Rose Garden: Chapter 16

Previous TOC Next

In the morning, after finishing the shop’s cleaning, Kyle went out. Since the brothel didn’t open until evening, he had plenty of free time during the day.

As soon as he left town, he spread his wings in a quiet, deserted spot and flew to the small grove beside the Oliva Forest, where he had created the Rose Garden. It was too far to walk, just the round trip would take until sundown. Flying was by far the quicker option.

The spring-loving flowers had retreated into the shadows, and now the ones that thrived in the heat of summer were blooming freely and gloriously. The weather was clear today, making the petals look even more vibrant and beautiful. Tending to them could be done in an instant with magic, but Kyle instead checked each plant carefully by hand, making sure none were sick, plucking away withered leaves one by one. …The demon had never used magic to tend the roses. Ever since Kyle had wondered what kind of feelings he had held for them, he had decided to care for them with his own hands.

As he removed bugs from the leaves, a white rose spoke to him.

“Hey, Rose Angel. Yesterday, the demon passed nearby.”

Kyle gasped and hastily looked around.

“He was watching us from a short distance away. I called out to him, told him to come closer, to touch us but he wouldn’t come near.”

A red rose spoke next, her voice tinged with disappointment.

“It’s because the Rose Angel lied. Please tell the demon we all love him, that we’re not afraid of him. I’ll wither as soon as the weather gets cooler again. Before then, I want him to come dote on me just once more.”

Kyle didn’t respond to the red rose and silently continued his work. Even as he tended the flowers, he kept glancing around often but there was no sign of the demon.

Once he had finished, Kyle climbed up into the nearby elm tree and lay along a branch that was higher than usual. At first, he strained his eyes, gazing off into the distance, but gradually sleepiness crept in, and he started to doze off right there on the branch. That was when the red rose suddenly began to sing, sounding delighted.

Startled, he rubbed his eyes and scanned the distance. There’s no one there… he frowned, and as he brought his gaze back closer, he saw him. A short distance from the Rose Garden, the demon was standing perfectly still in his usual ragged form.

Kyle held down the pounding in his chest and watched him, hardly daring to breathe. He didn’t know whether the demon realized that this small Rose Garden had been assembled from flowers taken from his own garden. Still, he was gazing at the roses swaying in the wind with a calm, peaceful expression.

Seeing him like that so gentle in his presence brought a painful, unshakable feeling to Kyle’s chest. He wanted to go to him, and that desire made the fact that he couldn’t all the more painful. And there was also the faint jealousy, jealousy that perhaps now the roses were loved more than he was.

The demon never came close enough to touch the flowers. He simply watched them, then turned and left.

Kyle had wanted to see him just once, even for a second. That was why he’d gone to the trouble of hiding himself in the elm tree. And yet now that he had seen him, it only made his heart ache worse. It was unbearable.

Without even saying goodbye to the roses, he flew back to town. Head down, he trudged along the cobbled streets until he found himself drifting into a women’s accessories shop. When the shopkeeper a young man with black hair noticed Kyle, he stepped out from behind the counter with a smile and greeted him. “Welcome.” Kyle came by so often when he had free time that he had become a familiar face.

He wanted every brooch in the shop that was crafted by the demon but there was no way he could afford such things. He had finally saved enough from his meager wages to buy just one the other day. Now he visited the shop every day to stare at the next one he wanted.

But today, the place where Warren’s brooch had been displayed yesterday held a different brooch entirely.

“That brooch you liked… a kindly elderly lady bought it just before noon. It’s not quite the same, but these pieces just came in today.”

There were no brooches made by Warren where the shopkeeper had pointed. Kyle only gave a fleeting glance, then didn’t even bother to look again. The shopkeeper gave a wry smile.

“Seems nothing caught your eye after all.”

The man spoke as if he’d known that would be the case. Kyle turned to him and asked, “Why?”

“Because we don’t have any of Warren’s brooches today. You always look at his pieces when you come in.”

The name Warren, spoken so casually by the shopkeeper, stirred a restlessness in his chest. The shopkeeper gave a warm, affable smile.

“I know him well. He lives deep in Torney Village, rarely comes into town, but I happened to run into him the other day. His craftsmanship is intricate and beautiful, so his work’s popular in other shops, too. But it looks like we won’t be getting any of his pieces for a while.”

“Why not?”

“He said a wedding’s coming up. He’ll be making the bridal bouquet, hair ornaments, and accessories. So, he’s taking a break from brooch-making for now. The bride, he said, is…”

Kyle didn’t wait to hear the rest. He burst out of the shop. He couldn’t remember which direction he went or how he got there. By the time he came to, he was circling the fountain like a blind ox.

