Six Words [Chapters 17-20, Progression Fantasy, Magical Japan] (Patreon)

Hey peeps!

The final cover is done! How do you all like it? Great? Yes? I thought it was super cool! O.O

If you want to start the story from the beginning, go [HERE].

Shami

Chapter Seventeen

“Once the Age of Cinders ended, the Tze Empire was formed.

Whenever Ozeon’s Curse took hold of the land, the emperor would end it after five years.

He did so with a ritual of his own magic.”

- A quote from ‘Varinth’s Beginnings, a History Book’

            I slid open the door to Ketsu’s room and startled the man.

            He had been sitting at his low table, reading through a book, but he practically leapt out of his skin when I entered. After adjusting his glasses, he looked me up and down.

            “No tea?” Ketsu asked.

            I glared as I shut the door.

            He nervously chuckled. “Yes. Right. It was a fake errand so you would have an excuse to wander the halls. Forgive me.” He bowed his head in apology.

            “I’m tired,” I said as I walked over to him. “And I want more time to think about things. If I sleep in the barracks, Mazun will be enraged. If I sleep here in the servant’s quarters, I suspect shouting will ensue. May I sleep here?”

            Ketsu stood from his pillow seat on the floor. “Anyone sleeping in my bed would garner many difficult questions. I suggest you stay in Garrain’s room. Well, your room, I suppose.”

            “Won’t someone enter the room and see me? I won’t be able to hide my identity then.”

            Ketsu reached into his robes and withdrew a brass key. He handed to me with a second bow of his head. “Only those with a key may enter. Garrain had one. I have one. And Refili had one. As you’ve surely realized, we currently only have one key remaining. No one will enter and disturb you if you take the key with you.”

            I examined the key, and admired how it was in the shape of a serpentine dragon with a set of leathery wings. The scales on the key practically glittered.

            “Thank you,” I muttered.

            “Let me show you the way, so we can ensure no one sees you enter.”

            Ketsu didn’t even wait for me to reply. He hurried out of his room and followed, my eyes on the key. This dragon was the same as the door. It made me wonder.

            Without any words, Ketsu brought me to a steep stairway. Each step was tall, and thin, which meant I had to lift my legs high as me climbed the keep upward. Ketsu was surprisingly eager to go, but exhaustion stole my enthusiasm.

            We went up to the third story, and then Ketsu stepped onto the landing. He opened a door into an ornate hallway that also had a garden. It was a centerpiece, with the hallway wrapping all the way around it, so that anyone could view the garden from any angle. It wasn’t large, though—only a few feet wide.

            A young woman sat on the floor next to the interior garden, while a small child watered the plants. It was a girl—perhaps four years old?—and they both froze in place and turned to face us.

            The woman stood, her gold and red silk robes flowing all her around slender frame. Her eyes were larger than most, and grew even wider as she hurried over to Ketsu.

            “Oh, thank the calm night,” she said. “I’ve been meaning to speak to you, Ketsu-rah.”

            He held up a hand. “I apologize, Weilla-mya. I’ve been very busy and—”

            “No. This can’t wait.”

            Weilla stood in front of us, blocking the way. She clasped her boney hands and held them in front of her.

            “Ever since I heard that Garrain hadn’t returned, I’ve been deeply troubled.” Her eyes grew glassy.

            “He’s just in Ritmo City,” Ketsu said, his tone something a parent would use with a child.

            “Garrain said he would return before I had to write a correspondence to the emperor. That’s today. He never misses that. He knew he had to return to the castle—yet he didn’t.” Weilla rubbed the corners of her eyes. “Ketsu-rah… I’ve had a terrible feeling all day. Something terrible has happened.”

            “I didn’t know he said he would return for the correspondence,” Ketsu muttered. After a short exhale, he motioned to her to the side. “I’m certain we can send someone to fetch him. Please, don’t worry. You’ll upset the children.”

            Weilla glanced back the little girl in the garden. Her lower lip quavered. Then she nodded. “You’re right. I’ll… keep my dread to myself.” Then she placed a gentle hand on Ketsu’s shoulder. “I’m just scared.”

            Ketsu patted her knuckles. “You worry too much.”

            The man was easy liar. He spoke everything as though it came naturally. Thankfully, the woman never turned to address me.

            Why would she? I was dressed as a servant and silent. I might as well have been a decorative vase.

            Weilla stepped out of the way and half bowed her head. “Please let me know when Garrain has returned?”

            “I will.” Ketsu moved around her and then motioned for me to follow.

            It amused me that Weilla never used an honorific when using Garrain’s name. Did she just not care about that? Or perhaps she didn’t care about him.

            I stepped close to Ketsu as we headed to a second stairwell. “I thought you said no one would mourn his death,” I harshly whispered.

            Ketsu gave me a sidelong glance. “Weilla doesn’t care about him. They meet for two days a month. She’s very concerned about angering the emperor, and even more concerned that a new Ring Warlock will take over. Nothing else.”

            As we walked by the interior garden, the little girl stared at me.

            Not Ketsu.

            Me.

            I couldn’t help it—I met her gaze. When offered me a little wave of her hand, which I didn’t return. My chest felt tight, and I didn’t want to think about this anymore.

