"Sister Lucy, that red hair man is looking for you again." A little girl said as she tugged Lucy in the midst of her chores. Lucy gave the child a small smile before walking towards the direction the little girl pointed.
"Ah, good afternoon sister Lucy! I hope I didn't interrupt your time?" Seth said with a smile, carrying two bags as Lucy answered back with a sigh.
"This is the 5th time of this week, aren't you getting tired of this?" Seth shook his head with his usual smile as he replied.
"I told you. I want to learn more about you, your stories in particular!" Seth said as Lucy frowned.
"Didn't I tell you all of that already?" Lucy asked as Seth gave a small grin.
"Come now sister Lucy, we both know that there is more to it." Seth said as Lucy just gave another sigh.
"Well, whatever, you're coming in or not?" Lucy said as she opened the door fully for Seth.
"Excuse me then." Seth said as he dusted off his shoes before entering.
"Leave your shoes on the rack. I just swept the floor, and I am not about to do it again." Seth nodded as he did as instructed.
The two slowly made their way into the guestroom when they walked past several children. "Ah! It's the red-haired man again!" One of the children pointed as they soon swarmed in from all directions.
"Hello, sir Seth!”
“Hi!..." The children greeted Seth with enthusiasm as he smiled.
"Hi, kids! I've got something special for you again!" Seth said with a smile as their tiny little eyes glimmered in anticipation.
"Candy? Is it candy?" The children asked as Seth shook his head with a smile.
"No, guess again." Seth said as the children were only drawn in.
"Chocolate?! Is it chocolate??" The children grew even more excited as Seth could only smile further and shook his head yet again. "Then what is it?? Tell us tell us!" The children cried in protest as Seth finally revealed his stash.
"It is cake everyone!" Seth said as the children's eyes glowed in excitement.
"Cake! It's cake!" The children began to shout in joy when Lucy suddenly snatched the bag.
"Children, we are not going to eat cake until you have finished your greens." Lucy said as the children despaired.
"B-but sister Lucy! V-vegetables are not tasty! Cake is tasty!”
“Right right!" The children cried in protest but Lucy was unmoved.
"No buts." Lucy said as the children began to throw a fit.
"But we want cake! We want cake!" The children cried as Lucy hesitated.
"Please sister Lucy? Just one slice, pretty please?" The children immediately pushed their advantage when they saw Lucy hesitate.
"N-no! You will not eat any more of what sir Seth brings unless you finish your vegetables." Lucy said, taking all of her strength to deny them.
The children were about to cry when Seth stepped in. "Kids, your sister Lucy here had come and prepared you all the most delicious of greens. She would be so sad if you only ate cake and not hers." The discontent slowly died down as Seth continued.
"You don't want to make sister Lucy and the others sad don't you?" The children slowly nodded their heads in understanding as they slowly approached Lucy.
"S-sorry sister Lucy. W-we promise to finish our greens." The children said as the sisters arrived.
"...Don't worry dears. You can eat this cake when you finish your greens." The children's eyes lit up once more as Lucy handed the bag where the cake had been.
"Sorry to trouble you like this." Lucy said as the sisters shook their heads.
"It's alright sister Lucy, no need to worry!" The sisters said as the children soon gave their thanks and followed where the cake was heading.
"...Well, that gone well." Lucy snapped at Seth as her glare made him jump for a second.
"Can you stop feeding these children's with sweets? They barely eat anything healthy at all." Lucy huffed in indignation at the young man before her.
A small smile crept up on Seth's face as he raised his hands in innocence. "Hey hey, I am just giving them sweets. It's not like I forced them or anything." Lucy glared at the audacity of the man before her when Seth suddenly chuckled.
"Alright alright, I admit it. So can you please forgive me?" Seth said with the same twinkling eyes as the children, but Lucy could only feel annoyance.
"Whatever, leave if you don't have anything else better to do." Lucy said as she turned to leave.
"Ah wait! I'm sorry sister Lucy! I didn't-!" The two were abruptly stopped when Iva appeared from a corner, barely dodging her as she carried a tray filled with soups and vegetables.
"Ah! Sorry Iva. Here, let me-" Iva shot a glare at Lucy for a moment before continuing on her way.
"H-hey Iva! What are you doing little..." Seth trailed off as Iva ignored him like he was a ghost. "Well, I guess there will always be someone who I can't win over. Right sister..." He trailed off yet again when he saw Lucy's sad eyes trailing off at Iva.
