Chapter 175: - A Guest at My Table
The golden light of the sun shone through the curtains that hung from the windows, across the floorboards covered in small clouds of dust, and over the sleeping figure of a woman who nestled herself deep in her sheets with her face against the pillows.
She desperately wanted the sun to go back down and give her a few more minutes of sleep, sleep she knew she had been lacking in since her mission last night. But the more she begged and pleaded with nature, the more she became aware of the dawn that rose above the horizon of buildings. Finally, she kicked off her sheets and sighed, laying in the white sea of blankets as she looked up past the sun's rays.
'Last night really was a mess…'
Lia stood as the sheets fell back to her bed, shedding from her skin like a snake as she picked up a small bundle of clothes nearby. She only had one pair of clothing; a simple shirt and pants with socks, but thankfully Denny's daughter had some spare.
She couldn't begin to describe how thankful she was to the both of them, how they had welcomed her into her home and had given her a place to stay so long as she worked. They even paid her for that world, a gesture that she knew not many in this city would understand.
Dragging the shirt and long denim pants over her body, Lia stood facing the tall mirror that sat in the corner of her room, a small one-bedroom space that held a bed, wardrobe, and a small desk. She didn't need much else in her life.
Her hair was messy, and it fell like bunches to her shoulders, her eyes snaking across her own body looking for any wounds or scars. But he knew he would find none, for the moment she got back she had kicked off her boots and crashed heavily into a blissful sleep.
'You did well last night.'
The voice came like a pounding blur in her head, still not having recovered from her drowsiness it soon became a deafening headache as she rubbed a firm hand over her hair, trying to neaten it.
'I did good. I messed up badly and came out with five broken ribs.'
'Broken ribs can be healed. The point is that you came out with your life.'
The image flashed across Lia's vision as she felt the fire inside her, just sparking awake as she was about to start her day, die like a cool steam that dissipated in the air. She could only sit on the edge of the bed and hold her head above the ground, contemplating the events that now haunted her dreams.
'...but so many others didn't.'
'There was nothing you could have done to stop this. Those men have been in this line of work for years, countless bodies have piled up. Far more than you can count.'
Lia still shook her head as she reached for the brush at the bedside table, another thing she had to borrow from Denny's daughter, who lived just next door and was too eager to know her new neighbor.
'Death is still death.'
'...yes. Dying exists with everyone. Some come to regret it, some come to learn from it.'
He already knew this phrase; it was the same phrase she felt echoing in her head the day Cain brought her back to the sea of flames within the meadows. She could still remember his voice pounding in her head as she locked eyes with Tyrannus.
She knew he was with her then, like how he was with her now.
'But we always live by the choices we make.'
'You're growing up well.'
Lia smiled as she placed the brush back where it belonged, taking one last look at herself in the mirror as her smooth black hair fell below her shoulders. She had red eyes, pale smooth skin, and a figure that made her the target for many people's wandering eyes.
But she didn't care. In her mind it didn't matter to catch some passerby eyeing her, but it was the glow of her eyes and their crimson fire that many came to recognize. After all, it was often the last thing many people saw before they died.
Suddenly a knock came at the door, snapping Lia's attention away from the mirror and towards the creaking wooden frame as the figure of a woman appeared standing in the doorway. She had long brown hair and dark hazelnut eyes that mirrored her bright personality and caring heart.
Lia knew her, and even before she felt the force of the woman's body as she threw herself into her arms, a smile had decorated her face.
"Good morning Iona."
The girl looked up, Lia towered over her by at least five inches if not six, a warm smile that chased away the darkness that hid in the vast corners of her mind.
"Morning Lia! I was wondering why you weren't down yet. Dad sent me up here to check on you."
Suddenly a prick of fear crossed Lia's heart as she stole a glance at the sunlight that poured into the room from the beautiful wide windows next to her bed. Her room offered a wonderful view of the city, and just beyond the horizon of buildings Lia could see the sun high in the sky.
She had slept in.
"Don't tell me I missed opening…. haa, Chris is going to kill me."
She wasn't worried about Denny since he was understanding and considering that she had just gotten her license yesterday, a widely celebrated and loved moment in the Diner, he would understand if she had been tuckered out from the party.
But Chris on the other hand was someone who would never let her live it down. He was a grumpy and dull type of person, someone that Lia couldn't help but tease every time she saw him because of how he reacted. It amused her.
But much to her relief, Iona brushed the topic off as if it was no big deal.
"Don't worry. We closed early this morning so there's no need to fear."
"Closed? But Denny's is never closed."
Lia watched as the smile on Iona face dropped and the bright warmth that she bought with her into the room became a thin cold breeze. She became quiet, so quiet that Lia could almost hear her heart beating past the look of fear that dotted her face like the freckles on her cheeks.
"Iona…?"
Lia could feel her heart beating, her sense spiking as she began mapping the layout of the diner in her head, all its hallways, small closets, kitchen and tableware that dotted the floors. She was laying out her plans for a fight, a fight she feared would soon walk though her bedroom door cladded in armor and steel.
