Chapter 9

A little bell above a door alerts the young guild receptionist of a new patron entering. In the early hours of a new day, while the sky was still dark and the stars still twinkle, there were no other people about.  

“I will be right with you,” The receptionist says without looking up, shuffling some papers on the desk in front of him. 

Soft steps can be heard coming closer. 

A female, either short or very thin, with a bit of a limp, the guild receptionist predicts with just the sound of the new patron movement. 

He looks up when the new arrival stops at his desk. He doesn’t bat an eye at the hooded figure, but his gaze does linger at the ragged edges of a thick cloak. It looked as if she or he traveled quite a bit on foot before making it to the guild. Dirt could be seen discoloring the edges of the cloak, and small tears were dotted about in the fabric. They also weren’t wearing shoes.  

The receptionist puts on a bright smile, “How can I help you?” 

He is not given an answer right away.  

The shrouded individual takes a moment to analyze their new surroundings. They take in the high ceiling, the entrance to the main hall, and the stairs to the left that lead to the two floors above. They took careful note of the other three doors before finally turning their attention to the receptionist. 

“I need help,” The figure states.  

Definitely female. 

Even with the hood hiding half her face, the receptionist can feel the weight of her gaze on his face. Even after a few seconds past where he waited for her to elaborate, she continued to remain silent but her stare was unwavering, scrutinizing. 

A bit unnerved but refusing to show it, the receptionist smile does not waver, “In what matter? We offer a multitude of ways to help those in need. If you have the funds, you could request assistance from our members by posting a new mission on the board.”  

His brown eyes glance over her head. They briefly have an unnatural ring of yellow around them that disappears the next moment he blinks.  

No rank or level. Just a normal civilian then.  

A small pale hand peak out to wave all of those options away.  

“No. That will be unnecessary.” 

It was another statement. Short and to the point. 

“Alright. Then how may I assist you?” The receptionist asks a bit blandly. 

The hand comes out again and points at the ceiling, in a very specific direction.  

“It’s up there, isn’t it? Something that a guild of the Empire is forbidden to have,” The figure says tauntingly.  

The receptionist doesn’t follow were the hand is pointing, but his body does tense and the smile falls right off his face. 

“Miss, I have no idea what you are talking about. The only thing up there is guest rooms and a conference hall,” the receptionist says carefully. 

A soft trickle of a laugh is heard. It is sweet and kind on the ears.  

The hood of the cloak is suddenly is removed and dazzling purple hair falls free around a face that is startlingly beautiful. She looked to be only a bit younger than the receptionist himself.  

A smile of amusement lifts up lips that are pink and soft looking.  

“I apologize,” The young woman says with a voice that matches her sharp upturned eyes that were the same color as her hair. It was accented, similar to those who come across the ocean from the west but had a posh polish to it.  

“I did not intend to offend you. I know it is a grave crime to have even a trinket of magic in the Empire. I was simply ‘pulling your leg’ as the saying goes,” the girl continues on.  

The smile was back on the receptionist's face, more genuine and brilliant. He leans in close when he laughs, “It is alright. Though I wouldn’t recommend throwing such accusations willy nilly. Not everyone would take it lightly as I have.” 

The young woman does not move away from his close approximation. Her smile widens and she looks down, seemingly bashful, “That is true. I will take it into account.” 

“I hope that you do. Now, it is rather late…or quite early in the morn’. Why not rest a bit? There are beds for guests just up those stairs, as well as a washroom. I can arrange a room for you if you would like? Free of charge,” The young receptionist says, laying the charm on thick. He makes sure to show off his best side. He completely ignores how angry his boss will be if he knew he was once again giving out free beds to pretty ladies.  

“What a kind offer!” The young woman says, “I admit, I am quite tired and could really use the rest, but are you sure it is alright for me to take a room without paying you anything? I do not wish to be a bother Mr...?,” She trails off with a look of worry.  

“The name is James Blake, but you can just call me Blake and it is no trouble at all,” The receptionist says, paying little attention to the young women's face now and more interested how her cloak parted slightly, revealing more of her neck. A small glint of silver has captured his attention.  

Wait, isn’t that? 

