I'm back. Everything's cool now. So, let's get on with this chapter.
Chapter 18
Alone
"Bloody thing broke again!? What on earth is this branch made of!?"
I winced as I waited at the counter. The blacksmith called Sadore was yelling in the back room about something. I could hear the grindstone going so I was guessing he was working on a sword of some sort.
Eventually the grindstone stopped and I heard footsteps coming from the back room. Sadore dusted off his hands and removed his gloves. He was an older man, with short grey hair and a beard matching it, mutton chops hanging from his jaws. He slapped what looked like two black stones on the counter, snapped in two. "You better not be ordering some god weapon as well."
I laughed nervously. "No sir, I've already got one."
He eyed the Night Shadow Blade. "That is a fine weapon indeed." He looked me up and down. "An Elite Disciple from the Wesdarath Swordscraft Academy? Don't get many of you up here."
"My friend recommended you as a better blacksmith than the local man." I shrugged.
He grinned. "Well, I'm more of a metalsmith, but I understand the confusion. Welcome then kid! What can I do for you?"
I reached inside my breast pocket and pulled out the piece of paper. "I was hoping to commission a training sword in a rapier style for my page."
"More bloody wood…" He grumbled to himself. He took the paper and unfolded it, squinting at the design. "Hmm…I see. I'll have to redo the drawing, as quite frankly, I can't make heads or tails of it." That hurts. "But I should be able to forge one. It'll take about three days though, so you'll have to come and pick it up during the Summer Solstice Festival."
I bowed. "Thank you sir. How much will it cost?"
"Considering it's a training blade and made of wood, I'd say no more than 500 Shia."
I took five golden coins out of my coin pouch and passed them to him. He waved at me as I exited the shop.
"Light?"
I turned at the sound of the familiar voice. Lilith Jade was standing in the middle of the street, holding a paper bag. She was wearing a dark green jacket that had gold trimmings, with a black skirt and boots, and her scarf that was still wrapped around her shoulders. "Oh, hey there." I held a hand up in greeting. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."
Lilith put the bag on the ground. "Likewise. What are you doing in Norlangarth?"
"I was getting something for my page. You?"
She shrugged. "Shopping. There isn't a lot for me to do nowadays."
I could see the sadness in her eyes. During the tournament, she was defeated by Zenith really easily because she used a Sacred Art at the wrong time, causing her to be unable to defend herself as Zenith struck her back. It was a mistake that almost everyone could avoid, but I guess thanks to the stress, she performed the Art accidently. While everyone still cheered for her, I could see that was eating away at her.
I picked up her bag. "Well, let me help you. I have nothing else to do today."
"Are you sure?" While she seemed surprised at my offer, I could see she was happy with the suggestion.
"Yeah, why not?"
A smile appeared on her face. "Very well, I shall accept your offer." She pointed towards the gate to Wesdarath. "I'm heading to my house."
We walked together through the bustling streets. Norlangarth certainly had a lot of traffic, but not as much as Wesdarath. In fact, most of the traffic was from Wesdarath, which meant there was a queue to get through the gates.
"So how's Kimiko handling being an Elite Disciple?" Lilith asked.
"I…honestly don't really know. She seems to be fine, but she doesn't really talk about Becchi that much other than to say he's going to beat my page."
She laughed. "Always got to make it a competition between you two."
"Yeah." I smiled. "So she hasn't come to see you since the Four Empire Unification Tournament?"
Lilith shook her head. "No. No one has really. I've seen Lord Grant around, and he always says hi whenever we do cross paths. But other than that, I'm on my own." The sadness returned to her eyes. "It's kind of lonely." She forced a smile. "At least the Summer Solstice Festival is coming up. That'll be an excuse to get outside."
"I was going to spend the day with Kimiko, Luna and Becchi, but I'm sure we wouldn't mind one more tagging along."
"Oh no, it'll be fine. But if I see you all around, I'll be sure to say hi."
"That would make Kimiko happy."
We made it through the gates. Lilith lead me down some side streets and we arrived at a small house. I set down the bag, expecting her to get out a key, but she just opened the door. She looked at me, confused. "What? No one can enter. That's against the Taboo Index."
"Ah, sorry, I forget." I picked up the bag again. The Taboo Index really does cover everything, doesn't it? An uncomfortable pain began to form in my stomach as I thought back to Myne.
Lilith grabbed my arm. "You okay?"
I realised I had been standing outside while she had gone in. "Yeah, I'm good. Just some things on my mind."
I stepped inside. The house itself was rather small, the front door opening up into a living room and a set of stairs. The living room was similar to the Elite Disciple dorms, only with one sofa and a lot more decoration. A chandelier hung from the ceiling, with the crystals lit up with Light elements. A white tablecloth was draped over the coffee table, and a set of flowers sat in the middle, keep fresh by a vase of water. A single wooden chair sat in a corner, kind of hidden behind a bookcase. At the back of the room was a kitchen that I could barely make out through the crack in the door.
Lilith took off her jacket, hanging it on the back of the chair. I placed the bag on the table. I turned to Lilith to see she wasn't moving. "You sure you're okay?"
