Walking back to his chamber after taking a walk outside at the garden, Vayne opened the door and greeted by his cat Sulpher.
"Meow… (Welcome back, Vayne…)"
"I'm back, Sulpher." He walked to him. "How are you feeling today?"
"…" Sulpher only lifted his head to his master. As if hesitated for while, he paused before saying anything. "…Meow, meow… (Vayne, how long we stay together?)"
"How long…? Since the day I met you…maybe ten years above?"
Sulpher was his first friend in the castle before Lily could talk and walk properly. He used to play with Sulpher, and though nobody could understand what the cat was talking, Vayne could. Unlike other children, his childhood was spent together with a cat.
Sulpher was belonged to Bernard in the first place before Bernard let them played around. Later, Sulpher became his pet instead of Bernard. Sulpher also liked to spend his time with Vayne, properly because Vayne understood his language.
"Meow… (I see…it's has been such a long time…)" Sulpher lowered his head, resting on the ground. He had no more strength to support his weak legs and body. He closed his eyes, thinking this sleep might be forever.
"Sulpher…?" Looking at his pet, Vayne finally noticed something out of track, though Sulpher barely awaked since he was sick, but today…was different. Vayne couldn't tell what was different, but…
He walked to Sulpher, seeing his pet closed his eyes and slept. Kneeling down and stroke his black fur, Sulpher didn't seem to aware of it.
It's has been ten years they together, so Vayne was confident enough that he understood everything about Sulpher. But now…now he couldn't read what the cat had in his mind. He called his name again, but no response. Feeling alarmed, Vayne slightly pushed Sulpher's body and called him again, and again.
"Sulpher…?" The cat never opened his eyes, not even once. "…This is a lie…right, Sulpher!?"
No matter how many times he called or pushed him, the black cat only remained eyes closed, not bothering to give his master a response, as if telling Vayne not to waste his time and strength.
Holding the cat in his embrace, Vayne couldn't restrain the sadness that consumed him anymore. Tears burst out, as if to release the emotion he didn't release when his father died, he cried like a child.
He had enough of this. Why those important to him must leave him? First were his father, and now Sulpher, who would be the next!?
He knew someday they would leave, but…he had yet prepared for this!
"…What should I do…?"
Was this place belonged to him? The rumor said he was a fake prince. If so, what was him? Where he came from? Where he should go…?
"Somebody tells me…"
"Whim, no!"
An exclaimed caused him to lift his head in instant. He recognized the voice, and the only one would call him that was no other than…
"Lily!?"
The girl that told him he was always her brother, no matter what the others said. The girl he loved as sister from their childhood, the girl that said she would protect him…
She was arrogant, and sometimes was willful and always gave him headache. But she was the only one who supported him even in the hardest time when Anna was not with him.
His only sister in the world…
"Lily!"
The group departed before the sun lightened up the sky. To avoid anyone in the town to recognize the group of wanted; Roxis had arranged the early departure.
Ulrika had yet waked up from her sleep and currently having a hard time to fight away the sleepiness. Fortunately Roxis provided carriages for them, so she could take a nap once in a while. The Soul Mana was clung on her arm instead of Tetri. It seemed he liked to stick with her.
"…Hey, did you actually sleep last night?" As if couldn't stand the blonde, Roze asked with brows raised.
"Barely… I always dreamed about something weird…"
"Dream? What kind of dream?" He asked, just for a mere talk. Not that he interested though. But to think he would sometimes had one or two in the middle of sleep; he wanted to know what kind of dream the blonde had during her sleep.
"Hmm…I can't seem to remember the details. But I remember there's voice keeps calling me, though I don't know who that was."
Roze nodded. This was similar with his case, where there's a voice calling for him, and he sure that was a girl. That voice sometimes filled with happiness, but sometimes filled with horror, as if something bad was happened. For that, he would jerk up from his sleep and failed to fall in sleep.
