The Center of Cosmos

CHAPTER TEN

Chapter Ten

She woke up by the light from her opened window, she roamed her eyes and realized that she was already in her room. As she sits on her bed she saw the doctor who was a few meters away from her as both of them stares at each other.

Looking at the doctor’s pale face and dark circle under his eyes made him look sicklier than her. Despite her being the one who got treated.

“Doctor are you okay?” she asks.

He blink twice as he looked at her.

“Thank goodness you’re awake! How do you feel? Are you feeling unwell? Are you dizzy? How are you?” He asks as he approaches her and checks her vitals and pulse.

“I am fine, doctor. How about you? You look sick.” She said as she stared at the middle-aged man in front of her.

“I am fine do not worry about me. Now, I will just inform his majesty that you are awake,” He said.

She raised her right hand slightly as her index finger move in a circular movement. Then, the doctor’s fatigue was healed which made him surprise.

“Thank you for healing me, but you don’t have to do that since you need rest,” the doctor said.

“I have already recovered from my fatigue so it is fine and besides you need to recover your strength as well doctor,” she replied.

The doctor was speechless for a second but soon thank her again.

“How long did I sleep?” She asks.

“A day has passed since you became unconscious. We are already traveling towards Asmeira right now,” he answered as he excuse himself to her and exited the room.

As she remembered what happened to her before she got unconscious her eyes automatically landed on her arm’s wound that was already wrapped with bandages.

She touch it with the tip of her finger and felt a slight pain. She can feel that she already recovered her strength. However, she cannot heal any wound from that kind of weapon.

Any wound from a curse cannot be healed.

However, it’s the first time she felt something she knew.

Pain.

The previous fight made her lost her strength when she is just recovering. She was not worried at all, it’s not a problem to her if her injuries are fatal or shallow.

It’s impossible to kill her that easily.

But she was a being cursed by the gods, she can’t be called human or even a monster. She cannot even define herself as both.

She knows to herself that she was unknown.

 Her thoughts were cut because there was a sudden knock on the door.

“Celine, may we come in?” She heard Mathew’s voice.

“Do as you please master,” she answered then the door opened.

Mathew entered the room with Lucas who was behind him. She observed his well-being and in her eyes, he looked exhausted.

“Good morning master and to you too, Lucas,” she greeted with a blank expression.

“Good morning,” Lucas responded.

“I am glad that you’re already awake,” Mathew said as he sits on the chair beside her.

“I am also glad that you are fine, master. However, you look tired?” she asks.

Lucas who was standing beside Mathew and quietly listening to them remembered how the emperor did not sleep for a day because of her condition that he even threatened the doctor just to make sure she will not die.

Lucas even remembered how the doctor was desperate to heal her.

“I am fine,” Mathew answered shortly.

Celine who can see that he was lying, poke his forehead gently. Suddenly he felt energized and calm. She also looked at Lucas and healed him who did not sleep as well.

“Do not push yourself too much, you just woke up,” he said with furrowed eyebrows.

“Thank you for your concern master but I am fine now,” she answered.

The room was filled with silence.

“Lucas, leave us alone. I have something to ask her, and do not let anyone entered this room until I said so,” Mathew commanded.

“Yes your majesty,” Lucas responded as he bowed his head and exited the room.

Mathew’s hazel eyes landed on Celine’s small and emotionless face.

“Celine, tell me the truth. Is there something you didn’t tell me?” Mathew asks.

She remained silent.

“It's fine if you won’t tell me. How about your wound, is it still hurting?”

“Not at all. It is fine now,” she shortly replied as she looked at him.

The light from the window made his hazel eyes glimmered as if there were burning stars inside them. He looks so majestic and dangerous yet so kind.

Or perhaps she is just afraid to trust strangers from this world?

“Master could you tell me who you are?” she asks.

Mathew give her a puzzled look but smiled at her after a few seconds.

