Chương 11: -The Explanation [3]
Down the dirt path that Lia had found herself traveling once again, beside her stood Cain, who walked in an eerie silence.
They both did.
The night had long since settled and stars had begun to shine through the blanket of darkness that covered the sky.
The moon, illuminating their path, held some majestic beauty that Lia couldn't quite grasp.
Since Cain's big reveal, much to his surprise, Lia had barely said a word in their thirty minute walk. No questions, no concerns, nothing.
Honestly, it both shocked Cain and impressed him.
To be able to hear something like that, and still keep quiet for so long deemed her some respect. But Cain hated the silence that she was giving him.
It made him feel like some kid curing the attention of their parents.
He hated it.
But no matter how much he tried to break the silence by starting small talk or some conversation, Lia always ignored him.
"Lia, you seem like you have questions?"
"I've asked all I needed too."
Lia's stern reply sent subtle chills down his spine. For some reason he thought that angering her would be more dangerous than fighting a dragon.
Which he had done before.
"Listen Lia, I feel like you're upset with me."
"And why would you think that?"
Cain instinctively took a step away from her, catching the edge in her tone.
'Yep, definitely upset.'
"Well, whatever concerns you have with me, I'm more than happy to -"
"Don't lie to me."
"Hm?"
Cain turned, locking eyes with Lia, who had stopped dead in the road.
Seeing this, Cain couldn't help but sigh as he walked over to her, standing there catching her in his shadow.
"Why.."
It was subtle and quiet, but Cain heard it loud and clear.
"Why what?"
"Why…Why did you wait so long to show up? Why does my rune circle look like this? And…Why are you being so nice to me?"
Hearing this, Cain smiled. He finally got her to talk.
And with that, the red hue surrounding his crimson eyes, dulled ever so slightly.
He took a deep breath, and began answering her questions, piece by piece.
"Your rune circle is like that because we have not initiated a contract yet."
"Contract?'
"A contract between me and you. similar to a summoner and summons contract, but this one has to be handwritten. It's not given."
"But how?"
Cain smirked, moving aside and continuing on down the trail.
"My power is great, and that entails that your power will also be great. Because of this, I need to know that I can trust you to wield such power. So I bend the rules a little to supply myself with this chance."
"But that defies the laws of nature. It's impossible."
Cain stopped.
"I told you, don't look at the result, just look at the methods used."
As he continued walking, a breeze picked up, and Cain's cloak fluttered in the wind, allowing Lia to catch glances at his toned body.
"I bend the rules of nature, because of the power I hold. It's the same with humans. You take metal and forge iron. You take trees and you build villages. Mountains, valleys, and hills. Lakes, rivers, and ponds. You take a king, and you conquer the world."
He glanced back at her with a frown tied with his smile.
"You are adaptable."
What Cain said was true. Just as Cain had bent the rules of nature with his power alone, humans had been changing the earth in every way possible to fit their own selfish desires. Even if it destroyed the world around them.
"So, a contract is the only reason this is happening."
She gestured to the faded look of her rune circle. It was still visible, yet fading at the same time.
"Yes. And that is another reason as to why I was so kind to you where I had once been cold. If I had just dumped all this on to you, I'm certain you might have gone crazy."
"But you are dumping it on me."
Cain scratched the side of his head, feigning ignorance and looking away.
"Well, yes but this time you are a bit more prepared. Nothing like a life or death circumstance that gets your mind moving."
"Either that's sarcasm or you're just trying to make it sound a lot better than it really was."
Cain laughed, his voice deep and echoing through the air, hitting the trees and bouncing back. It was a laugh that reminded her of a mature man, who had a rough side to him, but sounded kind.
"You could say so, Lia. Now, your last question."
Whatever warmth that could be felt in the air, disappeared and instead , was replaced by a cool and frigid atmosphere. Seriousness was plastered on both their faces as Cain said his next words very carefully.
"You never know who a person is, until you see them from the inside out."
His words seemed confusing at first to Lia, until she was able to connect the dots after thinking for a while.
"My family."
