"Kayden..?" Lewellyn called out, his new companion had gone silent all of a sudden.
Kai snapped back into reality and smiled. "I don't think I'm attending." He said.
"Oh..really?" Lewellyn sounded rather disappointed, he started fidgeting.
"You're not going to sleep? It's past normal bedtime." Kai asked. Trying to give him a hint.
Lewellyn looked up and his eyes zoomed around the room. "That's right..I'll get going." He stood up and brushed the dirt away from his shirt as if he had any and left the room.
The room door opened with a tiny gap and Lewellyn's face peeked out of it. "I'll see you tomorrow. Let's have breakfast together with the talking cat." He said, closing the door again.
"What an amusing child." Luar yawned, completely contradicting it's words.
"Are you going to disappear again?" Kai asked, looking up on the shelf.
"When morning comes, yes." Luar said. It was being put in a difficult position, if it left, what if something happened to the boy while it was gone?
And besides, Luar can't stay even if it wanted to. It's magic was exhausted from maintaining its form while being so far away from it's owner.
"Say..what is your owner like?"
Luar had to pause before it could think of a proper answer. "She's someone who is rather old, think of her as your grandmother's age. Though she may be old, she is strong. And she..is.. rather lazy."
"Then is it my duty to take care of her in exchange for you saving my life?"
"No. It is not. She doesn't need to be taken care of, rather she needs to tone down a little and act frail like her age. And she'd scold me if I asked you to take care of her. She'd called it child labour..or something." Luar said, sounding tired.
Kai laid on the bed, puzzled. "What?"
Luar shook its head. "Your duty is just to live your life. With us, preferably. We live in the countryside so it's rather lonely at most times."
"If that is what you wish for.."
Luar frowned and found that the kid had gotten the wrong idea. "Thinking of children, my owner has a grandchild around your age..Claude."
"How do you know my age?" Kai asked.
"I overheard the servants of that mansion. I was residing in Bellaire's garden for a while and gained quite a handful of gossip and managed to obtain information about a boy living on the top level of the house." Luar said, trying to recall.
"Right..my past, could you keep it a secret?" Kai begged. He didn't want people to know what he had been through before, it was shameful.
"Like how you're also Kai Whitlock?" Luar locked eyes with Kai. It could feel every emotion the kid was sensing right now. The nervousness, the anguish and the detestation towards his identity.
Kai placed his arm on his face and breathed heavily. He never thought he'd hear someone address him as that ever again. "And..that." he murmured.
After that, Luar and Kai didn't speak. They slept and in the morning was when the cat faded to dust without a sound.
Kai stayed in bed even after he had woken up. Not willingly though, his whole body was sore and he couldn't move one inch. It was a terrible position to be in. He groaned and wondered when the healer was going to come in.
The door creaked open and Kai finally thought the healer had come back but it was instead the person named Lewellyn.
Unconsciously, Kai let out a sigh of disappointment.
"I'm sorry?" Lewellyn apologized, seeing how Kai didn't look too inviting towards his presence. He was even contemplating to leave even though he hadn't even taken a step inside the room yet.
"No, it's alright. Come in." Kai said with a smile.
Lewellyn had brought breakfast for Kai and cat food for the talking creature but it was nowhere to be seen.
"Where's the cat?" Lewellyn asked, making himself comfortable now.
"Who knows." Kai joked with a small shrug.
Without both of them knowing, time had passed tremendously fast and so did the plans of those wandering barbarians.
"And so.. I, of course, won the fight and got the medal." Lewellyn boasted with his head held high and a big grin on his face while his eyes focused on Kai's expression.
Surprisingly, the ice block wasn't that hard to melt with time and effort.
Kai was engrossed in Lewellyn story telling that he was completely unaware of many things.
Firstly, the missing healer. Secondly, why no one had even entered the clinic room. Thirdly, about those drug addicts and smokers yesterday. Would they have forgiven him that easily?
The door opened with a loud bang, the door completely breaking on impact. And in the midst of all the destruction, stood the cigarette addict from earlier along with his gang of royal followers.
"Wha-what?" Lewellyn mumbled, stepping back from the shock as he held one hand over Kai to protect him. Though it was a poor effort, it was still appreciated.
"It's payback time. Do you think you can get away with hurting my friends?" The man said, his eyes seemingly glowing crimson red.
"Didn't I tell you that I'll tell the captain about this-" Lewellyn was cut off by a man grabbing him by the throat and bashing his head against the wall.
"He's not here, is he?" The man smirked. He held a small white blade in his hand, swinging it around playfully.
Kai forced himself to sit up. He could feel his whole body shaking from the pain. He couldn't believe the situation he was in now.
He could barely even keep himself alive yesterday, what would be different today? The help of Lewellyn who was currently preoccupied with his face in the wall? Or the fact that he was missing a weapon?
"What do you want?" Kai said with gritted teeth, getting agitated.
"Are you sure you're in a position to talk like that? You should watch your mouth." The man threatened, flicking his knife more vigorously.
'I don't have a weapon. I can't use magic. I'm deemed useless.' Kai thought, trying to find a way to get out of this mess. He spotted a black patch of fur on one of the shelves, with its claws sharpened.
'Run the moment I pounce. Take the other kid with you.' Luar instructed in his mind.
Kai shook his head slightly and pointed at his injured leg while still making eye contact with the man. He then slowly pointed towards Lewellyn.
And mouthed, 'Get the guy on Lewellyn first.'
"Have you gone delusional from the beating yesterday? Why aren't you replying to me?" The man asked, getting closer while he grabbed Kai's hair roughly.
Kai spat at the man's face while he quickly made an attempt to snatch the blade but he was far too slow.
"What do you think..you're doing?" The man asked, his eyes watching Kai's every move. His blade was now only a few millimeters from stabbing the kid's eye.