Chapter Twelve: A Heart Hidden in Shadows (I1B0C12)

 Chapter Twelve: A Heart Hidden in Shadows

“Vaida, have you ever gone boating out here before? It’s so beautiful.”

            Hatasuko rowed both oars with his powerful arms, propelling the sail-rana over the top of a small wave. Their boat fell a short distance and slammed onto the water with a small splash, but then they both resumed rowing toward the southwest. Steam lifted from the warm ocean and sailed gently in the wind. Sweat and condensation drenched their bodies. Vaida’s long hair stuck to her skin as her strong arms rowed through the weak waves.

Vaida said with a mystified voice, “I’ve been to the first three Isles of Aether, but I forgot how nice it is! I really feel like we’re boating past the edge of the world.”

A cloud of faint gray steam concealed the stars, but it absorbed the starlight and broadcasted it across the darkness as a white glow. As Hatasuko and Vaida rowed through the waves, they saw tiny islets scatter the ocean. These small rock islands barely pierced the surface; every island shimmered from the light of glowing fog. They were shaped like cones and domes—the peaks of underwater volcanoes. The red glow of thermal vents pierced the underwater darkness, giving the ocean its high temperature.

“When I was little, I wanted to spend my life sailing the sea. I thought these islands were so cool! I wanted to be an explorer, and my dad encouraged that silly dream,” Vaida said over the splash of their oars.

Hatasuko asked, “What’s so silly about it? You’d get to boat from one little volcano to another, write it down, and then move onto the next! It sounds fun. Besides, there’s plenty of food in the seas! After we beat the Interfecti, let’s retire and live out that dream.”

“That does sound wonderful… but there’s no fruit out here,” she said with a pout.

Hatasuko laughed, flexed his powerful arms, and then rowed extra hard so that the boat pulled toward a rocky islet on their left. Unsure of his intentions, Vaida pulled her oars out of the water. Once he brought the boat close to the rock island, he pulled his oars inside the boat and picked up an albapomus. With three huge bites, he reduced the white fruit into a juicy seed. He threw the seed so that it landed on the shimmering island, and then he quickly steered the sail-rana back out to sea.

            “By the time we’re ready, an albapomus forest will cover this little island!” Hatasuko said with a smile.

“I really hope so. That’s the only thing that could make this place any more beautiful than it already is.”

Hatasuko saw a large wave slam into the rock island behind him with a burst of steam and water. The impact surprised him, so he began rowing with twice as much force. Vaida rowed in sync with him, though she kept her eye on the starlit fog. As they rowed toward the west, small waves tilted their ship in many different directions.

Before long, they noticed that a fiery glow overtook the whiteness of the steam cloud. It was strongest in the northwest, so they turned their heads to face the crimson glow. When they rowed far enough to see the glow more clearly, they noticed that it came from a volcanic island that towered over the other islets. Streams of lava rolled down the rocky isle and into the water, pouring steam into the air. The thick fog absorbed the fiery glow and distributed its light.

             “How hot do you think that lava is?” Hatasuko asked.

“It’s really pretty, but we should probably row away from it. It’s so hot that it’s dangerous! It could kill you if you touch it,” Vaida answered, though an uneasiness undermined her quiet voice.

Hatasuko wondered if her mood change had something to do with the temperature of the lava. She said that it was hot enough to kill those who touched it, so he wondered if this reminded her of the flames which had almost taken her. Instead of asking, he distracted her by switching the topic to her favorite invention.

“Do you think the boat could handle the heat?” he asked.

“Nope! I don’t entirely understand all the details, but high temperatures make everything bigger. Objects expand with heat! Though, um, not all at the same rate. The sail-ranae are made with a wood that’s basically waterproof, but a high temperature could change that. Heat will expand its pores, and then water will get inside and ruin the whole thing! And then we would be stuck in boiling water,” Vaida explained with a nervous laugh.

“Wow! I guess I never thought about it like that, but you’re right! Vaida, tell me honestly, do you actually know everything? It seems like you know everything.”