Somehow he knew that person, and she was important to him. Whenever he heard the voice, he would feel delighted. Her giggling, her chuckling, her soft muttering…everything of her was precious to him, as if she was a part of him.
Wait…now he remembered he would feel the same way when the chick doing the same. The voice…was similar with her. But the chance the voice belonged to her was slim, and was impossible…
Ulrika stole a glance on the deep pondering baron. Jerktown is quiet today…she thought. Uryu would lift his head to see her once in a while as if he was checking on her. Ulrika truly had no idea why the little creature would do that, but she really couldn't resist his adorable eyes.
"Uryu, you're…just too cute!"
"Uhh!" The little creature seemed taken aback by her action, but then he was enjoyed it. "Uh-Uhrika…do you remember…"
"Remember…what?" She winked, having blinked by the question. Roze also lifted his head listening to them.
"Uh…that's…"
"Uryu." A deep yet gentle voice stopped him from saying anything more. That's Tetri. She turned her head to the white creature, shaking her head as sign not to say anything.
The white creature lowered his head, seemed very disappointed. Feeling sorry, and of course, curious at the same time, Ulrika looked to Tetri and asked.
"What is this about, Tetri?"
"It's nothing. Uryu is a little out of his ordinary. Don't let it bother you too much." Tetri simply said, trying to cover what was under her sleeves.
However, this would never work on the baron. Roze narrowed his eyes, knowing the raven haired woman still had something left to tell them.
Something that she only knew.
Come to think of it, she hadn't told them everything regarding the reason why such heartless experiment was done, and who else was involved.
"Tetri, what are trying to hide?" He asked, straight and bluntly.
Pausing a moment, as if she already knew this would come to her somehow, Tetri simply let out a small grin. However, the smile turned to a frown in the next second.
She sighed. "…I know there are questions left without answer, but please trust me. I have no intention to hide anything from you. It's just that…"
She hesitated. This was the first time Ulrika saw the wise woman fell in silence. Normally, from what Ulrika thought about her, Tetri was an intelligent woman that could answer any question of them. She knew everything they didn't, though she was not human, she was no different than any of them. But to see her failed to answer the question from the Jerktown, which really gave Ulrika a shock.
"Tetri, just go ahead and tell us." She gave a little push. Tetri shot her a glance and sighed again.
"…This is a part of the truth I'm not yet prepared to spoke about. But if you insist…" Tetri shifted her position and this somehow revealed stress to the two of them. "What if I tell the both of you were in the middle of the whole things thousand years ago?"
Silence.
Awkward and long silence surrounded them. Fortunately her voice was kept low enough so the others were not aware of it. Anna was sitting at the front most line, concentrated enough with her own thought. Enna was repairing…or preparing his machine hand just in case, Et, Nikki and Pamela were sleeping right now, Jess stayed at Anna's side, Roxis closed his eyes, properly attempted a little rest before arriving Land of Renaissance. Yun was…well, this guy was just being his usual self—not even bothering at them. Roze knew full well even he heard their conversation; this cool guy wouldn't speak a word about this.
"…Stop kidding Tetri. That's impossible." Ulrika retorted back immediately after digesting what Tetri threw out.
Tetri shrugged, knowing they wouldn't believe it. "Never mind. If you don't believe me, this conversation comes to an end."
"No, just continue." Roze interrupted. "It's doesn't matter if we believe you or not."
Frowning, Tetri seemed slightly displeased. However, she just let it be, seeing she had started this, she couldn't say no to them.
"The one that carried out the experiment was the king of Al-Revis, Theofratus, the greatest alchemist in the kingdom." Her face darkened a bit mentioning the name. "As from what I discovered later, it's heard that before the experiment, he was a caring and intelligent king that loved by his people. He provided the best for his people, and this made him the most capable king in their history, until that incident occurred."
"…What happened then…?" Unconsciously, Ulrika muttered. Not knowing the reason, her heart started to race.
