Chapter 08: Alive

"To live and to be alive have distinct differences, just so you know."

Pisces Code - 4:1

Cheering and booing filled the air of an arena where ten men in the midst of the stadium - painted red on their faces as their rag clothing flittered because of gentle winds - stood nervously. But there was one exception because of his naivety. There were weapons thrown on the ground and the other nine immediately picked one or two.

Giles has no idea what they were up to, bringing him there after being beaten up. The bruises he took from the highlord hadn't healed yet but another layer of wounds were added as soon as he arrived there.

Soon, he found out why the other nine men shivered. Human cheers and boos became loud after a horn was blown.

A metal gate in front of them opened up. Heavy screeching echoed as if something had been dragging large boulders. The rays of sun directly hit the beast when it came out, a colossal beast seemingly carrying boulders.

Giles gasped and tensed up. He wasn't unfamiliar to the beast. It was the most known living beast all over the world; the stonefiend. He clicked his tongue realizing that he would have almost died a few days ago if that event wasn't postponed due to unknown reasons. Thinking of it now, it doesn't matter if it was luck or what-not that delayed his death because that moment he knew, it will take a miracle to survive that colossal beast.

Sensing their presence, the beast greedily crawled, with its four pairs of heavy feet, towards them like a bulldozer sweeping anything that it passed by.

Giles snatched a weapon on the ground; a hammer. He leapt to the right avoiding the colossal beast that swiftly turned left where the other five humans gathered. Simultaneously, they were crushed, cracking bones and spilling blood were the evidence of the brutal death of those five.. The beast feasted on their body for minutes before its appetite died down and searched for another prey.

Giles hadn't fought that kind of beast as far as he remembered. His eyes quickly rolled, scanning possible advantages of escape, when the beast began to move again.

The beast failed to catch him but it sensed a man on its right and Giles saw him too, frozen from extreme fear.

"MOVE!" he shouted but the man seemed not to hear anything. He ran towards him thinking of helping him out but alas! He couldn't beat the speed of the beast that crushed the man immediately.

The beast didn't eat the body yet. Instead, it crawled towards him impatiently, sensing some sort of threat. Giles jumped in fright, but immediately shoved that feeling aside as his warrior instinct did. He bent his knees, and raised his hammer as if ready to clash with the beast having a goal to land a blow for his next step.

When the beast was just a meter away from him, Giles slipped under it. He glided to its foot and jumped over its back riding it like a horse. With a forceful smash, he hit its head for the first time and he found out that it affected the beast as what a hammer could harm to a human's head. The beast tried to shake him but he was an expert warrior and skilled at riding horses, so the beast failed. Giles hammered its head again and again.

The crowd found him amusing. Their booing ceased to exist as everyone's mouth agape from the spectacular show over their eyes.

The beast seemed agitated from the beating it got from Giles to its head. It aggressively moved its body to shake him off which it succeeded. Giles was thrown away, stumbled on the ground. The beast sensed his threat. It left him and turned its attention to the rest of the humans that served as its foods to its so-called plate, the stadium. Some tried to swing their swords but it was just broken into two or crushed into smithereens.

Giles picked up another hammer and threw it towards that beast trying his best to get its attention from the rest, but it didn't even scratch it and so, the beast didn't bother him as it feasted to the struggling humans. He felt helpless watching the men crushed by the beast.

When the beast finished its feast on the dead bodies, its attention returned to Giles who jumped in fright. As a trained warrior, he immediately formed into a fighting stance holding the hammer in both hands as his eyes flashed death.

'Is this my end?' Giles was out of wits and drained from strength.

⨳ ⨳ ⨳

Clio and her group finally arrived at the west side of the city, known as the 'Common Market'. Its name didn't match to what they were seeing. The should-to-be popular market packed with humans shouting their goods and inviting customers was a little quiet than they expected. Clio didn't bother poking her head on the window of the carriage but Sophia eagerly feasted her eyes on shops - where most of it were closed - they passed by.

Bien explained, "The show might have started now that almost everyone is gone." He decided to accompany them instead of their trusted aid. Who knows one of them stirred another mess.

Their carriage continued on the farther west where finally they saw the vast arena. Loud shouts echoed to their ears even if they were far away from it. The gate was guarded, but they all backed down when they saw the familiar insignia and flag on the carriages - the symbol of their highlord's properties. Whoever were inside, they knew that they were important people.

Sophia's wandering mind shifted into a grave expression. She couldn't help but worry about their commander. Her hand shivered and whatever she did to stop it was just for naught. Clio noticed her. She held her hands to calm her down. Oddly, she did.

Bien emerged from the carriage with Clio, Hoven and Sophia. The guards seemed not to recognize their young master, but his regal sleeve shirt on silver linen over undershirt paired with tailored trouser, told him he was someone of higher status. They were followed by the highlord's guards.

Clio wore a simple purple dress without much ornament. Hoven and Sophia wore simple dresses and strode behind the two looking demure.

A guard led them to the highest level where they could see the whole stadium. In the middle, there was a lone man, heavily wounded, standing under a stonefiend that seemed not to move. Bien, Hoven and Sophia gasped, unable to believe what they were seeing.

