15 Us.
"What would Nadine think if she saw you?" The voice was young, innocent, mine.
I scoff at the young boy, not looking at him in his glowing, purple eyes as we lay in this flower field, a gentle breeze swaying.
"She can't think like that to a dead man" I reply, my eyes emotionlessly glazing across all the rotten and decaying bodies strewn across the field, the smell of rotten flesh, urine, and decay disturbingly nonexistent as the contrast of the red and gold blood between the brightly colored flowers not hiding at all.
The young boy tilts his head to the side, kicking his dangling, short skinny legs atop a small tower of corpses.
"You know that's not what I meant" He states matter of factly, his tone careful, devoid of any emotion. I picked that up early.
"Of course I know that's not what you meant, but why should I care about her now? I'm dead to her, literally. As much as what she, no they would think when they see me now haunts me daily, it doesn't matter anymore." I retort, to any other person, they would think I'm still keeping a cool head, my voice not showing any anger or emotion. But between the two of us, the irritation, hurt, and raw emotion are as clear as the bodies around us.
A brief silence envelops us, leaving me to my thoughts.
The young boy turns his head sideways as if he was checking the time. A sigh escapes his lips as if he found out playtime was over. He faces me.
"You have to wake up now" He drones as if he was a bored office clerk. I remain unfazed by the sudden change in tone as if his whole personality changed on a dime. Of course, I would remain unfazed by this, after all, I do the same exact thing, we are the same exact thing.
"Good grief" I murmured, stretching my body as I prepare to wake up.
The same exact scoff that left my lips escapes his and was the last thing I hear as a blinding light envelopes me.
--------------------------------
I awoke to a gruff voice and nudged to my side.
"Wake up kid, it's your shift."
I reply wordlessly as I get up, the nightly breeze sobering me up. The expedition is well on its way, all 40 of us potential students settled in the carriages they call home for the upcoming weeks. Not me, however, due to my elevated status as a sponsored, I was supposed to ride with the nobles. This unsurprisingly caused a major outrage from almost everyone, with two twin nobles and the princess of Bevagira the only ones fine with it. With the vote 12:3, we compromised. I was to ride with 4 other knights in one of the "barracks", an armored carriage.
"Where?" I ask muffling a yawn, checking to make sure all my weapons on me are well, on me.
"You're on princess duty, but since most of the nobles are scared that your "sluminess" will infect them, you'll stay on top of the carriage.
"Fine with me" I throw on my clothing, double-checking myself in the reflection via the window's reflection. Satisfied with my attire, I start climbing to the roof of the carriage.
"Huh?! Hey Arclus, what are you doing!" Thomaso, the knight bunking with me exclaims.
I turned to him. "It's my shift, how am I supposed to guard the package from here?" I ask matter of factly.
"We are moving!" He loudly whispers, disbelief evident in his entire body.
"So?" Is all I reply as I climb out of the carriage, finding myself on the roof in seconds.
I take half a moment to appreciate the wind gently blasting against my face as I look for the biggest, most extravagant carriage in our convoy. I easily found it right away, only one carriage down. I head to the edge of the carriage, judging how far the jump is to the next carriage.
Hmmm, it's doable, but I'll be cutting it close.
I direct my defective mana downwards to my magically enchanted shoes, feeding its required dosage to awaken the air magic within.
With a running start, I throw myself off the carriage, soaring over the small gap to the next one. Once I feel myself starting to descend, I jump again, my hands outstretched for the handlebar right within my grasp. I grab it, a grunt escaping my lips as my body slams into the side of the carriage.
"Thank god for these rune inscriptions," I think to myself, choking down vomit as memories of the atrocities I committed worm their way back up.
I heave myself onto the top of the carriage, laying there for a brief moment to catch my breath and let the adrenaline fade away. After calming down, I climb into a sitting position, knocking on the roof a specific rhythm to let the nobles inside know a guard was on shift. I close my eyes and let my other senses take the wheel, my nose picking up each individual scent of bark, hot food, sweat, and animal urine. The sound of a window opening and wood groaning causes me to open my eyes, causing me to be face to face with our prized "package."
"Princess" I greet her with the barest of nods, a rather treasonous act while dealing with royalty, no matter the country.
She tilts her head inquisitively, her opal eyes full of curiosity.
"Your different" Her voice had a sing-song quality to it, every word giving off a sense of serenity.
"I'm diseased" I snorted back, breaking eye contact. Not the best first impression, but my defective nature was and will always be a sore spot for me.
"Like me then," She replied, her voice soft, haunted by trauma and misuse. A feeling I know all too well. Softening my demeanor, I lock eyes with the princess.
"So what can I do for you, Miss…" I begin, not wanting to call her princess every time, having a gut feeling she is tired of it.
"Feuillemort. Jacqueline Feuillemort."
"Well, it's nice meeting you, Jacqueline. You may call me Arclus."
Her opal eyes furrowed, easily detecting the lie.
"That's not your real name is it?"
"Not at all," I reply bluntly.
A soft chuckle escapes her bright lips, the sound reminding me of a bell chime. The breeze combined with us cutting through the wind on the magically enhanced carriage causes Jacqueline's hair to freely flow, almost captivating me.
Almost.
"Well, Jacqueline, mind if you can tell me not only why you're up here? You're supposed to be in the carriage, not on it." I ask.
