WebNovels

Chapter 7 - Warning

Evandriel Inn - Valdar - Kingdom of Thrandel - Year 985

The next morning, pale light crept through the windows, sketching a faint strip across the living room floor. Scents of broth, bread, and boiled herbs lingered in the air.

They sat around the long, rectangular table. Dull clay plates rested before them; cups steamed. A spoon trembled between Moriana's fingers.

The inn's main door swung open with a faint creak. Zarius entered first, his fine coat powdered with the dust of night, followed by four broad-shouldered men in torn clothes, their faces bruised and bitten by cold.

He clapped once and declared:

"On your feet, men. Finish the job before afternoon, and lunch is on me."

Vida covered her nose with her palm and leaned away as they passed the table toward the stairs.

"Zarius… where did you find them? They reek of death!"

Zarius tilted his head toward her without slowing, his tone deliberately casual:

"From the alleys behind the salt market."

For a second, his eyes shifted toward Yulia. She clutched the green cup with both hands, its steam brushing her pale cheek like a drifting cloud. She sipped in silence, as though nothing had happened the night before.

At the far end, Hyran ate in silence, his fangs sinking slowly into a piece of bread. Across from him, Gord's eyes stayed locked on Zarius, unblinking. Zarius felt the weight of that stare but brushed past it, following the others up the stairs.

Moriana called after him in a low, husky voice from the head of the table:

"Zarius… leave them be. Join us here. The food's getting cold."

A flicker of guilt stung him at the thought of what he intended that night. His face tightened briefly, then all expression vanished beneath a mask of calm and charm.

"But Moriana… those bastards might snatch something from your room... I need to keep an eye on them."

Vida turned to him.

"I moved all Moriana's stuff into my room."

Moriana patted the empty chair.

"Ugh... Come on, Put your half-breed ass right here. What's with the heroic act today?"

A hesitation flickered in his eyes before he turned to the men still climbing the stairs.

"Don't do anything stupid… and keep it down!"

He sat down, exhaling sharply, his face settling into a fresh mask of polished confidence. Gord's stare stayed on him, sharp as an arrow.

They ate in silence for a few moments—the clatter of spoons, the hiss of steam, the muffled rumble of swallowing.

Then Gord spoke, his steady gaze locked on Zarius:

"Half-breed… what were you doing in her room last night?"

No sign of tension showed on Zarius's face. He lifted his cup to his lips with measured slowness, then muttered with a sidelong smile:

"Shouldn't you be ashamed, dwarf? Ask yourself… where the hell were you when your princess needed you, huh?"

The cup stopped at his lips. Gord's eyes dropped to the back of Zarius's hand—skin mottled with fresh spots of leprosy, spreading like a map that widened by the second.

"What happened to your hand?" Gord asked coldly. "How is your rot spreading this fast?"

Zarius lowered the cup slightly and let out a short laugh.

"Odd to hear you running your mouth so much… Did you really think my hand would be spared from vitiligo?"

He noticed then that everyone's eyes were on him—except Yulia's. Moriana kept her gaze on her spoon, trying to balance it in her trembling grip.

Zarius set the cup on the table and stretched his arms as if delivering a speech.

"What's with you all? You think I was bedding her, or what?"

He turned toward Moriana.

"Hey, Moriana, back me up here, will you?"

All her attention clung to the trembling spoon until she finally lifted it to her mouth and swallowed. Only then did her eyes widen a touch, and she turned to him.

"Did you say something, Zarius?"

He pressed a palm to his forehead and tilted his head back.

"Damn it… why am I always in the line of fire?"

Yulia finally set her cup down with deliberate grace and spoke:

"Gord… from now on, I want you to pay more attention on Mori."

While she spoke, Moriana dipped her spoon once more into the soup, her hand fluttering like a wing. Yulia continued:

"Forgive me, but I cannot trust anyone else with this."

The spoon slipped onto Moriana's lap, spilling soup across her clothes.

Moriana groaned, swallowing a flicker of anger.

"Ahh… I spent half an hour trying to put these clothes on by myself… damn it."

Vida jumped from her chair as Moriana trembled, trying to move.

"help me, Vida. I–I'm burning down there!"

Vida rushed to the water spout in the corner, soaked a cloth in cold water, and hurried back. She pressed it against Moriana's lap, gently wiping away the soup.

