Prologue: Questions

Prologue: Questions

The men who came to see me wanted the truth. I could tell from their eyes, and from the way they had cornered me. There was no way to escape. The wounds across my body were still taking their toll after the battle against Korn.

“It seems strange to me,” the paladin said. “We investigated your background and found out you belong to the Atenas family, a very powerful clan of sorcerers in Mexico. Did your family have some kind of feud with the Sinister Devourer?” he asked.

“No. My family has never had any contact with that man,” I replied. Even though my relationship with them was bad—borderline awful—I did not want to make them carry such a heavy responsibility. This was my fault for getting cocky when I least needed to.

“You witnessed his power. Korn, the Sinister Devourer, is no ordinary human. He has been evading us for years, and now, out of nowhere, he decides to attack a couple in the street… Do you really think I’m an idiot?”

“If the shoe fits, wear it. I’m only telling the truth. Besides… I’ve been disinherited. I’m no longer the firstborn of the Atenas family. I’m just a mediocre sorcerer living in the city, whose magical research consists of wandering around and staying out of trouble. That damn monster broke my bones and left me half-dead. Why would I hide information? What the hell do I gain by playing dumb? Nothing. Stop asking me questions I can’t answer and get me out of this hospital.”

For a moment, I let my fury guide my words. Did this guy not realize who he was talking to? A low-level sorcerer, mediocre and with no aspirations of greatness.

His attitude annoyed me.

Not so much because I had to keep the secret.

From his point of view, my explanations were nothing but absurd lies getting in the way of his investigation. And of course, in a way, he was right. I knew the reason Korn had attacked us, but revealing it just like that would put sweet Aria at risk.

“You have quite the mouth for someone so weak, little sorcerer. I’ll give you that.” The paladin brought his right hand to his chin, then turned to look at his companions without saying a word to them.

Were they planning to torture me?

“This hospital is hidden, isn’t it?”

“Yes. No one knows where you are. Not even your white-haired girlfriend.”

“And how are you going to explain my disappearance?” I asked the paladin. Considering how hard it had been for me to get my job at the restaurant, it felt sad to think I might lose it just like that.

“We’re not idiots. When a person suddenly disappears, people start asking questions. Unlike hunters, we work in the shadows. As far as the general public is concerned, you and your white-haired girlfriend were attacked at night, and now you’re in intensive care. You won’t be fired, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“I see. Thanks for covering for me. You may be a little antisocial, but you definitely take your work very seriously.”

My father used to say agents were more reliable than hunters, since they were not cold-blooded killers who judged every case as an aberration.

And no matter how unpleasant this man was, at least I could entrust him with my safety.

“And Aria? Is she all right?” I did not want to sound too desperate, but they had seen my little spectacle a few hours ago, so I dropped the mask and asked what truly mattered. Her injuries were not as serious as mine, but I was still deeply worried about her safety.

“Ah, your girlfriend. She’s fine. We explained the situation to her, and she agreed to lie at work.”

By the way, Aria was not my girlfriend.

Yet…

“I see…” I replied. After that, I fell silent as I tried to process everything that had happened to me.

At the hospital, I had not had time to talk to anyone. And now, when the agents wanted to drag the truth out of me, the words would not leave my mouth. The supernatural world was horrible. I wanted to stay far away from it for the rest of my life, to live like any other person, without having to deal with monsters or powerful sorcerers.

I had been born into a family devoted to sorcery. Even so, I had managed to cut ties with them. I was free to live my own way! Or at least, that was what I had thought.

This problem would not simply solve itself.

“Happiness will be impossible until Korn is dead.”

It was a self-evident truth. So much so that I wanted to scream and run out of that place.

“I’m sorry I can’t help you, agents. This failed sorcerer has accomplished nothing in his life, and I will probably remain that way for the rest of my days.”

I was not lying. My life had been a spiral of failures and disappointments that seemed to have no end.

Just when I thought I had found a bit of stability, this happened.

Damn my rotten luck!

Why couldn’t Aria and I simply be happy?

“I understand. Are you sure you don’t know anything?” The paladin’s voice grew softer, perhaps out of pity, or simply because he had remembered something from the past.

“No. This is horrible. How am I supposed to live now? That attack scarred me for life. I will never forget his enormous size or the absurd powers he had. I never stood a chance. I tried with everything I had, but I wasn’t even able to make him worry, much less defeat him. I… I’m weak…”

I had to hold back the urge to cry. I wanted to look strong and competent in front of them, but the mask did not last even two minutes.

In truth, I was scared. I feared Korn would come back to finish what he had started, especially because his motive was none other than Aria.

What if I told them the truth?

What if I tried to trust them?

Would they help me? Or would they throw me to the wolves?

In the end, I had to obey my parents one last time. They had clearly told me not to trust the agents or the hunters, since rivalries and old grudges were still striking at our society even now. A sorcerer without the guild’s full backing would never win a trial against the agents.

“I suppose we have nothing more to discuss. Goodbye.”

The paladin left with a look full of irritation. I could feel his bad vibes from where I was. Apparently, he had not believed me at all, but since he had no evidence to keep me locked up, he was forced to follow his own code of conduct.

The other agents slowly began leaving the room, until only one of them remained standing in front of me. Seeing them up close, I noticed their delicate features and short stature. Then I realized it was a woman.

“It won’t hurt.”

A golden syringe emerged from her right hand. The girl brought the object toward my right arm and, without further delay, drove the needle deep into the muscle. Strangely enough, I felt no pain, only a strange sensation of relief and exhaustion. Suddenly, the world around me turned white, then black, and in the end, I found myself swimming once more in the ocean of unconsciousness.

Had it been poison?

No, it could not have been poison.

I had already brushed against death once, and the sensation had been completely different.

To hell with it…

I closed my eyes and let fate judge me. At that point, my only regret was not having openly confessed my feelings. Yes, I had fallen in love with Aria. I knew it from the first time she smiled at me in that autumn park, with the leaves dancing around her and her divine power on full display.

An image I would never forget.

Not even in death.