The Lies Worth Fighting for

One hand outstretched before me, holding an invisible bow. From the tips of my fingers, I pinch the air and tense a string only I can sense.

    The remnants of luminosity are already fading outside, chasing the past day away. The first stars are already dotting the sky one by one.

    Perched upon a low wall, Awa observes me with vaguely opened eyes. A sight that has become common for her, night after night.

“Stand up straight, focus on the target,” I think, “your hand brushing against your chin and…”

    I release the arrow I haven’t been holding, not averting my gaze from a certain point on a stone block. I wish I could have retrieved my bow, but at least Mira kept her word and brought me back my satchel. Until the moment I got it back, I was afraid that something might have been missing, but everything was still there. The game’s scenario was still there, untouched.

    I have taken the habit of rereading it again and again. Knowing it by heart isn’t enough, I want every single character’s replies to get stuck in my mind. Whatever I hear… I have to be able to recognise the slightest clue.

“Amako! It’s time to go!” A cheerful voice calls, peering into my room.

    Taking back a more natural pose, Awa flaps her wings to my shoulder. I end for now the training I’ve been regularly practising to join Mira in the long corridor.

“The fifth season is already there. Are you getting accustomed to our kingdom?” She asks, casting me a smile.

“Kind of.” I return her the smile.

    As she refocuses ahead of us, I reach out my hand to the top of her head.

“Is this by chance that I crossed your path? If you are to be the emissary… I don’t want to let you be tainted.”

    Though, as my fingers are about to brush her cat ears, I curl them back. Letting my arm fall back to my waist.

“But…”

    I keep walking by her side as we reach our workplace, the other Beastwomen already there.

“…I should refrain from getting too close to you.”

    What I need is to become stronger. Strong enough to be able to protect Tyffeon. And maybe… you as well. Nothing more.

***

    Despite not having been in Makhlubi for an important amount of time, the first changes haven’t been long in occurring. And this, right before my eyes.

    The number of customers patronising our establishment diminishes day by day. Our place isn’t a rarity, though. The whole kingdom suffers from a declining affluence of visitors. The reason being simple. As the prophecy makes its way across the lands, people tend to stay in their own kingdoms, avoiding to visit any other one.

    This isn’t without costing me depreciative glances from more than one of the Beastwomen working near our place.

“The Saintess. It’s her again…” “She’s still there?” “She uttered the words of curse.”

“Is she cursed as well?”

“Why did Kitsune allow her to stay there…”

    Are these the words kept behind their sealed lips? Are they even worse? I can’t help but hear this when I feel their gaze upon me.

    It’s okay though. I don’t count on them. I don’t seek their approval to exist, nor their trust. Such a hard thing to earn and yet so easy to discard? It isn’t worth my time.

    Deep down, I don’t regret originally giving the Saintess a quick death. Better for someone who could still believe in others to not engage with all of this.

    While Mira dances to entertain a handful of customers, I have almost nothing to do if not lending an ear to the Beastwomen chattering. In the end, I learnt more from their interactions than the ones they had with the customers.

    I lean against the counter behind me. Among else, I managed to learn where the wolfwoman Mira may kill works. A woman who back then, jealous of Mira’s sister’s popularity, kept badmouthing her. Until she heard a rumour she was the first to take advantage of…

    I mid-close my eyes.

    When Tyffeon got from me to try defeating the emissaries, I agreed as if I was taking it lightly.

“I’ll try. And probably fail.”

    I want to try. For him. For me. And now, for Mira.

    Fail?

    A lie to protect another lie. The one their fleeting presence wants me to believe in.

    To believe… Faith is but a lure I don’t want to fall for, nor to use on any of them. That’s why I can’t make such promises, even if I want to believe I have a chance to succeed in this game I imagined. Only heroes do that. Only heroes make promises people trust in.

    I wonder… What will be left for me if I succeed? Heeh. Isn’t that cruel fighting for something you’re gonna lose even if you save it? This world can only reject me. People can only betray.

    It would be easier if I was able to reject this world fully as well.

    Before I notice it, a silhouette crosses the threshold, taking a look around.

“There you are.” Somnuma approaches me. “I have a task for you, girl.”

    The smile she displays is way enough to make me feel like this is bad news for me. I avert my gaze.

“Like, I mean, that’s unfortunate but I am already working and it would be really unsuited to leave my post like that and-”

“Do you see someone in need of being served refreshments, here?”

“Thirst is something that can take you all of a sudden.”

“A young man paid the price to spend some time with you. In private.”

    Crap.

“In private, like, you know, a table for two is private enough.”

