Chapter 52: Anette

Kyran stirred in his sleep.

He slowly opened his eyes, and a sweet smell assaulted his senses. His brow creased a little at the unfamiliar scent.

As his eyes finally returned their focus, he saw an unfamiliar ceiling. He realized the ceiling was part of a big bed he was currently on.

'Where...?'

He propped an arm to his side and tried to sit.

"Good morning."

A voice of a female greeted him from his side.

He turned his head slightly and saw a beautiful woman with flowing long blonde hair and light blue eyes dressed in a white silk long dress, smiling at him.

She had one hand propped on her head as she lay beside him on the bed.

Kyran stared at her blankly.

'Who...?' He wondered with a slight frown.

He paused to remember her name, and slowly all that had happened came back to him.

'That's right. Stella. I guess I passed out,' he finally remembered.

"How long was I out?" He asked.

Stella almost fell.

She had been worried because Kyran seemed to be out of it just now. She waited for him to sort his thoughts but did not expect him to act as if waking up with a woman beside him was normal.

"You're pretty level-headed even after waking up with a beauty beside you," Stella complained and sat up.

Kyran ignored her.

"How long?" He repeated.

Stella sighed and answered, "A few days."

"What?" Kyran exclaimed and sat up.

Stella placed a hand on his shoulder, "Calm down. I understand that you feel pressured to save your clan, but there are things you need to understand first before deciding what to do next. Besides, I told you I could give you the 'time' you need, remember?"

Kyran lowered his gaze and fell silent.

Stella made sense. He needed to understand the current situation. He also remembered his mother's words; only when he stayed alive could the clan be saved.

Initially, he wanted to get the army to focus on him, but now that his mind had cleared a bit, he realized his idea was reckless.

Taking a deep breath, Kyran calmed his nerves.

After a while, he finally noticed that he was covered in bandages. Apart from that, he belatedly realized he was not wearing anything apart from a pair of trousers.

He frowned.

"Where're my clothes? And where're my things?"

Stella was aware that Kyran was a little slow when dealing with the opposite gender, but his lack of response disappointed her.

"You know your reaction is a little infuriating," she told him.

Kyran looked at her in confusion, "Huh?"

With a sigh, Stella shook her head and replied, "Nevermind."

She turned and reached for the bedside table.

"I had your clothes cleaned and enhanced," she started to explain and took out Kyran's leather pouch from the table's drawer.

"The enchantments on it are good. Pretty ancient but still good. However, enchantments had improved over the years, so it would only be a matter of time before it gets destroyed. It's not yet ready, but," Stella continued and returned to her position. She passed him the pouch and said, "Here's your pouch."

"Thanks," Kyran replied and received it.

He took out a new shirt from the pouch and moved to the side of the bed.

Stella suddenly reddened when he started to remove the bandages, "W-Wait! What are you doing?"

Kyran paused and looked at her.

"The bandages are in the way," he answered and resumed what he was doing. "Besides, my wounds are healed. I don't have any deep wounds, to begin with. Why did you wrap me with so many bandages?"

"W-Well, I can't really leave you half-naked. I mean-you might catch a cold. And Nolan only gave me a pair of trousers for you to wear after I-."

"Nolan. That's right. Where is he?" Kyran interrupted her rambling and looked around. He thought Nolan was hiding again.

Stella frowned at how Kyran changed the subject as if he was not really interested in what she was saying. But she still replied, "He went out on an errand. He'll be back in a few days. I think."

"Errand?" He paused and looked at her again.

"Yes. He is a mercenary after all," Stella replied vaguely.

Kyran noticed it but did not pry. Nolan's concern about his clan's situation was real. Kyran believed that he would not leave without finding out its conclusion.

After removing the bandages, Kyran changed into a clean shirt. Then he stood up and turned to look at Stella, who remained on the bed with a flushed face.

Ignoring her expression, he said, "I need your help."

Stella straightened at once and smiled, "Tell me."

