***
We drove back to Sector five and walked to Isha's room.
"Why're you following me?" Isha asked with a flushed face.
".... What do mean?" I titled my head, puzzled.
"Huh? Why're you following me back to my room?" Isha asked.
"Ah! Ah? I mean we're going to Vinny's treat right?" I asked, puzzled by the turn of situation.
"What Vinny's treat?" She asked, puzzled.
"Huh?"
"Hm?"
".... Vinny messaged me, saying he has planned a treat to celebrate his successful date with Katline, and he has invited us and the others. Katline appears to be coming to pick us up, so we'll accompany her." I explained.
"... I haven't checked my smartwatch." She mumbled and checked her smartwatch.
"Hmm..." I stood cross armed and let her check her smartwatch.
"..... He did send me an invitation and address to the place reserved." She mumbled.
"You wanna join?"
".... You're going?" she asked looking at her smartwatch.
"Yeah, I have nothing else to do..." I said scratching the back of head, embarrassed.
"If you leave all your work to me, why would you have any other work?" she asked, furrowing her brows at me with a smile that reminded me of the day she made me run a marathon around Sector Five.
"Hahaha." I shuddered and let out dry laugh.
"... I'll join if you're going.... It's not like I can enjoy anything on my own." She mumbled with a bitter smile.
"...."
'Why? I'm sure that I've never met her before and haven't known her for long enough to understand why she's making that face, but why does it hurt when she makes that face? It's kinda pissing me off, not knowing the reason why and because I have nothing I can do to make her feel better...'
"... It's kinda pissing me off.... real bad!" I mumbled out loud involuntarily.
".... What is?" Isha asked.
"Just something I don't know, and every time I try to think about it, it feels like I'm staring at a giant blank slate..." I mumbled involuntarily as I pondered.
I scratched my chin and jogged back on all of my memories.
"Ukh!" I groaned.
'I remember my life from the moment I was born in this world and my life back in the other 'earth' as 'Eshwar .....' huh? Eshwar what? What was my surname? My.... I don't remember my surname?....'
"Grrrraaaa!!" I growled, held my head and stumbled down on to my knees.
My body started to feel cold, and my breathing became laboured. I felt every nerve in my body become cold, which quickly spread to every muscle fibre.
"Hahahaha, f**k Nhifrogr and his curse like knowledge!" I growled in the midst of my pants and noticed that my breath had turned white as tears flowed down my cheeks and froze before hitting the ground.
'It's nothing new, but it still hurts like hell, as it always does! '
"Eshwar!" Isha exclaimed in shock.
"Grr-yes?" I attempted to speak, but all I got were growls and squeaks.
"It-it's.... Your magic is leaking out like that day!" she said and started paced around.
Only then did I notice that the ground, too, had started to freeze.
'Why does my head feel like it's splitting apart? Am I weird for thinking about an expression to explain my pain? It feels like my brain is being ripped apart, muscle by muscle, until it resembles a goddamn, intestine! I'm not sure if a brain is like that, but f**k logic! It hurts like hell! Goddamnit!'
"It hurts!" I growled out loud, involuntarily.
"Wh-what? Ca-can I help?" Isha asked, stuttering.
"Yes! Take me to sector one, please!" I said which sounded more like a beast growling.
'If I exhaust my magic! I'll be.... No, I can lessen and increase the pain at the same time.... A f**king two in one package!'
"... It'll be a goddamn massacre in sector one today..." I grinned and growled in a low tone, noticing that my teeth had returned to fangs, which would come in handy if I ever wanted to rip off a thick monster meat again.
"Y-yes? Y-yes!" She said and tried to pick me up like a princess.
'Huh? Why did it lessen?'
"Isha... Could you please step back for a second?" I asked, trying to be as polite as possible, and exhaled a puff of white cold air in her direction. I frowned because I didn't like what had just happened, even though it was unintentional.
"Huh? Ok?" She took a step back, not asking any questions and not caring about what had just happened.
"Excuse me, can I borrow your shoulders for a bit?" I asked Isha, gasping and groaning.
"Ok...huh? Okay!?!" Isha said with puzzled expression.
"Ack!?" instantly the pain returned as soon as she released her hold on me.
I stumbled but gathered enough strength to get back up, held her shoulders at arm's length, and smiled slightly at Isha while gasping for air.
I raised my arms in air, releasing my grip on her shoulders.
"Ack!?" I groaned and placed my hands back on her shoulders.
I repeated my theory several times before realising that Isha had somehow become a cure for my unknown condition.
'How does that make sense? I had this condition since I was a f**king three-year-old! How can she get rid of the pain? Even I discovered it by accident, that exhausting my mana lessens the pain.... How the f**k is she related to my condition? '
"..... Who are you?" I mumbled in a low tone.
'..... Why? ..... No, who is she exactly?'
With one hand on her shoulder, I took out a cigar from my subspace. I put it in my mouth and lit it up with magic.
PUFF
When I puffed my cigar, I noticed that the smoke combined with my cold breath resembled white foam.
"... You!" I glared at Isha for a split second before shaking my head and dismissing my thoughts.
'No, she is not related to my condition.... It's just a coincidence....'
"Yes?" she asked with a puzzled face.
"She looks so cute, hahaha." I thought out loud.
PUFF
"huh?" she flushed red.
"Pfft, what the hell is going on with my novel-like condition? As in a fantasy story where a cursed hero meets his significant other and his curse is neutralised by a kiss..." I thunder bolt struck in my head.
