“Confirm your full name.”
“Keldon Astria”
“Date of birth?”
“28th of the third month, 1305 P.D”
“Contean or the Teluu calender?”
“Neither, Brolian Calender actually.”
The unamused doctor paused briefly, looking up from his clipboard to giving Keldon a stern look, however when Keldon stared at him blankly back. He quickly shifted attitudes.
“My condolences, Age then?”
“On this continent? 20. I consider myself 21 though. Weird how the people here don’t consider the months when you’re being carried by the mother as born. Say, are you new around here? I haven’t seen you around before.” Said Keldon
The doctor nodded and tucked his clipboard underneath his arm, taking off his glasses. He wiped them down with a small cloth that he pulled out from his fresh coat's pocket. His eyes were tired and his hair white and whispy. His thin lips accented the impervious frown he wore, the kind of frown that only a doctor of the Hissings could have.
"I've just been transferred over.” he said casually. “How is your arm feeling now? Any aches or sores still?”
Keldon flexed his arms a few times.
“A bit stiff, but otherwise fine”
“ Very good. That means the skill is working.” Said the doctor, checking a box on his sheet.
“You’re actually quite lucky, Mr. Astria, Truly rare is it that I have the capacity to heal those who’ve been face to face with an Aberrant. Even more so that I even have the opportunity to treat those people at all.”
“Because they end up dead…” Keldon said slowly.
The doctor nodded again.
“By the time the Divine Ruhiel had arrived, there were still a few of you left unconscious.” He paused for a moment, letting the nuance of his words linger in the air for a bit as he stared at Keldon, raising an eyebrow at him. “a surprising amount of you unconscious. Alive.”
“How many?”
“10 I believe.”
Keldon’s heart sank as he swallowed a lump down his throat.
“J-Just 10? Weren’t some moved to the side for safety?
“Oh yes them, unfortunately one of the nearby trees had toppled over onto the pile, unfortunately killing the lot of them."
Keldon’s stomach churned into a knot. He had tried to save them but he gotten them killed.
Again.
“The reality is however, to have 9 sifters and a guard survive an aberrant attack, you should consider yourself blessed. It’s typically much lower than that.” the doctor said, trailing on. But that gave Keldon no comfort.
“Also, amongst other things, Divine Imperial War Angel Ruhiel has requested you report to her with the details as soon as you are fit to speak. It is of an urgent matter of security that she have as much information as you’ve able to give.”
The doctor leaned in, looking around the room.
“Betwixt us two however, it seems that there’s rumors going around that illegal magic was involved.” He said in a hushed voice.
Keldon’s blood ran cold.
“I-Illegal magic?”
And the doctor nodded once more.
“Give it a thought young lad, between an old soldier and the sad litter of new pups to the Hissings, it quite frankly doesn’t make any sense that any of you would be alive. Even if it happened to be that the old soldier is Bertram the Bloodied himself.”
“Just isn’t a reasonable explanation for the death of an Aberrant unless some sort of foul magic was involved. Especially because later that night, the body was dissected and it seems they found traces of foul magic coursing through its body."
“So then… why are you telling me?” Keldon asked.
“ Simply… because it’s already bad enough I have to see a young meddlin’ like you mixed in with the other raffle. I’d hate to see you dragged through the streets by a War Angel and vaporized.”
Through the door, the nurse suddenly burst in.
“Doctor! One of the tar-eyed is up, we need more sedative!!” she said quickly, before turning back around.
“I’ll be there right away.” he called back. As the doctor reached the doorway, he paused for a second, turning back towards Keldon.
“Get your story straight by the way lad, and get out of here while you can. The Hissing’s director is quite upset and they're looking for some poor sap to pin the blame on.”
“And what about payment?”
“Taken care of already.”
“Taken care of?” Keldon asked “By who?”
“By-“
“DOCTOR!! “Shrieked the nurse, the loud clang of a metal bedpan rang through the air as struggle and restraint echoed through the bare-bones walls.
The doctor rushed off, leaving Keldon without an answer.
Keldon huffed, slumping back against his hospital bed with a sigh.
“Just when I feel like I’m about to get somewhere, I’m always cut off at the last seco-“
“Keldon Astria?” an authoritative voice said, from the doorway.
Keldon shot back up; as the war angel strode into his room in all her terrifying glory. Confident and commanding; her mere presence gave pressure to the room as her boots clicking along the floor reminded Keldon of the sound of approaching Devoidlings.
Encroaching death.
