" Peaceful?? Huh." Ky'ren thought as he left the shop. There was no longer any more time to waste, his destination?
The military office. There he could complain or ask for Selvana .
He walked through the calm streets everyone went about their day while Ky'ren was deep in thought.
"The killer… He could be anyone. A civilian like me. What kind of reason would…" He passed through the busy dark world. Lights dancing from windows , some hang their clothes on the line cable connected to two buildings. Even without sun, wind and air movement helped. Before hanging, clothes were wrung out very tightly or even beaten with wooden paddles to remove as much water as possible. It was a process done to prevent mold, the process the world adapted to. The military office stood just after the trainees training ground, where Ky'ren normally trained.
It was made of pebble stone, with two floors and had a dove emblem that had an eight eye mark on its feather on a large banner that spelt out "Wings of Truce.". Ky'ren walked into the opened door. Inside was a small space— a wooden receptionist desk. He saw a brown haired man with a receding hairline sitting at the other side of the desk. His face had strong features with sharp grey eyes but age had begun to take its toll on him. He wore a navy green shirt. With the emblem of the dove by his shoulder's side. He was scribbling on some paper when he noticed Ky'ren. The inside of the building had a small bench just opposite
"Are you going to come in any faster or should I meet you there?." Ky'ren looked around and seeing that the man was clearly talking to him he ran forward to the receptionist's side.
"Good day sir?" Ky'ren smiled at him and offered a shake.
"You came here, for?" He ignored Ky'ren's gesture.
"...Captain Selvana, I think I have a lead on The Mask Killer" After those words left Ky'ren's mouth the man looked like a completely different person.
"That's a very serious allegation, young man." He dropped the fountain pen and shifted it to a nearby small wooden statue on his desk before he continued.
" And do you even have any proof?"
"Darn it, I was so excited that I might have found the killer. I didn't get any proof." Ky'ren nodded slowly as a sign of saying no.
"I don't have direct proof but— " He brought out the white cloth from his pocket.
" I think the killer uses this somehow. I mean he attacked me with it ,he used— ." Ky'ren said desperately trying to convince the man-Baldwin-.
"Okay"Baldwin rested his back on the chair he was sitting on. "Let me get this straight, the killer used a white cloth to attack you? Hmmh?" His voice held an edge of amusement.
"That's not what I meant," Ky'ren stammered, tangled in his own words, unsure how to make them sound right. He had planned the moment beforehand but nothing can be planned perfectly but in Ky'ren case this was below perfect.
"So I'm misquoting you? " Baldwin sighed "Look kid, I get the economy is hard. But that's not an excuse to lie or come up with some crazy conspiracies about a white cloth . I'll pretend I didn't hear that foolishness—for now." The man looked at Ky'ren, his fingers interlocked together.
Ky'ren pressed on.
"Captain Selvera knows about it, can I see her? Is she inside?"
"Selvara ? " Baldwin echoed
"Where do I know that name from? She's not any new knight recruits I know."
"She's a scout" Ky'ren intervened in his thought process.
"Oh right." He burst out laughing. Then added.
"The armateur Scout."
"Armateur?" Ky'ren questioned.
"Oh you didn't know? She had caused a lot of trouble looking for the "mask man" that she was termed an armature because she doesn't learn." He stretched his body like he just woke up.
"Ahhh. Aging takes a toll on you kid."
"But she was assigned to report the case of the incident that happened to me." Ky'ren quickly responded.
Baldwin raised a brow.
"What now? "
"I was stabbed by the Mask Killer, some days ago. She said she was assigned to — ." Ky'ren couldn't even finish his statement.
Now that he thought about it.
"Scouts are meant to go outside the islands not within."
"Our reports show nothing of sorts. Are making that up too. "
"No, maybe it's in the upper island's office." Ky'ren remembered her saying she will submit the report to the upper island.
"... Scouts go outside the islands. Knights protect within. It has always been that way, a scout will never be assigned to just a civilian. We protect what we can but it seems we didn't get a report about your case."
"Is that all? I… I could've died." Ky'ren's expectation was broken, just built in frustration dwelled within him.
"You are alive now, right? Look, I'll make sure to send in some knights to survey that area soon. Just after I send some other documents." The man said casually.
"But what if he comes back?What about my theory? Captain Selvana?" Ky'ren spoke desperately, out of genuine fear.
"He's not going to come back." He sighed and continued writing, then he continued."Captain Selvana is a fraud. She probably just used you."
Ky'ren couldn't believe the words Baldwin just said. The people he sought for justice were too busy to cast it. What now?
Wait—for death ?
Ky'ren walked weakly out of the office, his eyes dead and deep in thoughts.
Fear!!!
He never really hated dying it's the way he died that mattered.
Or maybe what hurt was that the person he trusted was a fraud. What was he thinking? A Scout focusing on a case, he felt smaller now. Just a civilian. Even if he would be deciding if he would be a Scout in some days, that's if he would survive till then.
He drifted through the dim streets. People packed up stalls, chatting like tomorrow was guaranteed.
"Hope tomorrow's sales go well."
"See you in the morning."
Ky'ren's hands trembled.
Although sometimes he thought about dying from loneliness he never really meant it. The world suddenly felt heavy, like every movement it made caused it to look at him. His body was tensed up, death was what was echoing in his thoughts.
Something!
He had to do something.
He knew he had just a few days till the killer returns. For the first time he didn't feel like he would die because of food.