Warren loved a human girl.

Even if he was a demon, with the right spells he could make himself look completely human. He used to go to church, so it wouldn’t be impossible for him to vow his love before God. Whether that love would be blessed or not was another matter…

Kyle couldn’t even tell what emotion was ripping through him. Was it sorrow, or anguish, or frustration, or heartache…? The only thing he knew for certain was that he was more confused than he had ever been in his life.

Then, all that violent emotion vanished. It was as if a wind had blown through his mind, sweeping everything away and leaving only blankness. From that empty white void, tears began to spill. The sun tilted in the sky, then disappeared, and lights began to flicker in the windows of the houses around him but his tears didn’t stop.

He didn’t remember what had made him start moving again. He returned to the brothel for no better reason than habit because that’s what he did every day. Not through the back, but the front door, stepping into the blur of liquor stench and laughter, the raw weight of reality.

Kyle stood there, dazed, until Leda came and dragged him into the dim kitchen, yelling furiously.

“You useless brat! You know the place opens at five. And here you are, a worthless freeloader, out gallivanting until sundown like you’ve got a life of luxury!”

He could hear Leda shouting, but her voice didn’t register. Nothing this small woman said mattered anymore.

“Leda, Leda, please don’t be so hard on him.”

Claudia burst into the kitchen. She hadn’t been on the floor when Kyle returned, so one of the other prostitutes must have told her he was getting chewed out again.

And the moment Kyle saw her saw that gentle human face his whole body began to tremble.

“Something’s wrong with him. Let him rest a little. He must’ve gone through something awful. Everyone has days like that.”

Leda clicked her tongue with a theatrical sigh.

“He can’t just skip work when he feels like it. It’s a pain for the rest of us too, you know. You baby him too much, Claudia. Just because you’re sleeping with him doesn’t mean you get to play favorites!”

Claudia shook her head.

“You’ve got it all wrong, Leda. Kyle’s in love with someone else. Poor thing… he’d never settle for someone like me.”

She led him gently back to his room, supporting him in her tender arms. She lit a candle and softly stroked his cheek.

“Poor thing, poor thing. You've cried so much your eyes are swollen like this. Your beautiful green eyes look as if they’re melting away in tears.”

Kyle gripped the slender arms that were trying to comfort him with both hands.

“M-My beloved… i-is getting married…”

He spoke through trembling lips. Claudia’s gray eyes wavered with emotion.

“What… what will become of me?”

Her merciful gaze looked straight into Kyle’s.

“Nothing will change. Nothing at all… it won’t change.”

Kyle, still teary-eyed, blinked wide.

“Be strong. And bless the one you love. The person who gave you their love is going to find happiness. Not with you but even so, that is something truly wonderful.”

He couldn’t accept it. He shook his head vehemently.

“With these feelings… how can I bless them…?”

“Kyle, Kyle. You must be grateful to the one who gave you their love. Even if your feelings weren’t returned, just being loved… your heart…”

A pounding came at the door.

“Claudia! Claudia, you've got a customer! How long are you planning to waste time in some man’s room!?”

“I’m coming. Just have them wait a little longer, please.”

The pounding didn’t stop. Claudia looked between Kyle and the door, and perhaps having given up in the face of Leda’s repeated yelling, she stood up.

“I’m sorry I can’t stay with you in a moment like this. Let’s talk again tonight.”

The gentle woman left, and Kyle was alone in the room. Sitting on the shabby bed, alone in the silence, his mind went blank once more.

He pulled a wooden box out from under the bed. Inside was a single brooch, one Warren had made. He’d saved up from his meager wages and finally managed to buy it. It had become a nightly ritual: before bed, Kyle would gently stroke it or gaze at it quietly.

Clutching the brooch in hand, Kyle slipped out through the back door. He picked up a palm-sized stone from between the houses and, placing the brooch on the stone steps, brought the rock down hard upon it.

The brooch, beautifully crafted in the likeness of a real flower, with delicate colors and shape, split in two under the blow. Even after smashing it beyond recognition, until nothing remained of what it once was, the emptiness in his mind did not go away. If anything, the guilt only grew heavier.

He couldn’t bring himself to throw away the crushed rose brooch. Even in its splintered, ruined state, he took it back to his room.

His chest ached like the time his wings had been torn from his back. It hurt so much, and yet… he couldn’t understand why his heart wouldn’t just burst open.

◇:-:◆:-:◇

He could barely remember those three confused days and nights. That was because he had spent them repeating the same phrase over and over to Claudia, like a parrot: “The one I love is getting married. What am I supposed to do?”