            Ketsu and I stepped into another steep stairwell. When we reached the fourth floor, there were only three rooms, one of which had a solid door meant to hold up, even under siege. It was just as decorative and ornate as the front door, with a dragon carved into the left side, and a phoenix into the other. The brass lock stood between them.

            “Here you are.” Ketsu bowed. “The key should work.”

            I slowly made my way over.

            The phoenix carving…

            I hadn’t examined the one downstairs, and now I took a moment to absorb the details. The bird… wasn’t normal. It had long legs, and giant fiery wings, but it also had two human-like arms protruding from its chest. They were smaller than the rest of the body—vestigial.

            The bird had a long beak, but it was lined with human teeth. Incisors, molars, canines—they were growing from the beak at odd angles. Unnatural. Disturbing.

            The phoenix had both bird eyes and human eyes, as though it couldn’t make up its mind about what it wanted to me.

            Human fingers sprouted out of its wings. Not ten fingers—hundreds of fingers, all mixed together with the feathers. A small part of me wished I hadn’t examined the picture at all. It made me nauseous.

            “Is something the matter?” Ketsu stood and straightened his glasses.

            I turned my attention to the side of the door with the dragon. With cautious movements, I grazed my fingers over the carving. “Why are there so many depictions of Axraksii here? Before the Ring Warlock came to the Scarlet Lantern, I had never even heard his name… No one talks about him.”

            Ketsu lifted an eyebrow. “Well, in the capital city they say Ozeon and Axraksii are deaf gods. According to legend, one is dead and the other imprisoned, so it’s not like they can hear us. Which means they also can’t speak with us. Only the highly educated, and the temple caretakers, ever learn their stories in depth.”

            “I spoke to Axraksii,” I whispered, my eyes on the eyes of the dragon.

            Unlike the phoenix, Axraksii was beautiful.

            Ketsu snorted a laugh. “Oh? In a dream or something? Was Axraksii handsome and kingly?”

            “He was gargantuan. And it was dark. I couldn’t see.” I slowly turned my gaze to Ketsu.

            The man had grown stiff and quiet. He seemed to regard me with honest suspicion for a moment.

            I continued. “He was so large that I had an entire conversation with him while falling. I think… I had been at the height of his head, but I never made it to the ground. I never found out just how giant he was.”

            “You could not have spoken to Axraksii,” Ketsu finally said with a forced laugh. He stomped over to the door and pointed to the lock. “It’s impossible.”

            I held up my bandaged hand. “It was Axraksii who gave me this power.”

            “Shhh! Shhh!” Ketsu almost grabbed me in his panic to silence me. He stopped before he actually touched my face, but he failed his arms with fervor. “Firstly,” he hissed, “don’t talk about your power. Secondly, never say you’ve spoken to Axraksii.”

            “He called himself the First Shadow,” I whispered, narrowing my eyes into a glare. “I did speak with him.”

            Ketsu shook his head. “I don’t care. Don’t say it. To anyone. Do you understand?”

            “Why?”

            The Warden chuckled. I had almost forgotten he was with me.

            “Because the emperor is descended from Axraksii.” Ketsu stepped away from me, his eyebrows knitted, his robes wrinkled from all his flailing. “The emperor’s family, according to the history books, is the only link humanity has to the benevolent darkness. They are Axraksii’s will on this planet—the ones who protect us from an everlasting drought, and the only ones who can hear Axraksii’s voice.”

            I nodded along with his words.

            Ketsu lowered his voice until it was barely audible. “You cannot have spoken to Axraksii, because that would… contradict… everything.”

            He uttered the last few words as though they had pained him.

            But I understood.

            It was heinous to contradict the emperor.

            Everyone knew the emperor’s family was the only reason the Tze Empire existed. His whole bloodline was filled with magic—like the Ring Warlocks, only without rings—and they were considered the most powerful beings to ever exist.

            “I won’t tell anyone,” I whispered.

            Ketsu exhaled and visibly relaxed. “Thank you. Remember what I said about using the unknown as a shield? You should keep that in mind. Don’t tell anyone the source of your magic, and we’ll both be better off for it.”

            I held the brass key firm and then placed it in the lock.

            “I’ll keep that in mind,” I muttered as I clicked the key into place.

Chapter Eighteen

“Every day there are shadows.

Every night there are lights.”

- A quote from ‘The Teachings of Shoki’

            I stepped into Garrain’s personal quarters.

            Well, my quarters.

            The air within the gigantic bedroom was thick with the scent of sandalwood and aged parchment, a stark contrast from the fresh air in the hall. Dim light filtered from the hanging lanterns, casting a lattice of shadows across the bamboo mats that lined the floor.

            Everything was dark red, black, and white. It was an odd theme. Almost sinister.

            To my left, a low table held a delicate arrangement of ink stones, brushes, and books.

            To my right, against the far wall, an ornate alcove displayed a single, exquisite vase holding a branch of cherry blossoms, their pink petals a subtle defiance of the season outside. Beneath it, a scroll hung, depicting a serene landscape where mountains kissed the sky.

            The center of the room was dominated by a raised platform, its edges carved with intricate patterns of Axraksii and Ozeon. White and red cushions were arranged neatly atop it—the perfect sleeping space—and it was so large at least ten people could cuddle together on top.