“No, not at all! I just like science a lot. I’ve been experimenting all my life, so I’ve seen some interesting things. I even have a journal back at the inn! I just, well, I never had anyone to tell it to until you came along. Thanks for listening to my silly ravings,” Vaida said graciously.

“I was the same way! I guess I never realized it before, but I used to be really lonely. Maybe emptiness was just the natural state. I never had anyone to talk to,” he said.

“Me neither.”

“I guess you could say that-”

“Don’t say it.”

“…We’re in the same boat.”

Vaida let out a sigh as Hatasuko let out a boisterous laugh, but her feigned displeasure quickly faded. She began laughing in a quiet, shaky series of giggles. The laughter slowly faded as Hatasuko rowed the sail-rana straight through a breaking wave. At the top of the wave, the sudden transition from boating upward to boating downward startled Vaida and stifled her giggles. She resumed rowing so that the boat smoothly landed on the ocean with a splash. As they rowed on, Hatasuko realized that the red glow had disappeared. He looked around and found no rock islands in any direction; it had been several minutes since they last saw a volcano. Because of this, the cloud of steam seemed thinner than before.

Hatasuko asked, “Do the volcanoes end back there? I heard that the Isles of Aether are basically split into two archipelagos, but I never knew there were so many little islands.”

“As you get farther from Bones City, the volcanoes get larger and much stronger! This is true on every coastline, actually. The Agrideī mainland is cold and barren, but the islands are the warmest places in the world! When I was little, my father told me that all the Isles of Aether are just big volcanoes. But the farther islands are more powerful. If any of them erupt someday, Bones City would have to evacuate,” Vaida answered.

“I love how she’s so confident when she’s talking about something she’s investigated. She’s so smart, and I think she knows it. I hope she knows it. She’s so timid and delicate when she’s talking about herself, but if I ask her about science, it’s like a whole different side!” Hatasuko thought to himself.

The two friends rowed in silence for some time as they scanned the ocean for a sign of the next island. Though Vaida had strong arms, the continuous rowing exhausted her. As a result, she rested her arms and took her hands off the oars. She reached down at her side, found a ruberpomus which had been sitting on the backseat beside her, and then tapped Hatasuko’s shoulder from behind. He turned his head quickly enough to flick his wet hair out of his eyes, and he smiled when he saw his favorite fruit. He opened his giant mouth as he rowed, so Vaida giggled and inserted the fruit directly into his mouth. With smiling eyes, he gripped the fruit between his teeth and then turned his head back to the ocean.

But when he looked forward, Hatasuko saw a large landmass on the western horizon. It was a low-lying rock island like many of the others, but it was large enough to qualify as an Isle of Aether. The steam had condensed on the rock island, forming a layer of wetness that glistened in the starlight. Small waves crashed against the rocky edge of this island, but when the sea-spray fell, it looked empty.

             “That’s it. That’s the fourth Isle of Aether,” Hatasuko mumbled, though his words were muffled by the ruberpomus in his mouth.

Despite the seriousness of this discovery, Vaida giggled because of the way his words were warped. Hatasuko pulled his teeth down on the fruit and essentially devoured it with a single bite, except for the hard seed at its center. The juicy nectar dripped down his chin and cheeks, but his hands still clenched the oars. Unable to wipe his mouth, he simply spit the large seed out into the ocean.

“So this is really it—the home of Caelicola. I’m going to meet the most powerful man in the universe!” Vaida raved with a sense of wonder.

Hatasuko and Vaida slowed their oar strokes as they approached the rocky shore. Weak waves continuously clapped against the rocks with a burst of shimmering droplets, but Hatasuko jumped out of the sail-rana before it hit land. The warmth of the ocean soothed his legs, so he happily grabbed the boat and dragged it to shore. Once he stepped out of the water and dragged the sail-rana onto land, Vaida stepped out and stretched.

“He probably doesn’t like getting visitors. Tons of people blame him for the Interfecti; I can’t imagine that his visitors are very friendly. Do you think he’ll be hostile?” Hatasuko asked.

