Chapter 69 | The Will of Anna.

Willna’s hair turned to black silk, just like the little man who still held her hand.

“Holy Remedy,” Ella said, sending mana to heal, as her will dictated, and both wounds slowly mended. The bleeding stopped, and the skin rejuvenated, leaving only a faint red scar.

Smack! She swiftly knocked on his hand, aiming with perfect accuracy.

“Ouch! That hurt, Ella.” He blew on his hand. “My hand still hurts. Haven’t you seen the smoke?”

She squinted at him. “Healing is done. No more touching a lady’s hand.” She slowly cracked her knuckles. “Or do you want another broken bone?”

He raised claws up. “Hahh, Lady Holy Light wants to bully a peasant.”

“Don’t call me that, Raccoon.” She punched him in the arm.

He grabbed her fist. “I’ll write a complaint letter and send it to the Holy Tower!”

“Hmph, I’ll reject all your letters,” she said, throwing another punch.

They continued arguing, hands and words flying.

Calder sat with his knees supporting Willna, and was surprised her body temperature had returned to normal. “Willanna, are you alright?”

She shook her head, her voice still raspy but improving. “B-Big brother Calder, I’m okay…” Her eyes were still locked on the golden saint and the black follower.

Ella kept kicking at him, but Rain blocked each attempt with his legs. The verbal sparring risen. Regular kicks and punches didn’t satisfy her, so she grabbed a nearby pillow and began hitting him with it.

Calder turned his head, taking in the scene. Without much thought, he said, “If we’d argued, at least exchanged words, maybe things would be clearer. Mundi… maybe it wouldn’t have ended like this.”

“Um,” she nodded, her gaze fixed ahead, watching as their fingers intertwined, a silent challenge to their wrestling skills. Ella’s hands appeared delicate and pure, like those of a maiden. In stark contrast, Rain’s hands told a different story, etched with scars and wounds, hinting at something forbidden. Dark, black tattoos, absorbing the light, formed the shape of a fallen angel, standing out against the damaged skin. She struggled to speak, the words caught in her throat. “Brother Rain, are you… cursed?”

Rain stopped his struggle with Ella, and looked at her, remaining silent. Ella also stepped back, staring at the Rexton descendants.

Willna stammered, “I didn’t mean—”

“Are you afraid?” He held out his hand, pure black and without any reflection.

She shook her head, then stood up, her legs wobbly. With Calder’s help, she finally managed to stay upright, tap, tap, her bare feet moving toward him.

Ella’s eyes were fixed on the pair, her hand on the hilt of a blade.

Willna looked at Rain, then touched his finger, and the same tattoo suddenly appeared on her arm. “Are we going to die together?” she asked, tilting her head.

Rain looked at her for a moment. Smack! His hand chopped her on the forehead.

“Reverse it, now!” he demanded.

“Uwwwu!” Wiping her forehead, a tiny tear rolled down. “It hurts.”

“Yes, it hurts. Do you want more?” He raised his hand.

Calder covered Willna’s head. “Please have mercy on her, Little Rain. She’s still fatigued.”

“Pfft!” Ella couldn’t contain her giggles. “Heh, heh-heh, Little… Little raccooon!” She nudged Calder with her elbow, giving him a thumbs up. “You’re doing so well, Lord Calder. Say it again, and I’ll give you ten gold.”

Rain squinted at her and saw Calder, looking awkward, try to apologize. Ella slowly pointed a pinched finger at him, mouthing the word “Little.” But he didn’t want to argue anymore. He just sighed, then looked at Willna. “Anna, please remove it,” he said, his voice blended with a bitter tone.

When she heard his tone, which sounded like a pin had pierced his heart, she instinctively touched the crystal on her chest, and the tattoo reversed, leaving only the fire scar.

Ella also stopped teasing.

He offered a weak smile. “Thank you.”

“A…” Willna started, opening her mouth as if to speak. She wanted to ask why he had it, and what the story was behind it. She wanted to understand why this small, dark form before her seemed so fragile. But she was afraid to break it by touching it, so no words came out.