"I need all the information you have on every faction in Ylfaen. I also need books about Magic. Basics... Nolan told me he'd teach me magic, so I'll just read the basic stuff while he is out."

"Why do you need information on every faction in Ylfaen?"

"You said it yourself. There are things I need to understand first. The truth is, I have many questions, and I hate not knowing a lot of things. Don't get me wrong. I kind of understand why my family kept a lot of things from me. Anyway, I need to know my enemy if I wanted to strike them down." He explained.

"Won't asking me directly be faster? I mean, I did promise we'll talk."

Kyran shook his head. "There's a chance your answer and explanation might have personal biases."

Stella frowned but did not reply. She understood what he meant.

"Okay. Let's go to my study," she finally agreed and got out of bed.

"One more thing."

Stella looked at Kyran. "Yes?"

"Can you change the flow of time in a certain area?" he asked.

A smile crept from Stella's lips. She already anticipated what Kyran would ask if he needed her to use her magic.

"I can."

"Then... Can I trouble you to change the flow of time inside your study? While I said I want to understand the situation, I still hate wasting time."

Stella smiled, "I get it. And don't worry. I can do that. But I'm a little worried. You see, your magic might negate it."

Kyran shook his head and replied, "As long as it is not hostile, it should be okay."

"Alright."

Stella led the way to the second door inside her room.

"I'm a little disappointed," she said as they entered her study.

Kyran looked at her.

Stella turned and looked at him with a faint smile, "I'm actually looking forward to talking to you."

Kyran remained silent.

If he had to be honest, Stella's presence made him uneasy. That familiar feeling when he saw her lying on the bed as if it was natural confused him.

He just met this woman. How come he found her familiar?

And the way she treated him was a little scary. It was too... comforting.

He only felt that way around the female members of his clan. He actually wondered if Stella was a Regis but rejected the idea immediately. If she were, he would've recognized her.

"You can keep me company. In case I encountered something I don't understand, you can explain it to me," Kyran finally responded after a short pause.

"Oh. Then I'll do just that," Stella replied with a smile.

====================

In the western region of the Ylfaen Empire, a huge old tree stood in the middle of the forest.

If one looked closely at the tree's huge roots, he would realize that few of its roots had been carved out and made into a small house.

The inside of the house was circular. A stair led to the second floor to the right and a dining-receiving room on the left. While at the center, a fireplace with a huge cauldron was located.

On top of the fireplace. Different kinds of herbs and even internal organs of different beasts were either hanging or was preserved inside a jar.

A woman in her early forties with short dark violet hair and emerald green eyes, wearing a long black robe, was standing in front of the huge cauldron. She was stirring the cauldron contents using a big spoon. Plopping sounds came from the cauldron from time to time.

"Anette, you finished brewing that potion?" A man's voice asked from behind.

The expression of the woman named Anette immediately turned sour, and she glared at the man behind her.

The man was Nolan.

He was wearing a brown coat, and a bandage could be seen from the open gap in front.

"You barge into my house after years of silence, and now you're acting all high and mighty! Do you want me to turn you into a frog?" She glared and pointed the steaming hot spoon in his direction.

"Whoa! Easy with the spoon!" Nolan backed off and raised both his hands as if in surrender.

"I swear, Nolan. One of these days, you'll be the death of me."

Nolan sneered, "Don't exaggerate."

"Humph." Anette turned her back on him and resumed stirring the cauldron.

"What do you think? Will your potion work on baldie?" Nolan asked.

When Nolan arrived with Gage at Anette's cottage, he immediately noticed Gage's cold body. It turned out that Gage also got poisoned by Gael's magic.

Of course, the moment Anette saw Nolan, she was ready to start a mage war of the century. However, she was an Alchemist. And as an Alchemist, when she sensed the weakening life force of the man with Nolan, she immediately lowered her arms and started checking on him.

Right after that, Nolan passed out as well.

Anette freaked out after realizing that Nolan was also injured.