A head of purple hair tilts causing hair to fall over her neck and pretty eyes widen slightly, “Is there something the matter Mr. Blake?”  

Blake blinks in surprise, “Oh, no. Sorry, I got lost in thought a bit.” He moves around the counter and heads to the base of the stairs and gestures towards them, “Here, if you would just follow me, I will show you to an empty room.”  

“Lead the way,” the woman chirps brightly.  

They head up the stairs with the young man in front with a lantern and the young woman behind him. Blake keeps his pace slow and drawn out. He doesn’t bother to keep things professional. He glances back at the girl a bit shyly and frequently, taking in her long eyelashes, upturned nose, delicate figure, and small ears.  

She is rather cute. Maybe I should try chatting with her a bit? Blake thinks dimly. 

“So,” Blake starts, lifting the lantern up more to lit up the dark halls, “I don’t believe I got your name?” 

“Liv.” The girl supplies.  

Even her name is cute. 

“Well, Miss Liv, once a few hours pass and you get some rest, I will be more than happy to help you in any way that I can. It isn’t every day that people travel up to these parts outside of hot spring season,” The receptionist says, making idle chat.  

“Yes, it is out of season,” Liv absently agrees.  

They turn down a hallway and a few seconds later, another one.  

“Might I ask what you needed help in? Did you need to get herbs in the dense forest further up the mountain? I know it isn’t the easiest place to traverse. Or maybe you need to travel somewhere dangerous and need protection on your trip? Possibly a monster in need of slaying where you live? I know a few men who would be happy to take up either of those jobs,” Blake says, voice lower now that they were walking by those who slumber behind closed doors.  

They pass multiple vacant rooms. Not many people travel up to the Guild in this season, except the members themselves. 

“How helpful, but that is not the help that I need. Tell me, how does one become an adventurer around these parts? Are their trials and test one must pass to gain an official license?” The Liv questions lightly, changing the subject with smooth ease. 

“Our Guild, The Misty Mountains, do require those who wish to join us to pass a few tests that the guild master created, but not all guilds have such tests. To be officially appointed a license, one must have certain a certain level in basic skills to even be considered to apply,” Blake explains.  

“Wow, it sounds really hard! With how reliant you are, you must be an adventurer of great skill. I bet not just anyone can become a receptionist of a guild.” Liv compliments behind him, her voice bright with wonder.  

Blake rubs a hand through his dark hair, and laughs, his face turning red from the attention, “Well, I’m not that skilled, but it wasn’t an easy job to obtain. I had to complete a mission with the guild master to even be considered for the position.” 

“That sounds quite difficult...” Liv says, her voice distant.  

“Compared to others, I guess it could be seen that way.”  

“Hmm...” 

The conversation sputters out.  

Blake tries to think about how to pick it back up, his pace slowing even more. They were almost at the end of the guest rooms, and closing in on the area that was strictly for guild members only.  

“What is down that hall?” Liv asks suddenly.  

Blake perks up a bit, “Oh it’s just the conference room I mentioned earlier. The boss's office is also that way.”  

“Wonderful.” Liv claps her hands once, “Then that is exactly where I need to go then.” 

Blake starts to turn towards her, a look of confusion on his face, “What-” 

His wrist is abruptly snatched and the lantern goes flying out of it, plunging the hallway in darkness. Before he can gather his thoughts, he is shoved forward into the hallway restricted for guild members, and up against a wall with surprising force. One of his arms is yanked behind him and pinned in the middle of his back, restricting his movements.  

Blake struggles instantly. He manages to use his weight to his advantage briefly, stumbling a bit away from the wall, before he is slammed back and he winces when his face smashes into the hard surface. He doesn’t stop attempting to escape, his other hand going for the dagger strapped to his leg.  

It launches itself across the floor before he can grab its hilt, seemingly on its own.  

He stops cold. 

“Yes. It is exactly as you are thinking,” Livia says, sounding slightly out of breath. Her voice is completely devoided of any of the light cheer that ringed through it only minutes before. It was now flat and very brittle. Blake has little doubt that her wide eye look of wonder has also evaporated into nothing.  