“My name is Mathew De Blanche, the emperor of De Blanche Empire. I am twenty-two years old, I am the oldest in our family and I have a younger sister back home. I like the color blue, I hate losing and I always save my pride at all costs. I can be friendly and a bully at the same time, I don’t easily trust people,” Mathew uttered as he glance at the open window.

“I hate banquets and gatherings but if you see me participating in one, it’s because I only forced myself due to my status. Do you still have something you wanted to know?” He asks and returned his gaze at her.

“You said you don’t trust people easily? Are all the things you said just now are the truth?” she asks.

“If you ask me, yes all I have said are the truth. But it is up to you whether you believe me or not. Whatever you decide, I will respect,” He said as looked at her eyes.

There was a few seconds of silence before she spoke.

“Master, I am not an overpowered weapon and I know you have realized it too. I cannot call myself as one of you nor can I call myself as one of the enemies. However, If I have gone berserk, there are two ways to kill me,” she said as she stared at him in the eyes.

“First, I can only be killed by master’s holy weapon and second by the weapon that is forged with darkness,” she continued.

Mathew doesn’t know how to respond to her. He did not have the guts to open his mouth and to clarify that he wants her to live.

“You should eat your breakfast now. Where would you like to eat?” he asks as he smiled changing the topic.

“Wherever you wanted master,” she replied shortly as she looked at the opened window.

“Then I shall instruct Lucas to ask someone to deliver your meal here,” he replied.

“Thank you.”

After exiting Celine’s room and spending time in his room reading documents and drinking tea, it was already past noon when Mathew decided to go to his office.

As he walks along the way with Lucas behind him, the silence was creeping between them and Lucas noticed that.

“Your majesty is there something bothering you?” Lucas asks.

“Yes there was, but I won’t tell.”

Lucas did not respond anymore, as they continued to walk towards the office.

When they entered his office he immediately went to his table and sits on his chair.

“Lucas, kindly get me a paper and a pen,” he said as he eyed the opened window.

“Yes your majesty,” Lucas replied as he immediately went and took the things he need and hand them to him.

After minutes of writing it down on the paper, fold it up and puts it in a white envelope as he marks it with the imperial seal.

He stands up and walks towards a caged bird and tied it on its body carefully making sure the bird will not be burdened by it while flying.

It was a trained bird that delivers the messages to his trustees in the imperial palace. He was sending a message that they will arrive soon.

 He took the bird out of the cage.

“Send it to the palace for me,” he instructed the bird as he release it from the opened window.

He sits on his chair again when there was a sudden knock on his door.

“Your majesty, may we come in?” He heard Casis said behind the door.

“Yes you can,” he responded as the door opened.

Casis together with Nathan and Allen entered his office.

“Have a seat” Mathew said as he pointed to the couch.

“Thank you, your majesty,” Allen replied as they sits on it.

“What comes you here?” Mathew asks.

“We came here to know your next move your majesty,” Nathan responded.

“Hmm, a while ago I send a message in the imperial palace,” he answered.

Everyone remained silent as they waited for him to continue.

“Aside from that, when we come back I have to contact the two tribes.”

“The two tribes your majesty? But they do not have a good relationship with the empire?” Casis ask with pure uneasiness in his tone.

“Yes you’re right but to win the upcoming war, we needed everyone,” Mathew replied shortly as if everything would be easy for him to do that.

He is fully aware that the empire and the two tribes are not on good terms.

‘The world needs to survive at all cost,’ his mind said to him as the room was filled with deafening silence.

He closes his eyes for a second and pinches the bridge of his nose.

“Don’t pressure yourself too much your majesty,” Allen interrupted.

“His right your majesty, don't let problems stress you too much, or else you will look like them,” Nathan uttered as he pointed at Casis and Allen who are sitting beside him.

“Hah?!” Allen responded in annoyance as he felt his head pulsating in anger.

“Oh boy, a walking stress like you should not talk like that,” Casis replied as he let out a heavy breath.

“A walking stress? Damn. So not me,” Nathan uttered as he chuckled.

“i***t! Were younger than you!” Allen said as he glared at Nathan.

Mathew who witnessed the three men’s childishness let out a heavy sigh.

