"JUST ONE LAST CHANCE !" The voice echoed .
In the cold darkness Ky'ren heard the familiar voice. As he floated in the abyss of nothingness. His entire body was blanketed with the abyss as the echoes of the void whispered in his frail ears .Ky'ren awoke to the scent of dried herbs and old wood. The ceiling above him was dark, arched stone, and flickering candlelight danced along its cracks. Around him, rows of low wooden beds stretched into shadow, some occupied by pale, sleeping figures. Figures in stained green aprons moved between narrow cots. His body ached, wrapped in coarse linen, and his waist tightly bandaged but the pain of the stab still lingered. Beside him, a figure sat there. She stood tall, her forest-green uniform pressed to perfection. The white shirt beneath was tucked in with military precision, its high collar peeking out from her buttoned jacket. Three silver stars gleamed on her shoulder epaulet. A single glove wrapped her right hand — a gesture of both formality and quiet threat. It was the Scout from earlier "Captain Selvara". She had fair skin like snow with whine long hair, her eyes were deep black, with a face that looked both dangerous and irresistible.
"You are awake!" She said as she adjusted her position to address him properly.
"Y… yes . You're Captain Selrava , right?" Ky'ren said, shifting himself up to sit down on the white bed.
"Ahem , It's Selvara." She said as she brought the strands of her hair that blocked her face to her back. It was long and much so it often went to the front of her face—annoying her.
She continued.
"... I know this may seem rather rash, seeing you just woke up. But can you give me a brief recollection of what happened yesterday?"
"She's talking about that mask man?" Ky'ren recalled as he remembered the terror of that night. His hands trembling from how he almost died. The room suddenly became colder and quiet as he touched the bandaged wound he got from the serial killer.
All he could think about was ;
"I could have died."
"Yesterday, If everything didn't play out right…"
"Where would I have been now?"
As he thought a tear drop ran from his eyes, he didn't notice that Selvara had been calling him continuously. She noticed his tear drop and took a calm breath before tapping him slightly and saying;
"It's hard, I know but your little information can help us catch him. He's still out there meaning he could still come back for you."
"That's right! He could come back to finish the job." Ky'ren remembered the possibilities and decided it was better to trust the Scout.
She noticed that he didn't look like he was going to say anything she was about add more to her statement when Ky'ren intruded—
"When I was about to shut my window, I saw him. I couldn't." He said in a weak whisper, meanwhile Selvara had taken out a note and fountain pen trying to take points from his speech. Ky'ren took a deep breath and continued—
"I couldn't react in time to shut the window. He got in and stabbed me. I barely escaped alive, then I walked to the bridge, that's all I remember." He said as he looked at her as she held are fountain pen waiting for him to continue.
"His face?"
"He wore a mask."
"You could have at least heard his voice."
"... He didn't say anything. Nothing reasonable."
"Try and remember. There's always something."
"Maybe he grunted but that's all. Nothing. " She dropped her fountain and held Ky'ren by the soldier almost painfully.
"Think, Criminals always leave some kind of clues." She said as she pressed onward.
"It's kind of hard to remember a near death experience." Ky'ren said as smiled softly while looking downwards. She noticed as his hands were shaking, although he tried to hide it by covering them. She pulled back—releasing her grip.
She took a deep breath and rested firmly on the wooden chair she sat on.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have rushed you like that. It's just…" She bit her lips and pinched her one gloved hand, It was her right hand .
Ky'ren still smiling and looking down said—
"Now it's my turn to ask a question…" He said with a calm voice.
She put the hair strand that had fallen to the front of her face again to her back and looked at Ky'ren. Giving him permission to speak.
"Who is this masked serial killer and why the hell did he try to kill me?"
"Do you know about the tale of "The Fallen Prophets" ?"
"Is it the man that didn't obey the works of the gods? Or is one where he saw the knowledge of the gods and started to use it for evil." Ky'ren said
"I wasn't really good with mythologies but it should be one of those two." He thought as he turned to Selvara to respond.
