Atticus and Akito were finishing their dinner; all that remained were their mugs of beer. With a slight smile, Akito raised his glass tankard full of foamy beer, which smelled of hops and wheat.
"Well, let's drink."
Atticus just sighed with a faint smile and lifted his own mug. They clinked them together and drained the still-cool beer to the bottom. Such was Akito's new life, for now full of laughter, new acquaintances, horizons, and most importantly — friends. After dinner, Akito went to his room, his legs feeling slightly unsteady. Lying down on his bed, he plunged into the realm of dreams.
The next day, there were no clients again, so Akito, bowing to Marcus, went to explore the city. Nothing had changed, of course; beautiful streets and lovely gardens were good, but Akito yearned for nature. Leaving the city walls, he stood on a stone bridge, looking at the water beneath. Akito felt a mix of strange emotions, from something pleasant to longing, despair, and a certain hopelessness. Moments played in his head where he was by the river—that's where he first met Andy, and then Ray when he escaped from the manor. Moments when he tried to clear his mind after nightmares and came to the river—now that was gone. It was from the understanding of this loss that Akito felt a pang of longing right in his soul.
'Because I was too weak, they are no longer with me.'
A drop fell into the water, dissolving. Birds flew into the sky and sang. Akito moved away from the bridge; he didn't want to look at the water. The journey with Viator, new friends, and his first job in his life—it all distracted Akito from unpleasant thoughts. He decided to go further. Entering the forest, the birds' songs ceased. Akito walked along a well-trodden path. But he stopped and turned back. Akito's feet led him to those stone gates—he wanted to know everything. Opening one of the massive doors, Akito went inside, wandering through the corridors. He eventually found those he was looking for: two armed guards.
Seeing Akito, they pointed their weapons. "Who are you!?" the two burly guards exclaimed in unison.
Akito raised his hands and put them behind his head. "I know who you are, and I also want to kill the king. I would like to discuss the possibility of an alliance between us."
The guards exchanged glances, then approached Akito, still holding their weapons forward.
"Why should we believe you? Perhaps you'd like to tell us?"
"My friend, a dark-haired man with violet eyes, is cursed, and the king ordered him thrown into a pit."
"There was something like that a month ago, but that's not proof. Perhaps you're a spy sent here."
Akito clenched his jaw and fists.
"What do I need to do for you to believe me? I am ready to be with people like you until the end, until I see that monster die myself. If the king is truly the one who took the lives of my friends, I won't rest until I know he is dead."
His gaze was serious, full of a certain coldness, hatred, and confidence. Eventually, the guards believed Akito when they looked into his eyes.
One of them said, "Kir, continue guarding without me; I'll introduce him to ours."
The other guard, seemingly named Kir, nodded and took his place. The first guard grabbed Akito's arm and led him into another hall. There were people dressed in various cloaks, usually white.
The guard interrupted them all.
"People! This young man wants to join our ranks! His friends were killed on the king's order, so let's accept him into our ranks. I trust him, but not completely yet, so keep an eye on him from time to time."
After these words, the guard left the room. Different people began to approach Akito, asking him why he wanted to join them, what he was interested in, and so on. Akito was initially confused but answered their questions, and then said he had partial memory loss and wanted to learn more about history. A tall young woman took Akito's hand; her palm was cold.
She led Akito somewhere, then pressed him against a wall.
"Who are you? What do you want from us? And most importantly, can we trust you?"
Akito involuntarily looked at the woman; she had a beautiful body, green eyes visible through her mask, and short, wavy bob hair, lighter than Akito's. He was silent at first, but then spoke.
"Well, I don't remember much, but the king killed my friends. My goal is to get revenge on him."
The woman was a little surprised.
"You really don't know the history and why we are fighting the king?"
"I know something, but not much. That the king once gained power, and that's it."
"His name is Icarus. He's a self-obsessed tyrant who fears losing power. Once, our ancestors lived under the rule of a not-the-best, but kind king. This tyrant appeared out of nowhere, carried out a coup, and seized power. After some time, a boy appeared; he didn't want to accept the new power. He had extraordinary abilities, but the king killed him and called him cursed, after which he issued a decree to kill everyone cursed or throw them into a pit from which it's impossible to escape, without exception. This is how some people began to die, and those whom King Icarus' court disliked. They called everyone who wouldn't comply 'cursed' and executed them. People like us retreated and began to live in the ruins of the old kingdom. Now, such places are becoming fewer and fewer each year. The only thing we have left as a base is the old capital of the kingdom."
Akito just listened to the story and remained silent; he didn't know what to say, but heroism stirred in his soul. He spent another hour or so there. The woman's name was Agnes; that's all she told Akito, who in turn told her his name. For now, everyone treated Akito with distrust, so he decided to leave. After all, he now had another strong potential ally.
Leaving the stone gates, he took off his mask. Akito decided not to bother Viator; after all, they would meet in two days. Akito entered the city; there was a crowd of people. Akito saw him. A tall figure stood in the square, well-dressed, aristocratic, some parts of his body covered in armor. His long, snow-white, and lush hair waved in the wind. He was saying something to the crowd; his voice was quite loud, yet courageous and clear. A dark red cloak and a crown completed his image, but Akito couldn't make out his eyes.
Akito understood one thing—here he was, the potential killer of his friends, the cause of Viator's suffering and others, those who opposed the authorities. Akito's eyes burned with pure hatred. He took out the same shard Viator had given him from his pocket. Moving closer to the crowd, he put on his mask, and suddenly, felt a strange energy emanating from King Ikar, similar to what Viator or the white-haired man possessed, but his energy was somewhere between them and slightly oppressive.
All of Akito's anger vanished as if by magic; he felt strange and wanted to run away. After all, he couldn't even get closer.
In the evening, he worked as usual, but was gloomy and pensive. Atticus, Marcus, and Sophia asked what had happened, but Akito simply waved them off, saying he just wasn't in the mood or something like that.
A woman with short brown hair entered their tavern and sat at a table by the window, away from everyone. Akito's expression changed. "I'll serve her."
Heading towards her, he had only one question in his mind.
'Is it really her?'
Akito approached the woman with a slightly confused expression.
"Excuse me, is your name Agnes by any chance?"
She turned to Akito; her face was pleasant to look at, and she had fair skin.
"That's right, and you... Akito? I didn't expect to see you here."
"I work here, actually, so please place your order."
"The house steak with baked potatoes, and a glass of wine. That's all."
Akito nodded and went to Marcus; he was too busy with drinks, so Akito went to Sophia. "Order: house steak with baked potatoes and a glass of wine."
Sophia turned her gaze to Akito.
"Will be done, and you can take and deliver the food."
Taking a few plates, Akito began delivering their orders. Lost in all this, Akito didn't even notice how the day ended and the clients were gone. He simply had dinner and went to sleep.