Tales of Revenants

Chapter 83 – Scream and Doubt

The maidens have ushered Laken's party on a room that exactly has six beds that's enough for them.

It seems the room in itself is well prepared for the things they needed like toiletries and other things. Each bed has a wooden square table beside it and a cabinet where they can keep their things temporarily.

It's just Laken and Luciella are both astonished the empress perfectly prepared these all beforehand, taking prediction that Laken shall help the Balakh Empire if only their party isn't regarded to be representative of the empire and Archreverie.

Even if it doesn't favor Thalfeur since he can't be with his temporary wife, Tetra, he had to accept things as they are since what they were doing is solely for the sake of peace.

To top it off, he's still traumatized by staying in a room where Eirisse would sleep so he's thinking if he should just rest on a nearby mountain if there was.

When things settled for a moment, Laken was eager to make a move as they were idling for two days from now.

Empress Marielye said her Eye of the Beholder only works indefinitely because the darkness is becoming abundant each minute that passes by. Her gifted ability is being affected by the darkness that's becoming a bigger threat.

They have no choice but to wait for at least hours or the precise time the empress stated was the night of the day.

During the period of time, everyone involved can do anything they wanted providing they are on-guard if ever something unprecedented occurred.

But it appears for Luciella, it's the ideal opportunity to have an intimate talk with Laken after all that happened.

Everyone else from the party went to the dining room after the head-maid called them to have lunch and to also show their hospitality.

For some reason, Laken stayed in their room so Luciella took the perfect chance and followed him. She just wanted to speak with him since she sensed he's pretty distant.

As Luciella's about to enter the room by turning the silver knob, she heard rattling noises from inside and chose not to suddenly intrude as that might be inappropriate.

Now that she becomes shy, she also couldn't knock nor move and instead decided to put her right ear on the door to properly hear what's going on.

"J-Just the right spot..." At first, Luciella's confused why she's hearing Eris moaning, and then she decided to comprehend and understand the situation through imagining things.

"You like it here? Then I shall force it a little bit." Laken said in a cold tone.

"Ahh...!" Eris moaned louder, "Do it faster please..." Eris was clearly begging for something.

It was the time Luciella realizes what's going on. Her mixed emotions flood her heart while blushing. She felt envy and jealousy bursting out from her chest that resulted in a spontaneous action of her forcing the door open.

"Please no more!" Luciella's panting and then calmed her emotions when they meet her eyes. She saw Laken was just giving a massage to Eris on her upper right shoulder and posterior where her wings are connected.

"Ahh! It's not like what you think," Eris realized the situation and stayed away from Laken.

Luciella just had a misunderstanding thinking they are doing something that concerns crossing the line of the sort.

"Oh Luciella, you wanted a massage too? I can see your shoulder as stiff as rock earlier ago," Laken is totally oblivious of what's actually going on.

"Y-Yeah, I also want... I assume you're busy so I'll just go." Luciella felt so embarrassed she wanted to roll around the bedsheets but she couldn't.

She's about to leave when Eris seizes her arm and said, "No! I mean I just finished so you can take your turn no. Bye!" And just like that, Eris dashed through the door and closed it and now, Laken and Luciella are alone inside the room.

"Then I'd like the thing you did to her..." Luciella's ears and cheeks are bright red. She's glad Laken didn't realize her confusion and instead, he beckoned her to lie on the bed.

She did what she was told as she thinks it's the chance for her to speak while he does his thing.

Laken carefully undid her upper garments from behind. He smeared the lavarosa oil from her upper posterior. Of course, she'd be embarrassed but she's suppressing her emotions.

He then placed his palms twice the size of her's on her shoulders as she felt how firm his hands from carrying his sword around, yet the way he strokes has it soothing, gentle touch that calms her overall physical condition.

"Ahh... from the left..." Luciella moaned as she couldn't think properly. She's been adventuring for a while that she can't feel the stiffness of her shoulders. Now, all the distress she's feeling is gradually fading away as she drowns from how good Laken's massage is.

"Luciella, you have something to say, right?" Laken questions as he continues to stroke her.

"Yeah... I want to talk with you," Luciella said. She's being straightforward and honest.

The silence may be present so Laken meticulously dressed her up and sat beside her.

"My ears are open," Laken smiled at her.

Luciella averted her eyes since the situation is way too stimulating that she couldn't breathe properly. She even placed her palms on her chest and felt how much her heart is throbbing.

"It's just... why didn't you tell me you're a Heavenly Hero? Why did you follow a path where there's no return?" Luciella asked him the big questions.

They stare at each other for seconds. Laken picks up his sword beside the table and said, "The light always cast a shadow, so does a path cast a reason."

"It's just if you are a hero, I'm sure you can lead a much more heroic decision than..." Luciella wasn't able to say further. She realized she doesn't even know what he went through nor what kind of choices he was forced onto so she decided to simply listen.

"I didn't tell you my past because this is me now; a notorious criminal who killed thousands. And why did I follow a path where there's no return? You are wrong." Laken's voice resonated through Luciella.

"I'm... wrong?" Luciella contemplates over, and when she glimpses at him, she saw the burning flames from his eyes.

"Yes, because I have no route at all. I succumb to the darkness in order to carve a path forward. Besides being able to talk with you right now means it was worth it... everything I did was for the better..." The sorrow emanating from Laken's voice stays within.

They say the brighter a light, the darker the night will get, and the other way around is also true. Laken may have sinned or made mistakes that led him to be astray, but Luciella won't let it happen anymore for she decided to become his light.

Luciella's inner impulse made herself embrace Laken with all herself. Even if the light denies his cursed fate, Luciella wants to be by his side not just to fight with him, but to also accept him no matter what happens.

The sentimental mood permeated as Laken reciprocated her embrace. Luciella knows it was the longest embrace she offered to him so she relishes it more than ever. They parted with each other and Luciella averted her attention towards the opposite to hide her bashfulness.

"I will light your path if you ever lost your way... always..." Luciella meekly said.

Laken chortled and then he pats her like he usually does and declared, "And I will protect you with my life, Luciella."

They became much closer right at that moment. Laken ushered Luciella to the dining room when he heard her rumbling stomach.

Everyone was cheerful and rowdy even if they are in the presence of the empress. The queen of Archreverie, Nimrie, seems to be the introvert type who looks like she's forced on a social gathering.

Frainan, on the other hand, is a valkyrie who understands the true meaning of grace. Though she chows the food on the table the way Xenon does; she stuffs everything in her mouth like it's a normal thing to do.

They waited until the double moons shine bright above the skies of thousand stars.

Luciella was in the living room while she's pondering the things that happened so far. Minutes pass by when Xenon went inside the room and sat on the sofa beside her.

"Luciella, is there something troubling your mind?" Xenon asked her.

"No... it's just the abundance of dark magic is too strong inside the mansion. The Shard of Void and Flame are reacting in a different spectrum." Luciella answered.

Just as she's going to stand up, everyone in the mansion is alarmed when they heard the loud scream of the empress coming from the central chamber.

They didn't know what just happened. Luciella noticed the sharp glint of the Shard of Void producing a blinding umbral light.

Driven by her intuition, she instinctively grabbed the shard from her pocket and ran towards Empress Marielye's whereabouts.

It was the chance of the darkness to strike back, and the time she's forced to choose between the toughest decision she'll ever take.