She pointedly raises her other hand in full view of the receptionist, and her fingers curl slightly. The small leather bag strapped to his waist comes undone and flutters gently to the floor. It contains most of his weapons and joins the dagger on the other side of the hall.  

“...How?” Blake asks, more than a little baffled, but mostly irritated and on high alert. The hair on the back of his neck stands tall, and his whole body tenses up. He had not seen a flicker of light or heard her utter a single word. How on Etheria did she dismantle him? What type of magic was she using? Was it some kind of enchantment or cursed object? 

“How did I move those things without the pretty lights? Or, how am I managing to pine you even though you are no doubt stronger than me?” Livia tilts her head and her eyes look up as she pretends to think about it, “Hmm, well, let's see. First I-oh wait.” Livia turns and glares, “It’s none of your damn business.”  

Blake instantly glares back before he takes a calming breath and his boyish face smooths out into something he no doubts think is soothing but it just comes off as utterly patronizing.  

Livia's eyes narrow.  

“Look, I don’t know what you want or why you think our guild has it, but even you know all magic is forbidden in the Empire,” Blake says, sounding utterly earnest. “Our town has a magic detector; it will not be long before the guards come running. If you would just release me-” 

“Enough! You don’t think I already know all of that?” Livia asks, annoyed. Of course, she did. It’s why it took her so long to even get here. Not all towns and cities in the Empire had magic detectors. It was just the ones that had guilds. 

Blake glances back at her, his eyebrows quirking upward, “If you know then why risk exposing yourself? If you think that the guard won’t throw you in prison, then you need to think again! The Empire is not to be taken lightly.”  

Livia doesn’t even bother to say anything to that. Her eyes harden and she just pulls Blake off the wall and starts walking down the hall, away from the other rooms. The hand that is keeping his arm pinned behind his back is used to guide him forward.  

Blake stumbles a bit, and he uses that motion to wrench his arm from Livia...or at least he tries to. Her hand tightens around his wrist, her sharp nails digging into delicate flesh to hold her grip, and they struggle for a moment before they lose their balance and fall to the floor.  

Livia huffs as she flops on top of him, her hair falling into her face.  

“Right, I guess I shouldn’t be delicate with this,” Livia says to herself, as Blake snatches up her wrist with one hand and flips them so he is pinning her to the floor.  

He looks down on her with a frown before he faces smooths out again. It was like an odd tick. One she wasn’t the least bit fooled by.  

His hands were surprisingly rough for a receptionist, and she tested his grip a bit, but his hold didn’t budge. She scowls. Her body was so weak and thin. It was ideal when she had been in the Harem but not it was just plain useless.  

Livia gets tired so easily, and she doesn’t know how many times she nearly snapped her ankles trying to climb the steep mountain to Town of Mist. She had chucked her heels down a cliff in frustration days ago, and her feet were bare and blistered. It was a good thing it was in the middle of the summer, or she would have been screwed. This far up the mountain, it got cold regardless of it being summer, though.   

Blake gently guides her to her feet, and Livia eyes him while he does the same.  

Then she spread her fingers still captured in his grip and simply says, “Sýna!” 

Blake recoils back instantly, his hands dropping from hers to grip at his head with a grunt of pain.  

“You!” Brown eyes snap to her face and they were set in a dark glower, “What did you-argh!”  

Livia massages her slightly bruised wrist as the glamour shrouding Blake’s true self flickers before dropping entirely.  

Short dark hair suddenly begins to lengthen and change color. It goes from a muted brown to a silky dark blue that now frames a less round and more angler face. Pink skin becomes a few shades warmer in tone, similar in color to olive oil, while eyes go from a friendly brown to an almost alarming yellow that could only be described as animalistic.  

Blake falls to his knees on the floor, and Livia sees when normal human nails become black vicious-looking claws that easily embedded themselves into the floor, tearing it up. A tail rips out the back of the pants Blake wears, and two fluffy ears with black tips sprout out the tops of his head. Livia grimaces at the sound and sight of bones rearranging themselves.  

She hadn’t thought dropping the glamour would be so...forceful.  

Livia winces as Blake screams in pain, his transformation to his original form goes on much longer then she thought it would, and she quickly starts to feel a smear of guilt drape over her. In her defense, the game made it seem like it was just an illusion that could be waved away in an instant. Now, she thought it was much deeper than that, going by how his whole body seems to be rearranging itself right before her eyes.  

