Spear Wielder

Aries was catching his breath when he reached the closed gate at the southern border of House Ram. Fortunately for him, the iron gate and the stone wall were covered with towering trees and rich bushes. It provided him a place to hide from those people that kept on calling his name, giving him things, and wishing for his speedy recovery.

He hated gaining a lot of attention. And it seemed that Hell wanted him to suffer all the things that he despised.

"You looked pissed."

Aries looked up and saw a woman that was probably the same age as him. She was comfortably sitting on a sturdy branch and her right hand was gripping a spear with a dark purple blade. The color of her eyes was like that of amethyst and radiating a dangerous vibe.

Aries opened his right palm and was still amazed at how the crimson blade named Vermillion manifested magically in his right hand. It was only his second time summoning the blade but the process already felt so natural to him. Even the horns protruding at his head were not bothering him anymore.

"Ooohhh…" the girl was clearly mocking him. "It must be true," she vanished on top of the branch and reappeared in front of Aries with her spear raised and ready to strike him dead.

A sudden thought came to Aries. If what Pieffer said to him was true, dying would only mean getting reborn. He wanted to test that out. He lowered his sword and waited for the spear to pierce his head, but it did not come. He only felt something wet and cold splattering on his forehead.

He opened his eyes and saw the tip of the spear showering water on his forehead and the woman wielding it laughed at him.

"What do you think you're doing?" Aries frowned at the woman. At one moment, he was ready to slice her body in half, but in the next second, something inside his head was forcing him to keep his sword pointed on the ground.

He hated it.

He was hesitating a lot since he awakened in that Hell they called Serestral.

"Aries! She is Siorre! Zodiac Knight and Scorpion House Leader! She is an ally!" Pieffer was running towards them and Sunrei trailed behind her.

"Hello," the spear-wielding woman waved her left hand at him. "The moment you stepped out of your house, I've been observing you," she squinted and leaned her face closer to him. "I thought Pieffer was exaggerating things. You truly cannot recognize anyone."

"When did I exaggerate things?" Pieffer frowned as she stood beside Aries.

"Sometimes," Siorre smiled and stifled a laugh when she added, "Especially when it comes to him."

"I told you," Sunrei laughed.

"That's not true!" Pieffer screamed with a reddening face.

"Teasing aside, are you sure we should storm the House of Lion with him in that state?" Siorre was gazing hesitantly at Aries. "Don't you think he should get his memories back before returning there? Or are you that eager to die?"

Dying is nothing new on me, Aries wanted to say but the words that came out of his mouth were, "If you are worried about my fighting skills then why don't we fight?"

Let's see if I can die again.

"Fine," Pieffer sighed and rolled her eyes, "Do what you want."

She sat beside a tree and took one of the lunch boxes Miko had packed for them.

"Just don't kill each other," Sunrei sat beside Pieffer and opened another lunch box.

"Is that Miko's dishes?" Siorre was staring hungrily at the lunch boxes.

"You want to eat first?" Aries sneered.

"Of course," Siorre sat beside Pieffer and opened a lunch box. "Miko cooks so well. And I don't want to fight you. There are only five of us remaining. We should help each other out and focus on defeating those corrupted souls," she winked at Aries then started eating.

"As if you have a way to defeat those corrupted souls," Aries took one of the lunchboxes and settled beside a tree that was a few feet away from Pieffer, Sunrei, and Siorre.

"Tauren and Quaria are continuously looking for ways to send those corrupted souls to where they belong," Siorre pulled a bundle of bracelets and a few glowing vials from the pocket of her sleeveless purple overcoat. She gave them all to Pieffer and explained, "According to Tauren, the clean water from the House of Pitcher helped in creating those holy waters. But as of now, it will only work on weak corrupted spirits. Quaria said that clean water is not enough. It needs to be purified."

"We can only purify things at the House of Maiden," Pieffer said.

"Unfortunately for us, it had already fallen to the hands of our enemy," Siorre sighed with frustration.

"We need to find Leon as soon as we can," Pieffer put down her lunch box. It was already empty. "Are you guys ready?"

"Five more minutes," Siorre ate her food in silence.

Aries wanted to ask more about the House of Lion but decided to keep his mouth busy with the food Miko had prepared for them.

It was not a lie. The food was so scrumptious that Aries kept on eating until there was no more food left. He wanted to eat more but all the lunch boxes had already been emptied. Pieffer looked like she was on a diet, but she had eaten more than the rest of them.

Aries smiled as it was his first time seeing Pieffer eat so much.

"Let's go," he was about to throw the lunch box away but Siorre seized it from his hands.

"Miko will look for this," she gave the lunch box to Pieffer.

"Here," Pieffer handed three vials of holy water and a set of different colored bracelets to each of them. "How do we use the holy water, Siorre?"

"Tauren said that a single spray should force the corrupted soul out of its vessel."

Pieffer nodded as Sunrei said, "Understood."

"I think we should not go in big groups," Pieffer advised. "We instantly attracted attention the last time we went there together. I also think that it will be faster to find Leon if we split into two groups. Siorre will go with me. Aries, you go with Sunrei. Let's meet at the Mane's Inn by midnight."

"Okay," Sunrei agreed.

