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Evanescent Shift
Three: Wench

Three: Wench

It was only after Stefan had woken up early the following morning that he realized that something was not right. It wasn’t dangerous, but as a teenage boy going through puberty, it hurt his ego badly. If it wasn’t already confirmed by the tightness against his skin, a short trip to the bathroom did by then. He washed up and looked at his own reflection—which was something he could previously only do by looking into the icy river near his home—in the mirror.

“What a horrible old man…” he cringed. “Didn’t even have the decency to lend me his own clothing. I don’t care if they’re five sizes too big for me… I’d rather put up with that then having to wear little girls’ clothes! I’d rather die than let Joakim or Mr. Holt see me in these.”

He threw the blouse that covered his upper body onto the ground violently and rubbed it into the floor with his foot. It was like he was channeling all his internal fury into the innocent garment, a garment that had no fault except that it was fulfilling its purpose of covering the body of its wearer.

“Hey, what gives…” a tired sounding voice grumbled from the other side the door. “It’s too damn early for this. Gareth and I need sleep…”

‘There is a girl living here…’ Stefan said mentally. It wasn’t like he had never encountered a girl before. He did, but the encounters were rare since they only happened when he helped the elders go on trading expeditions to other communities, or when travelers were passing through Derban. It was his chance to direct his frustration towards someone who could listen.

“I don’t even need to look at you to tell that you’re a skinny little shrimp. Now get me some real men’s clothes, right now.”

The door swung and a hand emerged from the dark hallway. It grabbed his throat and squeezed his throat. Stefan had no time to react. The arm belonged to a teenage girl, but it was as if had the strength of a grown man.

“That’s no way to show gratitude to the people who could’ve left you out in the cold to freeze to death. Not only do you have the audacity to complain about the clothing we gave you, but you also disrespect the provision itself. It’s appalling how you choose to treat the gift given to you by God.”

Stefan used his elbow to knock the elbow and finally the girl relented. He felt closer to death at the hands of a young girl than at the mercy of unexplainable aliens he knew nothing about.

“I’m—I’m sorry…” Stefan wheezed.

The girl stepped into the bathroom to pick up the blouse Gareth had lent to Stefan. She was a little shorter than Stefan but looked to be about the same age. Her face and appearance completely contrasted with the sheer strength she had. If she was related to Gareth, she didn’t inherit his rugged, intimidating looks but took after his physical ability. Judging by her curly hair and darker complexion, she wasn’t from the North of Yeupis. Gareth didn’t seem to be, either, but he didn’t look too different from northerners. The boy stepped back to give the girl room, not allowing her to assault him again.

“You’re not getting another shirt.” The girl said with a firm tone.

“A-Anything but that…” Stefan whispered as his breath came back to him.

“What was that?” The girl turned back around while she left the room, a menacing look on her face.

“N-Nothing…”

Why was Stefan stuttering? Was he unable to admit that a girl scared him?

One of the girl’s hands formed into a fist, and Stefan swore that the last thing he’d see was it colliding with his nose. But before that could happen, a large, strong hand clamped onto her shoulder.

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“I didn’t expect your first encounter to go so badly.” Gareth sighed.

“I didn’t want him to wake you up, Gareth,” the girl said, avoiding eye contact with the man. “I just wanted him to shut up.”

“You definitely failed at that.” Gareth said, disappointed.

The girl frowned.

“Well, I do usually wake at this time, anyway. If you two keep this up, I won’t need an alarm clock anymore.”

The girl tried to hide her laugh, but Stefan didn’t find it funny, especially with Gareth’s constantly monotone voice. In fact, he was confused.

“What’s an alarm clock?” he asked innocently.

“From now on, anything you don’t understand, you should just assume it’s something our ancestors created. Most of the stuff here is.”

The girl saw herself out of the bathroom, this time not even trying to stop her laughter. She really was mocking him. It was salt to the wound.

“You make it seem like I’m gonna be here for a while, Mr. Koppel.”

“You will be. You aren’t ready to go back to Derban. And please, ditch the honorifics. I’m Gareth. I have no titles anymore.”

As much as Stefan desperately wished to return to his home and family, he feared going back. Anything could happen, especially with the Angels arriving right before his eyes.

“Alright, Gareth. I’m guessing we’re starting this Initiation thing today?”

“Nope, change of plans. I won’t have you go through it without being informed of what it comes with. We’ll be starting some learning today, and it’ll go on until you’re completely versed with the knowledge. Meet me at the library 10 minutes after you finish breakfast. Anwen and I will be there waiting for you.”

“Anwen?” Stefan asked.

“That’s the girl you just met. She stays here with me. I’ll introduce you to her properly after we reconvene. Also, please try not to mind her attitude. She doesn’t meet new people regularly and she doesn’t react to them very well. She’ll apologize, don’t worry about it.”

‘Murderers don’t apologize,’ Stefan thought. ‘I already feel dead with this arm.”

-

The morning sun showered its light over Derban, welcoming a new day. Only, none of its people had been greeted by it. Twenty Angels in military attire strolled in and out of houses, hauling as many household items, clothing and food items as they were able to.

“No word of this pillaging shall reach the Crown’s ears!” one of the soldiers shouted in his strange, foreign accent. Although the Angels looked like ethereal deities, that’s where the similarities ended. The soldier was smaller than most of his subordinates, but he still made Terrans look like dwarves before him. “That was not what we were assigned here to do. If They hear of it… I’m not taking responsibility. Now what was it that we were supposed to do…?”

He took a swig out of an alcohol-containing bottle that he found in one of the houses, before tossing it into the snow at his feet. It couldn’t be considered pillaging if he didn’t take it back home with him.

“Ahh… I nearly forgot to send in a preliminary report.”

He held up one of his arms before pulling down one of his jacket sleeves slightly, revealing a metallic watch. He pressed a button on its side, and a holographic display screen appeared in front of his face. He toggled with switches on the watch before he verbally delivered his report.

“This is Major Maedoc Antelius, reporting. We have concluded the Derban Operation. One killed, two captured on initial contact. One of our own has died, and another is seriously wounded. We dispatched all settlement inhabitants above age 60, as is protocol. We buried all corpses in a communal grave. Over.”

As this was standard preliminary reporting, it was not necessary for a reply to be made. But it came.

“Have you acquired the asset, Major Antelius?” a smooth sounding voice spoke through the watch. It caused a chill to run down Maedoc’s spine.

“Y-Your Highness? No. We were unable to acquire the asset. We performed a thorough search of the settlement and were unable to locate it.”

“Please refer to me as General. I am not speaking to you as a representative of the Crown, but as the head of the military. I have a question for you, Major.”

“Yes, General?”

“What would happen if your father’s head showed up at your front door one day? How would that make you feel?”

The soldier’s arm trembled with fear and his heartbeat began to pulse rapidly.

“I… I don’t think I understood your question, General.”

“Of course, you don’t. That’s because it hasn’t happened. Now, if you don’t want that to happen, I suggest you uphold your duty as a Titanian warrior to serve the interests of our nation, as you swore to when you were first enlisted in the military.”

“Of-of course, General. I will not allow any more mistakes to happen.”

“Major Antelius, don’t you wish to become elected to the peerage, become a part of nobility? I can make that happen. This is why I assigned this mission to you. We both can benefit from this greatly. Do not return to the homeland until you procure the asset.”

The holographic screen deactivated, and Maedoc dropped his arm. He angrily kicked at the bottle, causing it to shatter on impact.