Kazeki's eyes fluttered open, the sounds of carts rattling about mingling with mindless chatter becoming more clear as his ears adjusted. As the light artifact hovering overhead came into focus, he surveyed his surroundings. He appeared to be in an infirmary tent. Crisp, cool air brushed against his skin, and the soft glow of the moonlight through the tarp told him the sun had already disappeared.
Fiend members squirmed in their respective beds as medics tended to their injuries. Some of the Fiends he'd recognized when fighting to give Fuyumi an opportunity to infiltrate the palace.
"How's that? Are you still feeling any pain?"
"Uhm, yeah, I'm fine. Thanks."
He heard a few familiar voices to his left. Turning his head, he saw one of the warrior-type Fiends that had cornered him before Itsuki, who was resting in his own bed beside him, came to his rescue. But what surprised him the most was the girl healing him. He knew she had a good heart but he never expected to see her helping the enemy with their injuries.
"Aoi?" Kazeki asked as if to confirm he wasn't hallucinating.
She whipped her head in his direction, her face visibly relieved. After she finished healing the man's leg, she hurried over to Kazeki's bedside.
"Kazeki! Are you feeling better? I hope you weren't seriously injured." She asked, looking him over.
"I'm okay. Just a bit lightheaded."
"Your channels still need to replenish. Please try to rest."
Itsuki looked over, relieved to see that he was conscious.
"Look who's awake," he smiled. "You did well out there."
"Only because I piggybacked off an A-rank." Kazeki quipped back.
The more Kazeki looked around, the more he noticed that some of the Fiends were actually sitting up. Some of their clan members trickled into the tent to visit each other. Overhearing their conversations, he confirmed that they themselves were bedridden until a certain healer helped them with their injuries.
Now that she was closer, he could see the shortness of breath. Raising a handkerchief to her mouth, she broke into a fit of hoarse coughs, obviously trying to hide the red splotches bleeding through the fabric. Although he didn't know how much radiance she expended while playing decoy, it was reckless for her to expend even more of her reserves like this, even if she only meant well.
"Seems like I'm not the only one who needs to rest."
"Please don't concern yourself, Kazeki. I promise I'm okay." She assured through a weak smile.
"She's been healing everyone nonstop." Itsuki snitched making Aoi whip around.
"I-I would appreciate it if you wouldn't give him any reason to worry." She pleaded, embarrassed.
"I can only imagine the stress you endured healing Kateshi. So take it easy, will ya?"
He could tell Aoi wanted to refute his claim but couldn't come up with a counter.
She sighed in defeat. "I suppose I could rest a moment."
"By the way, where are the others?" Kazeki asked.
"As of now, Kenji is watching the remainder of the skirmish." She explained. "As for Kateshi, he's..."
"Miss Aoi!" The all-too-familiar boisterous voice practically shook the tent.
Kazeki couldn't see the big ape since Aoi blocked his view but he knew he'd peered his head inside the tarp just from the amount of gazes turning in that direction.
"Is there an update on Sir Kazeki and Sir Itsuki's conditions?"
While the brute could see that Itsuki was doing well, Kazeki raised a thumbs up into view to signal he was still breathing.
"That was quite the impressive showcase of power, Sir Itsuki! My only regret is I could not be the one to fight by your side and witness it firsthand."
They swore they felt the air vibrate as he roared into the tent and Kazeki could practically hear the big guy's signature grin. Fed up with how rowdy he was, the medics asked him to leave which he obliged, saving everyone's eardrums.
"The medics warned him not to enter the infirmary. They deemed him to be a bit too...distracting." Aoi explained.
Kazeki shook his head, chuckling. "How very Kateshi."
After a few minutes of chatting, another familiar face walked through the tarp, though they didn't expect to see him again so soon. Looking around, he spotted Kazeki and Itsuki staring at him before approaching.
"Marcus." Itsuki greeted, suspicious as to why he felt the need to pay them a visit.
Marcus acknowledged Aoi with a nod before turning to his two former opponents. "I figured I'd find you both here after they escorted that giant away from this tent."
"Is there something you wanted?" Kazeki asked, raising a suspicious brow.
Unexpectedly, Marcus lowered himself into a bow. "I wanted to apologize for going overboard. I lost my head during our bout. As a result, the two of you were brought here."
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
Kazeki and Itsuki looked at each other in mild surprise before turning back to him.
"There's no need to apologize," Itsuki assured, waving a dismissive hand. "We knew what we signed up for. That's why there are medics on standby."
Kazeki couldn't help but crack a smile. "You came all the way here to say you're sorry? Don't sweat it. We'll call it even after we win this skirmish." He smirked.
"Master Kane has no intention of losing either. Especially not to your friend, Yakeru."
"You're forgetting that Yakeru will have backup," Kazeki replied.
"And you're forgetting about our second lieutenant." Marcus countered.
"Pfft. Fuyumi took out an A-tier monster before when she was a B-rank. Earlier, you said Kane recruits those weaker than him which would make his second lieutenant weaker than Fuyumi. I have no doubt in my mind that it'll be a breeze for her." Kazeki responded, laying his head on his hands confidently.
Marcus let out a sigh while shaking his head. "You don't get it, do you? It doesn't matter if Fuyumi's a B, A, or S-rank. Heck, she can even be a Sentinel. But if her opponent is that...witch, she's already lost."
