Chapter 25: [ARC 1] Chapter 22 - A Betrayal with Stew

After getting everything he needed, they stepped outside of the place he called home for a year. It was strange to think about, because he had intended to get out of here sooner than that. Despite those days that he enjoyed, he knew that there would be a goodbye.

His true home was wherever his wife was and he had been promised information that of her location in this world.

Yoru stood at the bottom of the front porch. She glared silently at Kagami, her killing intent sheathed, for now. In the short time span he knew Yoru, he knew her desire to kill him was real. The owner of this body had caused a lot of harm.

But it wasn’t his to fix.

“I’m surprised.” He looked over to the bear. “I didn’t think you would be able to convince her.”

“She is usually understanding.” Kenichi told him. He stared at him. “For you, she’s not. Just be aware of that.”

He thought about it for a moment, and nodded.

“Good. Then, I assume you can lead us to where the Warden’s Den is?”

“Of course.”

Kagami rolled his shoulder, positioning the straps of the knapsack for better comfort. The pot and pans tied to the outside, clanged against each other like a bell. He walked past the three. Kenichi scooped Aria up and carried her like a princess and they soon followed behind him.

#

The route to the Warden was actually very easy to get to. It was a simple fork in the tunnel that went down, one where someone may accidentally take the wrong turn and end up. Kagami was sure that was the case, because anyone who went down there never returned.

Well, except him, apparently.

Kagami explained this to them as they journeyed down the tunnel.

“No one returns. How ominous.” Yoru said in a derisive tone.

Kagami peered over his shoulder to look at her for a moment.

“You’re still not strong enough to fight him. That man is a true monster. I think I might even have trouble if I were in my old body.”

“Sure.”

All he had to do was listen to her tone to know that she didn’t believe him. He took a glance to his right, looking at Aria. He wondered if the future she saw would even come to pass. He couldn’t imagine any of them beating the Warden now, but if they were able to, how would that work?

What combination of events would allow them to?

“That reminds me. I’m sure you heard but Walnut spoke to me about an event called the Ha-”

“AH!” Kenichi suddenly screamed at the top of his lungs, he pointed to the darkness in their path. “I think I saw a spider.” He looked over to Yoru. “I’m sorry, I know I should go, but might I ask you to go instead?”

She looked at him weird.

“Okay.”

“I can do-”

“No.” He cut him off. “Can’t have anything happen to you for now.”

Kagami pursed his lips. Did this man not remember he couldn’t die?

“I can’t die, it’s not like anything can even happen to me. Worst case, I revive. Both of you…”

He trailed off as he watched Yoru walk past the two of them and into the darkness.

Kenichi watched her go, before he pulled him over to a place a paces back. He pulled out that letter Aria had written, and then placed his finger to his lips. For reasons he didn’t know, the Bear did not want Kagami to talk about the Harvest. He wasn’t sure why Aria would ban any mention of the Harvest, but even if he didn’t really trust her abilities, he was interested in any information where Asa may be.

He gave a nod to show that he understood, and they walked back where they had left Yoru. Yoru returned a few minutes later, her hands dripping with black blood from spiders.

“There were several.” She reported.

They continued their descent down the tunnel. Little firefly sprouts adorned the wall, lighting their way. Kagami closed the top of his lantern. Without air, the firefly bud wilted to a state of hibernation until the top was opened once more.

“We’re near the entrance of the next floor. I just want to warn you guys, but it’s not just rocky tunnels and open spaces. The further we go down, the stranger it gets. The next floor will have some plants sprouting here and there, but it eventually becomes a forest teeming with monsters.”

“What kind of monsters?” Kenichi asked.

Kagami folded his arm, giving it a thought. “Well, I’m not sure how ecosystem works in this world, but I would say that anything you can imagine.”

“That’s not much to go on.” Kenichi demurred.

“It’s enough,” Kagami said. “Just pretend that it’s the worst thing possible. You’ll probably find it down there.”

The bear gave him a skeptical look. Kagami returned a smile at him. It wasn’t a matter of whether he would believe him or not, it was when he would. When they descended further, he would see.

