Veil. The old Church.

The church’s attic is now what Cecily calls a base. With her connections and my winnings from Chizu’s tournaments. I’ve made quite the comfortable-nest. The light simmers through the gaps in the roof. The wind occasionally brings the aroma of freshly-baked-bread from the nearby bakeries to my room. My masks hang on the walls like a collection, my bedroll is abundantly soft. A modest table sits in the middle, an unlit lamp upon it. My wardrobe is filled with clothing all hand-picked by Cecily. Most of them, unfitting for combat.

There have been a few mornings in which I’d wake to find Cecily asleep next to me. Although I don’t dislike it. It bothers me that she manages to sneak in pass my guard. She tells me that once Veil is comfortable with me, she’d very much like me to move in to her residence alongside her father. But, to be honest I do prefer to be alone at times because being surrounded by humans all the time is bloody tiring, and I love my sleep.

As I relaxed in the courtyard. Richard paid me a visit. The children from the orphanage next door played with wooden sticks for swords.

“Adorable, aren’t they?”

“Yeah, they are. And guess what else they are?” Richard’s gaze returned to me. “They’re better fighters than you.” Richard pretended to be hurt, clutching his heart.

“Yeah, well. That’s why I’ve become your student. Right teach?” I took a glance towards his sword. Wear and tear can be seen on the hilt, he’s been training. Good boy Richard. I stood and paced forward. “Say, can you tell me? You called yourself Deth, because the people who didn’t know the real you called you so right?”

“Correct. I was never given a name, and the closest thing I had to one was that. I pretty much was death though. Here catch, I borrowed these from the garrison.” Wooden swords, perfect for training.

“Borrowed or took? There’s a big difference you know? And considering you had them hidden in the bushes I’d say it was the latter.” The children noticed the commotion and quickly occupied the benches before us. I guess this is entertainment for them.

“Come, attack whenever you’re ready.” Through the hour, I punished his mistakes without holding back. A normal human would die, but since Richard had ingested my blood. It should be fine. Besides, it’s fun bullying him.

“Who taught you how to fight?” Ah, now that I think about it.

“No one.”

“No one taught you!? Are you kidding me?” His eyes opened in surprise. He dropped his guard, I punished him for it.

“Yup. No one taught me. I taught myself how to fight if anything. I mean, I had to. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be alive right now. Every opponent I encountered, I fought with my utmost. We had our lives on the line you know? And well, when they pulled tricks and techniques on me, I copied, and I learned. I figured out what was good for killing and what was simply swordsmanship. Sword-play, you know when two people pretend to fight for entertainment.”