"Waybreaker"
Veiled Sky
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“There are many entrances to the black market.” The young lady explained.
The pair found themselves back into the thick of the town. But gone were the dense crowds of the day, for night had fallen. At this hour, the only people left wandering the streets were stragglers who had yet to venture home and employees who worked on closing up their respective shops. It was a lonely sight, to see the once bustling city streets fall to silence.
But Dust didn’t mind the quiet. In fact, he much preferred it to the endless noise of the crowds. He turned to face Rosè. “Many entrances?” He questioned. “I always imagined the black market as a being in an alley somewhere.”
“Oh, it’s something like that.” The woman teased. “Just follow me.”
The boy went along with Rosè’s request and trailed behind her. She led him further into the main streets of Durham. The pair walked for a while, mostly in silence. There was a certain tension Dust couldn’t quite grasp, something in the air. He maintained his distance from Rosè and kept quiet. With a bored gaze, his eyes wandered around. He saw a woman behind the window of a store making hasty work with a mop, an old man with a pipe in his mouth flip his shop’s sign from open to closed, and a middle-aged drunk wobble back and forth into an alley.
“City seems dead in the dark, huh?” Rosè broke the silence.
“Yeah.”
The lady made a sudden turn to her left, which led to a long alley. Dust paused and looked as the woman fell into the shadows of the narrow street. He questioned her sanity. Then, he questioned their earlier conversation. “Didn’t she say it wasn’t an alley?” He thought. But, he didn’t linger on the thought for too long. He shrugged and decided to follow her into the darkness.
Once he entered, he saw Rosè standing about twenty paces further in the darkness. He jogged up to her.
“We’re here,” she said. “At the entrance.”
“Entrance?”
The woman pointed to a staircase tucked into a building, hidden in the shadows of the alley. It led down underneath the streets, but Dust couldn’t tell how far from where he stood. He walked up closer to get a better look. His eyes slowly adjusted to the dark. The staircase had a cheap, torn fence around the sides to stop anyone from falling in, and a battered metal sheet for a roof.
Dust looked up at Rosè, giving her a questioning look. “Scared?” She asked.
“No.”
The lady started down the stairs. Dust tagged behind. The stairwell went down for quite some time. The wanderer expected it to lead one flight down, but he felt like he had been walking forever before they finally reached the end. At the bottom was a simple square room, buried beneath layers and layers of concrete. There was a small lantern, burning away with an insignificant flame. Although, without the faint light, Dust could’ve missed the discrete door carved into the wall.
Now the boy wasn’t the frightened type, but anyone would be sketched out by such a shady location. He backed a couple of steps away from the door and turned to face the girl. “Am I being led into hell?” He asked, only partly joking.
“Something like that.” She smirked. “You’ll see.”
Without a moment of hesitation, Rosè turned the large metal handle on the door to the side. The door cracked and, in an instant, the small concrete room lit up orange. The light from beyond the door was bright enough to far surpass that of the measly lantern. It cast away any and all shadow. Dust watched, struggling to keep up as the confident young lady had already gone inside. He lagged behind her a bit, speed-walking to catch up on the other side of the door.
The other side was a completely different environment. It was something like a sewer. Pipes were strung about, dials lay just about everywhere, and there was a thin flow of dirty water in between the two maintenance platforms. But, what made it different from a sewer was the rows and rows of torches lining the place. Each and every one of them was burning a bright flame. Even though torches are somewhat expensive to maintain, and only burn for about a day, there were still dozens of them set up everywhere in the sewer. The brick that the walls and floors were made from was pure, sleek. Not quite the kind you’d use for waste infrastructure.
“Isn’t this just a sewer?” Dust stared. “Wait, nevermind it definitely is. I can smell it.”
He pinched his nostrils to block the smell, but Rosè didn’t even react. Instead, she tuned into watching the boy’s reaction to the stench, chuckling for a moment. “Surely it can’t be that bad.” She teased.
“It’s terrible.”
The lady turned back, facing down into the depths of the sewer. “I guess it’s just a smell that I am blind to by now. I’ve been here many times after-all.” She shook her head. “Just keep following me, we're almost there.”
Rosè started off in the only possible direction, forwards. Dust tagged along, trailing not too far behind. He made sure to keep an eye on his back as the two trekked the underside of Durham. Rats scurried along as the two ventured on, but Rosè didn’t seem to mind, so Dust paid them no attention either. He was more focused on something else anyhow.
There was a strange energy about the sewer, something the boy didn't quite trust. Beneath the horrid scent and the filthy halls, he could sense something even nastier lying beneath the stream of feces. He kept his wits about him. “You say you come here often?” The boy asked. “Why?”
“I do what I need to.”
Eventually the foul smell from the air lessened and Dust removed his fingers from his nose. The route Rosè led him down had split away from the stream of sewage, the tunnels gave way to something more resemblant of a dungeon. The filthy water and the horrible stench were lost, but torches and walkable ground had become much more abundant. The faint sound of conversation echoed through the hollow environment.
At some arbitrary point in the dark dungeon halls, Rosè made a sudden turn. There was a door, out of place, sitting against the vast wall of stone. She approached it with a small moment of hesitation, before turning the knob and pushing it open. Light poured in from the other side. It was as if day were just beyond the door. The sounds of cheer and banter flooded the corridors, leaving Dust stunned for a moment. “How had the walls been so well insulated?” He thought to himself.
“You with me?” The young lady asked as she dove into the world on the other side of the door. Dust hurried behind. “Here we are, the black market.”
The other side of the wall was nothing like how Dust had pictured it. In his mind, he imagined the market to be some group of shops in a shady alley somewhere. Earlier he even had the thought that perhaps it was a private delivery service, one where orders were heavily anonymous. But never did he think of this.
All around him was a dome of stone and brick. A massive underground room, in the shape of a big circle. Gargantuan columns held up the large ‘bowl’ roof, keeping the society below safe from the ceiling caving in from above. In all, the structure was easily the size of a small town. Tall, black street lights lit up the roads of stone, which burrowed into a district densely packed with buildings. Most of the gothic, stone shops were two stories tall, and had tall roofs that came to a sharp point at their peak.
Dust wandered onto the streets of stone. The market had completely defied his expectations. On some level, it competed with the size of the above ground shopping center that Durham was so famous for. Men, women, beggars, escorts, salesmen, and of course the vibrant cast of customers all walked about the murky underbelly. The boy couldn’t help but stare.
“It’s incredible isn’t it?” Rosè broke the silence. “What filthy money can do.”
