Chapter 18

…

It had been about two weeks since that night.

Despite that, Jason’s mind started to drift off to the smell of candles and starlight whenever there was a quiet lull in his new routine.

“Jason, you need to focus.”

Panka pinched Jason’s cheek, bringing him back to reality.

He had started to take his role as the one cleaning the home seriously, despite his daydreaming.

It turned out, none of the four others, despite being clean individuals, found themselves good at the art of tidying. His days were largely spent with a duster fashioned out of Uddi’s shed feathers or a rag, making sure shelves were spotless or the floors were shining.

It wasn't much different from what he would do with his time off from school or practice; it felt like second nature, almost downtime, to spend a majority of his time cleaning.

When that wasn't the case, there was usually a sheet to wash, the front or back of the place to sweep, or something else to be done.

In living with the four, Jason had started to notice their quirks.

Uddi, for example, had a bad habit of misplacing things. In between the couch cushions, for example, would often be found an item Uddi had been looking for for days. It was ironic to Jason, as the trait was one he was very familiar with from picking up after Yuzo.

On the opposite end, Panka wouldn't leave Jason alone, constantly keeping track of him and asking questions about his condition. “Are you okay?” “Do you need water? Food? A break?”
Despite the caring nature of it, there was undeniably something about it that made Jason's mood sour, more so at the lack of her absence before working for them than her consideration. ‘Where was this when I was cleaning all day, every day at home?’

In his off time, Jason would travel around Shin-je, walking around both the upper and lower districts and anywhere in between, in order to gather information on places Yuzo could be. Despite it being mostly fruitless, with Loba and Biji telling him to quit more than once, Jason couldn't help it.

On one of those days, Biji stopped him before he went out the door. “Jae, you know you’re just stressing yourself out, right? You aren't learning anything new; why keep going?”

At the time, Jason didn't really have an answer. The question rang in his mind while cleaning for days afterwards.

For a moment, however short, he wondered if he was still looking to find Yuzo or to make himself feel as if he was looking. He purged the thought from his mind quickly, not wanting to grapple with it.

…

On an ordinary day, after many long hours of cleaning, Jason heard a knock on the door. Going to open it; his jaw dropped as he was greeted by Ayn, attempting to casually walk into the house as if it were hers. “Hello, Jason! I’ve come to talk.”

Jason leered down at the woman, attempting to shoo her out.

“I don't think I'll be too interested in anything you have to say. Remember what I said at the hideout?” He said coldly, attempting to close the door, but in a moment of surprising swiftness, she caught his hand.

“I know where your brother is.”

As the words fell from her mouth, Jason froze, pulling the door open and her inside.

Jason and Ayn sat across from each other at the table, the air around Jason almost a dense fog as Ayn prodded him with questions as the others filed into the room, surrounding Ayn defensively.

“Tell me how you like Naraka so far. I'm interested to see how you’ve adjusted.”

“Why’s that?” Jason tapped his fingers loudly on the table. “I’m nobody special.”

“Oh, come now, what’s the harm of pleasantries exchanged between two people?”

From around the room, the Raksha, except for Uddi, took their respective moments to glare at the woman.

“That depends. What are you here for?”

“A pleasant conversation. If you won’t answer my question, I’ll answer first.” she began, causing an aggressive sigh to escape Jason.

“When I arrived here, initially, I was quite upset. I had a wonderful life in my country, you see. I was an esteemed scientist, model, and Olympian. The pride of my town!” She grinned. “But then, out of nowhere, just as everything was falling into place, I found myself… here! But… it wasn't me, you see. I felt like I was trapped in my own body, as if I existed in a wrapping of fire ants. When I could bear it no longer, I resolved with my whole heart that I would escape this torture, no matter what could possibly happen. And then,” she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the motion of an explosion. “I was here, in my body. Magical, right?”

Jason’s sighs of irritation turned into a hand on his face. ‘What is this lady talking about…?’

Clearly not reading the room, Ayn continued. “For the first few months of being here alone, I was able to survive due to my knowledge of the Russian tundra. In comparison, Naraka is a cakewalk! And after many months of walking, scavenging, and sleeping in tree stumps, I eventually found myself in Shin-je.” She smiled, waving her hands dramatically.

“That's when I met Nikolai, and we—”

Slamming his hand on the table, Jason felt himself boiling over.

“That’s enough; either you’re stalling or intentionally trying to piss me off. What do you know about my brother?”

“Patience, young man. I was getting to that.” Ayn softly placed her hand halfway between the table, reaching out and attemptinga soothing smile.

“It took very little convincing for Nikolai to get me to join Soldier's Hand. I couldn't imagine spending my time doing anything else here, after all. Along with a crest, I was given all of the resources and time I wanted. How fortunate, right?”

Jason didn't answer, his eyes darting around to the concerned looks of his allies.

“That girl you met, for example. She’s ill-tempered, but she did make an interesting topic of study.” Uddi shivered at the mention of Chisako. Ayn pulled her sleeve up, revealing a high-octane purple pulse of Brahman emanating from her crest.

Jason balled his fists. The table between them felt a lot longer than it had when it was Loba on the other side. “Alright, I've listened to you ramble long enough! What do you know about Yuzo?”

After pulling her sleeve down, her expression suddenly grew serious.
“Very well, although you won't like what I have to say.”

The air in the room felt heavy. Jason breathed in deeply, his mouth tasting of metal.

“When I met your brother, he had, like me, only recently returned to his human form. The boy was a mess. Even though that was the case, it truly is a shame what Nikolai put him through. That man really is the humorless sort...”

Jason's heart sank into his stomach as he fell back into his chair as his head began to spin.

“Alright, I've heard enough. Did you come here just to torment the kid?” Loba, wasting no time, grabbed his lance from the wall, training it on Ayn. From the other side of the room, Biji’s chest flared to life as she readied herself to lunge.

“Good call for once, Loba. I've been wanting to blow this lady to pieces since she walked into the kitchen.”

Throwing her hands up in surrender, Ayn laughed softly to herself before tapping on the table with one of her fingers.
“Well, it seems this is where our little chat ends. This was good, Jason Raja. You did just about the amount of talking that I could tolerate. It was fun seeing you squirm, I won't lie. Now, Eclipse,”

Out of thin air, the man in black armor had appeared, tapping his sword on the center of the table.

“Let's let our friend have her fun before we move to the final course.”

In the matter of a second, Biji, Loba, Ayn, and Eclipse had vanished, leaving the kitchen empty and Jason, Uddi, and Panka stunned.

In the courtyard behind the glass pane stood a woman with black hair and murder on her mind.