Chapter Ten
The night is still young. Anne, Eve and I move to my bedroom after we all finish eating our dinner. We are planning to chat all night long to keep up with each other stories. After the successful ritual, Eve and I now could listen to Anne’s mind directly. It’s a bit like telepathy but could only be triggered in one direction from Anne’s side. It is not a problem though as Anne actually understood human language even before the ritual happened. She even tried to tell Gabe and Eve that she was the actual human Anne in some way but she gives up after years of trying. Anne is then forced to accept reality and proceed to live as a normal cat.
“So, why a cat?” I asked Anne.
I am now sitting on my bed already in my new pajamas (which Eve also bought) with Anne on my side. Eve is laying down on a mattress she brought for the night. She is only wearing panties and a thin shirt for sleeping. Definitely, not a person in her early thirties should wear when accompanied.
“No, wait. Are you not cold, Eve?” My attention changed to her somehow.
“Hmm? I used to sleep naked." Eve answers lightly.
“…”
“…”
Anne and I can only reply in silence.
Aren’t you the type to always have a weapon in arm’s reach? Is it okay to sleep like that unarmed?
Anne’s voice comes out in both of our minds.
“Bold of you to think I’m unarmed, Anne.”
“…”
“…”
Anne and I can only reply in silence again while staring at her outfit.
“Anyway! Why a cat, Anne? Did you get to choose? Did you not? Did you know you would be reincarnated when you were alive? Did you”
“Whoa whoa whoa slow down kid, take a breath, one two one two inhale exhale inhale exhale… one at a time.” Eve cuts me out immediately.
Haha, there is nothing to get excited about, Cyan. A lot of this is still mysteries for me as well so I might not be able to satisfy your thirst for knowledge. Anne replied. As for why a cat, I’m not sure but there is one situation related to a cat in the war. It is not a pleasant situation so I still remembered it clearly now.
“Let me guess, you saw a cat in distress and help it?” Eve chimes in.
Yes more or less. It was around the time we successfully took down Aershos, the modern elven city in the south a few weeks after the war started. It was a peaceful city. Their elven citizen was mostly scholar and focused on leveling up their sorceries. They pick neither side in the war but…
“But the bast*rd king branded them too dangerous when he failed to gain any assistance from Aershos for the war and decide to crush them.” Eve snaps.
“I know. I heard Errden was a good elven king.” I add.
“Oh, didn’t know you were keeping track of the war, girl,” Eve says.
“Only for a little bit. So what happened Anne?” I ask.
So after we forcefully took the city, the soldiers were tasked to kill every single person on Aershos. The black cat's expression looks sad. I tried to stop them. I never thought that we had to kill any civilians. I even asked for an audience with the king only to get rejected. I was so depressed after the massacre and started to lose grip on my mind. Anne continues her story. And then I snapped when some soldiers were skinning a cat in front of her kittens.
“THEY WHAT?!” Eve stands up in shock after hearing the inhuman act.
I didn’t remember what happened after that. I woke up in a prison cell chained up from head to toe. The guards told me I was rampaging in Aershos for two days straight, beheading everyone left and right. ‘It was hell' he said.
“Earned it.” Eve is still standing, her expression one of anger and disbelief.
“… I can’t say I agree with you but it's hard to even try imagining what it is like to be in your position,” I replied.
Yes. May their souls rest in peace.
“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” I say, trying to comfort Anne. “What happened then? I don’t think you could get out alive with all that not to mention become a Hero of War. It should be a death sentence right?”
“Yea definitely.” Eve chimed while starting to sit in her bed once again.
The King visits me in prison and said 'This girl is an asset.’
“THAT F*CKING MINDLESS B*STARD!!!!” Eve stands again and shouts. Anne and I cover our ears.
The King’s retainer then releases a statement to put the blame on Aershos’s people for the tragedy. It made the public thinks that the soldier's death was a war casualty when the reality was Aershos didn’t even try to defend themselves.
“Yes, I knew that part as well. Their people have a strict rule about not harming living beings.” I added.
“Does the kitten lives tho?” Eve asked after laying down again.
I don’t know… After the King visits me, there isn’t much I remember. I knew there were a lot of sorcerers who come and go from time to time and chant their spells and one day everything stopped for me.
“It was not a spell. It was a curse. A Berserk curse to be exact.” I replied.
“”!””
Anne and Eve look somehow shocked when listening to my remark.
“It's a curse to take control of someone’s mind. The cursed one will obey everything the caster said but cannot comprehend everything ever again. The victim can still see and hear like usual but their mind is just… not there.”
“How do you know something so… disturbing?” Eve asked.
“Based on your story about how expressionless Anne was after the war, and… I was one of the Glockwall citizens.” I went silent for a moment after that.
I see… I was right then.
“…” Eve stays silent for once.
You might not know about this Eve, but after I was released from prison the King gives me a team consisting of a dozen of people who were tasked to swiftly and quickly destroy enemies' vanguard in whatever way we can. Glockwall was the first city I burned down to the ground.