As if reading her thoughts, Rain spoke softly, “Everyone…” The light in his eyes dimmed, his irises turning completely black.

“Brother, sister, enemy, friend… Everyone with that tattoo, who grew up with me… they’re all gone.” He lowered his head. “Every smile, cry, pain, faded into nothing. Even remembering them is impossible…” he looked at his empty hands. “I can’t hold on to any of them. They don’t have any purpose in life. They only wish to… So… please, don’t be like us.”

Willna covered her mouth.

His eyes lost their sparkle. “We didn’t even get a proper goodbye. Brick head, Wormie, Pooty, even Solace—”

Ella placed her hand on his shoulder to stop him because he was digging his fingernails into his palm, red blood oozed. She even uttered a rare “Sorry.”

Rain shook his head. “It’s not your fault.” He looked at Willna. “I just want to say, please, stay alive. You’ll never know how much a simple hi from you can save people… Many will be sad if they never hear your clear voice again, Anna.” Finishing his sentence, he bent down, gathering the spilled mugs and cleaning the room, including the metal box.

Willna hid her face, tears streaming down. Calder led her to the bed.

Ella offered, “Let me help.”

He just nodded.

Calder mended the house with his magic, replacing the bedroom wall with rock and mud. Rain returned with a broom and mop, cleaning everything. Willna tried to help, but earned a gentle smack on the forehead. Soon, they finished cleaning, both black and golden finding themselves back in front of the stove and kettle again.

“Are you alright?” She looked at him with concern.

He poured boiling water into a mug with a tea bag, “Have you tried the cake yet?”

“Yes, yes, that ginger cake is so good,” Ella said, her hand waving back and forth.

His blue eyes were fixed on her, and they gradually narrowed.

Ella tried to look away, but he was still watching her, head cocked to the side. Sweat trickled down her face. “I… there was so much going on. Didn’t you see? I was just trying to heal and keep things under control. It’s not easy, you know?”

He sighed, “You know, Ella? That piece was special for you. It’s vanilla cake,” he said, stirring a sugar cube with a teaspoon.

“Eh? Really?” Ella said. “I left it on the bedside table. I’ll eat it soon and give you a comment, okay?” She swiftly placed three mugs on a plate.

“Okay, let me just finish this…”

She moved without waiting for him.

Looking at her back, he smiled, then grabbed the last mug and followed her.

But when Ella opened the door, she was struck with a cold feeling. The vanilla cake plate was already in Willna’s hand, and furthermore, the last spoonful of cake was slowly entering her mouth.

Willna touched her own cheek. “Phwaaa, so delicious! The cream topping, melting smoothly on the tongue, met the yielding softness of the sponge cake. A sweet vanilla aroma filled the air, heightening the senses of smell and taste,” Willna said, her eyes becoming stars, her body wobbling with joy.

Ella’s shoulders dropped. “That was mine…” Her voice faded. She looked at the black youth, “Did you have more?”

Rain sighed, “Sorry, Princess. I had only that as the special one. Vanilla extract was really hard to make, Ella,” he said.

For the first time in front of a male, tears gathered at the corners of her eyes. “But, but, that was mine—”

He looked at her face and shook his head, then walked back to the kitchen, grabbing a plate from the food drawer. “Here,” he said, presenting a small cake, only half the size of the original. It was a little ugly, but the fragrance, aroma, and look were the same. “I saved this for myself, you can have it. But I didn’t put any special—”

“Excellent work, servant of the Blue Saint,” she said, snatching the cake. “I’ll give you a reward later.”

He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, Thank you so much Your Majesty—”

Ignoring him, she walked over and sat down, already enjoying her cake. A single bite made her practically glow, and she happily swung her legs. “I’ll find him a job in the kitchen. It would be a waste to lose those skills.”

Rain shook his head, then turned to Willna, offering her a mug of milk.

Willna took it. “Brother Rain, do you have more cake? What ingredients did you use, and where can I find the recipe?” Her voice was clearer than before.

