"Why haven't you met with me in the past days?" asked Laudis. He sat down on the quartz chair. The hands of the clock began to move.
"I really don't care about you. It is insignificant for me whether I talk with you or not," replied Will, putting his legs off the table. He took a quick sip of the drink.
"It's whisky, help yourself or not. Though you won't have a hangover. After all, we are in the space detached from the world you know," the being continued, pouring the liquor for the youth.
"I wanted to ask you two questions that are troubling me. Firstly, is there any other entity similar to you in terms of appearance? Secondly, what is the meaning of the heptagon with the star in it?" the boy recalled his previous experiences.
"Yes, there is an entity looking kind of like me. He is the Archangel Noxis, a servant of mine. He makes sure you don't speak of our encounters. I made him watch you since yesterday, because I had a feeling about you. If you had mentioned me to anyone, I would have had to kill you and erase your existence from this timeline. You don't want to cease to exist, do you?" he smirked at him, looking at his puzzled face.
"What do you mean by 'erase you'? You didn't say anything like that!"
Thuck! — the kid stood up rapidly, slamming the table. His face turned pale, breathing became heavy, and he experienced dizziness.
'I was so close, so close to sharing his existence with Gladius. If I had done I would be dead—, no, I would disappear. Like the snowflake in the summer, I would have shared its fate. To hell with him and his foolish smile!' thought Laudis, irritated by his ironic expression.
"I've forgotten about it, my bad. Nonetheless, coming back to the second question—"
"Wait! You've said something about timelines. Does it mean there are multiple ones with different outcomes of events?" the boy interrupted his response.
"Indeed, there are an infinite number of them. Though, there are only about one-hundred with humans still present. In the rest of realities, mankind was either overthrown by vampires, killed by themselves in wars, killed by olimpian gods, wiped off with the whole continent, or erased by natural disasters. I won't share any more information about them, because it would disrupt the natural flow of this one. In short, yes there are other timelines."
"Sorry for barging in, I was a bit scared by the fact of true death. Could you answer my second question?" the youth clarified, drinking the alcohol.
"No hard feelings, I understand you. So, the thing you are referring to is the Mark of Knowledge. I've given you this ability through my Archangel. You will have to provide the power, which you will share. For example, you will give part of your mana to someone. He will gain it, but lose his vision as long as the given power is in him. The two sides don't need to agree, just the marked one. The sole condition that the pact will be conducted if both of your palms touch. This variable can be overwritten by the pact of blood. You still have to be anointed with the mark, but you don't have to touch anyone. Your and one's blood must mix for the pact to be executed."
"Okay... Nonetheless, when I've touched it myself and felt heart pain, why is that?" the boy wondered.
"It's a situation similar to trying to connect the same ends of magnets. You will use full force, but still lack the strength to pull it off. It's just impossible. You can't give and receive something from yourself. The pain is a result of the stress your body was put on. Every mana usage shortens your life, but using the mark makes it even shorter. That's because human bodies aren't capable of managing such strains. On the other hand, vampires and other magical creatures have bodies built to withstand it without major consequences. Still, only humans can activate auras. That's because you can still change, unlike them. They are at their last chapter, while mankind has many more to go on. They are superior only in raw strength, but not in progression," stated Will, playing with his glass. The liquid bounced off the cup's walls, spinning around.
"All right, before I leave, I have—"
Thung! — the clock struck the final second of the meeting. Laudis' vision was becoming blurrier and blurrier. He felt like his body was torn apart. Suddenly, he woke up. The youth bandaged his right hand to hide the mark. It was better for him to hide this fact behind the Crusaders. He dressed up and went outside his tent. Nearby it, there were some footprints. They weren't human for sure. No one said anything about them, thus the kid didn't bother to break out. They packed up the camp and departed from the spot. The sun was hiding beneath the clouds, and it started raining. Everyone wore some sort of clothing to protect themselves from it, but not Laudis. He enjoyed the cold, yet comforting droplets of water. The only con was his inability to smoke.
