A Last Gift for Cersei and Failed Blood Prophecy!

18 hours to Mission End

Evening, The Sewers

Kai could make any notification reappear in front of him.

So he had been torturing himself by bringing it up in his eyes every 5 minutes. The thing in his eyes lured him, beckoned him, and only failure lay behind it, he knew.

It was an impossible mission, as Kai had named it.

The Hidden Mission.

He read it, reread it, and then re-reread it again. Not a single word made him think of a way to go about with this mission.

He wanted it.

How? Kai thought, bitterly.

The book on royal Lineages lay beside him like a dead beast. It had fared the worst down here in the sewers. The humid and insect-festered environment had always been the killer of knowledge since yore. But Kai would never let it go out of his sight before the Mission End.

In the morning, Kai thought, nodding to himself. I will complete that Side Mission in the morning. What if some Contestant was to touch it like me? I can't afford to lose my Title Status now.

There was another thing that pained him. Novice Collector.

If Kai could, he would do anything… anything to invest his time entirely in search of Artifacts.

But he didn't know what qualified to be an Artifact. The book had been a matter of coincidence. Nothing more.

Not to mention, with a Time Limit of 7 days and the chaos he had spread like a disease throughout the capital, there was no way he could out and search for these things.

Now I know the obvious strengths and weaknesses of group Missions, Kai reflected. One can accomplish a lot with a team of Contestants to watch over the Mission's proceedings. However, being in a team also brings unnecessary risks.

Kai didn't mind taking risks. As long as he knew there was the power waiting for him behind the risk, then no matter how dangerous it was, he would at least give it a go. On the other hand, he wouldn't even lift a finger for anyone else which teamwork expected of its Contestants.

If I was Sparrow, Kai thought, I would have killed Cuckoo, and then easily blame the Chaos' Contestant for her death. What did that moron do? Underestimate me. Tried to look cool. Got fatally wounded to save someone else. What good is being powerful if you don't have the right heart to use it?

Kai abhorred people like Sparrow, who thought only their actions were of supreme justice. Arlen, now that's a man I can respect, he thought. I wonder where is he now, in which world? He should have ascended to the 4th floor by now.

The night was coming, Kai could feel it in his bones. He wouldn't have felt it as strongly at other times if he didn't know that Cersei would wait for him tonight as well.

Another night with the queen.

Kai remembered the moments spent with Cersei and, for the first time after getting the Hidden Mission, smiled. There wasn't a thing he could do to her, that he hadn't already done yesterday. Still, repeating them won't be boring, even if he were to repeat them endlessly.

I can't, though, Kai reminded himself. I can't go to her.

Kai hadn't survived in his previous life just because he had a pretty face.

At first, he indeed had no ability in the field of games these nobles played. Nor did he have the time to learn anything but research fields planned for him by the entire world. However, for vengeance, he had forced himself to become a manipulative demon.

A rueful and awry smile rooted itself on Kai's face. He had always known he wouldn't be going back to Cersei after spending that a night of carnal pleasures. It didn't matter if he would accept or reject the Hidden Mission, either. He just wouldn't go there.

Death, Kai named it. Death is waiting for me there. No matter if I go with a positive or negative response to her, she will never let me come back. I know too much. Then there's that… Rhaegar… I remind her of someone she couldn't have.

"Aren't you happy?" Kai asked, nudging Jon Arryn's rotting feet. "You will go back to your life tomorrow."

With nothing else to do, except wait it out, Kai had been playing with the old man.

The Hand didn't reply. His mouth parted, and then he closed it back. His eyes remained closed often now too, despite the flame by his side. The old man had lost something of himself in these last 6 days, and that something would remain a part of these sewers forever.

Kai just didn't care. Jon Arryn was just a random Character of some Random World. It wouldn't be so bad to practice his traumatizing skills on him than let the old man have a peaceful moment.

There was another reason.

Kai didn't like Jon Arryn. If the old man had just trusted him with everything, then he wouldn't have needed to come to the sewers, robbing him of many opportunities.

Fuck you! Kai thought. "I heard your son, your sweetrobin, has gone to the den of lions."

Anger flashed across Jon Arryn. Helpless anger, twisting his wrinkled face.

Kai took some joy in that. One should trust no one, he told himself. There are predators like me everywhere, just waiting to prey on these holier-than-thou people.

"When I leave this place…" Jon Arryn said, taking a breath, "I will shout. Just after leaving this place… I will shout… that I am not a rat. I… do not… belong to this wretched place. Just after... I will shout… what a demon you are!"