PUFF
"....." Isha heard my mumbles and was on the verge of bursting out of embarrassment. Standing on my toes, I raised my other hand towards her head, formed some snowflakes, dropped them on top of her head, and noticed smoke rise above her head.
'Lol!' I muttered in my head but kept a straight face.
PUFF
"Should I try it?" I asked, taking the cigar out of my mouth while trying not to laugh my a*s off as I watched the smoke rise on her head.
"...." she stared at my face with a flushed face for a brief moment, maybe because she noticed that I was teasing her, she furrowed her brows at me and leaned forward towards my face.
"..." I flinched and took a step back which she noticed and grinned with flushed face.
"...." Isha turned to look at the ground while her face said 'I can't believe it!'
"Wh-what's wrong? Y-you kn-know I was just teasing right? Sorry?" I didn't know why but I knew I was in trouble.
"... Go ahead.... You should try everything you can.." she said with her flushed face while her lips trembled and brows twitched.
'I seriously want to take on that offer even if I know she is just joking....'
"Then, don't mind if I do.." I said and leaned forward a bit.
She gulped down loudly and stared at me with her eyes wide open.
"How much longer do I have to wait? Are they even ready yet?" Katline voice sounded, grumbling.
Isha's eyes widened but she didn't move; I, too, didn't move because Katline's voice sounded a little far away and I just wanted to know how long she would hold on as I slowly leaned forward and, much to my surprise, I titled my head to my right instinctively but....
"Oi, I'll leav....." Katline instantly arrived and stopped in her tracks.
"Tsk, bad timing, Katline." I clicked my tongue and glanced at Katline from the corner of my eye, who had a flushed face and was turning around with stiff movements.
She was dressed elegantly in a navy-blue cocktail dress, carried a clutch that matched her dress, and had her hair braided into a twisted crown.
"I-I'll be back in a minute, I forgot something and I didn't see anything. Ha,hahaha." She said.
"Huh? Eh?" Isha snapped out of her daze, looked at Katline with wide eyes and ran back to her room.
CLANK
BAM
"So, what brings you here, dear k.a.t.l.i.n.e?" I asked Katline with a bright smile.
"Haha,ha. It's nothing ju-just a treat after a great date." She said.
*
"So, you two together now?" I'm sure he's already told you about everything you're about to go through." I was surprised, not because they were together, but because it happened a bit too quickly.
"Yes, but no, I know I'll be forced to experience what's coming, but I'm going to enjoy the process..." she replied, brightly smiling.
"That's it! Good!" I nodded in agreement.
".... So, are you guys together yet? I don't want to intrude on your personal lives, but if I ever find out that you made sister Isha sad, I'm not going to let you go just like that." She said in a firm tone.
CLANK
"That.... I'll just take that as a threat but not yet.... She tried to tease me while I did the same but...." I looked at Katline.
"But?" she asked, titled her head slightly.
"..... Your timing is bad." I said with a smile.
"How would I know that you guys were about to kiss?" she said bluntly.
"Eh? Ahem!" Isha walked out of her room, flushed, clearing her throat loudly.
"Ready to go?" I asked Isha with a smile, causing her tum more red.
Isha was dressed in a white turtleneck top, a black Lenin jacket, black leather leggings, and a black chain clutch.
".... Yes." Isha said and walked in front of us.
***
In an unknown place.
In a 100-meter-long room that looked like a fantasy novel's crown room. A man with red hair, crimson red eyes, and sharp facial features sat atop the throne, exuding a menacing presence.
"Your Majesty, all of Your Majesty's pawns are ready to move." A woman with dark brown hair and eyes, dressed in a thin layer of white cloth, stood next to the man on the throne and said with a lustrous expression.
"..... Hmm, we need to get rid of those three obstacles to the 'Master's plan.' He said it was still early but he wanted to nip them off while they were still a bud." The man mumbled with a delighted expression.
"Your majesty Azazel." She spoke up.
"You may speak." Azazel answered.
"Your Majesty, why kill the young bloods? Most of our thralls and some of your majesty's pawns love them young bloods blood, it would be such a waste," She asked.
"..." Azazel raised his brows and glared at the woman like she was stupid.
"My apologies, if I offended your majesty." She quivered and backed off a bit.
".... Those are the wishes of my master. I'm sending my pawns at them precisely because they love the young blood, they can feed all they want...and..." Azazel spoke with a delighted expression that quickly twisted into an ominous grin.
"Somehow 'he' is involved with them, so this will also help us enjoy the game we started, hehehehahahahahaha!!" he said and started laughing maniacally.
"We'll use the pawns to corner him and watch him break from the inside maybe.... just maybe, his blood mixed with pain and fear will taste like nothing else I've ever tasted!!" Haa." Azazel exclaimed with pleasure at the mere thought of it.
"Haa... Mairéad...." he looked at the woman while sitting atop the throne and his hand raised at her direction.
"Yes, Your majesty!" Mairéad exclaimed with a lustrous expression as she approached the throne.
She placed his hand on her cheek, her hand above his hand, and walked sensually towards him, slowly leaned forward, sat on his lap, kissed him slowly, and offered her neck to him. He grabbed her neck, bit her neck slowly and released her after a bit.
"Haa.... Everything.....everything will in my hands, I shall dominate and rule over the board! Hehehehahahahahaha, hahahahaha! Now!" Azazel said and laughed menacingly.
"Let the game begin!"