The Azure Knight

Chapter 20

Months later

Clouds were hanging in the sky again today. It had covered the sun, blocking the life under it to get its warm light. The clouds were not white as usual, it was gray, the storm clouds. It was hanging low and moving towards the city, slowly but steady, ready to pour itself upon the city below. As it passed by, white dust started to drift in the air.

Keichi was walking down the street when the first snow fell. He lifted his head, hand raised, tried to reach the snow. White smoke was blowing out from his mouth as he breathed, signified that the air was getting colder now. He walked again, entered a small restaurant at the end of the street.

"Yo, Selwyn-san. Let me borrow one of your birds." Keichi said as he entered. He wiped away snows on his head then sat at the bar.

"Is it snowing outside?" Selwyn asked.

"Yeah, just now." He said while writing a short letter and then folded it.

"Well well, this is a good news then. The winter festival will begin in ten days from now."

"Winter festival? Ah, I almost forget it. Anyway, where is my bird? I need it. A raven precisely."

"Follow me."

Selwyn led him through a door near the bar. They were heading to the backyard. Keichi immediately chose a raven, tied his letter, then sent the bird away.

"Let's go back. I need something to warm my body."

Selwyn gave him a glass of ale after he arrived at his workplace, which was behind the bar. "If you don't want to get cold, then a mere merchant like you should be at your shop. Not wandered around at the street."

Keichi laughed. "I don't wander around. I was just finish delivered food stock to the fort."

"To the fort? Then did you see her?"

"Who? Sera? Ah, I saw her. It's weird to see her face as sour as a lemon. I bet Commander Hill made her worked really hard."

"A soldier indeed must work hard."

Keichi giggled. "You are as strict as ever. Still cannot lose that kind of habit, Captain Selwyn?"

"Tch... I'm no longer a captain since I left that mad country."

"So it's true then, about the ghost army of Cerulean." Keichi leaned his cheek on his right hand, waited for the man to answer.

Selwyn shivered as he remembered something from his past. "It's not a ghost. It's a monster. Just think about it makes me want to vomit."

***

Michaela Crimson – the current queen of Crimson Kingdom – was standing on the balcony. She leaned her body against the stone fence, feeling her stomach pressed the cold rock as her eyes were scanning the scenery down below, the capital city of her kingdom.

'It's lively as usual.' She thought.

She lifted her gaze above and saw that the sky had the same color as yesterday, pale blue with gray clouds here and there. But besides the clouds, there was something else in the sky today. She spotted a black dot moved closer towards her. A moment later, a raven perched at the stone fence. A small paper tied to its feet. Michaela took it and read it carefully.

Red becomes black. Stain should be removed. 10 days from now.

-K.L.

"Winter has come." She whispered to herself after reading the letter. The wind blew over her, flattered her hair and her dress. Without turned away, she said those words again to the man who just arrived.