Worried about Kyle’s emotional instability, Claudia stayed by his side every moment she wasn’t working. She listened patiently, even when he said the same things again and again. She empathized, scolded, and stayed present. Kyle cried, ranted, and lashed out at her, overwhelmed by his own emotions.

The tragedy he held inside him began to dull, day by day. It wasn’t so much that Claudia’s words had convinced him, more that a quiet resignation had begun to settle in. There was simply nothing left he could do.

Just as he was finally beginning to look at the world around him with a clear, steady gaze, Claudia who had once boasted she never got sick suddenly fell ill.

The rosy tint in her cheeks faded to pale blue, and she grew thinner with each passing day. At first, when Kyle asked, “Are you alright?” she brushed it off with a laugh “Maybe it’s just been a little hot lately.” But soon she started saying “I’m tired,” sitting down frequently. Around the same time, she began murmuring that her fingers were trembling. She dropped glasses so often that Leda would yell at her.

By the end of summer, Claudia had taken to bed. The numbness spread from her hands to her legs, and she could no longer stand.

Kyle blamed himself. He had taken his pain out on her, let his feelings run wild, accused her of things that had nothing to do with her. He had worried her needlessly, and now she was ill because of it. That belief weighed heavily on his heart.

“Forgive me, Claudia.”

He gripped her hand tightly, so thin, so shrunken now as she lay in bed.

“There’s nothing to forgive. This illness isn’t your fault,” she said with her usual smile, shaking her head.

“I’ve felt a little numbness in my hands and feet for a while now. I thought it was strange, but… I had a bad feeling about it. It’s the same as the others who’ve died working at the shop. The numbness will get worse, and then I won’t be able to breathe… and then I’ll die.”

Claudia grabbed the edge of the sheet and pulled it up to her chest.

“I thought maybe I was especially strong… but I guess not. God’s been watching us all along fairly, after all.”

Hey, she said, turning her face toward Kyle.

“What do you think hell is like? Is it full of fire? Do they impale you with stakes? You’re religious, Kyle. You must know.”

Those who commit grave sins are destined for hell. Claudia was no exception. And yet Kyle couldn’t bring himself to speak that truth aloud. He knew how deeply kind her heart was.

“You’re going to heaven,” he said. “But… it’s still a little too soon.”

Her gray eyes, sunk deep into their sockets, opened wide.

“You’ll get better. Then the three of us, your sister, you, and I can live together. If you repent your deeds and live with strong faith, God is merciful. He never abandons those who truly believe.”

Claudia covered her mouth with a thin, trembling hand. Tears spilled from her gray eyes, running down her cheeks in heavy drops.

“Kyle… Kyle, I’ll be honest. I’m scared. I’m so, so scared I can’t bear it. I’m afraid of dying, of going to hell, of everything…”

Her shoulders, now little more than skin and bone, trembled as she spoke.

“I’m here,” he said softly. “I’ll stay by your side.”

He ran his hand again and again through her light brown hair, clasped her frail fingers in his own, and repeated over and over, “It’s alright. You’re going to be alright.”

Her gray eyes finally closed, and by dawn her breathing had evened out into a quiet rhythm. Once he was certain she was asleep, Kyle slipped out of the room.

“Oi.”

Leda was waiting in the dim corridor, arms crossed.

“You two, loafing around while the rest of us work. Must be nice, huh?”

She spat her words with venom. She may have been standing there just to pick a fight.

“This is your fault, you know,” she snapped. “You’re the one who made Claudia worry herself sick. That’s why she came down with that cursed illness. Where I’m from, we call it Bone-Withering Disease. You waste away till there’s nothing left, lose control of your limbs, and twitch to death like a fish out of water.”

Kyle clenched his teeth hard. He already blamed himself, but hearing it flung at him by someone else made it sting even more. He pressed a hand against the ache in his chest.

“Maybe we should take Claudia to a doctor. There might be some medicine…”

Leda raised her hands dramatically to cup her ears, mocking him.

“A doctor? And who’s going to pay the ridiculous fees for that?”

“I will ”

“With what money? Your pathetic wages wouldn’t cover even a single dose, not even if you handed over a whole month’s pay. You’d never be able to keep it up.”

“Even if it’s just once, I want to do what I can for her.”

“Shut your mouth.”

Leda’s voice cut like a knife.

“You useless freeloader. I had a bad feeling about you the moment Claudia brought you in. That pretty-boy face of yours never sat right with me. Stop wasting time on a girl who’s already past her prime as a ‘product’ and do your job.”

