"Is that an excuse to not tell me anything!?"
Everie groaned before shaking his head.
"I'm very serious over here."
Dean stayed silent then continued his preperation to cook the chicken. Meanwhile, Everie was still staring at the blade in his bag. Wondering why he had brought this broken sword with him.
—
After Everie's long awaited dinner, Dean gave him a room to stay in.
"It used to be my father's room but he had set sail to another nation a month ago. You can stay here for now…"
The room was cleaned up well. Just nice for Everie to stay a few nights in. Dean hadn't ask any questions left after then. Leaving the dragon alone in that room to think.
He took the cloth off of his head then lied down on the bed with curiosity.
'How did I not die?'
'Strangely enough, I could remember almost everything about this world. But I can't remember anything about myself except that I am powerless. Who made me this way…?'
But his eyes betrayed him as it closed shut from the tiredness of drifting in the ocean alone.
The endless void he saw during that time came back.
But it wasn't just a void now. There were distant shouts heard. With fire in every corner of his eyes. Then he saw a man. A man who stood tall. His hair golden, his hand holding a sword.
Everie did not dare question what had happened or who this man was. But it all felt too familiar.
"You're useless now, Eve," the man spoke. The back of his head facing Everie.
'Ah.'
"You're powerless."
'It was the traitor all along.'
—
Everie woke up out of breath from the dream. Fortunately, it was already morning. The dream he had was not just a dream. Because he remembered seeing the same thing every single time his eyes closed.
'How strange.'
He went outside of his room to find that there was a note on his door.
"Dean had left for work…"
It was him alone in the house. Out of boredom, he wrapped the cloth around his head then went outside.
—
Even though it was still early in the morning, the town was already full of chatters.
"What a lively town."
He kept walking as he looked around. His legs then stopped when he saw a tavern.
"Hm…"
Everie tried to ignore it but he somehow found himself sitting at one of the desk inside.
"Welcome sir, would you like a drink?" asked a waitress with a smile.
"What would you enlighten me with?"
The waitress hummed in reply.
"I'll get back to you in a few minutes."
—
He was getting bored of waiting as almost 5 minutes had already passed by. Not until he overheard a conversation that made his ears perked up.
"That damn maniac stole my jewels again! My business is gonna go bankrupt at this point!" ranted a man who was sitting at the table across Everie's.
"Ah, I know who you're talking about so well," another man who was at the same table as the angry man replied.
"Oh, who else if it's not the Black Hood! It's not just diamonds he's stealing now, he even took all of my daughter's accesories!"
A waiter who came to the angry man's table suddenly gasped in shock.
"A good man like you was a victim aswell? I had my whole entire paycheck stolen by him!"
The rant went on and on until a thought appeared in Everie's head.
'The Black Hood sounds like a succesful person to me. How was no one even able to land a slap on his face when this land is small enough to complete a stroll in just a day?'
He finally snapped out of it once the waitress placed a glass on the table.
"A Minted Mead for a fine man like you. Enjoy~"
Everie looked at the drink infront of him temptingly before finishing the glass in one shot.
"Served too little of an amount."
He finally got up from his chair to leave the tavern. But a hand was placed on his shoulder. The grip was so tight a bone of his might just break.
"Sir, have you payed yet…?" the waitress asked with a scary look on her face.
Everie had his left eyebrow raised. Then, he remembered that he indeed had to pay whenever he goes into places like this.
He rubbed his robe then started to sweat like crazy when he realised he had gone inside empty-handed.
"I…"
The waitress's grin became more creepier each time his sweat falls off his face.
PLAP!
—
"You better earn back those money! Do you think this tavern is charity?!"
There was a red hand mark on his right cheek and the waitress calm demeanor suddenly flipped like a switch.
'It stings…'
He found himself washing the dishes at the back of the tavern with a frown.
'Save me, Dean…!'
—
He was finally set free around the closing time which was very late.
"Don't do that again! I was completely deceived by your face. Turns out you're just a dish and dasher!"
'A what now..?'
Before Everie could leave, the waitress suddenly warned him.
"Be careful when you leave. You might be broke but you'd never know if the Black Hood wants to mess with you."
Her words made his right cheek sting again but then his head glanced up to her with a nod.
'How scary could this Black Hood be?'
—
As he walk down the street, he could feel a chill down his spine.
'It's cold at night.'
Strangely, the lively town was now quiet.
'Is everyone that scared of him?'
Everie kept walking until his leg stumbled down on one of the alley.
"Ouch! Why was this rock even here—"
"Argh!!" a loud scream that sounded like it came from a weak woman was heard.
He froze for a second then his head slowly turned to the alley. The coldness from earlier suddenly turned into him sweating heavily.
'C-could it be..?!'
There was someone with white hair. Messy. His skin was as pale as a corpse, munching on a woman's neck. The squelching sound made Everie even more afraid.
'A vampire?'
Everie tried to leave sneakily but the vampire's eyes layed quick on him. He flinched.
"I-I.." he stuttered.
The vampire tilted his head before dropping the woman's body. His eyes suddenly sparkled in excitement.
"Master?!" the vampire exclaimed.
"…what?"
To Be Continued