Vaida noticed a dark spot up ahead on the large island. The dark spot was near the center of this island, though it did not appear to be the mouth of the volcano. She interpreted the darkness to mean that this area concealed a cave. Based on Kurt’s words, this underground passage would lead to Caelicola.

Vaida whispered, “I don’t know how he’ll receive us, and honestly… I’m scared. I’m always scared of meeting new people. But this is different! We need to prepare for the chance that he already knows we’re here. And, um, I don’t want to say this… especially not about someone I haven’t met, but… there’s a good chance that he might deserve what everyone said about him.”

“Even if it turns out that he does, we’ll just have to deal with it. I need his help. I’ll just hold my tongue if I have to,” Hatasuko said as he approached the cave’s opening.

Vaida laughed nervously and replied, “It won’t be hard for me! I like to think that I’m a nonjudgmental person. I know most people have reasons for their mistakes! But it hasn’t come up very much… since I stay away from meeting new people.”

Vaida trembled as they walked together. She held her little hands against her chest and shook lightly. Hatasuko tried to calm her nerves by setting his big hand on her shoulder, but then another voice interrupted him.

“You will have to leave judgment at the door if you truly wish to speak with me. I have no interest in the convoluted web of human morality.”

A tall man stood beneath the starlight at the cave’s opening. He wore a dark grimace on his glowing face. His eyes were bloodshot, and unkempt facial hair covered the bottom half of his face. His body looked unimpressive for a man who could do anything, but Hatasuko had no doubt that this was Caelicola. He felt a presence so powerful that it silenced the tempest.

            Hatasuko said, “I ventured halfway across the world to find you. I came-”

“Yes. I have already seen this. You traveled all the way from the Fons Vitae because you need more power. I heard you explain everything to Vaida. I can see and hear all things in the universe with my eye of omniscience,” he explained with an apathy beneath his long grimace.

“That is such an amazing power,” Vaida whispered, trying to fight her anxiety.

Hatasuko shook his head and said, “To me, it sounds unbearable. I can’t imagine seeing and hearing every tragedy happening everywhere. Actually, I can imagine it. I bet it’s a lot like the tempest.”

“It is a lot to process… and it is heartbreaking to watch. This power is like a plague on my soul. I never wanted to hurt this much. I can create a distraction for myself, but it is impossible to look away. The all-seeing eye can never close,” Caelicola explained. As he spoke, he joined the fingers on his right hand and closed his eyes.

A faint purple glow emanated from his right hand, and then a beautiful sword materialized in his grip. The shining silver metal shimmered from the light of the stars, but Caelicola seemed unimpressed with his own creation.

             “My powers are supposed to be the key which will unlock this world from anguish, but it just isn’t possible. I can destroy matter or energy or anything physical, but I can’t destroy the emptiness in my own heart,” Caelicola muttered.

The powerful man closed his eyes, pulled his fingers together again, and focused intently on the sword in his hand. For a tiny fraction of a second, his sword shone with a faint purple glow, and then the whole thing disappear.

“But why can’t you use your power to end the anguish? If you can destroy anything, then what’s stopping you from killing the Interfecti? I know they leave existence when they fall asleep, so does that make it hard to track them?” Hatasuko asked.

“No, tracking them is not a problem. It is true that I cannot see them when they sleep, but I can be anywhere and everywhere at the same time,” Caelicola answered.

Caelicola suddenly disappeared from the space before them. He reappeared at the edge of the ocean without making any noise. Hatasuko and Vaida spent a moment looking for him, and when they found him, he disappeared again. He then stood in a slightly different place, close to his two visitors. Their eyes were wide with wonder, but Caelicola maintained an apathetic stare.

Hatasuko asked, “Then why can’t you help us fight the Interfecti? It exists when it’s awake, so that means you can see it. Why can’t you just teleport on top of its head and destroy it?”

The waves crashed gently upon the rocky shore, but a drizzle began and muffled the splashes. The rain was substantially cooler than the ocean and the steam cloud; every drop felt like a small shard of falling ice.