"…One day when he went to visit a village, he happened to meet a girl who was inflicted with weird disease. For the sake of the girl, and for his curiosity, Theofratus decided to heal the girl. However, though the girl's disease was healed, her life spam was shortened. It gave Theofratus a strong punch on his research life. To ransom his sin, he made a decision to suicide."
It seemed their conversation finally attracted the attention of the others as they turned their head to them and listened silently, even the cool guy Yun also opened his eyes. They all remained as silence as they could, letting the raven haired woman to have her time on story telling.
She continued, aware or not aware of the others. "I think that's when Light Mana started to push him into such experiment. As a king, Theofratus couldn't simply suicide due to his failure, but what about someone killed him? From then on, mana started to disappear from all over the world. No one knew where they had gone, or what was happened, though some of the people claimed they saw imperial soldiers took away the mana. None of them wanted to believe their great king would do something like that. Theofratus shut himself in the atelier, and so into the experiment. With the help of Light Mana, the theory became available faster than they expected, and so, Mana of Wishes created. The rest…you already knew it."
"Such terrible…" Jess muttered under her breathes.
Uryu buried his face deeper into Ulrika's embrace. Ulrika didn't seem to realize on it, Instead, her eyes widened, as if recalling something miserable, something she didn't want to recall to.
Roze didn't feel that much surprise to the fact. If he was truly in the middle of the whole things, this feeling explained it. but how that's possible?
Like the woman knew what's in their mind, Tetri raised a smile—a rather helpless smile.
"…You both died under the explosion…especially Roze. You…"
"No, stop that!"
Everyone jumped up hearing the sudden exclaimed from the blonde. Turning to the blonde, Roze found Ulrika's eyes filled with mixed feeling—a kind of feeling he couldn't express by words. It clutched his hearts, and it's hurt.
"Stop that Tetri! Don't say that! I swore I'll protect him! I swore…but…"
"Hey chick…" It's unlike her…Roze intended to calm her down, surprisingly found tears flew down from to cheek.
"That's why I told you to take all of them out! Why…"
"You knew it full well he felt the same as you, Ulrika. Don't deny it, and don't deny his feeling for you!" Lowly yet firmly, Tetri retorted back, shutting her up in an instant.
"I couldn't do anything but saw him disappeared in front of me…"
"…I couldn't do anything for you too…if I aware all this early than I could, I might be able to stop it."
"Uhh! Uh!" Like calling for the blonde, Uryu kept tugging her arm.
"I…!" Still crying, the blonde almost collapsed.
"Hey, what happen to her!?" Anna rushed back to the back of carriages. "Do something Roze!"
Grabbing the blonde's two wrists, Roze forced her to face him.
"Calm down already! What happened to you!?"
Ulrika stunned for a while, eyes widened as her gaze met with the baron. A hint of joyous flashed across her emerald orbs, and Roze didn't miss it.
"Uh!?" Instantly, Uryu lifted his head, eying the other side. Aware of his unusualness, Tetri also eying the direction as him, eyes narrowed immediately.
"What is it?" Nikki asked. The others also turned their head to the same direction, wondering what's there.
Pushing his spectacle, Roxis took a peek outside.
"We arrive at Land of Renaissance…but something is not right."
"…The door is opened…where the guards are!?" Alarmed, Anna still managed to keep her cool not to act rashly.
Thanks to the door opened, without much problem, their carriage got into the city. Jumping out from the carriage, Anna first took a check on the guards first, but found no one around. The city was quiet as if a dead place.
Following Anna, the others also got down from the carriage.
"Hey chick, are you alright?"
"…What happened to me?" Winking a few times, Ulrika touched her cheek feeling the wet on her hand. "Why am I crying?"
"…You don't remember?"
"No…hey Jerktown, what happened?" Feeling blank on her mind, Ulrika asked again. However, Roze didn't have time to answer her. Instead, he carried her out from the carriage. "Hmm? Why no people around?"
