Emil

“Em!”

Emil’s heart stirred at the sound of his nickname. How long has it been since he last heard someone address him by this name?

He spun around, a joyous smile carved on his face that only grew wider at the sight of the two individuals standing by the door of his room. His two favorite people in the world. Emil ran in and dove his head into their arms.

“Mom! Dad!”

His voice sounded strange—a few octaves higher than he remembered. His parents’ faces—blurry and unfocused, like a cloud of fog shrouding their appearances. The passage of time was cruel. He could no longer remember what they looked like.

“Em, what book were you reading?” His mother’s gentle voice echoed in his head.

Emil glanced down at the book in his hands. It was an untitled encyclopedia. Thin. The cover was gray with a depiction of a clock drawn in black ink. The insides were pages detailing the mechanisms behind the various contraception and gadgets developed by mankind.

He described the book with a childlike wonder. Word for word, paragraph by paragraph—a near perfect recital of the contents that he had read. His parents listened. He couldn’t see their faces, but he assumed they would be smiling.

They had to be.

***

Emil’s vision was blurry when his eyes finally opened. The side of his face was wet. Unfallen tears pooled at the bottom of his eyelids from the cruel dream.

A distant reverie. A fleeting glimpse of an unreachable past. A reminder of the tranquil times of his childhood, before his parents passed and left him to face this cruel world alone.

Emil laid there in silence—soaking in the wretched feelings stuck in his chest. The torment felt unbearable, like a lump of stone that had been etched inside his lungs.

Gradually, the nasty feelings passed. Slowly, they faded till they were unrecognizable, just like the fleeting memories that caused them in the first place. He let out a raspy breath. His shoulders and chest instantly loosened as the tension escaped his body. He raised his arms to wipe his face clean. The natural movement was accompanied by a throbbing pain.

I don’t recognize this ceiling.

He finally realized he was in an unfamiliar room. The painful buzz rippling through his body had jolted him out of his dreary stupor.

Right, Anna and I killed the professor and his assistants after burning down the lab.

He remembered limping out of the woods of the Third Sector with Anna. His recollections after that were vague. Blood loss and fatigue must have caused him to collapse at some point.

Emil glanced down at his arms. They were covered in bandages. The handiwork was expertly done—tight enough to adhere against his skin, yet not so much to cause pain and discomfort. Whoever did this was experienced.

He turned to the side—

And found an unfamiliar face staring at him.

Emil nearly jumped out of the bed.

“Calm down.”

It was a woman in her early twenties. Dark brunette hair dangled to her chin. A look of displeasure smeared across her plain face.

I didn’t sense her presence at all. How long has she been there?

“I was waiting till you stopped crying,” the woman said as if reading his mind. She reached for an item inside her breast pocket. It was a brass coin inscribed with the fangs of a hound.

Steiger’s insignia.

“…You’re a Cleaner?”

“A Fixer. I’m Petra,” the woman introduced himself in a lethargic manner, “I’m the owner of this residence. Your two little friends are staying with me.”

Mia and Raz are here?

Emil widened his eyes. Memories of last night began to pour in. He and Anna had split off after returning to the Second Sector. Anna went back to campus while he decided to seek out Mia for assistance with his injuries. With the severity of his wounds, he would have left a bloody mess in his dorms, which would have taken a herculean effort to explain.

The witch did not tell me that they would be staying with another Steiger agent.

The pits of his stomach burned. He had been so busy with establishing his cover and investigating Ellen’s whereabouts that he didn’t have the chance to visit their new place in Azure City yet. This discovery was deeply upsetting.

“Your bloodlust is becoming unpleasant,” Petra said tiredly, “Whatever nonsense you’re imagining isn’t happening. I’m the landlord. Your friends are staying here free of charge, thanks to the director’s insistence. In exchange, Mia’s helping me out.”

“What are you making her do?” Emil spat. The woman was silent. Finally, after a tense silence of glaring at each other, she let out an annoyed sigh.

“She’s helping me with some paperwork as part of my Fixer duties,” she explained, shaking her head, “But most of her work is just taking care of the residence. Cleaning, cooking, keeping my workspace tidy and organized. I also help her nurse Raz.”

“Nurse Raz?”

“I’m a trained medic. Who do you think did your bandages? That’s my handiwork.”

“Oh…thanks,” Emil muttered, recognizing the diligence and effort that went into his medical care. His body cooled as the indignation worn off.

A part of him was still miffed that the witch went against his wishes. Since the beginning of their accursed partnership, he stressed that Mia and Raz were to never get involved with Steiger affairs. Part of it was the inherent danger associated with this line of work. Another reason was that he simply did not trust the witch. He experienced firsthand the cruelty that she was capable of. Under no circumstances did he want to subject Mia and Raz through the same ordeals.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“About time that I get some lip service,” Petra complained as she crossed her legs. Her lethargic demeanor suddenly disappeared. “Now, you,” she pointed at him with an outstretched hand.

Emil flinched at the abrupt change in energy.

“First order of business, what do I call you? Emil? Miles? Or did you adopt another name?”

“Emil is fine.”

“Okay, Emil,” Petra said with the sass of an angry school teacher, “Please, do tell me why you ended up on my doorsteps half dead this morning?”

Emil quickly recounted what happened since the beginning of the school year. Petra listened closely; her annoyed expression grew increasingly foul as he neared the end of his report.

When he was done, Petra immediately rose to her feet. Without warning, she leaned in and delivered a vicious flick to his forehead.

“Ow?!”

The explosive pain nearly brought him to tears.

“Do you have a death wish? You fought a professor of the Academy?! And killed him?!” Petra whispered harshly.

“I didn’t have a choice!”

She groaned, massaging her temples with a grimace. “…Here’s some advice that you’re probably going to ignore—stay away from this Anna girl.”

“Why?”

“You, have a savior complex. She, sounds like she has no sense of self-preservation. This is a combination begging for disaster.”

“I didn’t realize you could become an expert in someone who you just met a few minutes ago,” Emil retorted.

“Then why did you go with her despite knowing the risks? You want me to believe that the rising star of Steiger got dragged along by a single freshmen student of the Academy?”

Emil spun around. The satchel from last night was lying on the top of a bedside table. He grabbed the documents and shoved it in Petra’s face.

“I was getting evidence. To prove that the witch’s assumptions were correct.”

“Excuse me?” Petra’s voice suddenly grew dangerous, “Did you say the witch?”

Her irritated gaze turned cold, instantly sharpened with the glint of steel. Emil swallowed nervously. His eyes fell on the woman’s hands. Already, they were in position to deliver another nasty forehead flick.

“I-I mean, Hortensia,” he stammered, not wanting to experience another ounce of pain.

Petra’s bloodlust ceased at his concession. She grabbed the documents and combed through the pages with fervent efficiency. As she neared the end, she let out a long sigh.

“This isn’t damning enough. You need something more concrete. Something irrefutable that shows the Council of Mana is sanctioning experiments involving human lives. Otherwise, Hortensia won’t be able to make a move,” Petra said as she carefully organized the documents into a neat pile, “Luckily for you, I happen to have some leads.”

“You do?” Emil asked, surprised. Finding leads for his investigations was the biggest hurdle preventing him from making progress.

“Yes,” Petra replied with a haughty tone. She took out a sealed envelope from a nearby drawer. “In case you were, for some reason, unaware, I’m supposed to be your liaison during your enrolment at the Academy. You, were supposed to meet up with me before you entered the Academy, so I could get you started with the intel you need.”

“O-Oh…”

R-right, the witch did mention something like that.

More specifically, she said he had the option of consulting a Steiger implant inside Azure City if he ever got stuck in his investigations. Emil ignored it, of course. One, he preferred to work alone. Two, he preferred not to get himself any more involved in the Steiger organization. Van and the witch were plenty.

“This is why I hate working with lone wolves. They always think they can do everything by themselves,” Petra sighed, lamenting, “And yet, they’re the ones who cause the most trouble for everyone else who end having to clean after them. Like me.”

The venom dripping from her words made it sound like she was drawing from a past experience.

Emil tried to ignore the scalding words that were prickling his conscious while he reached for the envelope dangling in front of Petra’s hands.

“No,” she suddenly pulled her hand back. Without warning, she reopened the drawer and tossed the envelope in before locking the drawer shut.

“Until I clear you medically, you’re not allowed to see the contents of that envelope.” Petra dangled the key in his face as she walked towards the door. “And as much as I couldn’t care less about your wellbeing, you are an important person to my dear little one, Mia. Therefore, I have a duty to make sure you stay put and not make my beloved little one cry.”

Petra shut the door behind her.

Emil stared, dumbfounded.

***

MIA

Mia was waiting in the hallway when Petra finally stepped out of Emil’s room. She looked exhausted.

Petra had been inside that room since the crack of dawn when Emil suddenly appeared on their doorsteps. Mia’s heart clenched at the memory. He had blood caked across his face and body. His clothes were torn to rags. Nasty burns ravaged his torso. She nearly screamed at the wretched state of his body.

“U-um, h-how is he?” She worked up the courage to ask. A lump rested in her throat. She wasn’t sure if she was ready to receive an answer.

Petra leaned against the wall with her arms crossed. Dread clawed up Mia’s spine as she waited for a response. After a few grueling seconds, Petra finally spoke.

“He’s tenacious. Unnaturally so. Those injuries of his should have incapacitated him for a few days. Yet somehow, he’s awake. That tenacity is probably why he feels no hesitation abusing his body,” Petra sighed, turning to face Mia. A weak smile opened on her weary face, “But, he’ll be fine.”

Mia nearly dropped to her knees. The news released all the pent-up tensions in her body as if her strings had been cut loose.

Petra tilted her head towards the door. “You should go see him. I’ve already gave him a nice scolding.”

Mia nodded, cleaning her face of her tears.

“Thanks Petra.”

“Any time, little one.”

***

She gently pushed on the door. The dull creak of the wood echoed in her ears as the door inched open. Mia peeked through the slowly widening gap, not wanting to disturb Emil if he already fallen asleep. Patients needed plenty of rest. His words, from a distant time when they were still children struggling to survive in the slums.

…Huh?

Through the tiny gap, she saw Emil crouched on the floor, facing the drawer. There was a knife in his right hand—metal softly screeching as the knife handle twisted back and forth in a rhythmic cadence.

Is he…picking the lock?

Mia wiped her eyes clear just in case the tears were messing with her sight. When she realized she wasn’t wrong, she groaned. She suddenly felt stupid for being concerned.

Thud!

She stepped into the room and slammed the door close behind her.

Emil nearly jumped. Mia remained silent, feeling mischievous. She watched as Emil slowly turned his head around. She saw the fear on his face loosen ever so slightly when they made eye contact.

“M-Mia?”

“I thought patients needed plenty of rest,” she said in an unusually sweet tone. Emil immediately hopped back onto the bed without protest.

Seriously, this guy.

She covered her mouth, trying not to break into a smile. She wanted to stay mad at him for a bit longer.

“I’ll pretend I didn’t see that,” Mia said as she took a seat by the bedside, “In exchange, I like to hear about your stories from your first week at the Academy.”

Emil made a face. “Do I have to?”

“It would make me very happy. But if my happiness is not a priority of yours and if you insist on refusing,” Mia shot him a conniving glance, “I’ll have no choice but to report your misdeeds to Petra.”

Emil’s face paled. Mia giggled at his belligerent reaction.

“You don’t like her very much, do you?”

“It’s not that,” Emil replied, scratching his head. His face squinched up, wearing a difficult expression, seemingly embroidered with inner conflict. For the first time in awhile, Mia thought he finally looked his age.

“How much did she tell you about our jobs?” he eventually asked.

“She said the two of you work for an organization called Steiger. It’s a secret organization that works for the royal family,” Mia recited the words Petra told her, “And…you do a lot of dangerous things.”

When she first heard the explanation from Petra, things finally clicked in her head. It explained why Emil would often be gone for weeks, and why he would always come home exhausted and littered with injuries. It also made sense why he refused to divulge any details about his line of work.

“Yeah, I was afraid of that,” Emil groaned, “Steiger does a lot of shady things. Things that I rather not get you and Raz involved in.”

But you endure it anyways for me and Raz, right? Mia filled in the words that Emil left unsaid. She was no stranger to the torment that his job has subjected him through. She remembered vividly the moments when he would scream at night from the nightmares that would torture him in his sleep.

“Well, as for me, I’m happy to not be left in the dark anymore,” Mia said with a faint smile, “And Petra, despite being part of this shady organization, has only treated Raz and I with kindness.”

“…So it seems,” Emil grumbled. Mia grinned. It was rare to see Emil pout. Finally, he has someone who can scold him. Someone who can make him act like his age.

“Now then, go on,” Mia beckoned, “You have your end of the bargain to fulfill in exchange of my silence.”

Emil reluctantly began recounting his time on campus. Mia listened with a curious smile. A tinge of envy slowly crept into her heart.