By the time he is back to himself, all James Blake can do is pant and tremble on the floor.  

Oh, but that name wasn’t right. It was too plain and normal to be the name of a potential love interest for the player. Of course, it had to be something a bit more...unique. It must fit in with the other names of Saer, Rodale, Orin, etc.  

Sen Cade was not part of the first four captured targets, just like Orin wasn’t. He was a special character that had a difficult and turbulent route. Livia never played his story, but she knew of him, as he appears much later in the Crown Prince route and played an important role in Saer route. She remembers in her first life that he was an instant hit when he was revealed and quickly became one of the most popular characters in the entire series. Livia was too busy enjoying Saer’s new storyline to give Sen a second thought, but she had recalled how he had been undercover in the Empire, working in disguise in a guild high in a mountain.  

Livia honestly didn’t come for him, though. It had been a hunch that he was the receptionist, and her spell would have done nothing unless there was something to be revealed. Which there had been. Now that she sees that Sen won’t kill over from her spell, she turns on her heels and runs a full force to the door at the end of the hall. She barely stops in time to say, “Opna!”  to the door so it opens on command and she flies through it.  

She skids to a halt and blinks a bit stupidly at the large complicated magic circle on the floor. She knew transportation magic was possible, but scanning through her memories brought up no way in how to use the bloody thing. It was likely new or more modern magic.  

Livia growls. That means she needs Sen to activate the circle. Quickly running out of time, Livia stalks back to Sen who is still recovering on the floor. She barely steps close when her back is suddenly slammed into the wall a few feet away with unnatural speed as claw-like hands wrapping around her throat. 

She gasps in surprise and her hands cover her stomach, frantically checking that the protection spells were still in place. They held true and strong as ever. Her sigh of relief was cut off when Sen speaks.  

“What. Did. You. Do.” Sen growls slowly, his voice low and dark with threat.  

Livia grunts as his hand tighten around her throat, and she can feel sharp claws nick at the thin skin on her neck, but she still glares up at Sen, annoyed with how she now had to crane her neck up to meet his glowing eyes.  

“I thought you would be a bit more grateful,” Livia says lightly, “That glamour must have been rather stuffy to be under.”  

Sen eyes narrow in a warning.  

Livia barely resists the urge to taunt him, biting down on a teasing comment and instead decides to answer truthfully, “It was only a spell that revealed your true self to me. I didn’t know it was going to be so painful for you.” 

“There is no such spell of revelation that causes pain,” Sen says flatly. The pressure of his claws on her neck grows, “It was something else, what-” 

“Does that really matter now? It’s done. I am sorry that it hurt though. I really didn’t know it would do that.” Livia says with wide eyes, her hand clamping around Sens.  

Sen doesn’t seem all that impressed with her answer or her half-baked apology. Before he can say anything more, Livia continues.  

“I need to use the teleporter to get back home to the Kingdom in the west.” She arches her neck so the silver brand around it was on full display, making Sen eyes widen slight at the sight of it.   

“The new Emperor is looking for me. I managed to backtrack down the mountain a few days ago, but it won’t be long before they realize I’m not at the docks. Help me activate it, and I will restore your glamour for you.” Livia says in a rush, adding the last part as a second thought. Her spell wouldn’t be undone easily. Sen didn’t know that, but he will soon enough.  

Sen drags his eyes away from the band, his lips pressing into a thin line. They stare at each other for one, two...three seconds before Sen releases her and steps away.  

Livia ignores the blood trickling slowly down her neck, and barrels straight pass Sen and back into the room with the circle. When Sen doesn’t immediately follow her, she walks back out to give him a look of great impatience.  

“Could you hurry along? I don’t have all day,” She snaps at him when he just stands there and looks at her with an odd expression.  

“...Where are you going?” Sen asks, slowly coming towards her.  

“The..Kingdom..in..the..west.” Livia says, slow and mocking.  

Sen gives her a flat look that she returns.  

They try to stare the other down, and a few minutes tick by with neither one backing down.  