"Correct. If I had come to you and told you what type of people they were, could you say that you would have believed me?"
"No."
Lia answered without hesitation. It was true that in her youth she was blinded by only seeing the good side of her family. She would have never believed otherwise.
But now was different.
"Exactly. Now, I know I left you alone for a long time, but it toughened you up more than you could have thought. It showed you the people who would truly stand by your side, and in my opinion, that in the long run is a lot more valuable than some false fantasy."
His words hurt her, much to her own surprise, but she knew he was right. Through this pain in her life, she had discovered the people she knew would stand by her side in all trouble and doubt. People she knew could not betray her or leave her to die.
That was more valuable than the trash she had before.
As if reading her mind, Cain lost all traces of wariness on his face, and became more relaxed.
"So, now you know. But that wasn't the only reason."
"It wasn't?"
"Oh no. For a summoner to call forward a summons, they have to meet a certain criteria in order to gain the power to bring them from the Eternal Realm into this one, the Ancestral Realm. It's also the method used to determine just which summons you could gain, and which ones you'd lose."
"So, I didn't meet the criteria yet?"
"Exactly."
"So then what is it then?"
Cain stopped, and his normal, dare say arrogant demeanor, turned sour and defensive.
"Lia, that's the very same thing as our greatest life secret. The secret to controlling our very lives. Would you give up that information willingly?"
Lia shook her head, instantly understanding what he was getting at, and realizing her mistake.
Seeing this, Cain smiled and his defensive demeanor disappeared, and was replaced by a smile.
"It's also another reason to explain how I'm able to have more than one summoner. Normally, a summon's criteria is distinct to them, it's very rare to meet it. But with me, you could say that I'm…"
"A little vague."
Lia said, finishing Cain's sentence, who slightly cringed at the sound of the word 'vague'.
"Now I wouldn't say something like that."
Lia ignored him, and simply walked past, drawing confusion to Cain's face.
But as she walked past, he could hear the slight comment come from her voice.
"I would."
Cain shook his head and followed after her.
"The contract we'll sign is simple in many regards, but there are a few rules."
"Rules?"
Cain looked away before continuing.
"Well, essentially I didn't write this contract. My first summoner did, so they included some rules to make it fair."
"So you've been reusing contracts for dozens of people?"
"Not dozens. I've been summoned before but unless I like them they never really see me."
"Does that mean you like me?"
Cain smirked, an evil look in his eyes.
"You're a bit of an acquired taste. But that also means you're in the best situation to provide me with what I need."
They continued walking until they reached a canopy of trees. The moonlight barely shined through the thicket of leaves and branches that stretched out to the sky.
Only a few beams of moonlight could be seen, and eventually, Lia and Cain found themselves in almost complete darkness, other than the few feet they could see ahead of them.
To light the way, Cain reached out with his hand snapping his fingers, and letting sparks fly.
-Snap
The sound rang out through the quiet forest as a flame began to dance and twirl on the edges of Cain's hand, engulfing it whole.
Seeing this, Lia's brows furrowed at the sight.
"Does that not hurt?"
"This?"
Cain asked, holding up his left hand, now engulfed fully in flames.
"No, I'm resistant to any and all fire attacks."
"Oh."
Was all Lia could say, as they continued on, shrouded in silence once again.
However, that silence didn't last long as it was soon broken by the sound of Lia's voice.
"What are your rules?"
Unknowingly to Lia, Cain's lips curved into a smile when he heard this, but it disappeared quickly as he continued talking.
"So I take it your interested then?"
"Shut up."
Instead of the generic answer he had expected, Cain was met with a rude disapproval from Lia, who turned her head to the side, away from him.
"Yes ma'am."
He said, quickly defending himself.
"The rules go as follows. One; The addition or subtraction of any clauses or terms in the contract must be agreed by both parties. Two; Failure to comply and obey any terms in the contract will result in the first party member's death who violated the. In other words this means that if you violated a clause, then I retaliated by violating another one, you would be the one who perishes, not me."
'Seems fair.'