Her fiery orange hair waved in the wind, as its luster was only outmatched by the cold, icy stare that radiated from her bright yellow eyes. She bore three swords at the hip as all war angels did; the first was a ceremonial sword in a golden scabbard, modeled after the great blade of Sun-K’aal-Sun, who had received it as a gift from the Archon Prime for pushing back the Skulking Sea in our country, Idraver’s darkest hour. The second was a sword made completely out of silver, and quenched in her own blood, this one Keldon heard was mainly to deal with aberrants. The final blade was dull and grey, as unremarkable as the iron pipes that ran around the Hissings. Nobody really knows the real reason why the Divine War Angels use the dull sword rather than anything half-decent, but the war-angels typically only use that sword against mortal men. Some speculated that it was because mortal men weren’t worthy enough for a proper blade. Some say the sword is there to be used as a reminder of a War Angel’s strength, a reminder of the natural disparity between the mighty and the meek. But to Keldon, whether dull or divine the blade didn’t matter, either way, there was a monster worse than any possible aberrant holding the hilt.
Keldon eyes shot to the floor. Don’t look in a War-Angels eyes unless you’ve got permission or a death wish, especially for someone in Keldon’s position.
He kept his eyes glued to the floor as a pair of unnaturally pristine sparkled boots stepped into his field of view. You’d think for an Aberrant-slaying battle angel, they’d have a little more scuff on their armor.
“You may lift your head.”
Keldon slowly met her gaze. For a moment, it felt like she could see right through him. Read him like a book.
Doubtful.
If she could, maybe she could tell him why Tianna had to die.
Tch.
He had gotten careless. He had managed to avoid meeting her face to face for years now, but looking into those cold yellow eyes bubbled up long buried anger and frustration.
“Greetings Divine Warangel Ruhiel” Keldon said, trying his best to suppress the anger in his voice.
“No need for the formalities, Divine will do.” Ruhiel said, condescension oozing from her voice. “Are you well? I came across Doctor Lazdel coincidentally on my patrol, He seemed in a hurry but he told me you had just awakened.”
Lies. You should be in the western sector by now. You’ve been waiting for me.
“Yes Divine, thank you for your concern.”
“But of course, you’re an integral part of society after all. We wouldn’t be able to create skill orbs without the contribution of you and your crew members.” she said, lips curling into an uncanny smile and putting a hand on Keldon’s shoulders.
Keldon stiffened, he wanted nothing more than to rip her hand off his shoulder and give her a piece of his mind.
But he wouldn’t.
He couldn’t.
“Yes Divine.” Said Keldon, gaze drifting to the floor.
“However, that brings us to the matter at hand.” Said Ruhiel, softly squeezing Keldon’s shoulders.
“After the flare was lit and I arrived at the scene, I expected to find myself a fight and a field of dead men.”
Keldon felt a sharp twinge in his chest. It was my fault… I could have saved more if I had just been a little more careful in my placement
“But most curious of all, would you happen to know what I also found dead instead?”
“...”
“An Aberrant. Now Mr.Astria, Would you happen to know what events unfolded prior to the Aberrant’s demise? Because you didn’t seem to be surprised when Doctor Lazdel told you that the Aberrant was dead before I had arrived.”
The implication of that sentence curdled Keldon’s blood.
She was listening in on my conversation earlier. Keldon’s mind raced, thinking of a way to try to spin what had happened without revealing everything.
“Now now, no need to be nervous. I simply would like to know the truth is all. If you’re willing to testify, I’m sure I could put in a good word for you. Talk the inquisitor down from an execution,” said Ruhiel slyly, fingers tightening around Keldon’s shoulders. It seems she thought he was involved somehow.
“Some of the other crewmates told me that they had seen illegal magic used in the fight. However, I haven’t detected any outsiders who have entered the Hissings without me knowing. That is… unless they had some help from someone who had plenty of experience at the hissings sneak him inside perhaps…”
Her tone fell, growing deep and dark as she began to slowly crush Keldon’s shoulders.
Pain surged as his mind raced.
“I…” Keldon began to say, when suddenly it hit him in a moment of clarity/
Wait...No one was conscious when the Aberrant died. He slowly looked up to Ruhiel, meeting her gaze. And the look on her face said it all. She’s bluffing.
“I’m innocent Divine.”
Her threatening face turned into a scowl.
“Do explain.”
“I took my crew on a small expedition as normal, Divine. Upon reaching the destination and setting up a small scent-warding barrier, we set out to work. Partway through the collection, two crewmates had ended up knocking over the barrier, releasing the scent into the forest. My guard Bertram fought off the aberrant for as long as possible as I gathered up the unconscious crewmates who were knocked out by its initial attack. However, he was unsuccessful in fending it off, and as I thought I was going to die, the aberrant suddenly collapsed before me.”
“Aberrants don’t suddenly die.” Said Ruhiel through her teeth, “I personally searched the surrounding area, there were no others around. And if there were no others around, perhaps… you were the one that invoked illegal magic.”
Ruhiel's eyes flared up with a sun-like intensity, but Keldon didn’t drop his stare.
“Respectfully Divine, I am incapable of magic”
Adrenaline coursed through his body, as his heart slammed against his ribcage while Ruhiel maintained her intense stare.
“…Is that so. Admin Hilda?”
(To Be Continued)
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