Chapter 4 - Second Encounter
Moon peaked the sky, the streets no longer crowded.
Vill's room was lit by a small, white globe fixed in the wall. He sat at the table with a pencil in hand and a book in front. He shuffled through the pages of the book; some filled with names, some with drawn maps, and even plain text.
"Well, the plan is set..." Vill muttered, "Now I just need to do is— initiate it perfectly before the bastard becomes the next king of The Settan Country... which happens in about three months."
Just then, sounds of knocking could be heard and Vill glanced at the door, frowning.
"Huh," Vill said.
Vill placed everything back in the bag before shoving it behind the wardrobe. He then went up to the door carrying his sheathed sword and opened the door slowly just enough to peak his head out. At the door was a figure robed in green, face obscured by a hood.
"Umm... Hey..." Vill said.
"I can't believe it... It really is you," said the figure in a feminine voice.
Vill's frown deepened, clasping the hilt of his sword.
"Oh... I forgot..." the figure said, as she pulled off her hood, "It's me... the girl from three years ago... Lily Flore... remember?"
Vill scrutinized the emerald-haired girl's face. "You— how did you— what are you doing here?" he said hurriedly.
"Can I come in first?"
"Umm, sure..." Vill said, opening the door fully, "Umm... about that time, you know, me leaving like that without even thanking you for saving my life..."
"Don't worry about it. You couldn't have been rational then after what happened..." she said, walking inside, "Plus, I actually liked the way you just left. Like some may say, it was kind of 'badass'..."
"Great... So, how and why are you here?" Vill said, after shutting the door.
"Hmm..." Lily said, taking off her robe, "Even days after the incident, thoughts of you never left my mind... mostly due to the guilt... I couldn't help but visit the towns and cities near that place, I sent men looking for you, but no trace of you was found, aside from your name: 'Vill'."
"Yea..." Vill eyes scanned across Lily in a blouse, "I didn't wanna be a sitting duck; after all, I did somehow get on the nerves of a sadist who also happens to be the heir of the Settan throne."
"fair enough," Lily said, "So you practice the sword now?" looking at Vill's sword.
"Yea, it soothes me. Gives me closure in fear I may face 'such' a situation again... Ha-ha" Vill said.
"I'm sorry about that, I still feel sad thinking about it..." she said, her eyes on Vill's burned hand, "We, three great stars, are the strongest besides The Sun and The Moon. There's nothing that can stand against us... But we are still human; we are never satisfied with what we have... In some cases, for self-security fearing that the others may surpass us, or in others cases, for sheer supremacy... So we always keep an eye out for new fallen fragments, and find them, so—"
"So you could hand it to a trust-worthy individual, not of sky-origin, and then they could be an extra source of power for your people, a guest of your clan as you might say; but if I might say, 'a servant'... I know how things work... I've done my homework." Vill said, "So, why are you here? And how did you find me?"
"Oh... Getting on peoples' nerves is an inbuilt trait of yours," Lily said, "This is honestly the first time someone not of sky-origin had been rude to me."
"But... unfortunately, this isn't the first time someone's said that to me," responded Vill.
"You know I could kill you without a single scratch on me, right?" Lily said, showing a palm, a tiny vine sprouted in the middle, dangling about.
"Heh." Vill drew his blade instantly, and the blade streaked, stopping right by Lily's throat. "I can do that too; it seems... I also know you wouldn't just kill someone for being rude..."
Lily stepped back, her face showing fear. "How did you— do that?" she uttered.
"You said it yourself only seconds ago," Vill lowered his blade. "You sky-origins sure do have powers that put you above the rest, but you are still human in flesh and blood; thus, you have the basic elements of a human being. You feel fear, you feel pain, and most of all you feel surprise. You, like the rest of us, can be surprised the shit out of... like what I just showed you..."
Lily's eyes fixed at Vill, unmoving. "I always knew you weren't just another guy victim of Ryne's abuse, even when tortured by him it didn't seem like you were afraid of him, rather just in great pain..."
"Umm, I guess..."
Lily sat down on the bed, as she took out a small pouch from her skirt's pocket. She then tossed the pouch at Vill. "This is why and how I came here," she said.
Vill brows raised as he opened the pouch, and just as he did, violet light escaped it, lighting up the whole room. Vill's face in disbelief took out the object inside: a four-headed, purple star.
"It's the same freaking one... How the hell did you get it?" Vill uttered.
"Well... After the Settans took it from you, they tried finding a worthy individual for it, but they never did manage to find one; the fragment accepted no one... With no choice left, they stored it in their treasury in case they find someone later... It was there until some foreigners living at the Settan Country heisted the treasury... That's how we believe it got out... Months later, I found it in a hotel I stayed in when I was in Kurrile, a kingdom near The Settan Country."
"..."
"They say this happens, though almost never, when the fragment is picky. Picky enough to not choose just anyone. It would only accept a certain someone with its preferred traits. They say in such cases; it finds its way to its master through destiny. These picky fragments are said to hold greater power and its lords will be superior to the norm."
"Are you saying it had chosen me as its master? How are you so certain?" Vill asked, his face still in surprise.
"It guided me here, that's how I found you," Lily said, "When I touched it, I felt a presence and I traveled toward it, which led me here... Someone with a sword never struck me as intimidating... you may be weaker than me by a large margin, but you could've killed me just then... You aren't as ordinary as you think you are..."
"I never thought of myself as ordinary... Hi-hi..." Vill said, "So this is mine now? You're just gonna give it to me, its rightful owner?"
"Of course, why else would I have taken a detour and come this far from The Ju-ujan Country?"
