We stood at the back of the cliff waiting for them to be done.
"I'm really thirsty. We should have drunk some water before we left," I complained.
"I'm hungry. Can't you start the cooking or something?" Kairi said.
"The food is with Eira. There's nothing we can do. Just be patient," I told him.
While we were waiting, we could hear the giggling of the girls—at least only Chara and Eira giggling. The three of us instinctively kept quiet to listen to what they were giggling about. After a while of giggling, we could hear them.
"Why's mine the smallest here?" Chara asked, then continued. "Seraphina and Eira just got like twice mine. Even Mira's is bigger."
"Yours isn't small either. It's moderate," Eira said.
"You are just trying to comfort me," Chara tried rejecting Eira's words.
"No, it's actually true. I quite prefer it to be moderate. This can be quite strenuous to deal with during battle. Even if I chest-bind it, it gets uncomfortable with time," Seraphina said.
Kairi interrupted us and whispered:
"What are they talking about?"
"We'll explain later. Listen," Kofi whispered back.
"You know you can reduce it," Mira suggested.
"I know, but I'd rather not," Seraphina rejected the idea.
Eira then asked:
"Why?"
"I just don't like the idea of changing any part of my body. I have learned to live with it," Seraphina replied.
"That's a nice thought," Chara praised her.
We kept eavesdropping until Kofi interrupted and asked:
"Aren't you curious what it looks like?"
"Huh?" I asked, acting like I didn't hear him the first time.
"Aren't you curious what it looks like?" he repeated.
"I heard you the first time," I told him.
"I know," he said.
"I am, but if we are caught our life might as well end here. Besides, I'm a gentleman. I'd like to respect their privacy," I explained to him.
"A peep won't hurt," Kofi tried convincing me.
"Absolutely not," I replied adamantly.
"I can peep for you guys," Kofi said.
Me and Kofi shifted our gazes toward him.
"No one is peeping," I said.
Kofi then looked back at me and asked:
"Have you ever been with a girl before?"
I looked at him, puzzled.
"Where did that question come from?"
"I'm trying to distract myself from peeping. Also, wouldn't it be good to know more about each other since we are going to be together for a long time?" he responded.
"You are just trying to make friends with me so I can spare you when we get out of here," I told him bluntly.
"Yes and no. No because I just want to make friends. You see, I have been alone due to my title. Not many people want to become my friend. There are a few, but they only want to be because of my position, trying to gain friendship with my family through me. I quite understand this. After all, I'll do the same if I need to. But I still want real friends."
"You are such a good person. I'll gladly be your friend. I can relate to having no friends," Kairi said while empathizing with him.
"Well, let's be good friends," Kofi told Kairi.
"That's a really sad story that would have got me if I were Kairi."
"What does that mean?" Kairi asked.
I ignored him then continued.
"But I understand. Real friendship is different, you know, but we could make it work. I'm still killing you when we get out."
"Do whatever you want. Now tell me," he demanded.
"I have, but we weren't so compatible with each other. What about you?" I asked in return.
"I have been with a lot of girls in bed, that I can say," Kofi said proudly.
"Aren't you just 16?" I asked.
"No, I'm 17—older than you guys. You guys should give me some respect," he said.
"Absolutely not." I paused then asked:
"How many girls?"
"I don't know. I lost count. Most of them were maids trying to get something from me so they could climb up the social hierarchy ladder. You'll be surprised what people will do for that. At first I ignored them. After a few temptations, I indulged them. The first one was one of the best nights of my life. After that it kept happening regularly. Sometimes I don't even remember who is who. Well, I wouldn't completely recommend that type of life for anyone," he said while smiling.
"Why not?" I asked.
"I don't know. I just feel like it's not good enough," he replied.
"I don't understand what's going on," Kairi butted in.
"Don't worry. I'll teach you my techniques," Kofi said while smiling.
"Please don't," I told him.
"Why not? He wants to learn," he retorted.
I just left both of them and tried to get lost in my thoughts until I heard something that caught my attention from the girls, who were yet to be done. They both saw the shift in my mood and became silent too.
"Hey, Seraph, what's the greatest thing you desire?" Chara asked.
"Why do you want to know?" Seraphina said with a sad voice.
"Just curious. You said your second greatest desire is to kill Valek. I'm wondering what is the first that made you hate him that much," Chara said.
"Do you like him?" Seraphina asked her.
