I was in and out of sleep for the next few days. I’d wake up for short periods before dozing off.
Perhaps this was a side effect?
I had a hard time falling asleep though as my dreams kept waking me up. I couldn't stay awake for too long though and eventually fell asleep once more. I was too tired to think anything through.
I tried falling asleep once more but I felt the hairs on my body stand up. I grew uncomfortable for some strange reason. I felt that my hand was being pulled away, and then something wet hitting the back of it.
What…?
I cracked an eye open, confused about the sensation, and saw a strange scene. The night was dark, the only illumination in the room was the moonlight that peeked through the window. It bounced off Heath’s face as he tightly grabbed my hand, tears falling down his cheeks.
My eyes grew wide. Why was Heath here? And why was he crying? I watched in surprise as he silently held my hand, tears falling down it every once in a while.
Did… did he think I was dead? I saw that the door to my room was open, so he must’ve barged in. As it was night, there was no one around to explain the situation. I awkwardly held still, trying to think of what to do. Should I pretend to fall asleep? But I didn’t want to deceive him as he continued to cry…
I didn’t have time to decide when Heath’s head jerked up. He looked at me, wide-eyed. And then he let go of my hand and quickly wiped away the tears on his face. I saw his face burn red as he glared at me.
“I thought… that you…” His face grew redder. I couldn’t help but smile awkwardly. This upset Heath more. “How long were you awake?”
“I woke up right after I felt something grab my hand.”
“Oh… um. I wanted to check your pulse but it was so weak that I assumed the worst.” I wanted to laugh. Of course, my pulse was weak, I was asleep!
I smiled. “Now I know that if I ever die, you’ll cry at my funeral. It’s strangely comforting.” Heath glared.
“You won’t die so don’t say something like that.” My smile became wryly as I averted my gaze. Making jokes like that after nearly dying wasn’t as funny as I thought it’d be. I stretched my arms, feeling how sore my body was after lying down all this time.
“What happened…?” Heath finally asked. I didn’t meet his gaze and fiddled with my hands.
“I… don’t know. One second I was awake, the next, I fell down. It felt like it was just minutes ago that I stood in front of the priest. The King— er, father has been avoiding answering my questions, along with Peri and Wei.” I met his gaze. “I have a bad feeling about this.”
“It might just be paranoia. Since the cure does work.” I frowned. There was something that had been bothering me for a while.
“Does everyone know about this cure? Is it some kind of open secret?” Heath blinked.
“Well, yeah.”
“Then if a cure exists, why are illegitimate children shunned?”
“Because it’s too costly. And not to mention, that only citizens of Urel can receive the cure. And even among those, few nobles can afford the price.” My mouth was agape.
“So you mean… Ru tried getting the cure from father?”
“Yes. The King of Tenn offered a lot of money and even land but father didn’t budge. It’s strange, he values Tenn as an ally but when it came to this, he turned a blind eye.”
Even Heath found it strange. That had to mean that the King didn’t have much of a choice. Why was the cure so restricted? Did it have anything to do with the game? I tried to ponder on a solution but nothing came to mind. Even going through Heath’s route in my head, there were no mentions of it.
I sighed, feeling hopeless. Well, whatever it was, I could ask the King tomorrow. Even if he tried avoiding the question, I had to know the truth.
And that reminded me of my next plan. I turned to Heath.
“I need your help.” Heath’s eyebrows raised.
“What?”
“Please teach me to defend myself.”
“Why would you need to defend yourself?” I stared at him.
“I’d need it against a horde of ridiculously strong beasts.” While in a dreamlike state, visions of the game appeared in my mind. Memories that I’d thought I’d forgotten appeared. And now I knew that at the end of arc 3, Lore would be facing a beast horde. And coincidentally, the principal would be away on a trip to the other side of the world. That meant that the strongest mage was unavailable.
A beast horde filled with strong core beasts would be tough. But thankfully, I played the game in normal mode! So even the strongest of monsters wouldn’t be more powerful than the professors. I’d read that in hard mode, there was a Lord Beast that appeared, and its power nearly rivaled the principal himself. I shivered to myself. If I faced something like that, I’d die ten times over.
That’s why I needed help. I had only a year left. I had to prepare myself. I didn’t think my magic would be good enough to make it past the first year, so I had to use other methods. And sitting right by one of Lore’s best swordsmen, I might have a shot.