“Sip the ginger milk. It’ll help your body warm, and it envisions more taste of the cake you ate.” He pulled a chair closer to her bed and handed Calder another mug. “You too, brother. Thank you for your hard work.”

Willna took a sip, her eyes widening as she stared at the light brown liquid. “Even the milk is perfectly blended… How many herbs are in this tiny tea bag?”

Calder accepted his tea. “Thank you… Little Rain, may I call you that?”

He shrugged. “Whatever you want.”

Ella interjected, but he swiftly glanced at her. “Except for you, Your Majesty, if you call me that. I will bite you.”

With a playful glance, Ella stirred her tea and said, “I’ll make an exception for you, not call you that small as a reward for your good deed.”

He put a hand over his heart and bowed. “How very kind of you, Your Majesty. This was a boon for my family.”

“Good, good. I’ll make an exception for that too, allowing you to address me by my title.” She smiled sharply.

He rolled his eyes again, then turned to Willna. “Anna, rest well…” he said.

The gentle breeze stirred between them, carrying the scent of tea and milk. The warmth of the mug against her lips slowly cooled. Willna’s purple eyes met Rain’s. She lowered her mug to her thigh and sighed, a sad sound escaping her, “Do you have to go?”

Rain nodded, “Yes, we have to. Be strong, okay?”

She lowered her head, clutching her blanket tightly. “Umm.”

He glanced at Calder and Ella, “Let’s go.”

“Okay,” Ella said, setting her mug down and standing.

Calder looked at Willna, who was still staring down at the blanket. “Don’t worry. We’ll take care of everything. I’ll be back soon.”

Rain turned his body, and wanted to move, grab, Willna grabbed his hand.

Riip, She tore a strip from the hem of her blanket and slowly tied it around his arm. “I can only do this. Sorry for being so…naive,” she said, her voice trembling like a lost child.

“You’re not naive, Little Anna. You are the daughter of a storyteller. You will carry many people’s stories. West to east, they will stay in your ink and be sent out with your voice,” he said, his voice soft and light.

The memories of celestial beauty woman captivated her. She Seated on a chair, her long, silky black hair cascaded to the floor. She held a large, open book, gazing at it. The faint image, once a blur, slowly sharpened in her memory. A bright smile graced her face, mirroring the young man sitting beside her.

Willna lifted her head, looking at his smiling face. “Mother’s words…”

Rain looked at Ella. “Could you wait a little longer?”

She sat back down. “I’ve waited this long. A few more minutes won’t change the world, right?”

“Thank you, Ella.” He looked into the purple eyes that were fixed on him, and took out his black book. “I’ll give you the beginning of the story.”

He opened the first page, revealing a rough drawing of a girl with black hair. “She was born on the northern continent, her silk-black hair a blessing from the north…”

Ella sighed. “That expensive book… Now, it’s just a collection of kid’s drawings.”

Unlike Ella, Rexton’s sibling looked thrilled. She grabbed a pillow and hugged it tightly. Calder sat on the floor, his ears perked, and listened intently.

He went on, “Having grown up with a sense of purpose, she saw her life as a mere instrument, especially as she grew older, When she left home, she was considered the lowest of the low, but her mission was a far difference from her position, she have to find something incredibly important: the monarch’s lost.”

He turned the page. It revealed a black box with light emanating from within. “Her mission was incredibly difficult, almost impossible. Failure seemed inevitable. She was so lost, unsure where to begin, but with every step, every story she gathered, she grew stronger. With a bit of luck and fate, she finally found what she was looking for.”

Flap. Two faces of girls appeared on the page. “But strangely, what she found looked just like her. Both fought, pressed and cut to steal each other’s story.”

Ella leaned forward in her chair, closer to the group.

“Without counting the days, when the sun was hidden and only the black sky and stars remained, she won, but with tears and falling stars.” He turned the page, showing a picture of a lady reflected in a river, mirroring a little girl. “The weight of her sister’s story made her realize something was wrong.”

He turned the pages swiftly.

