A chime reverberated in the shop as the bells rang letting mine and Emily's entries known. Some of the loud volume contained from within the inn left through the front door, and chased down the ears of the early birds in the town square.
The pungent smell of alcohol stroked our noses and the lively conversations of who could only be alcoholics, given that they decided alcohol would be a good choice for breakfast, relentlessly flooded our hearing. It was quite the contrast compared to the early morning village square.
The volume lowered as some gave attention to our entry, but it wasn't much.
Emily pulled me closer, gazing at our surroundings a little warily, and walked towards the front desk as she pulled out a full brown sack from the pocket of her cloak.
She began to slow down and reached an inevitable halt when she reached the desk.
"How much for 1 day?" Emily asked, opening the sack.
"8 Dongs." The receptant replied swiftly.
Emily then began picking the bag meticulously as her hand slowly but surely held 8 thick silver disks, and emptied that hand on the desk.
(10000 Dungs = 100 Dongs = 1 Ding)
"Yup, you're good to go." He said after double-checking, and gave us a key that had the number 8 etched into it.
"Where are the rooms?" Emily asked with a hint of confusion.
"Aha, sorry, they're up the staircase to your left."
"Thanks." Emily nudged on the boy beside her to follow. And he did, but with a noticeable amount of hesitation.
Tak-
Tak-
Tak-
Each step we took on the staircase was not so harmonious with my pounding heart, that increased in rate as we escalated the creaky wooden stairs.
My mind was practically split in half right now. I mean genuinely, it literally felt like the thoughts of two separate minds were being transmitted to one person. But one side felt like the devil to me, and one side felt like an angel.
One side was deeply anticipating my first silent night with Emily.
And the other side was screaming at me to run away before it's too late.
And out of the two, I was slightly leaning towards the latter. But even after the slap to the face, ironically caused by a harmless piece of cloth, my mind still couldn't help but fall victim to the humming silence that persistently followed me and Emily, albeit less helpless this time.
By the time we reached the top of the staircase, my body became a lot harder to control, and sweat started to seek the outside of my palm, being inevitably noticed by Emily, who was holding my now sweaty hand.
"Are you okay Vormet? Why are you sweating?" She asked, gripping my hand tighter.
The deja vu shook me, as I more vividly remembered the moment that started this all.
I shouldn't have agreed to leave with her…
"I-It's nothing, I'm just excited."
I replied shakily.
She smiled helplessly at me, and gave me a bright smile.
The devilish part of my mind began screaming, and I recalled the other side of the story regarding the last 8 hours or so. The side where it seemed impossible for Emily to be plotting on me.
Before it felt like a 50/50 chance to me. But now, both of the ways it could go felt definite. It was almost like… a 100/100 chance. Could it be both then? Could she be plotting and loving me at the same time? But then her story wouldn't add up…
We approached the final steps, and my devilish mind was reigning. Emily let go of my hand and inserted the key into the door, revealing a forboding darkness.
Emily entered without me, but I stood firm in my place.
If I enter that room, there's no going back.
The logical part of me was overseeing the fierce battle between the devil and the angel in my small brain.
I couldn't pick.
I woke up to a slender arm extended towards me, calling me to the forboding darkness. Fighting for the movement of my hand, both sides of the battle struggled with all they could.
But the angel was being pushed back.
With it, my hand slowly moved to meet Emily's. It stopped in the middle of the motion, but kept going again.
I respected the angel for fighting so hard for me, even on its last breaths, but I couldn't stop. Maybe I can get transmigrated again and see the Northern Lights in that life, but right now, I think I'm gonna go wi-
…
Having pulled back my hand suddenly, i realised there was no going back.
"W-What are you going to do to me?"
I asked, to the woman worried about my erratic movements. I couldn't take a defensive stance. No matter what, I couldn't bring myself to.
"W-What do you mea-"
Please.
"Dont joke with me! You expect me to believe that there exists a person that would love a boy that without remorse or valid reason, impaled their butt a few hours ago?!?"
Just once.
"I-I don't know what you mean…"
To my heartache, It didn't take long for Emily's voice to threaten tears.
Please.
"W-What else could I mean?!? This is a plot for revenge isn't it?!?" I cried. Actually beginning to cry.
"S-So, this w-whole time… you were thinking I was taking revenge?" She began to cry too.
Tell me who to beg and I'll beg them.
"O-Okay then, if you're not, then prove it!" I ordered, knowing that even if she wasn't acting, there was no way she could prove it anyway.
"H-How?!? Do you want to check my body for knive-"
She realised something, and then gave me a worrying smile.
She slowly picked her hands up towards her face, and stopped them when her palms were opposite her eyes.
She was going to gouge her eyes out.
"If I do this, you'll be stronger than me, Vormet." She said, still smiling. Infact, she was smiling even more than when her hands were lower down.
Can't I just be lucky this one time?
She then moved her palms apart, so she could look at Vormet one more time, before she would never be able to again. She didn't like what he looked like right now. He had an ugly crying face and was gripping his chest to the maximum. But it was still Vormet, so she was happy.
Alas, she moved her hands back to their original spot and began gouging her eyes.
They didn't come out easily, and it was horribly painful. As people develop their eyes mind, their eyes also get stronger, and more rooted into their head.
But the pain felt a little sweet to her. Knowing that this pain will lead to Vormet finally trusting her, she really didn't mind the pain too much. But it was defeaning, and she couldn't hear Vormet screaming for her to stop, neither could she feel the week pull that was attenpting to pull her arms from her eyes.
She did feel something though, a very strong feeling. It almost overwhelmed the pain of gouging her eyes out. It was a snappy force from around her liver area. Her mind quickly went hazy, and her hands let go of their life.
The last thing she felt before she passed out?
Regret. She felt she should've used more power.