“We won’t blast a church!”
Kairo snapped, ever the voice of reason.
Elvira agreed, nodding
vehemently. “It would bring too much of unnecessary attention,” she
established.
“Villainy is all about grand
scale chaos, both of you are too afraid to agree,” Kaeo huffed and crossed his
arms over his chest.
“Let’s leave the plan making
to Kairo, yeah? The one who has actual magic to clean up after you,”
Elvira pointed.
“Said the leech,” Kaeo smiled
at her, sarcasm pouring off his soft features.
“Okay, okay, halt it!” Kairo
clapped his hands, “Even a literal wall cannot stop the two of you,” he gasped
and clicked his fingers to make the wall disappear. “Wilhelma will provide us
weapons for the mission. To avoid any mistakes and collateral damage, it will
only be the three of us who will continue with this mission.” Kairo explained.
“Yes, take an illegal,
non-magical citizen to the Church of mages to avoid mistakes and damage, of
course, what a noble pursuit!” Elvira grinned sarcastically, “I’m loving it!”
“You cannot die,” Kaeo stated,
looking her in the eye.
“Of course, if you value your
life.” Elvira rolled her eyes.
“Now, then, what weapons do
you desire! Cloaking spells are deceptive and won’t work in holy grounds so
choose something that is efficient yet concealable!” Kairo declared.
“Do you have any options?”
Elvira asked, at the same time as Kaeo said, “I’ll take the usual.”
“Options, yes!” Kairo flicked
a hand over the floating hologram and the dragon’s projection disappeared into a
million dots which reconnected to make an arsenal of weapons floating over the
tabletop. “Here you go! I’d recommend a lasso with a blade, it is natural,
magical and works long distance and short distance,” Kairo suggested.
Elvira gazed over a hundred
weapons, more than eighty of which were unrecognisable to her. Was this how
her mother summoned her weapons? Elvira wondered.
“Choose the poison blades and
darts. You can throw them around and one stab would be enough to get out of a
fight, considering you have the practical battle experience of a unicorn,” Kaeo
grumbled.
“Well, it’s a good thing that
we’re not going to battle,” Elvira scoffed, “I’ll take the lasso,” she said,
just to spite Kaeo even though she personally liked his idea a lot.
“Using a lasso requires actual
practice and good wrist movement,” Kaeo snapped, “Do you think these danglers,”
he pointed at Elvira’s slender pale wrists, “Would be able to do anything?!”
Elvira gasped, her auburn eyes
carrying offence, “Do you want me to slap you for demonstration?” she scowled.
“Let’s not get ahead of
ourselves, we know you’re dying to touch me,” Kaeo snorted.
“Ah-ah-ah!” Kairo, once again,
jumped between them before Elvira could attempt strangling Kaeo, “I genuinely
suggest you go with the daggers, Elvi, they’re a wise choice!”
Elvira narrowed her eyes at
Kaeo’s pouty smug smile and seethed through gritted teeth, “I accept it only
because you said so,” she looked at Kairo, “You.”
“Of course, of course, no one
would think otherwise,” Kaeo mocked.
“I’m going to –” Elvira
couldn’t complete her sentence as Kairo grabbed her hand and teleported her
away. The new room was a plethora of shining swords, studded scabbards, sharp
knives and curved daggers decorated on walls and small shelves, all over the
place. Kairo picked up a rust-coloured dagger from a shelf on the right along
with a thigh band and a bunch of vials and darts.
“Here you go,” he handed the
curved dagger to her, “Remember to unsheathe it before using it and DO NOT
scratch the blade on YOUR skin or you will pass out!! But, even if you
accidently do, here’s an antidote,” he pointed at a bubbling violet vial in his
hand, “Keep it with you AT ALL TIMES!!”
Elvira nodded like a diligent
student.
“And here are a few poison
darts, there’s twelve you can fit in one band. Make sure to COLLECT THEM BACK
AFTER SHOOTING THEM because we do not want to leave any traces, right?”
Kairo looked at her like her
primary school teacher.
Elvira nodded, biting her
lower lip.
“Are all of these weapons
created by Wilhelma?” she asked.
“Yes, she’s an excellent
example of an Alchemy Type. We found her on the outskirts of Willow two years ago;
she’s been very loyal ever since.”
Elvira wondered why Kairo and
Kaeo would take her on such an important mission and not someone as exceptional
as Wilhelma. She had actual magic and actual use. Unlike the burden Elvira
would create.
Elvira sighed as she pocketed
the dagger, the antidote and the darts in her pant-pocket.
“When do we leave?” she asked.
