Chapter 8: Chapter 8 – Work Ethic

The “Black Mark”. It was the same guys from Casla, the ones responsible for that night. The ones who were in front of Maya’s house, the ones who tried to kill us multiple times. And Agham was tasked with finding them. How? Who knows? But, perhaps, with his connections, he would know something, right?

“Agham, how much do you know about this…Black Mark?”

He didn’t, but he already had something in place of it.

“Never heard of it. But finding them shouldn’t be too hard. You noticed it too, right? One of the guys at Illtoss. The one who left early.”

“Yeah. That robe looked very similar to what they were wearing. Glad you noticed it as well, that spares me an explanation. He could also be the one who threw that knife at me. They’re really out for blood. But it’s too late. There’s no way we’re going to find him again, right?”

Standing up from his seat, he showed me that little grin of his.

“Oh, you never know. I have my contacts. And the letter only said that we should go do our search within the Inmar Duchy, which I know like no other. I’d say…two days?”

“Two days for what?”

“To find that guy from Illtoss, obviously.”

“Huh? That easy?”

“Yep. That easy. Trust me. In the meanwhile, how about we talk of something else?”

“Okay…?”

He started looking through the room, opening shelves, one by one.

“Regarding your stay here. What’d you say to working near the mines?”

Again, I wasn’t as bulky as Agham, so I couldn’t lift a lot of heavy stuff. Working out at this point wouldn’t get me to move tons of stone around in a week.

“The mines? And why would you say “near” and not “in”?”

He further explained.

“It’s the Iron Mines, one of the more famous spots in the Inmar Duchy. And no, you’re not going to be mining for anything. You should leave that to…heavier-looking men. No, I know what’s better suited for you.”

“And that is…?”

Finding the shelf he wanted, and pulling a piece of paper out of it, he said.

“Customer service.”

That was a broad term, if anything. I needed more information than that.

“Right…What kind of customer service? Like, a receptionist or something?”

Apparently, I had read Agham’s mind for a second.

“Bingo. You’re getting better at this, Lenn.”

Being a receptionist was in the realm of capabilities, that was for sure. Agham had his flaws, but he always got some kind of plan I could put my faith in. Plans where I knew that, they kind of worked out in the end.

I had a job, met some good people, got to the Inmar Duchy with my head still intact, and I’m still ready to go for more. Looking at it this way, everything’s been going smoothly. This time, as well, I would put my trust in him. That’s what I decided.

“Alright, I accept. You’ll just have to lead the way. Let me guess, I’m going to start tomorrow?”

“Yep. I’m relying on you, partner.”

Hearing those words cheered me up. It actually made me want to start working right now, but of course, that’ll have to wait for the next day. Meanwhile, I took my chance to explore more of Agham’s home.

No matter where I went, it was dusty and disorganized. The cleaning work we put in so far didn’t erase nearly enough of the things lying around on the floor, nor the mountains of dust that had settled on it.

What we achieved was putting a mere band-aid on the rundown interior. Agham said he didn’t come back in months, and I could definitely see that.

“Your other guy, this Ozekar. What kind of person is he?”

“A man of few words. Sometimes you’ll think he’s cool, elegant even. And of course, he’s ridiculously strong. He works at the mines you’re going near to for work.”

“Does he usually clean the place? Because, as you can see…”

“Oh, the Forn don’t clean their places. It’s something like, what’d you say, part of their culture? Nature finds its way, that sort of thing.”

“Ugh, I don’t think you’d have to go so far as to neglect the state of the place you’re sleeping at. Nature will indeed find its way, but that’ll bring this house down to earth, if you know what I mean.”

“Yeah. But at least he wouldn’t complain about us cleaning everything up. In that case, it would be out of his control and would have to be treated as an act of nature, too.”

“May I ask just what is meant by “nature” here?”

“That’s…a good question. To be honest, Lenn, I tried not to think about it too much.”

“Figures. In your situation, I might have done the same.”