#

In a deep trance, the Warden felt his senses expand. The wires made from his Aura reached the very end of the Wishing Well. He could feel every lifeform: from creatures to plants. One of his wires were tripped and it brought his attention towards the entrance.

The final four had entered his territory.

That was good. He expected them to come. Walnut had done his job well. He moved his focus to each floor, every one of them expect for his were dead. The Seal had sucked much of the Aura, but that also made his floor vibrant with unworldly flora and fauna the colorfully painted his view.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

He sent his intentions through the thread, reaching his nearest Sapling. Oberon would go retrieve the four.

#

“This is strange.” Kagami voiced his concern. “This wasn’t like this last time I was here.”

Yoru was wiping her blade free of the black blood of their most recent spider. She had yet to summon that black blade. Her face had some splatter as well. Kenichi pointed it out, and wiped her face free of it with a cloth her produced.

She then whispered something in his ear and he nodded.

Kenichi turned around.

“What do you mean by strange?”

“Everything is dead. It wasn’t like this before. There were trees that sprouted here. Ones that glowed.”

The scatter of trees that should be in this area were all dead, wilted and dry. The branch Kagami grabbed, snapped like a pretzel. There were no monsters from last time he was down here. They ran into spiders, but less than he would have expected.

“Must be the Seal.”

That perked Kagami up.

“Seal?”

She gave him a look that told him to mind his own business. Kenichi looked at him apologetically, before he clapped his hands to grab both of their attention.

“I think we should rest here.”

“Really?” Yoru looked at Aria. “We really can’t go a little further? She’s not giving you any trouble is she?”

Aria’s eyes were wide open, and unblinking. Whatever she stared at there was a slight smile sprawled on her face, as if she were witnessing heaven itself.

“She’s not.” Kenichi said. “But I’d rather we get some rest. It’s been a couple of hours. We need to know our limit.”

“I agree with him.” Kagami pulled off his knapsack, unhooking the pot from it.

“No one asked you.” She snapped at him.

“No one needs to ask me. You need me right? I need a break too. You’re more than welcome to go on without me if you want.” Kagami tapped the pot on his shoulder, glancing at the two of them. “I’m getting hungry. There’s a stream around here, so I’m going to get some water. If the two of you are still here by the time I get back, I’ll make some dinner.”

#

Yoru and Kenichi watched the back of the prince as he vanished past a couple of spiral trees. They looked as if somebody had sucked the water from them. Once she could no longer hear him, she turned to Kenichi, giving him a reproachful stare.

“I’ve been patient.”

Kenichi gave her a doubtful gaze.

“But you still haven’t told me anything about that letter Aria gave you.”

“I can’t tell you anything, you know. The letter was very specific. You knowing it, would change the direction of the future she wants us to go in.”

“And you believe it was written by her?” She said. “That he didn’t forge that letter to move us like puppets?”

Kenichi leaned in, she could smell chicken from yesterday in his breath.

“No. I’ve known her since she was just a child.” He looked over at her. She was still staring at the ceiling, unblinking. Yoru thought if a bug landed on her eye, she would still not blink. “She had…come back. For us. To give us a chance.”

Yoru was still doubtful of that. This was Cedar they were talking about. There was a reason why they needed to be weary. The Prince was a skilled actor. His tongue might as well be made of sweet venom.

“I don’t trust any of this,” she finally said. “It stinks.”

“At least trust me. I would never hurt you,” he said.

She closed her eyes.

“That, I trust.”

#

The stream still had been in the same place. Water was still good, but there was less flowing there. It was drying out just like the rest of this place.

He came back to a lit campfire, kindled by Yoru. The wolf shot him a hated glare as he came back. He put the pot of water next to his feet and sat down next to his knapsack, pulling out a cutting board and a wrapped kitchen knife.

Since there wasn’t any vegetables he could use in the area, Kagami took out some of his own. He started cut the miner’s carrot, a blackened carrot that looked like coal, in big but biteable chunks, putting it in the pot. He did the same with the potato. He tore jerky into pieces and added it in.

As the stew started to come together, a pleasant smell wafted in the air. Yoru watched him.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m cooking.” Kagami answered her. He looked up from his cutting board.

“You can cook?” Her face struck in shock.

