After my odd interaction with Linca and a couple of other classes that ended earlier than normal, I awaited Ren in front of the center of the Alyona Academy. I told Ren that we could meet up at Chester town but she strongly denied it.
"Hey Gray, how've you been?"
Ren approached me as I stood up from the bench I was sitting down on. It wasn't particularly weird for people like Ren — a Royal Guard — to be entering academy areas freely.
Unlike her relatively armored self from before, she was dressed more lightweight. It was a black uniform with a skirt, highlighted by golden decoratives that reflected sunlight brilliantly to all directions. Her long brown hair still gave off a collected, professional atmosphere.
"Alright."
"Great! We have a lot of traveling to do today; we are gonna try to finish up the caves."
The two of us made our way towards East Alyona then towards the forest that led to Chester town.
In front of me, Ren was effortlessly cutting down any brushes that stood in her path. It was like a tracker plowing down trees; the trail she left was definitely abnormal for a normal human—as expected of a Royal Guard.
"Today we are gonna start on the left side of the town and then —"
Unlike before, I found myself easily getting through the forest I had such a hard time with. And it was clear why: Ren. Slowly, my attention shifted from the darkness of the forest to Ren. It felt weird at first but I was starting to rely on Ren as time went on.
In the first place, it felt strange for me to be traveling with someone as pretty as Ren. The only woman I properly interacted with was Marion—but even those were mostly dry conversations stemming from obligations. Not to mention Marion always seemed irritated with me.
This thought gave me slight tingles of joy? Strangeness? Anyhow it was some type of uncomfortableness on my stomach that didn't feel all that bad.
"You seem to be spacing out… Was that a bit boring?"
Ren stopped walking as she smiled back towards my direction.
"No… no. It's fine."
"Hm if you have anything to say let me know."
I did have a question I wanted to ask but it wasn't anything important. Rather it was just for my curiosity's sake. Besides, it wasn't really a question I could ask here.
"Hey we can't have you be distracted the whole day so just let me know if there's any issue."
Despite her very nonchalant tone, Ren stood still. Her slight smile, tilting her to her right slightly indicated to me that she wouldn't move unless I said anything.
Hah.. here goes nothing.
"Hey Ren. Do you have a boyfriend?"
"Haha, that's wha — pff! Haha — what you were thinking about?"
Ren started laughing hysterically. Just as much, perhaps even more than when I first met her. I stood still and looked down on the floor embarrassed.
"Hm… a boyfriend huh…"
After her laughter stopped, she looked towards the sky and started thinking a bit. Ren was thinking for quite longer than I expected. For a bit, she transitioned between a contemplating squint, giving off a 'hmm" sound then a happy, completely relaxed face with a weird 'hehe' laugh.
What's so hard about that question? Do you have a boyfriend or do you not?
Hm, maybe she is thinking of a way to reject me?
"Yeah… I have a boyfriend. Or something like that…"
Thud.
"O-oh I see."
Gray. Age 20. Second year of Alyona Academy.
I had just experienced my first heartbreak.
***
Hm, maybe she isn't wanting to date anyone right now.
"Gray"
I mean she's the one that invited me here right? That means she doesn't hate me or anything…
"Gray."
I should start planning so I can get closer to her. I mean it's not like I want a girlfriend right now. Like just a friend? But Ren seems to be a bit older than me. At least 5 or 6 years old right? That shouldn't be an issue.
"Gray!"
"Oh sorry."
Upon arriving at Chester town, we quickly greeted the town mayor before going off to continue our exploration of the caves. I was still thinking about our conversation in the forest, naturally spacing out quite a bit. After a while, Ren stopped trying to get me to talk. I think she gave up after a certain point.
"As I was saying, there's one more cave that we have left, okay? This is the biggest one yet so there might be something there. Prepare yourself and stick close to me, okay?"
"Hm okay."
Frankly, I didn't really feel the need to be 'prepared' or anything. I mean, whatever came our way, Ren could just beat them up right? She's a Royal Guard after all.
As I just barely pretended to get myself ready for what's to come, I saw the brightness slowly fade away. What crept in was the sound of bats flying, drops of water dropping, and our careful footsteps, echoing as it consumed any hint of light that came by.
