Crimson Core

Chelsea had eye bags, heavy ones. Kai had never seen Chelsea look so tired and distraught. She had tear stains on her pink-but-not-so-pink-any-more cheeks; she was in a position that let Kai lay his head on one of her thighs—the good one.

“Chelsea don’t cry I am well now, let me see your leg.” He said standing up from his lying position.

Chelsea looked so pitiful under his gaze, it was a miracle she was still alive—she had lost so much blood! Kai looked upon her and felt his heart break. The pain she was in must have been severely unbearable.

To be true Kai didn’t know what he was doing, the words just fell out of his mouth. “Kai, what are you trying to do?” she asked with curious eyes.

“You’ll see,” Kai answered again, almost as a reflex.

He sat on the ground beside Chelsea. At this point, he didn’t know what he was about to do, but he felt instinctively that he could heal her, or at least ease her of the pain she was in. It was like the feeling of a baby knowing that it had to breath the moment it’s born.

He placed her broken keg on top of his already crossed legs to have a closer look at it. He could clearly see her tendon without even trying; sand and dried up leaves stuck to her skin with her blood as the adhesive.

“All this happened from one fall?!” Kai asked Chelsea with a stupefied expression.

Her leg looked shattered. It looked as though it had been pulverized by a huge sledgehammer from behind. It was clear that, her bone broke out of her skin with so much force, tearing her muscles…ligaments and tendons.

“Ahh, Kai, at least I am better. You just had a little cut to your head and torso, and you died. Don’t you dare judge me.” Chelsea looked as if she was about to cry or throw him a punch or both.

“I wasn’t, and you are kind of noisy for a person who has lost so much blood.” Kai examined the leg a bit more closely.

“Humph!!” Chelsea pouted.

“Promise you won’t tell your father what happened in here. If he asked you just call me, OK?” Kai instructed. His eyes less filled with the normal anxiety it used to have; although it was still there, albeit smaller.

Chelsea seemed to hesitate for a bit before she agreed, “I promise. By the way, can you heal me or not?” that was the question she needed an answer to, and that too, dearly.

Kai in response furrowed his brows and bit his lower lip for a millisecond before saying, “OK let me see, don’t say anything. Let me concentrate.”

Kai raised his hand above Chelsea’s injured leg; it seemed like the most natural thing to do. After a fleeting moment, oddly, his palm glowed a red light and Chelsea’s leg began to fix itself. The bone that was sticking out went back inside, and merged with the bone it had broken off from. Her previously torn muscle connected with itself, and her skin came together and sealed itself— Not even a scar remained.

It felt all weird, especially for Chelsea, she could feel her blood going back and her injury healing itself; it felt as though she was watching a magic trick. It was as though Kai had controlled time.

It was clear, all the evidence before Chelsea pointed towards one clear direction, “You—You are a Saguimancer?!” Chelsea’s eyes almost popped out of her head in shock.

Originally she was expecting— What was she expecting?

Almost as though he didn’t hear her, or maybe he misheard her, Kai replied, “You are welcome. Now let’s get you home.” he left her leg and then stood up to carry Chelsea out of there.

“I can walk by myself!” Surprisingly, she slapped Kai’s hand away as he tried to help her.

“Suit your self.” Kai really wanted to help her and nothing else.

But upon seeing her stubborn expression, he turned around and walked away. He had walked for some time and did not hear Chelsea’s footsteps behind him. Kai looked behind and saw Chelsea struggling to stand.

It was not as if he did not heal her; the problem was that her brain has not yet caught up with the fact that it had been healed. The injury Chelsea sustained was somewhat severe.

“…Sigh,” Kai walked back to Chelsea picked her up and carried her horizontally.

“I said, I don’t need your help!!!” She protested feebly. Her protest was nonetheless useless as Kai lifted her off the ground without much effort.

Although Kai hadn’t taken a bath, and was still drenched in blood and brain juices, he still had this scent that Chelsea seemed to drown in. However she would not let herself be easily infatuated— She was a city Lord’s daughter! She had to put up a strong front.

“You are welcome,” he said in a whisper and completely ignored Chelsea. He could feel Chelsea had changed. She was no longer the easygoing Chelsea he knew. “Chelsea, what happened? You have changed.”

“Hmmph, you don’t know…last night.”

As confused as He was about what happened he still had to ask, “Tell me I may have forgotten what happened.”

“You have forgotten? Seriously, you forgot before you died, you took advantage of me!!” it sounded so absurd, Kai couldn’t even make if she was joking or not.

“I don’t remember!” Honestly, Kai did not remember, he wasn’t even sure if it was even possible.

“Argh! You brought this upon yourself. You have defiled me, my father said whoever kisses a woman would get married to her!” Chelsea looked so serious, but the blush on her cheeks seemed to betray her.

Kai internally laughed at the cuteness of girl in his arms. In actuality before Kai died, he fell face first on Chelsea with his lips connecting with Chelsea’s lips. Sure it sounded odd, but that was what had happened.

They had totally forgotten about the dead beast behind them.

