FIEND

The door to the Chamber of Convergence closed as soon as the trio stepped into the windowed corridor. After three long years, they were again greeted by the desolate landscape stretched to the horizons adjoined to the bright, opalescent sky. The ever-shifting color was an awe-inspiring sight to them when they first set foot in the Tower, but now the view became somewhat unsettling.

The trio got on the travelator, slowly moving along the corridor. The silence allowed their fatigue to set in, causing their muscles and joints to ache from the slightest movement.

“The fight was really good, wasn’t it?” said Rupert, smiling from ear to ear.

“It was fine. Too much close call for my taste,” Lucy responded half-heartedly.

“But we got the job done, right?”

“At a great cost,” Sam jumped in.

“Man, you two are such a downer. We destroyed the Nest, took down a Mangler, and passed the Apprenticeship. Yet, you two looked like someone died,” Rupert spouted.

“Someone did die, Rupert. A lot of them, actually,” Lucy replied, recalling the boy she saw in the tunnel. “I wonder what their last thoughts were, before they lost their sense of self. Agony? Despair? Or regret?”

“There’s no point in mulling over it, Luce. You will only end up hurting yourself,” Sam advised.

“Yeah, you’re right. Sorry…for spoiling the mood with my rambling.”

“It’s been a long night. Some hot shower and a little rest might do us good.” Sam looked over to Rupert, hoping the latter had listened to the conversation. However, to his surprise, the elder Nightingale was staring intently at the window.

“Hm, is it me or is there something weird about the sky?” said Rupert.

Sam immediately looked through the clear glass, but failed to see anything off about the sky – not until a few seconds had passed. For a couple of brief moments, the prismatic sky turned dark grey before returning to their original color. Moreover, the clouds pulsed like a heartbeat, its shape became more twisted with each thump.

“That…is pretty concerning,” Sam remarked. “Have you seen something like this in your reading, Lucy?”

“Nothing comes to my mind, unfortunately,” Lucy replied, shaking her head. “I’ve read dozens of books about the Phantasmal Realm but none of them mentioned anything about that.”

Before Sam could respond, his feet touched the metal comb of the moving walkway. Across from where he was standing was a silver door with eight emblems engraved on its surface. Seven symbols of seven different insects: a Deathstalker scorpion, an Ironclad beetle, the Ghost Mantis, The Froghopper, the Swallowtail Butterfly, the Tarantula Hawk and the Hornet – all of them are arranged in a circle, surrounding a hexagon. “Now, that’s new,” said Sam. “I didn’t expect the Council of Eight to be this…tacky.”

“I don’t think it was them that ordered this…addition,” Lucy retorted, her eyes gradually narrowed. “This oozes Timothy’s eccentricity.”

“The blacksmith? Oh yeah, I can see that,” Rupert agreed.

“I’m more surprised by the fact that Thomas allowed him to do it. Oh well,” Sam mouthed before approaching the door. He placed the palm of his hand against the hexagon, causing the entire symbols to glow bright red. Then, they heard the mechanism turning and clicking from behind the wall followed by the door sliding wide open. The trio fidgeted as they were hit with a blast of cool air and the overlapping voices of the Tower’s residents.

The Atrium, the high-ceilinged hall of the seven-stories Tower that could fit a thousand people at one time. The roof was adorned with an elaborate fresco, depicting the Cataclysm – a giant meteor that fell from the sky a thousand years ago. Because of it, the world was permanently plagued with a series of natural disasters and also, the Distorted – vicious creatures that persistently preyed on the living.

Fortunately, the depressing pain was overshadowed by the bustling activities of the Tower’s residents. Children and adults roamed the area alike without a hint of worries on their faces; a stark contrast to what was happening in the Mortal Realm.

“Woah, what’s with all the commotion?” said Rupert, grinning cheerfully.

“They must be on a break. Jeez, talk about sticking out like a sore thumb,” Lucy responded with a grimace.

“Come on, the Reception Counter is not far from here. They won’t notice us if we walk through the crowds,” said Sam before leading the way.

