WHAT NOW

Kalen's pov

They were in a garden, a beautiful garden, its white benches and pillars possessing not a spec of dirt on them, with variation of plants and flowers as rear as a blue moon, why? because they were all black, black petals with white stems producing an alluring contrast like the objective of the garden was to produce beauty from a contradiction and it worked, the exotic air brought about by the matching colours would be hard to replicate if this was their garden, their special place, and in it rested a family that matched the garden just as much as they matched perfection, the farther tall and handsome with black hair that blended perfectly with his azure blue eyes sat beside his wife same hair and eyes but with a smile on her beautiful features that would celestial's to shame and a boy of 4 possessing the best of his parents with a smile just as beautiful with bliss all over his face, he lay with his head on his mother's lap while she stroked his hair his father looked him with pride, both the parents were busy people who rarely had time for him and even tho they were both magis-swords tiredness still shown on their features in the form of bags under their eyes so on the one chance they had to spend time with their only son but instead of having them pamper and coddle him he simply had them all relax at their favourite spot knowing full well they needed it more than he.

His father looked at him while saying

"Kalen the fact that you'll inherit everything thing that I have never fails to bring me joy"

the boy didn't reply but instead his smile became more prominent on his supposedly ignorant face, and like that the dream ended.

I woke up in a large room with a canopy bed the windows were shut tightly with heavy curtains covering them as such the room was so dark anyone other than me would need mana enhanced sight to see inside, he burst inside the room before yelling

"finally you've woken up"

Felix said, he wore his usual expression like he was listening to something extremely funny but I could see under his eyes humongous dark bags that spoke volumes of the stress he's been through

"I'm sorry"

I said

"well if you're truly sorry how about you take a bath and meet me in the dinning room"

he said before exiting with the same amused expression,

I got up and walked towards the bathroom filled up the tub with water and began to systematically scrub myself, a few day in the cell had left my appearance less than favorable and I hadn't bothered to clean my self before going straight to bed as such it didn't take long for the bath water to turn brown and, I have need for a new one.

I watched the soapy water go down the drain with a perplexed expression house's with bathrooms adjacent the bedrooms weren't cheap and I for one lived in a simple apartment that placed priorities like distance from my place of work and what the neighbor's were like above anything else but now I was standing in one of the biggest mansions in Trident city, and it was mine, inlet that thought sinking before getting dressed in a simply white shirt and black trousers passing through the hall ways I noticed the place had become much cleaner than when I first saw it, when I first got here empty bottles of alcohol and cigarettes littered the place we also discovered a stash of 'candi' a drug heavily outlawed but now all that remained of the guild were their banners flags and a couple uniforms which were stashed in the corners of the room, before I made it to the dinning I caught the scent of something heavenly following the trail I ended at the dinning in front of a bowl of the most delicious stew I had ever seen, it had everything from beef to pork chicken to qual basically everything type of meat even remotely tasty but rather than focusing on it I looked at the person standing beside the head of the table where the stew was located, it was a woman she was tall 6 feet on the dot with long blond hair which she had in a single braid with grey eyes that looked almost silver hidden behind glasses her features were elegant and refined while her chest and rear were quite sizeable all in all she looked like some kind of luxury escort or a princess and I would have pegged her for one if she wasn't wearing a maid outfit but before I could ask she caught sight of me and bowed low I went and took my seat then asked

"what's you're name"

"Agnes"

she replied

"and what's you're purpose here"

"I'm the head maid and chief of security"

and she indeed fit the bill I could tell she was a silver Garrotte user, she fought with a special kind of string that had excellent offensive and defensive capabilities she was also an 8 teir spell caster at the least.

"you're weapon the people who've achieved synchronisation with it are few why was it you're choice"

she recoiled a bit not expecting me to be able to tell what weapon she used

" yes but I had always admired the complexity of the weapon and it was one of the few materials I could get my hand on when I was growing up"

she spoke with a slight pleading tone as if she wouldn't want ne to push further

"hmmm are there other staff members present"

"yes sir"

"how are you chosen"

"the Don's association"

the message in those words was clear don't ask anymore even you're station isn't high enough for that

"we're to serve you and to maintain the mansion and defend it but you can't command us to perform duties you've leave to you're guild members like exploration and dungeon raiding we also spectate battles between Don's "

'so the girl with short silver hair was one of you"

she recoiled again probably wondering how I noticed her in that life or death struggle

"are their any males amongst the staff"

"ground keepers and gate men"

".....alright"

then I began to eat halfway through the meal Felix appeared but he didn't say anything and instead let me finish and finish I did while in my cell I didn't eat a morsel, I don't know why but hunger never came and no matter how had I looked at it, it never felt appetizing but now maybe because I've had time to think and because of all the crazy things that had happened in the past few days it seemed right to make this pit stop called food, I finished before long then had Agnes excuse us before asking

"how long was I out?"

"2 days"

i looked at him whilst raising an eyebrow

"i swear it was 2 day"

i decide to take it like that, we waited in silence before I finally said

"if you have anything to ask now would be a good time"

he looked forward for a while while scratching his chin before going

"Nah"

"what

those words almost brought a change even to my inflexible expression

"nothing?"

I asked

"nothing"

he replied

"I mean I was a little shocked that you had an Arcanum but come on you've always been a brilliant magis-sword it'd make sense you'd unlock it and keep it a secret as it was that 'Arcanum' and you were always someone who didn't like the attention and Micheal told everyone the reason why you and the former no:3 fought so you're good"

"what about the guild"

"they're all sad to see you go but they're also happy that someone they can trust is in power now so"

we said silent for a while before Felix finally said

"the real question is what now"

"I thought you said you didn't have any questions"

"I'm sorry sir I was so busy I forgot"

he said meekly, I looked him deadpan and said

"I can never win with you"

"ad long as you know"

my mind went to Loraine, I ended up here fight for her then fight what was wrong then fighting to punish those I found wrong so what now indeed

"I think I want to make this city one she can be proud of"

I didn't need to tell him who she was because he was already nodding

.........

although we could tell she was in the other room listening to us we couldn't tell she was simultaneously reporting all that she heard telephatically to him

'yes sir, I've affirmed his skills, and it seems as if we have similar goals albeit his are on the smaller side I'll continue to keep watch, as you command sir'

and with that Agnes straighted her hair and dress and walked into the room to pick up the empty dish, if she heard anything they said she didn't show it.