…It hurt, but he couldn’t argue back. No matter how much he wanted to take Claudia to a doctor, it was true he had no money.

There was no hope of sleep now. Kyle turned to his chores, sweeping the floor by the pale, bluish light of dawn, lost in thought. How could he earn the money? How could he get her to a doctor? He kept turning the questions over and over as he worked, desperate to find a way to ease the pain of the kindest woman he had ever known.

By the time he finished preparing the shop for opening, he still had no answers. Morning sunlight streamed in through the open windows, glittering across the dusty air. I’ll rest a little, he thought, turning to go back to his room but his feet stopped outside Claudia’s door.

He thought he heard her crying.

Peeking gently inside, he saw Claudia hunched over her pillow, sobbing softly. When she noticed him, she lifted her tear-streaked face.

“What’s wrong? Are you in pain?”

She shook her head silently, refusing to say. “I’m just sad, that’s all,” she whispered, again and again.

Kyle sat down beside her on the floor and took her hand in his. Eventually, her quiet crying faded, replaced by the soft rhythm of sleep.

If I had money… would I be able to save her?

He sat there thinking, his mind circling back to one of the first conversations he’d had with Claudia after arriving here. She had spoken of parents who sold their children to keep the rest of the family from starving. It’s not rare, it’s not evil, she had said and Kyle had called it a sin.

But it wasn’t a lack of faith that drove people to sin. It was love. It was because they loved. Because they wanted to save someone they loved, to keep them alive because of that, they sinned. And what lay at the heart of it… was human love.

If there were anything about his body he could sell, Kyle would have done it to earn money and taken Claudia to see a doctor. But to give in to that temptation would be a sin. To uphold his faith meant abandoning the one he loved. No… that's wrong. But it's not entirely false either.

Why had God created the world to be so painfully complicated? Why had He brought poverty, hunger, inequality, and illness into existence…?

…The presence of God, once so near, now felt impossibly far away.

◇:-:◆:-:◇

Defying Leda’s objections, Kyle brought Claudia to the town doctor. The kind, young man told them the payment could wait until they had the money.

Even the doctor, their last hope, tilted his head helplessly. He couldn’t identify what had caused such an illness. There was no treatment, no medicine he could offer. The only thing clear was her rapid decline at this rate, she likely wouldn’t last more than a few weeks.

To bring even the smallest comfort to the weakening Claudia, Kyle potted as many roses from the Rose Garden as he could and brought them to her room. With the most beautiful blooms carefully chosen, the room was transformed into a vibrant flower field, and Claudia wept with joy. Kyle poured all his love into the flowers, willing them to grow fuller, more fragrant, more radiant, anything to bring her a little more happiness.

But even his desperate efforts couldn't stop the decline. One day she’d seem a bit better, take a few bites of food, and then the next, she’d shake her head, wanting nothing at all. The numbness in her fingertips worsened until eventually, she couldn’t even hold a spoon.

At first, Leda had snapped at Kyle “Don’t waste time on Claudia,” “Get to work” but once it became clear that the end was near, she said nothing more. And perhaps, even in her hardened heart, a trace of kindness remained: she began preparing meals for both Kyle and Claudia, without complaint, even though Kyle hadn’t been working.

Kyle himself didn’t need food. He could eat, but his body being what it was couldn’t absorb nourishment from human meals. Still, not eating at all would have raised suspicion. So he pretended to eat, quietly sharing the meals with the alley cats behind the brothel.

That evening, Claudia managed only three bites of dinner before she began to drift into sleep. Kyle slipped quietly from her room and out the back door, where several alley cats now waited. What had once been a single visitor had grown into a small group of four or five. The brown tabby who usually arrived first showed up last this time, swaying as it walked.

It had been a little unsteady before, but today something was clearly wrong. The cat staggered to the stone steps, curled into a ball without touching its food and then began to tremble violently. Suddenly, it spewed frothy bubbles from its mouth like a crab. Kyle froze, unsure what to do. A moment later, the cat convulsed once, twice… then fell completely still.

It was dead.

He watched its soul slip from its small body, vanishing across the street like a wisp of wind.

Kyle gently placed the pitiful corpse into a burlap sack, then set it atop a brick wall so wild dogs wouldn’t tear it apart. When he returned to Claudia’s room, she was still asleep. Lately, she spent more time unconscious than awake. And whenever she awoke to find him gone, she would begin to cry. So Kyle had taken to spending nearly every night at her bedside.

The next morning, just after sunrise, Kyle took the burlap sack out to the grove beside the Rose Garden. Using magic, he dug a shallow grave and buried the little cat. Over the mound of dark brown earth, he planted small rose bushes, filling the space with flowers. That way, the scent of the roses would hide the grave, and the wild dogs wouldn’t dig it up.