He walked back to his house, it was looking more like a coffin bed. He inserted the Key and twisted the knob slowly, then entered. He closed the window and barricaded the doors with his bunk bed. He didn't sleep—he couldn't. Besides him as he sat in the middle of the room, a long knife. Every crack, shake and noise made his spine tremble. The silence once peaceful now felt like a whisper of death.
What should he do—what can he do?
The hour glass tipped. The next day.
He survived another day.
"Could I be right? The killer needs the cloth to kill for some reason?" Ky'ren thought he now looked slightly different from normal. Dark lines were now under his eyes, his eyes weren't fully opened.
"If not there's nothing stopping him from killing me? Or has he forgotten about me?"
Ky'ren asked himself while putting on his pants. With all the windows closed, it was rather a hot night.
He didn't consider taking his bath or eating. He shifted his bunk back to its position and rushed towards the Seamwright's Hall. He ran past the familiar alley and through the waking street.
The carriages had just started to pass through, carrying the people who had enough money to waste. The rich or any one who had the money boarded the single user carriages, while those who couldn't afford that took the public carriages. Two horses were normally used by the public carriages . Although some people cut corners and use just one horse for a public carriage because of the money to take care of both. Putting a lot of strain on the singular horse. Leading to decline in horses' health with not enough resources to treat them. Soon even the rich will start using public carriages.
Ky'ren reached the Clothe shop in a few minutes, then he stood by at a distance.
Watching as customers went in and out.
Some with nothing come out with a lot of bags.
Some went in and came out the same.
The familiar creak from the wooden floor as they passed served as an alarm for Ky'ren to keep focus.
But he didn't notice anything—until.
A tall man walked in, he wore a black cloak and a top hat that covered his face.
He walked in and after some time he came out, with a bag on hand. He left .
"It's him." Ky'ren stood up from his crouched stance and slowly walked after the man. Into the busy market. His eyes fixated on the cloaked man.
Every turn he made Ky'ren did.
Sometimes the man would turn back and look around but Ky'ren blended with the crowd pretty well.
Their journey led to an apartment by an alley . The apartment jutted out over the narrow alley, each timber-framed floor leaning farther than the last. Its walls were streaked with soot and moss, the plaster cracked between old black beams. A crooked wooden sign swung above the door, barely legible. Laundry flapped from a rope strung to the opposite building, and a thin trail of smoke curled from the crooked chimney, lost in the town's perpetual fog. Ky'ren stood from a distance besides a stand and watched the cloaked man.
Out from the door came a small brown haired girl, she exploded from excitement when she saw the cloaked man.
"Daddy!!" She yelled as she jumped into his arms. He dropped the bag and reached out to catch her.
"Oh easy there, you know daddy's getting old." He laughed and dropped her gently patting her on the head.
"Daddy bought something, but I want you to guess first." The cloaked man said in a mysterious playful tone.
" Is it… my super scout suit.?" She asked.
"Is it? I don't know." He said in a playful voice as he picked up the bag and knelt down to her level.
"Uhm ,Oh I know. Is it a scout sculpture?"
"That's a good one? I wonder." He said and did as if he was thinking. His hands were placed on his chin.
"I want to know." she laughed ,"I'm bad at guessing."
"Hmmmh okay, but we will have to ask mister hand here." He shaped his hands as a mouth. He put the hand in his ears and acted as if it whispered something to him.
"Mhmm" ."Okay." "Mmm, She might not like that." He paused and looked at her with a frown.
"Daddy!, what did mister hand say? What did he say?" She said jumping around.
"... Well according to mister hand, I can only give you the gift if you've been a good girl."
She paused before she said.
" I was a good girl, I promise . I always help mummy with house chores like a big girl. Like you always say. Sooo what did you buy daddy??"
"Hmmm, well you earned it. I bought..." He paused then carried her as twirled her through the air." Both."
"Yayy!" She laughed out loud.
But when he dropped her down she had a frown on her face as she clutched his cloak.
"Daddy, when will you come to stay with us forever? Why do you always go back? Is it because you don't like me and mommy?"
His smile faded away as he knelt down again and patted her head.
"I could never. Daddy doesn't just want his job to affect you, that's all? Soon me and mommy will go to the upper islands soon and we will be together okay."
She nodded and then smiled.
"Promise?"
"Promise." He removed his hat to show he promised, it revealed a brown haired man-Baldwin-.
"Pinky promise?"
"Pinky promise"
And both of them locked pinkies and both said.
"In this pinky promise I swear, that I'll always adhere to everything I said here." Then they broke it.
"Okay you go inside." He gave her the bag."Also I bought something for your mom too." Then he waved her by and put back his hat . Looked around but Ky'ren already hid. Then Baldwin left .
For a moment, Ky'ren wondered if he was the fool. If monsters could laugh and promise pinky swears too. But it was as clear as day he wasn't the masked man
"That was that rude knight guy. He looked so different." Ky'ren walked through the crowd, it was unconventionally busy now. People moving from right to left. Traders and buyers. Carriages moved from left to right. Hulking of tomatoes, stands advertised cups and utensils. Some sold foodstuffs. That's right Ky'ren hadn't eaten today, his stomach was grumbling from the smell of the pastries.
"That's not the problem now, I forgot about the killer. I hope I am not too late—" A cold wind licked Ky'ren's spine.It stood there in the midst of the passing crowd.
A white mask.
A bag in hand.
Looking at Ky'ren.
The town bustled, but the only thing Ky'ren could see was death—staring back through a white mask.
The mask tilted, ever so slightly—like it smiled.
Ky'ren couldn't move. Couldn't breathe.
"...Shit!"