As if sensing something, Anna grabbed her katana on hand, the same went for Yun.
"Who's there!?"
Upon called by the captain, two figures walked out. There were a man and a woman. One of them they didn't recognize at all, but that was different to Roze and Ulrika. Among all of them, Roze and Ulrika were the only one that faced and fought him before. The other one was familiar to everyone, as the fight on that night was so intense that no one would ever forget.
"Crazy stalker assassins!" Ulrika exclaimed. She didn't afraid of the crazy stalker woman, but not the man…he almost killed her before! Furious started to build inside her, and she completely threw other matter behind her head.
"What happened to Land of Renaissance?" Asked the captain with furious mixed in her tone. She saw no guards around. Just where the hell they were going!?
"Dunno. We're told to stay here." Not bothering to argue with the blonde, Sasalina shrugged off the matter. She was more interested in getting the ring from the guy.
"I think we can take that as something is happening in the castle." Roxis calmly said after analyzed the situation they're in. "The worst will be another Vayne is already there."
"We can't wait anymore! Vayne is in danger!" Nikki exclaimed, readied to run forward straight to the castle.
Anna grabbed her katana tightly, not readied to unsheathe it due to the struggle she had in her heart. It was her duty to stop the intruders from invading, but at the same time she worried about Vayne and Lily.
The murderer was in front of her. All she needed to do was took him down and killed him if necessary. She needed to royal her duty…but…
Her personal feeling had got the best of her, where she only thought of the danger Vayne was in now.
"I…"
Damn…where is Flay anyway!?
He should be around when things like this happened. Just where the hell he was!?
"Anna, you go ahead."
Giant sword with blue light blocked in front of her as she blinked at that. Winking, Anna understood who that was after a moment. Along with the blue haired baron, a blonde with whip, floating ghost and flaming claw stepped out. Cheering out, the pink haired girl and her brother also joined the team.
"You guys…!"
"Just leave this to us."
"It's so funny here! I'll rather stay here!"
"…That's it. I remain here to keep an eye on my stupid sister."
"Aeon and I will aid them, so no worries, Anna!"
"I want to get revenge for what they did to me!"
"Anna, I'll revenge for the king. Just go and make sure nothing happen on Vayne." Roze pointed the castle, urging them there.
Clenching her fist, Anna let go of her katana and obliged. Leaving all to Roze, without other matters to bother her, all she needed to do now was rescued Vayne, and made sure he was safe.
Following the captain, Roxis, Nikki and Jess also ran to the castle to aid Anna. They hoped Flay was there as well, and if they had to face the worst which they needed to fight Light Mana, no one was suitable than him.
Eyes narrowed, Roze glared at the grey haired man who's named was Richer, if he remembered correctly. The night he killed their king was still something fresh in his mind. He needed to take him down to clear his name. Of course, that was not priority.
"The ring, care to tell me who gave it to you?" Reicher pointed at his own ring, and then to Roze's.
"…It's mine from the beginning." Lifting his Sword of Light, Roze dashed straight to the man, and this marked the start of the battle. Et and Yun followed the pace of the baron.
"Crazy woman, your opponent is me!"
"…And me." Feeling being ignored, Enna added behind.
"My name is Sasalina, not crazy woman, you little punk!" Shooting the bows, Sasalina tried to create some distant from Ulrika and Enna.
Lily sat on the throne, still discussing the rumor that spread among the citizens. She had tried her best to cover the rumor, but it seemed it's difficult to shut the mouth of the people. She always knew how terrible the rumor would be, but this was all out of her control.
"…Princess, we have done what we can."
"I know. I'm not blind." Pondering while rubbing the temple, she started to have headache. "It's difficult, but don't give up. As time flow, people will forget about it."
