CHAPTER 21: The Worry Spree

"Ahhh!! That was relieving!" Aella huffed as she came out of the restroom.

It has been so long since she was able to relieve herself in a befitting lavatory that she even forgot momentarily how it worked. 

This arduous journey had resulted in her finding an empty place and digging a hole in the ground like a dog before she forced out whatever needed to be let out from her system.

She was even surprised she hadn't gotten an infection from littering in those unsanitary places.

Aella patted her stomach as she walked further into the room with the duvet hanging on her shoulders to conceal her shameful attire of only an overlarge tunic.

She paused in her tracks when she realized she was alone in the room.

Her sapphire orbs swept over the room as she looked for the strange man who had ripped her off her dignity.

He was nowhere to be found, and so was the tray of food she had been eating from. 

Aella pouted. She never informed him to take the food away while she was in the bathroom. She wasn't done yet!

She turned her head to look at the other door in the room which seemed to be for the exit. 

This could be her only chance to find out where she actually was or find a way to escape from here before the demon would return and command his slave to dress her for his dinner but strangely, Aella was feeling too listless to go through that now.

It might have been the fever she had just recovered from or the strain from the month's trip she had made but sudden exhaustion fell onto her body that her knees almost gave in.

She could find a way to escape later, now, she needed to get her usual agility back or else, she wouldn't get far before she was caught.

She dragged her legs against the floor and trudged towards the soft bed which was calling her towards its gentle caresses. And she abided like a dutiful slave.

Aella took the blanket off her shoulders and placed it over her body as she laid down on the mattress with a wistful sigh. Her pacific eyes were glued to the ceiling.

Her body was still and unmoving but her head was like a raging storm, reeling with thousands of thoughts and questions.

Where was she? Who was the demon she was meant to slay? And who was this Bane fella? What did he want from her? Why was he feeding and nursing her back to health? He definitely needed to have an ulterior motive for all this.

It was only because of the compass that she was able to confirm this was the Cassa Dron that the witch had told her about but she thought there was no single sign of humanity here so how did Bane stay here with his master?

She couldn't understand this.

Aella was about to reach out for the compass again to check if the lines had really disappeared forever or if it was merely her hallucination but it was then she realized that none of her belongings was there.

Since she had been locked up in the cell, she hadn't seen her backpack or her sharp-edged sword. She had crawled all over the darkness, searching for it but never found anything.

The compass and her clothes were the only things she was with from Grenol, her hometown, but now, even those were gone.

Aella curled to her side and wrapped herself tightly in the thick blanket, having a strong sense of loneliness that she hadn't felt in a while.

She missed her home, her parents and even her annoying little sister. She missed the constant arguments she occasionally had with Aurelia and even the scoldings coming from her strict but tender mother.

Most of all, she missed her father's warm hugs which used to comfort and assure her that nothing was ever going to go wrong in her life, but now, everything seemed to be astray after Aurelia invited doom into their abode.

They lost their estate, her father collapsed, and she left the house in hopes of finding the only solutions to their problems. The heart of the mystical creature beyond the Dark Lands.

As incomprehensible as it seemed when she first embarked on the journey, the monsters and goblins she slayed on her way to get here proved to her that beyond the realm of humans, existed dozens of other fantasy creatures with more complex behaviours and ways of life.

The more she ventured into the Dark forest, the more complicated and horrid the monsters became.

She had to be soaked in their blood and disgusting saliva and could only be relieved a little when she found an uncommon stream to wash the dirt off her but the smell still lingered on her body.

At first, she threw up multiple times but the more her senses got used to it, the more unperturbed she became when attacking the beasts who were hell-bent on tasting her flesh.

Nightmares of more coming for her haunted her in every sleep that she found a hard time discerning which was real or which was a dream.

It was only the memories of her family waiting for her to return back at home that kept her sane and pulled her through the end of the journey, but she hadn't even gotten close to the termination. Aella felt like this was only the beginning.

She prayed her father had regained consciousness and gotten much better now.

She also hoped the Lord hadn't kicked them out of the house yet, the money she left for them should have been able to sustain him for some time but she didn't know how long he could wait before he threw them to the streets.

She didn't know if Aurelia was sensible enough to take out some money to get food for the house. She wondered if she was even taking care of their old parents properly.

She couldn't wait to return home so this will all be a nightmare.

Worries after worries gripped Aella that she found it too hard to close her eyes and respond to the pull that was calling her to rest.

In an attempt to keep her from balling her eyes out again, Aella shut her eyes tightly and wheeled herself to sleep.

Maybe, in a warm and soft bed, the terror that chased her in her sleep wouldn't appear today.