Chapter 111: Do You Believe in Gods?
My crimson hands sing of a tale that the continent will not forget. The forests will sing me praises, and the rivers will spread the word of the great King who lived to free God.
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Kai sighed and slowly stood up, the concealing spell slowly undoing itself as he stared at the boy with a deadpan expression.
“It’s you… You followed me?” He asked, shocked, a tinge of surprise hidden within his voice. Kai nodded and took a moment to get himself together before saying.
“Yeah, I was curious to see where you were going in a hurry.”
The boy stared at Kai with a baffled expression and slowly lowered his wand, the glow disappearing as he placed it back within his ring. A light chuckle escaped his body, and he said in a half-angry, half-surprised voice. “Honestly… you’ve got guts for a child. Fine, since you’re already here might as well show you.”
For a child? Kai raised an eyebrow, however didn’t say anything and followed the young man inside the room, where he came face to face with the beast. Up close, it felt even more terrifying, and even its aura alone sent a shiver down Kai’s spine. It had paws, but unlike any creature he had seen before. They were long, with protruding claws coming out from the upper flesh, as well as a second pair in their usual place. Its ebony body seemed almost ethereal, an illusion yet physical, and its face- decorated by a flat snout and red glowing eyes.
“I don’t know what it is either, I found it running around the city a few weeks ago. Don’t touch it though.” The young man said nonchalantly as he took another look at the device on his desk. “You must have seen me pull out some blood from it right, can you see it anywhere now?”
Kai stepped closer, and looked beneath the device, his pupils constricting as he noticed the stark absence of any sort of blood.
“That’s right,” the boy said. “The blood vanished, but it’s still here. That means that it turned invisible after a while once enough time passed away from the body. It’s intriguing, and I’m curious to see where this propriety of this comes from. It could be revolutionary for the obsolete magic of this world.”
Kai took half a step back and held his tongue as he scooted closer, and looked closely at the glass device. So I was right, a makeshift microscope… However, He closed his eyes and recalled Rodney’s memories, sorting through the technical knowledge in less time than it took him to exhale. As expected, he didn’t know the exact workings of a microscope either, but the information I have could be enough to construct a better one than this. Do I want to, though? This guy seems pretty nonchalant about reincarnation and divulging his secrets.
“You said ‘this world’, what does that mean?” Kai asked as he raised his head, feigning ignorance.
The boy’s expression turned smug, and he immediately turned to Kai, their gazes meeting mid-air. “Do you believe in Gods?” He asked, his tone as serious as it could get, and the sparkle in his eyes sending a light shiver down his spine.
“O… of course-” Kai said, stuttering as he felt out of breath.
“I’m not talking about that phony Lumiera, I’m talking about actual Gods.”
Lumera, phony? Well, at least he got half of that right… Kai gulped, and walked backward, standing within reach of the dark beast. I have to put on a convincing act.
“You dare… call Goddess Lumiera, phony? You should be thankful she hasn’t stricken you down yet, you blasphemous fool!”
“She will do no such thing, she isn’t even aware of my existence, so don’t worry about it. Anyway, as long as you believe in something you should get the gist of it. I was sent here by another God, and that’s all I will say.”
Kai gulped again, and walked in a circle, distancing himself from the beast. “How can I believe what you’re saying is true, and why would you tell me?” He rubbed his spatial ring, preparing to pull out his wand and sword at a moment’s notice. This time, he wasn’t just feigning it, he felt something wasn’t right with the kid before him. If his word is to be trusted, then he’s stronger than let's see. I thought only Lumiera could send souls into her world, but I was wrong.
The young boy scoffed and turned, returning to his research. “Don’t worry, I have no interest in your life, you’re free to stay if you wish. However, if I hear even a whisper of anything going on here, I’ll turn this city into a ghost town.” His tone became menacing, and the aura escaping his body felt like nothing Kai had ever sensed before. It was foreign, yet powerful. It’s at least equal to a Five Rank in strength… What kind of dragon’s nest did I sneak into? Kai cursed his luck and lowered his guard. After all, if the boy wanted him to, he’d already be dead. I better get out while I still can-
He didn’t dare linger much longer, and stepped outside, closing the door behind him and walking toward the wall. However, before he could attempt phasing through, the door he previously closed slammed open, and a paper flew toward him. Catching it as it floated gently, he read its contents and discovered a list of ingredients that were much too familiar to him.
“Since you sabotaged my operation, bring me these ingredients, and make haste.” He barked out an order, then Kai found himself flying right through the wall, popping up back in the dark alley, where Onyx waited for him.
“Awrf!”
Stolen story; please report.
Kai quickly got up and brushed the dust off his clothes, then patted Onyx, spit on the wall, and went toward the guild.
…
He let out a sigh as he walked through the bar’s door, the dusty bell signaling his entrance as if the creaky door wasn’t loud enough. He didn’t spot Natasha, however, Karfi and Tausi were back to their usual places. The young girl immediately got up, and rushed toward Onyx, dashing past Kai. Karfi let out a light chuckle, his thick mustache curling into a smile as he said. “I thought you were going to stay in one of Wildfire’s inns now.”
Kai’s cloak fluttered as he jumped on the tall chair, flopped on the clean counter, and exhaled deeply. “Well, I decided to take advantage of your courtesy and decided to stay here, I already got used to it.” He straightened his back and stretched his limbs. “Besides, I assume the doctor lady will come back to check on me, and she’s already familiar with you.”
