Chapter 7: Desert Requiem (4)

A light sparked in the corner of my eyes.

I instantly stretched my arm in front of me, reaching forth while the wind circling around me grew wilder as I opened my hand before me;

A bright purple and black lightning flashes in front of me as I instinctively closed my hand into a fist and felt it on my grasp.

I planted my feet down and pulled it out from the light. Twisting my body around on my side as I swayed it aback.

Then release it in one swing, as all the light vanishes.

A long black handle

silver cresent blade

and deep purple stone in its middle.

I wielded a death scythe.

'You called?'

I can hear him inside my head.

Eri, I need you—!

'That's exactly what I'm here for!

Let's go, Aerra!'

The wind suddenly went violently around me as I swayed the scythe blade aback once again and held it there in place patiently.

The fiend charges closer.

Come closer.

Closer...

'Now!!!'

I released it and swayed the blade around and all the air around me releases along with it,

The ground breaks apart where the wind traveled

slashing pass the fiend

It's body torned apart instantly.

"Aeron!!" I hollered as I tossed the scythe to him at the same time he leaps off from the ground and from the fiend in front of him and the scythe spun in midair, gravitating towards him.

He graps it in que with both hands and swings the scythe pass his shoulder behind him

Then slashes down against the fiend abruptly in one smite.

The wind followed down along, tearing the beast apart as the impact created a crater on the ground while the wind bursted asunder.

Aeron lands back down the ground like a feather.

The scythe lights up one more time and Stray materializes out. Stepping down to his feet like a cat with wind circling around him.

The children thew theirselves at the sigh of him, "Straaaayyy!!!" They all sung in one voice. Crying in relief as he sat on his heels and patted all their head.

My legs suddenly felt limp and I slid down to the ground as if all my energy has been drained.

That shit actually worked.

I'm still alive—

And I was able to sync with him.

But he's a death scythe—

Ahh~ I love my destiny

...not.

Aeron rans up to me. "Did I hear it right? You shouted out 'Eri'?" he asks. "Why?"

I just shrugged, "Just an expression?" I side-long glanced Stray as he stood back up and eyed me in a smirk.

"But thanks to you, we survived without awakening our powers" Aeron murmured, reaching a hand to help me up.

Oh, he understood what Cerguz was planning as well huh? Maybe that's why he was calm.

...despite hand to hand wrestling a fiend with its tusk— 💧

We both walk closer to Stray as he looks up to where Cerguz stood. "I guess he failed this time."

I looked up as well and saw Cerguz staring down at us with such cold eyes.

Ahh but the sky is now blue.

And the sun has already risen up wholly.

The blood rush honestly felt good.

Stray who stood beside me suddenly leans down to my ears when no body was looking, "I felt so happy when I heard you but— try to keep our secret more discreet next time." He stood back up straight, puts a finger on his lips, as we winks at me while smiling.

My eyes selectively once again stared at his dimples.

"I w-will!" I replied. I can feel my cheeks hot.

Wait. This blood rush is not what I was talking about.

Sounds of clapping suddenly emits.

It went on echoing around.

We all looked up towards where it was coming from and saw two men, clad in peculiar outfits, standing above the pits quite far from where Cerguz stood. One of them was clapping haughtily. "Now that is something!" he says with his big and rounded voice.

Cerguz doesn't seem too happy about their arrival.

I can hear Stray gasp.

"Giles and Faram...." he murmured under his breath. "They're back..."

Cerguz gestures with his hand and yelled out, "Take them all back to their rooms!"

"Wait." shouted the man who was clapping. "We'll be taking the two white haired."

I can see Cerguz glared at them for a minute or two before turning his back and walking away.

Hearing the man refer to us, Aeron takes my hand as if on instinct.

"It's okay. They are part of the elite mercenaries. If it's them, you're at least safe from Cerguz. The noisy one is Giles and the blindfolded one is Faram." uttered Stray

Blindfolded?

I looked up again and focused my attention to the other one, indeed he has a black strap tied around his head that covered his eyes.

Cerguz men started to climb down towards us. I just eyed everything around me

"Summon me if anything comes up." Says Stray as he and the kids were separated from us while we were ushered to where the two men stood.

I looked at everything around me for a while.

Wait.

—Pause everything...

I seriously want to pause everything just now and study this setting.

Just as another point of view...

If I am the heroine of my own story, would I even end up with this kind of development?

Of course not, I bet.

Instead of me rushing head on against everything on my own, someone should have arrived already by now to rescue me.

But these— instead resulted.

