TBATE | King Grey

-CHAPTER 9- Journey to Xyrus starts

"Cadet—um...King...Grey—you have a visitor." A soft voice interrupted my thoughts as I turned my gaze away from the french window to see a maid standing next to my open door. She looked nervous and curious at the same time.

"Uh...can you tell me who it is? I don't—I am not expecting anyone." My voice was laced with confusion and mild anticipation. Could it be...

"It's a young lady, in the name of Cecilia." Maid answered quickly.

I bolted up from the fancy couch I was sitting on, my body fuelled with excitement. "Yes! Please let her in!" I tried to contain my emotions, but everything I had bottled up—came bursting out like a blasted grenade.

The maid flinched slightly at my sudden reaction, but quickly bowed and spun on her heels before she disappeared from my view.

Few minutes passed in waited silence and soon sounds of footsteps echoed through the empty corridor just outside my room. And then, a familiar figure of a little girl with brown hair and hazel eyes came into my bedroom view.

I moved, my body instinctively closing towards my friend, but I stopped when she looked into me. My body froze when my eyes fell on her face— which was contorted in a complex mixture of pain, fear and guilt. Her brown eyes were turned red and swollen, tears glistened her puffed white cheeks which were gaining colour.

She was crying.

"Cecilia...w-what's wrong?" I asked in nervousness. But then it hit me, as I recalled the maid's words.

"It's a young lady, in the name of Cecilia."

It's just her. So...where's Nico? As if understanding my unspoken question, Cecilia finally spoke. Her voice muffled under the heavy sobbing and hiccups as she heaved for her words in pain. "H-He's gone. N-Nico's gone! He-He ran away I tried to stop him but he won't listen."

My face drained colour as my heart sank.

"What do—" before my words could come out, I flinched at the sight of Cecilia falling to the floor. Her knees were shaking, and soon her whole body followed. Her slumped shoulders jerked every-time she sobbed as tears spilled down on her skirt then to the white marbled floor.

*hic hic*

She took her hands in front of her face as she cried into them. Her sobs echoed all around the palace quarters I was in, not a sound was heard except for her wails and cries.

It was ominous and foreboding.

"Where did he go? No, what exactly happened!? I thought he was in the hospital with you—"

"H-He was...and then these men came to check on me...to see if-if..." she stuttered as her breathing became ragged and forced. Panic overtook my confusion and nervousness as I walked closer to where Cecilia was crying. I knelt on my knees and wrapped my arms around her.

She shook inside my arms, her frame unnaturally smaller today, which made me tighten my hold as if she would disappear anytime. Worry overtook my panicked state as I tried to understand why and where Nico could have run off to.

It had been about a month since Cecilia and I fought at the finals of the King's tournament. After almost dying in my hands, Cecilia was hospitalised and kept in ICU for over a week. When she was transferred to the private ward, her condition had gotten better, but not without any problems. Doctors had informed that her Ki-pool—which was unnaturally large—had completely drained off her body, which had fortunately helped her heal but in turn making her a normal human without any access to Ki.

It was a small price to pay, if you ask me. Small price for her life.

Nico and I were bitterly happy about the sudden turn of events. Ki had been both a boon and a bane for Cecilia ever since she had been born. It had put a target on her back—making her a tool, a weapon—sought out by not just our country, but many other powerful counties around the world. Knowing that she had lost the one thing that had made her life miserable, it was much better than worrying about potential diseases and injuries that she may or may not incur in the future, which can't be healed without the help of Ki. It was the only drawback, and then personal strength to keep herself safe.