"You will catch a cold if you don't wear something," told him Udania, hiding under an umbrella.
"I care not," he replied, rewrapping his bandages. The rain made them soaked, thus they loosened up.
He slicked back his hair. From time to time, small steam was coming out of his mouth, mimicking his habit. The water was pouring down his face. Strangely enough, his jawline was more pronounced. There was something else about his eyes too, almost like they were glowing. It wasn't a light similar to a torch lighting the area nearby them. It was almost like it was trapped inside him, a humble manner of his persona. Solisia glanced at him.
'He isn't that ugly, I guess...' the girl thought, fixing her coat. Suddenly, her horse jumped over a log. The clothing fell down into a puddle, it was covered in mud and soaked wed. The Crusaders halted their horses.
"To hell with it! Why now?!" she snarled, picking it up.
"You can use mine. I don't need it," he responded, handing his coat.
She questioned whether to take it, but the youth didn't want to waste time. He just put it around her and distanced himself from her. They again started the ride, there was no time to waste. The boy lay on his horse, closing his eyes. She turned her head down, hiding a smile.
'It was something unexpected to say the least... He touched me, normally I would crash out on him, but... It was like I couldn't, no, more like I didn't want to. When did I start to tolerate him?' she thought, observing him.
"You good?" asked Laudis, noticing her observation behaviour.
"Y—Yeah!" she stuttered.
They were travelling, avoiding villages. Just the sole fact of being a Crusader made vampires more prone to attack the civilians. Their symbol was an incense for the undead. They were hated not only by the vampires. Even people didn't want to be seen with them. Some towns even put up signs forbidding their entrance. The heroes who were hated by the protected ones, pretty ironic. Thus, they were shunning away from any unnecessary human interaction. Only the ones from bigger cities didn't think much about their presence. The ride was peaceful, and the rain didn't stop until sunset. The landscape didn't differ much; the same trees, plants, and animals as before. During the trip, conversations were mostly held by the females. They've talked about the nature, people, and culture of Carola. It was their first time outside the Luxaris. Dantenium heated up the meat and distributed it accordingly to one's nutritional requirements. It was dried beef and dehydrated fruits. Udania took out the cups and summoned water to drink. It wasn't an extravagant cuisine. Gladius didn't show any expression. The crimson-haired man enjoyed it. The woman wasn't a fan of meat. Solisia didn't even bother to touch the fruits. On the other hand, Laudis was satisfied with the meal. It was simple, yet balanced. He had only one requirement for the food. That is, it shouldn't be too moldy. Unlike yesterday they didn't put up a camp. It was more efficient to travel at day and night. Suddenly, they noticed a strange figure in the distance. They slowed down. Dantenium lit a torch, so they would have a better view. With every meter closer to it, the image became clearer. Finally, after some time, it was fully distinguishable. The women turned their heads away. The crimson-haired man clenched his fist in disgust. Gladius was reaching for his sword. It was the vampire. The undead emerged from the shadows, holding a woman. Her stomach was wide open. To further horror her intestines were hanging out of her, but it wasn't the most disturbing part. She was still alive. Her clothes were torn apart, exposing her breasts. His mouth was stuffed with her flesh, and the blood was dripping, causing a mess. The creature glanced at the Crusaders. He threw her to the side and rushed at them. The paladin tried to end it quickly with his sword, but Laudis jumped in front of him. The aggressor lengthened his claws, aiming for his face.
"Move!" the captain shouted at him.
"Sword Technique No.1: Void Creation," he whispered lightly.
Fwoosh — the air was erased from the side, dodging the attack. He spun sharply and quickly in one place. He struck his neck with full force. Thwack! — he was decapitated in one, singular cut. The youth cut out an X on his chest and pierced the crossing point. It was his mannerism; every vampire he had killed was marked with it. The blood was coming out of his arteries. Despite being different on many bases, the life giving liquid was almost identical to human's. His entire body was covered in thick, brown hair. He only wore brown trousers.
