"Day, just… bundle them up right here on this table. No need to treat them kindly. They are just soul shards…"
"Mmmm… Quite a few people would disagree with your labeling and say they are rather precious, you should be kinder to your soul shards!"
"Day, what are you even saying anymore...?"
Caster clicked his tongue dismissively, and then departed from the table the two boys were standing around. Day watched him walk to the opposite side of his room in the Tower of Dawn with a cheeky grin. Caster stopped in front of a mirror, and then glared at Day through its reflection as he picked up a brush and began on his neatly styled hair once more for… about the fifth time in the past three hours.
However, Day was already looking back at the table…
Which had a small pile of about a dozen Awakened Soul Shards bundled up on it.
It had been about a month since they arrived, and just as Day had hoped… or rather, expected– it had been smooth sailing.
Day went to see Aya each day for about four days before his body healed fully. And then, around two weeks after that, he was feeling completely fine…
And much, much more powerful. There was an unbelievable difference between an injured Day and an intact one, and there was a certain part of him that was almost raring to get something done. However, it was far too dangerous outside of the walls, so he didn't have the luxury of going on a nice stroll to test his abilities.
And with that in mind came the fact that Day and Caster, in the end, did need to fall to doing what Caster promised he would do– sell his memories as a last resort.
Except, it wasn't as much of a last resort as they originally thought it would be. In fact, it was the first option, and only thing they could do– mostly because of their efforts to stay independent.
The hierarchy in this Castle, from what Day had come to understand, was extremely peculiar, and very centered around the supposed King that Day was still yet to see, which Caster and Day didn't like… at all– so they couldn't really find work just yet.
Apparently, all the Artisans, Hunters, Pathfinders and Castle Guards really did work under and completely for the king. Day had spent even more time after he got his arm healed going to learn piano with Aya, since he frequently became bored whenever he had down time, which was often.
While she was teaching him piano, he often pried into what she knew subtly, and she eventually got comfortable enough with him to whisper under her breath that it was such a pain to get the piano because the Artisans all work directly under the king, and he was, by her words, a 'greedy, evil, exploitative asshat.'
Those were some pretty big feelings from Aya that Day didn't expect her to present to him so readily, so Aya did, upon seeing his shocked reaction, beg him to keep her words on a hush.
Day never planned to expose her, but it did take a hefty amount of convincing before she actually started to believe that Day wouldn't reveal her words to… somebody. He wasn't sure who he would possibly tell that would care, but she was pretty worried about it.
Which also sort of worried Day, even though he didn't explicitly express it to her.
"..."
Some time during the week after they arrived, Caster had found a Memory Market that allowed him to sell his Memories for a very fair price. Day didn't have much of a part in this, however, Caster did frequently relay the events of his endeavors each time the duo met at their promised times, and Caster complained quite a few times about how stingy the people there were.
It was a very tall task to stay independent, but the duo never bit onto any line thrown to them. Even though Day and Caster hadn't done anything special that would make them seem worthy of recruiting, it seemed that people were just extremely desperate to grasp onto something that would help them move up, even if it was merely two somewhat strong standing boys they had to bet on.
It was annoying at first, but Day had grown numb to the incessant nagging.
On the bright side, with Caster and his Legacy-born social skills consistently by his side, he was anything but an outcast, unlike his time at the Academy, and that wasn't even mentioning Day's own efforts to build himself relationships.
He hadn't spoken to Melri or Remi very much, nor had he even seen the other members of their hunting group, but he was good friends with Aya, and Day had learned recently from word of mouth that Aya occasionally said a few nice words about him– so people in the Tower of Blades liked him quite a bit. Since they were always near the main keep, he would frequently be caught in conversations with them. Sometimes, they were about Aya. Generally, they were just regular conversations.
Day had also spent at least an hour each night practicing his Aspect Ability, and his progress was coming along quite nicely.
Each time he practiced, he just made random objects, and slowly but surely, it was becoming easier and easier for him to summon and create things from his light, and now, after rehashing his efforts to summon his light around his body, he had cut the time it took from two seconds to about one.
The progress felt excruciatingly slow, but in hindsight, it was actually quite fast compared to, say, his time at the Academy.
He was perfecting new objects on the daily, and some of the things he made were actually beneficial in other ways besides just improving the control he had over his Aspect. One thing he found out how to create was a pseudo hairbrush, which Day was absolutely delighted to have.
He had yet to purchase one, since there were much more important items to obtain before that, and 'money,' in the form of Awakened Soul Shards, was extremely scarce.