*****
Fuyumi ventured farther into the grand palace, wandering its decrepit halls. The same musty scent of decay polluted the air no matter where she was within its crumbling walls. The occasional moans of wind meandered through the empty corridors, causing dust particles to dance under the moonlight's gentle glow filtering through holes in the ceiling. Walking past another opening in a wall that revealed what looked to be a garden now tangled with weeds and overgrown foliage.
Coming from a modest background, she'd never seen the interior of a royal palace before, let alone stepped foot on its property. When she was a girl, she had a mild curiosity about what it would be like to fill a royal's shoes. Roaming the halls adorned with intricate tapestries, maids taking on responsibilities that would otherwise fall on her, guards patrolling every inch of the property and filling the palace with a sense of security...but now the place was a husk of its former self.
She shook her head to dislodge the old childish fantasy. With how large the palace was, it'd be almost impossible to cover so much ground. She checked her talisman periodically, trying to pinpoint Yakeru's location.
After navigating through the ruin, she'd finally reached a set of doors, a room she hadn't explored yet. As she approached, she could make the faint sounds of shuffling on the other side. Looking at her talisman, its glow dimmer than before, she confirmed her teammate wasn't on the other side which meant one thing...
Unsure of who she'd face, she took a moment before grabbing the door handles and pushing. The rusty hinges made them somewhat difficult to open as they let out a harsh screech that resounded through the room and hall.
Stepping inside, she inspected the room, which didn't look much different than the other rooms she'd explored as they were all worn down and weathered. However, there was something about this particular room that just didn't feel right.
She drew a dagger upon entering, a sense of unease washing over her.
The high ceiling loomed overhead, gathering dust and cobwebs along the edges. The walls, once painted with a calming shade of taupe, were now peeling to reveal discoloration and fragile framework within the walls. Faded marks where artwork had been hung stained the walls.
At the center of the room were the remnants of a low coffee table, shattered with its metal frame bent out of shape. Grimy curtains lay strewn across the fractured floor. The once-inviting sofa sat crooked with cracks and tears in its leather material with a disfigured stress ball wedged between the cushions.
Walking over to a toppled-over desk, charred and brittle, she found a dented spherical artifact and a clipboard with burnt sheets of paper. The writing was illegible at this point but based on everything she'd seen, she assumed this was some kind of old office space of sorts.
Coming to a stop, she strained her ears but couldn't make out any shuffling anymore, only the faint hum of the wind outside.
'Was my mind playing tricks on me?' She wondered.
Despite the lack of evidence that she was in danger, her instincts screamed for her to leave.
'Snap out of it. There's nothing here.'
Doing another quick sweep to confirm no one was in the room she turned to the doors, the foreboding air growing thicker. Relieved she wouldn't have to stay in the room any longer, she was about to head towards the doors when she froze.
There was no draft and even if there was, the rusty hinges would've produced an obvious screech when in use but she didn't hear anything...so why were they closed?
All she could do was stare. She rubbed her eyes but the doors remained closed. After a few minutes of staring to see anything out of the ordinary, she cautiously made her way over. Placing her hands on the handles, she pulled only this time, for some inexplicable reason, they were a bit easier to open and the screeching was noticeably quieter.
Stepping through the same doors she came in through, every hair on her body stood on end.
She was back in the same office.
This time the room felt different. There wasn't as much debris in the room as before. Carefully walking further inside, she noticed that the floor was still dusty but it wasn't damaged. The walls that were once peeling away were now intact but still hadn't reverted back to their original color.
The sofa barely showed any signs of deterioration and the stress ball now retained its original shape. The desk and papers were no longer burnt or charred but still remained in the same place as before.
It wasn't just the physical changes in the room that frightened her, the howling of the wind had completely disappeared as well, filling the room with an eerie silence.
Turning back, she found the doors closed once again. Pulling them open, her heart nearly leapt in her throat.
It was the same room again.
She looked behind her and confirmed she was still in the office, which she was. Taking a step forward, the room was in less disarray than the last time.
"What's happening?" She said with a slight tremble in her voice, the string of anomalies plunging her deeper into the pit of fear.
Two spherical artifacts floated in the air on a predetermined path, casting a warm glow on the now pristine office space.
The polished floor reflected the ceiling's elaborate moldings and paintings that now hung from the spotless taupe-colored walls. The plush furniture lay spotless and the stress ball rested atop the fully intact coffee table.
A framed certificate hung above the desk that now stood centered in front of the window, the unstained curtains gently swaying from the light breeze.
Now that the state of decay had greatly diminished, the room more resembled a counseling room. Her heart thumped against her chest as she didn't know what to make of this.
Unsure of what to do, she quickly turned to the doors that had somehow closed behind her again with no sound indication. Pulling on the handles, the doors opened smoothly with little resistance. Walking through, the room itself remained the same but was now accompanied by ambient sounds in the distance.
It was now daytime, an ethereal glow meandering through the clear glass of the window as silhouettes of birds darted across it. The birds' singing sounded strikingly familiar. They were the same birds from her village with highly developed vocal tracks. Their song danced through the air, completing the calm theme of the counseling office.
But that's not what caught her attention. There was a figure standing in the center of the room. She rubbed her eyes in the hope they were merely deceiving her but when she opened them again, the figure was still standing in the middle of the room. Her built-up anxiety and fear had suddenly dissipated, replaced with utter disbelief. Her dagger slipped through her fingers as she took a trembling step forward.
"You look like you've seen a ghost." The figure spoke in a soothing tone.
Her lip quivered as she struggled to find her voice but when she did, she still couldn't believe the word that left her mouth. "M...Mom?"