Chương 19: Calm Before the Storm

Noah sat alone in his room. He was exhausted. His body ached from a week of training, and tomorrow's raid weighed on his mind like a stone pressed against his chest. He should have been asleep hours ago, but sleep would not come. It had barely come at all since Gram. Every time he closed his eyes, the memories returned. His mother's body on the floor. His father's blood in the street. The ruined manor. The severed arm. The flash of a katana. And cherry blossoms. Noah clenched the blanket in his hands.

It did not matter how beautiful they looked. It did not matter how softly they drifted through the air. Now, the scent of cherry blossoms only made his stomach twist. It made him want to vomit. A loud bang sounded outside his room. Noah's head snapped toward the door. Then came another. Heavy. Brief. Final. The knights stationed outside his room had been knocked out. Easily. Noah reached for his sword. Before his fingers touched the hilt, the door opened. Ava stepped inside.

She wore her pajamas, and a small amount of blood stained her knuckles. Noah stared at her. Ava closed the door behind her with a quiet click.

"My father really needs to increase the training standards," she said.

"It was too easy to knock them out." Noah lowered his hand from his sword.

"Ava…" She crossed the room before he could say anything else and climbed into his bed. Then she wrapped her arms around him. Noah froze. His face turned red almost instantly. Ava held him tightly, burying her face against his shoulder. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then her voice came out softer than before.

"To be honest," she said, "I want to leave you behind tomorrow." Noah's expression changed. Ava's hands tightened around him.

"I'm scared." She lifted one hand and gently brushed her fingers over the scar around his neck.

"I'm scared you'll get hurt." Noah swallowed.

"Especially after what happened." The room fell quiet. Noah looked down at her hand. The scar marked where he had died, where Inari's blade had taken his head.

"Ava…" He placed his hand over hers.

"I have to go." Her eyes lifted to his.

"It's my duty to see this through." He tried to smile, but it came out weak.

"I'll be okay." Ava's expression tightened.

"I don't care about your duty." Noah went still. Ava's voice trembled.

"I just want the man I love to be safe." Her eyes shone with tears.

"I already lost you once." She pressed her forehead against his chest.

"I can't let it happen again." Noah looked at her for a moment. Then he lifted his hand and gently placed it against her cheek.

"Listen," he said softly.

"I'll protect you with everything I have." Ava's eyes searched his.

"And you protect me," Noah continued.

"Okay?" Her grip on him loosened slightly.

"We'll watch each other's backs. We'll make sure we both come back safe." He gave her a small smile.

"Alive." Ava was quiet for a moment. Then she leaned into his hand.

"Okay." Her voice was still shaky, but her smile was real.

"I'll watch your back, and you watch mine." If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. Noah nodded.

"I won't let anything happen to you," Ava said.

"I know." She looked at him, her face soft in the dim light of the room.

"I love you, Noah." His heart ached at the words.

"I love you too." For a moment, neither of them moved. Then Ava leaned closer. Noah met her halfway. Their lips touched. The kiss was gentle at first, almost careful, as if both of them were afraid the other might vanish. Then Ava held him tighter, and Noah's hand moved from her cheek to the back of her head. For that moment, the raid disappeared. The Black Witch disappeared. The Crows, the Emperor, the Hero, and every terrible thing waiting beyond the room faded into silence. There was only Ava. Only Noah.

Only the warmth between them, the sweetness of her lips, and the love they clung to as if it were the one thing in the world no enemy could steal. When they finally pulled away, Ava rested her forehead against his. Noah closed his eyes. Neither of them said anything more. They did not need to. For tonight, they were alive. For tonight, they had each other. Meanwhile, Cyrus sat alone in his room. The lights were low, and the silence around him felt heavier than it should have.

Tomorrow, they would enter the Black Witch's territory. Tomorrow, they would either retrieve the book and save his brother, or everything would fall apart. Cyrus reached into his coat and pulled out a green crystal. It glowed faintly in his hand. He lifted it to his mouth.

"Sis," he said quietly.

