"Fayde, you're back!"
Before Fayde could leave the Guildhall, a familiar voice called out to him.
"Ah, Tris. Yeah, Reia and I are back."
She hadn't been there when they first arrived, so she must have come in while they were meeting with Orban. Fayde wasn't really in the mood for conversation — all he wanted was sleep — but he took a moment to greet her. He felt bad that she had been waiting for them to group up, but with one thing after another happening, it had been impossible.
"You look like crap!" Tris laughed, resting one hand on her hip.
"Yeah, we rushed over here without sleeping last night. It's been a rough couple of days."
Tris looked him up and down curiously.
"I can see that. What happened?"
Reia and Fayde gave her a quick explanation of everything that had happened while they were away, the forest, the raid, the battle. Since they were both exhausted, they didn't talk long. They agreed to meet up again the next day after they had a chance to properly rest. All of the adventurers would soon be called to defend the town anyway, and the three of them planned to fight together when the time came.
After leaving the Guild, everything became a blur. Reia and Fayde made their way to the inn and each went to their rooms without another word. Fayde was barely conscious as it was, and as soon as his face hit the pillow, he was out.
Sleep came quickly, and with it, dreams. His thoughts were soon swallowed by a swirling maelstrom of unfamiliar faces and fractured scenes. It was one of those moments when he knew he was asleep, yet part of him still felt awake, trapped in a place where he could not move but remained aware.
Countless strange images flashed before his eyes, none of them familiar. He saw a world that looked almost like Earth, but somehow, he knew it was not. The visions spun faster, a whirlwind of places and faces, until the sensation of speed and time itself became overwhelming. Then, suddenly, everything stopped.
He stood alone in darkness.
Ahead of him, a vertical slit opened in the void, revealing a slice of light, a doorway to somewhere else.
Drawn forward, he approached it and peered through. Beyond lay a place of impossible beauty, dazzling and alien. Without hesitation, he stepped through.
"So, you have come again."
A voice, beautiful yet menacing, echoed from somewhere nearby.
It took a moment for his eyes to adjust after standing in the blackness for so long. When they finally did, he saw her, the woman from before, seated on a throne of glass. He remembered her. He had seen her once already, in a dream like this one. Last time, she had been lounging in a bath, half-watching him like a cat with its prey. This time, she sat waiting, regal and expectant.
"I may have acted too hastily the last time you were in my presence," she said, her voice losing its earlier hostility, growing more soothing. "But I knew you would come again."
She wasn't naked this time, but her clothing was little more than a suggestion, thin, revealing, designed to lure the eyes. She was breathtakingly beautiful, almost unnaturally so. The longer Fayde looked, the harder it became to tear his gaze away.
No.
He shook his head sharply.
No.There's something wrong with her.
She laughed, light and mocking.
"I suppose it won't be that simple, then."
"Did you do something to me?" Fayde demanded, struggling to clear his head.
She hid a devious smile behind her hand.
"Nothing in particular... It's just been a very long time since I did not get my way."
She rose from her throne, moving with a predatory grace. As she approached, he instinctively backed away, searching for a way to escape.
"Perhaps I will make you mine," she purred, every word dripping with dark promise. But all he could see was a snake waiting to strike.
"Never!" Fayde shouted without hesitation.
Her expression twisted into something monstrous.
"Then die," she hissed.
Her arm ignited with black flames. She lunged forward, her fingers outstretched, aiming straight for his heart.
Before she could reach him, a sudden explosion shattered the dream.
Fayde bolted upright, gasping for air, her final words still lingering in his mind.
"Remain in that broken world..."
________________________________________
It was late at night as a woman stalked the city streets, climbing onto the roof of a building overlooking an inn within the town of Enrain. Her target was there, but she was to remain only an observer and report on the success or failure of her subordinates. Of course, if she had an opportunity to strike from the shadows without being caught, she would not hesitate to use her bow.
Being an agent of the Empire, she was skilled in various fields, but her expertise lay mostly in information gathering and undercover work. She was excellent with a bow and could kill most men with a single shot through the throat if the opportunity presented itself, but that was not usually her role. She would only act once there was no other way, or when it was determined that her job was at an end.
Her partner was the one more suited for assassination, but even he was usually in a supervisory role. It had not yet been deemed necessary for them to act personally, so they had orchestrated another assassination attempt.
Knowing the inn where the target was staying, it would be a simple matter to strike while he slept, completely unaware of the danger. Here in the town, he would have no one to come to his aid, and because of his ignorance, he did not even appear to be acting with caution. He most likely felt he was safe within the confines of this town.
The target did not even know he was being hunted. In her experience, the man was rather naive to the dangers of this world. She wondered where he came from that he had been so coddled.
