Part 5

As the word human fell into Knight’s hears, he perked up, “Humans? That look like me?”

“Yes, although their language is very different.”

“I see,” he replied, interested in the humans of this world, “Did…you live there?”

“…” her lips trembled as she looked down at the crashing waves, “I did…but…”

“But?”

“I c-can’t remember…much” as she spoke, she pressed her hands against her face. She did not want to let her emotions take over and cry again. She was determined to overcome her past and possibly start a new life. A new life with her otherworldly saviour.

“Anything? If not it’s okay, remember,” he replied, making sure he wasn’t too forward

“W-well, all I remember is being on there, from…cells,” a tear fell as she pushed on, “to mansions and bedrooms.”

“B-Bedrooms?!” he spurted out, smothering his mouth as soon as it left. He didn’t mean that and now the girl could fall back to tears. “I’m sorry!”

“…It’s okay, but yes, bedrooms. I can not remember much of what happened in each place,” she pulled herself back up after nothing more than a sniffle, marching forward. “and I found myself in an entirely new place, before ending up here…with th-that man.”

Knight saw her eyes well up and her lip trembling once more. She didn’t just need someone to help her reopen past wounds. She needed someone to soothe them. It dawned on Knight that he hadn’t even asked her name, ‘I’m a fucking twat.’

He scooched closer to the girl, carefully moving his hand to her back.

“..!” she flinched as Knight’s hand rubbed her back, her face surprised, “M-master….”

“It’s okay, I’m here. I’ll help you with whatever problems you have,” he reassured her, looking into her scared golden eyes, “Oh, sorry.” He said, believing her frightened face to be from his touch.

“N-No!”, she cried, grabbing his hand as he removed it. It was Knight’s turn to be surprised. It was so unlike the timid girl to be true to what she wanted, but she grabbed the retracting hand in a rush. She had a kind hand for the first time and she did not want to lose it.

After her rash action, she desperately wanted to let go. But, deep down, she wanted to hold on for as long as possible, “P-please, continue.”

‘What the hell am I doing?’ he asked himself as he patted her back, “So, after moving around in err… epilion?”

“Epipléon” she corrected him, a soft smile appearing on her sad face. She too scooted closer to Knight, though she didn’t dare lean on him despite an urge to do so. She wanted to be loved desperately and it was finally possible, but the scars inflicted upon her will need to be overcome for her to truly form a loving relationship.

“So, after moving around in…Epipléon…you were moved to this island?”

“…N-Not quite” she answered, gazing at the crashing waves, “I was m-moved to…Dragol’s stand…It’s the closest town in the mainland to here.”

The name of the town provoked Knight’s memory and he remembered that the speaker said something similar, “Dragol…Dragol’s…pass? Is there some bridge connecting this island and that town called Dragol’s pass?”

“P-passing. You are right but it’s passing not p-pass.” She corrected him.

“I see, so after some business there you ended up here?” he asked the girl.

With a nod answering his question Knight decided to stand up, “come on, let’s get out of here.”

*          *          *

Choosing not to leave through the dark oak door to the front of the mansion, despite no one being around, Knight decided to go around the unblemished white walls to get to the front instead.

An odd forest appeared as Knight turned the corner, along with the coastline. Edging closer to the soot-covered cobblestone separated separating the forest from the mansion, Knight stroked his neck. The forest was far from vibrant but it certainly wasn’t bare. The trees could only be described as dull, exactly like the trees that surrounded Knight as he suffocated.

However, amongst the dreary trees, stood a lump of crimson.

"Do you see me?" a voice echoed.

“No…oh” he realised, spotting the crimson figure, ‘Wearing something red?’

"Okay, great. Come over here quickly."

"Right," Knight told the voice as he stepped onto the black cobblestone, “dunno why your hiding in there.”

"I won’t be able to tell you if you don’t hurry up."

“Come on…kid, better hurry up,” Knight said with a click of the tongue, ‘That reminds me I still don’t know her name…’

Strangely, the crimson figure retreated into the dull glade as Knight shivered.

“Wha…HEY!” Knight shouted as the owner of the voice ditched him.

"Sorry! get the girl and-" before the voice could deliver its urgent message, it was cut off.

“Hey! What were you saying? Don’t just cut out on me!” Knight shouted with clouds of white as he walked towards the forest, “why did she ditch me…and her message?”

Suddenly, a snap of cold froze his feet.

“What the hell?!” Knight shouted, the air chilling his lungs, “What…the…hell?”

Knight’s whole went stiff as he gasped for more and more freezing air. The biting cold ate his senses. The only sense that remained was his hearing as a cackle fell into his ears.

“I suppose it’s no fun when a lamb freezes before it has the chance to mature,” a voice spoke to himself, chilling Knight’s ears, “turn around, little lamb.”

With his body relaxing and his feet regaining blood flow, Knight turned around to the source of the frost. However, the cold had done more than create cloudy breaths with only the tall figure of the voice appearing in the frosty mist.

“K-Kid, you there?” Knight asked with no other figure to be seen.

“Ah, lambs and sheep should have great vision. Oh well, it does take new-borns time to adapt. Let me fix that for you,” the patronising voice addressed the mist and with a click, it dispersed.

After protecting his face from the freezing wind, Knight’s eyes creaked open. A few metres away was a tall, slender man clad in an all-black three-piece suit. His pale blue hair reached his fur-covered shoulders. The man even had the audacity to wear a black cape, the top accented with white fur. It was safe to say that the man’s outfit matched the aura he oozed - overwhelming narcissism with the power to match.

Despite the man’s appearance, Knight only glanced at his pale face. What caught Knight’s attention instead was the ice sculpture that his gloved hand rested upon. A sculpture of the small girl.