Tales of Revenants

Chapter 50 – Flames of Sin

The strange sensation Laken felt when Alice offered her a taste of the strawberry cake was intense he wanted to vomit from the amount of glucose a single bite had.

“Please just give me coffee... no more cakes or cookies!” Laken exclaimed.

He himself melt in the comfy sofa from the lethargic heavy feeling, at least the green wallpapers and drawings on the walls calmed him for a bit.

The shopkeeper came out of nowhere, he offered Laken the hot coffee he wanted with just the right blend before disappearing like a bubble.

“You said no one can hear us here, are you sure that shopkeeper guy can be trusted?” Laken takes a sip from the coffee to cleanse his appetite.

“He only came here because I asked him to since you're making a fuss,” Alice responded after she ate her tenth strawberry cake.

Even Eirisse was unconscious with her head on Xenon's shoulder. Vampires have a very strong sense of smell and she couldn't handle the scent of cakes, shutting herself down when she hit the limit.

Xenon was on her usual business brazenly devouring the flatware and anything he puts in his mouth be it edible or not.

“What a weird taste, is this even a cake?” Xenon remarked after eating a white plate.

Laken groaned from not wanting to denote a mechanoid's oblivious action.

“This is tasty, but it contains ninety-five percent glucose which will surely destroy your teeth.” Sheria's appetite is as active as Xenon.

In spite of the strange mood, Laken is delighted that Luciella is enjoying herself since both her and Alice have a sweet tooth.

He thinks this is exactly the paradise Luna and Lena will definitely love that they will become lazy like Alice herself.

“I bet you are always here lazing around. You might as well invite the twin sisters.” Laken puts the empty cup on the table.

“You mean Lena and Luna? They always visit here with me, and good gracious they always sleep after I ate my sixty-fifth plate.” Alice told that almost made Laken cough blood.

She was much glutinous than the sisters lost to her probably suggests she pushed them on consuming a lot.

Laken believed her eleventh plate was the last, it turns out it was just a joke when she partakes another cake, “I'm just wondering, why the celestials don't recognize me?”

The shopkeeper saw him without a mask but didn't freak out or anything. The guy calmly served Laken like any other customers.

“Why you fellows always forget what I said?” Alice sighed, “We celestials put the barriers to protect us from being hurt, we care too much about the world that we forget our own feelings. That's also the reason why we hate violence.”

“Why is that?” Luciella was perplexed, “Hey!” Laken immediately gave her a head-chopping non-verbally saying that was presumptuous of her.

Luciella stands up and bowed down fully aware she asked a rude question, “I'm very sorry!”

“No, it's fine... Did you have a pet cat or dog when you were still a child?” Alice asked her all of a sudden, she behaved herself after eating his thirteenth strawberry cake.

“Yes, I have a cat when I was a child, she was so cute,” Luciella answered after she sips from the cup of milk.

Alice stands up and walks near the window where Laken was gazing in the horizon, “When your cat died... what does it feel?”

At first, Luciella couldn't respond, but she had to, “Very sad...” She responded quietly.

“That's correct and that's the sole reason. Imagine you have a very long lifespan which is almost immortal for the humans...” With a single snap Alice takes, she changes the ceiling's design into the night sky full of stars.

Eirisse just woke up and saw the majestic constellations. She squinted her eyes thinking she's still dreaming fantasy from taking a high amount of sugar.

With another spell, Alice chanted the message by gradually shaping the stars to fade away from their glimmer one by one.

“What does it feel seeing your friends from the other race die in the blink of an eye? Or your loved ones who were born not one of your kind?” Alice was emotional so they kept silent.

“It feels painful. The idea of losing everything you cherished for vanish from your sight. That's the sole reason we barricaded ourselves with an enormous barrier to separate our reality over the world itself.” Alice answered her initial questions with all her honesty.

It seems Laken forget that celestials never back down. One can ask them weird questions and still answers them nonchalantly. Though what Alice said was merely the truth about the sinful world they are living.

“But you know, even if the world is cruel or life is rough to you. Keep smiling because you can still breathe and continue living.” Alice told them the most passionate thing she had to say out loud.

Her statement hits Laken's mentality too hard he doesn't want to stay in that room, “Just call me if your discussion starts,” Laken faltered before slowly closing the door.

He went to the forest he viewed through the windows to take a breather, but there is another reason why he went by himself.

Laken sat below the tree that had a triangle-shape blue fruit he saw for the first time in his life, “This tastes sour,” Laken remarked but still ate the whole thing.

“So why are you here?” He asked the lady of the undeath, she revealed herself sitting on a tree branch.

“You're so cold Laken. I got jealous when you're having a tea party with Alice,” she drawled.

“I'm not playing games with you, Alisa! Now tell me where did you put Zoroaster?” Laken was talking with Alisa who suddenly revealed herself.

She was also the reason why Laken went out, “Let's not jump into conclusion Laken. I am not that strong to defeat him,” she answered him. He doubts anything that comes out of her mouth will be true.

Laken seizes his sword and performed a quick s***h aiming at the object on her collar, of course, Alisa easily eluded, “My, my, wild as ever. I love that,” she seductively whispered when she got behind him.

He knows she'll disappear from the shadows again once he strikes so he just chased her off instead.

“The answer you gave, I won't say thanks...” Laken slowly walks past behind her.

Alisa tried reaching for him but her selfishness won't allow it, she relented and faced down.

“I guess you never change...” Alisa muttered. The wind breeze was warm and calm.

There's nothing to talk about anymore, Alisa was going to vanish in thin air when she heard Laken's word.

“The wish you prayed for... the wish we all wanted to be granted...!” Laken swings his sword in the air and he was expressing his sentiments.

“To be freed from the yokes of darkness, I'll bring you back with the flames of my sins. I promise, Alisa.” Laken declared with his burning fervor that made Alisa's heart flutter.

She beholds the burning azure flames in his arm that gently rekindled the diminutive hope Alisa had lost from a long time ago.

The mistake that forced her to be chained in the abyss, she was also a victim of the false wish that shall never become true.

Without saying a word or two, Alisa woefully chanted her magic and disappeared out of the blue just like how she appeared before.

Laken returned sitting beside the tree to continue his respite. He believed wishing for a better world was a mere fraction of a person's hope of satisfying one's selfishness.

Even if the world sees the tiny stars twinkling in the night sky as the sin of the world, even if he knew there's nothing he could do, he may as well shatter the very concept of the system itself.

Laken's azure flames were the proof he learned the way of life. The flames in which doesn't hurt anyone but himself. The fire that only boils the blood of the sinner he became.

But he learned that burning the exact same gentle flames he lets ignited needs to consume his wishes away along with those anyone who opposes him.

He learned to no longer be bounded by a mere wish and rather grasp the thing he desired for.

Laken notices the dusk already met the endless horizon. He sure took the time contemplating alone.

He returned to the cakeshop for them to finish their delayed discussion to plan things out properly, or else they might meet the mistake they were forced to accept during the war from the past.