The trio waded through sea of people, hoping they would not notice their presence. Sam, however, instantly sensed the bystanders’ piercing gazes; most of them were out of curiosity. He also heard his name bounced around the room, along with the siblings.

“So much for laying low,” Lucy murmured. “It seems they haven’t forgotten about what we did.”

“You mean our little brawl with Cindar? It can’t possibly be that memorable,” Rupert spouted.

“We nearly destroyed the Training Hall. I think that’s memorable enough,” said Sam. Looking forward, he saw the black Reception Counter and the Receptionist behind it. It was an unassuming young woman with sun-kissed skin and a long black hair wrapped around her neck. Sam could not ascertain the identity of the woman because of the face mask she wore but the moment her lilac eyes settled on him, he immediately knew who she was.

“Iris Lumila,” said Sam after reaching the counter.

The woman gasped and nearly toppled the chair next to her. “S-sorry, I-uh,” Iris quickly apologized, but she started to blush when she laid her eyes on Rupert.

“Um, Iris? Are you alright? You looked a bit red,” said Lucy.

“Y-yes. I’m fine, Miss Lucia. Just…give me a second,” Iris responded before taking a deep breath to calm herself down. “On behalf of the Council of Eight, congratulations on completing your Apprenticeship. Until the Summer Solstice, you are hereby a Candidate.”

“A Candidate, huh? Cool,” Rupert remarked.

“Be warned, though, that your current status can be revoked if you violated the rules of the Tower and severe punishment awaits the offenders. That’s…um, the official statement from the Council.”

“Doesn’t sound that cool anymore, huh?” said Lucy, crossing her arms together.

“But a celebration without some rule-breaking sounds kinda dull, don’t you think?”

“Sure, go for it. Just...leave me out of it, alright? I think I had enough adventure for today,” Lucy sighed. “Iris, is my room is still vacant?”

“It is just as you left it, Miss Lucia,” said Iris before pulling out three cylindrical capsules from one of the counter’s drawers. “As usual, please put your clothes inside these and place them inside the laundry tube. We’ll get them cleaned up as quickly as possible.”

“Thank you, Iris, and,” Lucy paused, a smile appeared on her face. “There’s no need for formality between us. We’re not that particular with titles and honorifics.”

“I…I’ll try, um, Lucy.”

“Barely an hour since your return and already pressuring someone to do your bidding? You’re mean,” Sam said jokingly.

“Well, thank you. I take pride in being mean to those who deserved it, especially my brother,” Lucy retorted before tossing a capsule to Sam. She then turned back to Iris and gave her a wink. “Kidding.”

“Oh, poor me. Why couldn’t you be more like Iris? She never mocked anyone even when she was mad,” Rupert ranted.

“Sure, if you promise not to break any rules during our stay,” Lucy proposed.

Rupert’s expression darkened; his lips pursed in protest.

“That’s what I thought.”

Noticing the people staring at them, Sam promptly shifted his focus to Iris, apologizing to the latter. “Sorry about that. We just had a big fight – not with each other, of course.”

“I…heard,” Iris said awkwardly.

“Alright, you two,” said Sam before dragging the siblings away from the Reception Counter.

“Ow, you don’t need to-,” Lucy’s comment was cut short when Sam hissed at her.

“Quiet. We’re being watched, and I don’t mean the crowd.”

Lucy and Rupert looked at Sam in disbelief, but the moment they glanced at the onlookers, they realized he was speaking the truth. It was brief but they sensed a familiar malicious intent hidden among the curious eyes.

“I thought he supposed to be back tomorrow,” Lucy whispered.

“Clearly, there have been a change of plan,” said Sam.

The trio arrived in front of a silver door frame; embed next to it was a set of buttons indicating different floors. Sam pressed ‘3’, activating the Rift Gate in an instant. “Go, I’ll be right behind you.” The siblings nodded their heads in unison before charging into the portal. Sam, on the other hand, glared at the mob and saw a pair of golden eyes fixated on him. A tiny smile formed across Sam’s face as he recalled the brawl in the Training Hall. Then, black smoke began to slither out of the mob of people, and gathered in front of him. A stocky man soon emerged from the acrid smog, sneering eerily with his rows of pearly white teeth.

