A few days had passed since Luka came back from Ryuuji. While his wounds weren't fully healed, he could still move around the city, stretching his sore limbs that greatly needed some exercise.
The city of Eran was in turmoil. More and more citizens were protesting in the streets, asking to see the king after months of complete silence, and the rumors of an army approaching had already spread among them. Every morning, some protestors got the habit of starting a protest right in front of the tavern, thinking that the owner, Darian Galterr, knew what was going on.
Of course, that same protest also woke Luka early every single morning.
"Damn, when are they going to stop?" he moaned, his brain still half-asleep as the noise from outside grew louder.
"We demand answers!" the group chanted in unison, brandishing flags and sticks menacingly outside, the sound of their voices barely muffled by the wooden walls of the tavern.
"Get them elsewhere..." Luka grumbled again, albeit quietly as he didn't have the guts to tell them to their faces.
He dragged himself to the window, the floor creaking beneath his weight, and peeked out through the curtains. As expected, the streets were flooded with people, their faces twisted with fear and frustration, and their eyes bloodshot as if they would pop out of their sockets.
Sighing, he almost closed the curtain before noticing something on the neighbor's roof. It was a bird, a small bird with beautiful blue feathers glistening in the sunlight. It stood out against the drab, gray surroundings of the lower city, as if it didn't belong to the chaos below. The small creature pointed in his direction as if looking at him.
A faint smile tugged at his lips. "Hey there, little one," he said softly, almost singing, while opening the window a crack. The air outside was thick with tension, but the bird seemed unfazed, calmly observing him from its high perch.
"Hm?" Luka raised an eyebrow, thinking something wasn't right. He leaned against the windowsill, as the bird hopped closer to the edge of the roof. There was something about its movements that seemed...
As if sensing his thoughts, the bid chirped once. Then, without warning, it spread its wings and took flight, circling gracefully above the crown before disappearing into the sky.
Luka watched it go, feeling calmer inside. "Strange, but welcome." He closed the window and turned away from the scene outside. The protests would continue at least until noon, there was no point in dwelling on it.
Just then, a loud knock on the door reverberated through the room.
"Luka? You awake?" It was Darian, his voice low but urgent.
"Yeah," Luka replied, stretching his limbs further. "Good morning. What is it?"
Darian pushed open the door, stepping inside with a forced smile. His long brown hair was wavy, meaning he didn't have the time to comb it this morning.
"Is it about the protests?" Luka inquired, sensing his concern.
"No, it's something else," Darian scratched his head in discomfort, as he was asleep a few minutes ago as well. "We've got bad visitors."
"The protest then."
"No, worse. Demon hunters."
Luka felt his muscles tense the moment Darian mentioned "demon hunters". He cursed under his breath as he was instantly reminded of Saki.
"Demon hunters?" Luka repeated, trying to hide his tension. "Aren't the demons bad or something?"
That question was more or less a way to get information he couldn't get from Saki. While he knew she wasn't a bad one, there was a possibility that it was the exception rather than the rule. Demons, by nature, shouldn't be human after all. Luka needed to know what he was dealing with.
YOU ARE READING
A Tamia's Tale
Fantasy"A world full of mysteries and interesting people, sure. But what if I wanted to go home instead?" Luka, a young man, is summoned by accident in a fantasy world. But his arrival isn't without problems: kidnapping, political betrayals, a sickly king...
