Chương 21: A search for purpose

The sun had already been high in the sky for over an hour when Felicity suddenly woke up, gasping for breath. Her hand instinctively flew to her chest, her heart pounding far too hard. She looked around in confusion, then saw him. Ethan stood in front of the mirror, bare-chested, fixing his hair.

"You complain a lot in your sleep", he said without turning around.

"Nightmares?"

"Yes. The same ones, always". Felicity sat up in bed and stared at him.

"You slept on the floor?"

"Yes. It wasn't that uncomfortable". She got up and walked to the window, watching the morning light filter through the shutters.

"Why didn't you run back to your king like a loyal little dog and tell him what happened?" she said without looking at him.

"I thought you were a Golden Knight". Ethan lowered his gaze.

"You may have spared my life, but the commander of the Golden Knights is dead". Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. He paused.

"I can't return to Virelia after a failure like that".

"And what will you do now?" Felicity pressed.

"Become a mercenary? Or play lapdog for some other powerful man?" Ethan looked up and met her eyes.

"I don't know. I've never felt like this before". He took a deep breath.

"I've always fought for the kingdom. Now…I'm empty". Felicity picked up her swords from the bedside table and fastened them to her waist. Then she headed for the door.

"You're young and healthy. I think there's still a purpose for you in this world". She stopped for a moment.

"But you'll have to find it yourself". She opened the door.

"I haven't spared many lives. In fact, I could count them on one hand". She looked at him one last time.

"Don't waste this chance. And thanks for the room". Then she left. Ethan remained motionless. Slowly, he returned to the mirror. For the first time in weeks, his gaze was steadier. Felicity went downstairs and found Leah sprawled across a table, snoring loudly. She pinched her arm.

"Ow! Feli…what time is it?"

"Morning. Where's Xia?" Leah yawned.

"She went upstairs with those three guys last night. That woman really has a perverted side to her". A little later, Xia came down the stairs with a calm stride.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Did you have fun?" Leah asked with a half-smile. Xia smiled back.

"It wasn't bad. Shall we go?"

"Yes", Felicity replied. The three women left the inn, untied their horses and mounted up, riding away along the dusty road. Not long afterward, Ethan also left the inn. He approached his large black horse, stroked its muzzle and loosened the reins.

"Come on, boy", he murmured as he climbed into the saddle.

"Let's go find a purpose". And he galloped off toward an unknown destination. Toward evening, the innkeeper went upstairs to check the rooms. He opened the door to Room Three. He screamed. His wife came running.

"Darling, what's wrong?!" Then she looked inside. The bed and walls were covered in blood. Three skulls and several torsos, almost completely stripped of flesh, lay on the floor, with only scraps of meat still clinging to the bones. The woman fainted. The innkeeper turned pale, unable to make another sound.