Karlos borrowed some long cave grass from Lysandra, who carried several tufts in her basket, and wrapped his wounded leg with the fibers.
"Would you like help?" Lysandra looked over as she was busy chewing on one of the Rasselbock statues.
"No, it's fine. I have... Experience with weaving." Karlos expertly bandaged his leg and applied some leftover medicine he had given to Lysandra.
"By the way... Why... How are you eating those statues?"
Lysandra tugged on her blindfold and broke off a piece of the stone-like material, easily crumbling it.
"My gorgon eyes petrify any creature into living stone. I don't understand how it works myself, but the statues are soft enough that I prefer them over cooked meat." She said as she popped a petrified eyeball into her mouth.
That's... Disgusting.
"So, are these monsters still alive?" Karlos asked worryingly.
"No, once my petrification reaches the brain, they're essentially dead. It's safe to eat." She rolled a statue over to Karlos.
"Would you like one?"
"...No I-" Karlos paused.
At first he was hesitant, but the more he thought about it, it didn't seem like he had a choice. He hadn't eaten anything since breakfast during the First Morning.
Due to how days are 72 hours, and how daylight lasts for around 36 hours, 'Morning' is split into two different halves. The first 4 and a half hours of the day are the First Morning, followed by the First Noon, the First Afternoon, and finally, the First Evening. After the First Evening, the cycle repeats with the Second Morning, the Second Noon, etc.
In short, because it was currently the Second Noon, Karlos hadn't eaten anything for 31 hours. He was desperate enough with his injuries, but his body would definitely collapse if he didn't get enough energy.
I should've just brought some pomegranates...
"Thank you..." Reluctantly, Karlos shuffled over to the statue and broke off a piece of the ear.
It was jarring. He had expected resistance since the stone itself was heavy, but the statue easily crumbled under his fingers and glistened with minerals, almost as if encouraging him to eat.
He slowly bit off a piece of the stone and chewed.
'CRUNCH'
It tasted peculiar. Somewhat like stone, but also had an umami texture to it that seemed like dried meat. Savouring the flavour, Karlos found it oddly... Delicious?
Well, at this point, he didn't care anymore. He took big bites off the stone and went through five rabbit statues before he felt satisfied. Eventually, they ran out of Rasselbocks.
'Observing' his reaction, Lysandra tilted her head slightly.
"Alright, let's go."
"...Huh?"
I didn't even say anything...?
...
Walking through Anafang, Karlos followed behind Lysandra as she produced heaps of monster corpses
Whenever a Rasselbock charged at them, Lysandra would sense it beforehand and turn it into stone, leaving a trail of morbid statues along their path.
Karlos himself was wearing her blindfold, in case he accidentally met her gaze. He felt uneasy walking through the village in darkness; The screeches of Rasselbocks were sudden and constantly jolted his nerves, but he put his trust into the gorgon and held onto the piece of rope she was holding.
Lysandra took the rope from one of the houses and used it to guide Karlos, occasionally asking him for directions.
"Where is your village chief?"
"We don't have one. Our last chief left for Egris recently, but his son caught an illness and passed away. We're currently-"
Karlos quivered slightly.
"We... We were looking for a new chief, the candidates were supposed to release in three days..."
"...I understand. Then... Can you tell me where your home is?"
"Sure, it's south to the back gates of the village. Why do you want to know?"
Lysandra petrified another Rasselbock and squinted slightly. "I... I just want to know what 'home' is like to you."
"Have you never seen one before? A manor, I mean." Karlos tightened his blindfold and carefully avoided rocks and other tripping hazards on the ground, following the rope.
"Well, there's that. I've been living in the cavern for a long time, after all. I've never been this close to the homes of your village, but..." Lysandra slowed down and turned around to face Karlos.
"You're concerned about your family, right?"
Karlos felt his nerves tighten. He had hoped for the best, wishing for the Rasselbocks to have somehow missed his home and spared his servants, but he couldn't shake the feeling of negativity.
They're probably dead.
"I'm sure they're fine." He said to himself.
"..." Lysandra turned around and continued moving along the village path, entering the deserted market.
"I don't have anyone to call my family, but you have people to care for, so I want to help you make sure they're safe. That's all."
"...Why?"
Lysandra turned around again, the small snakes on her head gently hissing and smelling the metallic air with forked tongues. "I believe I already mentioned this, but I'm curious about humans. For my most of my life, I was isolated, so I want to experience the world, and that means meeting others.
Including you humans."
"..." Karlos didn't respond. He didn't know if it was a matter of trust or the difference of monster and human, but he simply couldnt comprehend her reasoning.
And yet, he empathized with her ideal.
Lysandra faced forward again. "The reason I'm helping you is selfish, isn't it? There isn't any benefit in helping a monster like myself..." The blue shell in her 'hair' glistened under the setting sun, contrasting the vibrant rose of her silver scales.
"No, it's not selfish at all. You've done a lot for me, so I'd be glad to help you as well." Karlos loosened his grip on the rope, finally feeling a sense of stability in his mind.
"...I've lost a lot of people who were precious to me today, and you've lost your home. In a way, we just have to trudge through this situation together. Isn't that right?"
Lysandra didn't respond. Behind the blindfold, Karlos could feel a sense of... Tranquility.
Eventually, he heard a soft mumble.
"Right..."
...
By now, the sun was mostly under the horizon. The First Night began to creep up on the two, so they decided to rush over to Karlos's manor. Walking through the garden path, they eventually reached it after five minutes.
