Camellia you... are...
This again... Is this memory really going to be playing in my final moments...
Camellia...
No. I don't want to see this...I-I don't want to remember this right now...or ever even.
Those memories felt so ever distant yet...
They still plague me till this day.
Hey... Hey!!!
Who...is that speaking to me...
My body feels heavy, like I'm sinking to the earth.
After a few seconds I felt my senses come back to me.
I could see the dark patch of dirt blocking my eyesight, the taste of the grass forced into my mouth, and the feeling of the ground beneath my skin. A voice called out to me, it was the voice of a man rather aloof in nature.
Phewie seems like I'm a little late, good thing I made in time eh?
I channeled strength to my arms and got up.
I remembered what got me into this spot. There was a hole stabbed through my stomach which led me to bleed out but... I don't feel that hollowness anymore. How odd...
I look up to finally see who was calling out to me.
It was a carefree looking handsome man with beautiful flowy gray hair and crystalline green eyes. He wore simple clothes as if he was an impersonation of the...
"Well, well, well don't spoil me the fun now my good sir." He said while grinning and then continued to look in the other direction. There I saw the man responsible for my prior injuries, glaring at the both of us, he looked shaken and frustrated as if he didn't expect whatever was happening right before him.
"Who th-ell are ya? Heh did'ya get backed into a corner so hard that you finally had to call in your trump card?" He shouted.
"No, I genuinely don't even know who he is. I...was certainly as good as dead a few seconds ago, you..." I locked my sight to the back of his head "what exactly did you do?"
The man snickered "You're alive right now precisely because I am the fool! Rejoice oh rejoice!!! You have hit the jackpot my good sir! Even the wheel of fortune couldn't provide you with luck this good! Right? Mister chariot puhuhuhu~" He spoke in a flamboyant tone full of life juxtaposing his rather tasteless attire.
Currus' expression turned grim. It seems like he hadn't expected to have his identity outed like that so easily.
"Y-you how do you know who I am!!? Whose the bastard that gave you all this information e!?" He shouted, his voice channeled with rage. "*sigh did you reaaaly forget the briefing we have with little miss goddess up above? All twenty two of us you know? Jeez I was even held up a bit over ere, almost got my friend here killed from day one! How boring would that be now ey?" Said the fool followed by a little chuckle. "W-what nonsense are you yappin about!? I haven't tha faintest clue about any of this sh**!" Shouted Currus. The fool narrowed his eyes pointed at the seething Currus "hmm. I get it now. Very well, hey you, my master, would that be a fine name to call you? I've understood the situation at hand now. We'll talk about this later for now though... Let's deal with this ol pain in the arse shall we?"
The fool manifested a wooden pole to his hands and took what seems to be a batte stance against Currus. "Haaah? A f**in wooden pole!? BAHAHAH! All that yappin got me on edge and that's all you got goin for ye? Y'seem to be underestimatin me! Let me show ye what I can do!!" He put his claws to the back as if readying for a charging downward slash, he made a mad dash towards us while slowly swinging his arms up with absurd strength. Just halfway before he could get to us though he swang up, instead of the claws though, two giant snake heads lunged at both of us. The fool smiling, took everything in stride and effortlessly twirled his pole, deflecting the snakes. But quickly as if nothing was ever there, Currus disappeared from sight. "Wha- where is-"
"Right behind ya!!! Ha!" He suddenly appeared on my blind spot aiming to punch me with his arms now akin to a gorrilas. "It ain't gonna be that easy anymore buddy!" The fool said as he deflected the attack. The fight then went on for a few more minutes with the fool defending me and Currus transforming into different animals, but ultimately they were locked into a sort of stalemate. "About time you got tired of this eh? Cuz I sure as hell am gettin bored outta my mind with this constant defense!" Said the fool with visible exasperation. "Tch you little s**t then why Don'tcha jus stop defendin like a little b**ch!" The fool sighed at Currus' responses and said "cuz that would be far too easy now wouldn't it?" "Heh heh heh, I will say nothin about tcha is remarkable but your skill in gettin on my nerves is excellent!" Currus lunged at us once more only before-
"Currus!" A voice shouted out to him in the distance, Currus audibly tisked and backed away from us whilst a familliar figure shortly came to view. "See, you were hiding things after all *sigh to think we had to go about this in such a roundabout way..." it was Nuvem still clad in his shining armor. "I... I never meant to betray you nor did I even mean the slightest amount of harm to you or your people! You were the first to point the blades at me and aim for the kill... don't think that you can just waltz in here and gain my trust back so easily. Like you said, trust goes both ways and you trampled on that." Nuvem frowned and walked closer to us. "I apologize...but as you could already tell I have the ability to sniff out lies and deceit. And from what I sensed you have killed before." He stared me down quietly, waiting for my response. "I-...I'm sorry I can't tell you about that. But I assure you it was all in the distant past. I have never taken the life of a person afterwards at all. I don't care if you intend to remain hostile but, that's something I cannot bring myself no matter what to return to..." I shuddered uncontrolably and my eyes, shaking, my breathing, labored... "It seems that I moved too quickly... to think that I almost lost a valued collaborator... tch I have much to learn. Well then Camellia in apology I hand you this binding contract. Now I understand if that resentment in your heart remains but... with this contract I can atleast lessen your worries." He was now infront of me. His formerly stern and piercing gaze was now a warm gentle stare with his brown eyes, his short brown hair flowed from the gusts of wind as he puts his arm forward presenting me a paper scroll in his palm. "Do read it carefully, I will make sure to adjust myself to any terms you deem necessary as much as possible." Before I could even read so much as a word though it was quickly swiped by the fool right beside me. "The audacity! Can't you see this is between me and him! Know your place tch." Visibly peeved, Nuvem's expression once again went stern, his gaze intense. "Y'see my master here doesn't know s**t about the world, he could get swindled like whatcha did moments earlier. Isn't it best for me to read the terms and conditions? Won't that be fine master?" The fool's green eyes locked with mines. He was still carrying that aloof and carefree manner of his even now. "You can call me Camellia, heh I don't really feel comfortable being adressed that way. But, I agree. From the abilities you've shown me and all I trust you."
"*sigh very well then, now how about we go somewhere with more privacy than out here in the open field? I'll escort you two to the manor up ahead. We can discuss the contract more openly and leisurely." Said Nuvem turning his back to us and with a shift of his head saying "follow me" we walked along with him inside the castle gates.