Denir fell asleep for three more hours. When he woke up, it was already past sunrise. The light came in through the window, illuminating his house. The bed that the man slept in was quite old, just like the rest of his belongings. It was hard to tell if it was due to a sentiment or to save money. Moodeen went to the bathroom and refreshed himself. He threw his glasses into a drawer. The man looked in the mirror. His face was empty, just like his soul. He grabbed a razor and started shaving himself. After he was done, the butcher observed the blade. He found its appearance quite intriguing. He slid the blade on the tip of his index finger. A thin wound let go of a few drops of blood, then it stopped. A smirk appeared on his face, yet he wasn't conscious of it. The man was even more intrigued; he put it on his neck. Suddenly, he came back to his senses. A fear filled his eyes; the butcher was afraid of himself. Thu — he threw the steel utensil into the sink and rushed out of the room. Denir sat on the couch, covering his eyes, almost like he wanted to disappear.
'What the hell have I wanted to do? I am truly a sickening creature... I will finalise my project soon, ending my life. My mental health is even worse than I've anticipated. Ah... Going back to the main topic, Sloth will strike in five days. It gives me enough time to complete the VNA. Also, I won't have to deal with fools in that cafe. I saved up enough money for my last dance.'
Thud — he threw a huge sack filled with coins on the table. It was filled with approximately one thousand of them.
'Besides, if I were to go there, the Crusaders would catch me for the reward. They really thought I wouldn't notice their idiotic faces. I haven't recognised Laudis, he's the newest one after all. I don't care what happens after the night, I'll end my life with a huge impact...' he thought, submerged in his mind.
Yet again, Laudis was summoned to the Room of Destiny. The two men awaited him. The other Marked Ones weren't even present, which seemed off to the youth. He sat down on his chair, starting the conversation.
"Where is everyone?" he asked, looking around the dark room.
"They've made Will agree to be summoned once a week. You'll meet them every Sunday. How about your Earth element?" asked Con.
"I've used the false magic. To put it shortly, it steals mana from the surroundings. It's inefficient because of mana loss during the theft. That meant I'm not an Earth sorcerer."
"Indeed, I'm not familiar with it. It's probably a technique that was developed after my death. Now, I don't think we can help you anymore, can we, Aamir?"
"I agree."
"Huh? Why is that?"
"We've got no knowledge about the Upper Hands; it's a concept created after our deaths. Our awareness of today's sorcery is limited. The best option would be to ask the last Marked One. We're pretty tired, after all, we are using our last bits of mana. I don't know if Will told you that, but we'll accompany you for as long as we possess mana. Thus, I think it's better to save it for later. What about halting our meetings for a while?" the Carolan stated, extending his right hand.
"Okay, that sounds reasonable," the boy accepted his handshake.
Laudis woke up; he was the first. He glanced at his silver watch; it was half past seven. The kid went to the window and looked at the streets. The merchants were ready to sell, and the sun hung quite high. He put on his light blue robe and headed to the living room. Gladius came in soon after.
"How are you?" asked Gladius, sitting on the couch.
"Fine, thank you. Can I ask you a question?" replied Laudis, joining him.
"Go ahead."
"Why aren't there any non-humans in Zachira? Wasn't Carola a country of diversity?"
"It is, but the non-humans had to leave the capital. Omar asked them to migrate to other cities. The reason behind it is that the city experienced overpopulation. Humans are too stubborn to do it, so he paid half-humans and others to leave it. There weren't any hard feelings, just the reality they had to face."
"I see... Will you be training with us today? he wondered, looking at his sword.
"If you want to, I can spar with you for a bit."
"Whoa, that sounds great. When I sparred with the old man, I could only train my endurance. He didn't teach me anything important..."
"I didn't teach you anything important, you say?" said Dante, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Yeah, you aren't a great teacher," the paladin agreed, remembering the past.
"Ouch, that hurts," he responded, dramatically grabbing his chest.
"What are you talking about this early in the morning, huh?" muttered half-asleep Solisia.
"Doesn't matter, prepare yourself for the training. I will be there, so no slacking off will be allowed," the captain declared proudly.
The five of them left the hotel. They had been walking to the gate when they stumbled across him. Denir was buying citrus fruits. Dantenium quickly drew his sword, yet it was too late. The man had already left by the time the crimson-haired rushed to him.
"Argh! Please, don't kill me! Just get what you want!" the salesman shouted in fear.
The bystanders looked at him, whispering around. The crowd gathered around them, looking at them with disgust.
"They're robbing an old man," a voice came out from them.
"They have no shame."
"Police? Where the hell is the police when it's needed the most?!"
Galdius pulled him from the gathering, and they rushed out of the city...