As the rainwater rolled down his unkempt face, Caelicola glanced up and asked, “Do you know what that layer is? When the Interfectus attacks, there’s a transparent layer that eclipses the sky. Do you know what it is?”

“I don’t know for sure, but I have my suspicions. I’ve noticed that it moves when the Interfectus moves; it trembles when they prepare an attack. I think that layer is like their pool of energy. They have so much energy that they can’t even contain it within themselves,” Hatasuko answered.

Vaida and Caelicola glanced through the light drizzle with a look of surprise. Vaida then nodded in agreement, though they had never spoken about it. She kept her eyes on Hatasuko even as Caelicola spoke again.

“I am surprised that you figured out that much without ever discussing it. But you are half right. The transparent layer is an external energy pool, but the fact is that their energy comes from the lives of those they kill. The victims of the Interfecti become their fuel source. But even without bodies, without memories, and without everything that makes a soul a person, these lost spirits are suffering. Their screams are endless. Those lost souls are trapped in that transparent layer, which means the Interfectus can summon a window between life and death. When this happens, my all-seeing eye must peer into this abyss, and it hurts me in a way that I cannot accept. It doesn’t corrupt me like those who have been touched by the darkness, but it shuts me down. Makes me powerless. I cannot fight the Interfecti because I cannot see past the tempest, and so all I know is misery,” Caelicola explained.

            The cloud of steam had almost completely disappeared. The drizzle had pulled the warm moisture back down to the sea, and a strong breeze carried away the remnants of the fog. Except for the faint clouds which outpoured this rain, the pulsing stars sharply pierced the sky.

Caelicola glanced away and said, “The fact of the matter is that I am the most unforgivable man who has ever lived.”

“But how can that be? Didn’t you create this world? Didn’t you create all things with that power?” Hatasuko asked.

“No. I was born into this world just as any other, but this burden was forced upon me by the previous bearer of omnipotence. I never asked for this. I never imagined that I would be the one to send this world into darkness. I thought that if the powers of omnipotence were with someone like me, that is, someone who abstains from all things, then it would be neutral. Nothing would improve, and nothing would get worse. But I was wrong. People are suffering, but I cannot help them. And any time I try to help them, I am paralyzed by the window into endless agony. I am rendered just as scared and powerless as anyone else.”

“I understand that. Fear is a powerful emotion,” Vaida whispered.

“Then step aside from all this and give me your power,” Hatasuko reasoned, puffing out his chest as he stared at the empty man.

“I cannot do that. Omniscience and omnipresence are the only things protecting me from the Interfecti. I can evade the monsters with these powers.”

Despite the simplicity of Caelicola’s answer, Vaida sensed that his words infuriated her friend. His golden eyes narrowed as he channeled a constricting sense of anger. With a series of emphatic gestures, Hatasuko began his retort.

“So you left the people of this world to suffer because you’re too scared to use your power? You have got to be fucking kidding me. You let them die because you don’t understand that your life’s worth nothing compared to theirs. You’re just hoarding the power which could free this world from misery! You’re hoarding it to defend a man who is not worth protecting. You’re not worthy of omnipotence! You’re not worthy-”

But as Hatasuko swung his right arm around to emphasize his anger, his hand smacked Vaida with a heavy crash. She let out a frightened gasp, widened her eyes, and then slammed against the rocky ground. She closed her eyes as her arms and legs scraped upon the wet rock. When they opened again a few seconds later, she looked dazed. He ran over to her, crouched, picked her up in his arms, and examined her skin for signs of damage. Though she was disoriented, Vaida saw pain in his eyes as he investigated a scrape on her left arm.

“Are you okay? I’m so sorry; I should’ve been more careful. Can you move? Can you stand?” Hatasuko asked as the light rain fell upon them.

“Yes, yes, I am alright. I should have been paying more attention. It’s my fault.”

Caelicola walked up to them from behind. Just the patter of his footsteps rekindled Hatasuko’s fury, but he dispelled his ill feelings when he glanced back down at Vaida. He trembled as he held her.

