Terra guided us to the gates of the academy. A few girls looked shocked as they ran up to us.
"Oh no, are you okay Mellissa?!"
Mellissa's friend looked more concerned for her than she did for herself.
"I'm just fine. It's this girl that was hurt. Everyone, meet Feodora Cicer."
She held up our hands with the dried blood all over them. Each girl gasped in horror. Finally, one of the girls pulled us apart and looked over my hand to ensure I wasn't wounded.
"I'm fine… Mellissa's the one that needs medical attention."
I sighed, trying my best to not get overwhelmed by all the new faces. People who I assumed to be students were looking our way too. Terra turned to me and put one hand on her hip.
"There's a school shower in the spectrum lab, Feodora. You can wash up in there and try and remove the blood from your clothing."
I turned to see the other three girls dragging Mellissa away, likely back to her room.
"F-Feodora! I'll be out in a minute! Ah, can we meet up at the shopping district?! Please don't forget!"
I watched in awe as they pulled her into the school's dormitory. Terra sighed and shook her head.
"Listen, Mellissa Ann Caldo, the human side is a charming girl, Feodora. Please don't hold the craziness of the demon side against her. They… are two vastly different people."
I looked at Terra who appeared to be a bit jaded about the situation.
"How are they together, Terra? Is it a curse of some kind?"
Terra shrugged.
"I don't know the details. If you want to ask someone about it, Jade Opal or maybe even Elizera, the head of the knights, would know the answer."
Terra sighed harshly, she seemed to be overworked, and all of this was getting to her.
"Really… it's likely the Radiants know the full story but aren't telling us. They like to keep their secrets from the populace."
"The Radiants?"
She lifted her head and looked back at me.
"No, I shouldn't be saying anything bad about the Radiants. They are great protectors, and we owe them a lot. Without their guidance, we wouldn't have the society we cherish today."
Terra looked towards the collection of buildings. With her right hand, she pointed toward one of them in the middle.
"Behind you is the spectrum lab. They should have a public shower that you can wash yourself off in. Again, I'm sorry for what happened. I'll… make sure I control Mellissa properly next time."
"No, don't worry about it, Terra."
I shrugged.
"If worse comes to worst, I can defend myself against her since I know her tricks."
Terra's eyes shifted to the side. Her expression darkened and she let out a long, drown out sigh.
"She has a bit more up her sleeves, so be careful. I never saw her act this way around someone, but then again, I've never seen a dark vessel like you around the city either."
With a salute and a slight wave, Terra began walking away.
"It was nice to meet you, Feodora Cicer."
The humble knight made her way out of the academy district. A tad wary, I made my way into a large building. Students were in class, and as I looked about, it seemed this place was mainly for spectrum studies and things like that.
"I've heard of academies… but I've never been inside one."
These places were designed for people to come and learn in groups with books. Maxwell taught me a bunch about math, history, spectrum, and more. I've learned the basics from the orphanage, but… being alone for all those years, I couldn't imagine attending a place like this.
"This place is big."
I walked around, still with Mellissa's blood on me and my clothing. I found a washroom with a label for girls as I looked around. I assumed this must have been what Terra was speaking about, so I stumbled inside. I looked around and noticed that this place was top-notch. Being the academy named after Radiant City, I'm sure they had all kinds of crazy funding. As the site implied, there was a section for me to wash up in the back.
I took off my clothing and began washing my arms and legs. I would have to wait until I got home to clean my clothing correctly, but at least I could put the water on it to attempt to clean the blood off. As I watched the blood pour down the drain… I thought more about that woman.
The demon brutalized that beast and attempted to kill me for sport. She looked happy. Like she was honestly enjoying the thrill to kill me. She… is the last person I want to associate with if I want to keep Maxwell's promise and live.
But then… her other side, the human side, is gentle, warm, and really lovely. Terra asked that I don't stand her up, and I can see why. She's too much of a sweetheart to want to do anything mean to her. It's strange…
"Hmm…"
Mellissa has found her way into my mind. I wanted to know more about how two separate beings became entwined into one like them.