Somewhere else, in a dark alley, Denir appeared. The man gasped for air. He supported his tired body against a wall. He looked up, just to see a roof made from old wood and rags. A pitiful smile drew on his face.
'That was close, way too close... I have to be more careful, or else. These fruits will be enough for the poison. They don't draw anyone's attention, unlike the conventional one. Now, I need to buy an armour. It needs to be durable, light, and heat-resistant. I haven't decided on the gloves yet. Should I buy pure leather ones, or those made of leather mixed with metal? The sad reality is that I have no one to rely on... Just five more days, five days of suffering. I need to finish my final project, I have to...' thought Moodeen, looking at the bag filled with citruses.
The Crusaders were training on the sand. Like before, the women trained spells. Dante was training his mana control. Gladius and Laudis were sparing.
"Is that all you've got, boy?" asked Gladius, dodging another strike.
"I'm just warming up, old man," replied Laudis.
The paladin had no weapon; he was just the target for the youth. The boy didn't plan on giving up, despite landing zero hits. He was swinging his sword for six more hours, without any rest. It was evening, and the sun was close to the horizon. The kid, exhausted and covered in sweat, knelt. The rest had already finished their training, but not him.
"We should end it, you know? You look pretty tired," the knight stated, looking at him.
"Will a vampire spare me, just because I'm tired?" the boy replied, standing up. He took off his bandages, revealing the mark. The fire ignited in his eyes.
"I completely understand you. Still, you won't be fighting for this long. We'll kill Sloth in four hours at max."
"Who's talking now, huh?" he whispered.
"What was that?"
"Nothing important."
The Crusaders came back to the city. They ate dinner and headed to the hotel. Everyone was tired, maybe except for Dante. After all, the crimson-head guy trained his mana flow for the entire practice. The band fell asleep in no time.
It was the night, and Solisia woke up and headed to the kitchen. She wanted to drink a glass of water. Then the girl noticed something strange. Laudis wasn't in his bed, and the door was slightly open.
'Where the hell is he? He's probably doing some shady shit, buying drugs or something. I knew since the beginning that he wasn't suitable for the Crusader role. Now, if I were a dealer, where would I be?' she thought, walking downstairs.
The Earth sorceress was mistaken. The Crimson Eye wasn't acquiring any substances this time. He was hitting a bag with a wooden sword. It was hanging on a steel bar coming from the nearby factory.
Thud, thud, thud — the strikes were loud, but nobody cared about them. People thought they were coming from the manufacturer.
'So that's the reason why I woke up! I need to give him a lesson.'
She sneaked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. The youth spun in place and swung his sword at her neck. His crimson eye caught her attention; it seemed like it was shining. He noticed the familiar face, but it was too late for him to counter the torque force.
'Great, as always, she has to intercept my training. There is only one option not to hurt her...'
He threw himself to the side, hitting the ground. She looked at him, filled with regret.
"If I had hit you, you wouldn't try to disturb my practice; be thankful," the boy stated, standing up and shaking off the dust from his clothes.
"Yeah, sorry. Still, you shouldn't overtrain."
"How am I supposed to hit him if I can't strike fast enough? I have to train, train until I'll be able to hit him."
"Okay... Nonetheless, thanks for not hitting me," she whispered.
"Huh?"
"Nothing. Come back soon, or you will be too tired for the next training."
"Yeah, yeah. Just one more round."
The kid closed his eyes and took a steady stance. He imagined a vampire. Suddenly, he remembered the first real encounter. The half-dead woman with an open stomach appeared in front of his eyes. The youth clenched his teeth in disgust. His muscles tightened, and his veins popped out, especially on his forearms. Thud! — the bag swung with so much power that the steel bar bent. When Laudis opened his eyes, he only saw the aftermath. Soon after, he went to their room and fell asleep.
But the night was still early, early for someone who had quit his job recently. Denir was working in his basement, and he took the chains from his ceiling. The man bought the necessary metal; it was the melchior of the nickel and metals with similar properties to it. He had only bought square pieces of it, after all, he wasn't a smith. A smell of coffee spread all across the room.
'I hate its taste. It's bitter and disgusting, but I have to drink it. I have no time to spare. I thought that I could buy a full armour set, yet those things cost more than three thousand golds. I could steal those, but they would notice the missing set. Man, I really hate my life. Just four more days, four days. To hell with life!'
Thud! — the butcher slammed his fist on the table.
'I hate it! I only endure it to finalise it. My bloodthirst will be fulfilled once and for all. Omar, observe my spectacle. See, how your city trembles in fear and blood!' he thought, drinking from a cup. His eyes were tired, and he was standing with his last bit of strength.