            Ketsu also stepped into the room before quickly shutting both doors behind us. After he cleared his throat, he gestured to our surroundings.

            “As you can see, you have plenty of space to relax. There are no windows here, for your privacy and protection.” Ketsu quickly crossed the room. He stopped at a wall next to the alcove and then pressed his hand onto one of the wooden boards.

            A secret door opened.

            I lifted both eyebrows.

            “This leads to a personal balcony.” Ketsu shut the secret door and then headed to the other side of the room. He did the same thing—revealing yet another hidden passageway—and smugly smiled. “And this is a closet for your clothing.”

            I walked over and stepped inside. The room was large enough to fit enough a bed, but instead it was shelves upon shelves with folded clothing, most of which was made of silk and ivory.

            As I grazed my fingers over the fabrics, my thoughts returned to the emperor.

            “Is it true?” I whispered.

            The Warden remained silent.

            “Is the emperor related to Axraksii?”

            A chuckle was all I heard, and for a haunting moment, it felt as though teeth grazed the shell of my ear.

            “I think you should meet the emperor,” the Warden finally muttered.

            “You won’t answer me?”

            “It’s more amusing if you just meet the man himself—without any knowledge of what you’re getting into.”

            I didn’t like that. All this new information worried me.

            It also made me realize that I had been dealing with so many new ideas, and new responsibilities, that I hadn’t thought about my family in some time. How were the girls of the Scarlet Lantern? Were they okay? Once I revealed myself as the new lord, I would summon them to the castle and give them places to live.

            “Rimon-nox?” Ketsu asked.

            I turned around, startled. I had forgotten I was in a strange closet, touching the clothes of a dead man.

            “I apologize,” I whispered as I walked out.

            “Well, before you head to bed, I wanted to tell you that I thought of a solution to your problem—the dilemma of Garrain’s children.” Ketsu straightened his glasses. “Would you like to hear it?”

            I nodded. “Please. Any advice is welcome.”

            “You can order your soldiers to kill them all.” Ketsu had spoken the words like they pure genius. “Perfect, yes? You wouldn’t have to sully your hands with their blood.”

            I slowly narrowed my eyes into a glare. “If I order someone to slay the children, it’s no better than using the sword myself.”

            “No, no, no. It’s much better, because you won’t have to carry the memory of their death. You can forget the whole situation even existed.”

            I turned away, shaking my head. “I’d still regret everything in the morning.”

            “Well, sleep till noon! See? Problem solved again.” Ketsu hurried to my side, forcing a smile.

            “Why are you so insistent that I do this?”

            Ketsu lifted a finger. “Need I remind you that I’ve already lost a Ring Warlock? Why would I want to lose another one due to vengeful concubines. Additionally, I like you more than Garrain. I’d hate to see you die a senseless death.”

            With a lifted eyebrow, I asked, “Is that right? I never would’ve guessed.”

            Ketsu’s smile immediately melted into a frown. “I have been perfectly respectful and accommodating.”

            “You have the charisma of a puffer fish.”

            “Hmpf!” He dramatically crossed his arms. “You don’t need charm to be a historian. I need to be correct. And I’m very correct about ridding this castle of Garrain’s blood.”

            “He’s right,” the Warden said. “You know it to be true.”

            After a long exhale, I strode over to the bed. The cushions were bright white and red in color, and reminded me of the feathers of a phoenix. But before I crawled on top of them all to sleep, I glanced over to Ketsu.

            “I was hoping you’d bring medical supplies to Yuna, the master of the bathhouse.”

            Ketsu’s frown persisted. “What? Why?”

            “She’s running out of ointments, and the castle physician refuses to answer her notes and pleas for medication.”

            “Of course,” Ketsu said. “Rikko, our resident physician, doesn’t want Yuna to continue practicing medicine. He’s hoping she’ll run out of supplies and be forced to stop.”

            “Why’s that?” I asked with a growl, ready to add Rikko’s name to the list of people I needed to remove from the castle.

            Ketsu stood a little taller. “Because a wound that’s yellow is different than a wound that’s red. Because some ailments can’t be felt. Because an aching tooth has black spots, and touching around the tongue won’t allow you to identify the source. Some injuries require sight to accurately diagnose.”

            That was… true.

            I hadn’t thought of that.

            “Rikko doesn’t want her to harm someone by accident,” Ketsu stated. “But he understands her father was a physician, and she’s rather talented, he’s giving her the chance to quietly quit on her own. It would be rather disrespectful to confiscate the medicine in her possession, you see. This is the kindest route.”

            It was obvious Yuna was talented, but I couldn’t deny what Ketsu had said. Some injuries required someone who could see where the blood was flowing, or to discover the item lodged in a wound, or any number of other problems.

            What would I do?

            Was the castle physician correct? His route might’ve been kind, but it was also cowardly. Why not tell her?

            But then a solution struck me.

            “Send Yuna limited medical supplies,” I muttered. “Send her ointments for cuts and burns. And send her holistic medicine. Preventative medicine. Just because she’s blind doesn’t mean she can’t handle those situations. And it’s better to have two capable people of helping the injured, rather than just one.”

            Ketsu tapped the point of his narrow chin. “Hmm. I suppose that’s a wise resolution to this problem.”