Of course, a few visions other than the beast horde popped up, but none that gave me major clues about the end of the game. So to make my life more secure, I had to focus on making it through school for five years. That was… easier said than done. But with the help of others, I could do it.
Heath frowned before relenting. “I’m not sure I like that ominous tone of yours, but I’ll help you. Though, you’ll have to fill me in on the details.”
“Alright, I’ll do it. You’ll just have to teach me swordsmanship, just the basics so that I won’t be defenseless.” Heath grinned.
“I’m good at teaching people so you’re in safe hands.” I laughed at his cockiness. Feeling mischievous, I teased him.
“Just don’t hurt me too much or I’m afraid you might cry.” I watched Heath’s face turn red, both from embarrassment and anger. He grabbed the pillow on my bed and began whacking me with it. I laughed so hard that tears streamed down my face.
I rushed at Heath, focusing my attention on him. I swung my blade and Heath effortlessly deflected it. My grip on the sword loosened so I jumped back and re-adjusted my pose.
Attacking him once more, I aimed lower, for his stomach, but Heath side-stepped it. I tried falling back, but Heath was quicker. The blunt side of his wooden sword hit my side. I fell and rolled a few meters, squirming in pain.
“You couldn’t be more gentle?” Heath’s expression was cold.
“No.” I wanted to roll my eyes. He was so petty. I knew he was still upset about my teasing, even though that was hours ago.
I rested my head on the ground, staring at the blue sky. We’d been practicing for two hours and my results were— atrocious.
“I don’t think I’ve seen a person who’s this bad at learning the basics.” That was what Heath told me when I’d dropped my sword for the tenth time. The sword grew sweaty the longer I held it and having Heath deflect my blows or parry them made it slip out of my grip. Heath spent half an hour teaching me not to drop my sword, no matter what.
“The moment you drop it—it’s over.” He looked serious. I became serious as well. He motioned.
“Let’s try it again. And this time, be serious.” Did he think I was joking the other ten times? Swallowing my complaints, I ran to him. He fended off my blows. My arms grew tired from the failed assault, and I stopped to take a deep breath. Heath took advantage of this pause and he counterattacked, slamming his sword against mine. Wincing, I felt the sword drop to the floor. We both stared at the fallen sword.
“…”
I could see the disappointment on his face. I smiled wryly.
“You’re too rough.” His disappointment grew into irritation and I closed my mouth. Let’s not agitate him further.
It took one and a half hours for me to learn how not to drop the sword. You could say that the lesson had only just begun. And this past half hour had been exhausting. Heath told me to always run when I attack him so that I could ‘improve that horrendous stamina’ of mine.
Heath’s shadow loomed over me, blocking my pleasant sunbath.
“It’s not time for a break yet.” He said.
“But I’m tired,” I whined.
Heath narrowed his eyes on me. And then he smiled.
“Okay then. Once you’ve run three laps around the castle, I’ll let you rest.” My eyes sparkled.
“Just three laps?” Heath merely pointed behind me. I turned and looked at the castle. It didn’t look that big while inside but from afar…
My face was white.
“Heath…?”
“Just three laps, Rael. You can do it!” He sounded cheerful as he pumped a fist into the air, but his eyes were cold. He was tormenting me.
“Haha, three laps is an easy task! Watch me!” I lied as I forced a smile. I wouldn’t let him win. I’d run three laps and return victoriously!
I felt how sore my legs were. Damn… maybe this was impossible. I glanced at Heath and saw him stare at me. I gritted my teeth. Don’t lose hope, just imagine a nice glass of lemonade when you’re done!
I hyped myself up for a short while. Taking a deep breath, I began jogging. In minutes, exhaustion hit me, but I kept going. If there’s something that motivates me, it’s my pettiness and determination to win!
“Come out.” Heath’s voice was frosty. The person hiding behind a tree emerged with a large smile.
“As expected of the Crown Prince, nothing avoids your sharp perception,” Crille said as he approached him. Heath eyed him. He’d noticed his presence only a few minutes ago. As he didn’t want Rael around while dealing with Crille, he sent him off running.
Crille Vandergarden, the eldest son, with a bright future. He would’ve been destined as the Crown Prince had it not been for his lack of mana. While magic was important, not all countries cared to pick the heir with the most mana. There were a few countries that were an exception to this, Urel being one of them. The one who’d chosen Heath as the next heir wasn’t the King, but in fact, the elder trees.
His hard work had paid off as the elder trees and his parents acknowledged him as the next heir. The only one who refused to accept it was currently crossing his arms with a fake smile.