Of course, I wouldn’t have actually done the same as Agham. I would have confronted this Ozekar guy head-on about it as soon as it crossed my mind. But I couldn’t just put out snarky one-liners every so often, that isn’t very friendly. I understood Agham’s indecision on the matter.  And more importantly, I had something else to talk about.

“So, where are those mines located? These, uh, Iron Mines?”

From his pocket, Agham pulled out a map, my eyes watching his finger sliding across the paper, before stopping somewhere below Mt. Duke, in the middle of the continent.   

“Right smack in the middle of Inmar. Edel isn’t too far from it. That’s the capital, for your information. We’re about…five miles beneath it, so it’s around our neighborhood. We will have to pay a visit to the brigade eventually as well, so that’s convenient.”

Convenient indeed, but did I just mishear something?

“True. But…wait…5 miles? How long is it from here until the mines?”

“About…6 miles? Yeah, that sounds about right.”

“Will I have to walk these 6 miles back and forth to get to and back from work?”

“Well…yeah.”

“And I don’t have any other means of travel?”

“Not…really.”

“Hm.”

Hm. Hm, hm, hm, hm, hm, hm, hm, hm, hm, hm, hm, hm, hm. Fuck. Really?

It showed on my face, so much so that Agham felt the need to try and comfort me. Truly, as someone who was used to it, you wouldn’t think of it as a hassle, but 5, no, 6 miles? Back and forth? Forth and back?

„Well, don’t think about it so much. It’s not that bad. You’ll get used to it.”

I put on an awkward smile.

“Y-yeah, I hope so. Just point to where I have to go, and I should be fine. Once I know my way around, it’ll be no problem…probably.”

“In the meantime, there’s got to be tons of other questions you have for me. For example, you don’t know the names of the weekdays, right?”

“Yeah. I never caught wind of those. Back in Casla, I just came in every day to work, so there was nothing to discuss on that side.”

“Alright, we’ll go from there. Pay attention, the great Agham will give you a grand lecture.”

I spent the next few hours listening in to Agham’s explanations. The years, months, weekdays, time itself. All the different languages you can find in Oulayn and the different races inhabiting it. At least, I tried. Of course, I already knew some of it, but that wasn’t the issue.

My attention space, however, was. After about an hour, I could no longer absorb any of the knowledge oozing out from him.

But I did realize Agham was a great teacher. Whatever he taught me, I understood, quickly, easily. Perhaps it was because we had known each other for a little while, so he would know how I pick up information, that kind of thing.

Somewhere in my mind, I could see Agham teaching kids in a school. And to be honest, I would’ve really liked to see that.

“…Welp, that about wraps it up. Any questions?”

“None whatsoever. You’re good at this. How come you were working the mines?”

“Ah, that’s just because I like it. And it’s not like mining is all I ever did.”

“True, I can definitely see that.”

Agham took a look outside. It was getting dark. We were both so absorbed into the lecture that we didn’t notice. And Agham was the first one to break it off.

“Around that time already? Sorry, Lenn. I’ve got to excuse myself for a minute.”

“Going out this late? Where to?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I’ve just got to spread the word. We were asked to search for that guy of the something mark, right? I’ll let everyone know, and then this’ll be over soon.”

“It’s the Black Mark. Please don’t forget it on the way, okay? You might get some info, after all.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

And with that, Agham left the house. As I watched from a window, he was meeting up with some unknown person outside and together, they went off the property, following the twilight-soaked path to who knows where. He wasn’t going to come back anytime soon.

That just left me alone in the enormous building, and I didn’t even know where I was going to sleep. Agham never had a good sense of time regarding his meetings, so he would most likely pop into existence again tomorrow noon or so.

With next to no light, I navigated the parquet floors and soon found myself in a grand bedroom. This one looked more like the master room, featuring an expensive looking bed with thick, red wine sheets and some silver and golden antiquities atop an elegantly crafted dark brown table. It didn’t look like it had been used for quite some time, further convincing me that this must be the room Agham usually slept in.