Karfi nodded, and pulled out a glass and filled it with water, then pushed it toward Kai, despite knowing he wouldn't take off his mask. “Thanks,” he chuckled and licked his lips. Fuck it. He thought, then took out his wand. A small spark formed on the tip of his wand, and Kai made a small, pea-sized hole where the mouth would be. Afterward, he took out a thicker flower, cut off its bulbs, and bent the top. Inserting it inside the glass, he used it like a straw, allowing him to sip on water - Grass-tasting water, but water nonetheless.-
“That’s… quite ingenious. Hah, who would have thought of that.” Karfi said, staring at the makeshift straw.
Kai finished the water, and let out a satisfied sigh. “Thanks, it’s called a straw, it’s useful for a lot of things. Mainly for drinking beverages, but you can also turn food into a paste and feed patients like that.”
Upon hearing that, Karfi’s eyes lost their usual luster. Kai noticed and immediately sensed something was wrong, however, he didn’t pry.
“Haha, yeah, I think Natasha would love to hear of this invention of yours.” He said with a half-broken smile, however, his mood quickly turned back to normal as he stared at his daughter with a wide smile. “Allow me to ask this, though. I hope you don’t mind, but why do you refuse to take off your mask?”
Kai hesitated, not entirely ready to answer such a personal question. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to” Karfi quickly picked up, however, Kai stopped him.
“It’s fine.” He brought a hand to his face. “This mask simply hides what I don’t want people to see. A scar, a past, maybe both? It’s better like this.”
“Mhm,” The man grunted and wanted to refill Kai’s glass with water.
“Can you give me some booze?” Kai asked with a sigh, “It’s been a long day.”
Karfi glanced at Kai, and then at his daughter, who didn’t seem that much younger than him. “I’m sorry I- I can’t do that in good conscience.”
Kai lowered his head but didn’t retort. He’s right, after all. However, before either of them could utter another word, the door slammed open, inviting the figure of a woman. She had a rough walk, yet it still had some elegance. A white coat fluttered in the wind, and her hands were tucked neatly into her pocket as he walked toward the two with a soul-stealing smile.
“Give the kid a break, Karfi.” The woman said, placing one leg over the other as she took a seat next to Kai. “Some kids his age are already getting married.”
“Natasha,” Karfi protested. “He’s still a child.”
“So what? I started drinking at twelve, and you started bartending at fourteen, what's a small difference going to do? Come on, put it on my tab, and give me one too.”
Karfi’s eyes widened, and he let out a defeated sigh. “Fine, but I’ll water his down.”
“Tsk, waste of alcohol.” Natasha clicked her tongue and stared at Kai, her beautiful eyes seemingly reaching into his soul.
“It’s only been a few hours and you’re already in bad shape, who did this to you?”
“You should have seen the other guy.” Kai blurted out almost immediately, however, he quickly covered his mask where his mouth was. “Ah, I’m sorry I-”
Natasha’s hearty laughter interrupted his sentence, and she let out a satisfied sigh. “It’s fine kid, that was funny. Seriously though, who slammed you against a wall?” She said, turning his head over and rising his sleeves.
Even if I told you, you wouldn’t believe me. Kai chuckled to himself.
“Nobody, just bad luck running into a wall.”
“Hmm, if you say so. I’ll come change your bandages when you go to sleep. Karfi informed me you’re a night owl, so I went to sleep after you left.”
“A-alright,” Kai said, feeling slightly embarrassed. However, the feeling didn’t last long as the man placed two glasses of alcohol on the table, and sent one, which was much dimmer compared to the other, toward Kai.
“Here’s your drink,” He said, then turned toward Kai. “Please don’t drink it all in one gulp, and certainly don’t copy this crazy woman over here. She’s a bad example.”
“Haha, I won’t.” Kai chuckled, pulling out another flower and turning it into a straw. He took a sip from the distilled alcohol, and a fire spread inside his mouth, traveling down his throat and settling in his stomach.
“Kyyya~ This is the good stuff.” Natasha’s voice echoed as she downed the entire glass, slamming it on the table. “Karfi sure knows where to get the good stuff.”
“Haha, please. It’s just been sitting here due to the lack of clients.” Karfi said, pouring her another glass, then poured one for himself as well.
“Right, keep being humble, big man.”
“Big man~!” Tausi’s voice echoed in the distance, mirroring Natasha’s, prompting Karfi to bring a hand to his face and sigh.
“Haha, anyway. Kid, what’s that thing you’re using to drink?”
“Oh, this. It’s a straw.”
“A straw you say… and you use it to drink liquids…? Ingenious… I wonder what other uses it could have.”
Hearing that, Kai felt like giving another explanation, however, after remembering the way the man reacted, he decided it was better to keep it to himself for now. “It’s nothing much, I can tell you later.”
“Ah-” Her pupils shone with realization, and the smile creasing her lips visibly decreased. “I see.”
The atmosphere instantly turned sour, and only Tausi’s laughter and Onyx’s barks of annoyance accompanied the brief, deafening silence.
“I’m sorry, Karfi,” Natasha said suddenly, lowering her head. “I’m truly sorry man.”
“I know, Natasha. It’s all in the past now, please let’s not bring it up.”
“Mhm,” she grunted and downed the second glass of alcohol, a tear streaming down her flushed face.
“I miss her.”