"Hell no, but I won't say what he did wasn't completely beneficial to me. I get to find out more about what happened to my brother—something I have been wanting to do. I also get to go out of that place." She paused for a while then continued. "I don't really like home, you know. I'm forced to be the opposite of something I'm not. If you meet me there I'm not this cheerful. I'm trained to be a weapon that could kill anything—emotionless, distant, alone in the dark." She then let out a hollow laugh and said something really shocking. "Let me tell you a secret. I was given a mission the day we graduated. If I completed it I'd be allowed to go on missions that'd take me far away from home. I steeled my resolve that I'd do whatever it takes. My mission was to kill Custos Stark."
'What?' This revelation hit me like a boulder. I calmed myself and continued listening to her.
"But when I was observing him, something told me to talk to him. I was curious why they wanted to kill him. I was also trying to find a reason to kill him so I could justify myself. If I was asked to kill Julian I would understand. I spoke to him. Surprisingly he was a good guy. Him and Charles were fun. Then I started questioning myself if it was alright to kill a guy like this because I want to be free? I couldn't do it—not because I'm some type of good person. I know I'm not. I have killed people—good people and bad people. I have killed them, even when I know they are good. But for some reason I couldn't bring myself to kill a normal person I resonated with. I wanted to know what exactly stopped me. Is it because I'm not ready to gain my freedom? Is it because Custos is just one of the few people I get along with? Is it because I'm just a good person trying to act like I'm not? Or is it because I'm scared? When Valek came I was relieved I wouldn't have to do anything to gain my freedom—even though this place is not so free. But I'm still curious. What exactly stopped me?"
There was silence for a while. Everyone thought deeply about what Chara said.
Eira broke the silence and said:
"What if it's because of all? My grandma always says humans are complicated beings. That's why they can never fully understand themselves. If you are trying to settle for one answer you can keep trying to find, or you could settle for all. I'll just say it's fate that stopped you."
"You are quite wise," Chara said jokingly.
"I lived with an old woman," Eira replied.
"It is my sister." Seraphina's words made everyone concentrate on her. She continued:
"My greatest desire is finding my twin sister. When everyone died, my sister didn't. My brother saved her. I don't know where she is, but the reason I stayed there enduring every torturous day was because Erza, the leader of the Crimson family, promised to find her for me. The graduation day was meant to be the day he gave me information about her. That's why I hate Valek so much. Because I believe that day will be my happiest day in a while." Seraphina stopped talking.
Chara then said:
"Do you remember what she looks like?"
"Not really. It has been so long. We are not identical, but..." She paused for a while and said, "This hairpin is what my mom gave both of us. I'm hoping she still has it. I know she still does. I feel like I will see her soon every time I touch this, so maybe we get out of here faster than we thought."
While they were talking, Kairi's stomach growled and he said:
"I can't take it anymore."
Then he stood up. I thought he was going to go look for something outside, but he was moving toward the waterfall. When I noticed this I tried to stop him, but he was too late.
After reaching where the girls were, he said:
"I'm really hungry, Eira. Come and start cooking."
Then silence surrounded us.
"Uhm... I feel like I did something wrong. Even my body is reacting weirdly, so I'll leave now."
"I will kill you," Seraphina declared.
"I'm really sorry," Kairi apologized.
After a few moments all the girls were out. They were really refreshed and clean. They all wore a simple tunic dress. Seraphina already had flames in her hand ready to burn Kairi. Kairi was bowing to them so they could forgive him.
"Let's just leave him. It's Kairi. Moreover, he stinks," Chara said.
Seraphina and Mira left afterwards.
"I'll start the cooking. In the meantime, clean yourself up," Eira said politely. Then she left too.
"You guys were peeping, right?" Chara asked.
"No!" I said.
"You definitely were. I'll let Seraph know," Chara said then left.
"Seraph? She gave her a nickname," I said as we moved to clean ourselves.
While cleaning, I thought about Chara and her mission.
'Why was she sent to kill me? Valek said they already found me. Was that what he meant? Am I safe now? I should be, thanks to Kofi's theory of all of us needing to stay alive. Chara is not so irrational that she'd not believe that, so I think I'm safe for now. I shouldn't let my guard down around her. Well, I can continue our friendship too and try to find out if she'll really kill me. Can't believe Kofi bought me some time.' I thought as I washed my body of the stench and blood.
Kofi was really built. He's not bulky, but he has a really good build. His pecs and abs really stood out more than mine, showing he works out regularly. Kairi was so thin he almost looked malnourished.
"Your hand is broken, right? Let me help you straighten it," Kofi suggested.
