37 Hibaris Legacy of Memories (1/2)

”Say, Riza...” Rey turned his head and gazed at her pretty gold-like eyes. He blushed and smiled. ”What rank are you now?”

”At this point... I'm an evolved level 3!”

”So fast?! That's amazing!”

”Well, in terms of speed... it seems that you're the more amazing one. Going up one whole level in a single day... that's amazing, Rey!” Riza smiled.

The two of them walked and chatted until they reached the gate of one of the towns in the Sun Empire.

”Halt!” Two guards at the top of the gate walls said simultaneously. ”What's your business here?”

”Matriarch Tyrien and the Jade Lion have sent us!” Riza shouted back. ”They said to tell you a secret code word... Invictus?”

”Very well.” The guards sighed. ”Wait, you...” The guard looked at Rey from afar. ”Don't I know you from somewhere?!”

”No, sir. This is my first time coming here.” Rey said nervously. It wasn't his first time here at all. In fact, Soma had used his body to massacre this town of its guards just a couple weeks ago! Rey was at least thankful that Soma hadn't taken good care of his body. Tattered clothes, long hair, covered in blood; how could they recognize his face so easily? If they did realize who he was... He'd likely be recognized and hung on a pike!

The guard thought it was odd, but he shrugged off the feeling. At the very least, they are with the matriarch and patriarchs; they weren't someone he could afford to offend! He raised the gate for them, and they walked into the town.

”Follow me!” Riza said, obviously excited to get to Sonalius. She was familiar with the area; this is where Kouta helped the two of them. Within a couple of moments, they walked over to Kouta's shop. There were a few guards outside making sure nobody unwanted entered as the people inside recovered. Riza said the codeword again, and they entered in with no trouble.

”Riza!” Kouta saw the familiar girl and smiled. ”Only a few weeks and you're already back?” He laughed dryly. ”It seems that I have to give that man a rough time again...” He coughed.

”Good to see you too, Kouta! This is Rey.”

”It's nice to meet you,” Rey bowed. ”Thank you for saving them!”

”Please, the pleasure is mine. Plus, if I hadn't... I think the guards would have killed me either way.” He said nervously.

”I see...” Rey also coughed and changed the subject. ”Where are Sonalius and the rest?”

”They are inside resting. Make sure to be quiet when you enter.”

Rey, Riza, and Kouta walked inside and saw the five men and women laid on a table. Matriarch Tyrien had a bruised face and deep gashes where Sig'car tore through her skin. The rest of the officials didn't look much better. They had lost a fair amount of blood and had internal bleeding as well as superficial injuries.

But when Rey and Riza looked at Sonalius, they felt their hearts drop. His wounds still bled, and he held Sig'car off for the longest amount of time. Riza tightened her fists and gritted her teeth, muttering something Rey didn't hear. He looked at his indistinguishable face that was swollen to the point that Rey feared he couldn't recognize Sonalius. His stomach, arms, and even his legs had deep wounds where Sig'car repeatedly hit him.

”Sonalius should have healed by now, but it seems he burnt his life away and is dealing with the weakness that comes along with that. Temporarily, his natural healing is reduced and is taking significantly longer to heal his internal damage as well as the broken ribs and jaw.” Kouta whispered. ”But rest assured, I will do all that I can to make sure he recovers as fast as possible.”

”But he'll survive?” Rey asked hesitantly.

”Yes, he should make a full recovery despite all he's been through.”

Rey and Riza heaved a heavy sigh of relief as they looked at each other with regret.