Aries only nodded even though he wanted to say that Pieffer should go with him. He was curious to know if something will change in him once they parted. He was also comfortable with that kind of arrangement. It was better for Pieffer to go with Siorre than with Sunrei. The spear wielder looked capable of protecting the princess. The prince, on the other hand, still needs to be observed even though he had shown surprising closeness to the princess. Aries wanted to make sure that Sunrei was being genuine.

If it was only him, doing nothing would be easier. But since Pieffer was too involved in saving that kingdom, Aries could only support her. Whether she was the Pieffer he loved or not, he could not bear to see sadness or disappointment in those sapphire blue eyes.

"Aries, only you can open this gate," Sunrei pointed at the enormous iron gate a few meters away from them. The head of a ram was engraved at the center of it. "Tap it lightly with your sword. Another tap will close and lock it."

Aries approached the gate and did as he was told. It opened with the slightest touch of his blade and he immediately locked it after the four of them had passed through it.

What lay beyond the iron gate was a thick woodland that they had to traverse for hours before they saw another iron gate. What was sculpted in the middle of it was the head of a lion.

"Can my blade open that?" Aries asked.

"There is no need," Pieffer smiled nervously. "We will use the bracelet."

"Wait," Aries glared at the princess. "We can use that anytime and anywhere, right?"

"We could have used it inside your mansion," Pieffer agreed with an apologetic smile. "But your people wanted to see if you are okay. I want to show them that you are doing well and they don't need to worry."

"Right," Aries smiled with sarcasm. "My action towards them is definitely reassuring."

"You are alive. That is all they need to see," Sunrei impatiently interjected. "As long as you are alive, with memories intact or not, there is hope for everyone."

Aries rolled her eyes and picked the bracelet with a lion's head on it.

"How did you manage to put a crystal inside this house?" Siorre asked the question that Aries had in mind.

"Back then it was open," Pieffer simply answered. "They are already trying to enter the House of Ram but we managed to shove them back to the House of Lion. I'm glad that I remembered to leave a crystal inside," she was beaming so proudly. "We have an easier way in."

"Is there another way in?"

"Barriers can only protect a House from the corrupted souls. People that are not possessed can still climb the wall."

The wall was probably a hundred feet tall and staring at it for a long time, Aries felt like he had once climbed such a towering wall.

"Leon is the only one who can open and close this gate," Siorre gazed hopefully at the lion crest on the closed gate. "I hope we find him tonight."

"We will go first," Sunrei grabbed Aries by his arm and broke the ornament with his boots.

It transported them on the other side of the wall, beneath the tall trees and rich bushes.

"Follow me," Sunrei was moving stealthily behind the trees.

Aries was cautiously trailing behind him. At that moment, he was like the Sunrei he knew.

Now that we are far from Pieffer, will he reveal his true nature?

"Stop," Sunrei whispered and pointed to where they had been transported a few moments ago.

Pieffer and Siorre appeared behind the tree through a silent explosion of blinding light. Those two had spotted Aries and Sunrei. They waved at them before traversing the opposite way.

"Let's go," Sunrei sneaked quietly from behind the trees and towards an empty alley.

One of the things Aries noticed the moment they entered the House of Lion was the gloominess of the place. The sky over that land was dark as if it were already evening. When on the other side of the wall, it was only afternoon.

"Don't talk to people unless you are sure that they are not possessed."

"I know," Aries snapped at Sunrei. "Just tell me what this Leon looks like."

"His hair looks like a blazing flame. He is the only one who has that strange hairstyle," Sunrei paused when they heard a faint cry.

"Let's check it out," Sunrei rushed towards the source of that voice.

Aries followed suit but stopped when a child bumped into his abdomen. It was a boy that seemed to be as old as Matchi. He quickly pushed the boy away and searched for the vial in his pocket.

"Help… me… please…" the boy whispered while slouching on the ground. His face could not be clearly seen because his long and messy hair was covering it.

But there was no need for Aries to see the eyes of the boy. He could already sense danger emanating from the young man. He was ready to spray the holy water but realized that it was an opportunity to test if he could still die and get resurrected.

"Hey, boy. Kill me," Aries returned the holy water in his pocket and dropped the crimson blade on the ground.

The boy laughed, "So it is true. Aries from the House of Ram had gone crazy," he raised his head and revealed his pitch-black eyes. "Why will I give you an easy death? You've been such an infuriating pest since the moment you become a house leader. You should suffer."

"Make me suffer. I will not mind," Aries dropped on his knees with a smile. "Actually, that is what I really want. Do it. Torment me for eternity."

The boy squinted suspiciously at him, "What are you planning?" he pulled a knife from the back of his belt and slashed Aries at his chest.

"Come on, boy. You cannot kill anyone with this shallow cut," Aries grabbed the weapon hand of the child. "Pierce me…" his voice faded when he noticed that the hand he was holding was cold and trembling.

This boy… He is scared…

"You helped… M-Matchi…" the boy cried and he was obviously struggling. "Why… w-won't you… s-save me? Am I… n-not worth… s-saving?"

Aries immediately pulled the holy water from his pocket and sprayed it on the boy.

"NO!!!" the boy bellowed in agony as black smoke seeped out of his body.

Aries seized his sword and slashed the smoke in half. As it floated away from him and the boy, more children approached him.

"This is crazy," Aries put the boy behind him. With a vial of holy water in his left hand and a sword in his right, he prepared himself for the swarm of possessed children.

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