Luna curled up in the corner of the dimly lit room, surrounded by scattered medical equipment. Her messy hair covered her tear-streaked face as she sobbed quietly.
Soon, the door in front of her slowly creaked open, and a familiar blonde-haired girl in a fancy white dress walked in.
She looked worriedly at Luna, and behind her, a group of kids huddled around each other peeked from the side of the door.
All the kids murmured and whispered to each other
“Who is that?” A blue-haired boy said aloud
“Is that the girl they were talking about?” Another child said, this time it was a girl of light brown hair
“She looks kind of scary?” Another child interjected
“Maybe she needs someone to talk to...”
a freckled-covered boy whispered
“Are we even sure that’s even a girl?” Another child exclaimed
A red-headed boy eyed her viciously as he spoke brashly
“Yeah, maybe she’s some kind of mons -”
The girl in the white dress turned around and glared at the other kids, quieting their whispers.
She brought her attention back to Luna, fully opening the door and slowly walking closer and closer to her till she reached her. Luna didn’t notice the girl in front of her, she was too involved in her own sorrows. The girl eyed Luna as tears rolled down her face
“Are you alright? She said as she stretched forth her hand to help her up.
For just a brief moment Luna’s tears stopped as she brought her attention towards the girl in front of her and her eyes were finally able to be seen from her bangs. Her pupils were bloodshot red with the whites of her eyes now completely black, she looked devilish and had her other features not been completely human like it would be easy to mistake her for some type of demon or monster.
However her appearance did not phase the girl, if anything she was even more intrigued by Luna
She tilted her head in concern, repeating her question again “Hey, are you… Alright?” She said,
Luna was in complete silence, she didn’t do or say anything in that moment, but the look in her puffy eyes seemed like she was lost in some kind of trance, searching for something in the eyes of the girl in front of her, almost like she seemed familiar? The blonde girl did not move but Luna’s brief period of inaction worried her, but eventually Luna’s lips began to move like a rusty gear or cogwheel finally turning it’s gear’s for the first time. “S-Sol is that you?” She said grabbing a hold of the girl’s dress
This startled the girl but she didn’t move an inch, instead she responded back “Sol?…” The girl said as she stared at the desperately pleading Luna.
“Sol… Sol.. please let’s go… home.” Luna begged sheepishly as if every individual word was making her more and more tired and it looked as if she had no energy left to even speak but she seemed urgently worried all the same.
The blonde girl stood silent not knowing what to say but for some reason she smiled whispering something inaudible and then moved over to her ear whispering something that could be heard this time
“Yes… Let’s go home… Luna”.
Luna abruptly opened her eyes to find herself in a bed “Where am I?” She exclaimed standing up quickly. She looked around; everything looked unfamiliar. A window in front of her caught her eye so she walked towards it then proceeded to rest her arms on the windowsill. Below she surveyed a grassy area with similar home-like buildings and a few farm’s in the distance. “A town? Could it be, did we actually make it?”
Luna looked around frantically to find any possible trace of Sol but to no avail.
Spotting a peculiar door, she decided to search the rest of the building, with a sigh of hesitation, she slowly creaked the door open to find a series of door’s along a long hallway, leading to a flight of stairs at the end. She tiptoed down through the hallway and carefully went down the stairs trying not to make a sound while also holding onto the railing.
As she reached the ground floor she saw a neat living area and some sort of reception table it looked familiar to her, Luna thought
“(This looks like one of those inn’s in freckle’s books, how did I wind up here?)”
She gently sat herself on the ground floor looking around desperately “I don’t see Sol anywhere, where could she be.”she muttered, not spotting a single soul in her vicinity.
(If she’s not here, the only place left to look..)” Luna fixed her gaze towards a big door at the front of the building, “(would be outside!)”.
Luna walked up to the large door and mustered up the courage to grab the menacing handle and begin to turn it. But before she could do anything, she instantly froze, letting go of the handle as she heard a strange group of unfamiliar voices just outside the door. Luna kept one ear close to the door to better hear the conversation
“You surprised me today, Master Wilhelm. I didn’t expect you to keep up with us youngins, but you really put your back into tilling those fields.
Guess an old timer like you still got some fight in him!”
“Old timer?? Ha, says the old woman with a child, if I'm an old timer what does that make you, I wonder?”
The old woman laughed in response to Wilhelm’s statement
“Fair enough. Still, I’m pretty surprised you were able to keep up, given you haven’t been working as hard as you used to. Back in the day, I bet you could till ten fields! Oh, glorious knight of th-”
Wilhelm quickly interrupted her.
“You flatter me, but you know I’m not half the man I used to be back then.
But If I had to be honest even I didn’t think I would be able to do this much at my age.
I just knew I couldn’t leave all the work to you and the kids”
“Kids?” The lady responded
“We both know your boy is hardly a child now. He's as capable and strong as you we’re back in your prime.