Sen brows twitch in irritation before he looks away first, staring at a point just above Livia’s head, “There is more than just one Kingdom in the West.” Sen eventually says, annoyed at himself.  

This woman had caught him completely off guard in a way no other has ever done before. Sen felt like he just survived being thrown into a whirlpool, and he was still trying to gather his wits about him. It was aggravating and off-putting.  

His tail puffs up behind him while his ears are flat on his head. He has been without for so long, he almost forgot how expressive they could be.  

Sen is also still reeling from the forceful removal of his glamour. The pain. It never felt like that when he returned to normal himself. When he did it was butter smooth, but when she did it...it felt like the atoms around him came to life and stuffed him into a shape that was similar to his own. It was a harsh and unstoppable force. Sen had tried to cancel the spell, but it did nothing. Nothing.  

It should have felt wrong and invasive, but the power that washed over him felt familiar. Almost nostalgic. It was absolutely bizarre. He knew he never experienced any magic like it in his life, so why did it feel as natural as his own? And the spell she used. Sýna? What language was that? What did it mean? Sen knew for a fact that was not the correct term to use for the spell of revelation. Not to mention that spell was a person without a rank should use. It required skill in practice. How did she learn it? Who taught her? 

Sen didn’t know. And given how evasive the woman was on the topic, Sen doubt he would be getting any answer to his growing questions any time soon.  

Her purple eyes watch him from the doorway of the room of transportation. Her arms cross over her chest as one of her bare feet taps in annoyance. When he meets her eyes, her eyebrow lifts and she pointedly stares through the door and looks at him again.  

Sen forces his ears up and runs a hand through his puffy tail, straightening the soft fur on it before cautiously following Liv, if that was her real name, back into the room and begins to prep the circle for transportation, causing it to glow a dull white.  

He watches her from the corner of his eye. It was best to keep an eye on her. She was a potential threat, and Sen refused to be caught off guard again.  

Her magic was strange, to say the least, and she carried herself in a very awkward manner. It was half posed aristocrat, with the way she talked and her mannerisms at times, and half plain street rat, with the way she was currently crouching over the magic circle in a very un-ladylike way, inspecting it. She hadn’t even reacted to him being a beast-man like most humans would. There was no wariness directed at him, in fact, she hadn’t spared his ears, tail, and claws a second glance. She was an odd one, and no doubt very resilient. The fact that she somehow managed to escape the Harem at the center of the Empire was also no small feat.  

Despite all of that, somehow, she had no rank. Sen checks her status once more, and it reveals nothing as if she was just some normal civilian. He frowns. More and more questions keep piling up in his head, clamoring for attention, and Sen forcefully shoves them down. He can’t afford to be distracted. Not now. Too much banked on his mission being successful. Even if keeping his mouth shut goes against his very nature, Sen does it. There was just too much at stake, especially now that a new Emperor was on the rise.  

“Just drop me off were ever. As long as it is in the west, I will be fine.” Livia says while reading a few of the symbols on the circle. It was a combination of two different languages. It was fascinating.  

Sen ears twitch on his head at her voice and his tail sways behind him, but his expression remains carefully cool and uncaring.  

“Whatever...” He mutters to himself and rolls out a world map on a table. He stops and turns towards the open door with a frown. Its been almost an hour since Liv has arrived. Why wasn’t anyone in the guild woken up from all the commotion they made?  

Livia notices and can’t help the please smile that stretches across her face. She would offer him a grand explanation as to why they had remained uninterrupted for so long, but why give away her secrets? She wasn’t at all interested in spouting off her scheming to anyone with an ear. Nope. It was best to just keep quiet. Even when Sen turns suspicious eyes her way, she pretends not to notice.  

She gets up and goes to the map to look it over with Sen. She makes sure to keep her distance from him. He seems to be the type to like his space and she prefers to keep an eye on the door, just in case her array of spells fail.  

Her finger, chipped with dirt stuck under its nail, points at a forest at the edge of the Wisteria kingdom, barely inside its borders.  

“Drop me off here,” Livia demands before starting to walk to the circle. She is stopped by a hand on her shoulders and stiffens and swats at it harshly without thinking.  

“Sorry,” she starts to say but stops at the expression on Sen’s face.  