After cleaning myself up as best as I could, I exited the washroom and made my way through the halls. I was fascinated by the structure of this place. There were giant statues of scholars and historians. Fountains dedicated to Radiants and other notable people. I may have not gone to a school growing up, but Maxwell was highly knowledgeable in subjects. I learned a lot from books also.
Suddenly, people began flooding the hallways. It seemed classes were over, and I was dead center in the middle of the chaos. The sudden shift from empty to crowded caused me to literally jump as crowds of people brushed passed me.
"Eh…"
I was getting overwhelmed, so I shadow walked outside the exits and appeared outside the crowd. I jogged lightly until I reached the other side of the campus. The number of students going from place to place is ridiculous. There had to be thousands of people walking about… It made the idea of going to school… stressful.
"I wonder what courses Mellissa studies here?"
That's when it hit me that I was supposed to meet Mellissa at the shopping district. After taking one last look at the academy, I rushed off, making my way to the shopping district.
When we reached the shopping district, there was a crowd of people clustered in one area. It made getting inside all the more annoying. So, I stood back and waited for things to die down. That's when I noticed a particular human walking about. Mellissa held a piece of paper in her hand and a pen in the other. There were merchants walking behind her as she looked at different shops.
"I would like…."
I couldn't hear what she was saying, but Mellissa looked determined as she bargained with merchants. She turned my way, and as if she became a beacon of light, her face lit up with excitement. The crowd let her through as she skipped my way.
"Feodora! Feodora!"
She towered over me as I looked up to meet her gaze.
"Ah… are you busy, Mellissa?"
"No, not at all!"
She smiled coyly and filtered her fingers through her long hair. With one finger
"I spoke with the vegetable merchant and they told me what you bought the other day. So, I've been getting you the best deals."
"Best deals?"
One thing I wasn't good at was haggling, so this seemed like a new type of magic as I looked at her list.
"100 green tomatoes, 200 starter seeds of… everything?"
This list was massive, from fancy soaps to luxuries like apple cider barrels and candies. I was getting overwhelmed just seeing all of this.
"Are you shopping for a bunch of people?"
Sternly, she shook her head back and forth.
"Oh no, this is all for you."
I began to breathe heavily. There would be no way I could afford this, and that crowd seemed to be enjoying her shopping spree.
"M-Mellissa, I don't need all of this. You know what, it's fine. I'm just going to go home today."
She gripped my hand… tight.
"Don't worry! My family can afford it! This is chump change to them!"
At that, she dragged me along with her. After letting go, she began writing on her paper again.
"Now then… you mentioned that you wanted to start a garden. That takes all kinds of composing. Hm… 18 bags of the best compost."
I felt like I wanted to die. I didn't mean to cause all of this. People were mystified by the amount of material the merchants were packing away. This must have been the biggest payday of the year for them.
"Mellissa, there's no way I could get all of this home."
She stopped, looked at me, and tilted her head.
"You're so cute, Feodora."
I felt like she was pitying me for some reason…
"My family owns the distribution of goods. Have you heard of the Castrol Farms?"
I remember hearing the name before the other day. They are the company with the big machines that were like iron carts. I saw them unloading many supplies when I went to the gates yesterday.
"The Castrol's distribute merchandise to the vendors here and around the Radiant City."
I answered. The human put one finger in the air.
"Yes, and the Cafree's fund the entire company. We own their production, so buying back our own merchandise might cause us to lose a little money but not enough to break us."
She giggled, and it made me a tad embarrassed. Never could I imagine that this human with the crazy split personality family owned the largest distribution company in Radiant City.
"So, let me at least help you get your garden started. It's the least I can do!"
I put one hand on my hip and sighed deeply.
"I… appreciate the help, but I don't need the things like the soaps and cider. I can make my own luxuries. Just… offering me the compost is well more than enough."