Throughout the entire conversation, Lia had been thinking over the rules of the contract in her head. And surprisingly, much to her disbelief, the rules were actually fair considering the power Cain would aid her with. And even then, the contract would favor her over him more times than not.
This she knew as in the few instances where she came face to face with his darkside, she knew nothing could tie him down when he wanted something done.
'Maybe it's because he didn't write them?'
She thought as she wondered just who Cain's first summoner would have been.
Considering summons don't necessarily age from what they had observed, it might have been from centuries ago. Especially given Cain's seemingly vast knowledge about her world.
"Is this fine with you?"
Snapping her out of her thoughts, Cian's question made her aware that she wasn't alone.
"Yes, they seem fine."
"Alright, but there's one more."
"One more?"
Cain nodded his head, taking notice of the path ahead of them as his eyes fainty squinted in the darkness.
"The last rule might seem a little unfair, but it will make sense in the long run."
Now Lia was curious. Would it be another rule about clauses or something regarding their death? Seeing how the other rules were favorable towards her in the long run, she wondered if this one would be the same.
"Three; If the goals of one party member have not been met when the second party member has, the second party member will be forced by contract and party member A, to uphold their end of the contract. However, if both have not been met by the time of death, the surviving party member will carry out their goals, and complete them."
'Fair.'
That was all Lia could think when she heard the final rule.
Essentially, this rule just required them, if not forced them to uphold the agreement they decided upon. And even in the situation where one party member died, the other would see their wishes were met.
All in all, there wasn't a single thing wrong with these rules, or their results.
Lia had no reason to refuse.
"I think I see why you kept the same contract over and over again."
"Oh, and why is that?"
Now it was Lia's turn to smirk as she glanced at Cain from the side.
"Because you would have just screwed it up."
As a result of her comment, Cain clicked his tongue and looked the other way, neither confirming nor denying this obvious fact.
"Can I see the contract?"
In spite of this, Lia's interest was still drawn to the contract, which Cain had yet to show her.
Afterall, why wouldn't she be? Not only would she be gaining a summons, which was her life long dream, she would be gaining a powerful 'intelligent' summons at that.
Summons were not only just beasts or humanoid people who were unable to speak. There were occasional summons who were strong enough and intelligent enough to speak in our language, much less defy the bounds of their world and speak.
To Lia it always felt like a form of enslavement to the summons who were brought here by force, and couldn't even speak because they weren't strong enough to deny the rune circle, which suppressed their power to allow them in the Ancestral world.
But even then, summons didn't outright reject their masters, but instead welcomed them. Almost like they were the perfect match for one another - a mirror of each other.
'Does that mean we're the same?'
As Lia was thinking through all her sudden thoughts, Cain had opened some small dimension portal the size of a small ball, reached in, and took out a scroll of paper.
Unraveling it, he placed it in the palm of Lia's hand, who seemed surprised by the sudden action, jolting from her thoughts.
"Read."
Lia unraveled the scroll, careful not to rip the already delicate paper that looked as though it would crack at the mere touch of her fingers.
=========
Age of Power:
Part A - Cain- will be provided with adequate entertainment for the duration of this contract by party B - contractee.
In return party B will be provided with information, training, knowledge, and access to party A's arsenal, at party A's expense.
Party A will submit to party B, as long as party B upholds Clause I.
Party A will keep party B's best interest in mind, and will assist in accomplishing party B's goal, just as party B must do for party A.
Party A and party B will not harm or kill one another unless agreed upon by both parties to any physical force against one another, (challenges, duels, training, etc.).
Failure to uphold these clauses will result in the enactment of this contacts' imbued rules.
Signed,
Part A - Cain
Party B - ___
=========
As Lia read through the contract, there were a few things that stuck out to her. Mainly the clause for Cain's 'entertainment.'
But it wasn't just that. Cain spoke of both of them reaching their goals and assisting each other in doing so. That was what the contract was about. However, Lia couldn't help but feel like this seemed all too good to be true.
"This is more one sided then it should be Cain. What are you trying to pull-"
However, she was stopped by the motion of Cain, whose flaming fist flickered out, and they were once again shrouded in darkness.