“Incredible?” The boy rested his right hand against his abdomen. “This place is giving me a stomachache. I think I’ll just find what I need and get out of here.”
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“A shop that sells maps?” A dreary looking older fellow stood just before Dust. Even in his old age he still managed to tower about foot over the young traveler. His hair was scruffy and unkempt, his skin was wrinkled and scarred, and there was a certain graying quality to his eyes. Dust noticed it, but he couldn’t quite describe it. “I don’t think I’ve heard of anything like that.”
“I see.” The boy bowed. “Sorry to bother you.” Dust stepped away from the old-timer. He had found the man in the back of a shady alley, Rosè tagged along, watching the conversation from a couple paces behind.
The man wasn't Dust's first choice for questioning. In fact, he was more like the hundredth. The wanderer had been all around the market, asking strangers if they had heard of a shop that sells maps. Everyone answered “no”, but it was understandable why. Not many think of going to such a shady place just to buy something so simple.
Dust sighed. He decided he was just going to have to search around. With Rosè in tail, he ventured into a number of shops. Some focused on alchemy, and brewing. Others were centered around arms dealing, or the selling of psychoactive substances. There were even a few scattered general stores. Dust wasn’t quite sure, but he assumed places like that were probably pawn shops for thieves and burglars. One such shop he entered was a house of trinkets. Jewelry, china, gems, and strange magical artifacts were scattered about. A man with a large wizard’s hat sat alone at his humble counter just beyond the merchandise. He eyed the two customers as they walked in, not that they could see, for his hat shrouded his face in shadow.
He watched as the two youths inspected his wares and talked of something in a hush manner. “Looking for anything in particular?” The old man asked in a deep grumble.
“...” Rosè kept silent, but Dust turned to face the man with the strange hat. “Does this store have any maps in stock?” He asked.
“Well that depends,” the shopkeep stroked his beard. “What kind of map are we talking about?”
“A Wayfinder.” The boy answered candidly.
There was a slight pause between Dust's reply and what the man said next. The old-timer held his tongue for a moment, scanning his customer with his experienced eyes. “A boy who seeks to disrupt the balance of the world, then?” The man let forth a hearty chuckle. “How has someone as gutsy as yourself found your way to my shop?”
“I’ve heard talk of a Wayfinder here in Durham,” Dust spilled. “I gathered that it was going for a high price, but I bought just enough money to buy it.”
“Dwelling in the market of crime and speaking of the contents in your pockets?” The man chuckled once more. “You are quite the gutsy fellow. I’m not sure how word of my Wayfinder found its way outside these walls, but yes, I did have one. That’s not something I’d ever like repeated mind you. If the Ringleaders found out, my body would be lying dead somewhere deep in these tunnels.”
“So you have one?” The boy stared.
“I did. I just recently sold it to a fellow just as gutsy as you.”
“I see…”
“...” Rosè put her hand on Dust’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.” She whispered. “It looks like you came all the way out here for nothing. I never would have guessed that you were looking for that kind of map...”
The boy turned away from the strange old man, pivoting towards Rosè. He examined her face for a moment. There was a genuine sadness in her expression. Dust wasn’t sure why, but he could see it there in her eyes. It was just beyond the layer of clouds that left her image foggy. “Showing sympathy all of a sudden?” He asked.
“Aren’t you feeling down?”
“Not exactly.” He swatted her hand away from his shoulder. “This is a loss for me, yes. But this isn’t the first lead that’s gone dry. I’ll just keep going until I get what I want. ”
“You're so patient.” She observed. “And you're after a Wayfinder of all things… Why would someone like you even be a Waybreaker? You hardly seem like the type.”
The boy stared for a second. “Do you dislike people like me?” He asked.
“Of course not,” Rosè shook her head. “You’re exactly who I've been looking for.”
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“Seriously though,” Rosè started. “Who would've thought you were a Waybreaker.”
“Technically I'm not one yet.” The boy argued. “I don't even have a map.” The pair had left out from the trinket shop and found themselves back in the winding streets of the market. Without much of an objective left, Rosè guided the wanderer along towards the exit, the same way they had come in. “But you would still be imprisoned for life if anyone found out what you were looking for.” The lady warned.
“I suppose you have a point. But you shouldn't worry yourself with me, I'm well aware of the risks I'm taking.”
The pair passed into an alley that they had ventured through on their way in. Dust could feel the exit getting closer. He and Rosè had entered a period of awkward silence, and the boy was left to let the murky feelings inspired by his environment fester. He investigated his eerie surroundings. The alley was small and tight. Cramped and dark. The perfect place for an ambush. Of course, Dust knew the likelihood of an attack was low, but he still kept an air of security about him. He thought he wouldn't let anything catch him off guard. He swore it.
But that's when a pair of men, previously covered in shadow, came into view. No, the boy shook his head, it was dark so he hardly noticed them, but there was a couple of men approaching Dust and the woman. He let his hand find a hold of the staff on his back, but he did not remove it. He merely prepared himself for violence.
“It’s you two,” One shouted. “The pair from the train!”
The white-haired boy was caught off guard by the strangers and it took him a moment to process their words. He stared briefly, examining their appearances. Yes, there was something familiar about them. The way that their shirts hung down to their knees with the sleeves cut completely off, how their pants seemed to bag endlessly, and yes of course, the oversized golden necklace. It didn’t take long for Dust to recall the pair from the train. The two that were responsible for his first interaction with Rosè in the first place. “It’s you guys...” He groaned.
“We’re terribly sorry!” The touchy one shouted, stepping in front of his partner. “We had no idea that you were Rosè, I swear it!”
“Hm?” Dust stood confused for a moment. He remembered the warning that the men had given him on the train, that he ‘better remember their faces’. But, he certainly did not expect their next interaction to play out this way. At a loss, he turned around to face the woman, and gauge her reaction. She eyed the men with a disapproving look, then took a few steps back, assuming a position behind the white-haired boy’s shoulder. “What’s your connection with these guys?” Dust whispered.
“It’s not important,” she groaned. “Just get them to go away, please.”
“We’re sorry! Honest! Is there any amount of gold you would accept to keep our crimes a secret!” The thug in the back yelled.
“They're making an offer,” Dust whispered to the girl. “Do you want the money?”
At first Rosè looked offended by the boy’s question, but she quickly regained her composure. “I don’t need money,” she retorted. “Just tell them to leave me alone.”
“Okay,” the boy said as he turned to face the pair of ruffians. He wasn’t sure what Rosè was so afraid of, the men looked pitiful. They had tears streaming down their eyes, their jaws were down to the floor, and they sounded like they had been crying all day. “We’re not taking any offers.” Dust told the pair.