‘Damn. Just by having these three made me feel the oldest when in fact I’m the youngest here,’ his mind whispered.

“Stress won’t put my face in danger, though,” Mathew said as he massage his temple.

“Oh? I don’t believe you, your majesty, I could see some wrinkles on your forehead,” Nathan uttered.

Mathew blinks twice.

“Damn. Really?” He asks as he eyed Nathan.

“Hmm, as you can see when it comes to freshness I’d be the winner that I could be the face of the youth itself,” Casis said with a smirk.

“What a horrible freshness could that be?” Allen replied.

“Who said you could?” Nathan interrupted as he eyed Casis.

“I would be the winner though,” Mathew said as he chuckled.

“With all due respect your majesty, but I do believe that the truth could set everyone free. Do not get me wrong, all of you are fresh enough but not as better as me,” Nathan uttered seriously.

“Now that’s a terrifying lie,” Allen commented.

Lucas who’s just standing beside the door was so done looking at them.

“Oh we visited Celine a while ago, it’s a relief that she is fine now,” Casis inserted.

“Yes, I’m also glad that she recovered fast,” Mathew replied.

“But it got me confused, I completely remembered that Celine cut Erius’ both arms but when he attack us the second time, it was healed?” Nathan said.

“It simply means that aside from the world’s ending we have another problem,” Mathew answered as he eyed the three of them.

“It’s a shame that we don’t have any idea about this new enemy, however, I wanted you to be careful, and ‘that’ enemy might be as powerful as Celine. When Celine was stab and almost died, it was a warning for us,” Mathew continues to announce.

“Lucas,” Mathew said as he eyed Lucas.

“Yes your majesty?” he responded.

“When will we arrive at the port?” Mathew asks.

“According to the captain our arrival would be today before sunset,” he answered.

Celine who was in her room suddenly stands up from laying down on her bed as she stood in front of the window.

She was fully aware that the dagger would be dangerous for her but at that time she could dodge it. The only problem during that moment was the fact that the dagger was implanted by a dark spell, she was lucky enough to use all ounce of her strength just to reverse that spell which made her move an inch and prevented Erius to stab her in the heart. She thought that it was over. However, when she was already stabbed, she could feel another spell enough to poison her.

It was all luck for her, but, at that time, she knows, it was a pure strategy for the enemy as if the enemy knows her weaknesses.

‘It’s either it could be like me? Or could be like a god?’ she thought.

She could feel her heart was beating fast. It was a familiar feeling for her, so familiar that she thought she would not feel it again.

But she is wrong.

She felt the uneasy feeling and for the first time her expression change.

Her eyebrows furrowed and her eyes reflected a glimpse of her emotion.

She felt annoyed.

She felt annoyed for being a fool that time that she wanted to find the owner of the dagger and kill it herself.

After a few minutes, her emotions subsided and she was back to being empty again.

“Hide as long as want, don’t let me find you, or else it would be your last,” she coldly said like a whisper as if the unknown enemy could hear her.

But she wished that it could hear her.

On the unknown realm, surrounded by darkness that only the light from the torches provided him the ability to see from the dark as he takes a bath inside a spacious and grand bathroom. He relaxes in the tub as he felt the water through his skin.

He closed his eyes as he lean his back on the big tub.

“How long will you stand in there Shin?” he muttered as he gaze at the eagle who immediately landed on the floor and turned into a human.

“You are sharp, master,” he complimented as he smiled and bowed his head as a greeting.

“What’s the news?” he asks ignoring him.

“The sorcerer survived. They will arrive before sunset,” Shin said as he eyed his master.

A loud hysterical laugh can be heard but his master’s mint-green eyes have no emotion at all.

Then his laugh stops.

“Next time I will surely make sure to kill you,” his master uttered.

Finally, the ships have arrived. Lucas immediately inform Mathew while Celine was already standing on the upper deck of the ship staring at the view in front of her.

“This must be the land of Asmeira,” she whispered as her black hair was being blown by the wind.