"Cain?"
Lia whispered, half crouching down thinking they were about to be attacked.
However, Cain didn't move, or respond. He was silent and steady, almost as if he had nothing to fear frm whatever impending doom he had sensed.
As he raised his hand, finger against thumb, Lia thought she had caught a glimpse of Cain's ice cold eyes as they peered through the darkness.
-Snap
And with a snap, light grew aflame, illuminating their once dark space.
Lamp posts began to come into view, as Lia realized that with a snap of his finger, Cain had relit all the lamp posts down the stone trail that had otherwise been hidden in the dark night.
Around her, she could see the vivid outlines of buildings, stone structures, carts and vendor's stalls. The spilled vegetables and rotting foods filled each of the crates that Lia could see stacked high. Some even higher than her.
But what shocked her the most, was the near empty streets that she could see. From alleyways to the town square. Not a single soul could be seen.
Normally, Lia would have written this off as it being night time , and they were all simply in their beds. However, Lia couldn't shake this feeling of death inside her when she looked at the empty streets.
She looked around desperate to see someone who might give her some sign of people, but she could only see shadows and darkness.
Nothing.
-Crash
The sound of glass breaking resonated in Lia's ear, clearer than anything in this dead silence.
She snapped her head around and found a tall building, marked with the words 'Tavern and Inn.'
Instantly she reached for the handle, but found a tight grip and a rough hand snatched her own away. And as she turned to face the owner of the hand, she found Cain there, with a sullied look on his face.
"Don't bother. It was probably just a rat. No one here."
"But why? Why is it so…so.."
"Dead."
Cain said, finishing her sentence with that one word. A word that frightened Lia for some unknown reason.
"Look there."
Cain gestured down another street that had no buildings at the end, and allowed anyone who stood in the town's square to see down the road, and along the hill tops where Lia's carriage used to be.
They had come through the forest trail, a side path used for farmers and other folk who were native to this area, while the main road brough in merchants, nobles, and adventurers who would come looking for monsters.
But none of this mattered to Lia, as she looked down the road, and along the crest of the rolling hill tops. There, in the distance, along the faint outline of the hill, she could see over a dozen torches piercing through the pitch black night.
"Who are they?"
"Palace guards."
Cain's answer was quick and simple, but all the same had caused Lia to whirl around seeking answers.
"Why would palace guards be all the way out here? The only ones that should be here are the ones escorting me."
Cain shook his head, denying the claims Lia was spouting.
"Your father placed checkpoints at every major town, to ensure that you would reach your destination safely. This place must have been a checkpoint that had lost contact with the others, coupled with the fact that they should have reported in hours ago."
"But the ogre…"
Mumbed Lia as she looked to the ground.
"Yes, the ogre."
Said Cain as he nodded his head, and then moved onwards to the town square, where a fountain was still running and spitting out water.
Suddenly, Lia remembered something Cain had just said, that made her raise her head, searching for him.
"Cain?"
"Hm?"
Cain stopped whatever he was doing and turned to look at Lia, who was wide-eyed with worry.
"Why would my father set up checkpoints?"
This question had a reason behind it, as it was plain to see. Lia had never been on good terms with her family, and to find that someone with her own blood that wasn't her uncle or some distant relative was secretly helping her out, would obviously cause worry.
But Cain didn't mind. He knew the real reasons and laid them out before her.
"Your father did so because - and whether you believe it or not - he didn't want you to die. He sees you as a mistake that was too badly broken and bruised."
He turned to continue his work of dislodging something from the statue's hand, that laid in the center of the fountain. But as he did so he added to his statement, furthur sending Lia into shock.
"He didn't want to see the mistake he made, get harmed any more than it already had."
To say Lia was shocked would be an understatement. To learn that the father she thought hated her so much, secretly cared for whether she died or not. Unlike the rest of her family, who couldn't care if she died, her father did. Though only as a broken trinket that was too fragile to break again.
"But why would he set up these checkpoints? I mean, he couldn't have known I would be attacked could he?"
Cain chuckled to himself as he nearly dislodged the item he was grasping from the statue's hand.