Now that I secured a bed to sleep in for tonight, I took my time to thoroughly explore the chamber I was in. I still didn’t know anything about Agham, so there should be a clue in here, is what I thought. But the table drawers, the wardrobe, anything that had an opening…They were all empty.

It would have made sense if Agham had just relocated his stuff to somewhere else, like Casla. But then, there wouldn’t have been a need to stay in an inn.

In the first place, why’d we stay in an inn? It began with Agham being drunk, so I had to carry him upstairs…But then, from there…What happened? We just stayed there. Why?

 “I guess there ARE a few questions I’ll have to ask him.”

But Agham wouldn’t return. It was in the middle of the night that I decided to just call it a day and go to sleep. The bed was extremely comfortable, it felt like nothing I had laid in before.

Still, I just rocked back and forth constantly. It wouldn’t stop. Even if I was tired in any capacity, I had the feeling that this night, I wouldn’t get to stay put.

Being all alone in this huge villa with no knowledge of where I really am and not knowing where my only friend was, the only thing that settled in was fear. The Black Mark…Commander Martin saw the possibility that they could be in the Inmar Duchy. We saw someone who looked similar to one of them at Illtoss in Nervall, who might also be the guy who threw that knife at me.

Taking all of this into account, my body tightened up. What if I get attacked now? Assassinated. The throat slit by a knife the instant I close my eyes. My blood covering the wine bed. It’s possible. And if it’s possible, I must watch out. If I watch out, I can’t close my eyes. I can’t afford to. I mustn’t look away. It could happen anytime.

A slight creaking of the wooden floor, the bed. The sounds of an owl as night approached. An ominous wind coming through the windows, deciding whether they should be closed or not. It could happen, anytime.

But it wouldn’t. Even as the first light started grazing the villa’s walls, nothing. Did I sleep somewhere during that time, during the night? I don’t remember. But I’m right awake.

Why did I have to feel this way again?

Getting out of bed proved harder than I thought. I was shaky, wobbly. There was no feeling in my legs. Still, I had no chance but to just bear it, and move forward. Once I caught a hold of myself, my ears started working as well.

Sounds were coming from somewhere inside the house. Voices. And one of them was undoubtably Agham’s, though I couldn’t hear what he was talking about, or to whom.

Walking through the corridor, I eventually ended up at where Agham was. He was sitting on a dinner table with a cup in hand, talking to someone. That someone, I didn’t know. They were…huge. At least 2 meters, but that’s an understatement.

Their skin was hued in a faint blue mixed with gray, and their ears had a weird shape. Above all that, they had a giant black tattoo on their left shoulder that looked like a compass, pointing north. It was safe to say they weren’t human.

Agham greeted me nonchalantly, as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

“Good morning, Lenn. Sorry, yesterday ended up taking a while…”

“Uh…It’s nothing. Good morning. I ended up taking your bed, so let’s just call it done there.”

“I didn’t introduce you yet, right? Here, that’s Ozekar.”

Huge guy Ozekar only faintly looked in my direction and gave a quick nod before returning to eat his breakfast. It’s true, he really is a man of few words.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Lenn. From what I can tell, we’ll be sharing the same way to work. Looking forward to it.”

This time, I didn’t even get a nod. Maybe he wouldn’t like me walking alongside him? Well, I kind of understand. I certainly value my alone time, too. However, it’ll be hard to avoid each other from now on, so we might as well make the best of it.

“Oh, Lenn. Almost forgot. You’ve got to go soon, just like Ozekar. You have your work to do. Let him show you the way.”

“Did you even talk to him about that?”

I looked towards Ozekar, who didn’t seem affected by it at all. His eyes were small and slanted, his lips very thin and his nose almost non-existent. His face made the impression of a picture of a man yet to be done, as if crucial details had yet to be added.

It made me realize once again that he wasn’t human. It was…an uncomfortable view. I no longer wanted to stare into it.

“I guess you did…”

“Oh, come on. When did I ever not tell anyone anything?”

“That’s a very loaded question, one I’m better off not answering. You can guess the rest.”