He took my hand and started massaging it. It was really painful, but I held in the urge to scream. When he was done he said:
"I have done the best I can. You are Nascent, so I think it'll heal faster than a normal human. As long as any part of your body wasn't destroyed, you can recover from anything." He explained as he went back to washing his clothes.
After a while Kairi asked a question:
"When I saw them, something happened to me down here." He said while pointing between his legs. "Do you guys have any idea what it is?"
Kofi burst into laughter. I just looked at him, dumbstruck.
Kofi regained his composure after a long series of laughs.
"Don't worry. I'll explain everything to you. You have a lot to learn, you know," Kofi said.
We finished bathing after a while. We didn't share anything intimate like the girls, and our bath wasn't as long as theirs. We had no choice but to wear the clothes we wore before after washing them. They were wet, but with the heat around we didn't really mind—considering we don't have any other clothes either and we could go around naked.
'Guessing Eira brought some clothes for them. What about us? We need clothes too,' I thought.
We moved to join the girls. They were at the back of one of the cliffs. They found a cave which they camped in.
Eira had already started cooking. Chara was pestering Seraphina and Mira was alone.
She hasn't interacted with us much since we have been here.
I moved toward her to talk.
"Are you here to keep an eye on us on Valek's orders? Or should I say her orders?" I was straightforward. I didn't really like her because she was with Valek.
She looked at me then looked back to the ground and said:
"No. I was captured by Valek too. I don't have any connection to any demigod, so I don't know why I was captured. Maybe I have some connection I don't know about."
"I don't believe you," I said bluntly.
"You don't need to. I totally understand. I wouldn't believe me either if I was in your situation," she said then stood up. "I'm your ally here. Don't forget that." She then left me.
'I don't even know who my ally is anymore,' I thought.
After a while the meat was ready.
The aroma of the meat was really nice. The meat looked juicy and spicy. Kairi was already drooling from the thought of eating it. There were no plates to dish it out, so we all ate from the pot. It was really hot. One bite and the taste of the meat melted in my mouth. It was so good. After eating around 2 pieces of meat, I drank a mouthful of water that was drawn from the clear stream.
Kairi was munching on the meat a lot. He ate more than half of it. After a while he finished eating. We all rested for a while. We sat in the cave. The only source of light was Eira's almost-dead lamp. We couldn't light a fire because of the heat in this place.
Eira then took the initiative and said:
"We need a strategy. The last time we fought we were all over the place. No ounce of teamwork existed—like when the first monster attacked, Seraphina and Kairi attacked it at the same time. If we want to survive here we need a bit of synergy," she suggested.
"You are right and we have to talk about what to do about that sound. If they turn out to be monsters and we are led into a trap, it'll be hard to survive. I'll need to know your abilities so we can form a strategy together," Seraphina said then continued when everyone was reluctant to talk. "I'll go first. My ability is just being able to conjure flames, so I can burn anything. The reason I chose the staff was for me to learn to fight from a long distance and it's really helpful even though I still fight close. I have other weapons in my arsenal. I'm good in hand-to-hand combat. I'm proficient with bow and arrow, sword and dagger."
"I'd love to spar with you sometime," Chara said.
"Me too," Kofi was the one who said this. Everyone looked at him weirdly. "What? I want to learn how to fight. I can't rely on you guys forever."
"Well okay. I'd also like to fight with Mira," Seraphina said while looking at Mira.
"Just so you guys know, I'm a support type," Mira said.
'Seriously? And she defeated 2 D-ranks. I wonder how strong an attack type would be.'
"I'll go next," Chara said. "My ability is Opposite—well, that's what I named it because that's what it is. I'm able to create, manipulate, or transmute the opposite of things. It can only work on material things. It can't work on people except me. Let me show a demonstration." She then touched the lamp. "This lamp is dim and the opposite of dim is bright." As she said that the light grew bright enough that we could see each other. It looked like morning came earlier.
Chara then left it and continued. "That'll last about 30 minutes. I can only make opposites of 3 things at a time. It's a pretty useful ability. I'm also good with sword, archery and dagger. Stealth is one of my main strengths. I learned a couple of martial arts."
'No, it's insane. It's very versatile. Unfortunately it only works on material things. Maybe when she becomes Nascent she'll be able to affect other people too. So she can kill without me ever seeing her.'
"I'll think of ways we can utilize your ability but I think it'll fit a lot of situations," Seraphina said.
