In the bathroom, Brynja and Sigrid were removing Aurelion's clothes.
"I can do it myself!" he protested, but they paid him no mind.
But when they reached for his underwear, small sparks of lightning crackled from Aurelion's hands. Sigrid let out a small shriek and recoiled.
"Stop this nonsense and turn around," he commanded. "I will get in the tub."
Sigrid and Brynja exchanged a look and turned their backs. Aurelion removed his underwear and settled into the hot water of the tub.
"I can wash myself. You can go now," he said.
He heard the sound of sleeves being rolled up. He looked up as Sigrid and Brynja turned back to face him, their expressions resolute, and approached the tub.
"Fuck,"Aurelion thought. "I should have gone to a bathhouse while I was out."
They began to remove the bandages covering his body. The hot water quickly turned a murky brown, clouded with mud and tinged with red from his wounds. They opened the drain, letting the filthy water out, and refilled the tub with fresh, clean water.
As the water cleared and the last of the bandages were removed, the full extent of the damage became visible. There were numerous sword cuts, souvenirs from Skulk, crisscrossing his legs, and the puckered scars of arrow wounds on his hands and torso. Sigrid gasped softly, her eyes wide with sadness and shock at the sheer number of them.
Brynja, however, reached for his face. She gently began to peel away the bandage there, revealing the red cut that ran from his eyebrow down across his cheek. The scar cut directly through his golden eye, which had lost its light and was now a milky white.
They both froze, staring at the ruined eye. Aurelion's expression hardened with anger.
"Get those sad faces away from me," he snapped. "This wound is not an obstacle for me, and I think I'm still handsome." He glared at them. "If you're going to wash me, then wash me. I want to rest."
Brynja nodded, her composure returning. She picked up a cloth and began to gently scrub his back.
A small, sad smile touched Sigrid's lips. "Yes," she said softly. "You're still handsome." She picked up another cloth and began to wash him as well.
Aurelion didn't protest any further. He simply let go, and the maids cleaned him thoroughly.
About ten minutes later, Sigrid said, "Alright, you're sparkling clean," and stepped back. Brynja nodded in agreement. As Sigrid left to get clean clothes, Aurelion said, "I'll get dressed myself. Get out."
Brynja took a pair of underwear from the clothes Sigrid brought and placed it by the tub. "We still need to check your wounds. Just wear this," she said, and then they both exited.
When they were gone, Aurelion stood up. He wiped the steam from the mirror with his hand and looked at himself. He studied the scars on his body, which was lean and fit from years of training, and finally, his gaze rested on his eye. A slight smirk touched his lips.
"I'm starting to like these," he mused. "These scars are a trophy." He put on the underwear and walked out.
The maids were waiting for him. Brynja gestured with her hand toward his room and Aurelion headed for his room, with Sigrid and Brynja following him.
When they entered, Aurelion looked at the pair. "Lie down on your bed," Brynja said.
Aurelion pointed to his scars. "They're already healed. What more can you do?"
"Just lie down," Sigrid said with a smile. "We have a few tricks."
Aurelion sat on the bed, and Brynja gently pushed him. "Face down."
He complied, lying on his stomach. As he waited, Sigrid and Brynja moved to his back, and he felt their hands on his back and arms.
"A massage?" he asked.
"Yes!" Sigrid said cheerfully. "Your wounds are already healed, and your own energy would attack anything we tried to do with our own. But physical intervention is no problem."
"We can tell the state of your muscles just by looking at them," Brynja continued. "We didn't suggest this before because you were too stubborn, but we are very good at massages."
The massage was both painful and relieving, kneading his aching muscles. But Aurelion couldn't fully relax, and he lifted his head slightly.
"Relax yourself and close your eyes," Brynja said.
"Yes," Sigrid added. "We're going to do this for you every day until the Talent Tests, so you should get used to it now."
"Every day?" he asked, lifting his head again.
Sigrid gently pushed his head back down while massaging his neck. "Close your eyes and relax," she said softly. "You'll be as soft as cotton soon."
