12.1 — THE VEILED WOMAN

TWELVE PART I

Kaizo already sensed them miles away even before the border patrols could register their presence. The sudden arrival created quite a stir amongst the Minister's guards at the first notice, but no further violent confrontation had taken place to which he was grateful for, considering he wasn't in any shape to protect Magnus had the worst came to it.

That had happened few hours ago before daybreak. Brief confusion died down followed by an uncomfortable tension in his gut that stretched on and on as minutes trickled by.

What had happened after that was something Kaizo didn't want to bother himself wondering anymore. All he wanted to do was for them to barge in into a mess of a place cottage of the Priestess who was sleeping soundly with her head on his numbing lap, and be done with it all so he could finally take his well-deserved rest.

A brief shuffling and fluttering of wings stole his attention, followed by small thud as if something fell on the floor. The sound disappeared with a squeak by the kitchen. Eyes discreetly sweeping its direction, Kaizo spotted a small, moving shadow cast vertically by something hidden behind the kitchen's lowermost part of doorway. Not seconds later, an unkempt mass of what seemed to be hazel brown hair slowly peeked behind. Brows drawn together, Kaizo's head tilted a little until he clashed gazes with a wide pair of familiar feline, russet eyes.

The brief eye contact elicited another squeak from the latter, and swiftly vanished from his line of sight. Kaizo blinked several times, uncertain what to feel about it, but eventually ended up chuckling as realization dawned upon him.

Oh, he already knew who it was, alright?

His chuckles immediately reduced into a groan as a stabbing pain prickled his midriff. The writhing pain had him coughing up, immediately tasting a metallic tang in his mouth. It continued for several seconds long until it died down, reducing him into one deathly pale folk as he rest his head against the wall, eyes shut.

The frantic shuffling and fluttering of wings came again, but Kaizo, no longer had the energy to spare, kept his eyes closed and steadied his ragged breathing.

The sound drew closer, stopping for a while, and went even closer to his face.

"A-are you dead, gyun?"

A gentle poke to his cheek, yet Kaizo chose to play it down, recollecting how a simple stare from any men terrified the li'l Jeix to the extent of fainting.

"I-I will heal you, gyun, okay? Please don't die on me."

If not for his dire situation, Kaizo would have laughed it off, amused by the at odds nature of the li'l creature. How can they be so afraid of men and yet couldn't turn a blind eye to one severely in need of their healing? That . . . he didn't know. All that mattered then and there was his desire to rest without reservation.

As those thoughts ran rampant in his mind, Kaizo suddenly felt the familiar warmth gradually accumulating at the center of his injured body. His breathing hitched as the calming sensation spread throughout his body, reconnecting and stitching back every single damaged muscles and nerves from the abrupt encounter with the malevolent persona. The sensation briefly lasted before it was gone, and Kaizo miraculously seemed to feel lighter and renew. Still, he kept his eyes tightly closed, frightened of startling his li'l savior.

A soft pant reached his ears before the fluttering of wings signaled Del's swift retreat back to the ruined kitchen.

"P-please open your eyes, L-Lord K-Kaizo. I know y-you're awake, gyun."

Kaizo gingerly did so, offering a sincere grateful smile to Del who immediately squeak and scuttled out of his sight. A sigh escaped his lips. It was Del's second time healing him yet he couldn't properly thank her well due to her skittishness.

Rejuvenated, Kaizo flickered his attention to the unconscious Priestess in his lap. If not for the carpeted floor and fine weather in Grevus, he was certain she'd catch a cold for simply sleeping on the floor with nothing but his cape as cover around her. With a sigh, he gently maneuvered himself upright, careful not to stir much the unconscious Priestess, and scooped her up to his arms in bridal style then walked up to the only room in the cottage.

"Forgive me for intrusion, Priestess," he mumbled as he willed a fraction of shadows beneath him to open the door to the Priestess' room.

The door creak opened instantly as the shadows retreated under him. Kaizo had to squint his eyes as he peered inside the dim room, illuminated by a few ray of sunlight shining through the small cracks of heavy drapes across the room where the window must have been. Daring a step inside, a crestfallen mood befall his bearing at the desolate atmosphere the room exuded. Aside from the octagon four-postered bed on their right with white sheer curtains around it and a single cushioned chair beside it, the room was devoid of anything that would somehow reflect the Priestess' preferences.

Dark.

Cold.

Empty.

Lonely.

Those words resonated in his ears as his gaze fell down to the lady in his arms. At first glance she looked serene, but the longer he shamelessly stared at her, Kaizo could practically see her disturbed expression marked by the soft furrowing of her brows and taut lips. Somehow, he could also sense a subtle ever-shifting maelstrom of emotion in her. He absentmindedly concentrated on a particular one and suddenly, without knowing why and how, tears welled up in his bewildered eyes as an overwhelming wave of forlorn slammed into him at full tilt.

It was over and gone in a split second, yet the feeling lingered at the back of his mind.

Did he . . . Did he just briefly share the Priestess' emotion?

At lost and disturbed by the uncertain discovery, Kaizo swiftly crossed the room and gently tucked the Priestess in to her bed, and left once she was properly settled.

"Greetings, Lord Kaizo."

Kaizo's hackles instantly went up at the unfamiliar melodic feminine voice that greeted him by the time he exited the Priestess' room.