            “That’s the nicest thing you’ve said to me since we’ve arrived,” I said with a chuckle.

            Ketsu’s cheeks reddened. “I do have charisma—just not for pathetic flattery and ass kissing. I speak the truth, which is what every historian should aspire to.”

            “I appreciate that about you.” Then I sat on the edge of the bed, the cushions both soft and warm. “But I need some rest. If you wouldn’t mind giving me some privacy, that would be appreciated.”

            Ketsu bowed low at the waist. “May the heat not bother your dreams.” Then he stood and left the room. Before he shut it, he tapped the metal lock. “Lock this before you sleep.”

            He closed the door with a soft slam.

            I stood, locked it as Ketsu suggested, and then returned to my soft cushion. Nothing sounded better than sleep, so I didn’t even bother undressing. I rested my head down, closed my eyes, and then darkness took me.

***

            I awoke to the gentle embrace of night.

            When I stood, it was with surprising sturdiness. I stretched, and yawned, the lantern light overhead silently flickering.

            But something was different. It startled me at first when I realized it.

            The life essence of the trees… They were no longer in my body. I patted my chest, and then my legs, wondering what had happened. Where had the essence gone?

            “Warden?” I whispered.

            “Oh, you’re awake,” the Warden said, his voice rising up to ear as though it had been deep underwater and was now surfacing.

            “It’s gone. The essence.” I patted my body for a second time, certain that nothing ached. “What happened? Did it… seep out of me? I thought Axraksii didn’t want it to leave me?”

            The Warden’s icy laugh sent a chill down my spine. “I thought it caused you pain, Rimon-ves? Shouldn’t you be delighted that it’s not hurting you anymore?”

            “I want to know what’s happening,” I snapped. “I hate not knowing.”

            The Warden’s chortling lasted for another minute. I waited, somehow sensing that he knew what had happened, he just delighted in seeing me squirm. Once the Warden grew quiet, he continued.

            “The life essence is yours now,” he said. “Isn’t that obvious?”

            I stared down at my open palms. “I don’t understand. What do you mean?”

            “Feel your skin, Rimon-ves. Don’t you see how much tougher you’ve become?”

            I held my breath for a long moment. Then I grabbed my left arm and attempted to piece my skin with my fingernail. In the past, I had easily cut myself with the sharp corner of a fingernail in order to remove difficult splinters.

            But now…

            I pressed as hard as I could, straining the muscles of my arm and hand, trying to cut through my flesh. Nothing. My flesh resisted. It was tough—it was sturdy—just as the Warden had said.

            But it didn’t look any different.

            I stopped trying to harm myself.

            “Why?” was all I could ask.

            “The essence of living beings reflects them,” the Warden replied. “Trees are sturdy and long-lived. Their essence carries those traits. And since you’ve absorbed their essence… their strengths are now your own.”

            I rubbed my arms, trying to think over everything I knew about trees. It wasn’t much. I also wasn’t familiar with the concept of essence. I understood, vaguely, because Shoki wrote about how it was critique to keep one’s essence pure and free from taint, but I thought that advice was more a metaphor.

            “Can I be cut with a knife?” I asked.

            “Can you cut a tree with a knife?” the Warden playfully responded.

            Ah. It would be difficult, but you could. This made more sense now.

            “And my lifespan?” I whispered. “You said it was longer now?”

            “If you aren’t murdered, you’ll likely live to three hundred.” The Warden happily chuckled. “What a delight! We’ll have so much time together. Can you imagine the whimsical things you’ll be doing at two hundred?”

            I stormed away from my bed, shaken. “Don’t jest. This is serious. I didn’t…”

            “You didn’t what?”

            “I didn’t realize this could happen.” I ran both my hands through my hair, the bandages on my right hand catching some of my locks. “I absorbed the essence of the trees? I gained their power? Do you understand what this means?”

            “Rimon-ves—I knew what it meant long before you fell asleep.”

            The Warden’s voice was now dark and cold, all mirth gone. But that didn’t stop the pounding of my heart, the wild thoughts in my head.

            What if I took the essence of other things? What if I killed a hundred men? A whole forest?

            A spirit?

            A demon?

            Or even someone as magically powerful as the emperor?

Chapter Nineteen

“The emperor, with his vast magical power, crafted twenty-six rings.

These rings allow someone to make a pact with one of the imprisoned felheen.

Those who wore them came to be known as Ring Warlocks.”

- A quote from ‘Varinth’s Beginnings, a History Book’

            “You sound upset,” the Warden sarcastically stated. “Shouldn’t you be elated?”

            I took a deep breath, calming my beating heart. Was this a boon? I felt my body a second time, wondering if I was still me. What if I absorbed too much essence from others things and it changed me? What would I become? A monster?

            “Shoki said I should keep my essence pure,” I muttered.

            The Warden chortled. “He’s not wrong.”

            “What does that mean? Have I already corrupted myself?”

            The Warden replied with a long sigh. “You take away some of my fun when you pummel me with questions, Rimon-ves. But I will tell you this—those trees were pure of essence, so you remain pure of essence. As far as changing into a monster…”

            I waited, hoping the Warden would finish his statement.

            He never did.