“Please! How much will it cost for you to keep quiet!? If a member of The Circle finds out what we were doing, we’re as good as dead!”
Rosè peered around from behind Dust’s back. “Yeah!?” She yelled. “Well, you should've thought about that!”
The thugs got down onto their hands and knees, bowing to the ground like beggars. “We just didn’t recognize you, I swear!” One yelled. “Please spare us!” The other pleaded.
The white-haired wandered turned to whisper to Rosè again. “I don’t think these guys have any intention of harming us. Do you want to just leave?”
The woman gave him a nod and the pair started moving forwards.
“W-wait!” The man in the back shouted. “Where are you going!? Aren’t you going to hear us out!? We have lots of money! Millions of grams!” After noticing his yelling wasn’t working, the man rose back to his feet. “Is there anyone you want dead!? We have lots of influence! We can make anything happen.”
Rosè suddenly stopped in her tracks. She turned to face the pair with a fierce look about her. Her eyes had sharpened, and so had her tongue. “I see,” she remarked. “There is someone I would like you to kill.”
“W-well,” the touchy hoodlum struggled. “Who is it?”
The woman made eye contact with the thug. “A certain ‘bird’.”
He paused for a moment, spending a few seconds processing her words, then a couple more being shocked by them. His jaw dropped to the pavement. “But… I couldn’t-” He shook.
“I thought you said you had lots of influence.” The lady scoffed. “I guess that was a lie, then.” She turned back to Dust, who stood a few paces ahead of her. Then, without a second thought, she began to advance forwards, leaving the ruffians behind in the darkness. Her heels echoed through the alley as she and her partner dove deeper and deeper into shadow.
The two men were left to wallow in their own despair. With the passing of Rosè's footsteps, the only sounds they had to cling on to were the faint running of sewage and the racing thoughts of their own anxious minds. “We’re doomed,” The one still on the ground whined. “Should we try and flee town?” He asked as he looked up to his partner with tears in his eyes.
“We better start packing man.”
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The labyrinth that was the sewer seemed to go on forever, twisting and winding. Dust wasn't even sure if Rosè was leading him back the way they had come anymore. Much of the underground looked the same, so he couldn't tell if his environment was familiar or not. His head tilted to the side. “Did we pass through here?” He asked the girl.
“No, I'm leading you towards a different exit than the one we took.” She answered.
“...” Dust stared. “I don't mean to be a bother, but I really must get back to town. I need to buy a room for the night.”
“Why don't you just come stay at my place?” Rosè suggested. “It will save you money. Plus, I've got plenty of guest rooms for you to choose from, it's really no bother.”
The wanderer looked towards the girl. He had a tired look in his eyes. “I’ve told you multiple times, I’m not someone you should get involved with. I was willing to follow you around for today, but after we leave from these sewers I really must be going.”
“Well, we’re already on our way to my house.” The woman argued. “At this point you might as well just follow along.”
Dust looked up at the arched ceiling. He figured the downtown streets of Durham were probably directly above these sewers, and he couldn't tell, but he also assumed that it must be getting quite dark. He re-focused his attention back to Rosè, watching her as she walked just a few steps ahead. He thought to himself for a moment. “After we exit the sewer I'll just find my way back to town.” He finally said.
“Are you really going to make a girl walk home alone in the dark?” Rosè clicked her tongue. “Besides how do you know the hotels will still be accepting guests this late?”
The sly girl had once again snaked her way into Dust's head. He was dropped into thought once more, left to consider the proposition of leaving a girl alone in a town ravaged by crime. He sighed. “I suppose this town could be dangerous.” He shook his head. “Fine, I'll walk you to your house, then I'll find my way back to town to find an inn.”
“Why can't you just stay!?” Rosè suddenly begged.
“I told you I-”
“I don't care what you are! I'm trying to be nice and you're ruining it!”
The boy groaned. He didn't know why the woman was being so adamant, but he figured at this point it would be less trouble to just go along with her. He rested his palm against his face and sighed again. “Fine, but I'm sleeping alone…”
Rosè turned to face the boy with a big, toothy smile. Her mouth spread ear to ear, she looked overcome with joy. “Yay, yay!” She shouted repeatedly as she jumped up and down.
“Are you a child?”
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“We’re getting to the end now.” The white-haired wanderer and the regal lady had stumbled onto the final stretch of their journey beneath the ground.
The sewer gave way to a long and thin tunnel, which led back out into the world. A bright, crescent moon hung up in the sky, illuminating the night to reveal a hue of purple underneath the darkness. As the pair exited from the tunnel, and back into Durham, the moon split apart all shadow. Its faint light created a choppy visibility. A visibility dampened by the marsh-like trees that formed a canopy over a road of dirt they found themselves on. The ground was muddy, likely dampened by sewage, so Rosè treaded carefully so as to not ruin her heels. “Ew, it’s usually not this muddy!” She whined.
Dust looked around himself, scanning his environment. It was dark, but in the fog he could see strange structures of wood. Leaning shacks, and wooden towers. Seemingly thrown-together buildings, constructed from planks and blankets. The moonlight night did not mix well with the environment.
The boy looked to Rosè. “Where are we?”
“This is the quickest route back home,” she assured. “Just follow me, this place looks a little rough but most people here won't hurt you. Most people…”
“You’re not good at comforting people.”
Curious as to where they had come out from, the boy turned around. The tunnel that acted as their exit was built into a sort of cliff. It wasn’t super high, but it was just high enough to leave space for the opening into the underground. Though, sitting atop that cliff was a massive stone wall. A wall that went on for what seemed like forever, but the boy couldn’t see very far on this foggy night. Eventually, as he and Rosè walked, he lost sight of the wall completely, and was left to immerse himself back into the dark woods. “Is this a different settlement? Why is there a wall?” He asked.
“To lower the rate of crime. It’s easier to control the hoodlums if they can only go through the sewers, wouldn’t you say?”
“So the sewers are a frequent place for criminals?”
“They were designed to be.” Rosè smirked. “You’ve only explored one part of the Durham underground, but the sewers go on forever. Down lower you can find thief outposts, underground crime outfits, drug production centers, human trafficking rings, serial killers, gay bars, human experimentation labs, and well… there’s more, but you get the idea.”
Dust and the woman finally reached the edge of the forest, and the center road that led into the village of wood. Finally close enough for observation, the boy took in his surroundings.The district was a slum, filled with houses no bigger than a room. The buildings were held up by damp sticks and logs, and protected by thin, torn cloth.
