The Land of Keimusho [ COMPLETED ]

Chapter Two: The Evaluation

I woke up early and decided to go for a jog. I wanted to clear my mind. We only had a little food left, so what were we going to do? On top of that, the upcoming evaluation was looming over me, along with my blank memory. I walked and ran up and down the mountain, sweating profusely.

As I caught my breath, I saw Renz by the cursed river. My heart skipped a beat. What was he doing there? Thousands of demons surrounded that river, and one wrong move from Renz could wake them up. Those demons had an intense bloodlust, and they would not hesitate to attack anyone who dared to cross their path. Just because he could turn invisible, it didn't mean he could underestimate the demons guarding the Keimusho Academy river. Damn! I needed to hurry. I quickly ran towards Renz, my heart pounding in my chest.

"What do you think you're doing?!" I yelled at him as I pulled him away from the river.

"What?! I'm just testing their security," he grinned, as if it was some sort of game.

"Testing their security?! You know for a fact that thousands of cursed individuals have been killed by those demons! Damn it! You're being childish!" I scolded him, my voice shaking with anger and frustration.

"Look, nothing happened. So stop throwing tantrums," he said plainly and turned his back to me.

"Why do you want to enter that Academy so badly?" I asked him softly, hoping to get a real answer.

He stopped walking but didn't turn to face me. "I don't want to keep stealing. I'm tired of this life," he said emotionlessly.

I dropped my shoulders in disappointment. Was that it? He was going to throw away everything we had because he was tired of this life?

"Well then. You're worse than the demons in the cursed river," I said without enthusiasm and walked away, leaving Renz to his thoughts.

As I walked back to our home, I couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness and hopelessness. Our situation seemed more dire than ever, and I wondered if we would ever find a way out of this cycle of survival and danger.

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"Oh? You woke up early? Did Renz come home already?" Wency was cooking in the kitchen when I got home.

"Why? Didn't he come home last night?" I asked, confused.

"No, he didn't. He was out all night."

Wency's words only made me more annoyed. We had been through so much, yet he acted like we were nothing to him. I walked into the kitchen, which was a small but cozy space nestled within the clustered trees that made up our home. The walls were made of rough-hewn wood and the floor was made of polished stones. A small fire pit in the middle of the room provided warmth and light, while a few shelves and cabinets made of woven vines and branches served as storage space for our kitchen utensils and ingredients. The scent of cooking food filled the air, and the sound of crackling fire mixed with the bubbling of a pot on the stove. Despite the rustic setting, the kitchen felt like a warm and welcoming place, a testament to the resourcefulness and ingenuity of the people who lived here.

"I don't know what's gotten into him," I said, shaking my head. "He was out by the cursed river this morning, testing the demons' security. I had to stop him before something terrible happened."

Wency looked at me with concern. "The cursed river? He's playing with fire," she said, frowning.

After expressing her worry, she began to set up the table. I offered to help and we worked together to put the dishes in the bowls.

"I know. It's like he doesn't care about us anymore," I said, my voice tinged with frustration and sadness.

We sat down to eat the meal that Wency had prepared, but the atmosphere surrounding me was tense. Renz's absence weighed heavily on my mind, and I couldn't stop thinking about his reckless behavior earlier this morning. As we ate in silence, I couldn't help but feel a sense of disappointment and frustration.