"Hey there, buddy. Missed me?"
----------------------------------------------------
Everyone was staring at the approaching figure of Wren, Sunny was relieved and genuinely happy that he was okay, not that he showed it to everyone.
Effie and Kai chose to be quiet for that moment. Caster, meanwhile, didn't show any expression, he was neither happy nor relieved. Wren was just a partner in crime, and he respected him, it was nothing more.
The ones who were the most tensed were Nephis and Cassia, they had heard what Kai had said, and it was not a good sign for them.
"Hey guys, I am not a ghost, okay?"
Wren chuckled.
Walking towards the cohort members with Sunny, he greeted them. Noticing the stiffen faces of Effie and Kai, he smirked.
"Looks like you guys know about my identity now. Caster told you, didn't he?"
Both of them nodded.
Wren smiled.
"You don't need to be this stiff around me. We are friends, okay?"
Kai and Effie looked at each other. They nodded in approval to his question, Kai still needed time to adapt around Wren, Effie meanwhile behaved in her usual way.
"I guess we have a lot of things to do now."
He stared at the cohort, particularly at Nephis. Sensing his gaze, she felt a little stiffened but nodded.
"Before we go somewhere, I wanted to introduce you guys to someone."
As he said those words, someone started to move, their footsteps were low and graceful. The figure was a woman, she was wearing a cloak with etheral night sky on it, her eyes were violet in colour and her stature was as tall as Nephis.
Her pearly white hair moved gracefully with each step of her.
Wren smiled and said.
"I introduce you to Sleeper Selina, someone I met in my journey."
His introduction was good, but the reaction of the cohort wasn't. Unconsciously, Nephis raised her blade and moved with unimaginable speed, aiming her strike to kill Selina in one move.
The others also drew their weapons to attack her, except Sunny, who wasn't affected by her presence. Before Nephis could attack her, Wren kicked her straight in her face.
Nephis was pushed back to few metres, blood was spluttering from her broken nose. The pang of pain made her come back to her senses.
The other cohort members were still hostile towards Selina, they were going to move, but Wren's presence made them still. Tendrils of darkness rose from behind their backs and smacked them on the back of their heads.
It was enough for them to return to their senses. Sunny was staring at them with a confused expression, he didn't understand what was happening, their sudden attack on Selina, who was also a little terrified.
"What the hell is going on?"
Sunny asked, looking at Wren for an answer.
Wren just shrugged, as he wasn't truly aware of what was happening with the members of the cohort. They seemed to be hostile to her, and their actions were not made by their mind but rather their body seemed to move on its own.
Nephis was the one who was most affected.
They seemed to have shaken off whatever happened with them after getting hit by Wren once. Nephis, Cassia and others stared at each other, confused by their actions. Their body unconsciously moved to harm Selina or possibly kill her.
It was still hard for them to resist their instincts, but Wren's presence was enough for them to completely prevent their instincts from taking over their mind.
His presence was scarier than Selina's.
Enough for their bodies to calm down and not make unnecessary moves, that might cause them to loose their heads.
The person in front of them killed a Fallen tyrant by himself, when they together couldn't beat a Fallen Devil without using improper means.
Wren opened his mouth, and the words he spoke were a direct warning.
"Do this again one more time, you will see the world from a different angle."
His words weren't metaphorical or any other poetic bullshit, he meant it physically, their actions next time would cause them to loose their head literally.
They didn't say anything, how could they when the deep penetrating grey eyes were looking at them with murderous intent and the hands with black braclets on the wrists were twitching to move or perhaps reap a life?
Sunny, however, was having fun. His friend was protecting a woman, a woman...
'He himself said that he didn't want to get involved in business related to women, and now here he is, protecting one.'
His thoughts were short-lived, as they became serious like his expression.
'Keeping the jokes aside, everyone aside me were affected from Selina's presence, and reacted in a hostile way. Even as a true name bearer, Nephis still got affected the most, perhaps. What could be the reason for this?, think Sunny think.'
Then his eyes widened slightly.
'Damnation... was it because I was a lineage holder? I should ask them, but only when we will get out of this mess.'
Sunny was about to move to calm Wren down, but someone else did his work, it was Selina.
Slightly tugging the sleeve of his shirt, trying to get his attention, she was successful.
Wren looked towards her with a confused expression. Selina then moved closer to his ears and whispered.
"You are not scaring the shit out them with those menacing eyes of yours."
Wren had a dumbfounded look.
He sighed.
'I think I went too far.'
Wren then stared at the terrified cohort and said with a smile:
"I believe we can resolve this issue later on. How about we find ourselves a comfortable place to rest?"
None of them answered. Nephis's bleeding nose was healed, but the fear she was feeling from Wren had affected her a little.
He had changed a lot in those three months.
Something hidden inside of him was slowly coming into light.
The first sign of it was the cruelty in his grey eyes, which he had shown just with his chilling presence alone.
'He is mad... too mad.'
***
Wren and Selina were isolated from the cohort, exploring Sunny's room during his time in the dark city after he conflicted with Nephis's ideas.
Selina sighed and asked in a silent tone.
