Chapter 640: Chapter 641: Shadow And War
He found himself walking down the busy streets of Valerion. He moved absentmindedly through the crowded road, the streets heavily decorated with banners and flags. Confetti rained down from airships floating high in the sky.
Children carried toy swords and small banners, laughing as they played together, their excitement clear for the war games tomorrow.
Warriors and adventurers strolled proudly through the streets, weapons gleaming under the sunlight and armor polished to a shine.
Knights patrolled with rigid discipline, security tighter than usual. Each wore their finest armor, their presence a reminder of the grand scale of the upcoming event.
’Hmmm, Valerion really is a beautiful city... how did I not notice its beauty all these years?’ Damon thought to himself.
As a child, times of celebration like this had mostly been an opportunity for him to steal.
A sharp throb pierced his head. He rubbed at his temple, remembering his short visit to the academy earlier, where they cleared his name after he had killed Professor Chrome.
Renata had stayed back to act as his public face and build what Damon liked to call a "good positive relationship" with his fellow students.
Lilith was gone. It turned out that getting those potions from her grandmother came with a price doing the old woman’s bidding for a day. But Damon knew better. She was just spending the day with her grandmother.
His sister and Iris had shown up in the morning, sweet-talking him into handing over his magic money card before disappearing. Of course, he didn’t forget to send his shadow to follow them.
That left Matia, who had received summons from her father but flat-out ignored them.
"At least he didn’t overreact." Damon muttered to himself.
Matia had joined Renata, acting as backup while they peacefully spread the good name of Damon Grey among the students of Aether Academy.
That was why Damon was all alone, wandering the streets of Valerion.
It was a strange sight indeed, since he could barely remember the last time he was by himself.
He pulled out his pager.
"Should I call Carls? I haven’t talked much with him since I came back from Lysithara."
The last time he had seen the shady-looking young man was shortly after his return, when Carls dropped by to welcome him back.
The pager buzzed lightly in his hand. Damon opened it to see the familiar name of Xander Ravenscroft flashing across the screen. He tossed it back into his pocket.
"Later..."
Xander had sent him an address, a place where they would meet later that night to talk.
Damon sighed, his lips twisting.
"That bastard is getting annoying."
The festive atmosphere meant little to him. He had already roamed these same streets with Lilith the night before, so there wasn’t anything new he wanted to do.
He could have picked a fight with someone from the underworld... ermh... just because. But his body was still recovering, and he knew he wasn’t in the best condition for that.
"No friends and no one to kill. What am I supposed to do with my life? Someone please try to kill me before boredom does..."
He slumped slightly, dragging his feet along the cobblestone road.
"That’s a very lackluster way to live."
Damon froze. A voice spoke behind him, belonging to a presence he hadn’t even sensed.
"Shoo... go away. I have money, I just won’t give it."
The woman who had spoken let out a soft sigh.
"I don’t need your money."
Damon turned his head slowly, suspicion written all over his face.
"Then why are you bothering me? Beat it."
He paused when he saw her. A faint distortion shimmered around the woman, as though she used an artifact to bend public attention away from herself.
She had ashen-grey hair streaked with red, her locks flowing loose in the wind. Her eyes were white so pale they almost looked blind but the light in them betrayed vision sharper than most.
And there was a faint scent clinging to her, one that could not be hidden.
Damon’s expression shifted. He almost instantly recognized her. He had done his research.
His eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"Wait... you’re—"
She smiled, her expression brimming with self-importance.
"Ahh, right. You’ve heard of me. Of course you have."
Damon narrowed his eyes further, his voice sharp.
"Who the hell are you... and what’s with that tacky hairstyle?"
The woman froze. She blinked rapidly, struggling to process his words.
"Huh... wa... wait, what... you... don’t... recognize me?"
Damon rolled his eyes, shaking his head. His long hair swayed as he moved.
"No. Oh no... I recognize you. I just didn’t want to give you the satisfaction of thinking I gave a damn. No hard feelings."
"Ah... erm..." she opened her mouth and closed it, her hands twitching awkwardly.
"Wha... excuse... I... you know who I am but still say that... fine then, tell me who you think I am."
Damon sighed, a dull headache pressing into his skull. He never imagined she would have such an eccentric personality.
Meeting idols and heroes in real life was such a disappointment.
"Hair like ash with streaks of red. They say the ash and blood of the battlefield clung to her... the peerless prodigy."
He chuckled dryly.
"Though if you ask me... you kind of reek of blood. You stink of the stuff."
He slipped his hands into his pockets and tilted his head casually, a small stride carrying him closer.
"You’re Seras Blade."
She glanced around before smiling, then chuckled lightly.
"My, my... I didn’t expect to meet you here. When I saw you from afar, I got curious. But you’re more arrogant than I thought."
Damon smiled back, giving her a playful bow.
"Guilty as charged. So, to what do I owe the pleasure? I don’t have anything to do, so I don’t mind the company of a beautiful woman as I roam the streets of Valerion."
She blinked, then pointed to herself in disbelief.
"Do you realize who you’re talking to?"
Damon shrugged.
"What, you wanna come or not? Trust me, I’m being pretty polite right now."
Seras smiled, then suddenly burst into laughter.
"Are you crazy? I can kill you with a single swipe of my finger."
Before Damon could react, a breeze brushed against his skin she was standing right in front of him, her finger pressed against his chest. Her white eyes turned icy cold.
"You wanna die?"
Damon smiled, his dark eyes meeting hers without fear.
"I do. As a matter of fact, I would appreciate it if you did."
A suffocating pressure pressed down on him, making his bones feel stiff. Yet he raised his hand slowly and touched her finger, gripping it and holding it firmly.
"I heard you’ve never got a man. I can see why..."
He tugged at her hand, pulling her along as if dismissing the threat.
"Come on. I know a good street stall. Think of it as a little thanks for the golden ticket."
Her eyes widened as she let herself be pulled into the crowd by the nonchalant young man who showed her no reverence despite her fame.
She smiled faintly, watching him as he led her away.
"You aren’t afraid of me, are you?" she muttered.
He didn’t look back.
"I’ve seen worse.... Trust me this world has far uglier women."