Price of Freedom (4)

— XV —

I found myself submerged in a pool of crimson liquid. In the distance, a blinding light shone, illuminating the darkness with a sickly glow. When I tried to stand up, the ground beneath my feet felt like quicksand, threatening to pull me under with every step chasing over the light.

As I got closer to the light, I noticed a woman with jet-black hair kneeling at the center of a giant tree made of pure light. Her face covered with an elegant black mask, but I could see her crimson eyes behind the mask. She was chanting a prayer that seemed to shake the very foundations of the world.

"What is this place?" I asked the woman.

The woman stopped her chanting and slowly turned towards me. Shadows seemed to dance around her form, hiding her body from view.

"I'm going to save this world," she said, her voice laced with a chilling determination. "Even if I have to destroy it first."

Suddenly, a burst of power erupted from her body, sending shockwaves through the sea of blood. The sky above cleared, revealing a massive eye that glared down at me with an unsettling intensity. The woman stood up, her eyes glowing with a cursed mark.

"Wait, you are—" I said.

"Are you here to stop me?" She pointed at me and declared, "Then try it if you can, Devil!"

…!

I gasped after nearly drowning in a bathtub. Y-Yikes, I fell asleep while bathing? It almost killed me!

"Well, these past days were crazy," I muttered to myself, running a hand through my wet hair. "No wonder I'm dead tired right now."

But that nightmare… The cursed mark on her eyes, it was the Mark of Hero… Perhaps it was just an illusion that my tired mind created, perhaps it was just a piece of broken memories jumbled up together into nonsense. But it felt too real… too intense. As if The Hero herself summoned me in her domain.

I feel that woman was the same person that faced me in Obsidian Theater. I wasn't sure, because she was rugged and dying when she faced me at Obsidian Theater. But she knew that I was here to stop her. But right now, she's corrupted by evil obsession, so much that she's kind of… insane.

"Milli, what happened to you?" I'm worried.

But as for now, I'm powerless. I can't track her down on my own. Working for The Black Company would be the best option for me. Yet I found myself in deep doubt.

What if I was too late to save Milli? What if at the end of my journey… I have to kill Milli to stop her?

… Honestly, seeing the cruelty of this world, I was scared to meet Milli.

Suddenly someone knocked on the door, "Princess, are you okay? You're still alive, right?" Ayunda said with concern.

"Y-Yes, I'm alright!" I quickly stood up from the bathtub and approached the door.

"Good. I leave my clothes and the towel on the door. Don't forget to dry your hair thoroughly or you catch a cold, okay?" Ayunda replied.

"Um!" I nodded. Wait a minute, why did she treat me like a child?

The incident in Hexagon turned out to be quite a deal. Men with black coats closed the prison from many prying eyes. Even the Mahamagi came, biting her finger in frustration. To avoid troubles, Arthur and I went to Ayunda's house… Which was conveniently close to the Hexagon. At first, she was reluctant to have us but changed her mind after seeing my condition.

"The world is in chaos, yet here you are, enjoying your afternoon like a gentleman," I said to Arthur, who sat down in the living room reading the newspaper leisurely.

Arthur shrugged, "Well, you have quite a nice bath yourself," and put down the newspaper. I sat in front of him as he implied to.

Arthur then explained, "Well, it's problematic if The Mahamagi saw us on Hexagon. She's still immature, and prone to judge too quickly. And don't forget, our mission is to track down White Order and save Lady Kiara, not guarding Hexagon."

"But two people did see us."

Arthur shrugged while shaping ice in his hand then shot it to his neck. In an instant, a beautiful floral mark was created. It was The Aobana Curse.

"Relax, she knows," Arthur said then flicked his finger, banishing the curse from his neck.

My eyes widened, "Wait, you can do that?"

Suddenly Ayunda came from the kitchen carrying a tea set, "Of course, Arthur is a master spy. A simple magic can't bind him," she said while serving tea for herself and me… but not Arthur.

The girl sighed when she looked at me and conjured a towel in her hand with magic. She then gently dry my hair while saying, "Look at your hair! I told ya to dry it thoroughly, right? Geez, what should I do with you, Princess."

At first, it was annoying when someone treated you like a child, but on second thought… It felt nice. I smiled a little, letting the girl take care of me.

"If you two came here, that means you have the blood vial?" Ayunda asked.

Arthur put the Magicore on the table and said, "Don't act like a fool, Yunda. You know from the start what was going to happen, right?"

The girl straightly asked me, "So, tell me, Princess, what did you learn from Hexagon? Depending on your answer, I might be willing to answer Master's question."

Wait, Ayunda ignored Arthur? I awkwardly look at the man as he nodded to me, saying it was okay to answer.

"Apart from the murder? … Uh, the guard said that before being killed, the witch said The Thundering Pulse would get everyone killed. Well, perhaps the commotion she made caused The Company to hunt her?" I answered as much as I can.

"Can you deduce The Thundering Pulse's motive?" Ayunda asked again.

"Umm… that kind of desperation only came when pushed into a pinch. Well, Ellen did say that Bianca took care of the children… So, maybe someone used the children to force Bianca to do that," I answered while brushing my neck awkwardly,

"Bianca killed the witch just before her investigation… So, perhaps the information posed a danger to the children?"

Ayunda chuckled while preparing a hairbrush with magic, "That's my clever Princess!"

Arthur cut her, "Stop the game, Yunda. Just tell us the truth."

Ayunda gently brushed my hair, "The witch's name is Abigail. She is Bianca's most trusted partner for a year. Despite that, Abigail tried to usurp Bianca as The Thundering Pulse, saying that Bianca was endangering the children with her action," she answered with a strange calmness,

"But someone leaked her identity, leading to her arrest by The Company. Maybe she was frustrated that she seek help from the enemy. I guess she tried to strike a deal with The Mahamagi in exchange for the Children's safety. But you know Bianca, right? She's a little too paranoid."

Arthur brushed his chin, "Which lead to the massacre…," he said before glaring at Ayunda, "You know this too well, Yunda."

Ayunda chuckled, "Take it how you will, Master Arthur."

Arthur then crossed his arm confused, "If what you said is true, then what is the reason for Abigail's betrayal?"

The atmosphere in the room became tense as Arthur's question hung in the air. Ayunda sat calmly, her hand still gently brushing through my hair. She took a deep breath before suddenly stopping her hand,

"Just like you, Master, she's going to betray Pater. And you know how it will end when you try to oppose Pater, right? My first condition was only to test whether you were The Mahamagi dog. But what I truly wish for is different."

Arthur raised his eyebrow, "Well, I'm not anyone dog."

"I know, sorry for doubting you, Master," Ayunda answered as she stood in front of us, "So much innocent life in danger if Bianca's madness is left unchecked. So in exchange for Kiara's location, I wanted to ask you two.."

Ayunda leaned forward politely, "I want to take down Bianca. Please, lend me your strength!"