"In the dark she shines, in the light she blinds, for her flames bring justice and her rage brings doom, this humble being asking for her bless.. Iris, she who lights the paths."
He read it slowly, before folding the blood-stained piece of paper and handing it back to the person who gave it to him... It was a young lady in a solemn dress and a small black hat. If we were to put her in a crowded square, she wouldn't stand out. Her attire was plain yet suitable and matching that of her surroundings—except for the little three-petal flower's symbol embroidered in the hat, but not that of a standing out since it can be brushed off as some new brand.
"So, what is it about? Isn't this just a protection enchanting.."
It was a gloomy morning; the lack of street movements and cloudy sky made a silent environment that screamed that word, gloomy.
It was only the sound of the single moving wheels of the carriage on the white paved street.. It wasn't because it was too early or people weren't yet starting their day but because the yellow tapes had been blocking the ways—those tapes of the police.
Inside the carriage, although the lady was in a fixed respectful posture, her counterpart didn't seem to care less.. wearing shorts and a flowery shirt exposing his upper body naked.
"What is it with those glasses?"
She couldn't help but ask, his eerie black glasses.
"I bought it yesterday, isn't it nice? I heard it's called sunglasses."
"I see.. excuse me for my digression."
"No no. Don't think about it.. I love when people ask about me, that's why I am trying to stand out."
"Is that so? Does that include those weird tattoos and explicit amount of rings?" She was curious, and his complicity only filled her curiosity more. The many tattoos that covered his body and the many rings he wore were standing out.
"Well, the tattoo part is a secret but you will find out soon.. And for the rings, what can I say?"
He wore a big smile. "Jewelry has a thing for me."
"I see, if you don't mind, we should continue with our mission."
"Yes, that." Clicking both of his fingers, he affirmed.
"What do the reports say again?"
He asked. She pulled the files from her bag and continued.
"There were not many reports or witnesses.. but, residents around the area said they heard screamings and incomprehensible babbling."
"I see, and what does this incomprehensible babbling say?"
"They heard the following: 'Please, I am not trying to---. Please, I am doing as they say... please---' and there were some words that they couldn't hear due to the distance."
"I see.. I see, then that's it.. this is some mob activities, case closed.. now let me go back to sleep." With a strong yawning, the man tried to open the moving carriage door and jump, not caring for his safety.
"Wait!! Mister Peter!!"
"What is it now? Why even calling me.. isn't the police responsible for this kind of investigation?" He was speaking lazily and complaining; the lady was getting frustrated about his attitude.
"Didn't you read that piece of paper?"
"What? Blah blah, asking for her bliss, Iris, flames of justice..?"
"No, it ends with 'she who lights the paths,' not 'flames of justice' .. why aren't you paying attention?"
"Eeeeh? Really? Ahhh."
"Sigh.."
He started laughing as if everything had been cleared, as if he understood what's going on. Was it because he was sleepy that he took long enough to understand or was it because he was just slow? She couldn't help but question so, but there was another question rubbing her head.
"Why would they call another private citizen like me.. I would be enough."
"Aha? Is this your first day?"
"Yes, it is." She puffed her chest proud.
"That is sad.. putting you with me. What is your name?"
"Sera."
"Just Sera?"
"Yes."
"Well, hope we fit together." Saying so, he reached his right hand to shake her hand, as if he is telling her that this wouldn't be their only mission together. She reciprocated but—
"Eh?" She found something missing with his hand. It was his middle finger; he didn't have one in his right hand.
"Ahhahhah." Seeing her confusion mixed with disgust, he burst out laughing.
----------
"I see, so this is the poor guy."
It was in the great commercial port of Sideria, the capital of Eirenthal. There lay a dead body with a hole going through his head.
"Yeah, he was found dead this morning, and as soon as police arrived.. they called for evacuating."
"As it should. Here, hold this." He took out a couple of cut papers from his shorts. They had strange and incomprehensible writings on them splashed with what seemed to be blood.
"What are those?"
"You will know later. Now just put them in a way they resemble a circle around me and this poor guy."
"Umm." She nodded and started doing so. He squatted to take a closer look at the body.
"'They are watching' huh.." It was a writing in blood on the ground.
"interesting, so this is your last words, poor guy? But there is something off about you.. you know things you shouldn't?"
He moved the corpse's head exposing the fatal hole in its forehead, then with his bare fingers he dug in it, probed the wound to find nothing but a small pebble lodged in the shattered brain.
"Such a precise and fatal shot.. interesting."
Throwing the pebble in the sea, he reached to his right ear. There he wore an eerie earring; it was a small dagger. He took it out.
"The circle is complete."
"Nice.. let us ask you personally."
With that, he slit his index finger and rubbed the blood leaking out of it in the neck of the corpse before he slit the place he rubbed his finger in, opening a small wound in the neck of the corpse, and then it happened.
"..?!"
"Arghhh!" Sera screamed, a painful scream as she held her head, growling on the ground, and so it happened to Peter.
"Aghh!"
He held his long untied hair and screamed, a pain that was akin to knife stabs tearing their head apart. Their ears went numb and so did their hands.. The pain was strong enough; Sera fainted when it suddenly ended.
"Ohh." Laying on the ground, finally the pain disappeared, Peter stared at the cloudy sky.
It didn't work, I felt pain..? I felt pain even though I am not supposed to
"Eh.. oho.. aha.. ahahhhh." He couldn't help but burst out laughing even though he isn't supposed to.
"Interesting!! Interesting!!.. ahhaha."
Aurel really needs to hear about this.
-----
----
"it is called Etra.. "
"Etra"
"correct!!, do you know what sound it is?"
"eeeee?"
"correct!! as expected from my lapu! now, Etra is another word for rabbit"
it was late evening, the sun was setting and in a cozy sensation of autumn, Clara was sitting with Lapsus and Luna, both in her lap teaching him what seemed to be letters
"isn't it too early for them to start learning?"
"honey, you came back early"
Clara was excited to see her husband, Lunavayne, walking to the living room. After all, she was used to him always being late, sometimes not coming back at all until the next day where she would, as usual, try to stab him thinking he cheated on her
"yeah, decided I wanted some rest so I clocked out early .. thanks Qian Qian"
he took off his top hat and coat, handed them to Qian Qian so she would hang them and walked towards them, however for some reason he stopped when he got close enough and stayed, as if his body refused to take another step forward
what is it with him? Lapsus alongside Luna, who were expecting a heartwarming greeting as usual from their father Lunavayne, couldn't help but be confused as they watched him avert his gaze from them— no, it was from Lapsus. Lunavayne's eyes withered as if he was keeping a pain, an agony from the outside, and it was Clara who noticed it
"Qian Qian, could you take care of the children for me"
"umm" Qian Qian nodded to Clara's request
"go with Qian Qian and play, ok? papa needs some rest"
"well, cooking dinner is some sort of game, I think" Qian Qian was a little bit awkward as she dragged the twins away, upstairs where the kitchen was
"come, rest your head" with both of her hands, Clara beckoned Lunavayne to treat her lap as a pillow, which he followed
"is it those voices again?"
"yes, but let's not mention them for now..." he sighed
"anyway, they won't start attending the sanctuary school until next year"
"I know, but I want my kids to be advanced,,, just imagine the teachers speaking highly of my children's talent,, ummm I can't wait" hugging her chest tightly, Clara couldn't help but let her thoughts be swept away, holding a prideful smug that everyone envies... well, at least in her imagination
"is that soo? heheh" seeing such a cute proud smile, Lunavayne couldn't help but laugh, a laugh although meant to lighten the mood had an opposite effect on Clara, for she—
"I miss your old laugh" with a gloomy face, she said
"what old laugh, I am still laughing the way I always did.. anyway" Lunavayne was ignorant and tried to change the subject, he reached for his pocket and took out a strange small box, apparently made out of copper?
"what's that?" she asked
"just watch.." there was a small button; when he pushed it, the box opened revealing a cog and a little hole— and swiftly, he rubbed his finger on the cog and fire was born from the hole
"wooah? what is it called?" Clara was impressed, her eyes were fixed on the little fire
"it was represented in today's meeting, a lighter— a new invention from the Jishi Empire"
"land of the engineers?" it was a name the Jishi Empire had earned for itself rightfully throughout the third era— the Jishi Empire, considering that the Eirenthal Kingdom was in the far east of the northern continent, the Jishi Empire was the farthest land from them, being located in the south of the west continent
"yeah, it is a shame that they decided to isolate themselves.. we are thinking of reproducing this little thing, but some changes must be done I guess"
"changes? like what?"
"nothing big, just this symbol" tapping it multiple times, was a drawing of a circle with a human having his chest pierced by a long sword shaping its figure like the letter A
"it is a bad omen for the public.. " he murmured as he stared at it
-------
for some reason, each night, I started staring at the sky.. sometimes I will get tired easily after a couple of minutes when the cloud has covered the sky but when it doesn't
"sigh..."
"he lapu quit staring from the window and come help" it was Luna, holding on Lapsus' shirt trying to drag him away from the open window but his eyes were fixed and his thoughts were closed
"Luna, bring me the salt" Qian Qian called for Luna as Lapsus heaved a deep sigh
I just can't help it, it is as if I am mesmerized by their lights— no, I am that mesmerised.. especially with that blue shining star.. whenever I look at it, I feel like I am being drawn to it and hours passed by before I stop, but—
at that moment, Lapsus couldn't help but clutch his chest and mouth as if he was suffocating
but, it is true that its beauty is captivating but it doesn't ease my heart and the stench only grew stronger, the stench that came with me from my past life, the stench that wouldn't leave me.. it just keeps getting stronger, each time
"lapu, come on and help"
"wait for me, I need to relieve myself.. don't do anything"
holding her hands between her legs, Qian Qian rushed to the bathroom and Luna just kept trying to drag Lapsus' attention before she gave up
"hmph" puffing her cheeks in anger, she wanted to run away but she made a little mistake, a mistake that shouldn't be made
it happens that the window is located next to the stove where a pan was there, a pan heated enough to burn anything that touches, a pan full of oil burning to the point it made exploding bubbles
"..?!" she hit the pan with her hand, it was inevitable, the pan would fall on her face, burning it and scarring for the rest of her life.. stealing the beauty of her facial features away, turning her into a horror tale for the kids and that is if she lived, at least that was the supposed
"lapu..?"
it happened quickly, Lapsus was just by her side, he didn't think of it and just jumped, he pushed her away and was able to bring himself far from the burning oil, but—
"Lapsus!!"
is she crying? why..? didn't I save her or? ah.. I get it..
he just didn't bring himself far enough... it was his left arm, it wasn't far enough, Luna was crying her eyes out at the horrific scene and Lapsus' expressions deteriorated as he started to realize
it burns! it burns! it burns! it burns! it burns! it burns! it burns! it burns! it burns! it burns! it burns! it burns! it burns! it burns! it burns! ....
"arghh.!!!!!!!!" he screamed, a scream that wasn't enough to convey the pain he was feeling, witnessing his skin fall and his meat fry, he kept screaming until it reached them
"Lapsus!!" they both screamed and rushed, Clara and Lunavayne and were followed by Qian Qian.. they surrounded him and lifted, rushing outside
huh? this feeling? although he was in an excruciating agony, his thoughts were swept away suddenly as he realized something, he ignored their panic and their worries as his mind fixed on something, something his nostrils couldn't deny
the stench.. the unbearable fragrance of the blue hyacinth isn't there?— it has weakened? why? was it because I saved Luna? because I acted like a white knight? like a hero? is this it....?
----- Was I asleep? No, that would be impossible, the pain from the burning was agonizing... but if it wasn't a dream, what was it supposed to mean... that thing I witnessed while I lay in the hospital bed, all alone, in the night... it started with a sound that resembled sand particles being rubbed on glass, then something cracked... a little fracture, a slit in space itself opened, and from it a hand emerged, it was dark so I couldn't see much, but I felt its warmth as it grasped my cheek gently... I spoke to Papa and Mama about it, even though they kept comforting me by saying it was just a nightmare, their confused eyes left me pondering... ----