            I paced around my new personal quarters, my bare feet tapping on the bamboo mat with each footfall. My breathing became shallow. When I glanced at my skin again, I realized nothing was different about me.

            “I won’t become a monster,” I stated.

            “Are you certain?”

            I clenched my hands into fists. “No. But… I suspect, given how you replied, that I’ll be fine. I should just… avoid impure essence.”

            The Warden said nothing, but I swore I heard his smile.

            With haste in my steps, I paced from one wall to the other, my mind racing. “What if I took the essence from a boulder? Would I become tougher then? More sturdy?”

            “Boulders have little essence,” the Warden replied. “For they do not grow. If you absorbed their essence into your body, you would become slower, heavier. Inert.”

            “I see…”

            The Warden’s words were filled with delight when he asked, “Are you going to murder your way to the top, Rimon-ves? Now that you know Axraksii’s magic can give you power beyond your wildest dreams?”

            I stopped walking.

            My thoughts had been on the many advantages of stealing life essence from other things. However, now that I thought about it more, I realized how monstrous it sounded to consume life for my own gains.

            The trees…

            I had killed them to test my magic. But now that their essence was melded with mine, wasn’t that a way for me to honor them? I’d carry them with me forever.

            But I wouldn’t be honoring a bladekeeper if I killed him just to take his life and add it to my own.

            The trees, rocks, land—Shoki taught that anything without a pulse lives to be part of the life cycle. If grass is eaten, it’s absorbed by the deer, and becomes one with the animal, and finally gets to have a life beyond the inanimate prison it once was confined in.

            However, Shoki also taught that creatures with a pulse were to be respected. Killing animals for their meat was acceptable, so long as the individual consuming it was grateful.

            “If you want to consume some humans, you shouldn’t worry,” the Warden said, clearly capable of listening to my thoughts. “All the world is your banquet now.”

            I dismissively waved my hand.

            How disgusting.

            I absolutely did not want to think of myself as eating other people. I wouldn’t do that. It was wrong. Deplorable. Disgusting.

            I wouldn’t.

            “You already killed a bladekeeper,” the Warden said. “If you hadn’t given that essence to spirit in the woods, you would’ve seen what happens when another human’s essence gets mixed with your own.”

            I didn’t like the sound of that. The Warden, while helpful, was clearly trying to be as obtuse as possible. Would absorbing another human harm me? Or would I gain their skills and knowledge? There were a lot of unknowns with this Heat Death power.

            It wasn’t as simple as I was led to believe.

            “I need… guidance.” I patted my servant’s uniform into place and then headed for the door. “And now more than ever, I need to practice my magic. Perhaps knowledge and skill will bring me comfort.”

            “Anxiety has a way of killing all tranquility,” the Warden mused.

            With a shaky hand, I unlocked the double doors to my room and threw them open.

            I sucked in air through my teeth as something fell from the ceiling. It happened so quickly, and so unexpectedly, that I almost used my deadly magic right then and there.

            Thankfully, I had kept my composure.

            Whatever had fallen had been small. Fist-sized. I glanced down and knitted my eyebrows in confusion. It was an object wrapped in thick and shiny spiderwebs.

            It was a crested kingfisher—a beautiful black and white bird with a distinct fluff of feathers on its head. They were capable hunters, and many shrines were dedicated to them around Rovik. But this one was dead—exsanguinated.

            I glanced up, my eyes widening as I spotted the spider I had saved from the other servant.

            It was on the ceiling, its black eyes glittering in the lanternlight, its eight legs wide. The creature didn’t move, its brown, hairy body practically blending into the castle.

            It took me a prolonged moment to put everything together. I stared at the spider, then the bird, and then back at the spider.

            “Did you bring me this?” I asked, my voice low.

            The spider said nothing. Obviously, it was a spider. Why would I think it would reply?

            But it had clearly brought me a bird. A very dead bird.

            “Thank you.” I bowed my head. “I appreciate your gift.”

            With careful movements, I scooped up the web-covered bird. The webs themselves clung to everything, especially my bare left palm and the bandages on my right hand. There was no word to describe the feeling of the mummified bird other than regret. I never should’ve touched it.

            But I was determined to be polite.

            “This looks… delightful,” I said with a forced smile.

            The spider rubbed its two front legs together. I hoped that was a good sign.

            Then I turned down the hall, intent on bringing this to the kitchen, hoping it could be salvaged. Then a thought struck me.

            I turned around and stared at the giant spider on the ceiling. “You’re welcome here, in this part of the castle. But don’t let the others see you, all right?”

            Again, the spider didn’t answer. I didn’t expect it to, but had hoped it would. Clearly, the creature was intelligent beyond a normal arachnid.

            “It’s a monster,” the Warden whispered in my ear. “Its mother was a demon, and its father was a human.”

            “Really?” I made my way to the steep steps. “Why can’t I sense that? The demon in the woods had such a distinct presence…”

            “Monsters come in all forms and varying strengths. It’s obvious this one is weak. Perhaps even the runt.”

            “That monster spider had almost been killed by a broom,” I muttered as I reached the bottom of the stairs. “Are they all so weak?”

            “Oh, no.” The Warden’s laugh was sinister. “Just as demons can gain power, so too can their offspring. And you should be lucky that the monster never managed to use any of its magic against you or the servant girl.”