"The assassins that found their way into your room. They were sent by your brother, being backed by your mother. The king knew this, yet he did nothing, as that is the only thing he could do. It's not like he could publicly go against his crowned successor, much less change it again."
Cain glanced back to see Lia's reaction to his words, worry seeping in through his wall of emotional defense.
"So he secretly supported you from the side lines, making sure they didn't strike again."
Lia kept quiet, not making a sound. To Cain, she seems like she was still processing all that he told her, but upon closer inspection, he noticed she wasn't even thinking at all.
She was just calm, poised, and quiet. No emotion could be read on her face, and it surprised Cain more than he would like to admit.
"You're not surprised?"
"No."
Lia answered calmly, her voice giving away nothing.
To be truthful, Lia was not suppressed. She was already aware that her family knew of the attempt on her life, but she never made the connection that they could have been the ones behind it. Up until now, they had never taken that one step past that line.
But when Cain told her they finally did, she wasn't too shocked. They had been teetering on the edge of such actions their entire lives, so for this to happen, for Lia it was like a perfectly formed puzzle coming into place.
"Well then, I guess you don't need my comfort."
Cain said as he finally pulled free a triangular prism that had been lodged between the fingers and hands, with one large tug.
"Got it."
"What is that?"
Cain held up the prism showing its hollow inside as well as its translucent appearance. Inside Lia could see the faint traces of some black and murky liquid that swished around, traces of earth and broken leaves sat within the glass.
"This is a poison. A poison called Black Swamp. It's extremely potent and worst of all, is famous for being a poison used in most air toxins."
A sudden and horrible feeling welded up in Lia's chest, as she looked at the near empty container.
"Don't tell me…"
"Yes, this was used to kill the villagers, then they stuffed them in their homes and buildings. This place will soon become a rotting wasteland filled with the undead itf the bodies are left here."
Lia felt like she was going to puke, the feeling of dread and that pungent odor that just wouldn't leave her nose.
The horrible thought of these poor people, having been killed by such a deadly poison by her attackers, and becoming the undead, cursed to walk the earth for eternity until the people of this world began calling them monsters.
They would never find peace if they just left them here.
Cain tossed the prism into the fountian's pond, letting the glass smash and the liquid pouring out into the crystal clear water, turning it a murky brownish black.
"We can't leave them here."
Lia mumbled looking between different buildings wondering just how many dead people were inside.
Cain sighed when he heard her words.
"Lia, there's nothing we can do. Even if we bury them there's still a chance they can come back as undead. Plus,"
Cain pointed to the ridge line where the torches grew in numbers and faint shouts could be heard in the distance.
"..we've got palace guards nearby who would more than likely search the village. They'll do something about all this, but right now, if you want to stay hidden, we have to go. Time is not a luxury we can afford."
Though Cain's words hurt Lia, she knew he was right. There would be no way she could go back home, not with Rall, Clara, and her mother fighting against her, attempting her murder at every step they took.
Even if she combined the forces of her uncle, her master, and even some lost remnants of protection from her father, there was no guarantee that she would survive.
"The only choice you have now, Lia, is to leave. Get stronger, then come back. And when you do…"
Cain looked deep within her eyes, their color shining even brighter.
"..you give them hell."
Lia was hesitant, but eventually she came to one steady conclusion.
With one quick movement, she drew the contract from her pocket, and held it out before her.
"I'll do it."
She didn't remember much after that time, only some faint forgotten remnants. But the little things she could see in her memories, she found distinct in every form.
The color of Cain's eyes, and his smile as it grew more sinister by the second, and above all his short burst of laughs that resonated throughout the night.
She could remember his touch on her shoulder and the feeling of stone beneath her, but then, as quickly as she had begun to question her actions, she felt the soft touch of grass on her back, her skin, and her neck.
The calm and silent breeze that brushed past her, and the eerie sound of the night's silence.
"Good choice."
===========
A/N: The 2nd part of the thenth chapter that I was forced to cut in half otherwise you'd be scrolling way to long. Sorry.
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