Kai walked in slowly, her facial expressions cycling through disbelief and fear. Her hands trembled as she reached out to touch her mother’s cheek along her bedside, as if afraid that she would crumble under her touch. Sylena’s eyes fluttered, but they didn’t open. I turned to Kai, who’d been holding a breath of hope that her mother would respond to her touch. When she finally released it, her lips stopped trembling and instead, she focused on the rise and fall of her mother’s improved breathing.
“I am guilty,” Kai whispered, “for not paying her as many visits as I should. Seeing her like this brought more pain than I could bear. I… I didn’t know what else to do.”
Her words were heavy with unshed tears, her body shaking slightly as she continued to talk. “I thought... I was a coward, running from the reality of her condition. But witnessing this small miracle you’ve performed, Lucien... I realize now that it is my fault. I should have done more.”
She cast a glance at Sylena, a look so full of regret and longing that it made my heart squeeze within my chest. She reached out again, her fingers gently brushing against Sylena’s hair, her touch tender and loving.
“It was too hard, too much of a painful reminder. I allowed myself to forget, to distance myself.” A tear fell down Kai’s cheek, landing on the bony hand of her mother. She wrapped her fingers around Sylena’s hand gingerly, as if she were made of glass. “Healing is a treasure in a village, especially one like ours. We need as many healers as we can get. But, our numbers are scarce. Healers were needed during battle, many of them now gone. Healing potions of various gradients are available to us, but once the Infernal Mist touches something or someone, there is no permanent fix. We’ve struggled to replenish fields, livestock, and people, but nothing we did could remedy their ongoing malady. They are well one moment, and the next, ill again… in mere seconds. Our efforts are exhausted constantly, but I couldn’t condone this waste in our resources. So the council decided to let everything go. We burned and buried loved ones in the masses that year… but I refused for my mother to be one of them. I couldn’t let her go.”
“Kai…” I whispered softly.
Kai continued after regaining some composure, “I see now, the error in my judgment. I dedicated all my time to the village, to the people... but what about my own flesh and blood? In my fear... in my cowardice... I abandoned her.”
“You shouldn’t be too hard on yourself,” I reminded her. “I was taught to believe that my mom died from a car accident about ten years ago. I didn’t know any better, but when I found my truth, I was in your position too. The guilt… the regret… it was unbearable. But then I realized it wasn’t my fault. I forgave myself. You should forgive yourself too, Kai. Your mother would want that.”
Kai responded with silence, her grip on Sylena’s hand tightening as she lowered her head to hide the tears that spilled over her lashes.
“And you know what? You should give yourself time to be with her. I know we had our arrangements, but even if it’s just for a few days, be with your mom.”
Her eyes ballooned at me with my suggestion. “But I must—”
“I know, guide the prophecy.” I smiled. “And you will be my partner, just, not right now. I’m sure someone could sit in for you for a short time.”
“She isn’t fully healed, but this is as well as she’s been ever since the mist took her.”
“I was getting a lot of pushback while I was healing her,” I admitted. “But I did my best.”
“While this is true, she isn’t reverting to her sickly form.” Kai smiled. “She would have by now. Divine energy defeats divine energy. I’m happy the twins brought you here to help my mother. I’m happy that they believed in you, as I believe in you, Lucien.”
I brought my hand over hers to console her. I knew those were happy tears strolling down her cheeks, but I wanted her to know that I was there for her nevertheless.
“Oh?” I heard someone say, the both of us turning to the entrance to see the shaman. “It seems that I’m interrupting something.” She giggled. “I’ll come back later, and—”
“No please, Alma,” Kai said, getting up by the foot of the bed to meet the shaman. “Assess my mother’s condition and make your report. I will be back to check up on her.”
She bowed. “Very well, High Priestess.”
“Lucien, come with me.”
I walked down the hall with her, and Kai informed me about our change of plans. She wanted to observe her mother for a bit, per my suggestion, and wanted to have one of her trusted disciples travel with me instead. We made a stop to visit a seamstress named Usindi, who also happened to be Kai’s best friend. When we walked into her tailor room, she immediately greeted me with a bright smile, the blue-haired bunny girl flashing me a pair of flirty eyes.
“Usindi, here he is,” Kai introduced. “This is Lucien.”
“Ahhh, the pinnacle of hope, the prayers of our people, the prophecy,” she sang, sashaying her hips our way. When she stopped, her eyes continued to roam. I swear she was undressing me with that gaze. “My, Kai left out an important part of your description. She did you a great injustice by not mentioning how incredibly hot you are. It seems the gods have bestowed their charm upon you.”
“Those same gods have also blessed you in the art of flattery,” I responded, being equally as friendly as her.
“Oh? That’s not all they’ve blessed me with,” she cooed, offering me the back of her hand for me to kiss.
I took her hand with a smile and left her with a small peck along her soft skin. She was flirty like Buliba, but was nowhere as deadly as her, or sadistic. “It’s nice to meet you, Usindi.”
“Oh, the pleasure is mine.” She giggled, her eyes moving down along my body. “Kai was right, you do have a nice chest.”
Kai gasped. “I said no such thing!”
“She did.” Usindi winked. “Just look at her face, she’s blushing.”
“Usindi!”
“Lying is against sect nature, as well as carnal desires, wants of the flesh….” She giggled. “Our priestess might break a rule or two hanging out with you, Luc—”
“And we’re done,” Kai said, breaking our hands as she slid in between us. She was facing her friend, grunting something under her breath as she scolded her. It sounded like threats, and I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself at their playful back and forth bickering.
“Would you quit all of your flirting and take his measurements?!”
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“I can do both,” Usindi said, walking over to me with her measuring tape.
As she stepped closer, I could see the playful sparkle in her eyes. The measuring tape snapped in her hands, and with a coquettish smile, she started to take my measurements. She moved around me, with touches that were light and steady and her eyes never breaking contact with mine. And then, almost as expected, she got frisky with me. I could already tell that I liked Usindi, unafraid of being herself around me and I, the same around her. It was like we’d known each other for years, and my chemistry with her was undeniable.
When she measured my waist, she leaned her chin over my shoulder blade, the scent of cherries rolling off my skin as her breath rolled over the shell of my ears. She capitalized at the moment to whisper something raunchy to me, the girl actually making me fluster up this time.
I cleared my throat and tried to fight the flush on my cheeks, with Kai standing there with a hint of jealousy on her.
“Your shoulders are broader than I expected,” she complimented. “I’ll make a note of that when I craft your armor.”
From that comment, I guess she was expecting less Hercules and a little more Prince Charming. I was a gym rat, so naturally, my physique would reflect my obsession.
“Are you done, yet?” Kai edged.
“Technically, but I can give him back to you in better shape if you gave me 30 more minutes,” she quipped.
Kai rolled her eyes and snatched my wrist, yoinking me right out of the room. “You have half of that to finish up his uniform,” she shouted, Kai now bringing me somewhere else.
“Hmm, 15 minutes doesn’t seem like a lot of time to make armor.”
“Usindi uses magic to make her creations. That is plenty of time.” She stopped abruptly in the hallway, releasing my wrist and recomposing herself. “Sorry for handling you like that. Usindi can be… unpredictable sometimes.”
I smiled. “She seems like a lot of fun.”
“She’s a bunnykin. It’s in her nature.” She turned to me with a gentle smile. “Usindi will have Ecuzni armor ready for you. It only makes sense that you also have an Ecuzni weapon as well.”
Kai led me to a throne room of sorts. It was definitely larger than the previous rooms I’d seen, adorned with tapestries depicting deities of Etheryn. A throne sat upon a raised platform, where a singular beam of light from the ceiling illuminated it like some holy artifact. Opulent decorations and gaudy ornaments lined this tall room from its mosaic ceiling to the marble floor, but the more my eyes studied the space, the more I realized that this wasn’t a traditional throne room.
“Welcome to the Hall of Valor,” Kai announced, her voice echoing over the walls. The room was filled with various weapons, all gleaming in the soft light that entered through the high windows like gallery spotlights. From swords and spears, bows and arrows, and even some magical staves–all were neatly displayed on racks or mounted on walls for my viewing pleasure.
I didn’t know I was a weapons enthusiast until now. I was captivated by the array of weapons, and whistled lowly as I took in the sight. The craftsmanship of these weapons was nothing short of amazing. Polished steel blades, intricately designed hilts, quivers with feathers of different colors…. It was overwhelming.
“Some of these weapons have been retired from our most brave warriors, others recovered from the fallen. We keep them here as a tribute. As you will be fighting with us, it is only fitting you have one for yourself.”
My eyes led me around the room, where I noticed a table filled with more weapons: daggers and short swords, broadswords and polearms, longbows and crossbows. Each one seemed to hold an aura of power, like they were waiting for the right hands to wield them again. I was definitely getting a different vibe from this place, a kind of aura I hadn’t felt since I got here. It was like there were souls imbued in these weapons, with the honor, valor, and knightship of these men interwoven in their material.
While they all were suitable for me to wield, Kai seemed to have one already picked out for me. She walked me over to the center of the room just before the throne. On a pedestal beneath a grand ceiling mural of legendary Ecuzni warriors lay a special weapon. The sword was of the long variety, a double edged Falchion to be exact. This special weapon was kept hidden, its sheath made from a black leather with gold trimmings coiling around the body of it. The hilt was made from gold while the grip was wrapped in the same black leather as the sheath, with a large opal stone in the center of the crescent cross guard. Kai picked it up and offered it to me.
“This is Kingsfang,” Kai told me, her voice filled with reverence. “A weapon of kings, forged by the greatest blacksmiths of Etheryn. The blade is made from moonstone, a rare and powerful mineral found only in our lands. It is extremely sharp and never dulls.”
As I picked it up, it felt surprisingly light for its size. Kai noticed, the shocked expression on her face speaking to me. “It doesn’t feel heavy?”
“No, not really. Pretty light, if I can be honest.”
“Do you feel it?”
“I’m feeling something from it. Not sure how to describe it, though.”
She smiled. “Lucien, this was my father’s blade,” she finally admitted. “He fought to protect our land until his last breath. Since then, no one has touched it. His spirit flows through his cherished blade.”
“And you want me to have it?”
She nodded. “For a man who saved his wife, and for one who is destined to save us all, I’d have it no other way.”
I smiled. “This means more than words can express. I promise to honor your father’s legacy and use Kingsfang to protect Grusnabi, just as he did.”
Carefully, I unsheathed it, revealing a glistening double-edged blade that appeared to ripple under the soft room light. The weapon was truly a work of art. The moonstone blade was almost translucent as I ran my finger down the flat of the blade. The sharpness of its edge was undeniable, speaking volumes about the blacksmith's precision and mastery over this rare mineral. It radiated a sense of immense power, and I could see my reflection on the silver surface.
“I believe the blade chose you, Lucien,” Kai said wholesomely.
As I held it, a sense of fortitude filled my heart and mind as if the spirit of Kai’s father resonated with mine. It was not a terrifying sensation, rather an invigorating one. An indescribable mix of emotions took me in; honor, fear, courage but above all, purpose.
I raised the sword, the blade shifting seamlessly in my hand as if it had been crafted specifically for me. Handling it felt natural to me, and with this new weapon, I felt like I had all the tools I needed to reclaim my kingdom and save my people.
“I can see you in it, Lucien,” Kai said softly from behind me. The intensity in her eyes made my heart skip a beat. “The courageous spirit of my father... I see it in you.”
Well, there was a saying about a girl wanting a guy as strong and fierce as her father….
After Kai gave me a weapon, we went to pick up Starr.
Tanvi was Kai’s closest disciple. She was on her way to becoming a priestess herself, and according to the High Priestess, had come a long way from being a shady street rat to an honorable member of the sect.
“She pick-pocketed me,” Kai said wholesomely. “She thought I’d let her get away with it, but I didn’t.”
I chuckled. “Humble beginnings, huh?”
She tittered. “You could say I humbled her a bit, yes. She was very rough around the edges, but that’s because she had to be. The streets of Impothe are no place for a girl. I saw potential in her, beneath all those layers of distrust and fear. She was a diamond in the rough, waiting to be polished.”
“That was nice of you to take her in, Kai.”
She shrugged. “I thought so at the time too, that was… before she ran away. On multiple occasions, actually. She was so ungrateful, but once she started to trust me, she began to bloom.” She chuckled. “And that was when I realized just how clumsy she was. I guess the poor attempt at pickpocketing served as an early clue.”
Kai went on to say that Tanvi was a roughhousing, sailor-mouthed talking rug-rat who was rebellious and stubborn to a fault. She was rash, and got into more trouble than a pack of wild boars. But with time, through patience and discipline imparted by Kai, the rough edges started to smooth over. Tanvi’s resilience fascinated Kai—that determination turned into dedication, then eventually devotion. She was now not just a disciple but also Kai’s right hand.
She had the heart of a lion and a spirit that could move mountains.
Unfortunately, the lioness was no match for the dragon.
When we walked to the parlor room, I saw a menacing sight, a side of Starr I hadn’t seen since I met her.