The human beauty put the pen to her lip and slumped her shoulders slightly.
"Hehe, yeah… I might have gone overboard. I… I guess I just wanted you to like me, Feodora."
My face become hot when she confessed this. I didn't expect that to be her reason, and it made me turn away from her in embarrassment.
"You… don't need to buy things to make me ah… like you."
The awkwardness settled in as we both turned away from one another. I could feel the crowd around us watching for the next big purchase Mellissa was going to make.
"Well then…"
Mellissa spoke up. She looked at her massive load of purchases. I could feel merchants giving me mean eyes as their product was… likely going back into their shops.
"Well, I made a deal with most of them. I don't want the merchants to get upset that they lose their promised revenue."
With her hands behind her back, she turned back to me and smiled endearingly.
"How about I have the rest delivered to you weekly? That way, it won't overwhelm you with so much product, Feodora?"
I was getting eyes from everybody in the shopping district. The shoppers were eager to see this big sale. Then the merchants who wanted money in their greedy pockets stared daggers into me. And her, this tornado of a woman that I still couldn't put my finger on, Mellissa Ann Cafree was watching me too.
"I-If it's not too much trouble, sure. But I owe you for doing this for me, Mellissa."
I said timidly.
"Deal!"
She screamed excitedly. The onlookers cheered as Mellissa wrote a check for the goods. I was horrified that it equated to around 10,000 gold in total. I would be working for years to pay off that debt, but here she was, showering the merchants with gold like it was water.
Merchants helped us load a bunch of seeds and soil into the back of their… iron carts. I still didn't know their name, and the confusion on my face must have sparked Mellissa's attention. She giggled, causing the blood in my body to rise to my cheeks.
"W-What?"
"You act as if you've never seen these before."
I slump my shoulders.
"I… I grew up away from modern society, so a lot of this stuff is new to me."
She waved me to follow her, and I did just that. We walked over to the compartment where the person would steer the machine.
"This is known as a vehicle. Humans in the past would ride vehicles everywhere. Thanks to the combined effort of Radiants, Atom Tower, and the Castrols, alongside the Cafree funding, we recreated the vehicle. We use a mixture of fire, water, and wind spectrum.
I was in awe as we looked at the vehicle. The massive machine could pull material from one end of Prism to the other, all using natural elements. That begged the question, though…
"Do you need a vessel user to use it, Mellissa?"
Surprising to me, she shook her head.
"Nope. A vessel user just needs to channel their spectrum into the machine to use the power. It harnesses that energy and uses it correctly as the machine is on."
With a bright smile, she hopped up and down.
"Humans can use it without a vessel being around. However… we do need vessels to charge it."
The way she bounced around like a child… was really adorable. I… I don't know how to feel about Mellissa Ann Cafree. She was terrifying one minute, and then I couldn't… stop looking at her the next.
"Would you like a ride home? Our driver is heading back to your place, and having you inside would make things easier for directions."
I lunged back.
"Ah… you want me inside that thing?"
"Hehe."
I laughed as she took my hand and gently pulled me inside the back part of the compartment with her. I accidentally pushed up along her body as I fell inside. However, she didn't mind as she pulled me close to her. We both were forced to one end of the machine's seats, and the other side was empty. I… felt like this wasn't right, but she wasn't letting me go.
"You know… I like talking with you, Feodora. You're interesting."
We were so close that her breath trickled along my cheek. I could hear the people loading soil into the back of the car and felt a bit bad that I wasn't helping them. But with her holding me like this, I doubt that I could help even if I wanted to.
"Yeah, you too, Mellissa."
I turned to her, catching those beautiful garnet eyes. She was nothing like her other side… and I didn't know what the conditions were that made that demon come out… but I think I could grow to like the human side for sure.
"Ms. Cafree, are you ready to go?"
"Yes, we are."
The two drivers got in, and suddenly the machine came to life.