After it died, the cat’s soul flew off in an instant. It must have had somewhere it wanted to go. Perhaps to the kitten, or, if it had once been a house cat, maybe to its former owner.

The roses tended by the demon and cared for by Kyle were nearing the end of their season. Though a few buds remained, the garden was dominated by flowers that had already begun to shed their petals. As he brushed his fingers over each bloom, Kyle thought of the demon. And of the flowers that were nearing their end.

Kyle closed his eyes and focused his energy. He lifted the roses roots and all by magic, and sent them back to the demon’s garden as he remembered it. Once he confirmed they were gone, he flew over the forest of Oliva. Past the hills, where the summer grasses had withered and turned golden, the shabby little house came into view. Just like before it had been taken away, the demon’s garden was once more surrounded by a sea of roses.

To the roses he had returned to the demon’s garden, Kyle poured out every bit of affection he had within him. The fading blooms, summoning the last of their strength, burst into radiant color one final time. As he gazed upon the demon’s house nestled among the roses, Kyle felt a quiet joy and alongside it, a faint trace of sorrow.

Before Claudia could wake up, he flew back to the woods near the city and ran from there to the brothel.

Just as he reached the back entrance, he noticed a black cat curled up on the stone steps. Like the striped cat that had died, this one was a regular visitor for food. If he opened the door now, he’d end up pushing it over, so he called out, “Move it.” But the cat didn’t stir from its curled position. Resigned, he gently lifted the cat in his arms.

It was limp, its limbs hanging loosely, trembling now and then with faint spasms. This one, too… just like the striped cat. Why were the cats he fed all ending up like this? He tilted his head in puzzlement and then realized something.

Claudia had been trembling in her limbs in the same way.

Maybe this cat had the same illness Claudia did. Both of them had come frequently to this brothel for food. If that were true, then was Claudia’s illness some sort of contagious disease? But he hadn’t heard of any other prostitutes or even Leda falling ill.

Claudia and the cats… It was strange. As he pondered the coincidence, a terrifying thought struck him.

If there was something in common between Claudia and the cats, it would be the food. All of them had been eating meals prepared by Leda. And if that food had been poisoned…

A forgotten memory resurfaced, Tosha had once mentioned that Leda was well-versed in poisons. And then there was the fact that the aging prostitutes had all died, without exception, one after another.

Lately, Leda had stopped neglecting the their meals and had begun preparing them regularly. But perhaps that wasn’t out of kindness. Perhaps it was to ensure that those who had become inconvenient would die for certain.

The mere thought made his skin crawl. If this was true… how many people had Leda already killed? It was no longer a matter of human wrongdoing it went far beyond that.

Kyle rushed into the building and headed straight for the second floor. He pounded on Tosha’s door with urgency.

“Who is it?! I just went to bed at dawn, you know!” came the irritable voice from inside.

“It’s me.”

The moment she recognized him, Tosha flew out of the room.

“Did something happen to Claudia?!”

“She’s the same. I came to ask you something.”

Tosha ran her fingers through her blonde hair, which was as wild and tangled as a bird’s nest.

“What the hell is it, this early in the morning…”

Kyle got straight to the point.

“Is Leda putting poison in Claudia’s food?”

The moment she heard the question, Tosha’s face went deathly pale.

“So that’s why… she couldn’t even stand up… ugh…”

Tosha leapt at him and clapped a hand over his mouth. Her blue eyes darted around in a panic before she grabbed Kyle’s arm and yanked him into the room. She locked the door behind them, resting one hand on the knob, and exhaled a thin, shaky breath. Then she turned and glared at Kyle, who stood frozen with a confused expression.

“Don’t talk so loud! If Leda hears us, I’ll be the next one she kills.”

Unable to keep still, Tosha paced back and forth between the door and the bed.

“Tosha, how long have you known?” Kyle pressed.

“Keep your voice down!” she snapped, her eyes brimming with tears.

“You’re the only one who didn’t see it. Everyone else already figured it out. I even told you myself, didn’t I? That Leda knows her way around poisons. I had a bad feeling the moment Claudia started getting sick. When she said her hands and feet were going numb… I knew it. I knew the time had come. Claudia was supposed to finish her service after the fall and leave the brothel with you. You think Leda would ever allow that? All the other girls every single one of them died before they could finish their term…”

Kyle was stunned.

“But once the debt’s paid, she doesn’t need them anymore. Why go out of her way to kill them?”

Tosha looked down.

