Zetsumei

Chapter 27. A Friend from the Past

After the battle was over, the barrier was release and Layhel came out unscathed. Her maid uniform was stained with dark red spots as she emotionlessly walks out the room.

Hilda: (worried) R-reaper king, please reconsider, you saw what happen back there. You'll only suffer the same fate as the last challenger.

Zelphine: I know...but this feeling, I can't shake it off. If I don't do this, I feel as though I'll regret it for the rest of my life.

Hilda: What is there to regret? It's more like you'll regret challenging her!

Zelphine: I know...hehe, I'm just like a fool rushing towards his death. A very dumb fool that knows he's going to die. But still, even with the littlest hope, it's enough for him to keep moving forward without fear. I guess I'm going to make a gamble on my life now.

Hilda: Ah! Wait!!!

I ran after Layhel. As I was running in the halls, I finally realize that I don't know where she is...shoot, I'm lost! I guess it was a bad idea to run off like that. But still, as long as she is still within this mansion, I'll eventually find her. Now the question is, where could she be?
I looked at one of the maids

Zelphine: Hey, did you see a maid with silver braids come through here?

Maid: Who, you mean Layhel? She just past that corner awhile ago.

Zelphine: Thanks a lot!

I ran towards the direction she pointed in.

The only thing I can do now is to find her by asking the maids around here one by one.
Once the sky grew dark, the last maid I asked told me that Layhel is in the garden.

When I arrived, Layhel was looking at a field of Geraniums (Type of red flower) while holding a silver pocket watch with a sad expression. I was curious of what she was doing so I hid behind a tree and watched from a distance. There, Layhel opened the pocket watch and stared at it for a long time. Suddenly, she snaps it shut and her face grew dark and expressionless.

Layhel: You behind that tree over there, you have until the count of five to come out or else I'll start throwing sharp knives.

Zelphine: (gulp) (How does she even know I'm here!)

Layhel: 1....4...

Layhel was getting her daggers ready

Zelphine: Wait! Don't shoot! I'm out!! (You skipped 2 and 3!)

When Layhel saw me, she had a shocked expression on her face.

Layhel:(shocked)...Zel...phi...?

Zelphine: (surprised) Huh? How did y-

Layhel:...You're Zelphi aren't you. No matter how much you've change, I will always know it's you.

Zelphine: You...who are you? (She talks as if she knew me, have I met her somewhere before?)

Layhel: You may have forgotten, but I will never forget. After all, you were the one who gave me a reason to live.

Zelphine: Me? (If it's something that important, why don't I remember it?) Could you tell me about how we met.

Layhel: Certainly.

As Layhel told her story, the memories of the past began to flow within her head.

Layhel: I...was born between a human and demon.

Zelphine: !!!

Layhel: I've never met my mother and father before, they died before I was born. It was my aunt from the demon side who raised me. My aunt never really liked me because I was a half human. She would always yell at me or beat me with a whip. Everyday, I would have new bruises all over my body and sometimes it would bleed to the point where I would faint. It was very painful and I cried a lot. When I turned five, my aunt had enough of me and decided that she would kill me. At that time, I finally realize that even when I cry, nothing will be change and my demon side awakened. It was like a heavy weight lifted off my shoulders when I killed her with my first knife. I was happy, now, I didn't have to hear her yell at me anymore or get beaten until I faint. I was finally able to enjoy true freedom in the outside world. But...every village and town I went to, people treated me no different than my aunt...maybe even worse. For a five-year old being out in the streets, I wasn't able to find food for myself and collapse from hunger. For hours, I would see people pass by me and sometime laugh, no one helped me. As I laid there, I felt as if the world was turning dark until, you and a silver-hair man came along. (Sigh) I still remember it like it was yesterday, you were like my tiny light of hope when you smiled and offered me some bread.

Layhel then looks at the field of Geraniums. She then gently wrapped her hands around one of the flower.

Layhel: As if that wasn't enough, you even gave me these red Geraniums and asked if we could be friends. Did you know...in the language of flowers, Geranium means true friendship. When you gave those to me, I cried out more than I did when my aunt was beating me. But they were tears of joy and I felt happiness for the first time. But that dream ended the very next day. I was kidnapped and send to this mansion to be trained as a maid. I was so sad when you were gone, but it was because of my long desire to see you again that made me strong. The day by day harsh training we did sort of took a toll on my personality. But I knew for certain that in your eyes, I would still be the same person. Just like how I knew it was you right away even after all the changes you when through.

Layhel then picked a geranium and held it with both hands.

Layhel: Every night around this time, I would always come out here and think about where you are, and what you're doing right now. I've been using this pocket watch to keep track of how long we've been apart.

Zelphine: (...I get that I'm important to you but...the pocketwatch part is not normal!)

Layhel: In order to meet you again, I made a deal with the head mistress.

Zelphine: What sort of deal?

Layhel: Our bargain was that if I can defeat one thousand challengers who challenge me, then I'll be set free. For you, I would even kill one million. But as a first class, no one rarely challenges us. For twelve years, I only had about 67 challengers, that's still a long way off. I was going to quickly finish this and then come find you but, you were the one who found me and saved me again. As my one and only friend, I would gladly summit to you as my mistress. Because it's you, I would gladly throw away my life to save yours. If you didn't help me that day, I would've died anyway. This life of mine is for you to use as you see fit. For you, I would do anything and everything.

Layhel then kneeled to me and began making the contract.

Layhel: My mistress, I summit to you. For that, I swear to be eternally loyal, please don't hesitate to use me as you see fit.

Then, there was a bright light and a old rolled up paper with a red ribbon tied to it appeared on my hand. I unrolled the paper to reveal the contract. At the bottom, it tells me to sign my name then the maid will be enterally loyal to me. But Layhel isn't just a maid, she is a special long lost friend. Even if I only met her for a day in the past, that one day was important to her.

After I realized that, I tear up the contract once, twice, then three times and once more until it scattered into tiny pieces.

Layhel:!!!

Zelphine: Layhel, you may be a maid, but you're also my friend. A very important friend that I'm happy to have. We don't need a contract to bind us together. As far as I can see, we are already together and will be for the rest of our lives.

Layhel: Yes....you're right...

With those words, Layhel letted out a smile while tears flow down her eyes. It was her first time smiling and crying in a long time.