            “It didn’t seem malevolent to me…”

            “Its essence is pure. Uncorrupted. Boring.”

            I walked into the long hallway with the interior garden, and took a moment to admire the small trees and white rocks. Everything had been placed with such purpose as to be beyond beautiful.

            I felt awkward carrying a dead bird through such a beautiful place, but I supposed my life was more than strange now.

            “Aren’t demons villainous?” I asked, my mind dwelling on the monster’s gift.

            The Warden scoffed. “Demons and their spawn aren’t born evil. They’re just born with urges that often lead them down dark paths… but they can overcome. If they want to lead a duller life.”

            “Every day has darkness,” I whispered, thinking of Shoki. That was what he taught—nothing is pure evil. Nothing is pure good.

            It was quiet in the castle. Evenings brought tranquility, their long shadowy arms casting a spell of sleep that allowed everyone to recover from a long day of grueling work. There was a reason everyone in the Tze Empire gave thanks to the benevolent night. It was peaceful.

            Then a door slid open, breaking the silence. Weilla stepped out, her silken outfit replaced by a long sleeping robe that had a loose belt. She wore her black hair down, and her eyes were puffed and red.

            When she spotted me, she half-covered her face and glanced away, but it was too late. I knew she had been crying.

            I bowed my head, and held the bird close, trying not to let her see it. “Is there anything I can do for you this evening, Weilla-nox?”

            Nox probably wasn’t the correct honorific. She wasn’t the Ring Warlock, after all, but I couldn’t think of the correct one to use, so just went with the most formal.

            “O-Oh,” Weilla muttered, keeping her hand up to block my view of her face. “I had terrible nightmares. Can you please go to the kitchen and bring me some of the rabbit fur they keep there?”

            Can you please?

            Most lords and ladies would never use such language when speaking to a servant. It made me believe that perhaps Weilla wasn’t always someone in a position of authority.

            “I’ll retrieve that right away,” I said as I stood tall and then walked around her. I held the bird against my chest, which was a mistake. The webs clung to my clothing.

            “And please bring three extra bits of hide,” she said as I went by. “For my girls. They’re also having a rough time.”

            According to myth, rabbits were secretly spirits that warded off nightmare demons. Every mother in Ritmo City brought their babes rabbit pets, rabbit toys, or actually parts of rabbits to make sure they felt comfortable sleeping.

            I nodded, but just as I reached the stairwell to go lower in the castle, Weilla held out a hand.

            “Wait.”

            I did as she asked, though I said nothing.

            “Has there been any word from Garrain?” Weilla wrung her hands. “Anything?”

            I shook my head. “I apologize.” No piece of me could bear to glance in her direction, so I turned away.

            “All my nightmares involve his death,” she whispered. “I can’t shake this feeling… this feeling that death is coming for me, too.” Weilla took in a shaky breath. “Perhaps bring all the rabbit fur the kitchen has. I’ll make a small blanket. Perhaps that will ease my restless nights.”

            With a second nod, I headed down the stairs. I barely interacted with the woman, but it was clear she loved her children, and harbored no ill will toward servants. From her speech and mannerisms, I would suspect she hadn’t been born into wealth or status.

            “Are you thinking of sparing them all just because one concubine has your sympathy?” the Warden asked.

            I hurried down the steps, trying to focus. “I don’t want to dwell on this anymore. I’ll get her the rabbit fur, and then head out into the woods, like I did the other night. I’ll improve my magic, and then I’ll—”

            Once I reached the last step, I slammed into a man with more muscle than a horse. I stumbled and hit my heel on the last step. Normally, it would’ve hurt, but my body was sturdier now…

            Tree-like.

            I turned my attention to the man.

            It was the bladekeeper, Kaito—son of Garrain.

            He wore an open robe, exposing his burly physique. He also carried his sword, the scabbard tied to a belt around his waist.

            The man reached for his weapon. With a half-drunken smile, Kaito asked, “What kind of disrespectful louse do we have here?”

Chapter Twenty

“The Tze Empire has thirteen prefectures.

The capital, Granvil, is the largest and most wealthy.

Brok, Zel, Lop, Zimk, Pult, Rovik, Undland, Temlin, Eylik, Korm, Epi, and Xazg are smaller.”

- A quote from ‘Varinth’s Beginnings, a History Book’

            Kaito grabbed the front of my white uniform and yanked me out of the stairwell. I stumbled into the first-story reception room, the web-covered bird still held in both my hands.

            There were two other people here—a young boy, and another soldier.

            “Who is this?” the boy asked, his tone proper, his posture straight.

            He also wore black silk robes, and suspected he was another child of Garrain. How old was he? At least ten.

            Kaito brushed his black hair back with a quick motion of his hand. “This is a servant who shouldn’t be wandering around at this hour. What’s in your hands, louse?”

            Before I could offer an answer, the man smacked the dead bird from my hands, slamming it to the floor with a dull thunk. The instant the others realized what it was—a bird drained of its blood and wrapped in spiderwebs—they gasped and leapt back, even Kaito. The young boy stared with wide eyes, thought, his hands shaky.

            “W-Why do you have that?” he whispered.

