A terrified scream left my mouth as I tumbled out of bed.
My head hit the ground first, followed by the rest of my body.
I sat upright and looked around my bedroom.
"So, this wasn't a dream?"
"No, it was not."
It was then that I noticed Astress sitting on the floor in front of my bed.
She was folding the laundry that I left in the bathroom last night and was putting it in a square wooden basket right beside her.
"Do you need any help?"
She gave me no reply, but when I tried to grab a pair of pants, she fiercely slapped my hand away.
The glare she showed me made my skin crawl.
Out of fear, I took a few steps backwards.
"*Ahem* My apologies. I am glad to hear your offer to help, yet I am perfectly capable of doing this myself."
The tone of her voice and the expression on her face were giving me mixed signals.
Perhaps it would have been better for me to leave her be, although I also wanted to know why she was acting so hostile towards me.
"Astress? Apologies if this sounds rude, but I have the feeling you don't really like me."
Her hands stopped moving, and her body turned stiff.
She moved like a wooden puppet, turning her head around in fixed intervals, until her eyes met mine.
"It was a mistake of Lady Kia to take you in. Actually, I do wonder what she was thinking. Someone from the royal family giving aid to a fiendish Wanderer like you – especially after what happened last time."
I didn't know what to say.
A lot of different emotions were going through my head: anger, bewilderment, dislike, ignorance.
It made it difficult for me to think straight.
And what did she mean by 'what happened last time'?
I recall Azazel mentioning something similar yesterday.
Had Kia's family given aid to a Wanderer before?
And if they did, who were they, and what could they have done to make them so mad?
"I do understand from all the looks and reactions I'm getting that I'm not welcome here. And I know that I'm only getting Kia into unnecessary trouble."
"How come you are still here then?"
"Because I have nowhere else to go. And…"
She cut me off and countered:
"But you do; back to that pitiful world of yours. And if that is not an option, please do us a favour and move to somewhere more vacant and quieter. A place where you can drown in your own sorrows and die a meaningless death."
Unexpectedly, the front door flung open and Kia entered the room.
Confused, she looked at the two of us, but Astress ensured her that nothing was going on.
She picked up the laundry basket and left the room in a hurry.
Once she walked past Kia and looked back, she threw me one last spiteful glare before disappearing out of sight.
"Did nothing truly happen, Shako? You look a tad pale."
"Oh, no. I just…had a nightmare and startled Astress on accident."
From the looks of it, it didn't seem like she fully bought it.
Despite this, she decided to leave it at that.
"If you say so. Would you mind joining me for breakfast? All that walking from yesterday must have made you quite peckish, no?"
I accepted her invitation and then noticed the change of clothes Astress had left me.
A pair of brown cotton pants with shoulder straps, white baggy underpants, and a thin white shirt were all that was provided to me.
These clothes were quite different compared to my school uniform.
When I changed, it dawned on me that I looked almost identical to a certain midget from a well-renowned trilogy.
"Ready?" Kia asked once I was done changing clothes.
I followed Kia, who was guiding me to the dining hall.
She told me that their head-chef – a man named Alberius Luzel – had prepared a special dish for me.
And judging by the look on her face, it would be quite the treat.
This was already the second time I was wandering through these hallways, yet the colossal nature of this place still perplexed me.
If it wasn't for Kia's help, I reckoned my chances of getting lost here would be pretty high.
At the end of our tread through the maze that was Kia's home, we reached the dining hall.
In the middle of the room stood a large elongated table covered with a white tablecloth.
Above it swung a huge golden chandelier decorated with colourful crystals.
On the wall facing the entrance hung a giant portrait of Kia's dad.
It was both astonishing and intimidating to look at.
I took a seat and waited for Kia to join me, but instead of that, she went to have a look in the kitchen.
The kitchen was next to this room and could be entered via a small door to my left.
As she walked through the doorway, I could barely make out the contours of a stove and oven placed against the back wall.
Every now and again, I could hear the rattling of pans and the shouting of someone giving orders.
An excellent fragrance, similar to that of baked and seasoned bread, entered my nostrils.
I felt myself salivating in anticipation.
Like Kia mentioned, I hadn't eaten anything throughout the entirety of yesterday.
