"What?!" I froze and my jaw dropped again. This beautiful lady was my girlfriend?
“Hey, what does that mean?” Her forehead wrinkled.
I was more surprised that she did not move on from me rather than the fact that she was my lover. A hundred years is a really, really long time, despite our long lifespans. Huh, I was surprised I remembered that fact.
“N-nothing. I wasn’t expecting that answer.”
“Then what were you expecting? That I’m your wife?” She smiled cheekily.
I stared awkwardly at her, unsure of what to feel. She was both my girlfriend and a complete stranger, so hearing her say that didn’t have that effect she thought it would have on me.
"Haha, cutie, you don't have to be nervous!"
"I'm not nervous."
"Oookay, if you say so."
Well, you can believe that if you want.
"Uh, Layla, right? Where are we right now? This whole place seemed to be destroyed and abandoned. It's like some battle has happened here."
"Oh it's because of that ghoul..." her voice trailed off and a shadow crossed her face.
For a moment, I could have sworn that there was guilt written on her face.
"It all started a month ago..."
***
One month ago, Jaden Palace
A figure emerged from deep in the forest, approaching the gates of Jaden Palace. He was pitch-black from head to toe, a black mist swirling relentlessly around him. Atop his head sat a black top hat, with a dark cloak covering his body. With each step he took, the earth rotted, turning the bare brown soil to blac. Although his features remained obscured by the cloak's depths, he radiated an aura of malice, sending shivers down the spines of those who dared to witness his approach.
"S-State your business!" Gate Guard 1 spoke, his body trembling ever so slightly. He was
The figure only stood in silence.
"Leave now, or we will use force!” Gate Guard 2 warned.
"Like what you did to us?" The figure's deep voice reverbed.
The ground rocked back and forth, causing the trees to sway in the background. With each passing second, it trembled harder, and harder.
"S-Shit, call for backup!" Gate Guard 1 implored.
The trembles turned into a violent quake, causing the guards to lose their balance. Crack lines spidered across the outer walls, the floor and the giant metal gates, reaching as far as they could get. Despite that, the palace's structure somehow remained largely unscathed, unwilling to give in to the malevolent force.
“Not bad." The figure remarked, impressed by its durability.
Two small magic circles then appeared on each guard's chest. Then clenching his fists tightly, the black figure crushed both guards' hearts. Blood rushed out of their mouths as they clenched their chests, dropping like flies to the ground. The helpless guards could only reach their hands out to the black figure, their eyes following his movement as life slowly seeped from their bodies.
The palace gates swung wide open, slamming into the walls and surprising the patrolling guards, the gardeners and the servants nearby who instantly caught sight of the dead guards outside.
"Oh... oh shit!" A patrolling guard shouted.
The nearby guards quickly assumed formation and cast several spells to subdue the intruder. However, before their casts could be completed, misty black spears impaled their hearts. The fleeing palace servants were not spared either, all suffering the same fate, dropping to the ground like flies. Deafening alarms resounded throughout the air inside Jaden Palace, reaching all ears that were present. Guards stationed elsewhere rapidly rushed to the danger site. Servants who were idling or performing services dashed back indoors and sought refuge in the reinforced rooms, praying to the heavens for mercy.
In the King's room
"What's happening out there?" Gazaar demanded.
"My liege, an intruder has breached the palace, and he is killing everyone on sight!"
"What?!" Gazaar slammed his desk. "And no one can stop him?!"
"My apologies, my liege. The intruder is using magic techniques far beyond us."
"Impossible. Show me his location!"
A translucent magic screen materialised before Gazaar, showing the scene of the black figure killing every single soul in sight. Dead bodies and pools of blood were strewn all over the place; some on the ground while some buried deep in the walls. Some were mutilated beyond recognition while some appeared perfectly untouched. The figure seemed to be heading for the King's Hall.
“Unbelievable," Gazaar muttered. "Even my Elite Guards.”
He stood on his feet and ordered, “Gather all guards right now. We'll take a stand here."
"My liege, it would be best to escape instead." Gazaar's advisor, David, who had been present in the back, finally spoke out.
“Escape?" Gazaar turned and stared intently at him. "What kind of King would I be if I were to run while my people are dying?"
"An unwise King, my liege."
All eyes in the room widened. Nobody had ever dared to speak to The King in that manner.