Seth watched the two in interest for a moment when it suddenly hit him. "Hey, you alright?" Seth switched gears immediately as if he had seen a chance.
"...Yeah, let's go." Lucy said a while later as they finally reached the guestroom.
The two sat across from each other as Seth opened the smaller bag he carried. "Why don't we have a little snack for ourselves before we continue?" Seth said as Lucy nodded with little care. He pulled out two smaller slices of the cake as Lucy's brow furrowed a little.
"Do I need to serve tea now?" Lucy snorted as Seth laughed.
"Oh goodness no! I just want something to take off the edge. I have no interest in forcing you to act like a lady." Seth said as he happily took a bite out of his cake while Lucy left hers unattended.
"Is there something wrong?" Seth asked as Lucy slowly nodded.
"Never liked these things." Lucy said as she pushed hers towards Seth. The man eyed the cake in silence for a while before shrugging off and leaving for another topic.
"So, tell me, sister Lucy, what do you have in for me today?" Seth asked as the same furrowed gaze met him.
"Like I said, I've told you already." It was Seth's turn to raise a brow as he snickered back a reply.
"Right, abandoning a dukedom, with all its riches and power, for the sake of attaining freedom. That is what you said right? Well, I'll be frank sister Lucy. I’ve heard children come up with better lies." Seth said as Lucy snorted back in reply.
"And what would you know? You are barely the same age as me." Lucy countered as Seth shook his head.
"Ah, but there's a difference between us sister Lucy." Seth said as Lucy snorted.
"And that is?" Seth slowly put down his fork as he replied firmly.
"I have never faced as much pain as you do." Lucy flinched as Seth eyed her scars for a moment before meeting her gaze once more. "I do not know what hell you have endured till now sister Lucy, but clearly, it did not leave you intact." Seth said Lucy's eyes hardened.
"That is why I must know. To know one's pain is to understand their burden. This burden of yours..." Seth carefully replied.
Lucy sneered as she whispered coldly. "Understand their burden? You wouldn't even comprehend it." Seth nodded before replying.
"Which is why I am asking you. Help me understand, so I can help you." Lucy could feel her jaw tighten. No one truly understands her. Emma and the sisters may have cared and worried, but no one truly understands her. What it’s like back on those fields.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
The pain, the horror, no one knows except for those who are like her. Seth was not one of them, she was sure of it... and yet she found herself hesitating. The hand he was offering was something she and everyone who had survived had never tried and it scared her.
Lucy was scared to reach out. For if it proves to be false, it will break her far worse than any torture could do... but the hand was so tempting. Someone else, other than the others, was finally reaching out to her. The mere gesture alone made even the coldest soldiers hesitate.
"Why don't we begin with something simple?" Seth broke her concentration as he tried a new approach. "What is your favorite pastime before all this?" Lucy blinked as she had nothing to reply.
She tried to pry her mind for an answer, but it remained stubborn, refusing to give out. But she was close, she could almost touch it. "Anything will do sister Lucy. Just anything." Seth added in as Lucy finally found something.
"Cooking... I once thought of cooking." Lucy replied as Seth smiled.
"Good that's good sister Lucy. So, why do you like cooking? Is there anything special about it?" Seth asked as Lucy fell silent for a moment as if a lump of lead was stuck in her throat.
"...It keeps my mind busy... away from the smell and the sound." Lucy replied.
"Smell? Sound? What do you mean?" Seth did not mean to push any further but could not help himself as the opportunity was simply there. Offering itself right before his eyes.
"...Of blood... and screaming." Lucy's eyes fell silently still as Seth chewed on his gums.
"I-I see... perhaps we should try a different-"
"I don't know why really..." Surprisingly, however, Lucy did not want to stop and was continuing of her own free will.
"All I did was peel a couple of potatoes, but it was enough. Just far away from that awful stench, those miserable screams." Lucy paused as she found herself shaking involuntarily. Her vision was slowly turning red as the voices were beginning to pick up. And the smell.
The smell was still there.
Captain... save us.
Please captain, it hurts. It hurts so much.
Please save us! Captain please!
End this pain! End our pain! Please captain!
Cap... The voices continued to beg again and again as Lucy covered her ears, preparing for another nightmare she could not control.