“When we get home you can tell me all about it.” He had to find a way out of this and fast.

Kai walked for a long time whilst still carrying Chelsea before he could see the gate of the Marshall’s manor.

From inside the forest, Kai could see that the entire manor was restless. The few people still inside the fence were sad and anxious for the safety of Lord Marshall’s only daughter. Kai peeled his gaze and saw Lord Marshall on the balcony pacing back and forth with his shriveled hair and distracted look as though he had been sentenced to death by the king.

The distraught expression on his face could not be masked. Anybody could see that Marshall was drowning in sadness, his huge eye bags was part evidence of that truth.

At this time Chelsea had woken up in his arms. “Why did you stop, I can see the mansion?” there was nothing she wanted more than taking a long bath, and Kai was standing in the way of her happiness.

Kai was silent before dropping these words, “Your father loves you…” the look in his eyes as he spoke these words showed a great manner of profoundness.

“I know. That’s why I want you to walk and take me home.” Chelsea hit Kai’s chest with her hands, then pointed towards the manor, “Let’s go.”

“Ouch, OK OK am going. No need to be violent!” He neither walked briskly nor trudging, it seemed as though he had just gone out for a stroll and was just coming back.

“Hmmph, your problem not mine.”

Two guards were standing guard in front of the manor gate, both sharing a solemn expression. “I hope they find Lady Chelsea…” a 4th rank red soldier said to his fellow red 4th rank soldier. It was clear what effect Chelsea had on everyone in the manor, a night without her drove the manor to extremity.

“Finn, look behind you.” The second mage pointed towards a person walking with blue haired girl in his arms.

“What is— Oh my god LADY CHELSEA! She is back!!” It didn’t take long before he started running towards Kai and Chelsea. The joy within him was simply let loose the moment he saw Chelsea’s lush blue hair; even though she spent a full night in the forest, her hair had not lost its silky nature.

“What did just hear, lady Chelsea is back.”

“Yes, I heard that too, lady Chelsea is back…”

“I have to tell the Lord about this.” The servant who had said this ran towards the mansion’s balcony, almost falling multiple times.

“My Lord!”

“What is it?” Lord Marshall was simply disheveled. His eyes had huge eye bags, it was clear that he had not slept for a long time.

“Milord lady Chelsea is back.”

“Where is she?” Lord Marshall turned to look at his servant.

“The maids took her up to her room and Gilbert has gone to call the doctor to check her,” the servant said.

“Who brought her here?”

“She was being carried by that white haired boy, Kai.”

“Send for him to wait for me in my study,” Lord Marshall said with his eyes lit. It was clear that the pent up fatigue and exhaustion dissipated into thin air once he heard that his only daughter was safe.

“Yes, milord.”

After dismissing the servant Lord Marshall almost ran out of the balcony to go see his daughter.

Kai was about to enter his room to go and start a bath to wash off the blood on his body when a servant came running towards him.

“Young. Sir, please… a. moment. With. Haa. You…” the servant said effortfully trying to catch his breath. He had run with all the energy in his body, the excitement of Lady Chelsea’s return filled him with enough strength to run from one side of the manor to the other just to find Kai. He had to be fatigued, he was only a mortal after all.

“What is it you want to talk to me about?” Kai was almost impatient; he had to wash this blood and dirt off his body.

“My Lord, Lord Marshall has requested to see you in his study. I am to escort you.”

Kai thought in his mind, ‘This old man doesn’t know I need to take my bath,’ But he had to keep his cool.

“OK, wait let me have my bath.”

“But my Lord wishes you were present in his study now.” the persistent nature of the servant was truly irritable.

“Then wait!” Kai simply didn’t know what had possessed him at that point. Normally, he would not do what he was about to do.

—BAM—

He shut the door in the face of the servant. Little did he know that his soul had been corrupted by the devil’s heart; At least not entirely. it was slowly taking root in his soul.

Kai proceeded to take his bath. It did not take long before the sound of water splashing was heard from his bath area.

“So exhausting…Ah! That felt good.” It simply felt good to stretch after along night in another realm.

As though today was just a normal day in Kai’s life as the City Lord’s guest, he walked towards the wardrobe and picked out a clean apparel. Feeling a bit majestic, he walked to the door in his new clothes.

Lord Marshall was running through an exquisite hallway as the servants steered clear of his path whilst bowing to him.

“The city Lord loves Lady Chelsea. You saw how he ran past us?” A female housekeeper said after Lord Marshall left the hallway in a rush.

“Don’t you know? Lady Chelsea is all he has left of his wife Lady Irene. He loved her even more than Lady Chelsea,” another housekeeper responded.

“I do wonder, when idle chatter was permitted in the Marshall manor?” a deep monotonous voice scared the hell out of the two housekeepers.

They already knew who had that voice; only one man in the Marshall Manor could have that voice. They turned around and bowed even without looking at who spoke.

“We are sorry, butler Gilbert; we will return to our duties.” they fled as fast as their dress could allow.

“Pathetic mortals,” Gilbert spoke in a tone doused in disdain. “Time to go see our little princess.”