The only child here is my Veronica and it’s a good thing me and her have a talented young man to help us out.”
The old man sighed
“That you are right, I trained him ever since he first became part of the family and I don’t expect anything less from him…
Though maybe cut back on stroking his ego he doesn’t exactly like unnecessary flattery.”
“Fair, fair. Though I meant what I said wholeheartedly.
Now, shall we be getting inside?”
Click.
“(That sound? Are they preparing to open the door? If they find me here, I’ll probably never find Sol. I gotta hide! But where?)”
Luna panickedly scoured the room. “(If I hide anywhere here, I'll be found way too easily. I need somewhere—”)
Her eyes darted to a little dining room across from where she stood. There were several chairs and tables, but what caught her eye was a set of two chairs facing each other with a small table in the middle near the entrance.
The chairs themselves looked pretty decent, made out of wood with cushioned seats that made them seem very comfortable. The overall quality looked fancy, like chairs from a popular restaurant. Most of the chairs were like this, save for a few that seemed more meant for lounging. But it wasn't the chairs that caught Luna’s eyes—it was the table itself.
The table was also wooden and well-made, with a top that wasn’t see-through. It had drapes that covered it like a curtain, reaching very close to the floor but not completely touching it. This left a small window of opportunity to watch for whatever was around.
Clink, Clink
The doorknob shook around which signaled a sign of urgency to Luna.
Luna looked around some more and then focused back to the table
(“No other spot gives me the vantage I need. It has to be here!”)
Luna hurried to the table carefully softening her footsteps to reduce noise but in her haste misplaced a step and tumbled with a loud “Woah!”
She fell splat onto the floor but was just a bit away from the table in question.
“Looks like I was turning it the wrong way after all”
“Ha, are you sure you’re not getting senile in your old age ma’am”
“Very funny master Wilhelm”
“The doorknob began to slowly turn open and with it the door as well
“(No! Not yet, I gotta… make it),” Luna thought urgently. As the door began to creak open, signaling the approach of footsteps, she knew she had to act fast. With a gulp, Luna resolved to continue. “I have to do it,” she whispered to herself.
With swift determination, Luna turned on her side and rolled under the table, muffling a quiet scream as her head collided with the base. The table shook slightly, but Luna remained silent, holding her breath.
CREEK the door swung open, and two pairs of footsteps drew nearer. Luna repositioned herself with haste, peering out from her hiding spot to observe the movements of the two individuals.
Luna peered down at the two pairs of feet that entered the room. The one on the right wore brown leather boots, heavily soiled and seemingly designed for a woman, hidden beneath a long skirt.
“(Her attire reminds me of the innkeepers in those novels Freckles lent me. But why would mercenaries bring me to an inn?)” Luna puzzled over the situation, recalling that inns in those novels often served as bases of operations for criminals.
Her attention shifted to the man. His dark blue pants appeared to have attachments at the top, while his rugged black boots, adorned with straps and laces, suggested they were meant for physically demanding tasks.
“(I’ve seen those boots before, but where?)”
Luna tried reaching deep within her memory and just then a recent scene flashed through her head-the moment when Sol was about to be ripped away from her, the moment she encountered the woman. Luna hadn’t paid much attention earlier to her attire, but her footwear was very similar to the man’s. In fact, all the mercenaries in that forest wore similar footwear. Snapping back to reality Luna’s expression changed to fear, shuddering at the revelation.
“(I must have been captured by those mercenaries…. If I stay here, worse if they find me sneaking around, then I…)” Luna shook her head regaining her confidence and composure
“(I can’t think about that, right now I need to find Sol! She’s all that matters!)”
The image of that woman squirmed back into her head like a parasite that didn’t want to leave. Luna remembered the absolute dread she felt during their small interaction, and anxiety filled her entire body.
“(If this man is working with that woman, maybe she’ll…)”
The sound of her footsteps replayed in her mind like a bad dream.
The sickening smile on her face turning into a cold, dead expression as she walked towards her was almost so real. Like a hunter stalking its prey and slowly savoring the encounter as they knew what little of a chance the prey actually had.
Luna laid motionless like a doll, almost letting the fear control her, but then another memory began to flood her mind, a more fond one.
“I will be your knight in shining armor and your hero!"
Luna’s reminder of her own brave declaration in the forest overtook any fear she felt and reignited her composure
“(That’s right. I can’t be hung up on if that woman is here or not. I have to save Sol! No matter what it takes. I can’t…)” Luna recalled how she could do nothing in the face of the woman and how utterly powerless and afraid she felt.
“(I can’t feel like I did at that moment, Sol needs my help and I’m going to save her this time! Even if I am afraid I just need to toss it aside and put on a brave face for Sol’s sake)”.
Luna honed in on the feet of the two people-they hadn’t moved an inch.
