Kingdom of Loradel, Hansel Tavern, Present day.
Rebecca took a drink of steamed goat milk. The taste of thin bitterness remained in her throat. "This could use some creamrose," she said.
Kyone sat beside her and across from Xeto who had yet to lift his head once since they entered the establishment.
Xeto slammed his tankard on the table after finishing his drink, the echo bounced around the empty inn. It seemed everyone was out helping with the bodies. He had offered to help, though the elven girl had instructed him to move as little as possible. Even their coming to the inn was ill advised, though the commander agreed to it as he didn't want to be a burden on his friends.
"Can we finally speak on the matter, Xeto?" asked Kyone.
"Do so," he answered with his head low.
"Why didn't you simply listen to Taloz when you were told to stay? Once more, you had the chance to return with us and insisted to stay. Now look where we've fallen." Kyone's ears were folded back, as his voice remained aggressive.
"What would you have done? Your home and the only family you ever knew in danger. Would you have listened?"
Kyone sighed.
The commander leaned into his clasped hands, his voice mirroring Kyone's. "I thought so. Now then, had you found yourself in that position I would have stood by you, not urge you to leave innocents behind." They spoke as if she was invisible, not once turning to face her.
"And what of all the people that would die if you ignited a war with Zuland?"
"I don't know," he said under his breath.
"You're a knight, Xeto—a damn good one. You know what you have to do now, yes?" Kyone took a swig from his tankard as Xeto remained silent. "Turn yourself back to the outpost and accept the consequences before it's too late."
"It is too late, Commander Iska."
"Perhaps, but the men that would have done these people harm are dead, the demons that attacked—are dead." Kyone leaned back and clasped his hands together. "They're as safe as can be, and we need to return to the outpost. We need to find out how exactly these demons are getting into the borders, and more importantly, how in the goddess' name are people waking from death."
The commander nodded. "I'll return to the outpost today, but first I'd like say my farewell to someone."
Kyone stood, and for the first time since they had left the outpost, he seemed at ease. "Understandable, I'll tell Alzac to prepare." He looked down at her and gave a quick salute. "Lieutenant." His footsteps could be heard even when he was out and far from the tavern.
Oh so you could see me. Thought I might have turned ethereal—would explain the overlooking.
The innkeeper, an older gentleman with a multicolored tunic walked over to their table. "Say, boy." There was a slight whistle that came from the gap in his teeth. "I saw what happened and I throw a coin as to say that you did your duty."
Rebecca's eyes darted from the man to Xeto.
The man leaned in. "Is that not your job as a knight? You protect others? All you did was kill another monster." He chuckled.
"Maybe you're right," said Xeto under his breath.
The man took Xeto's empty tankard. "The village will do better now that it isn't under Zuland's boot, you'll see." He then shifted his focus onto Rebecca. "You as well, any knightess of Loradel is welcome in my inn." He gave her a wink. "Allow me to get you something sweeter, darling. I think I have a bottle of Halosian wine just for you." He backed away with heavy footsteps.
"I think I just might like this little home of yours, Commander." She chuckled. Her mission was accomplished as she noticed a slight curve on his lip.
"It's the only place I can call home." But now it feels like I'm a stranger around the people I used to know." Xeto kept his focus down.
She leaned back in her seat. "Stare at that table any longer and you might just burn a hole through it."
"How can you smile at times like this? I forced you to commit treason."
She raised an eyebrow. "Forced? Did you pull the trigger—no. As for what you said. My uncle Benjin would say that if we don't smile, we as well be dead. Besides, wouldn't worry about what the elven girl thinks."
Xeto suddenly fidgeted with his fingers and looked up. "How did you—"
Rebecca giggled. "Ah, that got your attention. So, you are soft for her."
He looked away. "I think we're done talking about this." His cheeks were now a shade of pink.
"Haha!" She nearly kicked the bottom of the table. "You're flushing crimson, Commander. It's quite nice to know you have feelings behind that brooding act of yours." She let out another fit of chuckles as she clapped her hands together. "Worry not, she cares about you just as much as you to her, believe me."
He shook his head. "Even if she did… I couldn't. I've swore oaths to put my kingdom before my own ambitions. My life is to protect others, nothing more."
Rebecca pouted. "You can say that as much as you like commander but I can tell you at this moment the only person you're fooling is yourself." She stood. "Thoughts of war? Pffft, people have done more for less. Nothing will happen. A slap on the wrist is all you'll get; these types of altercations are common out here. Now then, all that girl wants is get to talk with her old friend again. Give her that, as a gift for both of you before you depart again." She winked. "Now if you'll excuse me. I'm going to get my Halosian wine.
~~~
The day was still young and there was a fresh breeze passing through the trees.
Rebecca yawned. "So, Commander. Who was it you wanted to see—better yet, why does he live so far from Hansel?" She followed right behind him as he trudged through the forest just outside of the village.
"Stay close," he mumbled
Behind her, the homes were nearly invisible, hidden behind a thicket.
Xeto's eyes were locked to the ground. "I wish I had done this sooner…" He rubbed at his nape. "Rebecca, what else did you manage to read in those books of yours?"
She felt a growth of confidence as she pulled out the small leather book from her knapsack. "Let's see."
"The head scribe is going to have you lashed if he finds that you took a book from his library," said Xeto.
