The Midnight Leave: What It Means to Be Human

CHAPTER 11

After rummaging through the closets of multiple rooms for decent wardrobe options, Vilda sighed in frustration as she decided to settle on the last thing she found.

I can’t believe the best I could find were the armor and undergarments for a knight, Vilda thought to herself while disappointed. I’m not even sure if these have been fashioned for women, but oh well. We can’t afford to spend any more time in this place.

As she was in the process of replacing her previous clothes, which were used to disguise herself as a prisoner when she initially infiltrated Swinger’s territory, her eyes fell upon Demkil’s insignia inscribed upon the armor. Before donning the armor, she used the nearest sharp object, which happened to be a dagger, to cross out the emblem. After she was outfitted, she finished by equipping herself with the dagger she had just used, as well as a pair of short swords she had discovered earlier during her search.

With that, she was finally ready to leave. Yet, the child that was supposed to be waiting for her by the nearest corridor was nowhere to be seen, so another search had begun.

“Axis!” She called out impatiently, “Where did you go?! We have to get moving!”

Upon receiving no response, she began scanning the area for unfamiliar auras. However, the only aura she sensed was Axis Demkil’s, which meant that there were no sudden appearances of enemies.

What the hell is he doing, just wandering off?

After thinking so and planning to chastise him, Vilda headed in the direction of Axis’s aura. By the time she found him, she noticed that he was holding a peculiar sword and staring at it intensely. He seemed captivated by the sword, as if he was in some kind of trance. Even his aura seemed to revolve around the blade. Sensing that, Vilda completely forgot about scolding him.

What is it about that sword? Did it belong to a Slayer he’s familiar with, or…?

She shook her head to perish the thought, as it was irrelevant and there was no time for it.

“As interesting as that sword seems to be,” she said while approaching Axis, “there’s no point in taking it with us. We should get going while it’s still quiet outside.”

Axis turned towards her, unresponsive at first while glancing with apparent vacant eyes. Then, he blinked and jumped back before he recognized Vilda, which seemed to pull him back from his reverie.

“Hot damn! I almost mistook you for an enemy… I didn’t expect you to come out wearing that.”

“I had no choice but to make do.” Vilda huffed in dissatisfaction before turning away.

“‘Make do,’ huh?” Axis questioned with a raised brow, as his eyes fell upon the scratched-out emblem. “Your compromises sure seem dangerous…”

“What was that?” Vilda asked with an intimidating tone while casting a side glance.

“I said: ‘your compromises sure seem dangerous.’”

Vilda’s eye twitched in irritation; the fact that her intimidation proved ineffective against Axis Demkil had troubled her in multiple ways. Again, there was no time to agonize over it.

“Whatever. Come on, while there’s still time. Leave the sword and let’s go.”

“Actually, I was planning on taking the sword.”

Unfortunately, Axis seemed adamant on troubling her further. She turned back towards him, unable to hide her frustration any longer.

“You don’t even know how to use a sword! You’ll just be carrying dead weight! It’s not worth it, especially when we’re supposed to be escaping instead of fighting!”

“It won’t be dead weight!” Axis snapped back. “I can’t just leave it in this shithole! Besides, I can learn how to use it! You know how to use swords, don’t you? Just teach me the basics right quick, and I’ll figure out the rest.”

“Axis…” Vilda sighed while massaging her temples again. “That sword is completely different from the blades I’ve learned to use. Even the basics aren’t enough to use a sword like that one, you would need specialized training by someone with more experience. Well, there may be someone at Sanctum experienced with that type of sword, but whether they’re willing to teach you or not is…”

“Forget it,” Axis interrupted with a disappointed expression. “I don’t want to bother trying to learn from someone else.”

“In that case, you’re leaving it behind after all?”

“No, I’m still taking it. It would still be more useful in my hands than here. All I have to do is swing or stab towards my enemy, right? You don’t have to be a master to do that shit.”

Vilda shook her head, and then spoke in resignation.

“Fine, you’ll probably lose interest in it and toss it away eventually. Let’s just go already, before Demkil’s reinforcements arrive. If we make it into the nearby forest, the chances of their following us will be incredibly slim, but we have to take care not to get into any more unnecessary battles. We’re both still near exhaustion and won’t be able to fight our way out if they surround us again… Hey, are you even listening?!”

When Vilda looked back at Axis, it seemed as if he was playing around with the sword instead of practicing.

“Yeah, Vilda, I heard you. Make it to the forest, avoid any more battles, don’t get surrounded. Stab, stab, slice.”

Vilda could only stare at him in disbelief. This was the same child that the people of Demkil were so afraid of; dubbed such things as “Cursed Child” and “Storm of Destruction,” the majority believed that Axis Demkil would bring their ruin.

“Slice, slice, stab.”

However, the longer she was with him, the more that fear seemed like an illusion. No, the fear was valid, but that was only when the black electricity surrounded him. Otherwise, he seemed like any other child. However, the fact that he was named Demkil and then forsaken by Demkil was proof enough that he didn’t get to live like any other child. Though it was something Vilda had decided herself, she couldn’t help but feel dissatisfied with her responsibility over said child.

Sheesh… Vilda thought to herself as she sighed once more. What have I gotten myself into by accepting this mission?

Then, both Axis and Vilda heard a loud scream from below, seemingly further down than just the first floor.

“Who was that?!” Axis asked alarmed, as he held his new sword as if prepared to fight.

“I don’t know…” Vilda answered hesitantly as her mind raced, “I could have sworn I freed all of the prisoners that were brought today.”

“That may have been from someone who was brought here earlier… Or else, it could be a trap.”

They looked at each other, and Vilda could already tell what Axis was going to ask her; she also knew the answer she was going to give. Nevertheless, she didn’t like any of it.

“Well, what do you want to do now? If your mission was only to rescue the people brought today, then I would be the last one. We leave now, and your mission is as good as accomplished, just like you said earlier.”

“Yes, I know.”

“We’re supposed to avoid any more battles since we’re both near exhaustion. We make it to the forest, and we’re out of here. However, if we go investigate, we could end up surrounded, and then we’d be in trouble.”

“Technically, I said: ‘we have to take care not to get into any more unnecessary battles.’ The keyword should be obvious.”

“So, this is considered ‘necessary?’”

“I have enough strength to save one more person. If I can just grab them and get out, we can still avoid getting surrounded.”

“Not if it’s a trap.”

“I won’t ignore a possible victim, Axis. If you must, go ahead to the forest. I’ll meet you there as soon as possible.”

Once again, Vilda’s obstinacy made any further argument futile. Of course, just like before, Axis wasn’t arguing for his own sake.

“Alright, I’ll follow your lead. We’ll break this person free, if there’s such a person, and if not, we’ll break through any obstacles and make our exit. Sound good?”

“Axis, you don’t have to…”

“You risked your life to save mine, multiple times, even. If I left you behind to face only the Gods know what, I would have nightmares for one hundred years.”

“I see what you did there, you little shit.” Vilda snickered and smiled confidently. “Alright, let’s go!”

With that, in bursts of lightning and wind, the two made their way towards the direction of the scream: underneath the main building.