But then the meek sounds of Iona's voice echoed in her ears, and the fear spiked like a mountain above the sky.
"...you have a guest, Lia."
***
The Diner's main room was the same as it always was, its many round tables and chairs set out like a maze to fit the many people who would pour into the place with hungry bellies and a thirst for ale and laughter. It was the same room Lia found herself walking slowly into, from the stairs and out of the shadows into the firelight that burned with embers in the stone fireplace.
She could see Denny and Chris together, standing before their largest table made of their toughest wood, having survived nearly a decade of tough and worn use. They appeared nervous, almost frightened as their eyes were glued to a man sipping a hot cup of tea, the steam rolling off his skin before dissipating into the air. Behind him stood two men, knights dressed in pure white suits with golden buttons to match, their figures snapping in attention to this lone man's presence.
It was odd, because Lia didn't know a single one of them.
"Why do you hide in the shadows? Are you afraid?"
The man's voice echoed through the room like a gong, silencing the world like the voice of god as Lia froze in place. He could see her. He could sense her, yet he never once turned his head to peer into the darkness of shadows where she hid.
"...call it caution."
In the end, Lia knew she couldn't hide from this man and so she stepped forward into the light of the fireplace, letting its warm glow illuminate her features. To the others it looked as though she had appeared from thin air, but in reality, Lia was one with the shadows as they were one with her.
"I assume you're the guest that Leeha spoke about? It's funny, I don't recognize you."
"You will, soon."
The man slowly placed his tea back on the table, taking a small piece of paper from his coat pocket, as every motion he made was slow and cautious as if he was planning every little thing that he did was planned and poised.
"Is this you?"
He asked, placing the small bit of paper on the table as Lia approached, her eyes snaking quickly over the two knights who didn't bother her with a glance. She wondered if she could take them, if this was a show of strength?
As her eyes passed over the crisp and clean paper, the black ink popping out from the white, Lia instantly recognized the writing. A Notice of Bounty, the very same one she had turned in just last night.
Instantly her mind was aflare with questions and concerns, thoughts that pounded her skull like an avalanche. Whoever this man was, he knew too much. He was after her and now she knew it, so she had to decide quickly if this man was a threat or a passing fear.
Would he live, or would he die?
"I think you have the wrong person."
She slowly passed the note back, his eyes tracing along her hands as she did, and Lia could feel a creeping chill course through her veins like poison. Fear.
"...I don't think I do."
He took the paper back and folded it neatly into his coat pocket, pushing his chair out as he stood, his hands behind his back like a sophisticated gentleman. There was something about the way he held himself that made Lia detest him.
"Your name is Lia. You have no family name, no proof of identification except your Guild license, which you acquired yesterday. You also have no one in this city who is familiar with you and can vouch for your appearance."
He gestured to Denny and Chris as he began circling Lia, who showed no emotion to the sound of her own name except the slight prickling of her fingers. She was tensing up. She was getting ready, and if the moment required it, she would cut his throat and spill his blood. But she hoped it wouldn't come to that.
"Doesn't that seem odd?"
His voice was against her ear like a whisper, a calm chill that made Lia's heartbeat faster, pounding against its cage. She knew this wasn't fear talking, but caution. She had felt fear before and this was childish.
"I suppose when you put it like that. But then again, there are a number of people in this city that have no family name or proof of identification, so your words are meaningless. If this was all you've come to talk about, then I suggest your time is better spent rounding up the street thugs that hide in the allies."
She noticed Denny and Chris flinch at her words, though she didn't know why as even the knights appeared at odds with what she said. As if she wasn't meant to defend herself against someone like this man, as if she was meant to stand here and be talked down to.
As if she wasn't a person in this man's eyes.
"You make many fair points, but still, I have questions that need to be answered."
"And you think I'm the person for that?"
The man gave Lia a sideways glance, locking eyes with her as they stood at a standstill, lost in each other's eyes between the silence that lingered in the air. One was lost in a sea of flames, the other was lost in the eyes of an ocean of blue.
"...we will see. Mente."
One of the knights snapped into a salute, his eyes turning over his master as the man gestured to Lia. She already knew what he was suggesting, even before he spoke with a thin tone in his voice. He was enjoying this.
"You will fight Mente, my Knight. The results of this bout will tell me what I want to know."
He took a seat at the table and began sipping his tea once more, caring little to watch the fight take place as his knight slowly approached, drawing his liver sword from its golden sheath.
But before the knight could reach her, Denny came forward and put himself between Lia and the white Knight, his arms outstretched in a defensive stance.
"Now hold on! I let you in here because of who you are, and I understand what you're asking. But you can't expect Lia to fight without a weapon. Show some honor!"
The Knight's blade was against his throat before Denny could speak another word, his face twisted in anger at the harshest of his tone. The flare that was burning inside of Lia was growing now, and at once she pictured herself ripping the knight's own head from his shoulders.
