Chapter 11
The tension in the stables of the demonic castle was practically visible to anyone passing by. The cook looked on, confused and disbelieving, wondering if those three had really understood what she had asked or if they were all just idiots.
Fantastic creatures nearly three and a half meters tall moved before them. Their shiny fur bore various distinct colors, black and white being the most commonly seen, while those with blue and red hues on their bodies proved to be the rarest.
Only three of the red ones ran across the vast field with their shiny hooves, while the lone blue one stood out regardless of what it was doing amidst the crowd.
Not only the colors on their bodies set them apart. Faster, stronger, and more beautiful, depending on the color of their fur, these differences became extremely evident even to the naked eye. The most obvious difference being the unique piece they carried on their foreheads.
A pointed horn that emerged from their foreheads and extended in a circular shape for almost thirty centimeters was the trademark of the race. Some horns bore a unique color, like a blend of two or three simultaneous colors, or the fusion of all in a beautiful, extremely compact rainbow.
However, predominantly, the color was white, black, or gold, distinguishing each creature by the intensity of the glow they emitted and how clear and noticeable the color tended to be on the horn.
Amidst those beautiful and fantastical creatures, restricted to trembling in its own body without being able to move a single muscle from its place, the animal brought by Aiden continued to be observed.
"So you're telling me..." the cook sighed, looking at the trembling cow. "That's the milk I asked you to bring?"
"Well..." Riley tried to explain, but was interrupted by the enraged lady.
"How the hell am I supposed to do anything with that?!" she exclaimed. "Do you expect me to squeeze that creature until something useful comes out?!"
"It's almost that..." said Aiden, unable to contain his laughter.
"Ethan said it was something liquid!" she continued, after directing a threatening look at Aiden. "Damn it! Are you sure you looked properly?"
The three demons exchanged glances. Who would demonstrate how the said "liquid" is extracted? All three hesitated, none wanted to take on that role. Aiden especially, who was the quickest to withdraw after saying, "Well, I brought what you wanted, so can I go now, right? But remember to save some of whatever you're planning to do with these things for me!"
"So..." Clovis tried, but his hesitation made room for Riley's quick decision; "Save some for me too." he said "I'm already late, so I need to go now. But..."
The demon turned back, turning to face Clovis and putting one hand on his shoulder; "Don't worry." as he smiled, for a moment, his eyes met Clovis's furious gaze. "Clovis will explain what needs to be done to get the 'liquid.' He saw up close how it's done."
With the departure of the two knights, Clovis was left alone with the cook as he felt a growing anger.
"And then?" the cook asked with complete disregard.
He is stronger. He has an infinitely superior position. And he had been quite irritated since leaving Baron Elinton's house. But... His knees went to the ground, that outfit could no longer be worn from that day forward.
A piece of clothing had been lost, but... it didn't matter. Doing that didn't calm him down, but seeing the cook's expressions as she learned something new was strangely satisfying. Unexpectedly, that unpleasant situation even elicited some small smiles from him. They were quite brief, yes. But still something very rare to see in recent years.
"So you can still smile like that, boy..." the cook thought, as she looked at a Clovis completely different from the usual, yet very familiar to her eyes. "...I'm sorry..."
***************
The departure of Aiden and Riley had not been in vain at all. After all, each of them indeed had something to do at that moment.
His anxious feet constantly tapping against the floor as Aiden waited for the stairs to change direction. The fifth floor of the castle was not serving. He wanted to get to the second.
The stairs changed. His feet moved quickly and instinctively, climbing two steps with each stride.
The demonic castle is indeed incredible, a place created so long ago that no one from that time is alive today. Not just moving stairs. Compared to the external space, the interior of that place is absurdly more spacious.
Spatial magic is the name. A magic long lost, something that doesn't even appear in books. Something capable of fitting an entire large medical center into just a single room.
The long corridor passed quickly before his eyes. The other corridors or rooms didn't matter to him. But Aiden made a point to respond to every demon who passed by him or the guards scattered across the floor politely but hesitantly.