All expressions vanished from Kai's face. He looked at the old man as if thunder had struck him right then. "Just after…" he mumbled, matching his voice with the old man, his eyes narrowing. "Just after… Just after…"

Kai suddenly sat up straight.

He spun and almost pounced on Jon Arryn, making the old man whimper. He held Jon Arryn's shriveled face and kissed his cheek. The Hand tried to swat him off, but couldn't. Then he turned Jon Arryn's face and kissed his other cheek, too.

"Hehe… Hahaha!" Kai laughed maniacally, the flame failing to hide the evil grin on his face. "Yes, my lord. Yes. You will do all these things. Just after… leaving the sewer, I promise."

Kai brought up the Hidden Mission's notification again. But this time, his face wasn't sulking, nor were his eyes restless. He was beaming, his entire body trembling with pleasure. With realization!

"Yes," he proclaimed, accepting the mission.

Let this be a gift, Kai thought, his heart going to the beauty waiting for him; to kill him. Let this be my last gift to you, the Lioness of Casterly Rock!

*

*

Morning,

King's Landing

The streets welcomed too many strange people this weary morning.

Too many people were going from inn to inn, from brothels to slums, searching for any sign of a white-haired boy. There was an anxiety on their faces, so potent, that one could have thought it wasn't the Hand they were looking for but their own kin.

Oh, yes. Everyone knew by now a white-haired sellsword had kidnapped the Hand.

These groups of strange people were neither the first nor the last. Yet, they were the most nervous.

Because they were Order's Contestants.

…

Last day… It was the most important time.

Kai had known people getting lenient just before a deadline and then paying it with their lives. He was neither lazy nor one of those people. So he had spent all night patrolling the sewers.

Regardless of the reasons, it was one of the best decisions, Kai thought, thinking of coming to the sewers. Now that the Mission Time Limit was approaching, he knew many Contestants were getting eager to have their hands on Jon Arryn.

Anxiousness can make a man bold enough to risk anything, Kai had learned.

He didn't want to mess with desperate people. This was neither according to his personality nor his survival instincts.

Also, Kai had already completed the Side Mission before dawn.

…

[

Side Mission: Return the book on Royal lineages to the Hand's solar

Side Mission Status: Success

Side Mission Rewards: 110 Mission Credits

]

…

An hour before the time, Kai let himself rest a bit and decided to do one more Blood Prophecy.

He was coming to like this Act more and more with every use. Why? Because it countered his rotten Luck very well, that's why.

Kai had never been more sure about anything else. His Luck brought up Random Encounters like distributing free food. But with Blood Prophecy, he could easily avoid those encounters.

Though there was a downside to this too.

I will never know if the Random Encounter is beneficial or hazardous for me, Kai thought, taking out the book. Given my Luck, though, I shouldn't even think of the word benefit.

The smoky veil parted and young Cersei walked out.

Kai felt awkward, finding emotions on her face as she looked around, shifting her blond curls left and right.

"Tch!" Cersei tsked.

Then Kai noticed something new. Cersei looked as lovely as last time, but something was different about her. Her face was scarlet as if all blood had risen to her face. No. It wasn't the candlelight playing tricks. She was…

Blushing? Kai asked himself, refusing to believe what he was seeing. What's she on about now?

Cersei brought her gaze forward and, slowly, the blush intensified, making her frown.

"What?" Kai asked, warily. "You want something."

He wanted to keep minimal contact with these animated characters until he got to know more about them.

The young Cersei fumed at Kai's question. "Humph!" she snorted before gritting her teeth. "Blood…"

Kai suddenly feared for his thumb.

He took a deep breath, bit his thumb, and gave it to her.

Blood Sacrifice it was, but it might as well be a thumb sacrifice for Kai. It doesn't matter if she is to chew it off my hand, he thought, looking at her sneering, fuming face. The Stats will make me as good as new, anyway.

Cersei approached Kai, flicking her golden hair. Her feet splashed the filth with every next step.

She held his wrist and brought his thumb near her face. But instead of putting it inside her mouth, she just licked the blood, her tongue slithering out like a red slim snakelet.

Is this her way of showing… indignation? The question passed by Kai's head before the darkness engulfed him.

Beyond the darkness was a blood ocean. Still. Its surface was calm like dew on a rainy morning.

Kai waited. He waited for that first wave that would bring out blood structures and bloody figures later on. But the blood ocean didn't reply to Kai's expectations. It remained as it is.

A red blanket of uncanny liquidness.

Kai returned to Jon Arryn after refueling his HP. He couldn't fathom why the Blood Prophecy didn't work.

"Let's go, my lord," Kai said, lifting Jon Arryn by his hand. "It's time for you to return to your home."

It's time… for me to return to the White Room.