Soon, Sophia rejoiced. "Our commander is alive!" She contained her voice, repeating her words to Hoven as she wiped the tears on her cheeks.

Hoven was not the cry-baby type, but now that their commander was alive, he felt secure and ecstatic that he wanted to raise a cup of wine and shout his name over his lungs.

Below, Giles was hauled by maroon-garbed soldiers. Bien's sight darkened in their presence. He had no idea that they would be there too, acting like they were on their own territory. Knowing that his father will act sooner, he brushed off his vindictive desire to those two. He ordered an attendant for the presence of the supervisor of Austere together with their player, Giles.

The attendant led them to a room at the top of the arena where a stout middle-aged man was sitting comfortably. The attendant asked for the name to be announced with utmost respect.

Bien simply answered, "Bien Homobono."

The attendant staggered at his feet. He tremblingly bowed, "Please spare my life for failing to recognize you, young master."

Bien just waved him aside showing no emotions at all.

Outside a specific room, Bien's group halted, waiting for the announcement of their arrival.

Inside the room, a middle-aged man was combing his hair when he heard a name he shouldn't have. His body weakly swayed to the left side of his chair as his face seemed deprived of blood.

The attendant opened the door without waiting for his reply. Bien was way more powerful than him after all.

The man straightened up, smoothen his maroon garb and forced a smile. He half-knelt down with his fist on his chest, "Young…young master, I'm Sergei, the supervisor." His twisted tongue couldn't produce anymore words.

Bien was disappointed to see another warrior of the Ignatius family. He realized that they were slowly resided by those despicable humans. He composed his mind for he was there for a purpose. "Fetch the man named Giles. I want him now, free from indictment."

Sergei's heart skipped. He was given that status by Lieutenant colonel Errol himself, emphasizing his motive of torturing the commander. Now, Bien wanted him to do the other way around. He was caught between the two powerful forces, the Homobono family and the Ignatius family. He blabbered trying to defend his cause, "But young master…he is our opponent's commander."

Bien smirked, "Save your words soldier. It doesn't suit your garb."

Sergei lowered his head in confusion. As he was standing in the territory of Bien, he ordered his attendant to fetch Giles and did talk any more.

After a while, the attendant brought two muscular maroon-garbed soldiers hauling a weak and wounded Giles.

Sophia wanted to help him out but contain herself from doing so. She doesn't want to stir a mess. She didn't notice Hoven who also felt that way.

On the other hand, Giles's eyes landed on them with incredulous looks. The young lady, who he clearly saw that night and was stabbed on her chest, was now standing over his eyes. His captain that should be dead was gleaming at him as if he had seen the strand of hope he was looking for, and the physician he only knew by face was now beaming with a smile.

The next scene he saw dumbfounded him.

The man by the name Segei handed over a paper containing his indictment, stamped with his freedom. He handed the paper to Bien who handed it over to him. Their writing was quite different from theirs, but he could read it as a man born with a silver spoon.

He eyed Bien who avoided his gaze with a hint of displeasure. He was eager to ask what was happening but he knew that it was way more appropriate to just shut up first. The muscular men released him from the chain but seized him for he couldn't stand on his own. Hoven desired to snatch the role to the duo but he couldn't, knowing how grieve the matter if they realized they were his people.

Bien ordered them to guide Giles to their carriage.

They left Segei in an uncomfortable situation. He rummaged through his table for pen and paper. When he did find one, he immediately wrote something to it addressing lieutenant colonel Errol.

⨳ ⨳ ⨳

As the carriage can only accommodate four people, Hoven sat next to the coachman.

Sophia tended Giles' wounds as the carriage rolled over.

Giles was too tired to neither open his mouth nor look at them. He just wanted to sleep right there. His eyes slowly closed, but no one opposed. The gentle touch of Sophia to his wounds caressing him to sleep. His body limply leaned next to the window of the carriage as the winds outside caressed his face bringing serenity; he fell asleep.

⨳ ⨳ ⨳

Giles yawned, half asleep. He stretched his body and tried to sleep again when he remembered going in an ornamented carriage with the familiar lady in front of him, and the winds whispered to him to fall asleep. That was a familiar feeling, a feeling when he was in their own land, away from bloody murders. When he slid his hand on the familiar soft thing he was lying, he immediately sat down, alerted.

The first person he saw was the familiar young lady sipping whatever it was in her mug, another lady next to her asking something and…and his captain?

Hoven crossed his fists next to his chest and bowed, "Commander Giles, captain Hoven is in good condition for an order."

Giles waved him aside mulling over the lapses of his memory. He remembered the indictment paper stamping his freedom, the moments the soldiers brought him to the carriage, the time he fell asleep in front of two strangers.

"Why am I here?" he inquired. Though he remembered almost everything, his mind still failed to process those circumstances.

The familiar young lady put her mug on a table and sat at the bedside. She jabbed her face over his. Giles backed off a little. "What…what it is?" he stutteringly asked.

The lady seemed baffled as she tilted her head. Her words baffled him more, "Don't you remember me?"