“In private.”

    Before I can even protest, she grabs my arm and makes me follow her in the corridor.

“Why me? It’s a waste with so many stunning women in there!”

“That’s what I told him.” Somnuma retorts. “And yet he was unwavering in his choice.”

    I grimace.

    There were some men who lurked at me past nights, could it be one of them? As I wonder about it, I overhear voices from a room we pass by.

“What do we do now?” A voice whispers. “If things keep going like this, we’ll not be able to collect enough blood.”

“Then we’ll just take more from the ones who remain.” The other Beastwoman replies.

“But…”

    My eyes widen the moment I hear these words. I intend to turn around, but the moment I even slow down, Somnuma turns a glare at me.

“Girl, you better follow me.”

    The sound of her voice keeps me from risking any move.

    The words I just heard make it hard to resist the urge… These dialogue lines, they’re the same as in the game.

“Here we are, step into this room and don’t make him wait any longer.” Somnuma slows her steps in front of a door.

    Barely have I the time to glance at her that she opens the door, pushes me in, and closes it behind.

    Ah-

    Before I can consider a way to knock out the customer wishing so hard for me to keep him company tonight, my eyes lock on the silhouette seated in the middle of the room, arms-crossed.

    Long pastel green hair, a long braid to the side of his face, pointy ears… He turns his head in my direction the moment he hears me step in.

    He meets my gaze, and we share a same moment of dumbfounded silence, not uttering a word. Me, because I didn’t expect him to come. He, because… well.

    Tyffeon widens his eyes before almost instantly narrowing his gaze, coughing to give him an opportunity to avert his gaze. Does he think it is enough to conceal his embarrassment? Maybe. Does this work? I mean…

    A chuckle escapes my lips.

    Stepping closer to him, I kneel close enough.

“Good evening, dear customer. Are my clothes to your liking?”

    No answer.

“I heard that you spent a considerable amount of gold to spend some time with my honourable person.”

“Honourable…” He mutters. “Your personality is even less honourable than your-”

    Tyffeon attempts to gaze back at me. And fails miserably.

“Than my?” I prompt.

“To think that I was worried…”

“You… were?”

    There’s not even a hint of mockery in my voice, this time. Caught off guard, the idea of hiding my astonishment does not even cross my mind.

“What do you think?” He meets my gaze. “You’ve been dragged into a more than dubious neighbourhood in the dead of the night for several nights now, and I was denied the possibility to come to see you under the pretence that I would be a nuisance during your work?? This is the only way I found to finally manage to see you and-”

    I cover his mouth with my hand.

    He frowns.

“Don’t speak so loudly, someone might hear us.” I silence him, my index pressed against my own lips. “I know… This might not have been the best way to coordinate our actions but, at least, this place I got here allowed me to gather precious information.”

    Catching hold of my wrist, Tyffeon pulls my hand away.

“And what have you learnt?”

“I know who will become the emissary of the Taint.”

    The moment I overheard these few words in the corridor, all became clear. Despite multiple routes circle around a same issue, only one does have these exact lines.

“Who is it?” Tyffeon asks.

“A lady of the night. Her name is Timoria. She’s going to awake soon, so we need to act quickly. Unless we want this city to be reduced to ashes, and us along.”

“Do you know what we have to do to prevent her from becoming such an abomination?”

    I am about to answer that question, but we suddenly hear rushed footsteps. Enclosing. They soon seem to stop, and we turn our heads to the door. Even from the inside, I have no difficulty to tell it has just been abruptly grasped.

“Who’s…” Tyffeon begins, whispering.

“The hell?!” I continue in an equally low voice. “Did they send someone to check if we’re-”

“If we’re?”

    As I suddenly turn my head toward him, he turns an apprehensive look towards me.

“Quick!! Pretend you’re doing something unholy to me!”

    That’s not the moment to get Somnuma on my back…

“W-What?”

“Please! I’ll do whatever you want in exchange!!”

    Leaning in closer, I reach out my hands towards Tyffeon, but he immediately catches hold of them.

“Get off!!” He exclaims in a whisper.

    But as we squirm against each other, we both lose balance.

    I fall backward against the ground, briefly closing my eyes at the impact. But as I feel the pressure keeping me pinned against the floor, I reopen them.

    Tyffeon is leant just over me, inches apart.

    None of us make a single move.

    Why does he not avert his gaze… He should. He really should,.. because I can’t do it myself.

“Amako!!” A familiar voice exclaims as the door slams open. “Don’t t-”

    The moment Mira catches sight of us, she freezes.