From her vantage point, she caught the faint movement of shadows scaling the side of the inn, heading for the second-floor window where the target slept. She took a moment to survey the area for anyone who could potentially be a witness or call for an alarm, but none were present.
A sudden unnatural gust of wind sent chills down her spine. She reflexively looked up into the sky and, for a moment, saw a shadow pass over the moon. Her breath caught in her throat.
What... a dragon? Impossible...
It had only been for a fleeting second, and she thought it might have been her mind playing tricks on her.
BOOOOM!
A loud explosion reverberated from the direction of the inn, drawing her eyes. Where there had once been a second-floor window, there was now a large hole, and she could see some of the bodies of her subordinates falling to the ground. A shadow jumped into the hole from somewhere nearby.
What the hell is going on? she thought as she braced herself.
________________________________________
BOOOOM!
Fayde was suddenly thrown from where he was sleeping and crashed into the wall near the door leading to the hallway. He groaned in pain, barely remaining conscious from the excessive impact. He could feel the presence of someone nearby but was still struggling to move and could not see who it was.
His vision began to regain focus, and he saw a gaping hole where the wall to his bedroom used to be. A shadowy figure jumped inside. He could feel the murderous intent spilling from the person, but he could not respond quickly. Thinking he was about to be attacked, he attempted to crawl to the door. With that loud explosion, he knew someone would be coming to investigate.
Before he could drag himself over, he felt a presence leap toward the other figure in the room, and the sound of a scream echoed in his ear. Knowing he would not be able to open the door in his current state, Fayde braced himself for the inevitable. He turned his body to the side just in time to catch a blur leaping on top of him.
He was fully prepared to die. When he looked up, Allein was staring down at him with a mischievous grin on her face.
"That's twice I saved you. How are you going to repay me?"
Sitting down on his waist, she pressed her sharp nail into his chest and traced a line down to his abdomen, almost piercing his skin.
"Allein, what are you doing here? Isn't it dangerous for you to be seen in a Human town?" His head had been hit hard, and he still was not fully registering what was going on. The words slipped out before he could stop them.
"Isn't there something else you should be saying, like thank you?" she replied, somewhat annoyed.
"Ah, yeah, thank you?" he said, still not understanding the situation.
At that moment, the door to his bedroom was thrown open and Reia stood there with her sword at the ready. She looked panicked, her eyes scanning the room. She gasped at the sight of the gaping hole in the wall, then froze when she spotted Allein sitting on top of Fayde.
"What the hell is going on in here?!" Reia shouted, confused and clearly annoyed.
"It's not what it looks like, really. Allein, get off me!" Fayde quickly pushed Allein off of him and sat up.
"Tch. Fayde was attacked again, I saved his life. We need to change locations now. Let's go to your room, Reia." Even though he pushed Allein off, she deftly stood up and held out her hand toward him. Fayde took her hand, and she helped him stand.
"Was it just one?" Reia asked, still looking like she was ready to murder someone. For some reason, Fayde felt like she was looking straight at him.
"My brother is hunting the ones I didn't kill in my first attack," Allein replied in a nonchalant manner.
"Wait a second, you were the one who blew a hole in the wall?! You almost killed me! I thought you were trying to save my life!" Fayde shouted, unable to just let that slide.
"I knew you wouldn't die with just that. It was the only way to save you in time. If I had waited even a moment longer, you would be dead." She jabbed him in the chest with her finger, causing him to grunt in pain.
Her fingernails are sharp!
"Enough playing, let's hurry up. I can hear shouts and footsteps approaching," Reia said while glaring at Allein.
They helped Fayde gather his belongings, and they exited the ruined room, heading for Reia's bedroom. Fayde collapsed on her bed and lay there while she healed him. She looked worried as she placed her hand over him, but with her magic complete, he felt much better.
"What you did was reckless, Allein. But... you did save his life, and for that, I thank you," Reia said, bowing her head slightly toward Allein.
Allein responded with a self-satisfied smile and said, "Of course."
"But why are assassins trying to kill me? That's what I want to know," Fayde said, voicing his thoughts aloud and hoping someone could provide an answer.
It was clear now the assassins were after him. What remained a mystery was why. He had initially thought they might be targeting Reia since she was a Beastkin, but that no longer seemed likely.
"Hmm... I wonder," Allein said while tapping her lips with her index finger.
She was acting suspicious.
Does she know something? Fayde wondered.
"Allein, is there something you aren't telling me?" he decided to ask her directly.
"No, I was just thinking out loud," she said with a smile that did not quite reach her eyes.
Damn, you're hiding something, aren't you? Fayde thought grimly.
"Fayde, do you think it has something to do with you being from another world?" Reia asked gently as she sat down beside him. She seemed a little shaken by what had happened.
