Borj’s face instantly regained color and his pained expression relaxed into a serene smile. His injuries were gone, and even though he was hungry and weak, he didn’t feel his life slipping away anymore.
‘I’m sorry, dude.’ The Voidfeather thought. ‘I can’t allow George to share a bit of his deadly life force with you. Even if it doesn’t kill you, it would make him hungry. You wouldn’t like him when he’s hungry.’
Derek stared at the emerald construct in utter confusion, experiencing an emotion that he was certain couldn’t belong to him: filial love.
After Borj was completely healed, Mother’s Embrace still had more than enough mana left to cure Agra and Liru. The old woman pointed her gnarly finger at them and so did Derek.
The remaining energy fixed the travelers’ burns, leaving them exhausted but with no scar from the assault.
“Good job, little imp. It’s ten copper coins total.” The old woman ruffled hair that Derek was certain his new body didn’t have yet he felt it under her hand anyway.
“It’s ten copper coins total.” He repeated her words just like he had done until that moment.
“That’s it?” Agra allowed herself to peek at her husband, noticing that he looked tired but otherwise fine.
“Mom, I’m hungry.” The little boy whimpered, not knowing if it was okay not to be scared anymore.
The monster had saved his dad, but Liru could still hear the death screams of the bad men and their poor horses. Agra had made sure to keep his eyes shut, but he had heard every scream and denied plea for mercy.
The boy would have never dared speak if he wasn’t so hungry that his gurgling stomach rumbled louder than his squeaky voice.
“Ho, ho, ho!” The old woman laughed her ass off at the Void. “I can’t believe you fell for that, young spirit. I may be old and dead, but I still got it.”
“Dead?” Derek echoed, half confused and half grieving the loss of a friend he had never met.
“No, Magus Verhen. Everyone is fine thanks to you.” Agra checked her husband, son, and even herself, scared witless by the monster wearing her hero’s clothes.
Yet the Void didn’t hear a word she said because he was too busy listening to Nana.
“Yes, young spirit, I’m dead, but not where it counts.” She tapped on his breastplate where his heart was supposed to be. “Now, even though it goes against everything I taught you, give these poor people a freebie. Can you do that for me?”
“Yes.” Derek nodded.
He had no idea how much ten copper coins were worth nor did he care. He just wanted to speak with her, even if just for one more minute.
“Well, it’s time for me to go then.” Nana got to her feet, her hunched back straightening up like Lith had never seen her. “Always remember my final words to you. The King of the spirits must be strong, wise, but also loving. Otherwise he is just a monster.”
The old healer walked to the still-kneeling Abomination, giving him a motherly kiss on the forehead.
“By the way, my name is Nerea, not old woman, you jackass.” She slapped him on the forehead, making his head jerk for no apparent reason to Agra’s eyes. “I must admit I never used my real name much, but you called me Nana for years. How could you forget about that too?”
“Nana? Nerea?” Derek echoed, the surprise locking him into place.
Those names sounded indeed familiar but the most shocking thing to him was that he had seen the slap coming a mile away, yet he had not recoiled from it nor had he considered it a threat.
Back on Earth, Derek McCoy knew only one kind of violence and only one way to reply to it, but the old woman was different. Her slap was different from all those he had suffered over the years.
It wasn’t meant to hurt or humiliate him. There was no strength behind it. It was the kind of thing a grumpy grandparent would do to scold their unruly grandchild.
“Gods, I’m too old for this crud.” Nana took off her shawl, letting her long hair tousle in the wind. “Don’t come to see me again anytime soon, King of the Spirits, okay?”
As her figure faded away, Derek could swear that her hair had turned black with yellow streaks all over. That her skin had become smooth and youthful until the old woman was no older than he was.
Yet everything happened so fast that it was hard to distinguish the various parts of his hallucination.
“Magus Verhen?” That name and Agra’s voice snapped him back to reality, but only because with Nana gone, the hunger was back. “Here’s the money you asked.”
She had put on a loose shirt from their scattered baggage and was handing him ten copper coins that she held in her cupped hands. Agna was kneeling at him at a safe distance to show the monster that she posed no threat to him.
“Keep your money. It was just a joke.” Derek looked at the three humans and they were no longer his playthings.
The two adults were back to being fellow victims and the boy reminded him of Carl again. The Abomination swallowed hard, thinking about what he would have done to them with a smile on his face if not for the red wolf.
Derek was now scared of himself. Of what he might become. He had come this close to turning into Ezio and he had enjoyed every moment of it.
Haunted by the memory of the first human-faced monster he had killed, the Void flew away as fast as he could in the attempt to escape from his shame.
***
Distar Marquisate, Lustria County, Verhen Mansion, a few hours later.
“We got him! Some travelers have spotted a creature resembling an Abomination who wore the Voidwalker armor and carried a red sword to his hip. It must be Lith!” Kamila said as the report popped up on her amulet.
Agra’s family had gotten back to the road as soon as Borj woke up. When they had reached their destination, the Tablet had reconnected with the Web and delivered to Agna the Royal emergency broadcast about the missing Magus.
The message mentioned Lith’s possible amnesia and the risks that meeting him might pose. The broadcast also recommended the citizens of the Kingdom to stay away from Lith and call for help immediately.
Agna had pressed the emergency button on her amulet upon hearing the message and a Warp Steps had instantly opened to her position. She had been brought to the local branch of the Association where Agna and her family had been treated and fed while interrogated.
The assigned Constable updated his report in real time and once he was done, he handsomely compensated the family for their losses in exchange for their silence. The prospect of a rampaging Magus was already bad.
A rampaging Magus Abomination was the stuff nightmares were made of.
“Where?” Elina asked, dropping the plates she was washing to run to Kamila’s side.
“Near the borders with the Empire, in the Hessar region.” The more Kamila read the report the more she knew there was something wrong with her husband.