            “It’s vile,” Kaito said with a sneer. Then he shot me a glare. “Do you have a dent in your dome? What’re you doing carrying this through the castle?”

            The boy knelt and reached out his hand. Kaito smacked him as well, and then shoved the boy away.

            “Don’t touch it, Akihiko. This is the kind of filth we have servants for in the first place.”

            Kaito grabbed my arm, yanked me forward, and kicked out my leg. I fell and hit the polished wood floor on my side, completely off-balance. Again, perhaps that would’ve hurt a few days ago, but I barely felt it. The supernatural sturdiness of my body actually surprised me.

            “Pick that up,” Kaito growled, thrusting a finger at the bird. “You take that out to the fires, do you understand me, simpleton? Burn it.”

            I scooped up the dead bird.

            Kaito grabbed my shirt a second time, hauled me to my feet, and then shoved me into the nearest wall. I hit shoulder blades first, and gritted my teeth.

            Again, no pain.

            I almost smiled, but I knew that wasn’t what Kaito wanted, so I held back. Instead, I forced myself to bow and even faked a tremble. Kaito wanted me to be afraid, but he was such a low priority that my thoughts were elsewhere.

            What if… I used my magic to slay a tiger? They roamed the nearby forest and mangrove swamp, and I wondered what its strength and power would do to my human body.

            Could I gain massive strength? Heightened smell? Agility?

            “Well?” Kaito barked. “What do you say to your master? Or are you too stupid to form sentences?”

            I had forgotten what he had asked of me.

            “Yes, Kaito-tsin, right away.” I bowed my head. Hopefully that made sense.

            “Once when you’re done, you’ll come back to see me. Understood?”

            With a nod, I slid along the wall and away from the man. I really didn’t have time for any of this. I turned to head for the far door.

            The shhick of a blade being drawn caused me to stop in my tracks. I glanced over just as Kaito was brandishing his weapon. The long sword glittered, the blade pristine white and powerful.

            It wasn’t a normal blade.

            “It’s made of lunar metal,” the Warden whispered. “All bladekeepers are gifted a sword from the emperor himself, made out of the rarest material in the world. It’s soaked in sunlight, and forged in darkness. It’ll cut through demons, spirits, and Ring Warlocks with little trouble.”

            I knew bladekeepers were given a special sword by the emperor, but I didn’t know it was forged from a magical metal.

            “When I speak to you,” Kaito drawled, “you reply. What’s so hard to understand about that, louse? Perhaps you should get back over here and lick my boots.”

            “Brother!” The young Akihiko jumped in front of me. “Please, no more. There’s no reason to be cruel to the servants. Can’t you see how frightened he is?”

            Frightened?

            I barely knew what was going on. I hadn’t been paying much attention to the conversation.

            Kaito fidgeted with his blade and then wobbled on his feet. Obviously, the man couldn’t handle his liquor. And like every fat infant before him, he needed a nap.

            He pointed his blade at me, and I took a step back, putting a few feet between us. The other soldier—who had been as quiet as the furniture—tensed. Was Katio going to attack me in a fit of drunken rage?

            Like father, like son, I supposed.

            “You better present yourself to me tomorrow,” Kaito said. “To be punished for your insubordination.”

            The Warden chuckled. “Oh, please kill this one. I’m begging you.”

            Ignoring the Warden, I said, “I will return, Kaito-tsin.” After another bow, I slipped out the door.

            Then I ran for the front, where I had left my sandals. I had gone into the eastern woods last night, and met with Mori. Tonight, I would head to the western woods.

            Tigers lived off to the west, or so I recalled…

            But then I slowed my pace. Weilla had wanted the rabbit hide to help with her sleep. I glanced down at the dead bird in my hands.

            First, I would bury the bird. Then, I would give Weilla her rabbit fur. Finally, I’d go find myself some essence.

***

            The moon hung high in the sky by the time I made it out of Wist Castle. Nothing had ever excited me like this excursion. What creatures would I find? What could I do with their essence? I could give it to spirits, improve myself…

            The possibilities were endless.

            “I knew you’d be amusing,” the Warden whispered.

            I made it to the tree line, the gigantic oaks at least a mile or two from the castle wall. The western forest was much older than the eastern one. And overrun with bizarre plants. Vines grew up most of the trunks of the trees, and some of them had thorns.

            With careful steps, I made my way into the forest.

            The air was crisp, carrying the faint scent of pine and earth.

            “What is your real name?” I whispered. “It can’t possibly be the Warden. That must be a title.”

            “My name is for me and me alone,” the Warden replied. “Why? What does it matter?”

            “You’ve helped me so often, and you’re a constant companion… I wanted to know more about you.” Once I was clear of the vines and their thrones, I quickened my step. To my surprise, my pants were cut from the trek, but not my skin. Again, my new abilities astounded me.

            The Warden chuckled. “You are a strange one, Rimon-ves. I’m so delighted you became a Ring Warlock, if only for my entertainment. But don’t assume we are friends.”

            “Why not?” I pushed a tree branch out of my way, trying to remain as quiet as possible. “We should be good friends. That would be the best outcome.”

            “For you, perhaps. But I learned my lesson long ago.”

            “About?”