No matter how much time passes, he can't get used to how people treat him. With excessive politeness and admiration.
At times, some still bow before him out of habit. But most have been warned by Aiden personally not to do so.
The strong reign over the weak, indeed. In a way, that's also his view. However, bowing to someone of their own free will just to please the other is so... pathetic.
Standing before a large white door, the only one in the entire corridor, Aiden sighed. He caught the odor on his body. Could that strange animal have left him with an unpleasant smell? He couldn't tell. With his nose, he felt nothing.
"Silv..."
Upon opening the door, his smile disappeared immediately. There were so many beds... so many of his comrades lying in that desolate place. A place where many only visit to say goodbye to lost relatives and friends. A place where those who have no one settle for the "presence" of dying companions.
But... if there are so many beds, then...
Aiden's heart raced. As his blood seemed to heat up inside his veins, his eyes swept all over that place in an instant.
His feet moved instinctively and automatically, running among the beds as his head seemed to be compressed and his breathing intensified with each passing moment.
No no no! Where are you? Silv, Silv...
Nothing seemed right. At some point, the beds seemed to have ceased being beds and turned into something akin to walls. A prison that prevented his voice from being heard.
"Sil..."
His mouth opened instinctively, but what he planned to say couldn't be completed. But... that smell... those hands covering his lips... Aiden turned abruptly, throwing himself into the arms of the green-haired woman before him.
"What are you doing?!" reprimanded the woman, while keeping her hands on his mouth and looking around repeatedly. "You'll wake them up!"
The sudden embrace was a surprise, surely. But the tears that followed as Aiden lost strength in his legs and knelt at her feet could not have been foreseen by anyone.
Looking at Aiden, who buried his face in her clothes, the woman sighed. The crying hadn't stopped; she could feel her clothes becoming increasingly wet. However, she remained standing as she gently stroked Aiden's hair.
***************
With slow and precise steps. The repetition of a path that had been taken many times was being redone by Riley once more.
Responding to people with a smile was not a pleasant task at that time of day, but politely, he continued to do so.
Unlike the rest of his day, sighs became constant as night fell. For many, it might be different, however, for Riley, that was definitely the lowest point of his day.
The blue and red moons in the sky reflected on the waters of the great lake in the center of the city, and the bridges crowded with people had never been so lonely. Everyone greeted him with extreme politeness. With admiration in their eyes. But why, even though he was constantly seen and admired, did Riley feel like he was still so lonely?
The city lights didn't seem to be able to reach him. Amidst that long night, not even the moonlight could illuminate the dark path he was treading.
Standing in front of a small door, of a modest house in the middle of the city, his body trembled. His hands hesitated to grab the doorknob and enter the house. It's been months. Almost a year by now. But why couldn't he get used to this feeling? Why, after another successful mission, did he once again come home feeling the bitter taste of defeat?
The door creaked at the edges, announcing his arrival. Lights lit up throughout the house the moment his first foot touched the dark interior of the place.
There was no one waiting for him, so there was no reception. His steps followed through the house, towards the door at the end of the second-floor staircase.
The front door was a test, but this was a challenge. A challenge that Riley always completed at the end of the day.
There was no room for hesitation. With a smile on his face, the door was opened. Causing the lights in the room to come on.
Now, with extreme care, he walked carefully on the fragile floor, where each step caused brief creaks that echoed through the almost empty room.
A small chair, where Riley sat, awaited him beside the bed.
"..."
His eyes scanned the dark bed, as they were filled with tears.
"I'm back... mother..."
The wind entered through the window, pushing the curtain and allowing the moonlight to illuminate the small bed. With a sickly expression, as if she were fighting every moment to breathe again.
With long, curly red hair, the angelic-looking woman in decline on the bed expressed her suffering through tears streaming from her eyes, through the micro expressions on her face, as well as the constant clenching of her fists, which cling to the blanket that envelops her.