Aurelion grumbled into the bedsheets, but then he closed his eye. He let his muscles go limp, and for the first time, he began to feel genuinely relaxed.
"It's actually working," he thought, a flicker of surprise cutting through his annoyance. The pain in his muscles was genuinely easing under their skilled hands. But the relief was immediately followed by a familiar, sour feeling. "Fuck. The number of people I'm indebted to is increasing."
A slight, almost imperceptible smirk touched his lips.
Brynja's sharp eyes caught it. She nudged Sigrid with her elbow and tilted her head toward Aurelion's face. Sigrid saw the smirk, and a warm, knowing smile spread across both their faces.
Aurelion, unaware he was being watched, finished his thought. "At least I am indebted to them, and they are not indebted to me."
The massage continued in a comfortable silence. After a while, Sigrid spoke softly. "Alright Aurelion, turn onto your back for a bit."
But... there was no response.
Brynja put a finger to her lips, signaling for Sigrid to be quiet. They looked down and saw that Aurelion's breathing had deepened and his body completely limp.
He had fallen asleep.
Smiling at each other, they worked together, gently turning the sleeping boy onto his back, and continued their massage.
Roric sat at his desk in the garrison, his head in his hand. He was lost in thought, but not because of the documents in front of him. It was because of his conversation with Aurelion.
"The War Chief had said before that there were things the boy had yet to discover. This must be what he meant. But does he know which Law it is? This must also be the reason for the boy's strange personality. The Laws affect one's personality, and this is likely the reason he is so different."
He forced his focus back to the documents on the table. "We'll understand what it is in the future," he said to the empty room.
As Roric focused on the papers, he realized the sky outside had grown dark. He stood up. "Time has passed quickly," he muttered to himself, leaving the office and locking the door behind him.
Guards saluted him as he exited. He began to walk, but not toward his home. He headed for the more crowded districts of the city.
As people made way for him in the streets, his thoughts returned to the boy. "Something can be done for the boy's eyes. The kid refuses and pretends not to care, but that weakness can be used against him. All the clans will have heard the news of his condition by now. They won't leave him alone after the Talent Tests. He can probably defeat those who challenge him, but he must do it in the most effective way and preserve his stamina."
He arrived at the market and entered a blacksmith's shop. The old blacksmith when he see roric quickly straightened up and saluted Roric. He nudged his apprentice, who, upon turning and seeing the Captain, gave a clumsy salute of his own.
"Welcome, Captain. I never expected to see you in a shop like this," the blacksmith said.
Roric gestured with his hand for them to relax. "I came to get a few things. You can be at ease."
"O-of course, Captain," the blacksmith stammered. "My shop may be small, but I'm sure you can find something that interests you. I make my axes especially well balanced."
"I came for something simple," Roric said, pointing a hand toward a shelf filled with Cores. "I need ten Rank 1 and two Rank 2 Cores. It is enough for them to be solidly encased in iron. They must not explode from any external impact they might take."
The blacksmith scratched his head and the apprentice blurted out, "Why do you want something like that, Captain?"
The blacksmith smacked the apprentice on the back of the head.
"What the captain wants is none of your job, idiot." he barked. He then turned back to Roric. "Of course, Captain, we can prepare them. But how secure do you want the casing to be?"
"Encasing them with Rank 3 steel will be sufficient," Roric said.
"Rank 3 steel for a Rank 1 Core?" the apprentice whispered, and narrowly dodged another smack from the blacksmith.
"Go, bring the cold steel," the blacksmith ordered, sending the apprentice away. He then turned back to Roric. "Do you have any special preference for the Cores, Captain?"
"A variety of different Cores will be enough," Roric replied.
"Of course, Captain. We'll prepare them quickly, but it might take a hour," the blacksmith said.
"No problem," Roric said. "I will be here in time." He then walked out.
He headed for a specific destination. As he walked, he thought to himself, "They had a fight the last time... but maybe she can do something for the boy's eye."
And he continued on, walking toward a place he had not visited in nearly two and a half years.