"I'll go next!" Kairi raised his hand. "My ability is able to create lightning. I guess it's not as impressive as Chara's own but I'm pretty strong. I'm also good with my katana. I have never used any other weapon though," he said.
"You are the strongest here after Mira so we'll be counting on you," Seraphina praised him then looked at me. I sighed and said:
"Aegis—that's the name of my ability. You should all have seen it. I'm able to create a dome around me. Those within it who I deem as allies will feel serenity and those that I deem as enemies will feel troubled. If it breaks I can summon it again until my ether runs out. As for weapons, only good with sword and spear," I explained my ability to them.
"A defensive/mind ability. Pretty good," Seraphina deduced.
She then looked at Eira and Kofi who are yet to share their abilities.
"I don't feel comfortable sharing my ability now," Eira said.
"I understand," Seraphina replied then looked at Kofi.
"I'm the wildcard, remember? We don't know who or what might be listening. Me and Eira would be the element of surprise," he told her.
"Then let's talk about what to do. We will make a strategy based on everyone's strengths," Seraphina said.
"I think we need to scout the terrain before we make a strategy. It'd be nice to be familiar with it so our opponent wouldn't use it against us," Chara suggested.
"We should do that when the sun is up. We'll make a strategy after that then by afternoon we move toward the ruins. We should use this night to rest," Seraphina said.
"Then someone should keep watch. We'll take turns," I said.
"Well, who'll be first?" Seraphina asked.
"I will start. I'll wake anyone up after a while," Chara said.
'I should really not let her be first. What if she kills me and uses her abilities to make everyone forget me? She said it doesn't work on humans but I can't really trust that. I should find a reason.' As I thought that, an epiphany hit me.
I then made my suggestion.
"I don't think that's a good idea. You'll most likely be the one to scout the area since you are the stealth master among us. So you should rest and conserve your energy till morning."
'That is a perfect ruse. It's not wrong because she is an assassin. Her stealth is superior to everyone here. And her ability is really versatile.'
"I guess you are right. I'll rest and conserve my energy," Chara agreed with me.
After a while we decided who would keep watch first. Kofi was first, I was second, and Eira was third. We'll keep watch for 3 hours each. We checked the time and saw it was around 11 p.m.
Eira brought 2 tents that we set up inside the cave—one for the boys and one for the girls.
'Seriously, this girl is awfully prepared,' I thought as I set up our tent. Well, I did nonsense—Chara was the one who helped us set it up after scolding us.
Kofi left after it was set and sat at the waterfall as he observed the ruins and around us for any abnormalities. I went to check on him to see if he wasn't going to doze off.
"You are scared Chara will kill you and erase your memory from everyone with her powers, right?" Kofi asked me while looking into the distance.
"Is it wrong to be cautious? I don't have any malicious intent toward her, but I'm just being paranoid currently. I'll be okay. After all she did tell the girls. Also what I said wasn't wrong," I replied to him.
"You are not paranoid. It's alright to be like that. But you have to confront her about it soon—to get everything settled," Kofi advised.
"I will, but not yet. Maybe after we settle the ruins thing," I told him.
I then waved to him and said: "I'm going to sleep now. Don't doze off or that might just last forever." I said then left him.
After reaching the tent I saw Kairi sleeping soundly. I lay down with all my aching body and slept immediately.
I could feel someone tapping me. It was Kofi who came to wake me for my turn. After he saw that I was awake he didn't even waste time and slept.
'He must have been really tired. Wait—he didn't do anything. Why will he be tired?' I thought as I stood up and went to the waterfall. Honestly I felt refreshed after sleeping for a few hours. I didn't feel like someone that just slept 3 hours. Must have been because I'm Nascent. I don't need to sleep much to feel refreshed.
I sat there for a while observing the area and got bored.
'So he wasn't tired—just bored that he wished he could sleep immediately. This is really boring. I'll bring 2 people for it tomorrow. How can someone last like this? I lived alone so I might be able to handle it. I was able to handle it because there's something to do. But here there's nothing to do. Maybe I should just train.'
I summoned my spear and shield and practiced for hours. After a while someone came to me and said:
"It is my turn. Did you get so engrossed in training that you forgot, or you just didn't want to wake me up?" Eira asked.
"It is both. I felt really refreshed after sleeping for a while, then decided to train. Didn't want to bother anybody," I explained.
"You are Nascent after all so I understand why you were okay after a few hours of sleep. Everyone is awake now. You don't have to keep watch. The sun will soon be out. Phina wants to brief us too," Eira said as she was about to leave.