He didn’t look surprised, or hurt necessarily, but it was almost as if he expected her to react that way from the get-go. His hand still hovers in the air between them, and Livia suddenly recalls another face with the same exact expression, and it...bothers her.  

Livia had her reasons for being jumpy, but the sudden reminder of how she treated Elias in the past wasn’t at all welcome. Not when she buried him almost a week ago, not when she was still wearing his cloak, still wearing his ring...still carrying his child.  

It doesn’t matter now.  

Elias was dead.  

He didn’t deserve to die...but, at the same time, maybe he did? It was rather of harsh of her to even think if, but her feelings towards Elias was rather complicated. He was passive. He was a puppet. Elias was a victim, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t guilty. He could have freed Livia if he wanted to. He had that power in the palm of his hand, but he didn’t. He kept her close and on a tight leash. She didn’t love him. Elias was a foolish boy who was sheltered from the world outside his grand palace. He had been a gullible and malleable man, who was desperate for anyone to pay him a small ounce of attention. Livia has used that to her advantage. Elias was her shield, though by the time he fell into her web she had already... 

When Livia snaps back to herself, Sen is no longer standing in front of her and her hands are bunched up into the fabric of the cloak, right over her stomach. She drops her hands as if she has been scalded and smooths out whatever expression is on her face. She wipes subtlety at her eyes as she finds Sen standing a few feet away, with his back to her. His ears twitch when she moves beside him, but otherwise, he doesn’t acknowledge her. Frowning, she bends a bit to get a peek of his expression and startles slightly when he suddenly turns to her.  

This close, his eyes are a bit startling. They are upturned and sharp like her own, framed by thick eyelashes that do nothing to soften the piercing look in them. The cat-like pupil was odd to see on a mostly human face, but it was just as enchanting. Livia catches herself staring a little longer then she should, and quickly redirects her gaze to the circle.  

She gestures at it lazily, “Is it done?”  

Sen doesn’t stop staring at her, his gaze a physical weight on the side of her face, but he answers her none the less with an expression that was unreadable.  

“Yeah. It is done,” Sen finally looks away.  

Livia nods, “Well, I guess since you held up your end of the bargain, I need to hold up mine.” She steps away from the circle and out of the room, “I can’t do it here. It has to be outside.”  

Sen follows her without a word but his eyebrows furrows and his ears flatten on his head.  

The window in the hall shows the sky beginning to light up as the sun starts its slow rise in the morning sky. All was calm in the small town, and a few of the townsfolk could be seen moving about and getting started in their day. Livia needed to leave soon.  

Once Sen was standing in front of her, Livia raises her hands and closed her eyes while holding her hands out directly in front of her. There is a spell for what she wants to do...but at the same time, there really wasn’t one. She has to concentrate while at the same time filter through her own memories in search for an answer or a hint at what she wants to do. Finally, the words came to her, and just like in the forest, a wind picks up around her, gentle and soft, but strong enough to ruffle her long purple hair and the long bangs that frame Sen’s face.  

“Klar Borte Óhreinindi... Klar Borte Óhreinindi... Klar Borte Óhreinindi!”  

The wind stops, and when she opens her eyes again James Blake stands in front her, at her eye level.  

Livia grins, “Would you be happy to know that I wasn’t sure if that was going to work?” She asks teasingly.  

Blake boyish face scowls, “No.”  

Livia laughs, “Yeah, I didn’t think so.” She walks past him with the intent to go into the room but stops and looks down at the dress she was wearing underneath her cloak. She glances back at Blake while plucking at the thin fabric with a wrinkled nose, “You wouldn’t happen to have spare clothes I could use, would you?”  

Blake squints at her, “For a girl who claims to be in a hurry, you sure are taking your sweet time.”  

Livia shivers a bit, “Ugh, even your voice changed. It is rather weird...so, is that a yes...?” She still actually had plenty of time. An hour at the least. Her spell will eventually fade though, and it won’t be long before soldiers come trampling into the peaceful town. Livia planned to be long gone before that happened.  

Blake sighs and turns to walk down the hall, “I’ll find something.”  

Livia perks up, “Wonderful. I guess I’ll just be waiting here.” She goes into the room.  