This cave certainly stood out compared to others. While others seemed more like a hole, this one was actually a cave. While the darkness prevented me from seeing the end of the cave, the freezing air rising quickly to scare the bits of hair on my skin made it seem as though it didn't have an end.
I was pretty amazed; nature so bewildering like this wasn't something I could ever see during my stay in the Hazeldines. As much of an ungrateful thought as it is, looking back, I feel slightly robbed that they kept me in the mansion unable to look at things like this.
With me staring at every bit of the cave, I naturally found myself quite a bit behind Ren; it was way too easy to get distracted with everything that was around. In fact, it was so stunning I stopped thinking about the conversation from earlier.
"Ren! Look at the pointy rocks!"
"I told you to stick close to me."
Ren tilted her head towards the ground. I couldn't exactly make out what her expressions were but they clearly seemed like a sign of distraction. She then proceeded to walk towards my direction.
Swish-
It was then when I heard a sudden sound of air rushing towards my direction. No. It sounded unlike any of the wind that naturally hit me throughout that cave; rather, it was quicker. An unpleasant sound — as if it was cutting through any atom that stood its path.
"Gray!"
The sound of air was replaced with footsteps. The last thing I saw was a knife — blood spilling where it pierced through me.
I fell unconscious.
***
The strike wasn't anything too fast; Ren had experienced much more dangerous attacks. Each day in war was one getting through fiercer magic attacks that shot left and right.
The knife that headed straight towards Gray to eventually stab through his shoulders was nothing like what Ren faced in war. In fact, Ren immediately reacted and rushed towards Gray as soon as she felt the knife slowly being released from the enemy's hands.
Yet, the knife got to Gray. Perhaps, the first mistake Ren made ever since becoming a Royal Guard.
But it wasn't because of her lack of abilities; she was simply off guard.
When Ren first met Gray she couldn't help but notice how strange he was. From freezing up when seeing Ren investigate to living in a motel near a forest that led to Chester town as a student, nothing about him felt natural. While these weren't clear signs that Gray was a killer, Ren latched on to even the slightest of clues. She figured that at worst, she found someone to relieve her boredom during the case.
This was actually the reason why Ren decided to go to the caves: to make an excuse to watch him constantly until Friday came.
But it turned out that Gray was just an awkward and cowardly kid — one who couldn't even react to that slow knife flying directly towards him.
She couldn't help but react late as Gray was stabbed.
Ren quickly ran towards Gray, crouching next to him to see if there were any issues with him.
Thankfully, Gray seemed okay. He was breathing fine and the stabbing was only so deep for him to probably recover completely okay. It seemed more so that he fainted because of shock.
Swish-
Again, Ren heard the sound of an object piercing through the air. Unlike what it felt like for Gray, it was a mere slight disturbance in the airflow for Ren.
Clang!
But this time, or rather, as expected, Ren was able to fend off the knife. It was a simple, yet graceful movement of her small knife; a quick yet slight slash was all that was needed to make the knife drop to the ground.
Ren began to immediately track where the knife came from.
'50 meters to the right. Most likely has covered a small pit.'
She didn't need to keep her movements subtle; Ren was focused on immediately getting to the attacker as soon as possible.
As soon as the attacker heard Ren move towards him, the attacker leaped out of the pit. Surprised to see Ren run right towards him without any bit of hesitation, he ran full speed, making steps as fast as possible to get deeper into the cave.
The attacker started taking quick steps to escape.
The first step.
A loud bang echoed in the cave. Bits of rocks were flying in all directions — dust blurring out the already dark vision.
"What?"
The second step.
As the attacker looked back, what he saw was a hand. Each blink of an eye. The hand was getting larger.
Before the attacker could figure out what was happening, Ren's arms grabbed onto the attackers neck.
Thud. In a moment's notice his body was pushed to the walls of the cave. The impact was so strong, the man started coughing out blood immediately.
"Gotcha"
Ren hit the back of the attacker's head, ever so slightly, using the back end of her sword. It didn't take long for the attacker to pass out.
After tying up the attacker then making sure no one else was in the cave, Ren quickly returned to Gray.