“Of course I can. Didn’t you eat the breakfast I made when you came over?” Kagami sampled the soup using a small sauce plate. “I ran a restaurant. Despite how I looked even back then, it was a place I was proud of.”

A smile touched his lips as he thought nostalgically about it. He wondered if his restaurant was still open. The last time he had been there, there was that kid that claimed he had been cursed. Kagami had promised to help him out, but he never did have the chance to do that.

It was regretful.

So many things that were undone.

The way Yoru looked at him suspiciously with those black eyes of hers. Kagami chuckled mentally at this display. Though they had different personalities, the way she looked at him reminded of Asa. She had been an assassin that tried to kill him, but there was one time she had given him that look.

It was the time he had cooked a meal like this too.

The fireplace was like a beacon of light in the forest of darkness and death. The flames crackled and popped, a trail of steam floated from the open pot, as the brown stew bubbled slowly.

Kagami put her portion in a wooden bowl, and handed it to her.

“Here,” he said. “Take it.”

Of course, she regarded the bowl of stew with absolute suspicion. Kagami waited, holding out the bowl in his outstretched hand, but she never took it.

Kagami sighed, taking a bite.

“See.” He tried again. “There’s nothing in here.”

She didn’t take it though, she glared at it with disgust. As if he were handing her a bowl of waste.

Kagami looked to where Kenichi had been. At some point when he was cooking, he had left somewhere. Aria was still in the same spot, staring at the ceiling. The only difference from before was her hand outstretched, as if reaching out for a hand.

“Do you know where your friend went?”

“It’s none of your business.”

Kagami took another spoonful of stew. It was really good. There was no sadder meal than one where you eat alone with other people.

Kenichi came back, stepping into the light of the fire. He nodded to him in greeting, scratching his cheek with his right hand.

“I had to water some flowers.” He told him before taking a peak at the stew. “That smells delicious. May I have a bowl?”

He scooped some out with the ladle, taking a big serving that threatened to overflow from the wooden bowl’s edge. He took a bite and his mouth curled into a smile.

“Mmmm, that’s good.”

He felt a warmth spread in his chest as he watched Kenichi’s reaction.

“I’m glad it’s good.”

“How’d you learn how to cook like this? I wouldn’t have thought a prince could cook like this.”

“I ran a restaurant.” He told him. “From my past life.”

“I…I see.” He took another bite. Silence was heavy, and Kenichi looked over to Yoru in an attempt to break it. “Have you tried this, Yoru? It’s really good.”

“No.” Her tone was harsh, but her stomach outed her. Her stomach growled, and her face turned a shade pinker.

Kenichi gave a chuckle and then served her.

“I can attest there’s poison here.” He handed it to her. “Please take it.”

“Fine.” She swiped it. She looked at Kagami. “I don’t trust you and I’m only eating it because I trust him.” She nodded to Kenichi.

It only took one bite for Kagami to see her face twist in happiness. Her black and fluffy tail swished side to side. Kagami laughed and she glared at him.

“You’re not honest are you?” Kagami wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.

Kenichi held up his hand. “Here let me top you off.”

“You don’t need to serve all of us. I should be doing that. I made the food,” Kagami told him, but he still handed his bowl over to Kenichi.

“You’ve done enough.” He scooped some in Kagami’s half empty bowl. “I thank you for everything.”

“I haven’t finished my job yet. But if all the floors are like this, then it will be easy to traverse down.” Kagami took the bowl, and immediately taking bite. He smacked his lips, and then licked it. “Did I not mix the seasonings well enough?”

That last bite tasted a bit odd.

As if on cue, Yoru suddenly collapsed, her bowl clacked on the ground, and its contents spilled.

Kagami stared at her for a moment, trying to understand. And something had hit at that moment too. He felt drowsy, and looked down at his bowl and then at Kenichi, realizing that the man somehow spiked the stew with something.

“You-” Kagami tried to stand and fell on his stomach. His vision was being eaten at the edge.

“I’m sorry.” The bear’s voice sounded far. “I want you to know, that this was written in the letter.”

Behind the bear another figure came into view. Kagami couldn’t make out the face, but he did see their ears. They were pointed like the elf he had ran into.