“(I need to bide my time and wait for my chance to run to the door once they move away I’ll have the perfect opportunity to find Sol.)”
Luna began to listen in on their conversation once again.
“Well I better go put these vegetables to good use and go make dinner for everybody! Care to join me master Wilhelm?”
“Say… Meredith, don't you think the air here has changed a little?”
“Huh, what do you mean”
“I feel like there's someone else here”
Luna tensed up “(does he know I’m here?)”
“Someone else? You don’t think it’s one of the kids do you?”
“No, they shouldn’t be back for a couple of hours. It’s something else.”
The man turned one foot to where Luna was hiding. He seemed to be looking in her direction, which caused Luna to scoot backward and instinctively conceal herself.
After a brief silence, his foot turned away.
“Hmm. Well, I guess it must have been my imagination. Sorry if I startled you.”
“It’s alright, after all you always have a sixth sense for your surroundings.
And that amazing intuition of yours! It’s almost as if-”
“Okay, okay no more flattery let’s just go make dinner.” the man hollered
“I rustled up some ingredients from the next town over that might just give your dishes some-“
He muffled something under his breath “(needed…) flavor! So shall we go?”
“Oh that’s wonderful Master Wilhelm let’s!”
The pair left Luna’s line of sight as they walked away and headed towards the kitchen door and with a creek of the door, they were out of the room.
Luna peeked her head out of the drape to make sure the two had fully disappeared and as she scoured the room she was reassured that this was her perfect chance to escape.
She slowly scooted out from under the table then crouched towards the door and with one more surveying glance of the room for reassurance she slowly got up and reached for the door handle-
(“Don’t worry Sol wherever you are I’ll find-”)
To Luna’s surprise the door actually flung wide open and she was greeted by the bewildered stares of a young brunette man and a red-headed little girl? They looked almost as shocked as she was.
And before Luna could think or take action the kitchen door opened and out stepped the mystery man she had been observing.
Luna quickly turned her attention, still taken aback and Immediately noticed how the man towered over her and how his body, look, and aura exuded that of a battle hardened general, and just like that Luna knew there was nothing she could do.
Her escape plan was shot and the man in front of her could squash her in an instant and all she could do was quake over the sight of this behemoth.
“I knew it had to be you sneaking around this place,
If you were already awake you should have said something, we were all waiting for you!”
The man took note of Luna’s fearful expression
He looked around trying to find what she was so terrified of, but as he finished looking around she was still shaking, so he gave her a confused look.
“What's wrong, you're shivering like you’ve seen a ghost, does something got you spooked?”
But then a look of realization and horror washed over him “Don’t tell me what’s scaring you is…”
He jolted in fear and then swiftly pointed at himself “Me????”
Luna didn’t respond but her continuous look of fear said it all.
The man hung his head down in disappointment “ Why does this always happen?” He said completely and utterly dejected from the shocking revelation;
The young man just held his face and shook it in embarrassment while the young girl just giggled at the man’s predicament.
----------------------------------------
A few minutes later
Luna was sitting down at one of the round tables.
To her left, across from her, sat the mystery man from earlier, and a little bit to the right of him sat the brunette.
They were both giving friendly yet awkward smiles and now that they were so up close she could make out their physical features.
The man looked to be around his late 40s, maybe early 50s. He had long golden blond hair that would look breathtaking if not for his streaks of gray hair taking over that just so happen to match the color of his full beard. His hairstyle along with his beard looked sort of like a lion’s mane; he had a few face scars that added to his wild untamed yet regal look.
His attire wasn’t really protective if anything it was laid back and relaxed with various parts showing off skin like his open short sleeved vest which was weird since his boots were made for things like combat and moving around a lot, but his entire attire gave off the vibe of a retired war veteran, the only interesting pieces of clothing he had on were the black leather gloves and the white long mercenary jacket he had on which had an peculiar insignia on the back.
The boy beside him, likely in his early 20’s, presented a sharp contrast to the old man’s appearance. His short tousled brunette hair framed a youthful face full of restless energy, but he seemed sharp almost like he was constantly aware of his surroundings, however he lacked the wisened regal look of the man next to him.
He wore a sleek jacket, dark and subtly reinforced, unlike the old man’s relaxed attire his gear was on the more protective side as he had pauldrons on his right shoulder and knee guards over his fitted pant’s which provided plenty of protection without sacrificing mobility.
The jacket had a slight opening at the front, revealing a dark undershirt, and he wore similar boots as the man, but his gloves were fingerless and strapped around his shoulder laid a single long sword.
Luna eyed the two men in an untrusting gaze, but something felt off which left Luna thinking to herself
“These guys.. They’re definitely mercenaries or at least they look like them, but yet none of them really seem like those guys I met in the forest. What’s going on?”
