Edit: Corrected a major mistake. Kregron is supposed to have one working eye.
"Kregron Letarion, the Wandering Soldier... It is a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for saving Miss Sunwolf." The head butler of the Sunwolf household bowed profusely in appreciation but Kregron ignored the gesture. He picked up Lisa and carried her again in the same piggyback manner. Looking at the butler, Kregron jerked his head towards the mansion with an unamused look. The butler's smile vanished immediately at that behaviour. Without another word, he led Kregron past the gates and up the low slope. They walked through a beautiful vibrant garden, though it could be seen from the flowers that much less care was given during the past few days.
"I am Takaimura. The maids here will ease you of your load. How should the Sunwolf household repay you?" Kregron passed Lisa to a group of three maidens dressed in neat, clean, beige uniforms. Takaimura calmly led the mercenary into the mansion, through a short series of stairs and corridors, before finally arriving at an open room. "Come in, I shall have a few of the housekeepers clean your equipment-"
"There is no need to call them." Kregron spoke with venom. Takaimura jumped a little and quickly decided to change the topic. "Your choice is respected, sir. Do you need anything else?"
"Food. And water." Kregron mentioned in a matter-of-fact tone. Takaimura nodded and left briefly, leaving Kregron alone. Sensing there was no one around, Kregron shut the door and locked it with a few trusted spells. He rarely used magic, not because he was not very proficient in it, but it was not in his style. The magic he learnt were too flashy and attracted too much attention during missions.
Kregron took out his pistol from its hoister and examined the smooth onyx-coloured grooves. He felt the handgrip before proceeding to disassemble the weapon. Then he reassembled it and loaded a full magazine. He cocked it, unloaded the gun and retrieved the lone bullet from the chamber by a release switch. It was a wonderful work of art, a payment from completing a mission in Lionaron.
Holding up the bullet between his thumb and second finger, Kregron gazed at it dreamily, as his mind was gradually swallowed up in his reverie.
"Why don't you join them, Kregron?"
A much younger Kregron looked up in shock, but the emotion soon faded away the moment he realised who was the owner of the voice. Madam Peria.
"I don't play with bullies and wretches." Kregron muttered under his breath. He tugged his left sleeve down further to cover his entire left arm. He poked the soil with a short, thick stick, waiting impatiently for Madam Peria to leave him alone. She did not, choosing to sit beside the boy as he began to scribble with the stick.
"That is a very nasty thing to say, Kregron." Madam Peria offered an opened bag of gummies, which Kregron readily declined.
"My mom told me never to lie. It's not good to lie." Kregron poked the soil repeatedly, each time with more force until the stick broke in two. Then Kregron picked up another stick and continued poking the ground.
"Does the boredom ever get to you?" Madam Peria asked worriedly.
"I'm used to it. It's not like I have a choice." Kregron replied grimly.
The matron stared for a moment, unable to give a suitable rebuttal to the boy. Then she smiled when she realised what he meant. She hugged the boy and patted his head. "We always have our choices. It is the mistakes we made in choosing them."
Kregron's eyes flittered up and down while he fidgeted with the stick. Then he nodded silently, absorbing the meaning into his memory.
"It is strange, Madam. What mistakes have I made to deserve this?"
Kregron revealed his left arm, to which the matron screamed in fright.
"Is it a lie or truth?" Kregron slipped the bullet back into the magazine and returned everything to their respective holders. A voice in his head replied almost immediately. Your destinations in life are predetermined by the web of Fate. Your decisions mattered not in the entirety of your journey.
Then what do you have to say about this choice I have taken? Why do you think I have taken it? Kregron asked the voice mentally. It laughed, which sounded more like a light chuckle, passing off a feeling that it was amused at the questions. It is really strange, isn't it? How I am you and I do not know the answers? But since you have inquired about my opinion, I shall provide. In your heart, you are desperately searching for a reason to live, in order to feel alive once more. It is only natural, given your human-half.
I guess you are right. Kregron stood up and walked towards the bathroom. Switching the light on, he took a brief look at the mirror. He could see the blots of dried blood dotting his face and armour. Slowly, he felt the areas around his left eye, after he noticed how prominent his left eye-bag was. He could not remember when he had sleep. He barely recalled the sensation of being rested. All his life, he has been running, fighting and chasing.
The reason to exist lies in becoming a true friend to the girl? Kregron doubted the words he had read in the letter. What is so special about the girl that would help me in finding the answer?
Lisa Sunwolf woke with a anguished scream, only to be held back gently by two fair maidens. They whispered calmly, trying to get her to relax and forget about her nightmare. The young heir shuddered and gazed around the room. Staring at the ceiling, Lisa fixated her gaze upon an intricate painting of the Sunwolf's medal of honour. The different hues of yellow and cerulean worked together to bring about a commanding yet warm texture, imparting a kind and just tone. Lisa breathed out slowly, feeling her heartbeats decreasing back to the normal range.
