Departed

Chapter 11: Servitude

Harumi's POV

     My eyes snapped open to a boringly beige room, filled with the fresh scent of clean air. I felt energized, like I had been sleeping for a while. The sharp pain in my stomach was gone. Memories surged into my head of the needles used to help me with my dehydration, and I scanned the area around me for anyone unfortunate enough to be holding one.

     The short table beside where I was laying contained no needles, only a few bottles of bright red medicine labeled 'beetroot'.

     "Ah, you're awake."

      I spun to see an older man, watching me with steely blue-grey eyes. His face was kind, but his deceptively simple robed attire convinced me this was all an act. He was surely a demon from the Departed Realm, ready to lure me into a false sense of security. The infirmary surrounding me was only an illusion.

      "Welcome to my humble abode, Harumi."

      I looked around to find a weapon. Seeing nothing but a discarded spoon, I picked it up and pointed it at him. Drops of red medicine flung through the air. "I'm not falling for your tricks, demon. Where's Morro?"

      "Mistake reacted similarly," the man mused, stroking the ends of his gray mustache. "Except she actually threw something at me."

      I dropped the spoon in surprise. "Mistake?! You've... you've met her? But she's good. She's not going to the chasm!"

      What have I done?

     "Relax, Harumi, and trust me when I say this is not the chasm. I found Mistake in the mountains of the Seventh Realm where she said she was going to be. She's here now, waiting for you outside." The man gently retrieved the spoon from the floor, twisting it in his fingers. "Morro is here too. You are all safe."

     "Did—did you save us?" I hesitantly asked. "The last thing I remember was being stuck in a prison cell, slowly dying from poison."

     "Basically. I was the one who sent people to get you out."

     "Then," I added, "you saved my life."

     "Technically," the man said. "Malevolence's poison wouldn't have actually killed you. It doesn't have that type of power. She just wanted you to suffer then rot because of lack of nourishment. She has her creative ways of torturing people, wouldn't you say?"

     I brushed my bangs out of my eyes. "You know Malevolence. You saved us... why?"

     He crouched down to meet my eyes. "My name is Erasmus and I'm from the Cloud Kingdom. I write destinies for a living." He chuckled. "There is something very serious surrounding you. I need to understand why things happened."

     "What sort of serious?" I questioned warily as the room began to violently shake.

     Erasmus' face twisted in concern, yet he seemed way too calm that the world was experiencing this bad of an earthquake. "Turbulence." He said once the rocking died down a little. "I'm going to deal with that real quick. While I'm gone, I want you to try out walking, and if you can, change into more suitable clothes. I have a feeling you don't want to walk around dressed like that." He left the room without another word. I didn't hear any lock click, which immediately gave me a strange feeling.

     I wasn't sure why, until I realized how silent the room was afterward. I was used to the click of the lock, the rustling as the castle guards changed positions, and the hushed orders of Hutchins outside. Erasmus had left without a word, leaving nothing but silence to take his place. No locks; no absence of freedom. I could run after him if I wished. For once in my life, I actually had a choice to not stay out of sight.