Sophia and Hoven were standing there, dumbfounded by her words. 'Have they know each other?'

Giles answered their self-query by slowly shaking his head. He heard the lady muttering sideways, a subject he couldn't follow. "Odd! My soul hadn't changed when I looked at it. Oh! Except for my physical appearance, but it isn't enough for him not to remember me."

After mulling to herself, he seemed to brighten up and then, she jabbed her face over him again and looked directly at his eyes asking, "What is the first memory you remember?"

Giles tilted his head and answered, "I woke up inside a room almost dead. That it was a miracle I woke up." He rubbed his head and asked back, "Why?"

Clio backed off and slapped her forehead.

Giles heaved a sigh of relief now that there was no face near his.

She stood up, and walked to and fro of the room murmuring something that they could hear, "A big problem! What should I do? Stars! If only the twins were here they sure knew what was happening and what to do."

Her brows creased that added deep expression to her already cold mien. That was the first time Sophia and Hoven saw her show expression but in an appalling situation.

Her eyes landed at Giles again and she realized the biggest problem. She abruptly stomped her feet, eyes showing horror, "Stars!" She startled them but she seemed not to notice. "If he is like this, there is a big probability they are too."

Her eyes squinted at Giles who instinctively gulped.

⨳ ⨳ ⨳

It was the last day of the second full moon. The class at the end of the hallway of Physician faculty went on as normal - heeding their own business. When the teacher dismissed them, Sofer hurriedly cleaned his table, putting his things under it or inside his shoulder bag. He dashed to the door not noticing a fine lady walking towards the door and bang! He bumped into her, things sent flying from the lady's grip.

"Sofer, what's that about?" The tone of the lady has a hint of annoyance.

"I'm sorry Terra-" he didn't even bother to help her out as he shouted whilst continuing his trek, "-I'm in a hurry. I'll make it up to you tomorrow."

Terra, though angry, could only pout in annoyance as she picked up her things.

Behind the main tower was a thick forest known as 'Shade Timberland' by the students. Sofer finally reached the rear of it. He was panting heavily, but he didn't stop his routine and immediately hid in high bushes to change his gown into rag clothes before he continued to enter.

The setting sun added a feeling of dreadfulness to the surroundings, but he seemed brave, sauntering to a specific path he seemed familiar with, not bathing an eye to its vile setting. Even the sun lost its radiance above him, he continued eastward.

Sweating and panting from continuous walked; he finally saw his target spot - an inconspicuous small-mounted cave. He halted for a moment and wiped his sweats, calmed his breathing and straightened his rag clothes.

He entered the cave that was dreary from silence and darkness. He went on without sight because of the darkness as if he knew every corner of the cave until his eyes caught a glimmer of light from a subtle lamp. He exhaled deeply before he approached it knowing what lay beyond it.

The light became brighter over his eyes and subtle sounds were reaching his ears - sounds of rogue voices.

The scene of chaos in the hidden slab, among limited men that can be counted with his hands, came into full view, and the smell of liquor coupled with nuisance sweats whiffed on his nose that he seemed to grow accustomed to. He forced a smile and greeted each one of them with familiarity when a heavy hand rested on his shoulder that almost surprised him.

A familiar voice said near his ear, "Is it complete?"

Sofer took the hand out of his shoulder which the opposite side did not oppose. He saw him sliding his hand to his bag as he stepped back to have a distance between them. "As I said, I can finish work, clean and neat." He handed over a notebook to the man, eyes sparkling with pride.

The man just scanned it for a minute and looked back at him again with a visibly satisfied face. He signaled him to follow inside a crude room, which was visibly his office. The noises of drunken men hindered their conversation, so they needed space for proper conversation. When they finally arrived, he didn't have a second thought of pouring praises to him. "You are such a young man in boundless talent. This old man is proud to pour every ounce of my money and strength just to shape you into a fine assassin."

He was just barely forty years old but Sofer didn't understand why he called himself an old man already. Sofer placed his fist at his right chest and bowed as his salute saying, "Thank you for adopting me master Lysander. I will see to it to meet your expectations."

Sofer admired his strength and slick movements whenever he executed his moves under the façade of his slim build. He had not failed every test - either on written or practical - he regulated, but his master seemed to know that he was not ready for an execution of assassination.

Lysander lightly chuckled. He praised as he raised the notebook he had given, "You already have, young man."

Sofer flushed red in embarrassment. It was just a simple investigation and he needed not to slip in through each room to gather pieces of information about his target as some students blatantly narrated them.

Lysander opened a drawer and picked something inside. It was a wooden box that Sofer couldn't tell what was inside. He explained, "When you are in great danger, use this." He handed him the box which Sofer received without questions. He knew of Sofer's intelligence. He will heed his order as what he exactly told him, but he wasn't satisfied by giving only one warning to Sofer. He repeated his words three times to emphasize the gravity of the matter, "Use it only when you are in great danger."

"I will only use this item when I am in great danger," he repeated to stress that he understood his order but inside, he was in deep thought as it was his master's first time repeating words.

Lysander patted his back, feeling assured.