"You gave her a nickname too?" I inquired as I followed her.
"Yes. I'm yet to call her that. I don't know if she'll like it," she said shyly.
"You could try calling her that to see her reaction," I told her.
"I will try," she replied.
After getting to the cave, Seraphina briefed us on what we'd do.
"We should create a way to communicate so we can tell others apart in case the monsters are some kind of shape-shifters," Chara suggested.
"This plan is a gamble. We don't know who's listening to us or watching," Seraphina explained.
"Then we should use something we talked about before we came here," Chara suggested then looked at me. "Since it's me and Kairi scouting, we had few encounters with him prior to Valek so we should use that," Chara suggested.
"And what about the rest of us that never had an encounter with him?" Seraphina asked.
"Well you guys are here with him. It doesn't seem like there will be any danger yet. We'll create a code later," Chara said.
"Ok. You both be safe out there. I'd prefer going but I don't know why you picked Kairi to go," she said looking at me.
Our strategy was not really a hard one. Chara was to use her stealth to find out what is really in the ruins and Kairi was going to do a survey around the surroundings. He's looking for a way out really. Kairi was the one who suggested to go and I backed him. Seraphina didn't like the idea but she allowed it.
Chara and Kairi moved to their respective roles, and we were about to get to work too. We won't obviously sit and wait for them to come. We are creating a trap for whatever we are facing. Of course it's a gamble because we don't know if they are watching us right now, but the meaning to this was simple. It was to see if we are truly being watched.
We decided to wait until the sun is up before they start moving, but after a while the sun never came—or should I say morning never came. Seraphina checked her pocket watch and it was 8 a.m. already.
"So this place doesn't have sun or day. The name Nightveil is truly fitting," Seraphina said then stood up. "No change of plans. You'll have to go."
Chara and Kairi nodded before they started moving.
'Isn't this place a bit harsh if there's no sun or day? It's like a prison,' I lampooned.
I watched Chara and Kairi go then I was going to the cave. I heard Kofi and Eira conversing. I went up to them to talk but as I was drawing closer I overheard their conversation clearly now.
"You know, Eira, we are the only ones at the bottom in ranks between them, so they wouldn't trust our abilities much, but I can tell we are not so much inferior to them. Our ranks may be wildly apart but I think we are all on par," Kofi said.
"How do you know my rank?" Eira asked.
"I have a very good memory. Well, you see I'm obligated to learn the ranks of every prominent family member to know how to deal with them. The top 10 is naturally stuck in my head, which 3 of them are already here. As for you and Chara—Chara is an assassin prodigy. You on the other hand are part of the bottom 5. It's only 2 people separating you from me, the last rank. I was going to inspect you four, you know, because I want to have a talk with you guys to see if you are like me," he explained.
"And what are you like?" Eira asked.
"A liar. So are you," Kofi said confidently.
This time I was already with them but I acted like I didn't hear them.
"Shall we get to work?" I asked innocently.
We got to work. After a while we finished setting our trap. Kairi came back and explained the terrain. We waited a few more minutes and Chara arrived.
"Hey, what did you see?" I asked her.
"Well, there's nothing wrong with them. They are normal humans who survived. I think they should have more information about this place. So we should probably try to save them," Chara suggested.
"My instinct is telling me something is wrong with her," Kairi whispered to me.
"What is Seraphina supposed to be to us?" I asked Chara to confirm it's still Chara.
She answered indifferently:
"My master. We are meant to be the slaves."
"She is Chara. Kairi here thought you were not Chara. We are yet to achieve our goals by the way," I said jokingly.
"Speak for yourself. I'm making progress," Chara replied jokingly.
"Why the hell do you two have that intention toward me?" Seraphina asked with the creepy look on her face.
"No bad intention," I tried calming her.
"That seems pretty bad. Oh well, let's move away from here while we wait for our trap." We all agreed and moved away from the cave and waterfall. We were a few meters away and watched it.
Our trap really was that there was no trap. If nothing or no one came we'd be able to tell no one is spying on us. Because if the trap was real and there's someone spying on us they would not fall for the 'trap' to dispel that thought of us thinking someone is spying.
After confirming there was no one spying on us, we started our journey to the ruins.
Something happened to Chara. She started acting like she's about to say something. Then after a while some words started coming out of her mouth.
"Run... 3... exalters... monster."
Chara said then instantly regained herself.
"Hmmmm, what did I say?" Chara asked curiously as if she lost the memory of what happened.