So suffice to say that my stomach was killing me right now.
Apart from the few pieces of food I saw at the stalls when we entered Gehenna, I hadn't the slightest clue what kind of food they produced here and if they were tasty.
The food arrived shortly after.
The small door opened and Kia, with behind her who I assumed to be Mr. Luzel, entered the room.
The man was pushing a metal trolley with two silver trays on it.
"That didn't take long."
"It would do my family injustice if we abstained ourselves from hiring the best of the best. Mr. Luzel's dishes are well-known and loved all over Fira. Therefore, I am positive this dish will be to your liking as well."
Luzel stood behind her with a reserved smile.
"You flatter me too much, My Lady."
He had a white beard, deep brown eyes, and was dressed in a typical chef attire.
"It is my pleasure meeting you, Mr. Ikitayashi."
"The pleasure's the same."
He put one of the trays in front of me and took off the lid.
Underneath it, to my surprise, was a bowl with what looked like meatballs in them.
The meatballs were coated with a sauce that resembled gravy, but it definitely smelled far sweeter.
On top of the sauce rested a singular leaf.
"It is an Elysium delicacy, created by yours truly. The cooked Kakar balls accompanied by the delightful taste of Terideri sauce makes one's taste buds dance in a harmonious waltz of flavours."
"He means to tell you that you are going to love it." Kia clarified.
"Well, here goes nothing."
I grabbed one of the meatballs with my fork and took a bite.
Immediately, an intense burst of flavours shot through my mouth.
It was an experience unlike anything else I'd felt before.
The meat was tender and the sauce was perfect.
Everything was carefully put together to make the dish as perfect as possible.
Never in my life had I eaten something so delicious before.
"What do you think?"
"It's amazing!"
Mr. Luzel clapped his hands in triumph.
"Wonderful! I am glad you are pleased with my creation."
I continued eating my breakfast, with a large feeling of delight surging through my entire body.
In no time flat had I devoured my meal.
Kia, who had the same dish as I, was about halfway done with hers when I finished mine.
While I waited for Kia to finish, I decided to ask her about our postponed conversation from yesterday.
"Kia, yesterday you promised me you would answer my question of why I'm still alive. Do you mind answering me now?"
She wiped the sauce off her lips with a napkin.
Next, she took a sip from the teacup sitting next to her bowl - a herbal scent similar to citrus came from it.
"The rules of Death in our realm are vastly different from yours. It all has to do with something we Firans call The Flow of Life. This flow is essential to all living creatures and consists of three parts we call Life Spots. Life Spots are the essence from where every living being draws their strength, their vigour, and intellect from."
Kia paused for a moment, taking another sip of her drink, before she continued.
"These Life Spots are the heart, brain, and diaphragm. Whereas in your world only the destruction of one Life Spot is necessary to kill someone, here two Life Spots need to be destroyed simultaneously to eliminate someone."
"And that explains why I'm still alive?"
She nodded and continued clarifying.
"You are fortunate enough Lucifer only severed your head, however…perhaps he did that on purpose."
"What do you mean?"
Before she could answer my next question, the doors behind us flew open, and a male butler entered the room.
"My Lady, His Majesty requests your audience as well as your 'guest's'. He will be expecting you in ten minutes sharp."
Having forgotten what I asked earlier, Kia turned back to the table and finished her breakfast.
An intense feeling of dread built up inside of me.
My time here had almost run out.
Soon, I would get kicked out and left alone to survive on my own, with the whole world against me.
If there was ever a time to pray for a miracle, it would be now.
I clasped my hands, closed my eyes, and prayed to whoever called this world its creation that I would be saved from this cruel fate.
When we arrived at the throne room, I could feel my heart beating rapidly inside my chest.
With a loud scraping sound, the giant doors slowly opened.
We were quickly greeted by the king's displeased voice.
"Slept well, Wanderer? Hopefully, for it will be the last time you do so. You have stayed here for far too long. However, it appeared some found comfort in your presence. And as my kin, it is my responsibility to please them, is it not?"
He turned his gaze towards Kia while saying this, who in return stared angrily back at him.
"Why do you deny seeing the boy's presence being a detriment to our safety? Is it that arduous a task to take the act of royalty seriously, you rather take in Wanderers now?"
