The Apostle of Ruin

Chapter 11: Forging a New Path

It's been a week since the ambush. Cypress had spent the last few days traversing Shivalia's forests and mountains, fatigue threatening his life with every step. He couldn't stop—not with the unconscious Apostle of Ice on his back. Despite being a fledgling member of the vanguard, he was the only survivor. The responsibility now fell squarely on his shoulders.

"C'mon, Cypress, you can do this," he muttered to himself. "The vanguard is—no, Shivalia is counting on you."

Cypress's vision began to waver as the mana crystals in his armor dimmed, signaling the impending loss of protection from the cold. He had to hurry—time was running out.

Fueled by adrenaline, Cypress quickened his pace until he reached a checkpoint.

"You there! State your identity!" he heard as swords were drawn.

"You buffoon! Use your eyes. That man has a Rime Owl brooch—he's a member of the Dawnfrost Vanguard."

"Then that must be Lady Freya on his back," another soldier said, staring at the silver-haired woman.

"If that's true, alert the physical. We need to check her condition."

The soldiers rushed to a barely conscious Cypress, guiding him and Freya into the stronghold.

Rei began to stir awake, feeling something on his right arm. As his vision adjusted, he realized he was back in the infirmary. His entire right arm was tightly wrapped in some kind of black fabric yet he could fully move his arm.

"Why do I get a sense of déjà vu every time I wake up here?" he muttered, picking at the fabric on his arm.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a voice warned.

Rei looked up to see Kisane sitting on his bed, cutting a pink fruit.

"Fuck! Kisane, don't do that!" Rei exclaimed, now fully awake.

Kisane continued cutting the fruit, responding nonchalantly, "Not my fault you can't perceive me sometimes."

"You're an assassin," Rei stated. "Moving on, how long was I out this time?"

"Two weeks," she said, placing the sliced fruit on a plate. Noticing Rei's downcast expression, she added, "If you're thinking about the wager, Zeke postponed it because the royal family summoned him."

Rei felt relieved, but Kisane continued, "But he did say, 'Tell that abomination our duel will commence on the full moon after the next.'"

"Wait, why on that moon?" Rei asked skeptically.

"I'm guessing because it's a blue moon, and he'll be more powerful than usual," she explained.

Rei nodded, taking in the information. He then looked at the fruit Kisane was cutting, curious. "What are you cutting?"

She cleaned her knife off the red juice. "These are known as Borosberries. They're a popular medicinal ingredient native to the Storm Dynasty, but I like them just to snack on." Kisane ate one of the slices.

"Why are they called that?" Rei asked.

"For some reason, they only grow around Ouroboros Vipers, hence the name," she explained. As she was about to grab another slice, she paused. "Here, these are for you." She placed the plate on the table next to him.

"Thanks, Kisane," Rei said, taking a bite of one of the slices. Immediately, an intense sour taste numbed his tongue before an overwhelming heat followed. "HOT! HOT! HOT!" Rei gasped.

"Huh, they're supposed to be bitter," Kisane said, raising an eyebrow as she handed him some water.

Whilst he was dousing his tongue to alleviate his pain, Kisane's senses picked up another presence in the room that wasn't familiar but it was holy. "Sorry about the berries but they are a good medicine," Kisane said somewhat apologetically.