When Blake returns, Livia is sitting cross-legged on the floor with one of her hands rummaging in the leather bag that was discarded from his person almost an hour ago, while twirling his dagger in the other. A trail of dried blood was still on her neck from where he nicked her with his claws. 

His eye twitches in irritation. He didn’t like it when people touched his things.  

Livia notices him and drops the bag and the dagger carelessly, bored with them. “You don’t have many useful things in here. It must suck to be an adventurer without magic.” She comments as she walks to him and takes the clothes from him, inspecting them.  

She jabs a finger at them, “Let me guess...no protection charms of any kind?”  

Blake, who had been glaring at his things now scattered across the floor, turn to her with a scowl. “No.” He says.  

Livia hums, “It will do.” Then she shrugs off her cloak and gathers the edges of her dress, pulling it up- 

Blake's eyes widen and he quickly turns away, “What the hell are you doing? There is a washroom down the hall!” He snaps, as his now pink skin flushes red. What was wrong with this woman? Did she lose all her bloody senses? Did she not have any level of awareness? Apart of him was a little insulted, but mostly he felt a growing sense of alarm. Blake had thought she was rather reckless and unaware before, but now he was starting to think there was something more to her disregard. Almost as if she simply wasn’t registering it anymore.  

Blake's hand clenches into fist and he forces himself to relax. It doesn't matter. Whatever was going on with her had nothing do with him. It was none of his concern. 

So, why was he so bothered by it then?

There is the sound of clothes rustling and hitting the floor.  

“This is quicker,” Livia says simply and carefully pulls up the caramel brown tights while her torso remains bare without an ounce of shame, and lace them around her hips.  

“You have any spare weapons I can have? Preferably a dagger and a bow and arrows?” Livia asks Blake, her voice slightly muffled as she pulls over a shirt over her head that matches the tights in color and texture. She drags out her long hair from it and frowns down at the lace that she needs to tie in the front. What a pain.  

“That was not part of the deal,” Blake says curtly.  

“Of course not, but are you really willing to let a delicate girl go out in the wild all alone without no way to defend herself?” Livia says as she completely gives up on tying up the sleeveless shirt, and ranks her brain on spells to alter clothing.  

Blake just snorts. “I don’t think you will have any trouble in that regard.”  

Livia pouts. “I want a bow though.” It would be cool. She also thought she knew how to use one as well, and the dagger, yeah, she was confident she could throw one at a moving target. Now if only she was given the means to test it out! 

Blake cautiously turns around, just in time to see Livia point a finger at her untied shirt, and whisper, “Skråstrek” softly. Her shirt cuts sharply in half, leaving her stomach a bit exposed while the remaining cloth flutters to the ground. The spell didn’t only cut through fabric. Blood swells up a bit on a small thin cut almost entirely across the lower half of her stomach and she idly wipes at it as she adjusts her shirt, uncaring as more blood sluggishly pours out.  

“Hmm, could be shorter,” Blake hears her say before she points her finger once again at the shirt.  

He is by her side before he realizes it, and his hand wraps around hers before she can speak that weird language again. 

“...What is wrong with you?” Blake snaps as he roughly pulls out a cloth to press against the cut. Livia flinches a bit but doesn’t move away, her eyes going a bit round.  

“What? I was just fixing it.” Livia says, her mind blank and staticky.  

She has realized for some time now that there was something wrong, but honestly, she thought it was better this way. Everything was miles away, and she was okay with that. It hurt less this way. A distant part of her, the one that was still normal and decked out in the pajamas she loved to wear in her first life, was screaming about depression, trauma, and stoicism like a madwoman, and Livia just kind of laughs at that little girl.  

It was fine.  

She was fine.  

Livia points at the dagger still on the floor, “Can I have that?” She asks Blake as he begins to tie the clothe around her stomach. She thought it was a bit overkill. It was just a scratch. It would eventually heal on its own, and she could always use the pretty magic if she really needed to.  

Blake's's brown eyes flicker to it. “Whatever...” 

Livia smiles, “Cool.” Then she points her finger at the shirt once more- 

Blake's hand wraps tightly around it. “Stop that. It’s fine.”  