"If you pass out like that, now I have to carry two of you."
With a bit of a complaint and a sigh, she took out a piece of bandage she kept in her bag to treat the wound on Gray. Since the wound was only so deep, it didn't seem like she would have to do too much.
"Huh?"
However, when Ren checked the wound on Gray, the wound was a lot more shallow than when she last saw it.
'Was I mistaken? Was I away from combat for that long?'
Ren wasn't a healer, but she had seen many wounds in war. Never had she mistaken the severity of an injury.
And certainty, this wasn't a mistake either. As Ren slowly took out the knife that Gray was stabbed with, the wound was getting smaller. It wasn't very quick, but for sure it was getting better.
Still, Ren finished bandaging up the wound. For now, she was just concerned with getting Gray back to safety.
***
"Blood is that of life. It is the root of existence; the source of energy. Feel each drop of blood running through your veins. Draw where each blood is flowing throughout your body."
It didn't feel far off from anecdotes that frauds would use.
Feeling each drop of blood — the type of gibberish you normally ignore.
Perhaps that would have been the case if it wasn't for the person speaking.
"Blood is like a small stream of water. It looks as though it flows altogether all so peacefully. But in truth, small strings of river pierce through the smallest holes of soil. The smallest leading its path. The water that pierces soaks the Earth and ever so slowly fuels nature. Feel it as it cleanses with every breath you take, as it flows past each valve of the veins, as it flows around the tips of your fingers."
The person standing in front of me was Louis Von Hazeldine — father of Marion Von Hazeldine, the leader of the Hazeldines.
"Sir, I still don't really understand what I should be feeling."
"Concentrate. Trace the pulses of your heart. Here."
Louis walked up towards me then placed me laying flat on the ground. He then placed his index and middle finger onto my chest. Steadily, he dragged his fingers around my body. To heart, to lung, back to the heart, then to my hand.
Lub-dub
I sensed a lumping feeling, slowly expanding on my chest. Something was clumping, something slightly painful. The lumping feeling followed Louis' hands — almost as though it was pushing through horrible traffic — forcing through a narrow area. It was like that feeling when you gulp up lots of water at once. That pain in the neck I felt was on my arms, slowly growing.
"It's exaggerated but try to feel something like this."
Louis lifted his hands from my arms.
"The reason why the Hazeldine family was able to have its reputation was because I was one of the only blood users. If it wasn't for those like us, we would have already lost the war. Regardless of your affinity, you will at least need to know to feel blood running in your vessels. When I was fighting in the war ——"
Once again, Louis started to go on with his war saga. Something about how rare and important blood users are, how much he saved so many lives, and basically how amazing he and the Hazeldines are.
I wasn't really listening; I realized after the 3rd time that it was just the same information phrased differently.
I tried to feel the blood in my body to reenact the lumping feeling. I guess I could feel something? I wasn't really sure; I guess my shoulders felt weaker than before. Though I can't really tell the connection between the two.
Hm…
I started to concentrate. I felt my heart pumping blood. I closed my eyes only to feel my heart move a bit stronger. My rib cage moving up and down.
Can't everyone feel their heartbeat though?
"Louis!"
"What happened to your arm?"
"Mo-monsters have attacked the outskirts of our land. It's an abnormal outbreak. The knights were holding their own but injuries were inevitable. I've been asked to call you"
As I was scratching my head trying to figure out this supposed "feeling," I heard a loud noise coming from the back.
I stopped my probably pointless training and moved to see what was happening.
There, I saw Louis talking with a familiar man. He was one of the knights of the Hazeldines who taught me how to use a sword from time to time.
But the man was too different for me to notice immediately. His dusted armor and skin along with a large bandage wrapped around his arms was nothing like the graceful knight that I saw. I got closer crouching my body, walking in the smallest steps I've ever taken towards the man.
"Hey Gray, let me take Louis for a second okay?"
As I got closer, the man and Louis came up to me. The man then proceeded to pat me on my shoulders. I couldn't tell at the time but his hands were most likely bloody with scars from the battle.
On me were bits of blood. A red palm mark on my shoulder. The contrast between my clean skin and the mark that was made made the darkness of the dust and blood stand out even more.