Caelicola said, “You and I are very different people, Hatasuko. Perhaps if this world had any justice, then you would be the one with these powers and not me. But the world is not fair, and these powers are mine. Still, I’ve seen you show unwavering courage in the face of a monster that I cannot approach. I have seen you fight to protect human life. And even just now, when you knocked Vaida to the ground, you immediately tried to fix it without blaming anyone else. You did not make excuses; you just wanted to help. You are a good man, and I want to at least contribute to your cause. Even if it’s a token gesture. Even if it’s meaningless compared to what a real man could do with my power.”

With Vaida wrapped in his large arms, Hatasuko turned his head to look at the man blessed with omnipotence. The cool rain drizzled upon them and plastered his hair to his neck. The rain had the same effect on Vaida, except that it carried a trickle of her blood as it ran down the rocky slope. As she regained control, Vaida smiled at her friend and softened her gaze. Hatasuko understood her message, so he set her down on her feet. Caelicola stood aside and watched their interaction, though he watched with his power since he kept his eyes closed.

            Caelicola pulled the fingers on his right hand together, took a deep breath, and then summoned a faint purple glow. For a fraction of a second, a large glowing rectangle materialized in front of Caelicola’s body. The glowing light then transformed into blackness. The rectangle became a near-perfect copy of the shield that Lazaro had fashioned from the Interfectus; it was different only in that it was taller and slightly wider. Caelicola went through the same process again and created a second shield with smaller dimensions.

“I am not asking you to like me, and I could never ask you to forgive me, but at least I can give you a new weapon. To tell you the truth, I resent your courage. You are powerless, yet you still risk yourselves to do something I will not. That’s why I need you to stay alive, and more importantly, so does everyone else. So be careful out there. This won’t be an easy journey. I know that I am a waste and a useless disgrace, but hopefully your journey here was at least worth your time.”

Caelicola walked back toward the cave without another word. The distant waves and falling rain concealed his footsteps. As he walked, he used his power to create several items on the ground behind him. He made a longsword to replace the one which Hatasuko had lost in his last battle. He left two short swords for Vaida. Two sacks full of bullet-like rocks sat beside the shimmering swords. Another purple glow illuminated the ground right before Caelicola disappeared, leaving behind an albapomus.

“I guess I didn’t expect that God would be so human. It’s disappointing,” Hatasuko said.

“Everyone has their flaws. Everyone has their limits,” Vaida mumbled.

“Yeah, I know. It doesn’t matter; this changes nothing. I may not be any stronger than when we got here, but at least we’ve got Interfectus shields now. We’ll see. But Vaida, are you sure you’re okay? I’m just… sorry I hit you earlier. I was being stupid. I wasn’t paying attention. I never meant-”

“Relax, Hatasuko, it’s okay! I know why it bothers you, but it was just an accident.”

Hatasuko cringed when he heard this. She was bruised and hurt because of him, just as Lazaro had hurt her many times in the past. Even though this was an accident, he felt a vicarious pain when he looked at his dark-haired friend. Her skin looked like a canvas of pain; it was a tapestry of misery. He glanced across her newest bruises, but he also saw the old marks which Lazaro had given her long ago. And more vividly than that, dark burn scars covered the right side of her body and revealed a pain so profound that Vaida had never once discussed it. In the center of those scars was a blind eye which had been burned shut—an eye cursed to see only the past.

A grimace crossed Hatasuko’s face as he examined her dead eye, but she quickly noticed this. With a startled shudder, she slapped her right hand over her face and turned away. She suddenly remembered that her right hand bore the same scars as her face, so she pulled her hand away and replaced it with her left.

“Damn it, did I really do it again? I thought we were past this,” Hatasuko thought, scolding himself.

He said, “Vaida, please don’t hide your face. I’m sorry I zoned out again. I haven’t done anything right since I drove off the Interfectus. I’m sorry. Can you forgive me?”

“There’s nothing to forgive. You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m sorry my scars are so distracting. I’m sorry I look like this,” Vaida answered.