"It should be," Anette answered Nolan.

"That's good."

Anette turned and glared at him again. "What do you mean that's good? You. What kind of trouble are you in again carrying such a dangerous item around?"

She scolded and remembered the ice orb that slipped out of Gage's robes while she was tending on his wounds.

The moment she reached out to grab the orb, she sensed very ancient and dreadful magic within.

"You don't need to know," Nolan answered with a faint smile.

The truth is that he could not afford to get Anette involved in what he was dealing with.

After all, Anette was Rin's best friend. If she found out what happened to the Regis, she'd insist on coming with him.

Anette sighed but did not pry anymore. She knew Nolan would never tell her.

"And? Where are you going after your friend is healed?" She asked as she returned her attention to stirring the cauldron.

"Friend? That baldie? He's not my f*cking friend."

"Fine. Fine. Cade is the only 'human' you considered a friend."

"Oh. But I consider you a friend too," he replied with a mischievous grin.

"Don't try to change the subject," Anette replied, ignoring Nolan's statement.

"Tsk. You really don't take me seriously, do you?"

"If you stop running around and hiding from Cade and Rin, maybe I would."

Nolan fell silent.

The only sound heard inside the small house was the crackling fireplace and the cauldron's plopping content for a few minutes.

Finally, after a few minutes, Nolan replied, "I wasn't hiding from them."

"What happened to Cade was not your fault."

"Don't go there," Nolan warned her.

Anette sighed again. However, she ignored his warning and continued.

"Rin never blamed you. Neither did Cade."

"I said, don't go there." Nolan's voice turned cold.

"You..." Anette stopped stirring, and suddenly the temperature in the house dropped.

Blacklines appeared on Nolan's head as he noticed the rising magic fluctuations around her.

"... dare to speak that way with me?" Anette turned and swung the steaming hot spoon at Nolan.

Nolan immediately evaded, but Anette did not stop and struck him again.

"No! My bad! Sorry! Geez, calm down! What? Are you already in your menopau-ugh!"

Anette's magic pressure blasted Nolan, and he hit the door.

"You ruffian! How are you and Rin so different? When you two are-."

"I already said sorry! Geez," Nolan interrupted with a groan. He stood up and looked at the crushed door behind him.

"See, you ruined your door."

"Then fix it! Humph," Anette harumphed and turned her back on him. She immediately returned to her cauldron and continued to stir its contents.

Nolan sighed and used his magic to fix the door.

"You haven't answered my question," Anette said.

Nolan scratched his head. He knew he could not win against Anette. That had been the case even when they were younger. It was not about who was stronger; she just had that unyielding personality that anyone would end up exhausted if you tried to compete with her.

"I need to go to Starhorn," he finally answered.

Anette paused.

"That's on the opposite side."

"It is," Nolan replied and sat down on a chair.

"It is also near the Regis Estate," she added and looked at him.

"It is."

They stared at each other for a few seconds before Anette finally looked away with a small nod.

"I see," she said and started to stir the cauldron again.

After a long silence.

"I've decided. I'm going with you."

Nolan almost fell off the chair, "What? No-."

He abruptly stopped after receiving Anette's deadly glare.

"And who are you to stop me? I haven't seen Rin in a long time. I also want to meet her son. From her letters, I find her son adorable. I wonder what gift I can give him."

Nolan's brow twitched. He thought of Kyran and could not help but suppressed his laughter.

"Adorable? Her son? How old do you think her son is now."

"Six?" Anette replied.

Nolan burst out laughing, "AHAHAHA!"

"What's funny?" She asked with a frown.

Shaking his head, Nolan and said, "Nothing. Don't buy anything."

"Why not?"

"Just don't. Anyway, are you really going with me?" he asked.

"Yes."

Nolan contemplated for a moment. Once they arrived at Starhorn, he would not be able to hide the truth from her. However, he would not tell her yet. He would let Kyran decide.

"Then I suggest you prepare yourself. You'd be in for a surprise."