In response, Agham’s little grin surfaced once again. It’s as if he wanted me to play the straight man. 

“Alright, alright. You’ve got a point. By the way, I’ve got your breakfast right here. It’s my apology for yesterday. Dig in, I think you have about 10 minutes to get going. Otherwise, you might just be late on your first day.”

“Well, thanks for that, I suppose. It’s not like you could have, you know, woken me up somewhere earlier? I’ll still take that breakfast, though, that looks delicious. I didn’t know you would be good at making food, too.”

The breakfast Agham was talking about was a nicely arranged combination of different juicy fruits cut to perfection alongside little pink pieces of meat that seemed so tender, they would just dissolve in my mouth. It didn’t look homemade, but more like something out of a high-grade kitchen.

“Oh, that wasn’t me. Ozekar is the one who prepares the meals.”

“What? He does?”

A light nod from Ozekar confirmed it. So, this giant is the one who prepared this? Even though he’s… like that?

“Wow. Well, thanks for the meal.”

As expected, it was delicious. There was more in that plate than I thought, so once I finished it, I was full to the point of almost throwing up. But it was worth it, every inch of it.

Once I was done, me and Ozekar headed outside while Agham was still resting on his chair. He said that his work wouldn’t begin until much later, so he’d just be watching the house for now.

He also said, and I quote: “Maybe I’ll clean up while I’m still here.” Yeah, that probably won’t happen, will it? However, at the very least he’s shown he does care a little about the state of his own home, so that’s something.

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Ozekar still wouldn’t talk to me, so he instead showed me the way by just walking in front. It was awkward, really awkward.

I kind of knew that this was a viable option for him, but even I didn’t expect having someone you should know walking in front of you without any exchanges whatsoever was this unbearable.

Nervousness, unrest, fear, boredom, shame. It was a mixture of all of those that I kept in me on this long, long walk. But I just couldn’t bring myself to get the conversation going. It didn’t feel right, so I didn’t do it. And so, nothing changed.

We followed various little roads, traversing hills and little bridges. Most of the buildings around were most likely private property, keeping a certain distance from each other. I quickly realized.

The neighborhood I was in was not one of poverty, it was the opposite. How much would any of these grandiose villas we constantly passed by cost? How many hectares of land do each of these envelop?

Appropriate to where we were, the only sounds to be heard beside our footsteps were the singing of birds and the wind whistling through the trees and brushes. In the far back, there was the rustling of currents coming from the nearby river. Sometimes, the sun would peek out of the leaves and shine some light on my head.

This simple sense of nature, of peace…It felt so calming. And then there was Ozekar, with his huge body in front, ruining everything.  

After two hours of silent hiking, Ozekar decided to take a small break. The place we rested at was inside a small forest beneath an old, giant tree that absorbed the sunlight from everywhere around.

It was because of this that it stood there isolated, only to be encircled by darkened grass. The tree’s enormous roots greedily dug into the ground, as if to triumphantly claim this spot.

And what a spot it was. I’m not a huge fan of thickets myself, so I could really appreciate the efforts of this singular bugger. I’ll have to thank Ozekar for showing me this place.

An array of wooden benches was placed around the tree, leading me to believe that this must be a pretty popular spot for the people living here. Maybe a gathering place for meetings, festivals?

I imagined a nice, small festival with ambient lights placed around the trees. In front of the giant, a nicely decorated stage would be built and dances, songs, comedy…whatever one came up with, it would be done right there. Children would be out playing games, and then-

Ozekar started walking again before I could flesh out my fantasy. Of course, I had to follow. I wasn’t sure I could even go back to Agham’s place by myself from here. We already put a large distance behind us.

Coming out of the forest almost as quickly as we entered it, the city of Edel was now in plain sight. The capital of the Inmar Duchy and a place I would have to visit soon, whether I wanted to or not.

But there was no reason for me not to go and explore it to my heart’s content. I was already blessed with having my work be located right next to it.

The only thing that would have to happen now is for me to get some time off while already there, or something else happening that allows me some free hours to roam around.