            Since Vaida’s eyes were closed and hidden by her dark hair, Hatasuko bent down to retrieve the albapomus. He then wrapped his big arms around her. When he first embraced her, he felt her cold body shiver. He was still warm from the rigor of rowing out to this island, so she found warmth in his embrace. She slowly relaxed, and after a minute, her shivering subsided. Once she felt warm and calm, Hatasuko said, “Don’t apologize for being beautiful.”

            When Vaida opened her mouth to protest, Hatasuko stepped back and stuck the albapomus in her mouth. It muffled her first word, so she stopped trying to speak, and then she took a bite of the fruit with a shy smile. He smiled and let go of the albapomus. While she ate the delicious fruit, he leaned down to gather the new weapons. He saw a pair of clasps at the top of each shield, meaning that they could carry the shields without using their hands. Once he hooked them both onto his back, he grabbed the swords in his left hand and retrieved the rock bags with his right hand.

            “I’ll be happy when we get back to shore and forget this place. Are you ready?” Hatasuko asked.

            When Hatasuko glanced over, he saw that Vaida knelt on the rocky ground, digging through the earth with the blade of a short sword. Once she cracked the surface and entered the dirt layer underneath, she inserted the pulpy seed which came from the heart of the albapomus. She smiled, sheathed her sword, and quickly stood back up.

            “Yes, let’s go! I was just planting a seed, you know, for later.”

            Hatasuko met her gaze with a grin, and then they walked back to the large sail-rana as the light rain fell upon the island. Vaida disliked that he carried most of the weight, so she wordlessly took the rock bags from him and held one in each hand. As she approached the ship, she lifted the rock bags up and down, right and left, over and over. Since her gray shirt was plastered to her skin, Hatasuko noticed her impressive muscles as she lifted these weights. When they arrived, they tossed their new belongings in the back.

Once inside the ship, Hatasuko shifted his weight back and forth until the wheels began rolling. Their boat descended the gentle slope and fell into the ocean with a warm splash. Since their arms still ached from the original journey, they rowed gently, relying on the waves to push them eastward. The current slowly carried them back to Bones City, but they eventually picked up the pace so as not to waste time.

            The ocean stayed calm for their journey back to Bones City. The drizzle continued despite the thin clouds, so every raindrop shimmered from the light of the stars. The ocean dimly glowed in all directions, but the rock islets shone brighter than the stars. As they rowed between the tiny volcanoes, Hatasuko and Vaida glanced around to investigate the islands. Though no words passed between them, he knew that she reimagined childhood dreams of living on these islets. This continued as they rowed past the first three Isles of Aether. Before long, the sail-rana finally rolled ashore on the coast of Bones City.

            “I know this probably isn’t your favorite place in the world, but would you mind if we stay the night? I’m too tired to travel anymore. And I’m tired of sitting in that seat; my back is killing me,” Hatasuko groaned as he dragged the boat through the wet sand.

            “It’s a city of tragic memories… yes. But I can deal with it. We’re actually not far from the inn where Lazaro brought us last time! Do you want to go there?” Vaida asked.

            “I can meet you there in a little bit. I, uh, actually have something else to do in Bones City. I need to get it over with,” he admitted.

            “You’re not gonna go visit Lazaro’s forecasters, are you?” she teased with a playful grin.

            “No, no, nothing like that! It’s just that I’ve been speaking with a voice in the tempest, a guy named Kurt, and he never had the chance to tell his wife goodbye. She’s still waiting for him to come home. It won’t be fun, but I feel like it’s the right thing to do,” he explained.

            “I know it’s not my place, but um, is it alright if I come with? Maybe I can help. Maybe-”

            But Hatasuko interrupted and said, “I’m sorry, but… no. I don’t know how this will go, but it’ll only bring pain. It’s going to hurt her, and it’s going to hurt me. I don’t want you to be there, Vaida; you’ve been hurt enough as it is.”

            As Hatasuko said this, he struck eye contact with her sea-green eye. Vaida realized that he was staring at her dead eye, and then her face quickly turned red. She stumbled backward and away from him.

