Chapter 16: Eight turned Six
Selina’s lips fell in a frown, she nodded at him, and her eyes burned with hateful fury while she answered.
"Those are the nightmares used by the city to take care of unexpected variables."
As soon as he heard that, the room felt much colder, and the city felt much more dangerous than it already was.
"I see..." he nodded.
The room turned silent for a few moments as no one spoke. The silence was broken after Jaden’s next question.
"But why now?"
Selina nodded at his question and walked beside the bed and sat a few steps away from him.
"The city only sends these nightmares when we do something out of our given roles... like me staying here and you leaving the church," she answered while placing the sword at the small table beside her bed.
"So it has happened before?" Jaden asked with a raised eyebrow, at which Selina nodded, and Shelly replied, her voice grim.
"Two died."
He turned to look at her with furrowed brows and questioned.
"Two died? What two died?"
Selina also wore an aggrieved look as she answered.
"There were eight of us when we entered the city..."
His eyes widened upon hearing that. He looked at her with a dark look and questioned in a heavy tone.
"Why did you not tell me about this before?"
The room fell silent upon his question as Selina clasped her hands together and rubbed the back of her thumb with another; a grave expression covered her face.
Shelly also stood silently by her side. The silence stretched further, and no answer came out. At last, after minutes had passed, Selina responded in a low voice, the words barely leaving her lips.
"I didn’t think there was any need for it..."
However, within the silent room, they echoed like a drum. Jaden’s eyebrows knit together as he turned his head to her and spoke in a near-sarcastic tone.
"I didn’t need to know?"
Selina didn’t reply and just lowered her head as she tightened her grip on her hands. Shelly also placed a hand on her shoulder to give her support.
He sat there watching both of them for a few moments before heaving a sigh and stepping forward to leave, just as he was about to step outside. Selina called out in a low voice.
"Jaden... I am sorry, I really am."
Jaden stopped in his tracks and gave a silent nod before stepping outside.
He walked through the mansion’s hallways, which were dimly lit by the moonlight, with slow steps as he thought of what had happened just now.
"So... there were eight instead of six?"
"What happened to the other two? They probably died to the nightmares... Did I also know those two?"
"Only if we hadn’t come to this damned ’dream’ realm... Is that why Navin hates her?’
A curse left his lips.
"Blasted Hell."
He didn’t know when, but he had already reached his room. He stepped inside the room and looked around. This is the place where he had nearly died, but if someone looked at it now, they wouldn’t even think of a battle taking place here.
He walked towards his bed and took a seat as he called out.
"Picturebook."
As soon as he said so, his grimoire appeared in his hand. He opened the first page, and there it was. The image of the Mistwraith he had captured was placed there. He looked at it for some time before placing his hand above it and calling out.
"Summon."
The image broke into small black sparks and moved towards his hand, and took the form of a magic circle. Jaden waited for it to continue, but nothing happened. A few moments later, a message appeared before him.
[Insufficient Mana for the summoning.]
Jaden looked at the message before him with a stupefied expression before breaking into a hollow chuckle and dismissing the grimoire. The black magic circle broke into sparks before entering his body and returning to its rightful place.
"I have to get the absorption art anyway, huh..."
He lay down in his bed and closed his eyes, and entered the sweet embrace of sleep.
The moon continued to move, and the sun came out of his hiding, announcing the beginning of a new day. The warm sunlight entered the mayor’s mansion as it filtered through the windows.
Jaden lay asleep in his bed as the sunlight fell on his eyes. He winced a little, and his hands moved to rub his eyes. He slowly stood up as the embrace of sleep let go of its hold. He let out a yawn and stepped out of his bed, making his way out of the room and to the bath.
Moments later, he stood in front of a wide mirror. A slight smile adorned his face as he looked into his own bright blue eyes with determination.
"I am coming, my spells and arts... Just you wait."
He grinned widely and stepped out of the room. His steps echoed within the illuminated hallways of the mansion; the servants and maids were looking at him with strange looks for some reason. He, however, didn’t even glance at them. They were illusions after all, and some of them would even come for his life within the next few days.
As he descended the stairs, his eyes fell on Selina sitting on a sofa within the hall and Shelly standing behind her.
’Is it normal for a maid—head maid even—to stand behind other nobles?’
’Well must be normal for the city, I guess?’
He walked towards them and regarded them with his usual smile; they, however, couldn’t do the same. Their face turned strange, and Shelly let out a chuckle, seeing his face.
He looked at Shelly with a surprised expression as he thought.
’S-She can laugh?’
Selina looked at him with worry and questioned.
"How did that happen?"
He looked at her with a confused look and asked.
"What happened?"
"Your face... why is it so swollen?"