Chapter 94 - Ninety

The only problem I encounter after entering the room and putting our bags on the side is that…

There is nothing for me to do until night comes!

What the heck prepare the place up, even if there was something to clean or arrange, I wouldn't do it because I'm not really his servant!

In the end I did what I could and checked the dormitory up to the smallest details, to the fireplace and the framed map to the question of why there were so many chairs on the sides of the room for a one-person place; beyond that there were many places to put incense in, colorful pillows over smooth sofas, a bed with covers on the back, separated by a screen made of wood, the dark brown lumber being shaped like a phoenix mid-fly, leaves fl.u.s.tering around and feathers dropping gracefully, a stunning moment captured with expertise by the crafter.

But, well, there was only so long that my mind could be captured by these petty things, and soon I found myself laying on the couch on the side, one arm resting over my eyes, bored and considering to invade the place when it was still bright outside.

I wasn't dumb enough to risk myself like that, but every minute doing nothing there felt… wrong, even more when my brother could be suffering out there.

That's when I thought to make better use of this free time, and beyond reading part of the books that I took from my space and trying to discern if they were of any relevance to our quest, I started talking with my Shadows.

'Deadbite, any news from your side?' I ask through my link and wait for his answer.

'Yo, boss, ahm… not really, 't hasn't been long since we talked soo… Only that the king came out to confirm, is legit, they really are on a treaty ya see…'

'Tell me more. What did the king say?'

'Only that the union of so many countries 's a blessed thing brought by the representatives, as he calls the ones from the Rotherhithe, and he says this alliance 's for the greater good and to bring peace to all, unite and 'stuff. He seemed oddly eager, enthusiastic even…'

'Anything else?'

'Uhm… only that he named the alliance The Enlightening.'

That makes me raise an eyebrow. 'Is that so?'

'Aye boss, 's dis.'

'Ok, thank you, you have been very useful so far, keep me updated to anything odd you may find there.'

We chat a little more about his plans for the next few hours but, after a while, with nothing more to say I stop talking with him, passing some time with the pages, getting tired of having to scan the letters with my eyes over and over again, but without that the situation goes back to what it was before and with nothing more to do I would only have the raising boredom and anxiety as company.

Uhm… I wonder how Leonel is doing… Not that I'm worried or anything, is just a thought… brought by boredom I bet.

Yes yes, how about I check on them as well? No harm done there.

As Darkjaw cannot speak our link works more in sharing images and thoughts, so I reach out for his mind and see through his eyes, watching as the woods unfold before me as he growls, acknowledging my presence.

'What are you up to buddy?'

He turns his face around, as if to show me the place up, and right beside him Leonel's face comes to view, his eyes looking down, reacting to Darkjaw moves, and staring deep into his eyes.

…

Darkjaw! You were supposed to stay hidden! What the heck are you doing walking beside them oi!

I can hear a whimper at the back of my mind as flashes of his memories rush in my mind, the smell of food and the cold woods, the temptation and the loneliness.

…So they conquered you with food? What are you, a beast?

And do not dare to whimper a yes!

Though, well… I can't blame you for that, is Leonel's food we are talking about after all.

As I'm still connected to him Leo reaches out and scratches the back of his ear, which makes him incline towards him even more.

Oi oi oi don't start getting too familiar with him now hey!

"Seems like you are a lot more honest than your owner, aren't you…" Leonel says, mischievously, and I bet that at that moment he knew I was looking at him using Darkjaw's eyes for the way he smiled at my shadow, in a mischievous way that he always did when he was about to provoke me.

"And your fur is so smooth too, only if your master would let me touch his…" He says with a predatory grin on his face as he reaches out and pets Deadbite's neck where the fur was ticker.

I'm unable to control the growl that passes through our link, something that should have resonated as Deadbite's name came as a low, grinding growl that grows the pitch up and down to improve the intensity.

That made Deadbite, in surprise, jump away from Leonel and tuck his tail between his legs as he runs back to the woods, not fast enough so I could not hear Leo laughing his lungs out from behind.

Prick- I mean dumbass.

After that I could easily say that he seems fine, making me turn around on the sofa as I had enough of that, I think as I go back to staring at the ceiling and sighing.

Since I got nothing more to do or to entertain me until night comes I, as the logical individual that I am, think that is best if I sleep now since I won't be doing that this night but my body, as the rebel it is, told me that it wasn't tired and it was still daytime, refusing to relax no matter for how long I lay there.

In the middle of that is my confused bored mind.

So I end with the conclusion that simply laying there wasn't helping, deciding to do things to help me sleep as I prepare a hot bath for myself, using the water and fire stones prepared over the bathtub; with of course wasn't in my room so I had to kindly 'borrow' from Isaac.

More than happy to get rid of those woman clothes I soak myself in the hot water, having my hair up in a high bum, my neck and shoulder appearing slightly over the edge of the water.

Satisfied I close my eyes, letting my tail free under the water, my mind empty yet restless, making lines appear on my forehead without me even noticing.

And at times like this that I start to wonder…

The reason why I ended up here of all places, why did I reincarnated to begin with, and moreover if I was supposed to remember my past life, if this was just a greater plan created by a sadistic mind trying to… to what? Is there any meaning to it all, and after my memories started to come back… I don't know, is just that things like this, this big, should have a meaning behind them right?

And I wonder sometimes what would have had happened if I did not come here… What my presence at this place accomplishes by its own… Maybe mother would not have to hunt so much to feed only one pup, and maybe the hunter would not have found her to begin with.

Maybe she could still be alive.

I open my eyes.

Yes, it is a useless line of thought, but is just bizarre to image that, without me, so much would have changed, with my single meaningless life gone, so many things would have changed, so many lives would have been affected, on how the story would have been rewritten.

It is funny, really, when we only start to give value to ourselves for how much we affect others and the world…

But I chuckle with a thought; that even if I was not there mother would have a lot of trouble feeding my dumb always-hungry brother and, what a thing, he probably would not have meet Aeglos that way, living only as a wild beast.

Such a weird line of thought indeed…

Like the same way that, if Leonel did not save my brother, I would be a lot different than I'm now…

So small, these actions… such trivial matters… and that's how life knits our destiny, one line at a time.

And that how, overthinking like that, I end up falling asleep on the bathtub, chin on my hand and my hot body keeping the water warm.