Caster had long learned about what Day's Aspect Ability was, since it was nearly impossible to hide thoroughly. Needless to say, he didn't care much at all, since there was no reason for him to care. If anything, the Legacy boy only cared that Day's ability could halve the prices of some of the necessities they had to actually go out of their way to purchase.
He didn't know its rank, not that he could ever guess something like that, so Day didn't care… He wasn't a particularly secretive person.
Day's mind still had a perpetually present weight holding it down in the form of… a multitude of things, but namely the people in the outskirts. Day just couldn't quite get the thought out of his mind that he, in some way, wished to help. He had not a single clue what he could possibly do, so he was constantly being overpowered by tumultuous thoughts that he had to fight away with all of his might.
It was coming to a point where he was wondering if his thoughts were illogical, and that he should just push them out completely, but he, deep down, knew that would never happen. He had long come to find out by word of mouth that the King and the Host weren't as benevolent as they seemed, and that the bitterness that perpetuated these parts was not something that existed because it was a small community. He hadn't seen it himself, but he had learned from Aya that the cruelty of the king had no bounds, and in the past, there were many times where the king enforced his judgement… by killing people for everyone to see. There were skulls displayed at the front of the Bright Castle, and apparently, they weren't just some disgusting, wicked decoration like he had originally believed…
There were also other indicators that this place wasn't what it showed itself to be, and one of them was the Castle's very own receptionist.
He had had a few chats with Harper over this past month since he had to pay the fee each week, and he could tell something was amiss with the boy. The first time they met, he simply seemed timid, but after the second time, Day had a feeling there was something more to it…
And then, the third time they met, which was about three days ago, he had his suspicions confirmed when a group of guards walked up to Harper as Day left.
They nagged him about a few things, namely his work ethic, since Harper had made a mistake when talking to Day. They bashed and insulted him down to even his looks, which in Day's opinion, weren't even that bad– then eventually, before leaving, they said that the King was kind enough to let him in, but he wasn't even doing his job correctly.
They said that if he didn't do better, he would be exiled once more.
Day was pissed, but he realized that it was a terrible idea to run at them and wave his hand like a granny…
They were fearmongering, and almost outright evil, sure, but Day was alone, and even with Caster's help, his protests would be worth nothing.
Day wasn't that experienced in combat. He could beat a dumb Nightmare Creature or two through pure effort, but if he were to be put in a fight with someone experienced, nothing could save him.
That… was something he didn't quite know how to overcome just yet.
He tried his absolute best to practice with the Blade of Black Chitin daily, but all he was really doing was swinging it around with very basic form. It was a complete, utter joke. He had improved, but it wasn't enough. He still had his very, very brief fight with Nephis fresh in his mind, and he also vividly remembered Caster throwing her right after.
He knew quite well that his fighting skills were more than just inadequate. His Aspect Ability, at the moment, just wasn't enough to make up for the difference.
Unfortunately, though, he had no choice but to sift through his days with his lack of knowledge on fighting in the back of his mind.
Day's mind went silent for a few moments. He placed his palms on the table and drooped his head. His eyes closed, and he sighed deeply.
"Day."
Day jumped and his body shot around less than a second. His head went first, followed by his body.
"Ye– Yeah?" Day said, a little louder than he wanted to.
"I'm leaving."
Day raised an eyebrow and collected himself promptly.
"Alright– Uh… good to see you!"
Day chuckled awkwardly, but deep down, he knew what he just said was completely idiotic.
And he also knew that he was going to pay dearly for it.
"We see each other every day. Twice a day. Don't tell me your memory is already going bad?" Caster said smugly, a smile playing on his lips as he turned away.
Yet still, his stomach still churned when Caster spoke.
'This smug bastard…'
Day's mind was racing, trying to think of a rebuttal of any kind, but by the time his mouth opened wide with the perfect response…
Caster was already gone, and his door was wide open, as if to mock Day.
Subconsciously, Day's feet began to tap incessantly…
'Man, he pisses me off sometimes. I swear, he jumps on every single opportunity to mock me… I'm getting comfortable with him, and this is how he uses that?'
Day glanced around the room. First, he looked at the bed. Then, his eyes landed on a stand next to it… Then finally, his eyes landed on a pseudo dresser… and that was when he spotted it.
Revenge, and oh– did the thought of grasping it taste so sweet.
Day walked up to his dresser with a confident strut, reached down with a maniacal grin… and then grabbed Caster's hairbrush.
Then, he tossed it softly. It landed on the floor beneath with a clutter that was like music to Day's ears and slid under the bed, just far enough to where it was out of sight from any direction.
And with that, his revenge was complete… and perfect.
As Day left the room, his smile was wide, and streaking his face from ear to ear.
'Good luck brushing your hair for the next twenty four hours, dirtbag.'