"But princess…this will stain the name of royal family…"
"Then, what do you want me to do? Are you going to tell me to expel my brother?" Retorting back and glaring sharply at the nobles, Lily stood up. "How many time did I need to remind you? I'll never do that!"
Nobles remained silence, no one dare to speak anything more.
"How about the investigation? Did you guys find out something?" Falling back on the throne, she asked.
"…We're terribly sorry. We couldn't find out who spread the rumor to the people…"
Sighing, Lily again rubbed the bridge of her nose. She had enough of this useless report.
"Is it finding the culprit that difficult to all of you?" She had lost her strength to scold already.
The nobles looked at each other, seemed there's something in their mind. Lily didn't miss it, and raising her brows, she asked.
"…What is it?"
Gulping, the old noble took a step forward; voice turned low as if he wished this to be a secret, Lily couldn't help but had a bad feeling.
"Princess…from the report we all got, there's a point where some of the people witnessed prince Vayne meeting with a team of assassin. The assassin…some claimed they saw them on the night king being killed."
Staring suspiciously at the old noble while trying to catch the meaning behind his words, Lily clenched her fist tightly. Furious and suspicious fought each other inside her mind, each had their right. She suspected the possibility of the fact, yet she knew the nobles need not to lie. But still, she doubted that.
Vayne killed their father? No way. She wouldn't want to believe it, never and ever she would.
"…Do you want to tell me that it was Vayne who killed father?"
"Uh…no, it's not like that princess…"
"I told you-"
By the time Lily about to say something, the door of the King Chamber been slammed opened. Not only Lily, but all of them stared blankly at the intruder. A moment later when they finally recognized who the intruder was, their faces went pale, especially after seeing the bloody sword on the intruder's hand.
"Stay calm Lily. If they can't tell you, I'll tell you."
The nobles exclaimed. Some escaped trying to save their poor life. The intruders raised a smile—a heartless smile, which Lily never saw before. Raising the giant sword on hand, he moved—instantly like a whirlwind, to the escaping noble, and—
"Waaahhh!"
"No!"
Cut their heads down.
She gasped, loudly and shocked. The bloods stained the hall of the chamber and it turned ugly and sharply to Lily. The remaining nobles almost lost their strength to run away, if they hoped their heads moved from their necks.
His smile crooked into a big yet cruel shape. The intruder walked toward her, and definitely his target was no other than her. As he took a step forward, Lily would take a step backward, unconsciously.
"No... stop!" Her voice also appeared to be shaky. But the intruder had no intention to stop his pace. His smile grew wider. "I say stop! Who the hell are you!?"
"I'm, of course, Vayne."
Lily was not stupid. No matter how much he looked like Vayne, there's no way he was him.
Yes, Vayne would never act like that. He would never scare her, he never killed anyone!
She cursed. "Once more…who ARE you!?"
It caused a frown formed on the intruder's face. Another Vayne paused a while, and then resumed his pace toward Lily.
"…Aren't you looking for the culprit that spread the rumor? Aren't you looking for the murderer of killing your father?" Completely ignored the question of her, another Vayne spoke out. It added another kind of frustrated to the princess especially when he used her brother's voice to say this. "Here I am for you, my princess."
"…Why are you doing all these?" Calmly, Lily tried to make conversation with another Vayne as she saw Whim quietly approached him from behind. It's too, making her felt safer.
"For revenge, of course."
"Revenge…?"
"You think your brother is human? You think he deserves all he holds now?" Another Vayne grinned; slowly it turned to small laugh. "He destroyed a nation, we destroyed hundred or even thousands life. Do you think he deserves the peaceful life?"
Lily frowned, completely having no idea what he was talking about.
"…Insane. I don't understand, and I don't want to understand!" She looked at her maid. "Whim!"
"Get away from Hime-sama!" Striking out, Whim wielded her axe oh hand, jumping and aimed directly on another Vayne.