Before it grew any stronger, however, Seth gently touched one of her hands as he brought her back to reality. Lucy was surprised for a moment as Seth whispered. "Take your time sister Lucy. There is no need to rush." Seth smiled warmly as Lucy blinked and then gasped.
"Even t-till this day, I c-could still hear them." Lucy softly whimpered as tears dripped one by one. "I-I could have saved them. I should have saved them." Lucy began to cry as Seth rubbed her back.
"There there, sister Lucy. There there." Seth said as he waited for Lucy to calm down.
There was a short deep gasp every now and then as Lucy tried her hardest to suppress the noise. She gasped over and over again for what seemed to be hours until she finally began to stabilize. "...Do you want to talk more about it?" Seth gently asked as Lucy blinked.
She blinked again and again before finally shaking her head in resignation. "Alright, we'll stop from here. You did very well sister Lucy. I am very proud of you." Seth said with a smile as he continued to rub her back.
"Sir Seth?" Seth turned to see Rose offering a cup of water. She had a discernable worried gaze as Seth returned back with a smile. 'Thank you.' He mouthed as he offered the cup to Lucy. "Do you want some water sister Lucy?" Seth whispered as she nodded without hesitation.
Lucy drank the cup greedily before gasping in a more controlled breathing. "How do you feel sister?" Seth asked as Lucy stared at the stone floor for a moment before replying.
"Painful... but also... lighter? I-I… don’t know." Lucy responds, her shoulders trembling from the ordeal.
Seth smiled wider this time as he felt somewhat accomplished. "Great, that is great news." Seth said as Lucy did not respond. She did not know how to respond in situations such as this, but Seth seemed to be content with her answer for now.
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"Goodbye, sir Seth! Come back next time!" The children shouted as they waved their hands wildly up into the air. Seth gives them a smile before waving back.
"Be nice to sister Lucy now, ok?" Seth said as the children happily nodded back in reply.
"We will! We will sir Seth so please come back again with more cake!" Seth grinned visibly as Lucy frowned but did not say a word. Seth gave them one last goodbye before turning back towards his home.
As he walked, Seth pulled up a small notebook from his coat before he began to write down as fast as he could. 'Note for tomorrow; buy chocolate for the kids.' Seth wrote down before letting out a heavy sigh at the sight of the cost.
Most expensive bargain yet. Greedy little gremlins. A tired smile graced his lips as he continued to write down. 'New unresolved history has shown. Related to trauma? Possibly. Need more time to-'
"Watch where you are going, nob!" A foul curse resounded through the air as Seth was bumped hard by a ruffian.
"Ah my apologies. I was not paying attention to where I was going." Seth said with his merchant smile as his inquisitive eye did not fail to scour through the man for any useful information. The man had a rough build on his arms and body.
A tattoo with the shape of a crude hook rests on his right shoulder. Finally, a sharp blade hung low beside his hip, confirming Seth's suspicion. The pig's personal henchmen eh? Respect could not be found in Seth's vocabulary for those who had done the dirty work for the mayor.
"What are you looking at? Scram!" The man yelled as Seth nodded before walking away. Nothing useful, just another pig's dirty swordsman. Why did I even bother to talk-
"Kidnapping children huh? Where is the fun in that?" The man muttered lowly, but Seth did not miss it.
The red hair paused as the man turned around in an alleyway. Tapping into power, his emerald eyes bled into gold as power ran through his ears. Seth winces for a moment as he adjusts his enhanced ears hearing before tuning in properly.
"Hey boss what did that fatty send us for eh?" Seth could hear another man's voice asking the man from before as he snorted back in annoyance.
"Said we steal some kids from that orphanage of theirs. Honestly, I don't even know why." The ruffian snorted in reply.
Seth's eyes grew into alarm as he redoubled his efforts, distrusting his ears for a moment. "Kids? Cmon boss, what's the fun in that? They are just loud snotty brats. Why don't we take in a few of the sisters instead? Heard some were of beauty."
Whatever pity Seth had for the scoundrels died in an instant, replaced by a cold biting fury.
"I her ya lads but that man said he will pay us 20 gold coins upfront and another 20 when the job is done." The man said.
"20 gold coins?! Then what we are waiting for?? Let's steal some brats and earn our share!" The men excitedly began to talk when one of them asked.
"Hol up boss that man did not say anything about the sisters right? We can keep one so long as we take a brat or two right?" The men paused before a wicked smile etched on their grimy faces.