"Meh." She shrugged before flipping through the pages. "So it says here that the reanimation of undead needs to be preformed by someone with the ability to conjure Necromancy aura."
Xeto shook his head. "Bosh. We've seen the dead rise in separate locations with nothing to tie them together."
"I'm not done. So then it also says that any person, beast, or animal awakened will always become hostile towards anything around them—similar to a rabid animal and—"
"We also already know that," he said unimpressed.
Rebecca could nearly feel him rolling his eyes. "It says that here that the awakened have a tendency to interrupt rudely with no regard for letting their scouts finish talking—paint me astonished," she teased, before bonking the book against his back. "Heard that, Commander?"
Xeto shot her a quick look back, a slight curve on his lips. "Sorry,"
"Well, if you wanted to know more, you'll be sad to hear that there wasn't much left. Though the final segment did confirm the use what we've seen as a Forbidden Aura."
"How so?"
"The bodies of the awakened turn to ash when killed a second time. Much like the bodies of those in Hansel."
"I don't like the idea of an aura that can revive the dead to be used like tools."
Rebecca shrugged. "We'll be back to chasing smoke soon, Commander. The diary doesn't say anything about the user being able revive without being present."
"What you said could even explain the story of The Bloodless Butchery."
The Bloodless Butchery. The most famous of fright stories. Rebecca had read a short excerpt about it. The story of how an entire kingdom to the northwest vanished in one night. Every city, every farm, every village, devoid of any life. One day lively as can be, the next…nothing. There were reports of homes that were left locked, farms filled with harvest, and inns that had tables filled with wine and food. Everyone had simply vanished. A ghost story for sure. Though there was an exception. The capitol city had signs of an attack, claw marks, bloodstains, and homes reduced to rubble. Yet no bodies were ever found. The thought of it made her spine chill.
"We're here," he uttered suddenly as they came up to a building set in the center of a small clearing.
To her surprise, the home was made of aged wood. At every inch was either splintered bark, or termite holes. Though the damage done to the home was much more that could transpire within two years. "What happened here?"
Xeto faced her as he back peddled. "The home was never exquisite, even when I lived here with my brother." He turned and leaned down to the cabin's stairs. He slid his hand across the rough wood step. "Roxas found this place after Nyre."
Rebecca tried not to react to the sudden revelation. Much like the stories of The Bloodless Butchery, the story of Nyre was also one that was embedded in the memory of many, sadly for all the wrong reasons. One of the biggest demon attacks that had occurred within the last ten years was the Village of Nyre. From what she remembered, one sudden night demons attacked without any prior signs, killing everyone. Wait, just like now…there were no demons to be found for miles. It was as if they vanished into the wind. She removed her rifle from her shoulder and leaned it against the home, a weight of somberness in the air. "I'm sorry about Nyre, Commander. If you survived it…it means you must have seen horrid things."
"Don't be. I was too young to remember it regardless." He shrugged.
To her surprise, he showed no signs of grief as he flanked the home.
"As you may have pieced together, my parents died that night. I was fortunate enough to not remember them. My earliest memory is from working on a farm? Maybe? It's all a blur."
Rebecca felt a tug of joy that came with his trusting of her. "It's hard to imagine you as a farmhand."
He chuckled. "Is it? Well, I never had the aptitude for it. Seems a sword fit better than a pitchfork."
They reached the back end of the cabin. In front of them was cairn. It was elegant, with every stone, though aged, perfectly placed within the mound, forming a beautiful monument.
Xeto scorned. "Well…I can't say I'm surprised."
"Commander?"
"Nothing." His shoulders slumped. "My brother—his swords were here when he was laid to rest. I assume some scum stole and fenced them."
She understood why he wanted to come here now. "It's alright." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Roxas. That was his name, right? He's still resting. That is why you came here, isn't it?"
He nodded without turning. "When they gathered the bodies of the undead, I the body of a man that died almost three years ago."
"Are you certain? His body would have been gone by now."
"Yes. It should have, but it didn't. Whatever it is that is causing this—be it a Forbidden Aura, it doesn't seem to have a regard of when people died." He placed his hand on the mound and sighed in relief. "I wanted to see for myself, I couldn't bear the thought of seeing him again, not like this."
Rebecca smiled inwardly. Only when accompanying Xeto did she ever feel such a river of emotions. "That's noble of you, Commander. I know wherever he may be now, he's smiling on you for coming to see him."
"I appreciate you coming here with me." He spoke firmly.
"Someone has to keep track of you. In addition, if you ran into anything, I couldn't let you have all the glory." She playfully punched his shoulder.
"Oh really? That's—"
The forest turned a shade darker but quickly returned to normal. Had a cloud covered the sun? No…clouds didn't move that fast. She and Xeto gawked into the sky through the gaps in the tree ceiling. Not a single cloud in the sky. Her hand naturally found its way to her revolver as her heart beat a bit faster. A mixture of anxiety and excitement ran through her. They remained still, simply waiting for what felt like ages.
A sudden large shadow flew overhead, again covering the sun but only for a moment.
Rebecca followed it with her eyes only to see the shadow was moving towards the village. Her head darted back at Xeto as they shared a look of disbelief. "The village."
"Go!" yelled Xeto as he ran past her.
She unholstered her revolver and followed behind him.
A loud screech loud enough to rip the skies open rang in her ears. She could only define it as some sort of bird. Shortly after came a thunderous burst followed by the screams of people…