The boy stood still, remembering the clean and uniform streets from the upper-levels. He remembered the colorful buildings, the freshly cleaned windows, and the finely trimmed grass. He remembered his meal from earlier, and he tried to imagine what someone from these slums would do for that steak.“Hm,” the boy nodded. “I get it now.” He looked around at the grim conditions and his eyes fell wide. “This place is wrong.”
“Woah, don’t get too worked up.” Rosè tried to mediate. “It’s always been like this, the people here are used to it.”
“They probably can’t imagine what life is like on the other side of the wall.” He stared.
Even though Dust was lost in thought, he was still conscious enough to follow behind the lady. She seemed un-bothered by it all, she simply trudged along the muddy path. But just as the pair had finally made it to the end of the slums, someone began approaching them. The person shuffled through the tall unkempt grass, sprinting towards Rosè and Dust.
As they got closer, their appearance was revealed through the fog. It was a small child, a small child with scruffy black hair and freckles. He wore nothing other than a gray, adult-sized shirt, which barely hung around his neck, and reached down past his knees. His hair looked as though it had not been cut in years, it fell down his shoulders, resting against the small of his scrawny back. “Mister! Misses!” He called out. “Do you have any medicine?”
Dust gritted his teeth. The child’s appearance troubled him. “No,” he answered. “Do you need some?”
The kid stopped running and bent over to catch his breath. “Yeah! My mom has been really sick for days, and she’s getting worse. I don’t know what she has, but people told me that up in the upper-town there’s all kinds of medicine! Could you please get me some! Mister please!”
Dust couldn’t help but stare at the child, he was flat broke too so he didn’t know how to get him any medicine. Rosè noticed Dust’s hesitation, and she grabbed his arm. “At times like this you just have to walk away.”
“Do you have any medicine back home?” Dust asked.
“I do, but once we get back to the upper-town, the guards aren’t going to let us go back out. It’s past curfew.” Rosè answered plainly.
Dust looked back at the child, and for the first time, he looked troubled. Throughout the entire day, there had not been one point his face ever left a neutral expression, but now he showed emotion. Rosè noticed how troubled he was, frozen in contemplation, so she turned to face the little boy. “I’ll see what I can do.” She answered with a plastic smile.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“Really!?” The child suddenly sprung to life. Color filled his cheeks.
“Really.” The woman replied.
The child pointed towards his house, facing the lady and smiling. “We live in that building. I’ll be waiting.” The kid suddenly ran off, and then, as if he was never there, Rosè continued walking. Meanwhile, Dust was left frozen once more, lost in thought and staring at the home where the boy disappeared to.
“Why are you just standing there? You weirdo.”
“That was so easy for you…” He said. “I... I couldn’t do anything.”
“Don’t be so dramatic,” she teased. “C’mon, we’re almost at the check-in.”
Rosè motioned for Dust to follow, so he jogged to catch up to her. He felt that if he continued to think about the small boy, he would only walk himself in circles forever, so he decided to shut his brain down, and simply follow the woman.
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Eventually, a set of stairs appeared in the fog. A massive set of stairs, cut of a grand stone. The structure of brick led up about three stories and was as wide as a building. As the wanderer grew closer, he realized that it was another walled cliff that the stairs led up to. Yet another barrier that seemed to stretch on forever. In fact, the stairs appeared to be the only entrance into the walled district. Everywhere else, the multiple story high walls shielded the sanctum from the outside world. Dust couldn’t help but stare. “Is this the same wall as before?” He asked.
“No, this is a different district. But there’s a bridge that connects this one to the commercial district at the northern edge of the forest.” Rosè started her trek up the stairs, taking her time not to fall over in her heels. Dust carried up the rear.
“A bridge? It goes over this forest?” The boy’s head tilted to the side. “Why didn’t we just go that way?”
“Too many guards.”
“Guards?” Dust asked as he climbed. “Why are we worried about those?”
“Oh there’s no reason to be worried.” She assured. “It would've just been a little troublesome.”
Dust's mind started to race. He began to think of all the possibilities of what could go wrong once they reached the upper-level. Was he going to be captured? Executed? He could only imagine, and he did. He imagined a lot, in fact.
It didn't take long for the pair to reach the top of the stairs. Waiting at a booth directly next to the entrance was a guard. He was completely fitted in armor, plated in iron from head to toe. In his right hand, he held a lance, and as Rosè drew near, he slammed its handle into the ground and raised his other hand to his head. “Halt!” He shouted. “It is past curfew! No one may enter the high domain!”
“I am with House Albarado,” the lady declared. She reached into her purse and pulled out a wallet. Embroidered onto the front of the wallet was a symbol of a rose. It was beautifully represented, many bright red and pink threads, carefully sewn, all to simply depict a flower on a wallet. The small money-holder was plated in silver, and had a small shiny chain hanging out of the bottom. “Here is my heirloom.”
The guard looked for a moment. “Your heirloom seems legitimate,” he stroked where his beard would be on his helmet. “But why are you getting here so late? And who is this foreign boy?”
“You don't need to worry about either of those things,” Rosè mouthed in a seductive manner. “If you just forget we were ever here I'm sure you'll be rewarded handsomely, Sir…?”
“Sir Edwin.” He stated. “Sir Edwin Helmsmitt.”
“Expect a… Bonus, soon. Okay?” She waved.
“Thank you, milady.” The guard bowed as the two entered the gate.
The entire situation threw the wandering boy for a loop. He was no stranger to corruption and bribery, he just didn't see Rosè as capable of such a thing. He looked back towards the guards. There was an uneasy feeling in his chest. He knelt forwards and whispered into Rosè's ear. “That was a lot easier than it should’ve been.”
She smirked. “No one would turn down my money.”
The boy looked around at the buildings that lay across the border. On the other side of the wall was a picturesque hillscape. There were dozens of homes built into the countryside. The grass was freshly cut, trees in blossom were scattered about, and the moonlight reflected off of a stream that ran down the hill.
Eventually, that same stream fed into a marble fountain. Which continued to run, even into the dead of night. A perfect stream of glistening water shot forth from the mouth of a swan, another structure of marble, this one, a statue. There was a reflection of the crescent moon in the pool of the fountain, but despite the moonlit beauty of the decorative structure, Dust paid it no attention. He was too culture-shocked by the houses in the hills. Some of them had five stories. Others had courtyards, grand arches, and marble statues of angels spread across their exteriors. The boy stared intently.
“We shouldn’t stay out here too long,” Rosè recommended. “C’mon, let’s hurry to my place.”
