The darkness and quiet. Unanswered questions from all angles. A sensation I'm all too familiar with. I am aware of my nap, so why is my mind awake now? I still feel drowsy, but my brain is fighting for some reason. Background noises. Hmm. They are getting louder. Maybe it's time to wake up... Okay. Maybe later. To hell with running a kingdom. Sleep is priority.
"You've been sleeping for two weeks, Sol." A voice interrupts the peace. Jean. "Your eyes also twitched. I know you're awake."
"Are you certain about that?" Estressa's tone is a mix of surprise and joy. "Sol? Dear? Are you awake?"
"Please be awake."
Another voice sighs with relief as I open my eyes. Runes floating in the ceiling without a care in the world. We are back at the treatment room from before. It's quiet despite Chimerians coming in and out of the area. Estressa and Arra are sitting on the side of my bed, their eyes brimming with tears. Jean is standing along the back of a wall, eating a cake while holding a plate full of more. Piles of food and drinks scatter on the table next to him. The first time I've ever seen him act like a stress eater. Esmeralda and Nelen are sleeping on another bed next to me.
"Hey, guys. I'm back." I smile. Bandages are all on my body, but I feel amazing. "Hmm. How's everything?"
"Oh, shut up." Jean puts her plate onto a nearby table and takes a drink. "Don't act like you didn't do something stupid. What the hell was that about? You were barely recognizable when we found you!"
"You shut up and worry about yourself, Jean. I do what I want in life. Estressa, how's everyone?"
"We have been handling the troubles while you were sleeping, dear." Estressa holds my hand. "As of now, we are patrolling the entire city to look for supplies and report suspicious activities. Shall I give the command to you now that you're awake?"
The growling of my stomach makes Jean sigh as he takes a piece of food on his table and hands it to me. It looks like a slice of pie, but I don't exactly know what it is. A red filling oozes out of its insides. Maybe a fruit pie? What the hell. I'll just eat it... Mmm. It's sweet and comforting. I would eat this if I'm stressing about something. Like leading a city.
"Hmm... Where are all the generals?" I ask Estressa while looking at Arra. She really looks beautiful.
"They are outside looking for usable items." She frowns. "Dolls have been ravaging everything usable in the city. Inconceivable. We are trying to reach out to other towns, but they are also afraid some who tried to help us got attacked. I have not slept for three days because the citizens are starting to complain now. "
"Oh, and not only that." Jean takes another slice of cake. "All the attacks are happening, and we still have no clue on what's going on. Cerberus is basically a ghost at this point. I w--"
We are under attack. This one sentence of Alistair echoes from beyond the doors, and everyone gets ready. Weapons are appearing from all across the room, and Estressa's demeanor turns tense. The runes above the ceiling continue to wander as battle cries of men and women fill the outside. Jean curses under his breath, and Arra stretches her hands. The Snakes and Goats in the room are already going outside, and medics are moving the patients away from every door. Despite the room looking like a marketplace, everyone is calm. The couple is still sleeping, but there's something off about them. Is Esmeralda sick?
"Oh, shit. Here we go again." Jean sighs as he puts the last piece of pie in. "You gonna join us, Sol?"
"Yeah. I want to see things for myself." I say, rising up from the bed and planting my feet to the ground. "Hmm. I'll think of something. For now, put the Dolls to rest."
"Sol. Your wounds are holding you back." Arra looks at me with worry. "You are not capable of fighting right now."
"I'll be fine, Arra. Thanks for worrying about me."
I smile and rip the bandages blocking my mark. That's weird. Why do I have a clear skin? Didn't I burn last time? Oh, well. Might as well take it all off. Estressa gulps and instructs everyone to turn their heads. She then summons her scepter, chants another unknown spell, and talks to it while asking for an outfit. Oh, right. Clothes. We are getting attacked, and she's ordering for clothes. Women. I'm starting to miss the clothes Esmeralda made for me. Its fabric breaks, but it regenerates. Just like me... Oh. All the bandages came off... This is awkward.
"Stay on hold, dear. I am currently ordering someone to fetch some clothes for you." She says, looking at my body and turning away. "Also, please cover your... manliness."
"Yeah. Hmm. Does anyone in here have spare pants?" I shout, making an old woman gasp. "For emergency purposes."
"I have one, milord." A voice calls. It's the Lion with the mask and shiv. "What type do you want?"
"You carry spare pants?"
"Yes. That is none of your business, milord." He scoffs. "Do you want it or not?"
"I'm not taking your pants if you're not willing."
"You don't have a choice." His voice sharpens. "Now choose. Are you taking it or would you rather fight with your manhood swinging around?"
"You wanna fight, punk?"
"Now is not the time to argue." Estressa interrupts with rage in her voice. "We shall deal with the Dolls first."
With one last glare and borrowed pants, we go outside. The gate to the headquarters is still broken, and three of the Royal Knights are fighting yet another horde. Jayce and the Lion with a cowl are guarding the door to the defense room. I think her name is Sarya? Spell casters from the Chimera Legion are holding Dolls off, casting wind magic and knocking them back by the dozens. Naas, Arlynn, and Xaar are the ones finishing them off. Well, this looks easy.
"This looks easy." I loosen my shoulders and sigh. "Hmm. The Dolls are a lot fewer than last time."
"They make up for it with persistence, dear." Estressa casts a spell and shoots a bolt of yellow energy. "They have been attacking us at exactly five in the evening every day. This attack lasts for an hour, and they get transported into some Gods-forbidden place after they do this."