"Ahem, You just split the stories there are the same thing."
"During the First Era, there was peace. In this Era humans didn't exist yet, but they were other species like Elves and Knomes, Fairies and angels and more."
Ky'ren nodded as she noticed he was following she continued—
"There were other Era's, but humans existed in the Fourth Era of evolution. The gods were still on land living amongst us. The law of division was that no human is to see into where the gods stayed. But there was this selfish person that wanted to gain the Knowledge of The Gods for himself . He snuck into their home and read all their books. He spent seven days reading and six days writing. When the gods found out they were enraged and engulfed the entire world in a layer of darkness . The man ran away, passing mountains and forest, escaping the hands of the gods . He wrote three books each containing his adventure and the knowledge he gained and split it around the world . But thankfully the gods were nice to add glowing crystals and make us adapt to see a little clearly.And plus the shifting moon."
"... That's a lot of information. So is that why there are monsters outside the islands because the gods were angry?"
"They sound selfish. Why not just kill the guy instead of making all of us suffer" Ky'ren asked himself as he looked at her expecting a response.
"Well in a way, yes. According to the story, the monsters came from the angry weeps of the gods."
"But where are the gods now?"
"They ascended to heaven leaving us here—hell."
"Why didn't the gods just kill the Fallen Prophet? I mean they are meant to be all powerful plus they created all of humanity. It should be relatively easy."
"Well yes but the gods loved us that's why they didn't kill him and they wanted us to earn that love by returning the knowledge the Fallen Prophet stole from them."
"The three journals?"
"Not Exactly. According to what I know in those three journals they are maps leading to the other hidden knowledge. This is where he kept the knowledge he stole, in seven places. They are called the "seven scriptures" .
"Okay I think I get most of it. But, how does all this relate to the man that almost killed me yesterday??. Or is he the Fallen Prophet?."
"He might have one of the journals. He kills configured scouters and takes their bodies. To even kill an ordinary scouter requires serious physical capability. He probably uses them for some kind of ritual which is closely related to the knowledge from the journal." She paused then flicked her hair back again.
" We have to stop him before he does or summons something humanity isn't ready for."
"This guy killed a scouter?I was closer to death than I thought." Ky'ren recalled the moment once again as he felt shivers down his spine. Then another thought—
"But I'm not a Scout yet. Why did he come to kill me?" Ky'ren said.
She adjusted her position again. Sitting upward and flicking her hair backwards.
"That's why I'm here, you clearly have no relation to his goals" She stopped then added.
"Did you perhaps meet anyone shady or strange during the past days?"
"Not really, I normally only go out to train and if I'm going to work."
"Hmm. Where do you work?"
"... I sell cabbages."
"Ahem, that's a very, sophisticated job."
"Is that a fancy way to say it's useless?" Ky'ren thought.
She then went into deep thinking for some moment.
"Could it be to clear the pattern he set?" Ky'ren considered before saying.
"The military isn't fully sure if he has the book right?" Ky'ren said
"According to our observation he should have it." Selrava said firmly.
"What if he might have tried to clear his pattern?" Ky'ren said
"Clear his pattern?" She was confused before understanding what he said.
"Could be the reason. But why not a normal civilian or why not another layer?" She murmured to herself for some time.
"That's a genius observation…" She stopped looking a little bit red and hardened at the same time.
Stretching her hand she said.
"My name is Captain Selrava and you?"
"Shouldn't that have been how this conversation started." Ky'ren said internally before stretching his hands and shaking her back.
"I'm sorry I came here and interrogated you when you just woke up."
"No need to be, after all I feel stronger now." He then flexed his muscles trying to show he was still strong.
She gave a soft laugh, now that Ky'ren saw her she wasn't so serious as she originally looked. She looked like a beautiful princess when she laughed.
"Still, get some rest. I'll submit the report from this meeting as soon as I leave for the third Isle."
Ky'ren nodded with a smile and lay back on the bed as she left
.