Chapter 741: Humanity (2/2)

Helena did not feel like food. She just needed distance, and she knew that was exactly what the fox had offered. She spotted a familiar face sitting at the table, back slightly bent.

The man ate a filled pastry, closing his eyes as he savored the taste.

He’s been here?

She sat down next to him, some of her composure back. Her hand shook slightly when she tried to reach for a glass, instead deciding to wait.

They were the only ones on that section of the long table, others sitting down, some silent and with wide eyes, others talking with enthusiasm.

“You have made the journey,” the old man said. He didn’t look at her.

Lucas had once been a stable voice for the Shadow’s Hand. A calm mind among them, neither inexperienced nor consumed by his own ambitions. A pleasure to negotiate with. She had wondered if he had still been alive.

“What have you seen?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” Helena answered truthfully. She could appreciate his maturity. There was no mockery in his voice, there was no mention of her obvious fear.

“I too have felt it. To my very bone. It will fade in time, though what you have seen, will not,” he said.

Helena hugged her own chest. She didn’t speak for a long while. Nor did she drink or eat. She simply sat. Helena didn’t notice the gasps, nor did she look up.

“Are you okay?” a gentle voice asked. A woman.

Who would dare insult me in such a manner, Helena thought and turned her head. What she saw was a face of ethereal quality, the only discerning features two glowing purple eyes and a glowing line that suggested a mouth. The entirety of its head was made of magic itself, as was its floating body, crouched to meet the sitting human.

She turned away and grabbed the glass she had reached for earlier, downing the contents in a single gulp, whatever it had been. Now she saw the fox smiling her way, though more amused than anything else.

“Owl,” Catelyn said. “One of the denizens of this domain. She was introduced to the others outside.” The fox said and stood up to leave.

Helena turned again.

[Greater Lich – lvl ????]

“I didn’t mean to scare you,” the being said and retreated a little.

“What kind of… circus…” Helena murmured. She had the sudden urge to slap Ilea, damned be the consequences. What in all of existence did you do in these past years? There are rules… limits… structures.

She watched as the four mark monster refilled her glass with wine. “Thank you,” Helena said and downed it again.

The Lich smiled and moved on to talk to someone else.

“Welcome to the North,” Lucas said in a dry tone.

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A single fox like creature looked up to a humanoid being of ash. Blue piercing eyes looked down, a grin on the woman’s face. The night was well under way, and yet the streets of Morhill remained active, the recent festivities persisting with no sign of slowing down.

“That’s such a cute pet!” a young woman exclaimed but quickly retreated at the stares of the two powerful beings.

“So this is it?” the fox asked a few seconds later.

“He moved it to Morhill for the festivities,” the human said.

“Popi… you say?” the fox spoke.

“Indeed,” said the woman.

She walked with the fox following, into the shop. A nod towards the group of women.

“I’m sorry everyone but we’re closing for an h… a few h… tonight,” one of them said with as gentle as smile as she could muster.

Complaints by the customers quickly died out when they saw the ash clad monster standing in their midst, horns and unmoving wings marking her as one of the renowned Medic Sentinels.

The doors shut with the last customer gone, three women waiting with tense expressions.

“She wants to meet the baker,” the Sentinel spoke and locked the door.

The fox looked at the women. They stared back.

“You’re really cute,” one of them said.

The fox growled, the sound deep and threatening.

A plate appeared before her, swaying on the floor until it stopped, the piece of decorated cake now right before her.

The growling stopped, drool forming on the fox’s mouth before it evaporated, flames now burning on its fur.

“Can I touch her?” one of the woman asked, now crouching next to the fox with a strange expression on her face.

“If you want to risk it,” the ashen woman said.

She did and the fox did not care. For it had entered heaven.

Lilith herself stood guard before the famed establishment. What transpired that night within the Morhill site of Big ass Pastries would not be seen nor known by anyone but the staff. Public image after all, had to be maintained.