“…It’s just a rumor, but they say Leda secretly keeps us working for two or three years after our official term is up. She pockets the extra earnings for herself. And when one of us finishes, the first thing we want is to go home. But once we do, our families ask, ‘Why did you work longer than what the slavers told us?’ And that’s when the girl realizes Leda cheated her. Maybe it wouldn’t matter if it ended there, but if word got to the slavers… that’s when it gets dangerous. The longer the service, the more they could’ve charged. And those people aren’t the type you want to cross. That’s why Leda kills us before the truth can leak out. To shut us up for good.”

Kyle’s clenched fists trembled.

“…But there’s no proof. No way to be sure about the poison or the term extensions. Everyone dies before anything can be confirmed.”

Kyle turned on his heel and went straight to the door, unlocking it.

“K-Kyle! What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to ask Leda.”

“Don’t! She’ll kill you!”

Ignoring Tosha’s plea, he tore away and stormed down the stairs. He marched straight to Leda’s room and pounded on the door, shouting:

“Hey! Come out!”

“What’s with the racket, this early in the morning?! Keep it down!”

Leda finally emerged, face wrinkled and scowling more deeply than usual, still dressed in her nightclothes.

“Kyle, it’s you… What, did Claudia die or something?”

Her words were spat out without a shred of concern or pity. Kyle shoved her back into the room and stepped in after her.

“You’ve got some nerve barging into someone’s room like this! What do you think you’re doing?!”

Kyle didn’t hear a word of her protests. He pointed directly at the woman he suspected.

“Leda. You’ve been poisoning Claudia’s food, haven’t you?”

At his words, Leda clutched her shoulders and began to tremble.

“Poison? Oh, how awful! Why would I ever poison that poor girl’s meals?”

Her black eyes narrowed, and she jutted her chin out.

“I don’t know who told you that, but it’s nothing but slander. Look who’s talking you’re the real curse on this house. Claudia got sick because of you. Just wait and see. God sees everything. Soon your arms and legs will start going numb, just like hers. I’ll even give you a prophecy. You’ve got only a few months left before you die.”

With that, Leda turned her back on him.

"Who fed you the idea that I poisoned her, huh? Not that I need to ask I can guess well enough. It was Tosha, wasn’t it? That foul-mouthed little brat. Sooner or later, divine punishment will come for her too. God’s wrath, you’ll see."

“So then, Leda. You’re saying you didn’t lie?”

At that, Leda’s shoulders shook with laughter.

“Lie? Me? Don’t be absurd. I may be ugly on the outside, but my heart’s honest and true.”

“Then swear it. Right here, in front of me.”

“Swear it? What kind of…”

When she finally turned around and saw Kyle with his angel wings unfurled, her sunken eyes widened in the folds of her wrinkled face. Clutching her head in both hands, she let out a shriek "Hi-! Hiiieee!" To show her the wings were no illusion, no trick, Kyle rose into the air within the room.

“Y-you… you’re…!”

Leda’s pallid lips trembled violently.

“God sees everything, Leda. Tell the truth about what you’ve done.”

Leda let out an ear-splitting scream "GYAAAH!" and in a flash leapt onto the side table. Before Kyle could even grasp what she was doing, she lunged toward the window. With a loud crash of shattering glass, she broke through it. He rushed to the window. Below, Leda lay sprawled on the dirt path, bloodied… but then, somehow, she pushed herself upright and bolted like a wild animal.

Kyle stowed his wings and jumped down from the broken window to follow. But Leda darted through tight gaps between buildings, narrow enough for only children to slip through, twisting and turning through back alleys that made it near impossible to catch up. She vanished behind walls and corners so swiftly that Kyle kept losing her.

She was fast unbelievably fast. At times, she dropped to all fours and sprinted like a dog. It was unnatural, almost bestial. People on the street turned and stared in alarm as she passed, unable to believe what they were seeing.

After running through a tangled web of alleyways, Leda fled beyond the town’s edge. She crossed a bridge, dashed over a hill, and kept running. Where in the world is she going? Kyle wondered. Is there an accomplice out there waiting for her? But then she dove straight into a place even Kyle hesitated to approach, Zavada Forest. A cursed forest so feared, even the locals dared not enter, rivaling the dread of Oliva Forest itself.

Kyle chased her in.

The forest, crawling with monsters, was the same as ever thick with tangled trees that blotted out the sunlight, casting a dusky gloom even at midday. The smell rank and unnatural wafted in from some unseen place.

“Leda! Leda!”

He called her name, but no reply came. Even with his angelic powers restored, the place filled him with dread. He remembered the day he tried to die, and how the monsters tore his wings, his back shivered involuntarily. Small beasts, he could handle. But if something larger appeared, there was no guarantee he’d escape in one piece.

Even so, he had to find her. He had to force her to reveal the antidote to the poison she had given Claudia.

A scream tore through the forest nearby “GYAAAH!”

He raced toward the sound. In a clearing between the trees, Leda had collapsed to her knees, surrounded by four or five monstrous creatures part cat, part bird. They were biting her, snapping at her head and legs. These were monsters he could deal with. Kyle unleashed his magic, and the beasts scattered instantly, fleeing into the shadows.

Relieved to be free of the creatures, Leda let out a breath, but the moment she spotted Kyle standing among the trees, her face twisted in fury.

“Tell me where to find the antidote for the poison you gave Claudia.”

Her face was smeared with blood, and her hollow black eyes gleamed like a cat’s.

“Antidote, you say?”

“If you used poison, then you must have had an antidote. Tell me.”

Leda let out a high-pitched, cackling laugh.

“Let’s make a deal. You let me go, and I’ll tell you where the antidote is.”

Kyle clenched his jaw. Letting Leda go after everything she had done was unthinkable but right now, saving Claudia came first.

“I’ll let you go. So… tell me.”

Leda opened her mouth wide in a crooked grin.

“Boil mare leaves together with horehore and have her drink it. Do that for three days straight, and the poison will start to leave her body.”

Her gnarled, wrinkled finger pointed straight at Kyle.

“I kept my end of the deal, so you’d better keep yours. This forest…”

Before she could finish her sentence, a massive shadow loomed behind her. A furry hand grabbed her small head in a crushing grip and lifted her high into the air.

“Been a long time since I’ve had a proper meal.”

The stench hit Kyle like a wall, forcing him to cover his nose and take a step back. It was one of those monsters the kind with a purple tongue, the kind that had once torn his wings. The kind he knew was far too powerful for his spells to harm.

“H-help me! Kyle, Kyle!!”

Leda shrieked, her face drained of color.

Even as she begged, Kyle knew he couldn’t fight this thing. It was too strong. He had no confidence he could take it on and win. The monster licked her all over with its slick, violet tongue, almost gleefully, as Leda flailed her arms and legs in terror.

“I-I’ll tell the truth, I swear! Please, just help me! Mare and hore aren’t antidotes they’re just stomach cleansers! They won’t save Claudia!”

Shock struck first then a searing, explosive rage.

“Leda! Even now, you’re still lying to me?!”

Kyle’s voice thundered through the trees.

“I’ll tell you the truth this time, I swear! Please, please save me! If you don’t help me now, Claudia will die she’ll ugyaaaaaAAAHHHH !!”

The monster sank its teeth into Leda’s right leg and tore it off with a sickening crunch. Kyle froze, trembling, unable to do anything as the scene before him became a waking nightmare. Leda’s eyes rolled wildly, and she foamed at the mouth, screaming in agony.

“Help me, Kyle!! I’m the only one who knows the antidote if I die, Claudia will never…!”

With a wet, crushing sound like a tomato being smashed something warm and metallic spattered against Kyle’s cheek.

“Ugh, noisy. What an irritating human.”

The monster clicked its purple tongue in annoyance, then bit into Leda’s remaining leg. Her body now hung limply, upside-down, and no further screams escaped her lips because her head had been crushed in the creature’s hand.

The choking stench of blood. The suffocating rot. And then… her soul left her body. It was twisted and hideous gray, or maybe black and deformed. Before it could drift far, a swarm of low-level demons appeared and seized it, dragging it deeper into the forest, into the black heart of its cursed depths, where no light could reach.

Kyle turned away, unable to look any longer. He shot upward through the tangled canopy, soaring into the sky.

Leda was dead. She was truly dead.

A fitting end, perhaps one that divine justice had reserved for her after a life of cruelty and sin.

Kyle flew, cloaked in invisibility, back to the alleyways of the town. Normally, he would return in human form, walking back to the brothel to avoid crossing paths with any angel who might be visiting the church. But today, there was no time for caution.

He slipped into the narrow space between the brothel and the neighboring building and returned to his human form. Entering through the back door, he passed through the kitchen and into the hallway, where Tosha was sitting on the floor in front of Claudia’s room. The moment she saw Kyle, she gave a startled squeak.

“How is Claudia?”

“…She’s sleeping.”

When he tried to enter the room, Tosha grabbed his arm.

“Go change your clothes and wash your face first. You’re covered in blood.”

Kyle went to the kitchen to clean his face, hands, and feet, then returned to his room to change. As he did, Tosha leaned against the open door, watching him quietly.

“…Did you kill Leda?”

Kyle, still turned away, shook his head.

“I confronted her about the poison she gave Claudia… and she ran. I chased her. She fled into the cursed forest, and there she was eaten by a monster. …I couldn’t save her.”

Tosha placed a hand on her chest and let out a quiet, weary sigh.

“It’s better that she died. Leda brought it on herself.”

Kyle turned to face her.

“She was killed before I could get the antidote for the poison she gave Claudia. …Anyone. Do you know anyone who’s knowledgeable about poisons?”

Tosha furrowed her brow, pressing her fingers to her cheek in thought. Then, all at once, she clapped her hands.

“Oh right, I’ve heard of a skilled though eccentric apothecary who lives on West Street.”

As Kyle made to rush out, Tosha grabbed his arm.

“I’ll go. You should stay with Claudia.”

When Kyle entered the room, Claudia was asleep. Her eyelids were sunken, casting deep shadows across her face. One delicate fingertip poked out from beneath the quilt, and he gently took it in his hand. He knew his power only worked on plants, on roses. But still, he couldn’t stop himself from pouring all of his strength, all of his love, into her.

Tosha returned with the apothecary just as Claudia was beginning to stir. The old man took one look at her and nodded grimly.

“It's Saitre poison.”

He called Kyle and Tosha out into the hallway and sighed deeply.

“I hear she’s already seen a doctor, but I imagine they couldn’t identify the poison. It’s been ages since I’ve treated someone in the final stages of Saitre poisoning. The plant grows high in the mountains, and its bright orange flowers are where the poison lies. In small doses, it’s a useful painkiller but taken over time, the toxin builds up, causing numbness in the limbs, paralysis… and eventually, the lungs stop. If you catch it early, there’s an antidote. But once the numbness sets in, the poison has already spread throughout the body. It’s too late. That girl’s got maybe two, three days left, at most.”

After the apothecary left, Tosha leaned against the door and began to sob. Kyle couldn’t bring himself to go back to Claudia’s side. Instead, he sat down heavily in a chair in the common room, eyes fixed on a faint stain on the table.

When she’d finished crying, Tosha sat down across from him and ran her fingers through her dull, golden hair in frustration.

“I told Claudia about the poison. I even warned her to be careful around Leda. But she wouldn’t listen. She kept saying Leda wasn’t a bad person. Why couldn’t she ever tell the difference between good and evil?”

She lifted her head and looked Kyle in the eye.

“I’m glad you’re here. Compared to all the girls we’ve lost, Claudia’s lucky. She’s got someone who’s stayed by her side through all of this, a prince, no less.”

“I haven’t done anything…”

“What are you saying?!” Tosha shot to her feet. “You don’t have to do anything! Just being there is enough. Just being by her side… that’s already healing Claudia’s heart.”

At Tosha’s urging, Kyle rose and returned to Claudia’s room, his heart heavy with despair.

She was said to have just two or three days left but those pale gray eyes filled with tears the moment she saw him. In a faint, trembling voice, she called his name.

“I’m right here.”

He gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. Her lips, which had been murmuring his name like a frightened child, relaxed slightly with relief.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. When I thought you weren’t there anymore, I suddenly got so scared…”

Kyle softly stroked her light brown hair.

“I had a dream. You, me, and my little sister we were living happily in a tiny house on the outskirts of a village. Just the three of us… But when I opened my eyes, I saw the same old gray ceiling. And I realized it had just been a dream. That made me so sad.”

Tears overflowed from her gray eyes and rolled down her gaunt cheeks.

“I’m going to die soon, aren’t I…? I just wish I could’ve seen my sister’s face one more time. But with this body, I can’t even go to her anymore…”

Kyle rose quietly to his feet.

“Tell me your sister’s name.”

In a faint voice, she whispered, “Ayla.”

“I named her myself. My sweet little Ayla.”

“I’ll bring your sister to you.”

Her gray eyes widened in disbelief.

“So wait for me.”

He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead and then left the room.

"Where are you going?"

Tosha, who had been sitting against the wall in the corridor, looked up.

"I'm going to bring Claudia's sister."

Tosha frowned and said, "Don’t bother."

"Claudia’s sister is in Parinié Village, right? That’s a two-day journey by carriage. By the time you go and come back, that girl will be dead."

Kyle smiled gently. “It’ll be fine,” he said, then left the brothel through the back door. Slipping into a narrow alley between buildings, he disappeared from view. Once hidden, Kyle returned to his original angelic form and, with a powerful beat of his wings, shot off in the direction of Parinié Village.

Previous TOC Next