"It's me." For a moment, there was only static. Then a woman's voice answered from the other side.

"Cyrus." His shoulders relaxed slightly.

"We'll be conducting the raid tomorrow," he said.

"Are you ready?"

"Of course." Cynthia's voice was calm, but Cyrus could hear the smile beneath it.

"I am fully integrated into her maid staff. She has not even noticed my presence." Cyrus closed his eyes and let out a quiet breath.

"Good."

"We need to save Nox," Cynthia said. Her voice softened at their brother's name.

"He is our little brother. As the older siblings, this is our duty." Cyrus looked down at the crystal in his hand.

"I know." There was a brief silence. Then he spoke again.

"I'm currently with a party of four, including myself."

"That small?"

"Yes." Cyrus adjusted his glasses, even though no one was there to see it.

"And don't be alarmed…" He hesitated.

"This era's Hero is with me." The crystal went quiet. Then Cynthia's voice returned, colder than before.

"Are you sure you can trust him?" Cyrus did not answer immediately.

"After what the last Hero did to our father?" Cynthia asked. Her voice trembled, not with fear, but rage.

"Our father was only trying to protect our home from a war the Emperor started. Yet he was stabbed in the back by our own uncle." Cyrus's grip tightened around the crystal.

"I know."

"He was carved apart," Cynthia said.

"Turned into relics. Treated like a monster after trying to save his people."

"I know," Cyrus repeated, quieter this time. For a moment, the two siblings said nothing. Then Cyrus sighed.

"I believe we can trust Noah."

"Noah?"

"The Hero," Cyrus said.

"If he gets in our way, I won't hesitate to kill him." His voice remained calm.

"But for now, he seems less like a threat and more like…" Cyrus paused, searching for the right words.

"A stupid golden retriever." There was silence. Then Cynthia laughed softly.

"That is your official assessment of the Hero?"

"For now."

"How scholarly."

"I am a scholar."

"You are ridiculous." Despite everything, Cyrus smiled faintly. Then Cynthia's tone grew serious again.

"I should warn you." Cyrus straightened.

"Medusa is meeting with a very nasty group tomorrow."

"The Crows." His eyes narrowed. The green crystal flickered in his hand. Cyrus's expression darkened.

"Things are going to get messy."

"Dicey," Cynthia corrected.

"Very dicey." Cyrus looked toward the window. Beyond the walls of Artem, the forest waited in darkness.

"I see," he said.

"I'll take that into consideration while planning." His fingers tightened slightly around the crystal.

"Anything else?" There was a brief pause.

"Yes," Cynthia said. Cyrus sat a little straighter.

"About an hour ago, just outside the barrier, I heard a loud bang." Cyrus's eyes narrowed.

"A loud bang?"

"Yes. I know the Spear Lord has been camping out here recently, so it might be related to him." Cyrus went quiet. The Spear Lord. One of the Martial Arts Kings. A man who should not have been easily threatened by anything in this forest.

"I doubt it is anything important," Cynthia said.

"But keep an eye out." Cyrus did not answer immediately. For some reason, that warning unsettled him more than learning The Crows would be involved. The Crows were expected. Dangerous, yes, but expected. A strange sound near the barrier, connected to someone as powerful as the Spear Lord, felt different. It felt like a crack in a plan he had not even finished making.

"I understand," Cyrus said at last. The green crystal glowed faintly in his hand.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

"Be careful."

"You too." Cyrus lowered his voice.

"And Cynthia?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you for everything." For a moment, his sister did not respond. Then she laughed softly.

"Save that for after we bring Nox home." The connection ended. The light inside the crystal dimmed. Cyrus remained sitting on the bed, staring at it in silence. Tomorrow would be the raid. Tomorrow, he would enter the Black Witch's territory with a Hero, an elf assassin, a mercenary close to becoming the Spear Lord, and whatever terrible secrets The Crows brought with them. Tomorrow would decide his brother's fate. Cyrus set the crystal down beside him and lay back on the bed. He closed his eyes.

But sleep did not come easily.