She turned her head ever so slightly, just so I could see the ghost of a smile on her face. "Honestly, I'm fine."
Her shaking voice told me otherwise. "No you're not."
A few moments of silence passed. "Will…will you stay for a while?" She turned around. She looked on the brink of tears. "I'm going crazy just staring at these walls alone."
"Um…sure."
She smiled with relief. "Thank you. I can cook if you want something to eat?"
"No, I'm fine. Lunch was rather filling."
Lilith nodded. She pulled off her boots and sat down on the sofa, patting the seat next to her. I removed my sword from my belt before sitting down.
She then did something that made me extremely awkward. She lifted her feet onto the sofa and leaned into me, her hair resting on my shoulder. Her hair tickled my neck. And despite my head remaining facing forwards, I could smell…lavender? It occurred to me that this is probably the closest I've ever been to a girl, And I didn't even particularly know why.
"When you're here, I'm no longer alone. So stay with me for a while, okay Light?"
"Y-yeah, sure thing." I tried to ignore the rising temperature in my cheeks.
I felt her leaning closer. "Thank you…"
A few moments passed and I heard her breathing louder. I glanced to see she was asleep on my shoulder. The smell from her hair was making me relax way more than I should be in this situation.
I yawned, rubbing my eyes as I felt them trying to close. Maybe…I could sleep for a bit…
"…up…on Light…wake…"
I murmured as I slowly opened my eyes. I was staring at the ceiling, the Light elements dancing in the chandelier. A dark shape was above me, but I couldn't focus on it for a few seconds. After those seconds passed though, I realised it was Lilith, and my head was resting on her lap.
"You know, you could cut your hair. If it gets much longer, I'll be able to braid it." Judging by the pulling sensation on the top of my head, she was trying.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep." I rubbed my eyes.
"Why are you apologising? I'm the one who fell asleep first." She sighed. "If anything, I should be thanking you. I was half expecting to wake up and find you gone." She giggled. "You have such a peaceful sleeping face. It's strange that you can look so peaceful while sleep, yet so fierce while fighting."
"You sound like a mother."
"I suppose I do." She let go of my hair, allowing me to sit up. I swung my legs around, leaning back against the sofa. "Thank you for staying with me Light."
"No worries." I shrugged. "What's the time?"
"Late evening, so you'll have time to get back for cleaning." She stood up, grabbing my sword and almost dropping it. "How do you carry around this thing?"
"You get used to it." I took the sword from her and slid it into my belt. "The invitation for the Summer Solstice Festival is still open if you want it."
Lilith looked at the window. "You know what? I'll accept. It'll be nice to see Kimiko again. See that she's actually handling the whole mentor thing well." She raised an eyebrow at me. "So are you asking three different girls on a date? How shameful."
I was taken aback. "N-no! It's just a day out with friends."
She laughed. "You're too easy. But I'm glad you consider me to be one of your friends." She opened the door and let me out. "Hurry back to the Academy then. I wouldn't want you to be in trouble because of me."
"God, you really do sound like a mother." I rolled my eyes. "I'll see you at the Festival."
We waved at each other as I headed back through the side streets to the main street. I followed the road back to the academy as the sky was painted in a bright orange. The Academy wasn't too far away, taking me a few minutes of dodging the last few trader caravans.
I got back to the dorm to see Kimiko staring into space. She jumped as I came in. "Hey."
"Hey." I closed the door and went over to the bookcase, placing the Night Shadow Blade on the shelf and then laying down on the spare sofa. My cheeks flushed as I thought back to waking up on Lilith's lap.
"You seem like you had a good time." She smirked at me.
"Well you'll never guess who I saw today in Norlangarth." I turned my head to look at her. She raised an eyebrow. "Lilith Jade."
Her eyes widened. "Oh sh- I was supposed to go see her last week!"
"You'll see her during the Summer Solstice Festival. She's going to meet up with us."
Kimiko's shock melted into another smirk. "Well look at you mister smooth."
"It's not like that…" I rolled my eyes.
"Sure it isn't."
I looked over at the bookcase where the dull iron sword had sat for several months. Not since last time…
A knock came from the door. Kimiko got up to answer it, and in came Luna and Becchi. I stood up and stretched my arms up. Despite the fact that I was asleep only twenty minutes ago, I was ready to go to bed.
I entered my room and soon Luna followed. "What did you get?"
"It'll be ready to be picked up during the Summer Solstice Festival."
She looked kind of disappointed. "Oh, okay. Well what's for training then?"
"I think we could go up to the library to do some Sacred Arts research. I don't know how good I'll be but I can try and help in any areas you're struggling."
"Sure."
Just want to clarify that Lilith does not love Light. She appreciates him for being there and for him not caring about her past, but she doesn't love him romantically. He just views her as a friend...and also doesn't want to fall in love after Myne.
Summer Solstice Festival up next. Hope you'll look forward to it. I'm looking to provide a lot of character moments, and firmly establish everyone's relationships. Hope you enjoyed the little bit of Sadore I gave you. Looks like he's having tree troubles. Wonder why?
Anyway, as always, until next time, Stay Cool.