"What happened to you at that time?"
Wren looked towards her, his grey eyes staring at her violet eyes.
"I don't know, something just made me angry."
He looked at the cohort.
"It must have been because our soul is bounded or something. Your aspect description said something about it, didn't it? Your presence must have caused something to them. I understand Nephis, but I don't understand others. Sunny also didn't seem to be affected by you."
Selina knew what he meant. Nephis was a divine lineage holder, the others were born from the War realm, not that he knew about it, but she didn't understand why the same didn't happen with Sunny. His lineage was forbidden, but it was still of a being who had a god's blood flowing through them.
Just why did the gods hate that unknown, mysterious woman? So much that even after their deaths, their lineage holder are bearing their hatred.
Selina somehow felt a little guilty, her presence seemed to have got Wren into a situation he didn't want to be in.
"I am not sorry."
Wren smiled.
"There is no need for you to be sorry."
Selina was silent. Wren patted her shoulder.
"I am not going to lie, but I despise you a little."
Selina stared at him and smiled, but a vein was bulging on her forehead.
Wren wasn't affected and plainly said.
"Don't be mad. Nobody like me would want to be trapped in these shackles. I don't want to bear unnecessary responsibilities."
Saying that he left Selina alone and moved to the cohort, Wren believed that it was a good choice for her to be alone for a few moments.
"So, what you guys plan to do now?"
Wren asked the cohort members.
They turned their attention towards him, all of them were a little awkward around him, but mostly it was Nephis. The kick on her face was still giving her some imaginary pain even after her flames had healed her.
But she kept her calm persona, this time, it was flawless. She said in her usual calm and stoic voice.
"We are planning to make a move by a day after tomorrow, Sunny also seemed to have some things to do. What are your plans, Wren?"
Wren smirked.
"I was going to create some tension today, but it was to move along with your new plans. Since it seems you have some things to do, I am also not going to make any moves right now."
Nephis nodded.
It was then Cassie who asked him something.
"Ah... Wren, can you tell me what happened to us when we met Selina?"
Wren had a small smirk on his face.
'Curiosity might get you killed, Cassia.'
He replied to her question.
"It was her flaw from what I know, it kind of others make hostile to her."
Wren's answer didn't have any hesitation, but Cassie knew he was a master in manipulating people and weaving lies. But she wasn't in the position to say he was lying.
Effie came from behind Wren and put her arm over his shoulder.
"Care to explain how this arm of yours regrew?"
Wren shook her arm off.
"I thought Sunny and others might have told you this? I can use my aspect to heal myself like Nephis."
Effie, Kai and Caster looked at the trio, mainly at Sunny.
"What?"
He retorted.
"It is not a good thing to reveal someone's cards, even if I didn't tell you guys. You all would have figured it out later on."
Wren clapped his hand, getting their attention.
"Now now, I suggest you all go back and follow your plans, or follow Nephis and help her."
They hadn't realized it, but the dawn had come. The retreating sound of the waves could be heard.
With that, the cohort had left, leaving Sunny, Wren and Selina alone in the ruined cathedral.
They had bid a temporary goodbye to the cohort, and the light of the artificial sun was fully lighting up the area, but they chose to return to the darkness of the temple.
Walking silently inside the temple, they reached its hall. It was peaceful and silent, Sunny chose this moment to speak up.
"I have some work to do, well, research this area, so don't mind me."
Wren nodded.
"Selina and I also have some work we need to do."
Selina stared at Wren. Her expression was normal, but she was holding her confusion behind her stoic facade.
'We do?'
Sunny went his way while Selina and Wren took theirs. Once they found a secluded spot in the large hall, Selina turned to Wren, her expression thoughtful. She hesitated briefly before speaking, her voice carrying the weight of unspoken thoughts as Wren listened in silence.
"What you meant back there?"
Wren sighed.
"Nothing, I just wanted an excuse to leave. Sunny gave it to me himself, so I just said it."
Selina face-palmed herself.
Wren chuckled.
"But since we have used that excuse, how about it? I train you in combat arts, and you show me how to use firearms. I still couldn't get the hang of it till now. Your innate talent is overpowering even mine."
Selina thought for a moment, then smirked.
"I refuse."
Wren grinned, and they shook hands in agreement., Selina, at that moment, didn't know what kind of disaster she had brought on herself.
***
Selina was breathing heavily. She was on a little break, Wren had far surpassed her expectations, and his teaching methods were too efficient, as if specially built for her innate talent.
Looking at her pitiful condition, Wren grinned.
'You are slowly and slowly becoming a perfect weapon for me to fight someday. Your worth will be proved, but not right now... It is my time to create havoc and destruction for now.'
The bright castle was going to fall today.
It would be a huge lie if he didn't want to conquer that place and cut off Gunlaug's head.
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Woah! This chapter is finished, next will be on probably tuesday. I feel a little guilty to give you guys short chapters even with long day durations but I have very tight schedule, I am writing my own novel and I have to do my studies to, this takes a huge toll on me. Sometimes I lose my motivation to write but you guys are always reading my story, so I somehow write this believing someone would be there, looking for new chapter updates.