"A sister eh? They say they are all virgins right? Well, that certainly is appetizing." The man who was known as the boss answered as the others followed up.
"You are a genius Grok!" One of the men cheered as the man known as Grok wet his lips.
"Ah, can I have the white-haired bitch boss?" Grok said as the man visibly frowned.
"You mean that ugly freak? Sure, but I don't see why- oh right. You are into those things aren't you?" Grok's grin widened even more as he nodded eagerly.
"She's the youngest of the bunch. I would love to hear what her screams would be like after I defile her. It would be a sight don't you-" Grok was cut short when a massive hole exploded from his chest. His eyes widened in surprise before agony consumed his body.
The world was silent as all eyes were focused on Grok, disbelief in their eyes. The man collapsed before a bone-chilling scream escaped from his throat. "H-help me…" Grok begged desperately, but no one moved as they were transfixed by the horror that lay before them.
“B-boss… B-boss pl-please h-help me.” The man gasped with each word as if every single one of them was lead. Each breath was as painful as the last as if he was being pulled deeper into a cold merciless river.
The last thing Grok felt was the clawing dread in his chest before he collapsed.
The men flew into panic and fear when two more followed through. "A-attack! There is-" The man did not even finish his words as his throat exploded into a pink slimy mess. The men dove in for cover, but it was no use as one after another they fell.
"W-we have to make a break for it! Run towards outside!" The boss yelled as they rushed through the narrow corridor.
"Leave those who cannot move! Don't stop!" The boss yelled as one after another fell behind him.
He did not know how many had died nor did he care as he continued to run. When the break of light appeared before him, hope blossomed like a flower inside him. He was going to survive; he was sure of it!... was sure of it until a shadow went past him.
The man's eyes widened into shock as his legs were torn off. A gurgling scream escaped from his mouth but was surprised yet again as no words left his tongue. For a moment, he felt nothing but adrenaline rushing through his head.
It was only when a shadow loomed above him did the pain exploded in agony. K-kill me! The man tried to speak the words but could not as his throat was broken. He wildly swings, seeking desperately for an end. He turned, however, to see all of his henchmen lay dead. Their bodies were brutally dismembered as holes bore through all.
Terror consumed the man as he was desperate to end his painful, miserable life. He tried to speak again and again he failed as a rough hand hoisted the man high. A pair of burning yellow suns meet the man as Seth carefully but ruthlessly hoists the man up.
There was a faint floating illumination of a golden bow by his side. The features were blurry but one could not deny its elegant beauty as it radiates its presence. It was a long bow of Ferio origins, master crafters of the bow. Seth held possession of one of these fine weapons of death as he glared at the man, though the man could not care less as he desperately sought release.
The children and sisters were one thing. Seth could easily turn them over, especially with the help of the knights from the dukedom, and make sure to imprison them in the deepest recesses dungeon where they will never see the light of the sun again.
The moment they began speaking of Lucy, however, was the moment Seth felt the last of his mercy died. Seth could not find it in himself to forgive the man as he glared at its terrified eyes. To hear such vile plans after witnessing the pain she had been through evokes such a dark hatred that even Seth did not know dwells within him.
Lucy was just beginning to recover, and he would be damned if he let anyone ruin the progress she had made. The man's eyes kept pleading for mercy, but Seth could not find even an ounce of his kindness.
"I thought it was just my eyes, but now that I have a closer look, you really do look vile." Seth coldly whispered as he chuckled. "I do not know how many innocent lives you have taken. Nor do I know how many maidens you have defiled and killed but I suppose this death would please them well.”
The man was desperate for death now as the pain was too much. Yet Seth did not grant him the mercy of it as he blinked coldly. "Ah, that look. It suits you so well. Let’s make it last shall we?" Seth grinned before injecting a small dose of power into the wound, prolonging his life.
The man’s eyes grew into despair as Seth turned back, leaving him to suffer for a time. “Ah, don’t worry. You wouldn’t be alone.” Seth said as he gestured towards the ruined body of Grok. “I made sure of it.” Seth said before continuing.
No come back! Please come back! The man silently begged, but his plea did not reached Seth as he abandoned the two. By the time Seth had left the premises, the bloodcurdling gurgle was the only thing that could be heard in a place that reeked so much of death.
An untold amount of time had passed. The man did not know how much time had passed nor did he care as his mind broke long before the supply ran out and the gurgling finally stopped.