            “No, Vaida, I didn’t mean like that! I mean hurt on the inside. I meant-”

            “Please just go,” she said, hiding her face with her left arm.

            “Vaida, I’m sorry! I promise I didn’t mean-”

            “Just go! I need to be alone anyway. I’ll push the sail-rana. Just go.”

            “Vaida….”

            To Hatasuko’s surprise, Vaida pressed her little hands onto his body and started pushing. Despite his size, she pushed him away from the boat and through the wet sand. Vaida kept her head down as she pushed him, though he heard her rapid breaths.

            “It was really an accident. I said the wrong thing and made Vaida cry. I really am hopeless, aren’t I? I hate the way this feels.”

            As he stepped away from her, Hatasuko stammered, “Alright, I’ll go. It was really just an accident. I’m sorry.”

            With his fist trembling at his side and his heart heavy with pain, Hatasuko turned and walked away from his crying friend. He heard the thud of Vaida falling to her knees in the wet sand as the light rain fell upon the starlit beach. Tears arose in his own eyes as he realized that he had upset his only friend, but it was clear that she did not want a shoulder to cry on.

            After watching her friend walk away, Vaida sobbed quietly for several minutes; she used the rain to camouflage her tears. Though no one stood in the nearby streets, it still consoled her. The windows of the nearby homes were opaque from steam and water, but Vaida felt like eyes glared into her as she walked through the street. Her strong arms flexed as she dragged the sail-rana from block to block, but she could not stop tears from rolling down her cheeks. She told herself that she was overreacting, but this did not stop her emotions from pouring out. She had tried to hold in the pain of losing her childhood friend and her abusive mentor, but Hatasuko’s words had started a chain reaction.

The rainstorm intensified. The heavier downpour soaked through Vaida’s clothes so that she felt every falling raindrop. Her tears were hidden at first by the rain, but darker clouds had overtaken the starlight; a cloak of darkness shrouded the street. The starlight was soon blocked entirely, and the only lights were those which came from candles inside buildings. The raindrops adopted a fiery flicker, but they did not illuminate her path. Vaida had to maneuver on a street she could not see; she detected the other wagons and vehicles by listening to the rain fall around her. Before long, her quiet crying came to an end.

            After minutes of walking near-blindly through the rain, Vaida arrived at the corner of the street which led to the inn. She fumbled through the darkness until she felt the wooden door, and then she knocked gently upon it with her fist. After several seconds of rushed footsteps from inside, the door opened to reveal the heavyset innkeeper. Instead of greeting her with a warm smile, he pulled Vaida inside and out of the rain. She shivered because of the cold.

“Vaida, what were you doing out there? You’re going to catch a cold! Hold on, let me bring your cart in.”

Still trembling, Vaida stood off to the side as the innkeeper grabbed the bow of the sail-rana. He let out a deep exhale as he pulled it inside and rolled it into the lobby’s clearing. Though rainwater fell from both sides of the sail-rana, it did not carry water; Vaida had created a drainage hole in the bottom for this reason.

Once the door was closed to the cold rain, the innkeeper turned to Vaida with a worried stare. Though he said nothing, she knew what he wanted to ask; she knew what he was too afraid to ask. He wanted to know why she was alone. She glanced away with her good eye so that he could not scan her face, but this alone hinted at the information that she tried to hide. The innkeeper knew his friends would inevitably die chasing the Interfecti, but it did not make the reality any easier to bear. Tears welled up in Vaida’s eyes as she realized her newfound loneliness.

“You’re welcome to spend as many nights here as you want, alright? Free of charge! Just think of it as my way of saying thank you for trying to do the one thing the rest of us can’t. You’re the bravest, strongest girl I know! The pride of Bones City. Just please don’t cry,” the innkeeper said with a kind voice as he searched the lobby for a towel.

“Thank you. I won’t stay long. I’ll try not to get in the way,” she shyly answered.

“Please forgive my intrusion,” said another voice from the top of the narrow staircase.

