Kain had returned to bed and was laying with his face sunk deep into a pillow. His conversation with Maleek, while quite informational, brought progressly worse news. First came confirmation that he had actually been unconscious for a week. He had originally thought he was only knocked out for a day, losing consciousness in the middle of the night and waking up the following evening. That fact that his powers left him incapacitated for so long made him quite a bit more than worried. Fortunately, Maleek’s offer to train him softened that blow. While Kaige, the name they settled on for the voice in his head, supposedly knew how to use sahir already, all he could do in regards to Kain was expel and absorb sahir. He couldn’t make Kain make use of it in any way. The fact that absorbing sahir into the body was possible peeked Kain’s interest, as far as the world knew no flesh organism absorbed sahir. He couldn’t delve deeper into the topic though, he had more pressing concerns.

While he had been unconscious for a week, a cult dedicated to him had popped up. Maleek thought the word ‘cult’ was a bit of an exaggeration, but to Kain it was a very fitting description. A group of people who mindlessly revered a person to the point that they harassed others in hopes of merely meeting him was nothing short of a cult. Kain was not religious by any sense and even deeper than that he didn’t believe in idolizing, be it a person, thing, or concept. He was instead a devout believer in taking things into your own hands, not hoping that someone or something else would handle it for you. To him reverence was, in whatever form, both unpracticed and unwanted. Alas, the world didn’t think like him and he had neither the means. the desire, nor the time to change that. The only reason he couldn't simply shrug off the ‘cult’s’ existence was the fact that, based on his appearance, they had some grounds.

His pupils were missing. At least they appeared to be, replaced by a faint red glow seemingly coming from behind his eyeball. The glow outlined his completely white eyes, with red. It was an unsettling sight, even more so when you considered what was on Kain’s head. He had been somewhat bemused when Maleek questioned whether his eyes had always been ‘that’ way, but he was truly lost when Maleek started describing what he meant. Practically running to the mirror, he was stunned by what he saw. White hair and white eyes, it was a combination that didn’t exist. Either of the two were anomalies in their own right, having both almost assuredly proved what the ‘cult’ believed about him to be true. He definitely couldn’t be a regular person. Even someone deemed as ‘special’ would be hard pressed to have anything as remotely unique about them. That was not even taking into account the other abnormalities that Kain kept extremely well hidden.

I was content you know...life wasn’t great, but it was good. I had a warm home, a bright future...

Mmhm.

...I’d have been a fensir any week now. Mom could stop working, maybe find a new husband…

True.

...We could’ve moved to a better house, maybe even start a proper business of our own. It was good. Everything was good. But no, god must have thought I was having it too good and this is his way of fucking with me…

Yeah.

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...There’s no way I can live a normal life after this. I can use Sahirlah for fuck’s sake. No one can do that…

Mmhm.

...Hell. Even if I could successfully hide that, white hair and white eyes? How the fuck am I supposed to hide those? The hair sure, but unless I go blind there’s no way I can hide the fact I have no pupils.

True.

Kain lifted himself off the pillow and turned around. Staring at the ceiling, he sighed.

I should have known. It was obvious…

Yeah.

...I’ve never been normal. Ever since I—.

A knock came at the door. It was probably Glacia coming to tell him the bathroom was ready. Kain and Maleek’s conversation had only recently ended. After Kain saw himself in the mirror, he was at a loss for words. Maleek correctly surmised that his eyes looking the way they did was a recent development. Seeing that Kain appeared more shocked than he was, he proposed Kain take a bath to freshen up and clear his mind. They could brainstorm causes and solutions after.

Kain easily agreed. Imurian baths were more or less hot tubs, it was the perfect place to relax. Unfortunately, to enjoy that experience the tub had to be filled with water then heated. The few minutes it took to do that gave Kain thinking time. He spent it well.

“Come in.”

The door opened, but to Kain’s surprise the woman that entered was not Glacia. The armor she wore was the same style as Glacia’s, but her’s was darker. There were also two medals on her chest.

The woman bowed, “Good evening Mr. Basileus. My name is Christel Livius, an arberdir serving under Sir and Madam Fortem. I was sent to inform you that the bath has been prepared. I ask that you make haste, Madam Fortem would like to speak with you after you have refreshed yourself.”

If it weren’t for the armor, Kain would have thought the woman was a pure maid. Kain had assumed the arberdirs in the Fortem household were more bodyguards than they were housemaids, but apparently Glacia was the exception and not the rule.

Or not. This woman could be—wait. Madam?

Kain sat up, “Excuse me, did you say madam?”

The woman nodded, “Yes.”

Why do I have a bad feeling about that.

Because you always have a bad feeling.

Ouh. More than one syllable?

First of all, ‘Mmhm’ is two syllables. Second, did you actually expect me to listen to you complain about being special?

It's not about being special, it’s...You know what? Forget it.

Realizing he had left the arberdir hanging, he quickly voiced his thanks and affirmed he’d head to the bathroom immediately. The woman bowed again and left, closing the door behind her. Kain slowly slid off of the bed and into his slippers, he was growing fond of the smooth silky feel inside of them. He head for the door. A change of clothes had already been brought over. They hung on a short, metal bar drilled into the wall by the door. Kain picked them up and stretched his free hand to twist the doorknob. Opening the door, he paused. Glacia was standing guard outside. While the fact she was doing so wasn’t particularly strange, it was her job after all, it made him think. She had no doubt been standing there well before he opened the door, yet he never knew. Something wasn’t adding up and it had the cogs in his brain turning.

Kaige. How did you know she was coming to the room before?