It would have been easy for her. It would have been simple, and by the time she reached the other knight, no one would have known what had happened.
But then the man spoke up, raising his hand to the knight as he slowly lowered his blade, abiding by his master's word.
"Hold Mente, we don't need to see blood today. I understand your worry, but you have no need to fear."
As if by fate another knight appeared from the stairwell behind Lia, drawing himself from the shadows like it was another skin to him. In his hands he held a sleek and beautiful sword with a brass hilt and a worn leather handle.
Evengailon. Lia's sword.
"This is your sword, and you will fight with it like it's another part of your soul."
He continued sipping his tea as the knight handed the blade off to Lia, quickly joining his master at his side, as if he was afraid of the weapon itself. He could sense its power, but there was something that frightened her more than its strength, like the watchful eyes he felt on his back as he searched her room.
The shadows were watching him, waiting to kill.
"B-But still, putting her up against a White Knight is too much-"
"Would you prefer that I arrest her and have her interrogated. I'm certain the Black Knights will be much better than my White."
This immediately shut Denny up, for he knew the rumors that surrounded the infamous Black Knights. A legion of guardsmen who oversaw the dungeons, the criminal and the insane. It took a lot to be a Black Knight, and it was said that the constant screams of the insane that lied inside their cells turned them all mad.
They were deadly, as much as they were fighting.
Suddenly he felt Lia's hand on his shoulder and the anger and fear that had raced through his blood vanished like the darkness at dawn. It was comforting. She had that effect on people.
"It's fine Denny. This is just a test, not a fight to the death."
Denny hesitated; he had known Lia for only a few days, but he could feel in his heart that she was a good person. She was a kind soul who would never do the things this man at his table had told him. But still, he knew he needed to leave this up to her, and so with a lost-looking fear in his eyes, he stepped aside.
The Knight raised his blade, his eyes dull and without emotion as they crossed over her body with a careful and calculating logic. He was sizing her up, trying to guess her next move before she had even made her first. But even as Lia drew her sword from its sheath, the silver steel slick and clean from the many stains of blood that had poured over its steel, the knight could see nothing but his opponent before him.
'Cain, can I take him?'
She raised her blade and in the same moment as the two figures got into their battle stances, she heard the echoing of Cain's voice in her head.
'If you go all out, it's possible. But that's not what you want right now. Keep hidden. Keep safe.'
There was a moment of silence that passed between them, their eyes locked on one another as the world watched them, like the call of war before two armies tore one author apart. It felt like that moment lasted forever, passing between them like a poison that killed them mentality.
Then it came, the flash of white and steel that passed before Lia's eyes as she felt her heart spike. She ducked and in the same motion as her face came close to the floor the same flash of steel crossed her vision as she leaned back and flipped her body through the air.
It was seconds of movement, seconds that passed like a breath of air between the onlookers, their eyes watching and wide with surprise as Lia landed on her two feet, sword in hand as the Knight readied himself again.
All it took was a breath between them, and suddenly the flash was there again, and Lia was forced to lean to the side as the steel blade parted the air. Then again, and again, and again. Over and over and over the steel flashed through the air at speeds unnoticeable by the human eye.
If Lia didn't have her enhanced senses she would have been chopped and cut to pieces. At least that was until she felt the stingy sensation of her flesh behind slicked apart, and with one quick look she saw blood pouring from a wound on her leg. But she had no time to react as she ducked to the side again, her cheek now fresh with blood as the sword parted the air again.
It was fast, too fast, and all she could see was the sword flashing between them as the knight continued moving, his feet never stopping as his body turned and twisted like the wind. Lia couldn't think, she couldn't process what was happening as the sword parted the air around her, bobbing and weaving between the slicing blade as more and more cuts appeared on her arms and legs.
Then they stopped, so suddenly that Lia didn't even see the tip of the enemy's sword before her eye as it hovered there in the empty space, as the knight quickly sheathed his blade. She couldn't even see the sword when it passed her, let alone dodge it as the flashing steel had covered her vision like a blindness.
Sweat poured down her cheeks and her face, her breath coming out as labored and ragged chokes on her one spit. Her sword glimmered in the firelight and though she couldn't bring herself to look at her own reflection, she knew that not even once had her own sword come in contact with his. It was pathetic.
Minutes passed as Lia continued to hunch over herself, sweat dripping down her face as it puddled on the floor as exhaustion hailed from her breath. She knew that only minutes had passed and that this little bout between them could hardly be considered a fight at all.
Then a dark shadow passed over the ground below her, and as she heard the voice of the man reach her ears, she knew the fight was over. She had lost, and now his questions were answered.
They were done.
"I'm disappointed."
"...well…I'm sorry I didn't meet your expectations."
At least she thought so.
"I'm not disappointed that you failed…"
She didn't even feel the hands that grabbed onto her, nor did she feel the warmth form the bodies of the knights as they bared her to the ground.
Nor did she feel the hilt of the sword as it smashed against her head.
All she heard was the sound of the man's voice.
"...I'm disappointed because you lied."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone