The dirty back alleys of the Noble City opened its path for us . Moving forward , a lake emerged , it was beautifully decorated with the water lillies which floated on the water and the lotuses.
For the first time after reaching this City , I took off my hood and proceeded along with removing my shirt . My wavy hair has been getting quite curly over the years .
' You gonna jump or not ? ' Zam acquired as he played with the water .
' Yes . I'm gonna come in .' I tilted my head .
' Wai-what ? That kinda sounded dirty , you know right ? '. He acted as though I said something dirty . Maybe I did .
The lake was quite large . I bathed in the opposite direction from Zam . It felt silent and peaceful . But yeah , it was ruined .
' Hahahaha , How did your exam go though ? '. a lady acquired to which the other one replied ' It was quite difficult if I had to say .'
These chattering of the ladies coming through the back alley ruined it . It's not like this place solely belonged to me . I simply rushed into the water . The ladies smiled at Zam to which he reciprocated . I rised my head as the ladies had gone .
Zam chuckled ' No way ! Is Brain Alhemaht shy ? '.
' Not in front of you at least .' I glared as I rubbed my abs .
' Well '. He took off his ribbon and was gone into the water for some seconds to which he came back the next second only to finish his dialogue ' I take it as my hidden talent to make you less shy .'
' Not hidden anymore .' I mumbled as I filled my hands with water and drank it . Icy cold . It was the month of Gamelion .
Suddenly something felt off a little noise of explosion spread across and then it was real. I didn't waste time and took my hood in hand and rushed to the scene along with Zam . I looked into the window of a house as we ran in the slight moment I got . My eyes were covered well cause of the hood . Yes , crimson eyes that were covered by a hood . People in this kingdom knew a certain someone like that .
The roadside was filled with blood . A guy whose hands were full of fire was seen standing . He was the culprit . The victim was colored in scarlet . I swiftly took the victim in my hands and landed a strike on the culprit . My legs were on his chest . His eyes seemed abnormally blank , blood along with tears came down through that blankness . This was no longer a case I should handle . This should be dealt by either the Crimson hood or the Imperial guards . I wasn't ready to risk my chance of getting admitted into TMI . But this could also be a test for the examinees .
I observed my surroundings , Zam was near me , a whole lot of people were staring and some were screaming...but none gave a helping hand . Not that I care . Luckily , I saw something helpful . Zam understood the concept as he had observed my moves . Zam rushed into the fabric store which had clothes with heat reduction skills . I covered the culprits hands with those clothes . It was helpful yet futile . But it would stop the fire until Imperial guards arrive .
I simply disappeared from the scene along with Zam . The victim was still laying in my arms .
' Brian ! There's a apothecary ! ' Zam shouted .
I rushed into that building . A young lady sat across me and started examining the victim .
' Critical but solvable I guess .' She checked his pulse .
' He seems to be poisoned ' I added as I had noticed the poison needle marks on his middle finger .
' Yeah ' she looked at me for the first time .
' Wolfsbane .' She remarked with a stern face and added ' One poison is enough to kill .'
' But it's not just one .' I glanzed into her eyes. Well , Her calmness disappeared . And I was the reason .
' Hellebore was used , I wouldn't say it was done with a needle though .'
' What are you implying !'. She shouted .
' Hmm...Maybe .' I searched my pouch and took out a Zan and continued ' If someone were to mix hellebore with wolfsbane and poison this Hair ornament , then..'
' Then what ? ' She has calmed down somehow .
' You must know after all you are an apothecary . Aren't you ? .' I questioned .
' Yes , I indeed am an apothecary . If those two poisons were to be mixed together then it would lead to paralysis and ....' She stopped stating facts and I knew what she was gonna say next . We both looked at the victim .
She continued ' He's dead .'
' Yeah .' I nodded this time I wonder why my voice was a little weak . I extended my hand towards her .
' Here , You can have your Zan back .' I sighed .
' Hmm okay .' She stood up . I also stood up along with Zam.
' Two intelligent fellows . Strong and adaptive .' She smiled and this time she was the one who extended her hands .
' Take this paper , this will help you in the journey to find the exam site .' She looked down as if she regretted something .
I was about to leave as I took the paper . But she continued ' Remember that even the sweetest of things could become poison if used abundantly .'
' We will remember .' Zam remarked and I nodded and we were I guess one step closer to the exam site . In the end TMI used two dehumons for this . Yes..The victim along with the culprit , both were dehumons . They basically killed two birds with one stone .
' More like killing two dehumons with one stone .' Zam stated , almost astonishing me .
' What ? Did I just respond to your inner monologues ? He acquired with a chuckle .
' Maybe .' I sighed .
' Like father like son ? .' I glanzed at him .
' Maybe .' He nodded .
This piece of paper in my hand would lead us somewhere . Somewhere safer ? Or somewhere truly hazardess ? The path to tommorow is truly frightening cause its unknown , at the same time it's a relief that the path is unknown .