The room fell silent as four pairs of eyes fell on Zayden. Furrowed brows, piercing stares, and conflicted expressions were etched on their faces. Hirotaka brushed his nose in anxiety. Among the crew, he was the one who had been with Zayden the longest time.
"He kept saying that. For the past seven years since I've known him." He looked away from the others as if talking about Zayden broke his heart. "Let's continue." He tucked his hand inside his pocket and brought out a slightly crumpled letter. "This letter came the previous night. It speaks about monsters appearing in the town in large numbers," he explained and pushed his glasses to rest well on the bridge of his nose.
Zayden stood up from his seat and moved towards the window. Quietly, he watched the bustling town while also keeping an eye on strange movements. No one here knew he was reborn. The former Zayden was gone, leaving him with nothing but broken memories and the question that haunted him—had he truly vanished for three years?" he asked within himself as his grip on the windowsill tightened. He stared at the sky as if in deep thought. In his previous life, he wasn't educated. However, this body had a lot of advantages over his previous weak self. The cool night breeze tousled his silver hair as soft bangs brushed his face. Then he tried to search his memories of when he went missing. A sudden pang of headache hit him, and he groaned.
Stanley looked at Zayden when he heard him groan. Now he was curious about this man before him, who was so mysterious. He hadn't forgotten about the wyvern's attack or the serpent shifters. How did he become a war god? He kept questioning himself.
"We have to hurry. There are strange activities going on down there," Zayden said from where he was standing.
Conny stood up from the table and began arranging their stuff. "Late-night fights are the best." He grinned evilly. When the world became hell, he fought to survive. Luckily, he met Hirotaka, who trained him to survive and grow stronger with each passing year.
"How much time do we have?" Hirotaka asked. He took a look at the letter and dropped it on top of the map.
"At least thirty minutes," Zayden stated. "We can escape through the window, but it'll cause a commotion because the town is still busy," he added and looked at the others to check their reaction.
Hirotaka nodded and faced Stanley and Jenny, who were still sitting. This was an escape. "They're after Zayden. Troublesome," he murmured and gripped his dark hair tightly between the crevices of his fingers. It was the same. For the past years, nothing had changed. "We have a problem," he said loudly.
Conny stood up from where he was packing supplies. "What kind?"
Jenny frowned.
"Monsters have been attacking the town in large numbers. On the other hand, a high-ranking official visited this town three days ago. That's the current information at hand. My assumption is that the monster attacks increased after the official made an appearance in the town."
"You think they want to kill him?" Stanley asked when he saw the confusion on Hirotaka's face. His frown deepened.
Zayden left the window. He opened the wooden wardrobe, pulled out a coat, and threw it at Conny. "I'll need it later," he said when the boy was looking at him with an arched eyebrow in question. "We have to evacuate now. We're surrounded," he whispered.
Everyone stood up as Hirotaka rolled the map quickly. They quickly strapped their backpacks on their backs. Conny and Jenny went for the door as though they already knew what to do. She winked at Stanley, who blinked in surprise. He was yet to understand how they operated.
"No one will suspect a young girl and a boy leaving the inn at this time. Hirotaka somehow stood out, so he would move after Conny and Jenny were already outside of the inn. Stanley, we're using the window," Zayden relayed orders like a captain. "They saw us when we arrived, so using the entrance door will cause a ruckus. We'll meet at Granny's place."
They all nodded in understanding. "Roger," they chorused.
Conny and Jenny immediately stepped out of the room. Hirotaka sighed. His eyes fell on Zayden, who was looking at him as if a silent communication was going on between them. This didn't go unnoticed by Stanley, who was already thinking about getting a new notepad solely for Zayden.
"You killed a human, Zayden." Hirotaka's expression instantly turned furious as he glared at Zayden. "You should control that bloodlust of yours," he spat and stepped out of the room with heavy strides.
Zayden shrugged and looked outside the window to see Jenny and Conny step out and blend into the crowd.
He looked at Stanley, who gave him a curt nod. "You're going first. There's a high chance that those people don't know you."
You first. I can take care of myself," Stanley insisted, but Zayden's hard stare silenced him. "You don't even know what we call Granny's place. He stared straight at Stanley.
Sighing in defeat, Stanley climbed down the window and jumped down while some people gave him curious glares. He spotted Hirotaka moving out of the inn. Before he could reach for him, Zayden was already beside him. "This way." He ran in the opposite direction.
He was doing this because of his crew members and the innkeeper. What Zayden really wanted to do was step out of hiding and tear the men to shreds.
Holding on to the jewelry box tightly, they took another bend away from the bustling street. They sighed in relief and resorted to walking. It was really a tiring day. "Being with you means running around," Stanley had said, while Zayden observed the street. Faint light from oil lamps seeped through the windows of the townsfolk's homes.
"I get that a lot," Zayden replied curtly.
"What do you think about the town of Rivendell? Hirotaka still feels like something's off in the town."
Zayden chuckled. "The monsters are not after the high-ranking official, if my speculation is accurate. They are after the people," he stated as a matter of fact. It was unbelievable that the monsters increased because a certain bigwig was in the town.
"We will drop this at Granny's and head for the town."
*
They were all seated in a small living room when Zayden and Stanley arrived. The house was quite old and cold, with only one oil lamp visible. Life had gone back to the days when technology was still at its earliest.
"What took you so long? It's been an hour," Jenny complained and fell back on the small couch she was sitting on.
Zayden took his seat beside Conny. "We took a different route to deflect them," he replied and placed the box on the table.
A young man came out from one of the doors, probably a kitchen. He was wearing pyjamas with slightly droopy eyelids. "Zayden, our payment has been cut down by ten percent because of the delay in delivery," he slurred.
Hirotaka shook his head in disbelief. A ten-percent cut was a lot. "Just a one-day delay? Some people are very selfish and clueless. Zayden was attacked on his way to pick up the trashy jewel. They should be grateful for once."
Stanley looked at the newcomer and then to the others. "Granny? Him?" He was confused. Why would a young man bear that name?
"His second name. He's like Zayden too," Jenny answered and yawned loudly. "Urghh, my hair is sweaty," she fussed.
"All you think about is your hair even in times like this?" Conny rebuked her. Jenny pouted and rolled her hair between her fingers. "Says the one who always stares at his hair in the mirror for hours?" she threw back at him.
Conny's face reddened in awkwardness. "I admire my handsomeness and healthy hair. I'm different from you," he tried to make them understand.
Stanley smiled as the atmosphere lightened. It had been a while since he last sat around people having fun.
"I've a little information that might be helpful at Rivendell," Granny murmured sleepily as he sat down on the floor. "Hirotaka, the map," he called.
A map was quickly spread on the table as all eyes focused on it. It was a map of the Iron Dominion Faction and its closest neighboring faction. Granny placed his hand at Rivendell on the map and looked at them. "Your mission has changed. You all are not saving the people this time."
"What?" Hirotaka's conflicted expression worsened.
Granny moved his hand towards a spot in Rivendell where it was marked as a mine. "The monsters aren't attacking people—at least, not yet. They're gathering at the mine. The rumors were never true. It's a gold mine, very rare due to the condition of the world. You will do two things: eliminate the monsters at the town's mine," he told them and rolled the map.
"And the other?" Jenny questioned. "Why are they gathering at the town's mine instead of attacking the people?"
"They are using that as a decoy. There's another secret passage into the mine that is known only to a few. Their intention undoubtedly is to sneak into the mine using that passageway. Their loot won't be able to pass that tiny passage, so they must use the main entrance." Granny folded his hands across his chest and yawned loudly. "What would you think if you were a townsman who works at the mine?" he questioned.