"I do not mean to be rude, my liege, but this Magii is clearly far beyond any of us. Taking a stand here would only result in pointless deaths. The best course of action would be to set traps and decoys while we evacuate everyone."
Gazaar clenched his fists tightly. There was truth to the advisor's words, but his ego did not want to accept it. He had always prided himself as one of the strongest Magiis, behind only two others, but yet, he agreed that the lives of his people were more important, more significant than his feelings.
He relaxed his fists. "All right. We'll do that."
***
Present day
"...but unfortunately their plan failed and Gazaar was killed. He did ask Javen for help, but it was too late by the time reinforcements arrived.” Layla sighed. “It was a bloodbath and we never got to capture the culprit.”
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
But apparently, the reinforcements had found a trail that ghoul had carelessly left behind, discovering that there were more of them hiding somewhere in the Gaya Forest. King Javen immediately declared a war against them. Also according to Layla, King Javen was the guy I used to frequently quibble with. He now headed the Grand Palace, the place Layla was from.
"I see," I replied. It was a lot of information to take in, but I was starting to grasp the situation at hand. However, something was strange.
"Then why are we here in this abandoned place, Layla? Wouldn't it be safer to be with the others at the Grand Palace?"
"Oh it’s-it's because the Grand Palace is a danger zone right now. You know, how enemies always attack the place where the King is? So we were sent to hide here. Don't worry, although you may not be able to see them, there are guards outside protecting us!"
We were sent here? That didn’t explain all the equipment and this laboratory room. Where were the others then? She then abruptly stood up.
"Speaking of protecting, G, you need to have some lessons to bring back your memories and magic sense so you can at least protect yourself. I still can't believe you completely lost all of your magic." She placed both hands on her hips. "But of course before that, do you want something to eat?"
My stomach grumbled loudly as soon as she finished speaking. D-damn. Amazing timing. I shyly gazed away.
"Hahaha!" She playfully slapped my shoulder. "Right away, sir! Sit tight while I bring you some food."
She then giggled as she strolled out of the room.
God, that was embarrassing. I buried my face in my palms. Argh, whatever. We're a couple right? It should be nothing to be embarrassed about.
Layla soon returned with a piping hot bowl of noodles in her palms, its aroma instantly filling up the entire room. My mouth watered as the food neared me. I might not have any memories, but I would recognise a good bowl of noodles when I saw one.
"And here comes the Layla special!" She placed the food on the table beside me.
"Oh, fun fact, G. I picked up cooking about twenty years ago. Back in the days you've always complained that my cooking was terrible. Well, you'll definitely be shocked by how good I am now!"
Oh, did I really say that? It was hard to imagine myself saying such words to my lover. But I guess that meant that we were very, very close. Or I was abusive.
"Well, we'll see!" I responded with a playful grin as I picked up the pair of chopsticks, ready to savour this delight in front of me. The flavours danced on my tongue as I heartily slurped the strands of noodles.
"Wow." I let out as I continued devouring the food as if I had not eaten in days. The way the cheese melted in my mouth was… wow! Not to mention the way the spices and the salt worked well together. How did she make this?
After I ate the last bit, I placed my chopsticks back in the bowl.
"How was it?" she smiled and eyed me, anticipating a certain answer.
I replied, "It's-It's good. Did I really say that you were terrible back then?"
"Yes, you did. You were so always so mean about it, saying how I would never cook well in a thousand years." Her brows knitted together.
"Sorry. I was wrong."
"Haha." Her expression relaxed, her eyes softening. "I'm kidding. You weren't wrong. You were just honest."
She gently grabbed my arm."And that's what I love about you! Anyway, let's go. We have to start your training now."
Wait, now? B-but I just finished this bowl of noodles!
“I know what you’re thinking, G, but in times of war, you have no time to rest!”
Damn, she really read me like a book. We must have been really close in the past.
We left the room and went to a garden, a place that I had not seen before in my earlier adventure. The air was fragrant with the scent of blooming flowers, and the vibrant colours of roses, tulips, and lilies created a breathtaking scenery. A cobblestone path wound through the lush greenery, leading to a large open space. The gentle sound of a water fountain in the distance added to the serene atmosphere, making it a stark contrast to that courtyard I had visited earlier.
"OK G, we'll first start with the most basic of spells." A hollow red magic circle with magic characters materialised above her open palm. "Do you recognise this one?"