Luna once again eyed the two men down almost giving them death glares this time with her eyes fixated on the brunette’s sword
“(That’s right… I can’t let my guard down around these guy’s If anything happens here Sol will be all alone I have I have to figure out how I can get out of this, I have to-)”
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Just then a girl appeared right beside of Luna
“Woah” Luna said as she jolted in her seat just noticing the girl from earlier standing next to her.
She looked about Luna’s age and was wearing a comfortable casual looking dress and had wavy red hair with a cute pink bow on the back, the girl stood by Luna silently smiling holding some sort of cup.
Luna looked at the cup with a sort of curious surprise and spoke to the girl
“Is this for me?” She asked.
The girl nodded, extending the cup toward her. Luna smiled and gently took the cup from her hand. “Thank you,” She murmured, setting it down on the table
The girl nodded at the two men and excused herself from the table.
Leaving Luna alone again with the pair and the awkward silence persisted for a few minutes with Luna not even bothering to drink her tea, instead she stared at the men viciously.
But then a cough from the brunette finally broke the silence, as he began to speak aloud.
“So… are you going to drink your tea?”
Luna took a quick glance down, observing the tea, but spent no time looking back up to the boy.
“Why, is it poisoned?” She said angrily
“Poisoned? Why would it…” He noticed Luna’s hostility and sighed deeply “Why would we poison you?” he said calmly.
Luna turned her head in defiance “Because that’s what you mercenary types do?
You give this tea to me in this nice and inviting way to lower my guard all the while it’s poisoned and I drink it without knowing, and then I die or something or-or you put some special magic to make me talk and then I tell you all about Sol” Luna declared heatedly.
The boy looked over to the old man giving a face of utter confusion in which the man just responded with a shrug.
The boy looked towards Luna with nothing but complete befuddlement on his face “Who is Sol?” The boy questioned.
Luna’s heart sank as she mouthed out something silently “(Crap, do these two not know about Sol? How is that…)”
Luna thought back realizing she didn’t remember anything after she lost control in the forest
“(Wait If she got away after I blacked out they might interrogate me and try to find out where she is.
I gotta steer the conversation away somehow! I have to think of something. I have to-)”
Luna sat in a silent panic, as the two men looked at her with nothing but confusion.
The old man slightly observed her, and then whispered something to the boy.
The boy looked in surprise and then also began to observe her..
*Ahem* The boy coughed loudly, which caused Luna to bring her focus back to the boy regaining her composure, but still showing her defiance.
He sat reserved but eased up a bit for some reason as he began to speak once again
“I think we have some sort of misunderstanding here. It’s true we’re mercenaries as you say, and I’m sure you’re very aware that we’re known as hired killers”
“Very aware” Luna interrupted bluntly
The boy sighed “-L..like I said you’re assumption is true to a degree”
the boy muttered something under his breath
“(even though you have an active imagination when it comes to what we do)”.
He looked towards Luna, but she still scowled fiercely at him in distrust even more this time in which he just sighed once again.
“But we’re not here to hurt you, our job doesn’t entail hurting or killing people, in fact we brought you here because we found you unconscious in the forest”
Luna was immediately rattled by what she heard “What? Did you just say” She blurted loudly giving the boy her full attention.
The boy scratched his head “Uh we found you unconscious in the forest?” He said again
“That can’t be right…” Luna muttered.
"Are you absolutely sure you didn’t see another girl with me? Luna asked, shifting her once defiant expression to that of seriousness and concern.
The boy looked to the old man in which he shook his head, the boy thought for a moment then shook his head as well.
“No, all we saw was you. We were in the forest initially because of a request we got. A villager informed us about there being a scary flash of light followed by screams and terrible wind which happened in the middle of the night…”
the boy began scratching his chin
“Actually we only investigated in the morning because she was much too afraid to check it for herself and only waited till then to post the request. We followed a strong trail of blood and foot prints scattered around all over the forest, but as we got to the end all we found was you passed out with dirt all over your clothes.”
“No… There’s no way, why wasn’t Sol there, what’s going on” Luna had begun to panic.
“Hey, are you okay?” The boy said as he stretched out his hand to comfort Luna
Luna stood up and slammed her hands on the table
“THAT CAN'T BE IT” her screams startled the boy.
“THAT JUST CANT BE IT, THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING, SOMEONE OR SOMETHING, ANYTHING”
Luna plopped back down in her seat, it almost seemed like she was thinking three hundred things at once as she had her head down completely stricken with fear.
The boy was totally bewildered, “P-please calm down” he said hesitantly.
.Luna didn’t budge
“There's no need to panic I’m sure we can figure everything out”
..Luna still didn’t budge
The boy looked worried since nothing he’s been saying has been working, he thought for a bit then smiled holding his hand once more to consolidate her.
“Look we may not have seen your friend but I’m sure we can-“
Luna began to cry, abruptly interrupting the boy’s attempt at kindness and completely defeated him.