She ordered her housekeepers to leave her alone before she went to the bathroom to wash up. Memories of her kidnapping returned to her briefly as she tried to enjoy a warm soak in the bath. However, the strong images of Kregron slaughtering her captors pushed away those memories and leaving her clutching her arms in fear. It reminded her of something in the past, a terrible tale to kept untold.
"Mom, Dad. Why do you have to leave me?"
"Milady, I'm glad you are safe. How are you feeling?" Takaimura asked with the air of a worried father. Lisa shook her head and fiddled with her fingers. The butler nodded, appearing to be holding back on something he was about to tell. Unfortunately, Lisa caught the hesitant look on his face and pushed him for the reason.
"Milady, please sit down. Do not be alarmed at what I am about to inform you. The man whom you saw dispatching your captors... He will be your new bodyguard starting from today. He also requests to be in close contact with you." Takaimura knew he was treading in dangerous waters. It was barely three days since his master's rescue and he hoped that the memory of the mercenary would not trigger a bad reaction from Lisa.
Lisa stared in a mixture of shock and terror at the news. She began to breath heavily as the frightening memories of Kregron's murderous aura filled her very being. She trembled violently as Takaimura quickly tended to his mistress, trying his best to calm her down. He cursed silently under his breath, reprimanding himself for not allowing Lisa to fully recover from the ordeal.
Kregron watched secretly from above, studying his client with a faux lazy gaze. Such a fragile creature, he thought. He felt his chin with his right thumb and second finger, noting the bristly feeling and a reminder to shave when his beard was longer. Yet again, this challenge fills me with doubts. How am I supposed to be a friend to a girl who would be driven senseless by the sight of me?
You can always give up now. It would be wiser to stick to what you know instead of wandering into the vast unknown. The voice in Kregron's head spoke. Kregron pondered on the suggestion for a minute. Yet his heart yielded for the answer so strongly that Kregron could not resist. Thanks, but no thanks. I must get through this, no matter what.
Even when you have met failure in such similar situations before? You know this very well. It is not in the past if it continues to exist in present and future. It is a fact, a law! You intend to go against an absolute rule of existence!? The voice argued and Kregron clenched his teeth in frustration.
He is correct. Kregron tried hard to keep those experiences out of his consciousness. No, I must not give in. Not now!
"My freedom to choose is mine alone, not Fate's." Kregron told himself in a determined tone. The voice inside grunted in defiance but said nothing more.
Clasping the miniature locklet hanging on her necklace, Lisa let her gaze wander to the window and into the darkness of the lightless sky. The soft crisp sounds of frogs had a calming effect on the lady, who tried once again to fall asleep. She felt exhausted but the fear that was enclosing around her being did not fade away. She tossed and turned, trying to find a comfortable position and spot in her bed to lie peacefully.
A breeze began to blew on the crowns of trees. Lisa watched the swaying movement, the occurrence reminding her of her mother's voice and words. Gradually, her eyelids drooped and the girl was fast asleep. None of the recent memories or nightmares disturbed her rest.
Kregron pulled out his pistol from under his pillow, swinging around to see a glowing figure floating at the edge of his bed. He stopped in shock when he realised it was a female youthful angel with straight long blonde locks of hair. Dressed in a white toga and sandals, it reminded the mercenary of the age before magic was introduced to man. She approached Kregron slowly and cautiously, holding out her arms in a friendly gesture of welcome. Kregron's brain tried to rationalise how an angel had managed to find him and whether the angel was sent to punish him for the death of her sister.
Still, the thoughts were pushed aside when he noticed her sad, haunting smile. He felt the lips conveyed much pain from their owner. However, he felt compelled to be on guard.
"Stay away from me, please. Your name and your purpose." Kregron uttered, struggling to stop the trembling in his pistol hand. The angel nodded and floated back to the opposite edge of the bed.
"I am Aegis. I only serve as your guardian angel. My last master died and you were the nearest sentient being to whom I have latched on." Her voice was warm and comforting, an identical sensation of the warm summer breeze through one's hair and a fair bit of sun peeking through the thin clouds.
"I did not ask you to be my guardian, angel." Kregron hissed, maintaining his sight on the angel's forehead. "I do believe that angels do have a choice not to serve those who have tainted hands."
"I do not." Aegis replied in a somewhat sorrowful tone, her light diminishing until she has faded into the relative darkness of the room. Thoroughly confused of what had just happened, Kregron laid back on his bed wide awake, only falling into an uneasy sleep filled with dreams of the dying cries of angels.
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