Livia stares at the ties still attached to her shirt. “I hate it.”  

Blake moves away. “I’ll get you a new one...and a bow and arrow.”  

Livia drops her hand, and raises a purple brow, “I thought you said it wasn’t part of the deal?”  

Blake just squints at her, as if she was some abstract piece of art that he was trying to figure out before turning and walking away without a word.  

Livia shrugs and moves on to putting on the black sturdy boots. She had forty-five minutes left.  

When Blake returns, he shuts the door firmly behind him. Livia can hear soft murmurs and the creaks of the wooden floors. The guild was stirring to life.   

That brings her down to five meager minutes then.  

She whips off the top she had cut, barely registering Blake spinning around with a scowl, and puts on the new black one. It was still sleeve-less and form-fitting, but this didn’t have anything to lace up, and stops just above her belly button. She likes it, though she frowns heavily at her protruding ribs and concave belly.  

That wouldn’t do.  

At all.  

Especially not now.  

As Livia re-claps the cloak around her throat, a dark brown now instead of the vibrant, slightly dirty blue it was before and cut shorter in length, Blake offers her leather straps.  

Livia was in a hurry, but she couldn’t help the sly smirk, “Oh my, is that for me? Now, darling, I hope you know how to use those on a lady,” She practically purrs.  

Blake's mouth twitches, but otherwise, he remains stubbornly neutral. Livia pouts a bit at not getting a better reaction. 

“It’s for the arrows and bow.” He explains as she straps the leather bands around her chest. He comes up behind her and attaches quiver on her back. At the same time, she focusses on strapping three daggers to her left thigh.  

Four minutes.  

Blake hands her a satchel filled with dry food, medical supplies, and water. Livia stares at it. “I don’t need-” She starts to say, but at Blake's expression, she shuts up and takes it. Muttering a small, awkward ‘thank you’ under her breath that Blake ignores.  

Three minutes. 

Livia hands comb through the tangled mess that was her hair, and suddenly very aware of the fact that she had only been washing off water for the past few days. Her eyes close, her fingers spread, and she says, “Rensing!” The small cuts she gathered out in the forest, her blistered feet, the scraps on her knees and palms from falling that one time, and the cut on her stomach stings in tandem, causing her to wince.  

When she opens her eyes, Blake head ducks back down to the map.  

Well, at least she feels cleaner.  

Two minutes 

Livia stands at the center of the transportation circle, and gives a little twirl before striking a sexy pose, “How do I look?” she asks Blake, fluttering her eyelashes at him jokingly.  

Blake glances up from where he was activating the circle, small tendrils of yellow magic pouring into the floor. His brown eyes rake over her body slowly, and Livia has the resist the foreign urge to squirm, before finally meeting her eyes.  

Livia holds the pose, “Well?” 

Blake looks away, “You look like an idiot who is way over her head.”  

Livia laughs, and it comes out much sharper then she intends it to be. She wipes tears from her eyes and grins at Blake.  

“...You're not wrong.” She says, her expression bright though her eyes darken, just slightly.  

Blake doesn’t look amused.  

Honestly, Livia was sure he was much more fun and easy-going character in the original story. Her friend...(Livia curls her hand into a first)...her friend always used to go on and on about him. Gushing about how Sen, now Blake, was her all-time crush, and how awesome it would be to meet his voice actor. They would often get into playful battles about who was the best character.  

She had been so young then. Both of them had been. 

Now... 

That life was literally centuries ago.  

She was a different person now.  

One minute.  

The transportation circle lights up around her, and Livia suddenly plucks up the edges of her cloak. She moves her right foot behind her left and delicately bends her knees while spreading out her cloak in a perfect curtsy.  

Brown eyes widen, Blake steps a bit closer his hand coming up and then freezing.  

“Thank you.” She says to Blake while smiling, and means it, right before she disappears in a beautiful beam of light.  

Tblew

...Holy fuck, it is done! I totally went over my limit, but it was SO worth it! I am really pleased with how this turned out. (=^o^=) We actually got a target that isn't an asshole right off the bat, woo. Anyway, please leave a comment below to tell me what you think! There is only one more part left for Returning Home, and that when things get really fun~