Her tears fell like a never ending torrent which spilled forth in front of the two men “It… can't… be! There has to be… some trace of Sol. She can't just- she couldn't have just… disappeared like that. There’s just…no way”, just like her tears her words couldn’t be contained as she spoke aloud unknowingly.
The two men sat in silence not moving an inch, but they both held this pained expression as they watched the young girl cry. But then the old man got up and walked to her confidently crouching down once he had reached her and propelled his hand forward.
“Huh?” Luna said as she felt something or rather someone stroking her hair.
She quickly glanced a look and she saw the towering giant now not so towering giving a gentle smile as he slowly stroked her hair calmly.
“(This feels..)” Luna thought to herself as her tears began slowly washing away “(Nice. This feels nice).”
The grizzly man finally spoke “Are you okay now? You all calmed down?”
“Y..Yeah” She said hesitantly
The man grinned widely, “Good,” he said standing up. Before we continue the conversation I suggest you drink that tea. It should help calm any leftover nerves.
Luna gave a hesitated look at her tea then slowly drank the whole cup.
The man eyed her watching her set the cup down back on the table, he laughed a little “So I guess we didn’t poison you after all” he remarked sarcastically.
Luna blushed an intense red, utterly mortified by her prior statement, but before she could say anything the old man let out a hearty laugh “don’t take it too seriously girl I’m just jesting. You have your reasons for being suspicious of us.”
Luna felt relieved.
The man shifted to a serious expression “Now that you’re calmed down there’s something you should know.” The man crossed his arms
“While there wasn’t any trace of your friend… There was something else we found there.
But you’re probably not ready to see it given your current disposition”
Luna sat calmly she thought a little and then nodded to herself
“No I.. I want to see this, "she said.
He looked at her, almost a little worried “Are you really sure?” he responded
“Yes I do. I know I was a little out of it earlier, but- Luna thought back to her black out, her memories of Sol, and finally the other children at the orphanage -but I want to hear this.
If this is some kind of clue or anything that can help me find my friend, or even properly figure out what happened after that day then I need to see it.”
Luna looked down and breathed deeply and looked at the man now with a furious determination and focus in her eyes “No. I Have To See This. No matter what.”
The man noticed the determination in her eyes and he looked proud “Good” He said.
Then he procured something from his pocket and gently placed it down on the table.
Luna eyed the object as he put it down a sense of dread ran through her body.
What she saw on the table was something she recognized all too well.
It was a combat knife laden in dried blood, and the strong rustic iron smell filled Luna’s nose causing her to cover it with her hand. *Cough Cough* Luna began to wheeze as she turned away from the knife.
The boy quickly stood up in concern “Hey are you okay?”
But he was quickly interrupted by the old man reaching his hand out.
“Don’t worry she’ll be fine she’s probably not used to the smell of blood like we are, however there’s something strange with this knife even though I’m used to the smell it’s taking all of me to not try and cover myself from the odor.”
The boy put his focus on the knife *sniff sniff*, he quickly put his hand over his nose “You’re right this odor is way too strong” the boy said recoiling from the smell.
“But that’s not all” The old man blurted
He shifted the knife over to the boy carefully pushing it by the hilt
“Here feel it” He told the boy
The boy touched the steel part of the blade with his fingertips slowly feeling the blade
“It's… It’s hot!” He said in surprise as he rushed his hand away from the blade.
The old man nodded once again “Right. Normally dried blood wouldn’t give off heat and the lingering odor confirms that whoever… or whatever was hit with this definitely wasn’t human…”
Wilhelm looked at Jin and they knowingly nodded at each other
“Jin.” Wilhelm called Jin attentively looked toward Wilhelm
“You of all people must know who… or rather what must have been hurt by this.”
Jin looked off like he felt unpleasant “Yeah… This was definitely…” Jin took a deep breath
“A Demon” He declared.
“!!!” Luna was struck immediately with the same dread she felt earlier as she jolted in her seat.
The old man looked to Luna “Do you know anything about this kid…” He scratched his head “Actually, I don’t think we ever got your name kid”
“Oh you’re right. I guess we never did properly introduce one another” The boy chimed in.
Luna had an awed look of surprise on her face “That’s true. Uh, It’s Luna. Nice to… meet you.”
The boy smiled “Luna huh? What it’s got a ring to it, my name is Jin and the old man over there is-”
He cut Jin off “Wilhelm. But you can just call me pop’s if you really want to” he said slyly
Luna looked at him with confusion “uh pops?”
“What’s wrong with Pop’s?” He calmly retorted
Luna looked at Jin and Jin held his head almost afraid to even eye the man.
Luna looked back at the man “It’s just a bit..”
