Old Men (III)

Warm air rushed out, and I felt my skin prickle from the change in temperature.

"You first."

Victoria nodded, and went inside. I checked to make sure the hallway was empty, and then moved in, closing the door behind me.

Heat blanketed my body, and the smell of spices and warm food assaulted my senses. Looking around, I could tell that the kitchen was large.

Ladles, pots - every cooking utensil imaginable hung from walls lined with countertops and stoves. Silver light streamed in through windows high above us, illuminating a large table that stretched from the doorway to a huge brick fireplace in the middle of the room.

Victoria's voice pierced the silence. "No one's here."

"Appears so."

She turned back towards me. "Then, what are we searching for?"

I didn't respond, and began to walk. My footsteps echoed on the stone-tiled floor, until the noise stopped. I picked up a small piece of paper lying on the table, the words written in a neat, cursive font.

"Thank you for delivering the food, Oliver. I've left a small pot of soup on the farthest table for you and your sister. Make sure to eat your fill.

-Theodore"

"Is that the clue?"

I placed the note down gently. "No. Just.. just something unimportant."

Victoria came up from behind and grabbed the note. Her eyes scanned through the text, and she glanced up back towards me.

"I'm surprised."

"At what?"

"Words are one thing, but to see you like this.." She paused. "I told you, he'll be fine. Let's go, we have someone to save."

She brushed past me, marching forwards. Pathetic. I shook my head, and began to follow her. It wasn't the time to think about it. After the quest. I just had to wait until after the quest.

We reached the middle of the room, and stared into the fireplace. It was a stone dome with four openings carved on every side, each wide enough for a person to crawl through. Licks of flame danced inside, but I couldn't see any firewood.

I looked sideways at Victoria, her face cast in a dim, orange light. "What powers it?"

"Powers..?" She trailed off.

"The fire."

"Ah." Her eyes glinted. "I'm not too sure about your family, but at the Royal Palace, they use magical inscriptions. If you funnel some mana into them, it'll spawn a flame."

She put her hand out. "This one's still warm. Fuelled by residual mana, I'd assume."

"Then.. the chef left only recently?"

"Most likely."

I walked around the fire, but didn't notice anything off. What exactly was I supposed to find? The clue had told me to come to the kitchen, but nothing was standing out.

"Alex, come here!"

Had she found something? I rushed over to Victoria, and saw her standing next to another table.

She waved her hand. "Is your family about to hold a feast?"

I followed her gaze, and saw a table cluttered with food. Dishes ranging from marbled meats to glistening noodles piled high, making my previous dinner pale in comparison.

However, that wasn't the thing that caught my attention. Away from the extravagance, on the farthest end of the table, I saw a small pot. I moved, grabbing a small spoon off the wall, and found myself looking down into the pot's contents.

The moonlight didn't reach here, so I couldn't see it too well, but it didn't matter. Almost without thinking, I reached down and scooped some soup up into my mouth.

It was cold. That was the first thing I noticed. Then, a comforting taste filled my head. I couldn't describe it, but.. for some reason, it felt like home.

"Revenge on the goddess, remember?" I let out a bitter laugh, the words sounding hollow to my ears.

I turned back. "I don't think so. Did Elena say anything about this to you, Victor..ia?"

She was nowhere to be seen, and the table that had been stacked high with food just moments before was completely empty now. Not even a speck remained.

"Victoria?" My voice was met with a soft gust of air. A chilled breeze brushed past my nose, and I stared up towards open windows. My eyes hovered downwards, and I saw. The fire was out.

I immediately willed mana through my body, ignoring the screech of pain from strained circuits. The world sharpened, and the darkness cleared out like fog. I scanned the entire room, but I couldn't find Victoria.

Fuck. What was going on? From what I knew of her, Victoria wasn't the type to play jokes randomly, especially not in a situation concerning Sera. With my mind on high alert, I slowly made my way towards the empty fireplace. The kitchen seemed ominous now, the once homely atmosphere morphing into an eerie silence.

I kept walking until I was within arms-reach of the oven. Be prepared to fight. I took a step around it, and then I heard soft breathing.

Mana flooded my legs, and I leaped backwards. Through raised fists, I saw that the source of the noise was.. a child?

A small, blond boy sat with his eyes closed, leaning against the bottom part of the oven. He was cute, with neatly trimmed hair and cheeks round from baby fat.

I lowered my arms. Was this the hint that the IMMEDIATE clue had given me? Did this kid know where Sera was?

"Hey, kid." He didn't respond.

I raised my voice. "Hey, wake up-"

A bright flash emitted from the fireplace, and then an arm shot out, gripping the ridges between stone tiles. Another arm quickly followed, and then with a great heave, the oven spat out a bearded man.

"Ah, fuck!" He groaned in pain.

I watched mutely as the man planted one foot on the floor, and stood up whilst wobbling. After a moment, he dusted himself off, and looked around.

The hairs on my skin sprung up, and I waited, not making a single sound. His eyes observed the farthest end of the room, moved to the windows, and then, they met mine.

Red hot pain spiked through my arms as I channeled my mana once more.

I put them up. "Who the fuck are you?"