"XXX," the half-dead woman murmured something.
The kid went up to her and leaned forward. He listened to her final message.
"Can you heal her?" he asked, looking at Udania.
"I can't, I want to, but I'm a Water, not a Plant mage. I'm too weak," she replied, starting to cry. Tears were pouring down her face. The woman was filled with grief. She turned her head away.
"I have no other choice then."
He raised his sword. Thuck! — the blade pierced her heart with an impact, ending her misery. The boy gently closed her eyes. Then he took off his shirt and covered her torn clothing, covering her nudity. He had taken her body and put it under a nearby tree. His face was emotionless, yet he was slightly gloomy inside. The youth felt something unknown to him; perhaps a spark of sympathy entered his body.
"Why, why did you kill her?!" erupted Solisia, throwing her hands on him. Her eyes were glazed.
"She was going to suffer for ten more minutes at best. She has asked me to heal or finish her. Thus, I had to fulfil the promise. Now, I ask you, Gladius. Can we put up a camp here? I need to do something about her corpse, or the vampires will desecrate her body."
"I allow it, Solisia, start picking up sticks for a campfire."
"Okay," she replied, wiping her eyes.
Laudis took out a shovel and started digging a hole. It was exhausting and strange for him.
'Why do I want to bury her? It's not like she's going to return. I didn't care for the others, why is this woman so much different from them? Why do I feel sorry for her? Oh, I understand now. She was the sacrifice, I've heard about that. Some villages give out a human offering, so the lone vampire won't kill the entire town. It's harsh, but it's the reality. Some say life is filled with flowers, others say it's full of death. I think life is mixed. It's neither bad nor good. You're the one living through it, you can change it if you want to' thought Laudis, digging the burial place.
After thirty minutes, he finished the task. The youth carefully placed her into the space and covered her with earth. He placed a triangular marker, made with tree branches. It was a typical manner to build such construction for the people who couldn't afford a tombstone. The kid also took an old log and chopped it down to form a sign. Using his knife, he inscribed her name. He coloured the letters using the vampire's blood. He laid the plank on the ground.
"Amber Walker... She had a beautiful name," said Gladius, initiating the conversation.
"Indeed."
"Why did you step into action, blocking me?"
"I don't know, also I don't know why I buried her."
"I see. Nonetheless, do you want to spar with me? Yesterday we didn't have a chance to do it."
"Why not," he replied, picking up his sword up.
The men went to the open area. The sun was already absent. Thus, Dantenium lit some torches to light the space. The sparring consisted mostly of the captain dodging every attack and Laudis trying to hit him. His only objective was to make him block his strike.
"Why don't you use your techniques?" the paladin wondered.
"I can, but I'd rather not. They're strong, but my body isn't fully adapted to such stress yet. I have to introduce them slowly. I've used them thrice during the second trial, and I lost consciousness."
The training went on for twenty more minutes. The boy was tired; on the other hand, the knight didn't sweat. He didn't say anything, but you could tell that he was slightly disappointed. The kid ate the dinner's leftovers and went to his tent. When he tried to enter it, he felt something. Solisia halted him.
"Your coat, thank you," the girl murmured, handing it. She avoided any eye contact.
"Ah, right. To be honest I felt a little cold. Thanks,' he responded, putting the clothing on.
"Why did you put your shirt over her?" she wondered, looking at him.
"I don't know why. It's not like she would feel anything. It's hard to put it into words. Simply, I thought it was the right thing to do. I thought it was appropriate to cover her nudity. We also had good timing. If we arrived even two minutes later, it would be hard to even know if she was alive before the encounter. These creatures can murder people in minutes. Thus, I have no sympathy for them. They are wild animals to me, that need to be executed," the youth replied.
"Oh," she murmured.
"Okay, I understand your point of view. Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
Laudis had gone to his tent and fell asleep.