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Rosè’s house happened to be one of the estates that rested along the hillside. Most of the property was grass. Acres and acres of it. The yard was like a park. It had a walkway of stone, a beautiful, well kept garden, and many fountains just as grand as the one back at the wall.
The boy passed by hedge statues, large figures carved from the bushes to represent different people of importance, none of which Dust recognized. He figured the people must've been those who had lived in the house, judging by the large black plaque beneath the pedestal that read: “House Albarado.”
Somehow, the hedge figures weren't even the most ambitious part of the lady's yard. There came a point when the stone trail cut deep into a field of flowers, a garden of many hues, drowned out by the dark of the night. It was perfect, like a scene from a painting. It was the sort of garden that required daily manual labor, a person who specifically got paid to keep it looking that way. The price of it all made the boy feel queasy.
By time Dust reached the foot of the manor, he felt as though he had just completed an expedition. The trip from the gate to the front door was about twenty minutes, a journey for a walkway.
Though, the house at the end of the trip did not disappoint. It was a massive home, four floors, and dozens of windows spanning its pristine, white exterior. Metal platings on the windows reached up to the roof, coming together and coalescing into a row of arches. The boy was frozen in awe at the height at which the building loomed over him. “Everything okay?” The girl asked.
“You're rather wealthy, aren't you?”
“Understatement of the century,” she chuckled. “I’m far more than just rich. My very name has value.”
Dust's head turned. “Are you bragging?”
“Why should it matter if I brag? Should I waste my privilege and live the life of a commoner?” She scoffed.
“I didn’t mean to start anything.”
“Don't worry I'm not upset,” Rosè jammed a key into the lock. “But listen, once we get inside,” she clicked the mechanism into place. “Be very quiet.”
The boy stared.
“All of our workers are in the staff housing at this hour, so the only people in the estate are my grandmother and a few branch family members. But my grandmother is the one we really need to look out for. The branch families are easy to manipulate.”
“Branch families? Why do we need to look out for anyone? Isn't this your house?”
“I guess it's something like my house, not that I pay for any of it. Though, you're not exactly supposed to be here.”
“What?” The boy stared. “I'm leaving immediately.”
“You can't. The guards wouldn't let you out this late. In fact, someone dressed like you would probably be arrested.”
Dust looked back at the girl. She had a wide, shit-faced grin. She knew she had won. Behind her perfect teeth was a plotting woman. Dust finally understood what he was dealing with. “You've trapped me.” He stared.
“Let's head inside.”
The wanderer steeled himself. Until now he had been in countless life-threatening scenarios. Battles against beasts, struggles against storms, and even fatal clashes against other humans were all things he was accustomed to. But this was the first time he felt an inkling of fear.
The woman reached forwards to turn the knob. With a quick and confident twist, she let the door fall into the entryway. The large wooden panel creaked with a certain bass as it rotated. It was so loud the boy thought it was sure to wake the household. He stared until the noise passed, then he peered inside. There was the light of the occasional candle on the other side, but it was mostly dark. Not much was discernible aside from the occasional painting on a wall. Rosè turned to face the boy. “Just follow me and we’ll be alright.”
Dust did not know Rose’s goal, but he decided that it would be safer to stay behind her than to loiter outside.
Unsurprisingly, the woman did not hesitate to delve into her manor. She practically dashed into the front door, making considerable progress into the entryway before the boy had even followed in from behind. He tried to stop and investigate his surroundings, he had just stumbled into what was essentially enemy territory after-all, and there was just so much to look at. So many pieces of decoration, so many hallways to walk down, and so many places to be spotted from.
The boy closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He only took a few moments to acclimate himself, but by time he opened his eyes, the girl had already made it halfway up the stairs. He rushed up from behind as fast as he could without making too much noise. “Why are you in such a rush?” He whispered.
“This is how quickly I normally walk into my home.”
“Weren’t we supposed to be quiet?”
“Remember, I said ‘follow me and we'll be alright.’ My mansion is huge. As long as you know where to go, like me, you can avoid even stepping within a fifty meter radius of another tenant. Not that there are very many as of now.”
Dust was cornered. He couldn't risk being left behind, so he was forced to trust in Rosè's judgment. She clearly wasn't in any mood to slow down, so it wasn't very long until the two had already made it up the stairs and deep into the second floor. It was much the same as the first, dark, yet alluring somehow. The regal wallpapers and the velvet-red carpets were the only thing visible in the darkness. Dust tried squinting to notice the smaller details, but everything on the second floor was shrouded in a deep darkness.
They were deep behind enemy lines now. Though, Rosè maintained her speed. The way she walked was so confident. Her heels clacked against the ground, sending out a series of high-pitched echoes. Dust looked at the woman, listening to all the noise she was creating, and preparing for the worst. He spent some time imagining all the scenarios where this could go terribly wrong. “She may be leading me to my death. She could be a liar.” He thought. “Is she out to kill me? I don't feel any malice. She could just be stupid.”
The boy lost himself in his mind, all of his attention fell into his thoughts. He no longer even paid attention to his surroundings. In fact, before he even realized, he had already been led down multiple corridors and past many rooms. It appeared the woman had reached her destination.
Rosè bent down to grasp the handle of a door. Dust checked their backs to make sure there wasn’t a soul watching as she turned the knob and pushed it open.
“This is where you’ll stay.” She murmured.
The boy peered into the dark room. He couldn't quite discern any details in particular, aside from a large bed in the back corner. He sighed before removing his head from the doorway and scanned around the hallways, looking at all the other doors. Dozens of ‘mystery-rooms’ loomed in the area, each of them was a new opportunity for danger. He looked back to Rosè. “I suddenly don’t like the idea of sleeping here again.” The boy complained. “Would you please take me back outside?”
“Nope!” Rosè smiled. “Trust me, no one will look in this room all night. My mansion is huge, remember? This is just some random guest room. Tomorrow, I’ll wake up early and I’ll take you back into town. Nothing to worry about.”
“...” Dust stared. It's not that he thought the woman was a liar, but he didn't think she was exactly smart either.
“Besides, I’m sure you’ve never slept in a bed half as good as the one in here. Just try it!”
“Do you think about the things you say?” The boy scratched his head. “Fine, I will make due with this room. However, keep in mind that if I am discovered, and blood must be spilled, you will have to live the rest of your life with that fact. Do you understand?”
“I understand. There isn't anyone in this house of mine that I would shed tears for anyways.”
“You wouldn't feel any guilt?” Dust stared. “It wouldn’t bother you that you were the one that brought me here?”
Rosè shook her head. “Look, stop worrying stupid stuff and get some rest. You've had a long day.”