Edel as a whole carried on with the traditional gothic style that I saw on Agham’s house and the villas behind me, giving the place a very different vibe to the cities and towns I’ve seen before. A very interesting vibe.

It felt royal, upper class, as if it was a privilege simply to live there instead of anywhere else. Frankly speaking, I already started wanting to live there too.

The path Ozekar and I were on did not lead through Edel itself, so my first impressions were merely based on the exterior and whatever else could be made out from a noticeable distance.

For example, the peculiar little space between each townhouse, so thin that they looked like single strands of black hair. Stuff like that really catches my eye.

This city has certainly piqued my interest. I’m not that much of an explorer, really, but behind everything, there is a story worth talking about. Having little goals like going on a city tour should be able to alleviate my mood by some degree.

After we passed by the city, the mines were immediately visible. The name “Iron Mines” was very fitting for what I saw.

The site was drenched with the sweat of the countless workers coming in and out, and the dust they dug up was so much that it looked like a thick mist had settled on the premises, looming around.

Tons of iron ore and dirt were carried away on large carts, carts that I could probably not move. The ones navigating them, mostly buff humans. But there were also a few of the Forn, like Ozekar. With their massive build and strength, they could hurl away twice, no, three times more in one go that a human could. In this profession, they’re like superhumans, I thought.

If I was in charge, just looking at it from afar, having your whole crew be Forn would seem like the best choice, since they didn’t seem to have any problems communicating with their coworkers, too. They would just talk like normal.

Some of them even spoke Angal, while others spoke a language that must be more commonly used in this area. I’ve got to learn a new language at some point, so why not this one? I made up my mind to go and ask Agham as soon as I would be back at his home.

I was certain Ozekar would be adept at speaking Angal as well, but assumed he’s just not much of a talker, like Agham said. Without saying a word, he directed me away from the site and brought me a bit further away to an isolated red-brick building.

This building wasn’t affected by all the stirred-up dust coming from nearby as it was on a lower elevation, and I could tell what it was there for simply by the smell coming from the entrance.

It smelled of a bathhouse, which is what I was here for.

Now that his mission was finished, and I arrived in time, I turned to Ozekar to thank him.

“Thanks, Ozekar. Guess we’re here. So, what about you? Do you work somewhere here, or…”

“…”

But Ozekar would just turn around and leave. It took me a second to make out what was happening. He was really just leaving, nothing more, nothing less. I grumbled at my options, but it didn’t take me long to give up. Either way, he was already out of my reach.

Ozekar really must’ve been holding back before, as he now he seemed like he was walking normally, but that “normal” was the same as if I would be doing a brisk jog.

Either way, he knew where I was working, he knew his own work, he knew where to go. I was not going to waste any more energy on trying to talk to him, nor was I going to waste his time. I would only have to trust for him to come pick me up at the end of today.

So, instead of following Ozekar who had already left my vision, I turned towards the bathhouse, and self-assuredly went in.  

It was a rather old establishment with a tiny reception at the front. The two entries to the baths were simply marked with the words for “men” and “women”. Even I could figure that out, as I saw a male Forn leave from the blue-labeled door on the left and a human woman from the right.

That same woman wore some more business-oriented clothes than what others around had on, so I assumed this was the person I might have to speak to.

Thankfully, it turned out to be the current running receptionist herself. Apparently, she had been taking a short break while having made sure they were no other customers around.

The work I was to do involved the following: Hold the reception and collect the bath fee from the customers, then if there weren’t any around, clean up whatever dirt I can find, be it the dust on a shelf or mopping the baths. Maybe even clean the toilets. *sigh*

So, in the end, I was on cleaning duty again. This must be what Agham had in mind for me, since I gained some practice in that field. Simple enough. I was grateful I didn’t have to do anything too hard, though I wasn’t sure what kind of people I would have to be dealing with moving forward.