That was the first time I saw blood.
The first time I fainted.
***
I woke up to an unfamiliar ceiling.
As I looked, I saw that the room was relatively small. Unlike the bed that I used in the Hazeldine mansion, this was a lot similar to a dorm room. There was furniture, different wood colors, a desk, and a lamp next to me. It was a lot smaller but it was unquestionably cozy. It was a warmth I haven't really experienced.
But still, I was alarmed. I got up from my bed to carefully leave the building.
Then I felt something uncomfortable on my shoulders.
As I look down, I see a bandage wrapped up on my shoulders. The area didn't hurt very much, maybe a bit of soreness, but most of the discomfort came from the fact that I had a tight bandage wrapped around me.
Who put this on?
Creak
As I began unwrapping the bandage, an unpleasant high pitched sound filled the room. The doors slowly opened beside me.
Thankfully, the person who entered was a familiar face.
"Ren!"
"Oh you are awake now. How are you feeling?"
Ren helped me unwrap the bandages and checked if there were any scars on my shoulders.
"It doesn't seem like there's any scars left huh."
"Uh… Ren, why is there a bandage on me?"
I asked Ren with the most confused expressions I could make. Frankly, I couldn't remember anything that happened after we entered the cave.
"You don't remember? You fainted after you got stabbed by a knife. There was some guy there but he is held captive right now. Royal Guards will come to investigate him."
Ah. Right. The picture of blood slowly spilling out of my shoulders, the knife stabbed, the sound of my muscles being ripped, came back to me.
"Don't worry; everything's pretty much settled now. Since you are up, let's get back once you are ready okay? I'll be waiting outside."
As Ren left the room, I looked at the bandage left on the desk. Surprisingly, the wound on my shoulder was completely healed; it was almost as though I wasn't injured at all. The blood left on the bandage was now brown, all dried up.
Looking at the bandage left me with an almost helpless feeling.
I wasn't able to do anything…
Whether it be for the sake of surviving in the Academy, making money, or just protecting myself, I needed to get stronger.
It might not be the blood affinity that the Hazeldines thought I had but I still haven't given up on magic.
I was more determined than ever to find my affinity.
***
"Gray, do you know how your wound healed so fast? Did something like this happen before?"
Ren asked me as we were walking back from Chester town. She told me that she would be buying me a celebratory dinner for finishing the investigation while giving me all of the prize money for the quest. Apparently Ren wouldn't be receiving money for the investigation until she finishes interrogations but I was still able to receive the crazy money for the cats.
"I don't think so? Maybe the wound wasn't actually that deep?"
I gave Ren the best answer I could. I wasn't even sure that the wound was that deep since I didn't feel that much pain. This really was the first time I was even hurt like this since the Hazeldines never let me out of the house.
"Hm? Then Gray, do you have an affinity?"
"Affinity? Not yet. We were told to take time to look for them."
"Then try to look at water… something liquid might be helpful for you."
"Uh… thanks?"
It didn't make much sense to me how Ren would know what affinity I may have but she was a Royal Guard. Maybe she was experienced in things like this.
As our conversation continued, we finally reached the city. I couldn't be more excited to get dinner with someone like Ren. Also, I haven't really had a nice meal in a couple days and my stomach was yelling to have me offer it some sacrifice.
"Oh shoot Gray, I have to go."
???
So suddenly?
What about dinner?
Ren frantically touched her hair and clothes to make sure they were in proper shape. At the direction she was facing, there was a tall man armored. His confidence was radiating even from so far.
"Do I look okay… What should I do… Ahh!!"
"Uh… I think you look fine."
Huh? She actually had a boyfriend???
"Sorry Gray! I'll have to treat you next time."
"oh okay..."
Ren gave me a slight smile scratching her head before she ran off to the tall man.
I turned back and walked away behind Ren's excited presence. I guess dinner's going to happen next time.
Wait… I don't know her contact.
As I got farther and farther, I heard Ren's high-pitched voice — one more animated than anything I've heard from her. Her excitement was breaking physics with her voice getting louder as I got farther away.
"Lieutenant!"
"Florence, how many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that? I'm just an officer now."