“Samuel Edelweiss,” said the golden brown-skinned man, his voice was deep and rumbling. “It is a pleasure to see you again.”

“Jack Cindar. I wish I can say the same, but we both know the choice of words I usually used are a bit…scathing,” Sam scoffed. “What’s up? I see you still haven’t fixed your crooked nose.”

“For that, I thank you. It keeps me motivated – until the day when I can return the favour.”

“Sure, good for you. Now, if you’ll excuse me-,” before Sam could pass through the portal, he saw Cindar partially unsheathed his gladius. “Really? Here? You already put yourself in hot water, Jack. For someone of your calibre, I expected you to understand your current situation.”

“Oh, that situation? It has been ruled out as a freak accident,” Cindar said confidently. “It is quite tragic. They were planning to retire peacefully in the south but, alas, it is not meant to be. At least, they are buried next to each other.”

“Hm, you took the news of their deaths well. Too well, in fact.”

“Did you expect me to cry my eyes out, Edelweiss? Wasted three years of my life with those pair of dimwits and they contributed nothing to my Apprenticeship.”

“It doesn’t give you the right to speak ill of them, though,” Sam countered.

“I can say whatever I want, whenever I want. Sentimentality is useless to me; a nuisance, if I may say. Unlike you, I don’t indulge myself with such frivolous concept.”

“You haven’t changed on bit, huh? Using complex words doesn’t make you smart, Jack. It only made you sound like a pretentious jackass.” The smug smile on Cindar’s face gradually faded away; his furious expression made Sam slightly delighted. “Oh, did I strike a nerve? Here I thought the Overlord’s protégé is impervious to insults. It seems I’ve…overestimated you.”

“Your mouth is as foul as your ignorance. But I do not blame you for the fault lies on your teacher.”

Sam snorted with laughter, shaking his head with disbelief. “Talking trash about Markus? I know you’re petty, Jack, but not that petty. I’ll be extremely careful with my next set of words if I were you.”

“Is that a threat?”

“More like a friendly advice,” said Sam, pointing over his shoulder.

Cindar initially frowned at the gesture but as he turned around, his face turned pale. Marie was standing in front of him, her eyes were brimming with silent rage. In her hands was a sheathed claymore with golden handle and it looked like she was about to draw it at any moment.

“Well, Mr. Cindar. Getting a little excited, are we?” Marie said coldly. “There are no rules against friendly rivalries but being a potential harm to others, however…”

“Rest assured, Strelitzia, I’m not out for anyone’s blood.”

“No. Not yet.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Cindar growled.

“You’re a smart man. Figure it out,” Marie replied, smiling suspiciously. “Now put that little sword away before you cut yourself.”

Cindar promptly released his gladius but not before muttering something under his breath.

Though it was faint, Sam could deduce what he said based on the movement of his lips. Cannibal whore.

“That’s not nice. You shouldn’t say stuff like that especially in front of the ladies,” Marie reprimanded the grouchy man.

“I can say whatever I want, lady.”

“Just because you can, it doesn’t mean you should. Thomas might have taken a shine to you but that doesn’t excuse your behaviours. In case you forgot, you are one mistake away from being axed and if that happens, even the Overlord himself wouldn’t be able to save you,” Marie said playfully, but her stare was intense.

“Your concern…is duly noted,” Cindar retorted before turning his attention to Sam. “It seems luck is on your side today, Edelweiss, but I am a patient man. All I had to do was wait for it to run out.” Cindar then pushed the button with the number 7 on it and as soon as the Rift Gate lit up, he shuffled through it.

“Well, that was quite cathartic,” said Sam after letting out sigh of relief.

“Sorry about that. I thought I could reach you first to warn you but it seems Cindar has learned a few tricks,” said Marie.

“It’s not your fault, Marie. But I’m very curious why he suddenly decided to show up a day early. The Tower is not exactly his favourite place in the world.”

“You let me worry about that, darling,” Marie answered. “What you should do is to go back to your room and get some rest. I heard they upgraded the shower.”

“A bath sounds great. Wouldn’t want to go to bed smelling like Cindar.”