"Oh, there's also this." Jean interrupts and throws a black orb in the air and summons a wolf. "They smell like earth, so that's a place to start. Maybe in the farmlands?"
"I have also ordered the three generals of the Chimerian Legion to look for those, but so far, nothing is bearing fruit."
Estressa says as she assists the others, casting spells that aid the fighters in the frontlines and telling someone to bring the wounded back to the treatment room. Items, clothes, and weapons are scattering everywhere, and chaos is running the place like usual. The Dolls still smell like soil, but they are starting to become bearable. I rush forward and slash three. Their heads meet the ground as I continue on the going forward. The rest is easy because the number of the Dolls are already thin and Naas is taking most of the work for himself. He's already fighting at the back of the horde. What an amazing guy. A few minutes of hacking and slashing and all of the human puppets are gone.
"That's the last of them?" I ask. "Hmm. Oh, well. As long as the citizens are safe."
"... Wait. Oh. It's you." Naas greets me with a nod. "Hello, king."
"Baby?" Xerr looks at me in awe. "You're still alive?"
"Xerr! Be careful with the way you speak to him!" Xaar glares at me. "That man is dangerous."
"Hmm... Anyways," I turn to Estressa. "I'm going on a tour outside. They get transported at six, right?"
"Yes, dear. Feel free to take whatever you need." Estressa replies.
"Alright. Just guard and keep the place running for me, okay? Hmm... Arra. Jean. Wanna come with me?"
I say with a smile. Some of the Chimerians flinch, but that's okay. I'm already starting to get used to it. I'm a monster, I know. Gray clouds paint the sky, signalling for a rain. We wave our hands as we walk away from the headquarters. Everything outside fills me with shock and awe. The town square looks much worse than the last time I've seen it. Buildings, houses, and carriages are demolished. Everything is quiet except for the strong winds and creaking doors. The street lights which once illuminated the city are also gone. The large gems floating on the East and West are missing. Gods. What the hell happened in here?
"What the hell happened in here?" I ask Arra as we pass on an alley. "This all happened in two weeks?"
"Yeah." Arra smiles and takes a candy out of her pocket. "It has been a while since we last talked, Sol. Are you doing well?"
"I guess. I'm king now for some reason. Who would've thought?"
"Yeah. Maybe you'll find whoever's responsible for manipulating Cerberus." She giggles.
"Haha. Oh! By the way, Sol." Jean interrupts while opening a pack of sandwich. "Why are we going out again?"
"We are investigating, of course."
I say as we pass through an alley and into rows of houses. This place is no different. Everything looks like a storm visited for days. Crates, cloth, and doors are broken. Cockroaches coming in and out of holes. Dead birds getting eaten by rats. It's looking even worse than all of the slums we went into... Slums... Hmm... Oh, wait! Sergei's parents!
"Did you guys check where they are?" I pat Jean on the shoulder. "Sergei's parents?"
"Oh. They're missing." He answers with a proud smile. "I know because I looked for them after you tried to kill yourself, you suicidal fuck. Don't do that again."
"Yeah. Shut the fuck up, Jean. I do what I want in life. So Sergei's parents are missing? Do you think they have something to do with all of this?"
"Oh. I was thinking about that, too. There's something off about the whole thing, however."
"Like what?" I ask as I look at Arra. She is repeatedly tapping on her right thigh.
"Oh, I was wondering why his parents are trying to avenge his death now of all times. Why would they still do it if they knew they would be the ones who will be suspicious? And why was Tarrith along with the bad guys? I did a little investigation on the subject and found out that he was nice. He was friends with basically everyone, and he made sure the messages of his people got heard."
"Hmm. Okay, and how does that help?"
"Think about it, Sol. If he was a nice guy, why would someone kill him?"
"Maybe the guy's hiding behind a mask. Just like you. The only difference is that you're literally using that helmet like it's your own skin."
"Yeah. Shut the fuck up, Sol." He mimics my voice. "I do what I want in life."
We walk into the town square of the South Wall. The sky is starting to darken, and the song of silence suggests an eerie atmosphere. Arra's subquarters are there, but just like the other buildings, it was demolished. The sign of the Chimera Legion is lying on the stone ground, and all of its heads are gone. Armors of Snakes and robes of Goats fill the place, suggesting that something happened here. What, though? There are still no signs of life, and Arra is getting nervous with each passing second. I hold her hand, reassuring that everything is gonna be okay.
"I'll tell Estressa you're cheating." Jean giggles like a girl.
"You can have her."
I sneer as we pass along another set of alleys. We walk for minutes, but nothing's happening. This place really is a ghost town. Arra's tapping on her thigh is starting to become faster. Jean is also summoning two bodies of wolves. I wonder why. The place is empty that I will hear a pin if I drop one. I don't see a reason--
"Oh, boy. Looks like we're not alone tonight."
It takes me a while to realize. The scent of lilies are back. Jean summons his weapon, and we both do the same. Arra's panting is getting ragged. Why is she nervous this time? She wasn't like this back when we issued a brawl. We stand close with our backs to each other while the wolves goes on all fours, acting like shields just in case. The smells are coming from the buildings. One by one, blue eyes start to glow from inside the dark rooms of the houses. So the hunters are coming for us, huh. Hmm. Alright.
I'll see if their fangs are sharp enough.