Jin looked at the man as well “even I think it’s a bit…”
“EMBARRASSING…” they both exclaimed
The old man looked taken aback “Embarrassing? He said
“But I thought it was a nice nickname so you wouldn’t confuse me with those blood thirsty mercenaries you were talking about earlier” he said sarcastically
Another jolt of embarrassment struck Luna as she began to blush even harder than last time upon hearing the man’s statement. She bowed her head with haste “I’M SO SORRY. I really had no idea that you guys weren’t…”
The old man laughed hard, “ Lift your head child, I was only joking.”
Luna lifted her head back up in a sigh of relief, though somehow she seemed a little annoyed.
The old man smiled and then took a deep breath as he adopted a more serious expression “Now let’s get back to business tell us everything you know about this knife..”
The man observed the knife “Actually… I guess it’s more of a dagger than a knife” he calmly exclaimed.
Luna nodded “Right, of course”
----------------------------------------
Luna explained what had happened in the forest to both men. She told them all about Sol, the orphanage, and the mercenaries in the forest
Jin and Wilhelm had a deathly serious expression as Luna finished her story. Jin whispered to Wilhelm, “Do you think that was them?”
Wilhelm nodded. “No doubt about it.”
Luna looked confused. “What’s wrong?” she asked, trying to join the conversation.
Wilhelm sighed deeply. “Look, kid, there's no easy way to say this, but those mercenaries might have been the Black Hounds.”
“The Black Hounds? Who are they?” Luna asked.
Jin chimed in. “The Black Hounds are one of, if not the most, infamous mercenary groups in the kingdom.”
“Infamous?” Luna asked perplexingly. “Aren’t mercenaries usually the bad guys?”
“That’s only in fiction,” Wilhelm interjected.
Jin nodded in agreement. “Yeah, the thing with mercenaries is that it isn’t always cut and dry. All mercenaries, regardless of their ties, have their own personal creeds and things they will and won’t do. The thing with the Black Hounds is, well...”
“They don’t believe in creed,” Wilhelm said seriously.
“Yeah, exactly,” Jin added. “While they have major ties to the underbelly of society, they always work for the highest bidder. Sometimes they’ll leave their employer suddenly if another one is offering to pay more.”
Luna thought back to the forest. “This is more than the other guy was paying you, right.” Those were the words of the old man negotiating with the mercenary woman.
“Yeah, that all but confirms it. I saw them firsthand leave their current employer just like that,” Luna muttered.
Jin sat back in his seat. “It’s hard to believe, but they really have no loyalty whatsoever. They only think about their best interest. But that isn’t even the worst part. The Black Hounds are willing to do anything if provided with enough money. Murder and terrorism are just the bare minimum of the list of things they’re willing to do..”
Wilhelm scratched his chin almost reminiscing about something “It really is a shame.”
He adopted a more serious stance “The black hounds well… They used to stand for something meaningful, but now… their goal and aim is a total mystery.”
Jin sighed “Yeah and the kingdom can’t just put a stop to them as they are less of a mercenary group and more of an organization.”
“Organization?” Luna said perplexingly “Are they really that huge of a group?”
Wilhelm sighed “That they are… unfortunately.” “No one really knows how many members they really have or where they are truly located…”
“Even other mercenaries who tether on the darker side of society barley know anything about them, but there is one thing about the members” Jin said
“All of them. Are extremely loyal to their cause” Wilhelm exclaimed, but as he said that he thought deeply about something
“…” “Actually that’s not right.”
“What do you mean” Luna replied
“There is one mercenary who isn’t completely loyal.
Actually you’ve met them yourself”
Luna eyed Wilhelm with complete curiosity
Jin jumped in “Oh yeah it’s…”
“The… Crimson Demon” They both said together
Luna was stiff, almost stone cold, the name she heard clung to the back of her mind “Crimson Demon?” Her words spilled out heavily as if something was stuck to her throat and as she spoke she instinctively thought about the woman in the forest. Her demonic looking eye and her crazy disposition was all that filled her mind.
Jin noticed Luna’s stiffness and gave her a curious look “ Are you alright?” he said worryingly
Luna took a breath “Yeah… I’m fine. Please continue”
“Hmm.” Jin gave Luna a curious glance of worry. “Well if you’re sure” he added
“So yeah, the Crimson Demon… She’s one of the strongest members of the black hounds, but also a real wild card. I’ve heard countless tales of her disobeying orders and choosing to do what strikes her at the time. Who really knows why they keep her around, however don’t let that fool you, the nickname is no joke.”
“Right” Wilhelm said “Whether she’s actually a real demon or not, that nickname has real credibility. For reasons I'd rather not explain” Wilhelm thought deeply for a bit “Though I guess if it was her blood on that dagger then that confirms that she must be a demon…”
Wilhelm’s face turned stiff and cold as he was almost shuddering “Though I really wish that wasn’t the case” he fearfully said.
Jin put a comforting hand on Wilhelm’s shoulder then he began to take over the conversation
“But it is strange. You said they wanted to capture you and…”
“Sol” Luna interjected
Jin nodded “Right Sol.”