The white-haired boy didn't have anything left to add. There was a sort of wall erected in front of him in the conversation. If he wanted to respond positively, he’d have to lie. He couldn't just laugh and say, “yeah, I've had a long day and you're the reason!” So instead, he kept his mouth shut and looked back into the room. The bed did look big and comfortable. His legs were quite worn and tired.
Without another word to Rosè, he waddled into the bedroom. The girl watched him as he disappeared into the shadows.
He wasn't sure what he expected, but not much more was visible from the other side of the door. It was still just as dark on the inside as it was on the outside. Though, he felt comfortable with the lack of visibility.
“Well,” the woman smiled. “This is your room, I'll be in here to check on you soon.”
“I'll be okay,” the boy muttered from within the darkness. “I don't need a check-in.”
“Are you sure?” The girl pressured.
“I’ll be alright.”
“Are you absolutely sure?”
“...” Dust looked Rosè right in the eyes and exhaled. “Please let me sleep.”
“Okay… okay, yeah I’ll just let you sleep. Yeah.”
“Hm?”
Suddenly, the woman shut the door, leaving Dust to his own devices. Though she did shut the door a bit louder than he would’ve liked her to, the boy could finally say he felt some sort of security being alone in the dark room. He took a deep breath in, and a deep breath out, letting the sounds of the crickets, and the ambient wind from the windows fill his mind.
He shuffled around, looking for the beginning of the bed in the darkness. Eventually, his hand struck the mattress, and recoiled back.
It was brief, but for a moment, he felt the mattress. It was like cotton, soft and free. He leaned forward, letting his knees, then his entire body, drop onto the bed. He felt it absorb him. The mattress let some of his weight mold it, forming a perfect divot of comfort beneath him. The pillows were big and fluffy, there was no strain on his neck whatsoever. Their silky pillow-cases subtly caressed his cheek as he pressed against them. At last, he pulled the blanket over himself, feeling its all-encompassing warmth.
Rosè wasn't wrong. The boy hadn't ever slept somewhere so comfortable. Every inch of his body was perfectly supported. Every muscle was completely relaxed. A second sense of security washed over him and he felt the world fade away around him.
He had quite the exhausting day, running around everywhere with Rosè. His legs were tired and his brain too. He exhaled and felt the lids of his eyes get heavier. He supposed he could try and trust this room with his safety for now, as long as the bed continued to stay this comfortable.
Some time passed, but eventually he felt himself being lulled into sleep. The world of dreams had convinced him to pass into it, and join the sheep on the other side. The only bargaining chip really needed was the short-lived comfort, and Dust was ready to settle down. At last, for the first time today, he felt truly at peace.
Darkness.
There was a sense of relaxation.
Dust had lost himself to sleep.
The only thing that remained was the random firing of neurons in his unconscious mind. There were no sights, no sounds, or even smells. Now, there was simply nothing.
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Nothing, but a small squeak that echoed through the room.
Wait.
It grew louder. No, it was less of a ‘squeak’ and more like a ‘creak’. A slow, drawn-out sound. The unfurling of hinges.
A door being opened? But why?
Dust rose up from his pillow, suddenly very awake.
He looked towards the door.
Standing there was Rosè. The light of a candle burned brightly behind her, so it was hard for the boy to truly get a full image of her. He could only see her slender silhouette, standing underneath the door frame. He could tell though, that her head was facing towards him. He wasn’t sure how much of him she could see, but he could feel her gaze all over him. She stood for a few moments, perhaps looking for something. Dust decided to call out to her.
“Rosè?”
“Oh, you’re still awake?” She asked, her voice now hesitant and tired.
“Well, I was asleep.”
“Oh, I woke you?” The girl stepped foot in the room.
She left the light of the hallway and merged into the darkness surrounding the boy. Now it was even more difficult to see her.
Dust squinted his eyes. Something felt wrong.
“I couldn’t sleep… I’m just so restless. I actually started getting anxious, thinking about what if someone in my family really does walk in here and discover you, ya’ know..?” Rosè began to speak. But, every syllable that came from her mouth sounded soulless. It was as if they were the sounds of a puppet, her mouth merely opened and shut to the strings that she pulled. “I was wondering if you’d let me stand guard in here.” She paused again. “Just to make sure nobody comes in.”
The boy could hear her start scratching her head.
“You’re planning to stay up all night?” He asked.
“No, but just for a little while?”
“Why would anyone be snooping around this late? Wouldn’t the early hours of the morning be the best time to stand guard?”
“Well, yeah I suppose you’re right. But like I said I’m just anxious.” She shut the door suddenly, securing her place in the room. Dust had absolutely no visual on her now.
“You’re scaring me.”
“Scaring you?” The springs of the bed bounced. Rosè’s voice was close now. “How am I scaring you?”
“You’re practically a stranger, yet you have me staying in this place where I’d be killed if I was found. And now you’re acting strange, you keep lying and now you’re climbing in bed with me.”
“What are you talking about? We’ve known each other all day.”
“How do you even know if you can trust me?”
“I guess I can’t know for sure, but I do trust you.” She mouthed. “And you can trust me.” Dust felt a hand creep up his shirt and press against his chest. Its slender fingers clasped around one of his pecs. He froze in fear. His heart started to beat so fast, he didn’t understand what was happening. ‘What was she trying to do?’
He felt her knee swing over his waist and a thin leg wrap around him. Her foot dug into his side. He squirmed to try and signal that he wanted to get free, but Rosè was forceful and kept a bit of strength in keeping him pinned with her arm and leg. She dug her fingernails into chest, scratching at him. He tried to grab her and push them away, but she wouldn’t budge and he was too scared to use much force. Eventually her waist came fully into contact with his legs, and he could feel that she was wearing nothing besides silky lingerie.
“W-what are you doing?” The boy struggled to ask.
“You’re what I’ve been waiting for all my life.” The lady declared. “You can make those flustered faces, but I know you’re attracted to me. Everybody is.”
“W- what?” Dust asked in his shaky, breathy voice. “I don't want to do these things with you.”
“Don’t lie to yourself.” She brought her lips to his ear and spoke. “You might be a strange guy, but you’re still a guy at the end of the day. I’m a noble daughter of House Albarado, I’m rich, young, beautiful… Don’t hesitate. Just take me. I can make your everyday life fun and free. Unlimited money, unlimited adventures together, unlimited me…”
“But, why!?” Dust winced. “Why would you demean yourself to this degree?”
“...” Rosè was taken aback by his tone. She paused for a moment, her face growing dark and gloomy. She even quit drawing her body closer to his. A great quiet fell upon the room, there was only the sound of nothing.