"It isn't like that didn't occur to me, but how could they possibly know something like that? The only people who know are you two, Nes, and your father, Reia. Even if they did know that I was from Earth, why would they be trying to kill me?" Fayde said, frustration seeping into his voice.
"I don't know..." Reia admitted quietly.
Then another realization struck him.
"Allein, what are you even doing here? I am grateful that you saved my life, but weren't you supposed to be scouting for the Foxkin village?" Fayde asked.
Allein walked over to the bed and sat next to him, throwing a wink toward Reia. She was obviously taunting her again. Reia, thankfully, ignored it this time.
"We were scouting," Allein said, "but then we saw that the army of monsters had left the forest and was crossing the grasslands between the forest and here. We came to tell you that they were coming and would probably arrive by early afternoon tomorrow. It was then that I saw those assassins climbing into the window of the inn."
Her words made it sink in, just how close Fayde had come to dying.
If Allein hadn't come here to inform us about the movement of the monster army, I would be dead right now, Fayde realized grimly.
I couldn't even respond to the threat since I was trapped in that strange dream world. Now that I think about it, what was that place? And who was that woman? She was definitely dangerous.
There were too many unknowns, and now his life was in immediate danger for reasons he still did not understand.
Fayde turned toward Allein and, without thinking, took both her hands in his. She looked at him with a strange expression he had never seen before. It was almost as if she looked embarrassed by his actions and did not know how to react.
"Allein... thank you. You saved me again. I don't know how I could ever repay you. I mean it," Fayde said sincerely.
Allein stuttered slightly, caught completely off guard by his serious tone. Fayde thought he caught a hint of a blush, but she quickly turned her head away.
"O-of course," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
It was quite cute, and Fayde could not help but smile at her reaction.
Now how am I going to explain all of this to the innkeeper? he thought bitterly.
_________________________________________
A loud explosion had rocked the inn and woken Reia from her sleep. It had taken her a moment to react because of the shock, but she had quickly jumped out of bed and grabbed her equipment. She had run into the hallway, fear clawing at her chest.
That came from the direction of Fayde's room... No!
Realizing Fayde might be in danger, Reia sprinted toward the end of the hallway where his room was located. She threw the door open, gasping at the sight of the massive gaping hole where the bedroom wall used to be. Her eyes frantically scanned the room, praying that Fayde was still alive. If he died here, she did not know what she would do. She was terrified, more afraid than she had expected to be.
Her gaze quickly found Fayde lying on the floor — and Allein sitting on top of him in a very provocative position. Relief flooded through her, but it was quickly buried under an intense surge of anger she did not fully understand.
"What the hell is going on here?!" she shouted, confused and furious.
Allein explained what had happened, but even though Reia was relieved Fayde was alive, her anger slipped into her voice.
"Was it just one?" she asked sharply, not really caring about the answer. She was too focused on the fact that Allein was still sitting on Fayde.
When Allein finally got off of him, she poked him teasingly, even though he was still clearly injured. Reia clenched her fists, holding back the urge to shout. Instead, she glared at Allein and said coldly, "Enough playing. Let's hurry up. I can hear shouts and footsteps approaching."
They left Fayde's room and went to hers. Reia immediately set about healing him, but his injuries were bad, and it hurt her to see him in pain.
I cannot believe Allein hurt him even more despite everything...
Still, as much as it pained her, Reia realized the truth. Allein had saved his life. She felt useless once again. Allein had now saved Fayde twice, while she had been unable to do anything. A deep sense of frustration and helplessness welled up inside her, far stronger than the anger she had felt toward Allein.
All she could do was bow her head slightly and say, "What you did was reckless, Allein. But... you did save his life, and for that, I thank you."
Allein's smug smile made her want to punch something, but Reia held her tongue.
As Fayde and Allein continued talking, Reia sat down without thinking beside Fayde. Without even realizing it, she was so close that she could feel his body heat. It was only after she spoke that she noticed the closeness.
"Fayde, do you think it has something to do with you being from another world?" she asked quietly.
The realization hit her like a hammer. She had sat too close. Her heart raced, and she grew so nervous that she did not even notice Allein sitting down on the other side.
By the time she realized it, Fayde was holding Allein's hands in his.
What is wrong with me? Reia thought, struggling to control herself. Am I jealous!?
"That's enough, you two! We need to get some sleep. Fayde, sleep on the floor!" she snapped, unable to hold back any longer. Without thinking, she pushed him off the bed.
"Reia, what the hell?! Ugh... I wasn't fully healed, you know!" Fayde groaned from the floor, glaring up at her.
Reia felt a pang of guilt, but she could not bring herself to apologize.
"Allein and I will sleep in the bed. When Nes gets here, he can sleep on the floor with you!" she said more angrily than she intended.