"Eh?!"
I jumped as it began to move. Slowly at first, we made our way down the road, but I couldn't get used to the vibration that it was making. It wasn't like being on a cart. It was like this was a beast, a creature alive on its own.
"Hahaha."
Mellissa burst into a laughing fit. She… seemed to like watching me make a fool of myself.
"W-What."
"Tell me more about where you're from, Feodora."
Her eyes lowered, and her smile tenderly settled down into a calm… wholesome one.
"Well… I used to live at an orphanage when I was little. I don't remember its name, but it was pretty far from Radiant City."
I began to tell her of the orphanage and how I was pushed out by a few bullies. How my mentor, Maxwell, found me and taught me everything I know today. I explained to her why I came to the city as well.
She listened with that tender smile on her face. She seemed fascinated by my story… even though it wasn't much other than the tale of a girl who was outcasted by society.
The vehicle's movement fell on deaf ears when we got lost in each other's eyes. I was still close to Mellissa, and my left side had an empty seat, but… I didn't try and escape to distance myself from her.
"What about you? I… I don't know much about you, Mellissa."
"Well, as you know, my name is Mellissa Annabella Cafree. I'm the eldest and only daughter of the Cafree family."
I nodded.
"And you're human. There are not many humans left in this world."
From the history that I was taught from Maxwell, humans began to die off more regularly when the Radiants came. They couldn't adapt well to the changes, and natural selection began to weed them out. Only pockets of humans were left, which didn't seem to change with a lower life expectancy of even vessels.
"Yes, the Cafree's are humans. My father and mother have owned the import and export of goods passed down for centuries by this point."
I looked at the goods behind me. The soil that was going to my place was a testament to their pull.
"The Cafree's must own a lot."
"Yes, we do. We own the factories that produce wood, ore, and other materials. We own the farmlands that give us meat, vegetables, fruits, and more."
She put one hand up and poked my nose.
"Actually, it's under the name "Castrol's," which we provide the funds for. Without us, the Cafree's, the Castrol's wouldn't have the funds to provide to Radiant City."
It all began to fall into place. Mellissa Ann Cafree… was a rich girl and she showed it. She was kind… caring, and seemed to study medicine. This side of her… was worlds different than the demon that wanted to nibble at my insides a few hours ago.
"Then… how did you and Countess Mellissa become one?"
I asked. Suddenly the car stopped as we reached my cabin.
With a forced smile, she tilted her head and looked me in the eyes.
"Maybe I'll tell you one day."
She opened the door and jumped out. I was captivated with questions as I jumped out of the truck. The two drivers were unloading the soil on my porch, and Mellissa watched the sunset in the distance.
"What a beautiful view."
She said as she turned back to me. Suddenly, she pushed her cheek close to mine. I felt a hot sensation brush up against me as she laid her lips on my cheek. I was surprised; too surprised to do anything but focus on it.
"Thanks for the day. I had a lot of fun."
The human giggled as she raced off and hid in the vehicle. She peaked out the window and gave me a gentle wave. Suddenly, the machine turned on, and the drivers began pulling away. I was left with a bunch of soil and seeds, ready for me to get planting the minute I got the time.
However, I was in awe as I watched the machine pull towards Radiant City. Mellissa watched me from the back window, and I… waved at her.
"Hm… I… wouldn't mind getting to know Mellissa better."
I admitted. Something about that side of Mellissa captivated me. But to see that side of her… I'd likely have to deal with Mellissa's murderous, blood-lusting side. I… didn't know if that was worth it yet.
"Well, I still have time. I'll get my starters planted, and soon enough, I'll have the garden ready."
I thanked Mellissa for providing way more than I needed. In my heart, I knew I owed her and was going to make sure I held up to my end of the bargain.
The question remained in my head as I planted my fruits and vegetables…
What happened to make Countess Mellissa and Mellissa… one entwined person.
Before I knew it, she was on my mind until the moment I fell asleep.