I always do what I think should be done at the given situation and yet end up dwelling further to my dark destiny. I mean right now, here I am, climbing the stairs towards these mercenaries that had taken interest to what I incited just awhile ago.

I feel like no matter how much I try to do my best. I'm only leading further and further towards a condition that would lead me to my own corruption.

This is so unfair.

What have I done in my previous lives to let these all happen to me now?

But somehow... deep down why do I still end up hoping that everything will be alright?

Oh wait, that's right—

I side-long glance Aeron in silence.

My brother might be the Hero for the Heroine.

There's a chance he might be the chosen one—

In that case...

Right now, my best chance is to follow on his lead and I will surely make it through...

...right?

••▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅••

When we finally reach the two new faces, Cerguz's men left.

I studied them in silence.

The man called as Giles wore a red leather coat that drapes down pass his knees; Underneath this, he is topless. Exposing seemingly rock hard abdominal muscles that had few scars which he seem to wore proud. He has spiked flame-red hair and brown eyes. His left eyebrow is divided by a scar in its middle. The bridge of his nose turns up a little in a corner, perhaps he broke it in a fight once. He has hard jowls with squared and chiselled jawline. Everything about him, including his presence alone, is rattling.

Standing beside Giles is a man referred to as Faram. He stood tall and dignified but compared to Giles, he was rather thin but lean enough. He has silver hair with a bundle of black strands of hair behind his ears which drapes down few inches longer than the rest of his hair. He has a pale complexion and a sharp pointy nose that matches his soft facial features. Black piece of cloth tied around his face, completely covered his eyes. His neck is long and his shoulder is wide. He wore an odd tribal like garment. I can see a black tattoo on his collarbone. The character is familiar to me. It means '2nd'. I wonder if it symbolizes their ranks... if so— he must be really strong despite his appearance.

"Yo!" Greeted Giles as we stood up looking at them. Aeron held my hand tighter. "The name's Giles and this guy beside me is Faram."

We eyed Faram as he just crossed his arms together in silence.

"We saw what you two did down there." He says, pointing out with his thumb. "So we'll take you in as our whatchamacallit... uhhh— underling?" he added, scratching his head while wearing a big grin on his face.

Faram sighed in exasperation, "I think you mean apprentice." He says in a low yet airy voice.

"Yes. That's it! App-rentis! HAHAHAHA!" He replied as he throws in a very loud laugh that had Aeron and me sink down to our shoulders, wincing. It was ear ringing.

He crosses his arms together; his huge biceps bulges vividly. "We had an agreement with the old guy that as long as we take a kid under our wing, he can't sell them out! So we are like your saviours now, huh?"

Oh. So that's why Cerguz didn't seem to be particularly pleased about their return.

Faram suddenly walked away without a word. We all followed him with our eyes.

"Well, guess that means introductions are over. Let's all head back!" uttered Giles as he marches ahead of us.

Aeron and I just exchanged glances. We were left alone unattended.

We could run away now if we wanted but—

Not as if that'll be an easy feat though.

"Let's just go with them for now and see how this one goes. If Stray says they're both okay then maybe we can trust them somehow." Aeron whispers, squeezing my hand gently. I just nodded at him.

I think Aeron is interested in them.

I, on the other hand, don't think the same way.

I don't trust them one bit. But it's not as if I have any other choice for now.

Aeron began to walk back, following Giles. I followed behind them in silence.

I watch how Giles turn to look at us and grinned profoundly when he saw Aeron behind him. He tousles his hair roughly and then they went on walking back.

That— just now, seemed like friendly gesture though.

••▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅••

We all walked in silence passing all the familiar passages as Giles and Faram walked at the same pace, in front of us.

This path leads back to the ruins' portal, I thought.

"Where are you taking us?" Aeron breaks the silence. "The ruins?"

He noticed as well.

"The ruins? Heck, No! 'Got a bad experience with a malfunctioning portal once! Never been a runic explorer type ever since!" replied Giles in a grimace as if recalling something nasty, "We're actually heading back to your new rooms. From now on you will be both staying with us. We need to fill our stomachs before we begin with the training! They'll be sending food to our rooms so let's eat first! I'm famished!" he added, rubbing at his belly. "By the way, I like how you smote the fiend down with one blow kid! The ferocity in it is beautiful! So I'll be your mentor!" he turns about and patted Aeron's shoulder twice.

"Master..." Faram corrected.

"Ah yes! I'll be your Master!!! When I'm done with you, you will be able to split mountains into two!" He says haughtily.

Geez what a loud voice.