“I knew I’d find you here, little brother, you always enjoyed playing with dirt.” He used flowery words to insult Heath. But the boy didn’t let it bother him as he spoke.
“What do you want?”
“I was looking for the son of that whore. Or perhaps peasant scum is a better name? I quite like the name bastard though, short but simple.” Crille tapped his chin while pondering. Heath inhaled sharply.
“He has a name.” Crille gasped dramatically.
“He does? Since when?”
Heath didn’t let Crille’s words get to him. “Just get to the point.”
Crille dropped his shocked expression. He walked closer to Heath, as he pointed at the castle.
“Mother is looking for you.” Heath frowned.
“What does she want?” Crille smiled mysteriously.
“You’ll see. She wanted me to call you. Also, don’t forget to bring the son of a bitch with you, his presence is needed for once.”
“I told you—“ Crille’s smile dropped and he narrowed his eyes at Heath.
“I don’t want someone like you telling me what to do. Now that you’re trying to act buddy with the pitiful whore’s son, you’ve gone too low. Watching you act like that, honestly makes me sick.” Heath watched Crille as the boy backed away.
He added. “Though, I shouldn’t judge as I’m doing the same thing.” Heath calmed himself while glaring at Crille. The boy merely put his hands behind the back of his head and grinned.
“Hurry up, you’re not the only person that mother called.”
“Who else is coming?”
“Everyone. We’re having our first family gathering in a while.” Heath’s frown deepened.
“Why?” Crille grinned. He twirled, walking away. The last sentence he spoke seemed to echo in Heath’s ears.
“It’s judgment time for the guilty ones.”
And judgment was to be served.
When I stepped inside the Great Hall, behind Heath, I heard a shriek.
“I will kill you! You ruined it! All of it!” The Queen screamed as she rushed at me with a sword. She’d stolen the weapon of one of the nearby knights. I jumped back, ready to run away, but she was apprehended by the King’s knights.
“Let—go of me! I have to kill him! It might not be too late!” She continued to cause a ruckus as she tried clawing her way out of the knight's grip. But the knight kept his grip on her, tight but firm. Soon, the Queen had exhausted her anger and stopped screaming. She resorted to sending me death stares.
I was dumbstruck. Why had her hostility tripled since the last time? Now she wanted to take my life? What happened while I slept?
The King let out a long sigh. He had bags under his eyes, and it appeared that he hadn’t slept a wink. Standing meters from him, Peri stood, with her eyes closed. It befuddled me more. Why was Peri here?
“What… happened?” I blurted out. Everyone’s eyes landed on me. Some gave me looks of pity, others were apathetic but the majority looked at me with disgust. I nearly squirmed. I wasn’t used to this much hostility.
“An unfortunate decision had to be made.” The King said, solemnly.
The Queen sneered. “Unfortunate, you say? There was no need to choose, just kill him already! It might not be too late, just switch him out with her.” Her tone grew desperate but the King didn’t respond. The Queen snapped.
“If it wasn’t bad enough that you decided all of this without me, but you even drugged me! How am I supposed to be safe in my own home when lowly attendants abuse their powers because of your orders? Isn’t it funny that my husband decided to drug me so that he could take away my child?” Her laugh was humorless and dry as she sneered at her husband. Pierre didn’t respond and stared back.
I swallowed my saliva. Guessing from her words, something must’ve happened to Lilith. No one was willing to spell the answer out. Until Crille walked forwards with a smile.
“Father, I don’t think it’s right to give mother vague answers and then not respond. As you’re guilty too, you should tell everyone what occurred two days ago.” Pierre’s face hardened.
“Crille.” The boy merely snorted.
“Your warning tone won’t work on me anymore— answer her question. Why would you choose to save him when you could’ve removed that stain from your life? Even after mother forgave you for cheating, this is too much.” He put a hand on his cheek, looking sad. “It makes me upset to even fathom what mother is going through.”
In less than a minute, Crille turned the situation to favor him and the Queen, all while painting the King and me as scum. I wanted to applaud his sharp tongue.
“The reason why I chose to save Rael is…” He paused. “Because I wanted to become a good father—“ Crille snorted. The King paused with a frown.
“What’s so funny?” Crille trembled as he tried to contain his laughter.
“Ah, s-sorry, I just thought that you said that you wanted to be a good father? Did I mishear it?” The King was unhappy as he replied.
