Tiresome

The daylight was coming to a halt. With its last ounces of strength, it shone a light on the exhausted black-haired youth who sat in solemn silence. The flat clearing was surrounded by various cliffs that arched together, forming a large arrangement of varying shadows in the clearing.

Enjoying the sun's final moments, Machia looked keenly at the varying shapes surrounding him. It had been two days since he left the capital behind, yet he had failed to wonder about its state once.

'Perhaps I can spare one set of eyes.'

Deeply troubled, his thoughts were interrupted by a feminine voice.

"Good work today."

The woman approached Machia and crouched down to hand him something despite her short stature. Handing him a small pot filled with some form of stew. Despite the kindness of the gesture, Machia stared at the woman warily. 

"Gentle today aren't we, what happened to being terrified of me. I prefered that."

Machia's condescending tone annoyed Circe, who looked away with a frown.

"Gentle is a stretch; you sure are a twisted man aren't you? So distrusting. If I have to spell it out for you, it's simply gratitude."

"Hoh, gratitude is it?"

"Don't misunderstand. I don't trust you or anything. Back there, you set me and Hectate up didn't you?"

"No, not exactly. I just took advantage of her."

"Maybe that makes more sense, but you see, had you simply asked me to join you, I would have."

Machia stared at Circe impatiently.

"I'd go anywhere to protect her. You, of all people, would get that, wouldn't you."

Machia's face warped into a sour expression, which ceased only after taking a petulant sip from the pot he held. Turning his face back towards the shadows that lay scattered around him, Machia stood and walked past them away from Circe. One last glimpse of sunlight illuminated their figures, revealing the corpses of multiple huge, horrific black creatures.

"Quit prying, witch, don't forget your place."

Circe seemed a little disappointed by his response and hung her head reluctantly.

"Whatever you say. My prince"

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Perses lay flat, bedridden with exhaustion. He had spent the last few hours listening listlessly to the distant clutter of the capital but to no avail. He was unaware of where the creature might have run off, too.

The process of healing was almost done. Only the strained feeling of his right arm remained. However, the one responsible for this job was sat at the furthest corner of the room, happily eating away at his food.

"Hey, that's supposed to be mine. At least share some of it."

Half stuffing herself, the girl could hardly find room in between eating to speak.

"Nuh-uh, this is a trade, remember? I heal you and then eat your food, alright."

The girls' obnoxious tone and immaturity damaged Perses' patience, which he was pretty certain couldn't be healed.

"Then at least heal me first and then eat. This arm really hurts, you know."

"Why should I, not like you can move without my help anyway."

In response to that, Perses stood up and walked towards her. Rather than apologise, the girl simply hissed at him, defensively guarding whatever remained of his food.

Eyeing a piece of bread, Perses pointed, "Can I at least have that?"

The girl looked slowly between the bread and Perses, deep in consideration.

"No"

"What do you mean no you've had plenty all ready!."

Approaching and ready to force the bread out of her hands, the door to the room opened suddenly. Standing there was the fox-eyed reverent, who cast a dubious glance at him with his typical smile.

"Something wrong? I could hear you from down the hallway."

Looking between Perses and the plate, the Reverend awaited a response.

Perses thought about how exactly to respond sure this man had not hurt Perses so far, but he found him to be deeply distrustful. That book in his hand also stood out in the worst way. The pitch-black book was entirely out of place amongst the divine white gold-lidden robe adorned by the reverent. Perses couldn't help but look back between the girl and the priest, awkwardly waiting for his response.

Smiling, the reverent dismissed Perses' silence and carefully followed his gaze towards the girl sitting fearfully beside the plate. The man squinted at her with an uncharacteristic intensity.

"Oh, that, the maids will come to collect it soon, but you should really finish your food. Oh one last thing, I'm not so harmless to asky you to stay inside here forever, but its rather... hectic at the moment. If you could do your best to keep your adventures to a minimum."

With one final scan of the room, the man left as briefly as he had arrived. Perses looked at the closed door with scepticism.

"It seems like he can't see you devil. What do you think of him?."

"The teacher guy, he seems stupid I don't like stupid people. But sometimes when I'm wandering the capital invisible it feels like he's looking at me, creepy isn't he?."

Perses looked at her bewildered. Not only had she confessed to sneaking around the capital invisible all this time, but she also called someone else stupid. Amazed, Perses stared at her with a new-found awe.

'Hold on, I bet she knows all kinds of things. This is a great chance to learn more.'

"No wait first off what exactly happened yesterday? Why did the beast attack us?"

Now uninterested in the conversation, the girl returned to her food only to find the bread she had been saving for last gone. Holding on to the bread, Perses waved it in front of her. Rather than answer the question she was obviously being prompted to, she dived at Perses, hands outstretched.

With his left arm, Perses stopped the lunging girl's head, pushing her back with ease as she desperately clawed at the bread he held. His strength had greatly waned since his fight, but some of its supernatural power remained.

"Hey, what the hell is wrong with you just answer the question."

"Oh is that all, fine then."

Sitting back down obediently, she sat with her legs and arms folded in a serious pose.

"What was the question again?"

With a sigh, Perses replied, "First, start with the beast. What was it, and why did it attack us?

"I don't know what it was butttt."

"But what?"

"Well, you see, I smelt something weird, so I went to go explore that place. You get it right, it's pretty boring around here, well, anyway, with your help, I opened that staircase and went ahead. I found it just before you arrived; the rest is history."

"No, No, hold on. That doesn't explain anything. Is there a reason it attacked us?"

"Well, you see, I have these special eyes and um-"

"And what?"

"I Tried to kill it."

Perses stared at the girl. There was no amazement, just a sick, delirious fascination.

"And when I used my eyes, it just woke up, I don't know why they didn't work, after that its eyes turned red."

"...So basically, it's all your fault."

"Can I have that bread now?"

Perses held on to the bread, utterly defeated. He returned to his bed before taking a bite much to the devil's horror. Holding his wounded arm with a pained expression, Perses couldn't help but sigh.

'Machia, where did you go?'.