Kairo noticed the sudden shift
in Evira’s mood but did not acknowledge it. “Around two, there will a mass held
at the Church to pray for Count Aramia’s land. The sudden fire and the rumour
of the dead Count and Countess coming back to life has been unsettling the
people. It’s very funny,” Kairo ran a hand over Elvira’s head, “You did as best
as you could and I am proud of you for that.”
Elvira’s breath hitched.
You did as best as you could…
I am proud of you…
They were foreign words for
Elvira’s ears.
She hadn’t expected to hear
them in this lifetime.
After trying her best with her
townsfolk, after working to her bone at Helif’s Estate, after coming to terms
with her scars, Elvira was trying her best. Had always been. Yet, not a single
soul had uttered the words of encouragement for her.
Though sudden, the words
gashed past all her walls and left her raw and bleeding out tears in front
Kairo. Her knees buckled but Kairo’s quick reflexes caught her by her waist and
pulled her into his chest. Elvira cried into the silence, hoping the words
would come from her parents instead.
Kairo wrapped his arms around
her and caressed the back of her head, burying her sobs within his arms. He
held on tight and perched his chin over her head, hoping to calm her tumultuous
senses.
At the doorframe of the
arsenal stood a scowling Kaeo with his hands crossed over his chest and a glint
of glare in his amethyst eyes.
. . .
“Are you feeling better?”
Kairo asked as they stood in front of the pristine white back walls of the
Church Dianthia.
“Yes, I’m ready to cause
chaos!” Elvira grinned, throwing a punch at the sky which involuntarily
elicited a cracking sound from her elbow.
Kaeo grimaced, nostrils flared
and eyes narrowed at Elvira’s bright smile directed towards Kairo.
“You should warm up,” Kairo
laughed out loud as Elvira held her hands behind her back, growing red with
embarrassment.
“I-I will, it’s just that
Willow has such a pretty weather!”
Kairo had teleported them from
the continent of Kalmia on the outer-world to the Continent of Willow in the
Inner-World. Willow was known to have the biggest landmass with a pleasant
weather and the most diverse population on Wreath. It was a place which
accepted everyone, be it mages or creatures.
“Even the air feels free-er
here,” Kairo sighed, inhaling a long breath.
“There is no such thing,” Kaeo
grumbled. Brilliant blue magic circles appeared over his fingertips and
underneath his shoes. “Watch and learn,” he said and proceeded to climb the
towering walls with the agility of a sticky insect-creature.
“So, there are times when he
is useful…” Elvira snorted a whisper.
Kairo nodded diligently, eyes
shining with admiration for his brother.
Kaeo charted the walls while
Kairo and Elvira kept watch underneath. As soon as he reached the top, he
peeked inside and mapped the guards in attendance. There were five of them,
stationed at equivalent distances, guarding the perimeter. Their silver metal
armour clanked with every step they took, softened only by the crème holy robe
they wore above it. Each of them had a golden sword in hand and their lips were
constantly moving in recitation of some lost language.
Kaeo stuck his right palm on
the wall and used his free hand to shuffle out a bunch of blades from his
back-pocket.
“He was carrying sharp,
unsheathed, blades in his pockets?! Just like that?!” Elvira gasped, properly
scandalised.
“That’s Kaeo for you,” Kairo
coughed out a laugh.
Over the wall, Kaeo placed one
blade over the edge and grabbed the rest between his lips, undeterred by their
sharpness. He picked up the remaining blade and positioned it with one eye
closed and a magic circle enhancing the sight of his other open eye. Then, he
threw the blade with just enough force for it to pierce through the air and
stab onto a guard’s forehead.
Before the other guards could
take a note, Kaeo dropped them in a line.
“All clear, come along,” he
called to the ones behind.
“I’m afraid you will have to
carry us,” Kairo whisper-called.
Kaeo nodded and jumped down,
feet landing the ground as light as a feather.
It evoked a memory in Elvira’s
mind. The first time she had met him. The sun shadowed his sapphire eyes but
illuminated his dazzling smile. He was upside down, yet ecstatic to catch her
gaze.
Suddenly, her eyes caught his
gaze again. After all those years, he wasn’t ecstatic to meet her anymore. His
amethyst eyes were cold and he wished she were dead, like everyone else.
Elvira instantly evaded his eyes.
“I’ll take you first,” Kaeo
pointed at Kairo. The blonde nodded and jumped over his brother’s back, giddy
to get a free ride.
“Woo-hoo! Let’s go!” he
grinned as Kaeo flung at the wall and climbed it with a natural fervour.
Elvira couldn’t believe she
would have to be dependent on Kaeo again.