The silence was almost even too much for Dust to take. Though, he waited patiently. He could tell there was something more at play here, so he waited, until eventually she spoke.“I want you to take me.” She said,
“Take you?”
“You’re a traveler, right?”
Dust could hear the lady begin to sob. She started crying suddenly, despite the fact that he hadn’t said anything he felt would offend her. There was a question still in the air, but he feared he wouldn’t know how to answer. He went silent.
“I know what you are,” she spoke through her tears. “You’re one of those Waybreaking folk! You people get to go on grand adventures across the world. From the calm lands of grass, and hills, to the broad expanses of desert, and high snowy peaks. Waybreakers get to live against nature, against society, and against the kings and queens of the world. You people carve your own path, isn’t that right?”
Rosè had been a bit louder than the boy would’ve liked her to be. But he couldn’t blame her, he was quite ignorant to her situation, but he could tell that she was going through alot. She couldn’t help but get emotional. “I’m nobody so special,” he replied. “But, it sounds like to me you’ve got some grand idea of traveling in your head. It’s difficult, arduous at times, and even deadly at points. It takes more than mere whims and a fairytale dream to survive a journey.”
The woman finally pressed her entire being against the boy. Her chest, waist, head, and neck all fell onto him. “Death doesn’t scare me, I don’t care if I die. If I stay here in this town I’ll just rot anyways.”
“I thought you said you preferred to use your privilege, don’t you like your life here?” The boy argued as he tried to squirm from her grasp.
“Me leaving here won’t rid me of my privileges. I still carry my heirloom.” Rosè mouthed down his ear. “My father recently passed and I officially became the Second Lady of our house, so I couldn’t even be disowned even if they tried.”
“Why would a girl with a life like yours want to throw it all away? Aren’t you comfortable with things here?”
“I’m not sure I’m comfortable with telling you that.”
“I’m not sure I’m comfortable with you.” He stated. “Get off of me, or I will remove you.”
The boy's comment seemed to set the lady off, because she suddenly started acting very aggressive. She slid her hand up from his chest, and began to grip his neck from right under his chin. She forced her crotch against him, pushing her underwear over his leg. With her hand wrapped around his neck, she held his head still, and shoved her tongue into his ear.
“S-stop!” He struggled.
But the girl did not listen. “I know you like it,” she said through her saliva. “Just give in.”
The boy groaned in discomfort, but the woman kept going. She kept her tongue in his ear and started to rub her leg around his pelvis, searching for his genitals. Her knee glided down, almost instantly reaching Dust's private area. All of his muscles simultaneously contracted, the sensation of her touching his penis almost brought tears to his eyes, but he powered through.
She touched her kneecap against his pants, but after feeling the state of his genitals, she brought her leg up.“What?” Rosè asked, “You're not even excited!?”
She rubbed her knee up and down, and all around, trying to get a rise out of the foreign boy.
“Get off of me…”
“I don't understand-” she said, sounding as though she was in a panic. “Are you truly not attracted to me?” The woman sat up, at last leaving Dust's body alone. She felt a million feelings, and didn't know how to sort through a single one, so she could do nothing but stare.
“Y- you really aren’t enjoying this… are you?” She asked in a cracking tone.
Though the boy ignored her question, he was sure that she must know the answer by now, so he let her sort through her own thoughts. She quivered. “But that means-”
“That means you're no better than those guys from the train.”
Rosè looked back at the boy, who she could barely see despite their proximity. He still lay there as if nothing happened. He still stared as though he was already over it. The way he just accepted it all made Rosè erupt into a fit.
“No!” She shouted. “I'm worse than the guys from the train! I knew you and yet I went further than they ever did! I just thought that maybe if I made myself useful to you, that you would take me with you!” She grasped at his arm. “Please forgive me! Please forgive me and take me with you! Don't leave me here…”
“I’ll ask you again, what is it that you are running from?” Dust asked in his typical dry tone.
“Like I told you before, I’m not comfortable with telling yo-”
“And yet you want me to take you with me,” Dust cut her off. “Do you not see your error here? I know nothing about you, really, and you know almost nothing of me. We are still strangers. Yet, you immediately thought to use your body to control me. You don’t seem like the type who has ever had things far from your reach, and you live a life of money and comfort, so again, I will ask you a third time. Why do you want to leave?”
The girl didn’t even know that the silent traveler was even capable of saying that many words. She stared at him for a moment.
“There are many reasons I want to leave. Where do I even start?” Rose clicked her tongue. “For one I’ve always wanted to travel. It doesn’t show from the train station entrance, but Durham is a city of walls. I’ve always stared at those daunting towers that loomed above me and wondered what the rest of Illustria was like. In the north, where my family is from, is the state of Vespia. They say there are hills there that are so dense with roses, that it is a field of red everywhere you look. They were my mother’s favorite flower, and I was named after the old Vespian word for rose, and yet I have never seen a rose in person.” “In the east, there are endless fields, devoid of people for weeks of walking. I hear at the edge of the Flummel you can meet the Leprechaun tribes, and further to the shore you can find the prairie people and their cities of boats and fountains of chocolate.” “In the south, where we are, is the green state, endless fields of crops and cows. That is the view people have anyway, but it isn’t like that everywhere… Life here in Durham is quiet, but I find it interesting to think of how different life away from the marsh must be. A world where you can see distant sky. I wouldn't mind settling down there, but I definitely fear the storms.”
Rosè paused. Though, Dust found it obvious that she was waiting for an okay to keep going. “It is nice to see you back to normal and finally talking my head off again.” He smiled, though she could not see it.
“In the west, there is Valoria. I hear on its coasts there are cities with an unimaginable amount of people living in them. Everyone is packed into tall towers of brick and mortar. Hell, forget my house. There are buildings there that reach over ten stories tall. How they stay standing, I do not know. But I do know that before I die, I want to see the Valorian Skylines.”
“You seem to have a very optimistic view of travel,” the boy sighed. “There are many places, but the road between is long and deadly. The world is not such a friendly place. I, for one, have traveled to Valoria. I detest it more than anything. It is a gross, sewage ridden state, with poverty at every corner. The cities are stunning, yes, but they are a place of suffering.”
