and I arrived at a noodle stall beside the empty street. It was still night time for the Moon, as there were barely anyone around. "Oho, Fei! You want extra toppings!? Did I heard it right?" An old man lowered his glasses for a better sight before greeted the two of us. He looks somewhere at his fifties, with turquoise skin and a gigantic forest green tortoise shell on his back. Moss and flower overgrown the shell, somehow it had a decoration purpose.
"This boy deserved a celebration for being home." Fei patted my heartly on my back, almost snapping my spine. He walked towards the counter bar seat and plop down, I followed, sitting beside him. The stall was small, quite cramp, but cosy for a cold night like this. "You sure did your job well Fei! Half price tonight!" The old man laughed before heading back into the kitchen. Through the door I could hear him slicing up something as well as the sound of something squelching. Somehow I am quite nervous, so this is my first meal at this land? My mind recall the overturning events that happen just moments ago…
"So he failed." The girl said, staring coldly at me flat on the ground. My body sizzling furiously, all those moved, I need a break to catch my breath. "But technically he did pass, that mark is the biggest proof." Fei place down his whiskey and argued. "But he is weak." The girl said coldly, pointing out the goddamn truth. I am indeed weak, not string enough, against them I am nothing. "Not like our daughter. Why would you need him at the first place?" "Because he is one of us! He is already on the hunt by the government and the bounty hunters of the Sun. Even though he isn't the Demon King's Son, I will still help him." Fei snapped.
"I didn't care a fuck about what you are talking." I stood back, disrupting their argument. Although I am still breathing heavily like a drowned man, I felt better. "I need to get back for my friends, they needed me." I wobbled towards the door, my leg still feels like jelly. "You" A cold deep voice, halted me. He talks, and he is talking to me.
"You think you can save them on your own?" I turn my back around, and see the Demon King staring right at me. "What you want then. Let me see them drag into some sort of black market? Never." I replied, staring back without fear. "Smoker, the one that you've fought before." Fei reminded. Who, that old man? I touched the invisible wound on my torso, the felling of getting penetrated wasn't much of a fun experience for me. "He is weak." Weak? He literally crushed me like nobody. "There are more of elites like him working alongside the Sun's government. Stronger than him, in almost a thousand time."
"Rushing off will only led you to your demise, alongside your friends." The Demon King scoffed, what a damn harsh reality. "How about this, you will still be able to join our raid. But I needed you to be stronger than this. You need to be stronger, you must and you will. At the meantime our department will work on the investigation about their whereabouts. So get ready, anytime…
The raid…
Stronger…
Wait why are we raiding the Sanctum of life.
"Hey Fei." I stare at the cup of herb tea in front of me, still piping smoke. "Why are we raiding the Sanctum of life. I thought that place is supposed to be half bred heaven or whatsoever." "I guess you didn't know the real story huh." Fei stare at me, shaking what's left of his whiskey bottle. "Sometime you are too focused on pursuing something you didn't even look at it from the other angle." He spoke. "You will know it after you complete the test set by him." I raised an eyebrow and stare at him, he finished the whiskey before letting out a big sigh. Looks like I won't be knowing about something anytime soon.
"What are the test by the way." I asked. "The test, well to-" Before he could finish his sentence, the boss had already storm out from the kitchen with two bowls of freshly cooked dishes in his hands. "Here is your noodles!" He shouted dramatically, Fei's attention was instantly draw from the test to the food. "What is this?" I stare at the bowl. Inside it was would I describe as broad, chewy looking colourful noodles. Soaked alongside a green both with assorted kinds of vegetables as topping. "Herb slime noodles, house special." The boss hands me a pair of chopstick and urges me to try. "Slime… noodles?" I pulled up the strand of noodles, wet, slippery, slimy. The first thing that came in my mind was Tora, wonder how is she right now…
"Come on give it a try!" Fei urges, slapping me by the back, I think I really did break a spine by now. "You will like it!" Under the anticipating gaze of the two. I gather up every bit of my courage as I slurp down my first mouthful of slime noodles and chewed. "Hmmm, nut bard to be honost…" With my mouth full of noodles I said, trying not to let the two down. I am not lying though, it was indeed delicious. Chewy, slightly salty, with a strong herb taste alongside the crunchy vegetables. It was quite refreshing.
"I knew you would love it!" Fei slapped me by the back, again before sitting back and enjoy his share. This must've been his signature move, and I am not liking it. While the boss headed back to the kitchen and brought out a gigantic slime. "I got it from her. Glad I didn't waste all those herbs I fed on her." He patted the slime's head, it replied with a soft blurb. "You fed her? I thought you kill them for meat." I questioned, and it seems to let the slime freak out a bit. "Shush!" The boss stopped me from talking anymore, sure as hell it seems gruesome for it.
"We had our own way here. What do you think, we still live in jungles, swamps, above trees? Eating human flesh and drinking blood?" Fei had already finish his bowl as he lean back and picked his tooth. Letting out a burp of satisfaction. "Ever since the War of Peak, things had changed here. This place had developed into a new world, our world." The boss nodded, placing the slime onto his turtle chair, agreeing to his words. "What war again?" So many goddamn questions.
"You will learn at the academy." He simply said. "What academy? The academy is the test you all are talking about?" As a reply to my question, he slapped me by the back again. This time I am positive maybe I wont be able to walk for the rest of my life if I kept staying alongside him. He paid the money before exiting the stall. The moon is already rising outside, some people started to emerge, starting the normal day of their life. "Where are you going?" I chased towards him as the two of us walk down the street. "To find your friend." He took out another bottle of wine, rice wine in a white China bottle, he seems to had an endless arsenal in terms of liquor.
"Aiko"