To both his and my surprise, Kia burst out laughing. Her laughter wasn't filled with joy, but instead felt it was more meant to taunt him.
Most likely, she was ridiculing Azazel's words, who in return stared displeased at her.
"I reckoned you would come up with some kind of foolish excuse, but this…"
Because she was laughing rather profoundly, Kia barely managed to get that sentence out.
However, once she managed to recollect herself, she told him in a serious tone of voice:
"Whether I let Shako stay here or not is entirely a matter of goodwill. Nothing more, nothing less. And whatever reason I have for doing so does not concern you."
She paused for a moment, taking in a breath of fresh air, and continued.
"In spite of that, I do understand where you are coming from, father. You are afraid history will repeat itself, afraid that you will lend aid to yet another monster. Even so, are we to be afraid of such possibilities evermore, or is it in our best interest to let bygones be bygones?"
"If those possibilities entail that my people will be in danger, I would rather sacrifice one lamb to save the herd."
"Your Majesty, if I may speak?"
He instantly turned and stared daggers at me.
His sudden reaction caught me so off-guard, I quickly forgot what I wanted to say.
Fortunately, Kia decided to lend me a helping hand.
"You can do it."
These four simple words she spoke appeared enough to put my mind at ease.
"I do not wish to harm you or your daughter. Still, perhaps you are right in saying she shouldn't have taken care of me. I mean, it has only caused her trouble until now. Saying this, maybe it would've been wiser if I had just left."
"How come you are standing here before me, then?"
"Because I didn't want to waste the kindness Kia showed me. She was the first and only person here in Fira who seemed to really care for me. She was willing to grant me shelter, food, and a bath, even at her own detriment. In short, she gave me everything I could have asked for. Who in their right mind would not want to repay such generosity?"
Tears were welling up in my eyes.
Everything I said came from the bottom of my heart. Sadly, Azazel appeared unaffected by my words.
Kia, on the other hand, was looking at me with great admiration in her eyes.
For just a moment, I could spot the faint red colour of a blush forming on her cheeks.
She must have noticed it as well, because she swiftly turned her head away the moment our eyes met.
I wiped my face dry and turned my focus back to Azazel, waiting for a reply.
He stared intensely at me, almost as if he was studying me.
"You say you do not wish to harm us? Long ago, I granted refuge to a Wanderer who made a similar promise. In return, I was repaid with the slaughter of my people. Tell me, oh Wanderer, how far are you willing to go to prove that you are not a threat to us?"
"Whatever it takes to please you. I just wish to repay Kia's kindness with my own. And if that doesn't suit you, fine, kick me out. However, it would be an insult to your daughter's efforts if you would do so."
Perhaps I should have refrained from saying that last part, but in the heat of the moment that was all I could come up with.
Having said that, it did seem to have some kind of effect on him.
The look on Azazel's face was something neither I nor Kia expected.
He appeared completely taken aback by my words.
In the seconds that followed, it stayed dead-quiet in this room.
Kia and I waited patiently for the king to answer back.
"You dare lecture me on how to treat my own daughter, you-?!"
It looked like he wanted to say something right afterwards, but stopped himself from doing so.
Instead, he told me:
"Remind me of your name again."
"My name is Shako Ikitayashi, Your Highness."
Azazel then slowly turned towards Kia and asked:
"My daughter, do you honourably swear that you shall watch over this boy and deal with him if the need arises?"
"On my title as heir apparent, I do."
Another long silence followed.
Kia and I were waiting, anticipatively, for what Azazel was about to say next.
He was rubbing his frowned forehead, letting out a frustrated sigh on occasion.
After what felt like ages, he broke the silence and announced:
"Daughter o' mine, could you please show our guest some courtesy and give him a proper tour around town."
"Does that mean…?"
"Do I need to repeat myself?!" Azazel responded agitated.
Without a warning, Kia ran towards me and gave me a big hug.
The feeling that went through my chest at that exact moment was impossible to describe.
I was over the moon that I was allowed to stay here and even started crying.
"Well, shall we?" Kia asked, with a smile as bright as the sun.
I wiped the tears away and answered:
"Yes."