After her short explanation, my senior left me in charge of the place. I was worried, but I didn’t have a say in the matter. Soon enough, the first customer rolled in, then the second, then the third…

They were all bleeding out energy, huffing, sighing and carrying bucket loads of sweat on their hardened backs. I couldn’t find anyone looking smaller in me, neither in height nor build. Everyone there could’ve easily been a bodybuilder and not just a mine worker. It made me cower up a little, seeing as I would have to from now on deal with these certain people as guests of the house.

It also lit a fire under me, too. There was this hidden sense of competition I felt when looking at these men, but also my own insecurities. Normally, I wouldn’t have felt any from anywhere, but this confrontation really shone some light on them. I prepared to greet the guests with some fervor put behind it, to make up for who I was.

However, I didn’t really have to do anything. The people who went by practically just threw some money towards me before promptly entering the baths. I had yet to find anyone not throwing the exact needed amount of 100 gan per person at me.

In a sense, this was the easiest job I could’ve found, but if it kept on going like that, I would have had to deal with bruises from all the coins hitting my face and shoulders, or my arms that tried to protect them from the onslaught.

My senior from before didn’t look like she had any bruises, so why…Oh. Right. Well, there’s nothing I can do about that.

The day went by fast, and as I tried thinking about how to get back to Agham’s place, Ozekar came in alongside the fading light, oozing a dark orange. It made Ozekar look a little more intimidating than he already was.

“Oh, thanks for coming, Ozekar. I don’t think I could go back without you yet. I’m glad you didn’t forget me.”

I didn’t expect him to reply, but he did.

“COME. WE’RE GOING.”

“Wha- “

I instinctively cringed at his words. It was the first time I heard him speak, and it sounded terrifying, shaking me to the core. His voice was so incredibly raspy, but also so loud, it thoroughly ground my ears.

Whatever he made those sounds with, it did not seem like it was coming out of his mouth. My body was about to enter a fight-or-flight state from his voice alone, but I tried my best to stay calm.

“…Y-yeah, sure. Yeah.”

It was hard to hide my nervousness. Something inside of me wanted to not come even an inch closer to him. And to some degree, I wanted to agree and comply with it. But that was not the solution to this case.

On our way back, I remembered more of the route back than I thought I could, which also meant I didn’t have to rely on Ozekar that much either anymore. That fact was comforting.

Arriving back at the house and wanting some time for myself, I parted ways with Ozekar to dedicate myself to cleaning again.

“Thanks once again, Ozekar. I look forward to doing this with you again (not).”

“HM.”

Yep, that voice was still terrifying. At least now I knew why he usually kept his mouth shut.

Was there some complex involved? I would have had one if I had THIS kind of voice.

Agham still wasn’t home, and the place wasn’t any cleaner. Not that I expected anything. Knowing that this was the kind of Agham-like behavior, I had nothing to raise my eyebrows for.

I took to the broom, while Ozekar took to the kitchen. On my way from one finished room to the next, I could smell the succulent scent of the wonders our dinner would have in store. Ozekar being such a good cook was a contrast that never grew old to me.

A swipe to the left, a swipe to the right. Before I realized, the villa was looking much, much better, and I could finally take a rest. Ozekar was almost finished with his work, too.

Everything seemed perfect, and yet…It had to be ruined. I heard a suspicious noise from outside.

Some hard knock on the main door followed, or more like a barrage of them. Before opening the door, I would check from a nearby window as to who I was about to let in. I wouldn’t want to die to anything so stupid as a murderer who came in and went from the front door.

Looking to the entrance, I saw it really was Agham, with something big in tow. I hurried to the door and turned the knob, letting in an exhausted Agham, heavily breathing from carrying…something around.

*Huff* *Huff* “You really took your time there, eh? Come on, Lenn, I need your help with this.”

“With what? That?”

I pointed to the black something he deadlocked in his arm. Upon further inspection, I could tell it wasn’t actually just a something. It was a someone. And their face was not only hidden behind cloth, but they were clearly unconscious.

“Wait, Agham, what did you- “

*Huff* “Grab him for me, if you please. I need some extra hands. Now.”