I squinted my eyes at it and shook my head.
"We call this
Responding to Layla's wishes, a fireball emerged from the magic circle.
"Once the fireball is out, you can do whatever you want with it; throw it, flick it or have it fly to a target you aim at."
Layla then looked forward and drew her arm backwards along with the fireball in her palm. With a swift motion, she hurled it straight ahead. The ball of flame soared through the garden, leaving behind a fiery trail that thankfully did not hit any of the plants. After travelling for a bit, Layla snapped her fingers, causing the fireball to burst into dazzling sparks, like mini-fireworks.
"Try it G! Since you learnt it before, you just have to focus and think about creating a fireball. The spell will draw itself naturally."
I opened my palm, facing it upward. One constant thought ran through my mind: Create a fireball. Create a fireball. Create a fireball.
Nearly five minutes passed, but no magic circle had shown itself yet. A sigh escaped my lips as I relaxed. Perhaps I’m not cut out for this.
"It's okay, G," Layla reassured with a warm smile. "When we were first learning it together, it took you a while to get it too. But hey, you ended up becoming the best among us!" Her encouraging words and beautiful smile touched my heart.
I then closed my eyes and took a deep breath and attempted it again. I focused and stared intently at my palm, weeding out all unnecessary thoughts. I only have to think about a fireball. Think about its orange colour. Think about its heat. Think about its shape. After a while, a strange wave of familiarity suddenly surged through my blood, and soon enough a red magic circle appeared above my palm, with a small fireball following suit after. My eyes widened. Finally!
"Nice!" Layla cheered. "Now, try directing it somewhere."
My eyes locked onto the tree straight ahead, still maintaining my focus. As if I were in slow motion, I rotated my palm and drew my arm backwards, being careful not to accidentally extinguish my first ball of flame. Afterwards, I propelled it forward and watched as my first fireball glided through the air. Needless to say, Layla extinguished it seconds before it hit the tree.
"Hah, great job!" She extended her palm outward to me. "Let's try that one more time."
The rest of the day was spent in a similar fashion: Layla demonstrating and explaining a new, or rather a spell that I had forgotten, me trying and failing before finally getting it, and Layla congratulating me afterwards. It was frustrating to keep failing each time, but she never stopped encouraging and believing in me.
In the blink of an eye, the night sky fell.
"Auugh." Layla yawned. "That was tiring."
"Yeah," I said while massaging my shoulders. Who would have thought that learning to cast magic spells would actually be physically demanding.
We then headed back into the destroyed palace. With a snap of her fingers, Layla lit up the row of wall sconces, illuminating the once-dark hallway. We came to a stop in the middle of it, and she faced her palm on the ground, casting a spell. A temporary hole appeared, revealing a small set of stairs that led underground.
"Is this where you've been sleeping?" I asked as I looked down the few steps, seeing a well-furnished and lit room at the end.
"Yeah. The portal is practically undetectable, so this is a safe spot."
"Ah."
We then started our descent downwards, with the hole closing behind me.
Inside the room were various pieces of furniture of high quality. It boasted a sofa, a cooking area, a table, and a large bed all in a single space. The walls were painted white and they hosted lamps that seemed to be powered by magic. There was an open door opposite the stairs, which housed another room with a bath in it. I settled at the table as Layla whipped up something to eat.
"Layla, did those ghouls exist before my death?" I still didn't have my memories back yet, but my gut feeling told me that they weren't always there.
"We don't know, G. We came across the first ghoul many decades ago when he walked into Haventry City." She placed the plates of food down on the table and sat down beside me. "The first Magiis to see him called him the Devil because of his pitch-black appearance and his ridiculously strong magic aura. But that ghoul just left after without doing anything, unlike the most recent one who had destroyed Jaden Palace."
Putting a spoon of food into her mouth, she continued, "We tried to go after him, but even after weeks of searching, nobody could find him. Never saw anyone like that again, until weeks ago."
"So there's more than one ghoul?"
"I don't know, G. No one knows. But it was because of him that we erected the tall walls around the city. There may be more out there, and who knows if they posed a threat?"
"I see."
After a great dinner, we went to rest for the night. She laid on her bed, while I settled for the sofa. Well, she had beckoned me to lay beside her, but as tempting as it was to sleep beside such a ravishing lady, I had to stay strong to my principles.