I look at Aeron and realize he really seem interested.

Has he forgotten that escaping with the others must take precedence over our own personal trainings?

Wait a minute. Split a mountain into two? That might actually fit my villain imagine.

"I don't want to do that" I grumbled. I rather go back to where Nora and the others are.

"Oh, I won't be training you! Faram will be your master, lassie!" he replied, pointing Faram with his thumb.

He then turns about, "Got anything to assure the kid?" he says to Faram but he didn't reply.

That is when I noticed a marking on Giles' nape. Written under the same characters as Faram but his was a different one. "Fourth" it says.

I'm starting to believe it might really be their rankings.

So Faram is much ahead of this guy then, I thought. But if Giles is fourth in the eight mercenaries and he can brag about training my brother in splitting mountains into two, I wonder how powerful the guy called Faram is...

We turned a corner and arrived at the unguarded area with many doors.

Giles turns to one door and gestured at Aeron to step in, after which, he goes in as well and closes the door behind them.

I looked at Faram who just stood there near a door exactly opposite from where my brother was taken in. I counted all the doors with my eyes.

There were nine. I walked up to him as he crosses his arms together. "Apprentices stays with their Master. Also you can only eat when I say you eat. Sleep when I say you can sleep. You just need to follow my every command. That's the only rule. Otherwise I'll dispose you."

"But I don't want to be a mercenary" I replied, staring at his blindfolded eyes. Training into one is like jumping right ahead to my villain destiny.

Wait. Can he even see me?

"Do you honestly think stating that will make a difference? You're a prisoner of Ouboros. We get to decide what happens to you, not the other way around." he spoke in his usual low and monotonous tone. "Now, open the door"

I wonder what he will do if I didn't follow him.

So I just stood there and stared at him without moving.

He sighed in exasperation. "What's your entire name?" His hand reaches towards me.

"Aerrandria Leingod." I answered as I stepped aback.

"Too mouthful. I'll just call you Ri." His hand stops midway even before it reaches me.

"I am called Aerra!" I retorted.

Suddenly a black light forms in the tips of his fingers. "Ri— If you want your freedom back, you need to earn it." The black light began to form bigger and bigger and moved in an amoebic motion.

"How— By splitting mountains?" I murmured, bracing myself as I stared at his hand.

He shook his head. "Powerful. Strong. Skilled. That makes up a brute like Giles. I'm not going to train you into something like that. This world doesn't need more loudmouthed boor like him."

Suddenly the black light shoots towards me and covered my face even before I could have reacted. I clawed at it but it felt as if I'm fighting air. I can't touch it. It went on moving around my face until it settles down to where my eyes were and then finally materializes like cloth. Binding around my head in a knot like a blindfold. I tried to pull at it but it won't come off.

"But from how you fought awhile ago— I figured you're apt for a training suitable for my ways. You won't need your eyes for that..."

Damn.

I can't see anything—

"You won't even need to enhance your muscles. We will only need to enhance your senses"

"And what kind training would that be?" I grumbled as I stopped trying to take the blindfold off from me and focused on my ears.

I can hear my own breathing;

The sounds of sands grinding below my shoes as I shift my footing;

The sounds of voices from another room, perhaps Aeron and Giles are in a conversation as well

And I can even sense the familiar watch of Cerguz.

But I can't sense Faram.

It felt rather like— I'm standing alone.

But then he replied to my inquiry,

"Unassailable. Formidable and possibly Invincible... That's what I want you to become."

Listening to his monotonous voice sounds intoxicating and feels contagious.

If I spend more time with this man, I feel like I might end up talking in a monotonous tone like him.

I raised my voice. "All of those things you just said are no different from what you enumerated formerly. A mercenary is a mercenary. I don't want to become one!"

There is a moment of silence.

"Right now there's only Giles and me who returned. The others might not be back soon. Cerguz always lock himself up in his quarters but aside from us there are over a hundred of men that serve under him. Five men stands on guard outside the only egress and two serves as scouts on watch on top of two cliffs beside the base. They all senselessly ran back inside whenever a large commotion arises. The outside will be unguarded then."

Why—

"Why are you telling me these things?"

"Just do what I command and perhaps— I will give you back your freedom." His voice sounded calm but cold. "Now... open the door."

I don't understand where he's getting at but as what Aeron told me, if Stray says they're okay then maybe I could count on to his words even just for a bit.

It's not like I have a choice anyway.

So I turned to the wall and began to grope my way to the door knob and pulled the door open.

At least now, I told myself, Cerguz can't touch us.

••▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅••