My eyes open again after having fallen unconscious for the second time in a day. This time, however, I feel a lot worse than the previous time I woke up. My throat is absolutely parched and where I used to have an arm, currently screaming in pain. My vision is fuzzy at the moment, but that doesn't stop me from recognizing the estate made out of diamond, gold, and other materials that are generally way too expensive.
“Wa...” I try to speak but unfortunately before I could even utter a single, a violent cough forces itself on me. A familiar iron taste courses through my throat as I start actively coughing out bright red blood.
'Well, I'm definitely back in the Talvit estate.' I think not able to speak at the moment.
A hand pats my back as an often annoying but for now a welcome voice speaks to me.
“Easy now, my little Ed, don't rush it.” Cornelius says in his most soothing and supportive voice.
“Water.” I manage to say through this almost endless coughing barrage.
Cornelius doesn't hesitate and pours me a cup of water. Having drunk my first glass, I hold it out again, signaling for more. My throat surprisingly still feels parched after the first glass, and it wasn't until my eighth glass that it started to feel like a part of my body again and not a desert.
My sight finally starts to clear up again, noticing this I scan the room looking for any others in the room.
“Where are the others?” I ask Cornelius, rather surprised and slightly suspicious about what's going on.
“They're... nearby.” Cornelius answers in a hesitant tone, which is rather uncharacteristic for him.
“What happened?” I ask, trying to figure everything out.
“Well, nothing much happened exactly. You've been unconscious for 2 days now, and I simply decided that a gentleman should take care of his pupil.” Cornelius says whilst for some reason looking like he's bragging, his smile even wider and more vivid than usual.
“Thank you.” I respond calmly, feeling grateful for the spirit that has been with me for ages now.
Cornelius visibly stiffens up and begins to stare at me. His stare feels rather unsettling, almost like a dragon staring at a mountain of gold.
“Can you call for Ergillaz?” I ask him, not willing to strain my voice anymore and intrigued about what the next course of action will be.
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“Listen my little Ed.” Cornelius responds to me in a solemn tone.
“What's wrong?”
“I'm going to have to lie low for a while.”
“Lie low? From whom?” I ask confused.
“It's a bit of a story, but if they ask about me, just tell them that you don't know anything even if you do. Do you understand me, my little Ed?” Cornelius says, looking at me with an even more piercing gaze.
“I don't know anything anyway.” I respond, showing my discontent.
“...”
“You've been with me for some time now, and I trust you.” I continue to speak, meeting Cornelius gaze with a stern gaze of my own.
“...”
“I trust you... But I don't know anything about you. Do I Cornelius?”
He continues to not respond as he just looks at me waiting for some form of a conclusion.
“Go then, I won't tell anyone that I've seen you.”
Cornelius looks rather delighted by my response as his usual conman smile returns to his face.
“Cornelius.” I call out as he turns around to leave, making him stop in his tracks.
“It will not be like this forever.” I call out towards the spirit that's trying to run away like a fugitive. Reminding him that I want answers and whilst I don't need them now. In the future at least, I want to know.
“Of course.” Cornelius responds in a meek little tone before he rushes off, disappearing to god knows where.
I look towards the door, feeling saddened by his sudden departure, but I couldn't wail in self-pity for long, as the door flies open once more. Ergillaz threw the door open with quite some might, leaving it shattered in this gold-filled room.
“Where is he?” Ergillaz asks, looking like a hound searching for an intruder.
“I don't know.” I respond, not lying and at the same time keeping my promise.
Ergillaz looks me up and down before he beckons others to enter the room. Eli, Idrilth, and some robed priests enter the room. Eli looks at me with relieved eyes, clearly having felt anxious the last couple of days. The priest walks close to my side, starting to cast some spells with their “divine powers.”
“What happened?” I ask, breaking the awkward silence.
“The fight took its toll on you, and you've been unconscious for 2 days.” Ergillaz answers investigating the room, looking for traces of Cornelius.
“I'm not asking about that, Ergillaz. Why are you looking for him?”
Ergillaz stops searching the room after he heard my question. Deciding to turn around and look at me whilst giving his answer.
“He's not what he seems to be. He's no devil, nor is he any demonic spirit born in Lucille's Light.” Ergillaz responds, his golden eyes looking cold.
“How do you know?” I ask out of idle curiosity.
“When you fell unconscious, some priests started to heal you, hoping to stabilize you or even completely help you recover. We rushed you to the estate, but on the way there your body started to turn colder and colder. Nothing seemed to work, and Cornelaius went mad as soon as we entered the estate. He managed to push us all away and sealed the door using some strange magic. The magic was clearly from a spiritual origin but not demonic. If it was then I would have been able to destroy it but as you can see I couldn't.”
“…”
“That raises the question. What is he? How did he manage to disguise himself as a devil, and why was he with us in the first place?”
“Is it that special that some spirit has made its way here?” I ask, not aware of the gravitas of this situation.
“It hasn't happened since the veil of light was created.”
“The veil of light?”
“That's a more fitting conversation to have with the first sight. If you're at least partially recovered, then let's call him for him. It's about time he grants us what he owes.” Ergillaz says before leaving the room, leaving me with more questions than I originally had.