Moriana let out a deep sigh, her voice heavy.

"That's much better… sorry, Vida."

Vida slid her chair closer to Moriana, lifting the spoon–full of soup to Moriana's lips.

"Just leave it to me, Yana."

Once she'd calmed, Yulia swallowed and spoke to Gord, serious:

"Hey, young man, thank Zarius instead of bothering him. I felt him there, trying to help... He even took me to his room to get back to sleep."

She paused, then turned to Zarius:

"Thank you, Zarius… and forgive the mess I caused. I promise I'll pay you back."

Zarius's eyes widened; guilt pricked him.

"N–no need, Moriana… Forget about it, this is…"

His eyes flicked to Hyran chewing his bread, then to Yulia, who watched him with an expectant stare, weighing his answer.

"…this is our home, all of ours."

Hyran swallowed his bite and rose from his chair in silence.

"Thank you for the food, Vida."

Vida's voice caught in her throat at Hyran's strange behavior.

"Don't you… don't you want some more, Hyran? I made plenty just for you."

"I'm full," Hyran said, turning toward the door.

Yulia and Vida exchanged glances. Yulia gave a subtle nod toward him. Vida rose from her chair and followed him.

"Where are you going this early, Hyran?"

"Out for a walk, before the noise starts." He didn't turn back as he spoke.

Vida, said raising her voice:

"Wait… I'm coming with you."

Hyran gave no reply—just lifted his arm in acknowledgment and headed for the door.

After Hyran and Vida left the inn, Yulia said in an even voice,

"Mori… it seems you're struggling to control the flow of your Exim."

Moriana sighed and muttered,

"I'm struggling with everything… I don't know what really happened. It feels as if I can't control it. This has never happened to me before."

Gord shifted his gaze to Zarius and asked,

"Since you were close to the princess then… can you tell us what exactly happened?"

Zarius laced his fingers and sat straighter.

"I was heading to the upper kitchen to fetch a bottle for my room…"

Before continuing, he cast a quick glance at Yulia. She gave him a tiny smile, barely moving her lips—as if to say, lie if you must.

"…but I felt a sinister pulse from Moriana's room, and it worried me."

Gord turned to Moriana, his voice steady as ever,

"Were you asleep then, Princess?"

"She was in the deepest sleep imaginable," Zarius answered for her, his voice unwavering.

He rested one arm on the table and continued,

"I stole a glance inside and saw her asleep, her neck bent at a sharp angle. I stepped in to adjust her so she wouldn't injure herself, but the moment I tried to touch her, a sharp sting hit me. 

Instinct drove me back to the door, and when I raised my head, I saw the wall behind her crumble and rot, along with everything on it."

Yulia crossed her pale, slender legs, her tone firm.

"All right… then it's clear, Gord. You and I will train Moriana to rein in her power and control it. We have no other choice."

She paused, a smile edged with her usual sarcasm.

"My goodness, Mori. Is your next training really about not killing people by accident? I wonder how far this madness goes."

Moriana's eyes widened as she returned Yulia's grin.

"Fine. I'll say it from now on—sorry if I kill any of you by mistake."

"Don't worry, Moriana. If that happens, we'll meet again in hell," Zarius said, looking away.

Yulia rested her chin in her palm, smiling.

"I hope to be the last victim, Mori."

"Doesn't look that way if you're the one training me," Moriana shot back, nudging Yulia's hand off her chin.

Gord stayed silent, watching the rest with cold eyes. His focus fixed on the mission.

Outside, Vida and Hyran walked through the stillness of the morning.

The voices of merchants opening their stalls blended with the footsteps of soldiers changing shifts, while wretches slept huddled in the corners of narrow alleys.

Hyran's golden eyes locked on the distant horizon.

At the edge of the sky, a dark line appeared—barely visible, like a thin crack across a clear canvas.

But to him, it was no ordinary fracture.

The air thickened.

A strange chill crawled across his skin, and an ominous weight pressed down.

He narrowed his eyes, staring at the dark rift on the horizon.

At first, it seemed still.

But the longer he looked, the more he noticed movement.

From the edge of the crack, a slender hand unfurled, gliding softly along the rim, as though feeling for the threshold before crossing.

The fingers curled slowly, gripping the empty air as if testing the fabric of the world itself.

What in the hells is this? Who is there?!

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