Rosè ignored the boy. Despite his pessimistic warnings, she still smiled as she thought of the world. “My mother left me her journal that spoke of her time traveling. Before she was married into the Albarado family, that is what she did with her life. She was a noble woman of Vespia, born with money, power, beauty… Everything. And yet, more than anything, what she loved the most was not herself, but this world that she was born into. Her writings talk of her time overseas. Few ever leave the borders, there’s so much more to the world than Illustria. Our lives are confined to just a small island in the vast world. I want to see the Red Hills of Vespia, yes, but I also want to see the places where my mother traveled. The legendary capital of Qianguo, the walled country, the Divine Arterris, the flying city, the continent of spirits, Hollas Vael…”
“I get it,” the boy reassured. “Though I do not view the world through the same lens as you, thinking of the time when I will finally sail from this country makes me curious.”
“Please, you have to take me with you.” She pouted.
“I have to?”
Rosè paused again. She no longer felt that she deserved to travel with the wanderer, but she desperately desired to. She no longer cared how selfish she came off, for some reason she just felt so comfortable with him. “My mother died when I was eight,” she started. “After that, there was nothing left for me inside these hollow walls. I spent every day living inside of those pages in her journal. Life was empty, but time went on nonetheless. When my father died a couple years ago… I felt nothing.”
“Nothing?”
“Well, I felt nothing at the time. But, I remember as I watched them shovel the dirt onto his coffin, I got this sort of lump in my throat. There was an unending anxiety.” The lady shook as she spoke. “I couldn’t even look at the journal anymore. All that I have done for the past couple years is stare, and stare, and stare, at the walls. Please free me from this place.”
Dust stared. He realized that the life he and Rosè had led up to this point was so different, and yet today, because of the incident from the train, their lives were now undeniably intertwined. This interaction was significant for her, it could shape her entire future. Hell, she had just given up and threw her life into his hands. He was now the deciding factor in her fate. The responsibility made him want to puke.
“I can’t be anyone’s savior,” he replied. “Though, one day, perhaps in the not-so-far future, I’m sure another chance will come your way.”
Rosè sniffled again. Dust was scared that she might break back down into tears. He suddenly regretted his choice of words. But the lady did not sit idle. She threw herself onto the boy, wrapping her arms around him and holding him tight. “Dust,” she said in a breathy tone. “There is someone after me.”
“Huh?”
“...” There was a long silence, but the wanderer knew that the girl was trying to say something, she was simply gathering courage. He remained quiet and gave her plenty of room to think. “In Durham, The Market runs everything. If they want something done, it will be done, by any means necessary.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Dust, I don’t think my fathers death was an accident.” She swallowed. “Ever since the day they found him dead, one of the members of The Market’s Inner Circle, The Crows, has been contacting me repeatedly. His name is Edward Ramsey. He keeps writing to me, talking to me about how I must let him marry into my family. My grandmother, who was the only candidate left to be The Lord of this Manor, is completely on board with the idea. We have so much wealth, and yet she wants his money in the family too.”
“I don’t get it though. Sure, your grandmother is an outlier, but why would he want to marry into your family, if he’s already someone rich and powerful?”
The lady blinked. “I’m not sure, but in his letters he details things that keep me up at night. Manners in which… He would like to derive pleasure from me. Some are quite horrific, he seems to have an obsession with blood, but I thought he was simply just some crazy old bloke, until his people started coming and knocking on my front door.”
“The guards let them in?”
“That is exactly what I asked,” the girl nodded passionately. “It is very unnerving, but what makes it worse is that recently my grandmother has been inviting the man and his colleagues in for tea. She is trying to win their money, and she has no shame in using me as a chip on the table.”
“Dust imagined Rosè’s everyday life. For the first time in a very long time, he felt a fury in him.
“Dust…” she quivered. “Sometimes, whenever my grandmother leaves the room, he comes up and touches me. He grabs and pushes me into him, and he licks me up and down. It’s like he can’t contain himself… It’s like he’s a monster.”
“...”
“His strange bodyguards just stand and watch,” the girl squeezed her arms into Dust's back even tighter. “Most just stand there with a blank expression. But, there is one in particular I don’t like. Her name is Vanessa. When she watches him assault me, she has a lust in her eyes, she’s even gotten touchy with me once too.”
The wanderer felt the girl’s tears on his neck. He looked up at the ceiling which he could not see. He felt for Rosè, he truly did, but he decided that he wouldn’t be the one to comfort her. She held him tight, but he did not hug her back.
Eventually, she tired of the one-sided gesture and let go of him. “Please, I want to see the world…” She sobbed, her tears now falling over the sheets. “Take me with you, please. There’s nothing left for me here in this shit-hole.”
“I’ve already told you this once, and I'll tell it to you again, I cannot be the one to save you.”
“Why not!?” She shouted in her cries.
“H- hey!” He stuttered, looking side to side. “Quiet down, you’ll wake somebody up.”
“Why not!? Why can’t you be the person to save me!?” She continued to shout.
Dust grew anxious with all of the noise. He fell back into his mind, and stayed silent. For many moments, the only sound that filled the room was the echoes of Rosè’s sniffles and whimpers.
“Look at today,” she whined. “You helped me on the train, and all I did was harass you. You followed me around, played my strange little selfish game, then I led you somewhere dangerous, and even forced myself on you, yet here you are, talking to me, trying to figure out what’s the matter. Dust, you’re so kind, and you have no idea.”
“No, I-”
“I want it to be you who saves me!”
The boy stared. For some reason he felt something burning up inside of him. At the base of his eye, a tear formed. It fell down his cheek, and with that, was no longer. But it was there for a moment, and he lived in that moment forever. He didn’t realize that he was still capable of those kinds of tears, and yet for the second time today, he was proven wrong.
“It can’t be me who saves you.” He replied. “Please leave me and let me get some rest.”
Dust turned over in the bed, facing away from Rosè. Something about her felt very dangerous to him at that moment. There was a sort of string being tied that he didn’t like. It felt as though the boundaries of them being strangers was being crossed, so he quickly dismantled the bridge, and returned to his silence.
His heart raced.
The girl cried and cried, begged and begged. But Dust did not hear a single word that she said, nor did he mutter a single phrase. He merely sat still, laying away and trying his best to ignore her and shut her out. He was tired of her hysterics, he wanted this whole day with her to just end. Eventually, she left the room.
He sprung up from his pillow.
“Well, I guess I should get going,” he thought to himself.
The boy hadn’t even removed any of his clothes, so he cast his blanket aside and practically leapt from the bed. He gripped his necklace with his left hand, and stuck out his right palm. With a light gust of wind, his staff was called back to him, and he placed it on the holster attached to the back of his coat.
The wanderer spent some time, not only rummaging through the drawers and compartments of the guest room, but also sneaking down the stairs and searching through the kitchens and the washrooms. After he had collected a few items, he returned to the guest room, and began writing a note.