Vaida and the innkeeper looked up the stairs and saw a middle-aged woman standing by the staircase. Vaida noticed a dark stain on the woman’s hands, though she tried to wipe it off with a handkerchief.

“Are you the Bones City girl who’s been hunting Interfecti? I heard about you. I heard you and your friends actually defeated an Interfectus,” the woman raved.

“Yes… that’s correct. We won our first battle a short time ago.”

“Then please let me congratulate you! The people who do what you do are more courageous than anyone. You are living legends! Please let me offer you a cup of tea. It isn’t much, but it’s all I’ve got. I lost my son to an Interfectus, so your mission means a lot to me,” she said.

Though Vaida had been surrounded by warm ocean water and cold rain all day long, she realized that she had had very little to drink. Her mouth felt dry, so the prospect of tea made her salivate. She glanced up at the nice woman and nodded with a smile. The middle-aged woman smiled back and then stepped into her room for a short while.

“That sure is sweet of her. Ellaine’s been coming here from time to time for as long as I can remember! She’s a wonderful woman. She’s an enigma, though,” said the innkeeper.

“What do you mean?” Vaida asked.

He answered, “I don’t know anything about her! I don’t know if she has a career, and this is the first time I’ve heard anything about a family. Frankly, I don’t know how she has the money to travel as much as she does! Although, I suppose it’s not my place to wonder.”

“Maybe she’s like me. Maybe she’s a phantom left in the wake of an Interfectus. We were meant to die but somehow escaped,” Vaida suggested.

“If you’re alive, then that means you weren’t really meant to die.”

Vaida said, “Or maybe it means that I’ve been trapped in a nightmare while chasing a daydream.”

Ellaine arrived at the top of the staircase with a gray tray in her hands. Two teacups balanced on the tray as she carefully descended. A thin cloud of steam lifted off the warm tea as she approached the candlelit lobby. The innkeeper smiled when he saw her.

Ellaine said to the innkeeper, “I made an extra cup for you. Your hospitality is wonderful, so please accept this as a token of my appreciation.”

Vaida saw the innkeeper widen his smile. She briefly thanked Ellaine and took the cup from her hand; she had to pinch the handle between her thumb and index finger. She sipped the tea slowly at first, but she was pleasantly surprised by its temperature. It was hot enough to warm her up as she slowly drank the entire cup. The innkeeper thanked Ellaine and drank his cup so swiftly that Vaida wondered if he savored its delightful taste. When Vaida finished the cup and set it back down on the tray, she pulled her wet hair out of her face and noticed Ellaine’s contented smile.

“I hope you two enjoyed that as much I do,” said Ellaine.

“It was wonderful. Thank you! Tea is a rare luxury.”

“There’s a really tough aftertaste, but I suppose that comes with the territory!” said the innkeeper as he cautiously set down the teacup.

“Are you alright?” Vaida asked him.

But as she asked this, Vaida felt a powerful sensation course through her limbs. A spike of extreme heat and brutal cold struck at the same time. Her legs began to shiver, but the shivering grew to quaking, and then she collapsed on the hard floor of the lobby on her arms and chest. She let out a quiet scream and tried to pull her legs back up, but nothing happened. Her legs remained in a trembling state of near-motionlessness. With a much louder crash, the heavy innkeeper fell upon the floor in the same way. His body fidgeted, and his eyes burned from the pain of the numbing sensation.

Ellaine chuckled and said, “Of course there was an aftertaste! A man of your size requires a much higher dose. I’m sorry it had to come to this, and I promise it isn’t personal.”

Ellaine dropped her tray on the ground; the two teacups fell and shattered. The middle-aged woman then dashed up the staircase.

A second voice called from outside the inn, “You cut me deep, Vaida.”

The door to the inn swung open. Vaida could hardly move her head, but her blue eye caught Harvey standing in the doorway. Rain crashed down upon the street behind him. He stepped inside with an ambiguous scowl.

            Harvey said, “When a man becomes so obsessed that only one thing matters, he will do anything to take it for himself.”