19 Songs of Marching Fire. (Part 1)

Feeling the soft glow of the sun as it stretches my shadow, with the whistles of the oceans blows through the open window. Chained and restraint like prey to the spider's web, the hunter stares back with an empty mask before replying:

"Um, Sova. You do remember that my knowledge is not free right? Like to be honest, what do you have that I could need."

"Well..."

Noticing my empty pockets, I can only wonder when something tucks up my strings:

"That's right! Aoi's something card. She said those are money right, I can use that."

I answer back thinking I found an answer but only to be corrected when Rana replies:

"Sova, I want you to know that the policy of the Grey Robed Reapers is the fair trade policy. What you are asking me in a broad and narrow scale is like literally a national secret. Where only some official on the gov-gov knows about. So secret it is that some of them still don't even know. Long story short, your bank card doesn't even fill like a tenth of the price."

"Rana please! I'm trying my best to understand what's going on. From what I see and hear, is that my sister is a murderer and wants to kill me for being afraid, this country is rotten and filled with criminal organizations I think, and that this place is just wrong and filled with strife with how I met Sarah the first time. It's so different than what I May, aunt, Sis Yuwei-"

"Plruufff!"

"Blurrgh! Ahack! Ahack!"

Pain seems to be my friend in this instance, as well as the burning and icky sensation of tea that's seeping through my drenched face. Rana seemingly spits her tea to my face along with Sarah who is now choking on her drink. Giving Sarah and Rana the blue water while wiping the tea off my face with the collar of my shirt. I look at them worried asking:

"Sarah are the two of you okay?"

The horned mannequins comes over with a wheel table. Giving Rana tissues while it moves over and helps me wipe the stain clean before cleaning the floor. Rana seemingly put of shock and Sarah probably from anger starts to look glare at me when even I could tell Rana is glaring at me through her thin mask puts her glass down asking:

"Sis Yuwei? As in the Sector Lord of the Purple Phoenix Yuwei Zihuang? Where did that name come from!"

Sarah curious, confused and shocked tilts her head at me asking:

"You call her sis? Master, you're a Royalty?"

"Why are you all looking at me like that. Like why are you all so surprise about? Yes I known her since childhood and no I'm not a royalty, she usually invites me and May to her home but not after a while back. She keeps teasing me, nagging me, and giving me harsh critics all the time, to be honest I don't really like her harsh attitude. But she is still nice to have around over all."

Rana sighs heavily saying:

"I guess I'm not surprise why you see this rotten town as a great place and so oblivious to your surrounding. To think you've been in contact with not just Rubeca but Yuwei of all people. While still remaining below radar is nothing short of a miracle."

"Master, how does it feel to be in such a big palace. Is it fun?"

Sarah smiling with her eyes sparkling like stars ask like a kid asking for a candy.

"Well to be honest, it's much much smaller than Central's Guild Hallways."

I answer back scratching my cheeks as I try to remember how it was back then. Before realizing maybe it must have change after so long.

"Pfff, hahaha,"

Rana laughs softly as she looks summer sands and seas. Following her gaze I could see the walls of the great city beyond while the coral blue sea stretches to the walls and horizon, shimmering like diamonds among the glittering sands.

Smiling innocently behind the transparent black mask, Rana hides her face behind her huge scarf saying:

"Okay Sova, to be honest I don't know why they've been feeding you lies all this time but lets make a deal shall we? I'm giving you a very big promotion here, I ask you one question and then you got to answer me one question how is that sound. Simple right? A fair trade policy."

Recognising a simple trick those people usually do to me, I can't help but ask:

"I feel like I'm not suppose to say yes. Isn't it, I'm the one suppose to ask first?"

Rana who probably realize what she did pulls her chair closer, resting her chin on her arms, she looks at me with a smile saying:

"Our second policy is make sure the customers pay first before we give. And besides, I thought you want to know about this Confederation. Don't you want to know about your surroundings? What's going on in this country right now. Don't you wish to learn?"

Feeling pressured for some reason I say:

"Yes, I do but I feel like you're exploiting me and about to ask me a very dangerous question."

"Oh, I see. You are uncertain, then how about this instead I'm being very generous here."

She raises two fingers and continue explaining:

"Two, you get to ask me two question. In exchange..."

Her fingers curl down as she leans ever so closer asking:

"So, won't you tell me what's your real name is? And don't even bother saying it's Sova Anmao. I know it's not your real name."

Ever so close, she gaze through the window of my soul as she seems to see through my lies. That's when she stares at her own nails and continue asking:

"Why? Because they were wiped out more than decade ago. In fact..."

As she says that a mannequin appears fromm her shadow and hands her a giant book. Rana takes it and flips pages after pages, making a sliding sound overlapping each other. The addictive sound soon stops when she points at a certain page.