“No, you heard correctly.” Crille clutched his stomach and let out a belly laugh. He nearly fell over from laughing but caught himself. Wiping a tear from his eye, he giggled.
“I didn’t know you were so good at telling jokes, father.” The smile on his face faltered. “But please be serious. If the reason why you killed Lilith was to be a good father to Rael, then you’ve failed spectacularly. You’re assuming that you’re a good father in the first place, which couldn’t be farther from the truth.” The King opened his mouth but Crille cut him off.
“Let’s start with me. You know that my only wish in life was to become the king. I mean, you were the man who groomed me into this role, I was ready to accept my destiny— but then a bunch of twigs pointed their branches at Heath and you made him into the heir? Without ever considering my feelings?” Crille was smiling but his voice faltered at the end. He continued.
“Of course, that’s only me. What about Heath? Did you ever ask him if he was ready or even willing to be the next heir?” I saw Heath stiffen as everyone’s attention went to him. It seemed that Crille knew more than what he let on. He was terrifyingly on point with his questioning and reasoning.
“Roy’s obsession with himself has to be some sort of psychological disorder, but you don’t seem to care at all! And Teop? Have you looked at the poor guy? He’s practically shivering every time someone glances at him! And don’t even get me started with Wei.” Wei blinked innocently as people stared at him.
“I’m not saying all of this is your fault, but you're sure as hell not the perfect picture father that you thought you were being with Rael! In fact, by killing Lilith, you’re worse! The bottom of the barrel!” Crille’s face was red from his shouting as he leered at the King. Even the Queen had become speechless.
Crille, realizing he’d become too emotional, took a deep breath. He seemed to be genuinely upset about what the King did. Even if that decision saved my life. My lips trembled but I finally asked:
“What happened to Lilith?” Crille’s head jerked to me, his glare was intense. The one who replied was the King.
“She—I sacrificed her…” I frowned. Wait, why did this sound familiar?
“To who?” The King looked ashamed.
“To… the elder trees.”
Finally, it clicked for everyone in the room. Crille’s lips curved as his gaze grew darker. My eyes widened and I swallowed my saliva. He’d sacrificed her… for me? Why would he choose me over her?
I was still thinking things over when I heard the Queen speak for the first time in a while.
“It’s too late… all because of you…” Her body grew weak and the knight caught her before she hit the ground. The Queen’s eyes were empty. I felt a pang of guilt hit me.
Crille merely snickered. But his face was dark.
“Well if you sacrificed Lilith, I’m sure the omnipotent trees can get her back, right?” The King hesitated.
“I don’t know. As Clara said, it might just be—“ Crille shook his head.
“There is a very simple solution to this problem. To get Lilith back, we merely have to return what’s not wanted.” He grabbed at his sides, touching something sheathed. Then, with one swift motion, he unsheathed his blade. He turned to me with a cold face.
“And fix your mistakes for you.” The color drained from my face. I thought I wouldn’t raise any doom flags but this game was rigged, to begin with! Now that I’ve survived an impossible disease, they want to kill me just to bring Lilith back?
My voice was shaky.
“Wait! It’s not too late! Lilith isn’t—“
“It’s better to save your last words for when you die.” He lunged at me. Two knights intercepted him. I sighed in relief. Thankfully, they’d protect me from him—
I watched as Crille nimbly dove past them. He twirled to avoid their hands and increased his speed. In seconds, he’d nearly reached me. I couldn’t react. I was petrified. Cold sweat went down my back.
Was this it?
“I won’t let you!” Heath parried Crille’s lethal blow with his sword. They glared at one another, jumping back. Crille sneered.
“This is none of your business. I told you to stop pretending to care.”
“I’m not pretending. I won’t allow you to kill him.” Heath replied sternly.
“Then I’ll have to teach you a lesson as your big brother.” Crille’s hand lit up. He touched his sword and it lit up with sparks. The boy wore a sinister grin.
“You better back off unless you want to suffer the same fate as him.” Heath didn’t seem faced as he held his sword forwards.
“You’re playing dirty.” This caused Crille to laugh.
“Dirty? There’s no fair play in a life or death match. Perhaps you should’ve taken a course or two in Hand Casting? Quite idiotic not to bring your wand everywhere you go.” Heath narrowed his eyes on him.
“I wasn’t expecting to lethally fight anyone in the castle.”
Crille huffed. “Too bad, I’ve been preparing for this for a long while!” They rushed at each other, ready to strike.