Eve and I cannot reply.
I am sorry.
“It is not your fault, Anne,” I answered.
Eve was silent for a moment before asking, “So what’s your story, Cyan?”
“I…” I hesitated for a second. My stories were not something to be proud of, nor something to get sympathy from outsiders. But I trusted Anne and Eve as my teacher and my friends.
“I was just a kid when Glockwall was attacked. I remember burning houses and people running around frantically. But I’m not even sure if it was a real memory or just a dream. I can’t distinguish them anymore,” I said.
“Dream?” Eve asked.
Ah yes, about the dream… Let me explain this part.
Anne replied to Eve’s question.
So I was hopping from dream to dream to past time as usual. I don’t know why but I developed the ability to manipulate dreams and then I could jump around and peek at others' dreams. Anne explained. I’ve tried visiting your dreams, multiple times even, but you and Gabe never remember them. Most people don’t.
“But Cyan does?” Eve asked.
“Because I can also remember the nightmare I had every time I woke up,” Cyan replied Eve.
Yes, when I first hop into Cyan’s dream, I can feel the strong detail of her nightmare. Showing that it is something that scars deeply within her heart. Other people's dreams usually are vague, covered by thick fog and you can’t see much in them.
Anne then started explaining the scene she saw in my dream.
“It’s a nightmare I’ve had ever since I was a child. My master told me that the assault was weird. He said that the enemy was fierce but soulless. It was like fighting an undead he said. No strategies, no regroup, just marching forward blasting away everything on their way.” I replied.
“And that’s when you learned about the Berserk curse?” Eve asked.
“Yes, my master and I searched for clues about what happened and the Berserk curse was mentioned in an old book. We even tried it on a chicken and it went on a rampage for days,” I said.
“You tried it?” Eve exclaimed.
“Yes, the chicken became mindless and attacked everything it saw. It couldn’t understand our language, so it couldn’t obey our commands,” I explained.
“I see. Were you learning magecraft back then?” Eve asked.
“Yes, my master taught me everything I know. I blame the curse for what happened in Glockwall, so please don’t apologize, Anne,” I said, as Anne let out a sigh of relief.
… Thank you... I am grateful. Anne said.
“So you came to this land to seek revenge?” Eve asked, looking at me intently.
“I just want to know why,” I replied, my voice steady.
“Why?” Eve pressed.
“I want to ask the King directly. Why did he start a war? If he sought riches from faraway lands, then it doesn’t make sense. The south is abandoned and not even the higher-ups are allowed to get to the Southern Continent. If it’s just some kind of idiotic reason then…”
The three of us stayed silent for a moment. Eve leaned back, deep in thought. “Hmm… This won’t end well,” she said finally.
And then Anne spoke up, Then let me join in your quest.
Eve and I were both surprised. “Whaaaaat??”
I believe I was reincarnated for something. I’ve been searching for it for these seven years, but I never found my redemption. This could be my chance Anne said, her eyes focused on mine.
“Ehh… so sudden… Are you sure Anne? I think the cat god or something probably wants you to live your life once again to the fullest with Gabe, you know, as thanks for defending the kittens,” I replied, unsure of what to say.
“Yea, that’s what I thought too,” Eve chimed in.
But Anne was determined. If that’s true, then I’ve already fulfilled it in these seven years. I am grateful for that, but I need to pay my debt. The burden on my shoulder cannot be erased by living with Gabe. Am I not good enough to join your party, Cyan?
Eve looked at me, her expression concerned. “Ah… Yes, wait No! I mean… if you’re sure then I see no problem in making a party with you,” I stuttered, feeling a knot form in my stomach.
“Then I shall join as well!” Eve said, her voice excited.
No.
Eve and I both exclaimed “Whyyyy?”
I’m sorry, Eve, but I need to ask you to please look after Gabe. Look at him, he almost died after a battle with a worm Anne said, her voice filled with concern.
Eve’s expression turned stubborn. “Ehhhhh… but you also got knocked out you know,” she replied.
I am ashamed to not correctly predict the power of my enemy. But I will make sure the failure won’t happen again and I will protect Cyan should the need arise Anne said, her voice determined.
Eve let out a sigh. “Sigh… Nothing really could change your mind when you set on something, huh? Like old days…”
Anne nodded. Like the old days.
“Fine. I will look after the idiot. But! On one condition,” Eve said, pointing at the both of us.
Which is? Anne asked.
Eve grinned. “You both will train under me until I am sure you both will do well on your journey.”
Alright Anne said, her voice filled with excitement.
“Deal!” I shouted, my heart racing.
The first comrade I made on my journey turned out to be not a human. But a special cat with unique abilities following me around and keeping me safe didn’t sound so bad. And thus, the journey of a little girl and her cat began from here on.
to be continued to Chapter Eleven
~Terti
