Chapter 63: Kill The Fool

Aether stepped forward inside the streets of the Second Ring, his feet walking on the cobblestone was like pure marble, veined with silver. They had probably polished it for the remaining gaze of the sun to reflect on it. It wasn’t rough-hewn or crooked like the ones he was used to.

He walked beneath towers that seemed to stretch forever, their spires clawing at the heavens like blackened fingers. The balconies of worked iron, curved outward like the ribs of a human. They were covered in velved banners that had not moved in centuries.

There were statues that lined the streets, of nobles made from alabaster. They looked proud, their smiles carved eternally, but were they actually real?

Their empty eyes… seemed to follow him wherever he stepped. Almost as if they were calling for help.

There were many fountains with water caught in mid-splash, each droplet was like a jewel that would never fall.

Courtyards stretched wide, with chandeliers that burned forever, yet didn’t emit heat. Yey, still throwing shadows that refused to sway.

A carriage passed by him, its wheels silent against the marble, pulled by… many humans who made no sound, but seemed to be in agony. But they couldn’t scream, they weren’t allowed to.

Inside, a masked noble stared at him through the glass, their face hidden, their masked shapes in the form of a deer. They didn’t wave. They didn’t blink, nothing. The carriage just vanished into the distance. It was like one of those dreams that, if forgotten the moment you wake up.

The Second Ring’s buildings rose like cathedrals of stone, each one too tall, too narrow. Their facades were carved with spires and pinnacles, each tipped with spears of obsidian that stabbed upward, sharp and accusing.

Flying buttresses arched across the streets like skeletal wings, connecting tower to tower,

The were not some plain rectangles, but long tapering arches, with scenes of saints, crowns, and other kings trapped inside, so they were never forgotten.

Aether had never seen anything like them, maybe because both the Withered and the First Ring weren’t the richest. But he had never seen this architecture in his kingdom. Or maybe he just didn’t remember it.

Now that he was in… he could do two things.

Try and learn about the zones and how each Knight manages them. And if he’s lucky, what their affinities are, too.

Or.. try to find the place that the relic he had gotten from J. opened. He was confident it was somewhere around the Second Ring; he just didn’t know where. And what was inside of it was probably needed for him to even have a chance of killing any of them. He didn’t know what was inside, but he knew it had to be important…

So it was better to try and find it. He shouldn’t rush things.

…

It was strange walking through the streets. He felt small, like an ant. How people looked at him. Their eyes filled with disgust. But it was to be expected, he was wearing a cloak in a place where nobles walk around with the most prestigious clothes.

He was an outsider.

But it didn’t matter to him. All readers are foreigners in stories, after all, they arent from those worlds. But the people weren’t the only ones staring at him, the statues to. He knew there was something to them. They just gave an awful feeling, like they were trapped inside the concrete, asking him to help them.

…Sadly for them, he didn’t feel like acting like a hero. They could burn for all he cares. The only thing that he wanted was his revenge, nothing else.

But as even more people started to stare at him, he considered using his mask. So he took a right into a dark alleyway, where no one would see him. Even the shadows stared at him, but he had learned not to notice them.

He sighed, summoning his mask, knowing he had to use his friend again. But all of a sudden, he heard something from the darkness.

Letting go of the mask, he watched the darkness. His other hand was gripping the sword hidden under his cloak. The sound continued, but didn’t seem to come closer, so he decided to move forward.

He walked slowly, looking both behind him and in front of him. He knew that this could be a trap, but he didn’t want anyone to see him use his mask. It could end badly if they did.

As he got close, he saw a trash can and something digging in it.

But animals were frozen in this world, so what could it be…

He let his cat climb on his shoulder to be sure it wouldn’t get hurt. Clenching his sword even tighter, he continued closer until he could see what the figure was.

But when he finally saw it, he stopped, confused.

It was a girl; if time hadn’t been frozen, he would have said she was the same age as him. Her hair was this crimson color that reminded him of blood. So it was weird seeing something as gentle as a flower sticking out of it.

Her eyes were like two emeralds that could only be used as expensive jewelry. Her nose was small, and a band-aid went across it. She also had many other scratches on her face.

She was wearing leggings that looked to be quite new, hardly worn, and a red overall over a white shirt… Speaking of it, all her clothes looked new, so why was she digging in the trash?

But he was examining her with curiosity, and she also noticed him. Stopping in her tracks, and threw a rotten banana peel on his face, as she started to scream.

Aether sighed, knowing that her screaming would attract attention. He tossed the peel away and rushed to cover her mouth with his hand.

“Calm down, would you?”

But she didn’t stop, she continued screaming, but since he was covering her mouth, they could hardly be heard.

He rolled his annoyed with the situation he found himself in.

“Are you going to do this all day?”

Sadly for him, she had no intention of stopping. He bit his lip, trying to find a way to make this girl stop screaming. And the perfect thing came to mind.

“I’ll buy you food if you stop.”

The moment he said those words, the girl instantly stopped. Nodding her head.

Aether stared at her, bewildered. She had been acting that she was scared until now! Were all the nobles from the Second Ring this stubborn and annoying? And was she even a noble? Why was she searching for food in the trash?

He was also annoyed that he had to waste his precious money on her.

He sighed, taking his hand away slowly, just in case she continued screaming again. But she didn’t, which made him relax a bit.

“So, what’s your name, and why are you doing to that poor trashcan?”

The girl smiled, like a ray of sunlight, which was weird considering not long ago she was screaming for her life, or pretending to do so.

“My name is Azel. My family kicked me out today, so I don’t have a last name anymore. I also have no money to buy food.”

His confusion only intensified as she continued to smile and talk as if what had happened to her was something good. And why had her family disowned her? Had she not behaved, broken a rule? Who knows, but she was definitely intresting.

“But what’s your name?”

Aether didn’t respond instantly, as he wasn’t sure if he should tell her his name. But in the end, he concluded that he would follow her and only say his first name.

“Aether. That is my name.”

The girl’s eyes widened slightly before starting to laugh.

“What’s so funny?”

Said Aether. Who wasn’t so amused as she was. He was more aggravated than anything.

“Nothing, just that you have the same name as someone I know. Well, they don’t know me, but I know them.”

As irritated as he was, this statement did catch his attention. Someone with the same name as him?

He knew it wasn’t something unheard of, but still surprising to see, since they had to be a popular figure for her to know them.

“Mind, I ask who?”

Azel put her hands on her hips, as she sighed slightly, before her smile appeared again.

“I doubt you know them, but I guess it wouldn’t hurt to tell you. Their story is very intresting. Their very well known in the Second and Third Ring too, probably.”

She laughed again, but this one didn’t feel real.

“But um… not for the right reason.”

She looked away slightly, not knowing how to put the last part into words.

“You see, they are wanted dead by the Queen, so the people also want him to die automatically. But im agaisnt it , I think he’s intresting.”

…

“After all, he’s the Last Child of Praise, The Fool.”

She waited for some time, ready for him to ask something. But seeing that he wasn’t saying anything, she looked back at him, confused. And strangely, he looked more pale, and a dark veil covered the top part of his face.

…She squinted her eyes slightly.

“If I think of it, you actually look like him.”

…

“Wait…”

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