            The Warden scoffed. “About the fleeting feeling of friendship. You see, I once knew someone who I thought of as a brother. We were more than friends—we did everything together. But then…”

            The moonlight cascaded through the leaf canopy overhead, bathing everything in a silvery glow. Tonight was mystical and bright. A beautiful time.

            I paused by an ancient oak, its gnarled branches stretching out like the arthritic fingers of an old man. The Warden hadn’t finished his story.

            “But then what?” I asked.

            “But then my good friend tried to kill me,” the Warden whispered.

            A shiver ran down my spine. “Why?”

            “We couldn’t agree on something. It was minor. To this day, I don’t know why we argued. But that was all it took—one disagreement. And then it was all over.”

            I exhaled onto my hands and then rubbed together. It was cold tonight, and colder now that the Warden had told me his story. I almost felt bad for him, though it was difficult to fully grasp the situation since the Warden spoke with such vague words.

            “Are you a demon?” I asked.

            “Pfft. Of course not.” The Warden laughed. “Stop asking about me and look to your left, Rimon-ves. Your next meal awaits.”

            My heart suddenly hammered as I whirled on my heel. Had a tiger ventured into this forest? Was that even possible?

            But no. It wasn’t a tiger.

            It was a majestic red elk.

            Its coat was the color of embers, a rich, deep red that seemed to shimmer and glow with an inner light. Each movement it made was a study in grace, its muscles rippling beneath the gleaming fur as it stepped delicately through the underbrush. Its antlers, a magnificent crown of bone, were tinged with gold, catching the moonlight and casting a soft glow around its head.

            I watched, scarcely daring to breathe, as the elk lifted its head and met my gaze.

            The beast was tall—larger than a horse, but smaller than an ox.

            Red elk were rare in the Rovik Prefecture. They used to run wild through the forests, but the Ring Warlocks had hunted them for their hide and bone that I few were ever seen anymore.

            And here I was…

            A Ring Warlock.

            Hunting for something.

            For a moment, we stood there, two beings from different worlds connected by the fragile thread of this instant. The elk’s breath misted in the cool air, and I saw the rise and fall of its chest, the steady rhythm of life.

            It seemed to regard me with a calm curiosity, unafraid and unhurried.

            “If I used my magic to kill this beast, what would happen when its essence mingled with mine?” I whispered.

            “You would gain vast amounts of speed,” the Warden replied, almost in a bored tone. “Red elk are known for their ability to run, and their phenomenal sense of balance.”

            I exhaled, my heart still pounding. “It seems cruel…”

            In a condescending voice that sounded like a parent speaking to a babe, the Warden said, “When you’re a child, you eat to grow big and tall, don’t you? That isn’t cruel. That’s life. And right now… you’re a little child Ring Warlock. And you need to eat if you want to be big and strong.”

            “You’re not helping me,” I muttered.

            “I thought it a rather logical and compelling argument. Trust me when I say that there are other Ring Warlocks who have done far worse for far little.”

            I hesitantly stepped forward, my footfalls crunching through the undergrowth. Those noises didn’t spook the elk.

            “Oh, great beast of this forest, I must offer you an apology.” I took a deep breath. “I’ve come for your life. I… wish to add your strength to my own.”

            The elk twitched its ears, its black eyes locked on mine. Just like the spider, this creature didn’t respond. Why would it?

            I inched ever closer, but the elk didn’t move.

            Was it fate that I met this beast in the forest? Or luck? For whatever reason, the red elk didn’t move, even as I came within a foot of its presence. I relaxed as I stood next to it, the elk’s mighty antlers towering over me as it tilted its head down to gaze into my eyes.

            “Is this a monster?” I whispered.

            The elf seemed more intelligent than I would’ve guessed.

            “It is not,” the Warden replied. “Just an elk from the prefecture to the north—where its herd hasn’t had much contact with humans.”

            I reached out my left hand, my fingers splayed. The elk still didn’t move, and right before I was about to touch its red fur, I activated my magic. With a single whisper of death, I instantly took the life of the elk and only the elk.

            Its essence flooded into me, the powerful creature filled with wondrous life.

            The elf slowly collapsed to the ground, first onto its knees, and then onto its side. It hit the undergrowth with a soft woosh, its body withering, its antlers falling off to the side.

            Dead.

            No suffering. No malice.

            And the essence didn’t hurt as much as before. I really was getting used to my magic. This was easier, now. Manageable. My body was no longer a tea cup, and the life of other beings were no longer boulders.

            But I was still shaken.

            I had killed the red elk simply to make myself stronger. Something about that didn’t sit right.

            I knelt, picked up one of the antlers, and then patted the creature’s shriveled body.

            “I’m so sorry,” I whispered. “I’ll… find more red elk. And I’ll make sure they have a safe haven inside of Wist Castle. Until your kind run these forests like they once did, I won’t stop repaying your sacrifice.”

            “It can’t hear you,” the Warden replied, sardonic in tone. “You waste your breath and your energy with stupid promises.”

            I stood, my hands gripped tightly on the antlers. “Remind me, who is in charge of the castle? Me? Or you?”

            The Warden didn’t reply to that.

            After a long exhale, I decided to return to the castle. I wanted to… sleep as quickly as possible. To absorb this essence. To strengthen my body.

            But also—it was time for me to finally reveal myself as the new lord of Wist Castle.