Another Vayne simply tilted his body, and blocked it with his giant sword. Already expecting her attack would go failed, turning around; Whim shifted her weapon and stabbed forward. Taking some distant away from another Vayne, Whim kept stabbing her axe and spun it when she met the chance. However, he blocked her every attack with his shield and sword, and managed to counter attack her.
Deeply shock inwardly, Whim quickly jumped back a few feet, throwing some small knives to create space between them.
"Whim!"
Just when she landed, another Vayne already took the next step. Like a whirlwind, he rushed to the maid and, when she hadn't realized, he gave her a kick on her belly and sent her to the back of the hall. Following up, he stabbed his sword on the ground and used the skill Rising Pillar. Quickly got up, Whim leaped to other side to avoid the attack. However, the next attack came right after one and another. Having concentrated on the pillars, Whim had no time spared on the guy, and that's just perfect for another Vayne.
By the time she realized what the guy was planning, her back already being opened a deep cut.
"Waaahhh!"
"Whim, no!"
"Don't worry. I'm not going to kill you now, not until Vayne comes out." he smiled, cruelly and heartlessly.
Holding the injured maid in her arms, Lily inhaled deeply to erase her fear.
"…What are you revenge for?"
"For creating us." He took another step closer. Lily couldn't back down, not when Whim was injured. "Human created us, yet we're not accepted by all of you. It's Vayne's naive to believe human actually stand with us."
"Human…created you?" Lily furrowed her brows at the words. She didn't like the sound of that. "What do you mean?"
"…Don't tell me you have no idea about it." He snorted, a hint of despise within his tone. "I mean, Vayne and me, are man-made mana. We're artificial."
"Lily!"
Far from the castle, at the west most part, there's a clock tower aloof alone. It showed the time to the whole city. It's too, one of the most beautiful creations of the people. There were always workers there to service the tower so to make the time always remained correct without failed. However, none of them actually knew what the tower was used for.
Underneath the tower, there's a room. A deep dark room without a hint of light. Long long time ago, the room was sealed. For what the reason it sealed, nobody really bother about it now.
He was supposed there, remained forever, and slept forever. He was supposed to be rest in peace. It's supposed to, until one day; a black cat released the seal and walked into the room. The cat leaded the boy out from the room and eventually started his new life.
"Nice story, isn't it?"
A redhead stepped into the pitch black room with a torch on his hand. In front of him was a blonde wore in pure white robe. His surrounding was some glowing balls that acted as torch for him.
"So, you're the general of the kingdom?" The blonde, Light Mana turned to see the redhead. "What a kind of general you are?"
"Ha! Don't worry about that. They are far better than you thought!" Flay crossed his arms, seemed pretty proud of his friends. "Now now, back to the topic. I found some interesting stuff in the southwest village. I bet you're Light Mana king?"
"You're something as a human. Yes, I am. Previous."
"According to the data I found, Mana of Wishes was the main cause which Al-Revis destroyed instantly." Though it's no like he couldn't remember the information he collected from his trip, Flay pretended like he was squeezing his mind. "…So, Vayne is that Mana of Wishes?"
"Well, yes." Without hesitation, Light Mana answered.
He thought the blonde would hesitate before answering, but he's not. Narrowing his eyes, Flay glared sharply at him. He still had question for him, like the identity of another Vayne, but he thought that wouldn't be necessary now.
"Another Vayne…I bet he's not the true Mana of Wishes, right?"
Light Mana only raised a smile—a disgusted smile.
"He is but the combination of hatred of the killed mana. I call him…Crazed Eye."
It's been a month I updated this story. But well, I guess, that's just how slow I am.
Hmm…this story has almost comes to an end. Maybe around two or three chapters, this story will be finished. It started to sound a little crazy to me as I sometimes really having hard time on the story progress.
Okay, now, drop me a review to tell me, if this story starts to get confusing or not. I also confuse whenever I write a new chapter. So…tell me how you think. I'll appreciate your kindness.
Well, next chapter then!