Gilbert placed his hands behind his back with a dignified posture as he walked in the direction Lord Marshall had taken.

At that time somewhere else, Lord Marshall was already breathing hard, trying to catch his breath as he approached Lady Chelsea’s compartment.

“Milord,” a 3rd ranked soldier clad in green armor opened the door for Lord Marshall.

“Greetings City Lord.” A green-haired middle-aged man clad in white bowed to Lord Marshall.

“Willard how is she?” There was a tint of tension in Lord Marshall’s voice.

“Milord she is fine; she is just asleep.”

“Thank you so much. Willard I owe you a lot.” the gratitude in Marshall’s eyes conveyed more than his few words could ever express.

“It’s nothing. She is my niece after all I have to take care of her to the best I can. Milord, I have to take my leave. Lest I forget make sure she exercises her legs.” Dr. Willard closed his bag and picked it up but bowed before he left the room.

Lord Marshall picked up a chair and sat down by Chelsea’s bedside. “You look like your mother… Please get well soon. I would have nothing if I ever lost you.”

Lord Marshall stood up and stepped out of the chamber. “Do not allow anybody into this room and let me be the first to know when she wakes up.”

“Yes, milord.” Lord Marshall’s countenance had returned to that of a dignified presence as he walked away from the room.

Kai opened the door to his room after he had washed off the blood and dirt from his body and was now in his exquisite purple apparel.

“Young sir, please,” as expected the servant was still at his entrance.

He led the way to the city Lord’s study which Kai deduced by the time they got there, was on the other side of the mansion. This part of the mansion looked more majestic than the part he stayed, even the floor was gold encrusted.

Kai sat down before Lord Marshall entered the study.

“Kai, is it?” he heard the city Lord’s voice from behind him. He stood up partly because of fear and shock and somewhat respect, and bowed.

“Yes, milord.”

—Tap tap tap—

The sound of Lord Marshall’s steady footstep on the hard gold engraved floor reverberated throughout the room they were in.

“Sit,” Lord Marshall said and Kai sat down.

“Thank you for saving my daughter. Without you I don’t know what would have happened to her…Wine?” Lord Marshall asked with a smile no one never knew he had.

“Yes, thank you.” Kai stretched out his hands and took the wine glass from him with both hands and a bow.

Lord Marshall sat down on his black leather chair and spoke softly, “So, tell me what happened in the forest?” Lord Marshall’s expression became solemn.

At this point, Kai knew Lord Marshall would never believe him if he told Lord Marshall the truth. But he still had to tell him the truth so that he could use his resources to investigate what happened.

At this point, a beautiful story came into Kai’s mind. “Milord, as you know…” It didn’t take long before Kai began narrating, he told Lord Marshall a half-truth narration of what happened. He told Lord Marshall about the beast but said that it was a passing mage who had saved them and healed Chelsea’s injury.

Lord Marshall became visibly furious. “You mean the beast that attacked my daughter was a black panther with a blade at its tail end?”

“Milord, I am not sure because this was happening at night, but I did see a blade…” Kai had to pick his words carefully to not piss him off the more. The killing intent emanating from the city Lord was almost visible, and Kai was suffocating.

“It’s alright. I will get to the bottom of this. By the way Kai…” suddenly the killing intent had disappeared.

“Yes my Lord?”

“You are too close to my daughter; If you break her heart you are dead. Your test is in three days, be prepared. You may leave.”

“Yes, milord. Thank you, milord,” Kai said as he stood up and bolted out of the room.

“This boy’s aura is familiar…Sigh.”

Outside the room, Kai could finally act normally. “Phew~…that man was dreadful.”

During the meeting with and Lord Marshall in his study, Gilbert being a pyromancer teleported into Chelsea’s room without the knowledge of the 4th-ranked guard standing guard at the door.

A ring of fire appeared in the center of Chelsea’s room. Out of the fire, Gilbert stepped out of it and the ring of fire disappeared without any scorch mark on the hardwood floor.

“Chelsea my dear…” Gilbert took a chair and sat down by Chelsea’s bedside.

“Gill—Gilbert is that you?” Chelsea had unexpectedly woken up to his signature monotonous voice.

“Yes, milady, it is I, your loyal butler. I heard of what had happened and I came to see how you are faring.”

“Gilbert, I am sorry.” Chelsea said as she tried to sit up on her bed.

“No milady; You need your rest, please lay down. You need your rest.” Chelsea laid back down.

“If I wasn’t so stubborn, I would not have made everyone worry.”

“Milady do not despair. It was not your fault.” Gilbert tried to console her before taking his leave. “Milady, you are safe now,” he assured her.

“Thank you,” Chelsea smiled.

“Milady, I’ll take my leave now. Be well.” he stood up from the chair and walked to the center of the huge room.

“AVETICUF,” a ring of fire enveloped Gilbert’s figure; he was no longer there when the fire dispersed.

“I wonder how long I would be on this bed? Sigh…” Chelsea took out her notebook from her drawer and began scribbling, at least to pass the time.