"Last member of the family is a twin beast-kin toddlers of a bihai class or rat-kin by the name of Sova Anmao and Saya Anmao. Current status, dead with no body confirmed."

Fear grasp my heart, as of an invisible hand grasp my heart, voices echo in my head. I could hear it repeating, chiming and ringing ever so loudly. Shouting not to reveal to her, not to tell her, keep my mouth shut. Closing my ears and realizing it's not working, before long I scratch my head and my ears to no avail. The pain is miniscule to the voices over my mind. Before long, I realize who those voices belong to, my aunt...

"I could have the same name..."

As a last ditch futile effort, I try to lie but...

"Pfff, hahaha. You really make my day, Sova..."

Pulling her scarf up to hide her smile, she gaze at me saying:

"Please just don't, how misinformed are you? Didn't anyone ever tell you that honorary family names will never be the same no matter what. Especially inside the Confederation who has a very ingrain family tradition, and please just stop lying you suck at it."

Her eyes soon falls to Sarah as I could easily tell Rana is grinning behind her scarf when she says:

"Isn't that right? Madame Saya~"

My eyes widened by her words. And soon I look at Sarah. Slouching, and rubbing her elbows, she looks down:

"H-how..."

And tears soon fall from her face. With a messy face, she looks at me saying:

"Master, I'm sorry but can you please accept it. I know it's selfish but, but I-I really can't hold back the pain anymore. I-I need to know about my family."

Baffled, I look away and thought

(It can't be! This is too much of a coincidence).

Sarah continues saying:

"Master You stole the name of my brother away, I was patient enough to let it go, but... I... I" she tugs me by the shirt saying, "Master, please accept it!"

Crying as she beg, getting off her chair, she kneels dow and bow her head to the floor shouting:

"M-master please, I-I r-really *Sniff* need to know why my family, why must it it be them," begging as she bows.

The voice of my aunt repeats ever more louder. Resounding, overlapping each other as it echoes in my head silencing my thoughts, I reply saying:

"Sarah I... I'm sorry I... I just can't!"

Confused and feeling the unsettling heavy guilt weighing me down. I begin to question,

(Sis why did you gave me this family name?)

Wondering for the last time, my arms and legs tense up. My muscles roar and scream as my body wants to move. Before long, I use the dash technique Rana taught me and run to the door when the mannequins appear in the nick of time. With strength unimagined, they push me away and I found myself dropping to the floor. Desperate and not being able to think anything but to escape, I look at the open window and decide...

(This is it, Fear is nothing...)

Dashing to my goal, I try to jump when I hear steel strings drag against each other. As I exit and see the ocean ahead of me, on to feel something wrapping around me and more strings surround and wrap me up like a cocoon. My body is pulled over as it tumbles down and crash to the floor when my eyes stops at Sarah.

Having a heavy feeling in my chest, I think to my self and realize.

(Why did I run. I just let a kid suffer for my own needs. What has gotten into me?!)

I close my eyes and say in my heart...

(Sorry aunt but I must spill the truth, I cannot bear seeing another kid suffer without knowing why their parents die. When the sound echoes endlessly and the voice grows louder and louder engulfing the sound around me.

"AUNT PALKA, SHUT UP!!!"

Screaming from the top of my lungs, I continue saying:

"I can't handle it. I'm sorry Sarah, please. I can-"

"I hate you!" she screams on her knees as she covers her face.

"Geez where did you get that courage? What have this become."

I look down saying:

"I-I accept your deal Rana. So please, Sarah, you can stop crying. I-"

"Please stop saying that. I thought you were different but you're just the same as those people."

Her scream is filled with hatred and disappointment when Rana cuts in saying:

"Um, this is not what I expected. Still, a deal is a deal," Rana stands and pulls her scarf up.

Rana ever so cheerful gives the book to the mannequin and walks to Sarah, giving her a helping hand. Yet Sarah just stand by her self and proceed to sit as far in between me and Rana's seat. Rana sighs and take a sit across me. I look at Sarah, when she looks away from me. With her face looking like a mess when a mannequin brought her some napkins.

Rana tells me:

"Sova just give her some space."

I take a huge breath in and out saying:

"Sorry..."

For the last time and ignored.

"Now about the deal, the answer Sova. And remember no running away anymore okay? In usual buseniss you could already have your head lopped off if you pull that stunt, okay?" taking her cup and drink it once more trough her mask.

As aunt Palka voice keep resounding in my head I answer:

"Yes I'm okay, I'm sorry. I promise. I-I, I'll never do that ever again... So please here goes I guess... My real name is Sawyer Ovalon."