“ You see when the black hounds have a mission they stop at nothing to complete it, and if they rolled out the crimson Demon it’s strange that you’re even here right now… Matter of fact. I honestly doubt they captured your friend cause they aren’t ones to leave their job half finished.”
Jin contemplated deeply, causing a brief silence, but he broke the silence as he began to finally speak “Their actions don’t quite make sense, did… did anything happen after you encountered her?”
Luna lamented on Jin’s word’s she thought back to the woman walking closer towards her as the old man from the orphanage stood on the sidelines. She rummaged her intense feelings and her black out.
“I.. I don’t remember what happened after” Luna said struck by fear
“When the two men came she switched her objective and told me she would take us back to the orphanage. I remember being really scared, like if she even touched me I would die. I… I was… I was so scared, so afraid, and at the same time so angry with myself and then i just… I just…”
“It’s okay don’t say anymore” Wilhelm interjected
“If what happened is too much for you then we’re fine with just these details, you’ve already given us a lot to go by so don’t force yourself to tell us more than you have to okay?”
“O-Okay” Luna said hesitantly
Wilhelm stood up from his seat “Well that should be enough, I guess we know what we need to do now”
He looked to Jin “Jin let’s go back and investigate maybe we can find some other clues on where her friend went”
“Right!” Jin said as he stood up to
“Wait let me go too” Luna said already getting up out of her seat
“No you stay here, the black hounds could be looking for you and they wouldn’t dare attack a village in broad daylight, so it’s much safer being here than going back to the forest” Wilhelm said sternly
“But- but” Luna pleaded
Wilhelm smiled a bit and walked over to rustle Luna’s hair a bit
Luna tried to grab a hold of his hand “Stop I’m not a-”
Just then Wilhelm stopped “No you are a child.
At least for now you still are”
He kneeled down to Luna “Look we’re not taking you because we don’t think you can handle yourself and you definitely deserve to know what happened to your friend first hand, but you’ve been through a lot and even just mentioning the forest was a lot. You’ve done the hard part and you’re alive and well so let us do the rest and help you find your friend. We promise we’ll tell you what we find out there.”
Wilhelm put out his pinky
Luna was a bit riled up, but she knew Wilhelm was right in every aspect. She looked a bit angry but then let her anger go in a second. She put out her own pinky to cross with Wilhelm’s “Promise.” She said calmly
“And… come back safely” She silently muttered
Wilhelm smiled “Of course.”
He got up signaling for Jin and Jin nodded in response and they both stood at the door.
“VERONICA, MEREDITH WERE HEADING OUT” Wilhelm said aloud.
CLUNK CLUNK CLUNK
The loud sounds of footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs and in a moment
thump thump
The footsteps slowed down. The little girl from earlier appeared right on the steps holding on to the railing.
Wilhelm put one hand out on his hip “Hm, Just you Veronica?”
The girl nodded
Wilhelm smiled “I see she must be out then, tell her we’re heading out when she gets back”
Veronica nodded once again then slowly waved the two goodbye and the pair waved back leaving the building.
There was a silence in the air as the only people in the building were Luna and Veronica.
A wave of nervousness went down Luna’s spine, and maybe a little embarrassment for some reason. She slowly looked at Veronica, finally getting a good look at the mysterious girl.
Her overall appearance in one word would have to be… Pretty. Her wavy red hair, attire, and the cute little bow on the back of her hair was the very picture of femininity and beauty and if anything it was hard to believe both of them were the same age.
Luna stared completely awestruck by Veronica “Pretty…” She muttered.
“?” Veronica looked over to Luna “...Hi your name is Luna right? I’m Veronica, it's a pleasure to meet you” She said, giving a courteous bow.
Luna looked left and right and then pointed to herself “Me???” she said embarrassingly
Veronica looked at Luna innocently bewildered “Yes. You’re the only other person here after all” she said giving Luna a bright smile
Luna sat in nervous awe. “Even her smile is pretty!” she muttered to herself
“I didn’t quite hear you, what did you say?” Veronica replied
“UHHHH NOTHING” Luna said completely startled
She got up and bowed “YES I’M LUNA NICE TO MEET YOU TOO!!” Luna exclaimed completely and utterly embarassed.
But Veronica only let out a cute laugh “You’re very… interesting mind if we go upstairs and talk?”
“SUREOFCOURSEWHATEVERYOUWANT” Luna blurted
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The pair sat quietly adjacent to each other in a sort of living room area with a table being between them. Luna twiddled her thumbs under the table, still a bit flustered from earlier
“So” Veronica said
“So…” Luna replied
They both sat in a sort of awkward silence like they had no idea what to say next, Luna was still very nervous but Veronica just kept smiling and in a minute “So… How was the tea?”
Veronica said, ending the silence.