It was just like Karlos had remembered. The manor wasn't particularly big, mainly due to his status as an illegitimate child, but it was about one story higher than the village homes, completely made of timber and stone. Around the front gate, Karlos could see the familiar wooden mailbox he had built with Alphonse, as well as the flower garden.
Since daylight lasted for 36 hours, the flowers in the garden absorb as much energy as they can from the sun during daytime before closing their petals at night, using their collected energy to grow expansively. As a result, Ailean, their chef-turned-assistant gardener, would often complain to Alphonse about the sheer amount of flowers he had to cut every night, proving his complaint by holding several baskets of flowers each samik.
In truth, he didn't really mind. One of the main sources of income for the manor was selling flowers, so more work meant more pay. He would never admit this, though, he was far too prideful.
"Is this your home?" Lysandra lifted her chin and stared in awe at the structure. Even though it wasn't as large as the tree trunk in which she got her water from, she had never seen anything so intricate before, marvelling at the designs and decorations around the walls and windows.
"This is it. Follow me."
Passing through the flower beds, Karlos and Lysandra arrived at the wooden door.
"Here, your blindfold." Karlos closed his eyes in advance and untied the cave grass behind his head, sticking out his hand into the darkness.
The next moment, he felt the blindfold resting on his palm lift and the shuffling of fibers.
"Thank you, you can open your eyes now."
Karlos did just that, and saw the familiar wooden door to his manor next to the unfamiliar silver gorgon, who had finished fastening the blindfold.
"...Wait." The young man just had a flash of realization.
"If everyone is really safe inside the manor, they won't be calm after seeing a monster - Oh, I don't mean that in a rude way."
"It's fine." Lysandra nodded slightly. "Should I wait outside first?"
"That might be for the best, but..." Karlos looked down at his clothes and inspected his hair.
He probably looked more like a destitute beggar than a noble. His clothes were tattered and scarce, not to mention his blood and dirt-stained skin, dishevelled blonde hair, and ghastly expression.
"...Well, there's a bench near the flower bed that way." Karlos pointed to the left side of the manor.
"I'll come out once I confirm if there's anyone here, you can sit there for the time being."
"Alright, stay safe." Lysandra slithered along the stone path and made her way over to the garden.
'Fwoo...'
Taking a deep breath, Karlos first tried knocking on the door.
'KNOCK' KNOCK'
"..."
Nobody answered.
Karlos felt a cold shiver run down his back, but he ignored it. Trying the door, he found that it was locked.
"Locked... That must mean someone's inside, right?"
Looking under a rock under the doorstep stairs, Karlos found the hidden key he had tucked away in case he got locked out. It was primarily used for when he visited Kassel without telling Sêlafrien, who would probably scold him for staying out too late. It wasn't a perfect plan, but it's saved him a couple of times in the past.
'KRCHAK'
Unlocking the door, Karlos was immediately hit with the smell of scented candles, mixed with the floral scent outside. He didn't see anyone nearby, but he could tell something was off about the interior.
Everything is... New?
No, it can't be. We barely have the funds to sustain ourselves, so how could we afford a renovation? Plus, everything still looks the same, it just seems like our furniture and items were replaced with new copies...
Attempting to prove his suspicions, Karlos went up to the couch and felt its fabric.
This is the couch where Alphonse would usually sleep. He didn't much care for beds for some reason and loved the 'feel' of the elongated chair. Karlos didn't understand, but he did know that Alphonse would never replace the old couch with a new one, simply for the fact that Alphonse hated change. It's part of the reason he needs Ailean to help him tend to the flower garden, he doesn't like seeing the flowers grow or change shape, and would rather keep them still like a painting.
He was strange sometimes, but cared for everyone in the manor deeply.
Going up to a metallic bowl, Karlos was immediately on high-alert. He saw visible scratch marks on the underside and found several dents in the metal.
'KLANG'
Karlos jumped and swiftly turned around, his eyes fixated on the staircase.
'Step...' 'Step...' 'Step...'
He prepared for the worst. Quickly heading the fireplace, Karlos took a fire poker and heated it over the fire for a short time. When it started glowing red, he braced himself for an attack.
"...?"
Karlos paused for a moment. His eyes fixated on the edge of the metallic stick and felt dizzy, dropping the makeshift weapon onto the ground.
'KLANG' 'FWSH'
The carpet caught on fire, but Karlos couldn't move. He trembled in place and breathed quickly, his mind focused on the pointed edge of the fire poker. It wasn't as bad as when he saw the teeth of the Rasselbock statue, but Karlos was still stuck in place, beads of sweat flowing down his chin.
Eventually, he heard a scream.
"Y-Young Master!"
Is that...
Karlos regained his focus in his eyes and his breathing slowed down. Looking up the staircase, he saw a mature woman with hazelnut hair and jet-black eyes, wearing a brown dress of average quality.
"...Sêlafrien!"
"Fire! Get the water!" She yelled over to the hallway and moments later, Alphonse and a few other men Karlos had recognized from the village carried a large bucket of water.
'FSH...'
The fire hissed as it was drenched in water, quickly evaporating. In just a few seconds, everyone present could see a large burn mark on the floor.
"Thankfully, we caught it before it spread to the walls..." Sêlafrien wiped her face with a handkerchief and handed a few to Alphonse and the villagers.
"Young Master..." Sêlafrien turned to Karlos, who blankly watched the whole ordeal.
Hearing her tone, he instinctively braced for a scolding, but heard silence.
'THUMP'
He lifted his head. Sêlafrien had run over and hugged him tightly, a soft sniffling filled the room.
"Welcome Home."