“O-okay.”

Agham let him fall to the floor, and then, following Agham’s instructions, I laid on him, making sure he wouldn’t escape. This seemed very dangerous and unnecessary, seeing that they weren’t moving, after all, but I did so anyway. Agham took a few seconds to catch his breath, but then went on to grab that unknown fellow again.

“It’s alright, Lenn. Get up. He won’t move. Instead, help me lift him up.”

And that’s what I did. From touching the person’s body, I could tell it was a man. The guy was light and thin, so carrying him around with two people proved to be rather easy. Agham and I carried him to a desolate room, and then Agham bound him to a chair.

There were countless questions that needed answering.

“What the hell happened, Agham? What, are you telling me this guy is- “

“Yeah, that’s right. Didn’t take long, just as I said. A member of the something mark, freshly caught.”

“Really?”

I looked towards the person sitting in front of me. Agham carefully removed his robe, revealing a thin man’s body wholly covered with brand marks. They showed a moon, a sun, stars…An ocean. It was nothing like you would expect out of the name “Black Mark”, other than the marks themselves blackening the skin of their wearer.

The man began to cough, regaining consciousness. Turning his head to the left, then to the right. He remained extremely calm, given his situation.

Agham went in closer to the man and asked in a friendly tone.

“Well then, would you mind telling us your name? Your address is fine, too, if you’d like. Actually, I’d prefer that.”

He was holding some kind of sharp instrument, making me realize what he was about to do. Agham wasn’t going to play nice all day. If push came to shove, then…then…

And then, the session began.

“Well, what shall it be?”

Agham was standing there, right in front of the caught man and only an inch away from his face. In his hand, a thin, long, metallic tool. A needle, perhaps? No, its size looked more like that of a skewer, and its sharp end pointed directly towards the Black Member’s left eye.

“I can start with the left one, or the right one. It’s up to you. With a little bit of luck, this’ll only be very painful, nothing more. Or, you could just say something.”

However, the man’s eyes weren’t fixated on Agham at all. They stared at…me?

“Hey now, we won’t get anywhere if you ignore me.”

“Th- “

“Th-?”

For the first time, the man spoke. His words sounded messy, but still quiet and…hollow.

“The light…will shine.”

“Huh…?”

Agham looked to the small window, the only one in the room. Seeing that it was still dark outside, as it should have been, he scoffed.

“Well, obviously, after night comes day. Do you believe in some sort of sun god or the like?”

But the joke fell flat. The chained man didn’t pay any attention to what Agham said. Instead, he just looked. Looked at what? Me, of course. Still.

His deep brown eyes carried no emotion.

The two of us stared into each other’s face for what felt like an eternity. But I couldn’t look away. Nor could he, probably. There was something about it that I couldn’t wrap my head around. It just kept on going, with no end in sight, as if time stopped moving.

That is, except for Agham.

He kept moving his hands up and down the face of the man, trying to get a reaction, but to no avail. He kept waving the skewer around like a madman, and after getting tired of that, even did some shadowboxing, stopping right at the man’s cheeks, but nothing seemed to work.

It was getting-

“Guys, this is getting ridiculous. I’m not even in the mood anymore. What happened to the interrogation? Hello, I want to proceed? I thought we had something going on here? Hellooo?”

Of course, I could hear Agham loud and clear. All of us could. But that didn’t change anything. The man in front of me opened his mouth again, and that stole my full attention. Ignoring Agham’s antics, I carefully listened.

“It’s happened, over and over again.”

Agham’s rant couldn’t even be made out anymore. It was nothing more than white noise. I was aware he was speaking, but none of what he said registered in my head. I only kept listening, listening to that mysterious man, eyes wide open, unwavering, rigid, the both of us.

“You will see.”

I tried to gulp it down. The anticipation building up inside of me. What escaped my lips was only a whisper.

“See…what?”

The member slowly leaned forward, revealing a scarred, branded face. A visage full of misery.

“Brightness.”

 

Chapter 8 END

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