“It was good.” Luna quickly retorted
Veronica smiled brightly “That’s good to hear, at first I wasn’t so good at making tea, it was so
bad people got so nervous they couldn’t even tell me” she chuckled
Luna seemed shocked “Wait really? I couldn’t tell that at all by the cup you gave me, it was soooo good, I didn’t pay it any mind at the time but the aroma and that taste it was-”
Veronica looked at Luna with a wide eyed surprise as she stared at her blankly.
Luna noticed this and gave a nervous laughter “Oh sorry I just… Uh I just mean’t…”
Luna was trying to find the proper words as she kept on stumbling trying to find what she wanted to say, but Veronica just gave a gentle smile
“You know, I’m glad that we’re able to talk. “
Her face quickly turned to a look of melancholy “You see.. My mom owns a popular clothing business in the capital and one day I’ll have to take over. But the problem is I'm not really that good yet.”
“Is your Aunt forcing you to learn?” Luna said concerningly
Veronica laughed, “No, not at all.”
“I’m doing this because I want to. My whole life I've watched my mom design clothes, she works tirelessly and hard and sometimes I worry about her and I’m scared she’s going to work herself to death. But the minute I see one of her customer’s faces light up just from receiving clothes, I begin to understand why she works so hard; And I want to-”
Veronica stopped as if thinking deeply about what she was going to say next
“I want to spread that same joy to every corner of the world, and if I can help my mom then that’s all the better, but… It’s hard. Not just because I’m not good at it yet but also because…”
She sighed
“Both here and at the capital I was never really able to make friends. The kids in the capital found me too hard to approach, because I was always working and my appearance made others feel intimidated, and here the kid’s don’t think I’m an outsider and avoid me whenever they can. It makes me feel-”
“Alone” Luna interrupted
Veronica looked surprised. “You too?” She said
“Not exactly” Luna said
“My memories before I came to the orphanage were always hazy, but now and then I have this dream of feeling isolated from everyone around me. The other people around me are either too scared or intimidated by me, and my dream ends with other children huddling around me and calling me a monster. I wish.. I knew why this was, but if you hear it enough you begin to believe it.”
Veronica looked at Luna listening to her intently her face turned to worry and concern
“I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to-” Veronica said
Luna smiled
“No, it's fine. I… wanted to talk about this, and while I may not know what happened in the past, things have been better.. I’m not alone anymore. I.. found a family.
People who truly accept me for who I am, and though I lost one member of my precious family and the rest are still waiting for me to come back, I still have hope that I’ll be able to bring everyone back together!”
“So don’t lose hope just because you haven’t made any friends yet, You’ll find hem eventually I’m sure you will!”
Veronica smiled brightly
“Thank you, your attitude is quite contagious even I’m inspired now” She laughed
“I do have one request though” Veronica asked
“Sure what is it?” Luna replied
“Do you think we could… maybe be friends?”
Luna smiled “Of course!”
“Thank you. This means so much to me!” Veronica said grinning with a smile of genuine happiness.
----------------------------------------
The pair talked more as the day went on and as time passed and it became night they both said goodnight as they went to their respective rooms and got ready for bed.
However as Luna laid on her bed wrapped underneath the covers she couldn’t sleep as the view of the beautiful night sky kept her awake
“My first friend from outside the orphanage. Honestly being brought here and even making a friend is not something I expected. This whole thing honestly feels like a fever dream, but to be honest I’m happy. But.. I wish you were here Sol, I wish I could tell you all about this, but I know you’re still out there and I’ll find you and we’ll be able to be together with everyone again I just know it!
“Sol wherever you are, I hope you’re safe. And… Please wait for me.”
Luna closed her eyes falling into a deep sleep
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In a monastery far away an unknown figure with a white hooded robe stands on top a balcony silently watching the moon.
“Hey earth to S. Hello, is anyone up there?”
The figure didn’t even turn to acknowledge the girl’s presence as she walked up to stand beside her.
The girl was wearing the same hooded robe except the hood was off revealing her face.
“What are you doing up here? We’re needed downstairs” the girl said
“Just sending my prayers to an a friend” the figure replied
The girl looked perplexed but understood what she meant
“Oh that girl again? I don’t know why you still worry about her; she's probably long gone by now. Probably running around in another town and living her life.”
The girl snickered “She probably forgot all about yo-”
The figure interrupted “She didn’t. She’s still looking I’m sure of it”
The girl rolled her eyes “Whatever you say.”
“But anyways come on hurry up. If you miss this meeting again I’m going to get yelled at, and I’m not taking the fall for you this time” the girl said
“Just give me a second I’ll be right there” the figure said calmly
The girl looked at her not taking her seriously for a moment, but then she just sighed and walked away “I’ll hold you to that” She said as she walked out the door.
The figure reached into her robe and clutched a hair clip that seemed to be glowing a blue hue. She looked up, staring intensely at the moon.
“We’ll be together again no matter what it takes, so please wait for me Luna.”