“So, she ran,” flap, “ran,” flap, “ran, ran and ran far from her birthplace, as if running from her own shadow.”

This time, he slowed his page turning, and slowly said, “But while she ran, destiny led her to find a likeness.”

Rain stared at Calder, who now opened his mouth wide, looking at him with disbelief, goosebumps erupting all over his body, as if anticipating the next word.

“She met her first child…” He said with a smile.

“How…” Calder whispered, his voice barely audible.

Flap. The page showed a picture of a little child and a lady helping people chase away a wolf, “Because of her child’s kind heart, she had to help many people and gather more and more good stories.”

The next page turned, revealing a picture of a woman meeting a man in a robe bearing a Wheel of Pentacles and a Chariot. Ella breathed, “Maquis Cluster of the Light?”

“A thread connected her to the kind-hearted man who accepted her for who she was, and through him, she discovered the word ‘love’,” Rain opened the next page, but no one was looking at the book anymore. All eyes were on the young man with blue eyes. His voice was like a night lullaby.

“They continued, hand-in-hand, performing good deeds for the people, creating rules and laws that welcomed all, connecting everyone with ingenious minds of trade and mastery of language,” he said. “And a miracle… began.”

He glanced at Willna, who was now hiding half her face with a pillow, trying to conceal her blushing cheeks.

“And the miracle gave her the one thing that every monarch desired most, life,” he said, his voice filled warmth of caring moon. “Yes… Yes… That was impossible for her. The one who shouldn’t have her own story or any record in a journal. But now, she held a lovely daughter in her arms.”

Willna hugged the pillow tighter, the space around her seemed to wobble. Her face was pressed into the pillow, revealing only her red ears.

“With black silk hair, a Northern trait that sent to her infant, she embraced her child with pure love. Her devoted pen then began to gently scribble in her book, finally allowing her to write the story of her own life. She hoped someday to pass this story on and wished that one day her daughter would continue inking it.”

Flop! He closed the book. “That’s it, the beginning of The Will of Anna.”

Everyone fell silent, trying to comprehend what they’d just heard. Only Rain began packing his things, checking his gear and looking at his well-tied bandage. The corner of his eye caught sight of a pair of purple eyes watching him.

“B-brother…” Willna said.

“Yep?” he replied.

“Are you my… brother, I mean my brother?” she asked, her voice quiet.

Ella and Calder quickly turned to him.

He smiled and rubbed her head. “It would be so great if I had a cute little sister like you, but the answer is no. I don’t share Rexton’s bloodline.”

Phew. Hahhh. Ella and Willna sighed simultaneously.

Ella glanced at Willna, wondering why she’d let out such a sigh.

She stammered, waving her hands, “Saint Ella, I wasn’t thinking anything, I just wanted to know why Brother Rain has the same… appearance…as me.” Her face flushed again.

Rain tilted his head, touching her forehead. “Why is your temperature rising again? Are you feeling unwell anywhere else? Tell me, I’ll find some herbs—”

Smack! Ella slapped his hand away. “Don’t touch a lady’s head, Raccoon.”

“Ouch! That hurt! Could you go easy on me?” He winced, holding his hand.

Ignoring his grumbling, Ella turned to Willna. “White Follower Willna, do you have enough mana left to use portal magic and get us out of here?”

Willna swiftly nodded, extending her hands forward.

Ella nodded in agreement. “Good, send us—“

“Space Distortion!” Willna exclaimed. Everyone vanished from the room. Silence descended, broken only by the wind and her scattered thoughts.

“Uwwwu—Uwaaaaaaaaaa—What have I done?” A pillow covered her face, legs kicking on the bed. “Waaaaaa, so embarrassing, how could I have sighed like that.”

She rested her head on the pillow, looking at her hand, the warmth still lingering in her memory. “Brother Rain is so warm.”

She tilted her head and looked at the metal box on the floor. “Do you think the same, Mundi?”

“I think the same as you, Willanna.” A raspy voice came from the box.

“Um.” Willna smiled, looking at the fire scar on her hands. “So warm.”