But right then, a large barrier appeared, causing the two to bump into the barrier and fall to the ground.
I turned my attention to the door. A woman appeared, her long robe fluttering as she gracefully walked past everyone. She stopped in front of the King and bowed deeply.
“I apologize for my tardiness.” The King had a nervous smile.
“It’s alright Archmage, I didn’t think you’d arrive early for our meeting.” Vanessa glanced at the two whose fight she’d interrupted.
“I sensed a disturbance and felt it was necessary to stop it. Had they fought, both would have either lost their lives or been gravely hurt.” She hugged her staff closer to her. “And I can’t allow that.”
One of the ten Archmages, who’s beloved by all living, Vanessa Gould. She was known as one of the last druids, using magic that could be labeled ancient magic. She disliked pointless disputes and would interfere regardless of the reason.
Vanessa Gould lived in Urel due to its abundance of greenery and animal life. But she wasn’t bound to the kingdom by any means, though she did enjoy paying respect to the King and giving him updates or issuing problems that he should be wary of. She was a powerful ally and someone who you should never offend.
Though she mainly used support magic, a pissed Archmage could kill you a million times over with even low-tier spells.
I gulped. Vanessa narrowed her eyes at Crille and Heath. Both of them quickly stood up and bowed their respect to her. The room followed along.
“You may rise.” It was almost amusing how we showed more respect to her than to our King. Then again, she was one of the world’s strongest mages, few kings were strong enough for her to acknowledge.
Why she decided to acknowledge Pierre of all people, beats me. I stared at the two curiously, trying to think of scenarios in my head. Finally, the King spoke.
“Crille.” This time, Crille flinched. “I’m disappointed in your actions. Not only did you speak in a manner not befitting of a noble, but you also lashed out at both Heath and Rael.”
Crille’s lips trembled. “I just wanted…”
“Go to the isolation room. I don’t want to see you for at least 48 hours. Think about what you did.” Two knights grabbed Crille who had his head down and dragged him away.
I felt only a bit of guilt seeing him be carried away. The Queen began lashing out as she saw Crille be dragged away. I knew I had to speak out.
“Your majesty?” He looked at me. I swallowed my nervousness and continued. “I know of a way to save Lilith.”
The Queen stopped moving, Crille turned his head to me and Vanessa hummed while watching everything unfold.
“What do you mean by that, Rael?” The King asked.
“Lilith isn’t dead. While her body has vanished, she’s still alive. And there is a way to bring her back.”
“How…?” He asked while leaning, nearly falling off his throne.
“By…” I bit my lip. “By offering the elder trees its favorite meal.”
“Favorite meal?” Vanessa asked, curiously.
“Yes. Though they enjoy… slaughtering anything that gets too close, they love to hunt a certain monster.”
“What monster?” The Queen finally spoke, impatient.
“A banshee. Specifically, its ears.”
“A banshee…? But that’s a—“ The King was dumbstruck.
“I know. I’m not completely sure how I’ll be able to require the ears of a banshee, but I’ll try my best to retrieve them.”
Crille sneered at me. “How are we supposed to trust you? By saying this all of a sudden, how do we know that you’re not lying?”
“If I have to, I’ll make an Oath.” Crille’s frown smoothened. He continued to stare before turning his head.
“You don’t have to bet your life, because if you were to run out of time, you’ll get the easy way out if you lied. Just know, if you don’t find that banshee… I’ll personally deal with you myself.” And he walked out.
The Queen’s stare was frosty as she was escorted out of the Great Hall. I forced my tense body to relax once the hostility cleared. I saw Vanessa stare at me and bowed.
“Now if you’ll excuse me, I have matters to attend to.” The King allowed me to leave. Heath and Wei left shortly thereafter, catching up to me.
“Will you be able to do it?” Wei asked worriedly.
“I have to.”
“Rael, this is the King’s mess. If anyone should be hunting down that banshee, it should be him.” Heath said with a frown. I gritted my teeth.
“No. It has to be me.” The two waited for me to continue but I never did, continuing to walk and leaving them behind.
The reason why I chose to do this myself was for a stupid, selfish reason. I didn’t want to tell anyone about it. The secret I’d been keeping for the past months. If I don’t save Lilith, I’m afraid that she’ll haunt my dreams just like Ru does.
The manifestation of my guilt, the whispers, and screams, amplified by two. If I didn’t help her, I wasn’t sure how I’d cope with the guilt. And that thought scared me.
Mmmmm good