Chapter 10: Ribbons and watches

Edwin was in the graveyard, sipping from a water bottle. The surrounding ghosts were running like headless chickens, but he could not help but feel empty.

Here he was, eating these tasteless souls, and he could be munching on Orion's. Oh, Orion…

Edwin licked his lips, placed the water bottle on a gravestone, freshly laid, and now guarding a soulless husk beneath it, as he looked at the sunset.

That snowstorm of a man was still in the city. Edwin still felt unwell about Orion's eyes, but he wanted to get even. If, and that was a big if, a soul eaten by a Lich would never be free, then did that mean that Edwin could return the favor, so to speak?

Kill Orion, make him a part of himself, and then…?

Edwin gulped as a roar sounded in the back of his mind space. Oh, he knew what he could do. Had done it before. It paid to be able to eat souls when something like a dragon was charging at you.

It paid to be able to conjure fires when a pack of goblins was circling you, after having chased after you for days.

Edwin was no stranger to killing beasts. But was Orion a beast?

He shook his head. Maybe? The man was a demon, had killed him after pretending to be nice to him.

But there was one thing Edwin could not understand. Even now, an entire year after Edwin had died, he could remember what had happened on the eve of his death.

He was pretty much sure that he had puked on the floor in his room. The next morning, he had smelt the stench and something that had reminded him of lemons.

Why, he asked himself, as he kicked at a loose stone from the grave, did Orion clean the puke? Why did he hold Edwin's braid? Why didn't he kill him sooner if he had wanted to do that from the start?

Why was Orion such a blank page?

Edwin snorted. Why? Was the snow supposed to be crystal clear? Did anyone know for sure what made up a snowflake? These ice particles which brought such joy to young children fell through the air, mixing in with everything that was inside of it.

Heck, for all Edwin knew, the snow which fell around the Lich reactors could be toxic waste.

The brunette took a hold of his braid and started playing with the tip. A nervous habit he had picked up after his death.

No one paid him attention these days. Why should they? There was a Lich walking free out there somewhere, who was taking his sweet time with his plans of world domination, or whatever was going through the silly heads of the normal people.

The people who just had to worry about how big their next paycheck would be, and nothing else. Just like how Edwin had worried.

He snorted, as he took out his wallet, and looked inside. Oh, the desolation, he could not help but think, if he had only controlled himself better these first couple of days, they would not have kicked him out earlier from his old job.

Or told his new home office gig that he was a mental case.

But his emotions had run high back then, and as soon as a client had stormed inside, and demanded that he redesign a rune he had slaved over for the better part of the last five hours, he had lost it.

Said some things which no runesmith had the right to say. No, telling someone that they needed to have mana in their veins to use a rune, and that they would have known that, had they not slept through school, had made him feel good, at the time.

Gotten him about ten high-fives after work, from overworked runesmiths who had wanted to say the same for the longest of times.

And a lawsuit he had run away from.

These days, he could not stay put in a single place. Had filed for bankruptcy, just so the lawsuit could be dropped. Thankful about the laws which protected the homeless.

Even in this country of theirs, there were still small mercies. Forestia was not all bad, he had to admit. Sure, the number of Lich who were born here was the highest in the world, but at least the homeless could not be sued, unless they killed or robbed someone.

Words were wind, and it was strange that they were punished so severely.

Edwin sighed, got off the gravestone, looked around to make sure that no one was looking, and then used his mana to get all the keepsakes hidden in the grave he had been sitting over out.

A watch, normal, but looking old. Could catch him a pretty penny. He checked it for an engraving but found nothing. Oh, good. He hated having to melt engravings down. Too many of his finds were damaged that way.

A ring with something that looked like real jade, but Edwin could not be sure. Probably a wedding ring.

The Lich sighed. Oh, why do people want to take such things with them to the other side? What was the point? He was dead, walked the streets and ate souls, but he had not even found any use for something like a pearl necklace in his day-to-day dealings.

He pocketed his findings, and then walked away. A half-empty bottle of water, the only thing he left behind.

0000

The thing which Orion loved about seaside resorts was that they came alive at night. During the day people lazed on the beach, if they could find a calm enough spot, or stayed inside, or, and there were plenty of those, worked so they could get to laze around on the beach when they finally survived to their off days from work.

But this city was special. He knew the side streets like he knew the back of his own hand. Had walked here, bought souls here, and ruined lives here, before the first huts had sprouted on the hills which surrounded the city.

This was a heaven for demons. He smiled, as the aroma of his brethren tickled his nostrils. He smiled brightly, as he saw a demon, a shapely woman, whose shadow was clear to be seen behind her, but ignored by the drunken man who was speaking to her, readying a contract.

He passed by two demon twins, who giggled as they saw him. A man and a woman.

Oh, Orion could have stayed and chatted, to be sure, but then he smelt something rotting in the air.

He narrowed his eyes. What sort of right did a Lich have to come here? And why, if the Lich was here, were no alarms raised?

He took out his dagger from the hidden holster he kept on his belt and followed his nose. Oh, if the Lich thought he could get a feast here, he was mistaken. A lone Lich was no match for such a gathering of demons.

Orion was pretty sure he could hack the wretch's head off by himself. It was a young Lich. Probably did not even know how to hunt for itself.

Most likely did not even want to kill.

But if the Lich got spooked, and started a fire here, then the humans would send the fire brigade. It was almost midnight; the moon was fat in the sky.

There was no hiding so many shadows out in the open.

He took a sharp turn, expecting the Lich to have managed to bag at least one young demon, feeding from the poor sod.

Instead, what he saw made him blink. There was Edwin, his hair let loose and spilling around his shoulders, speaking with someone who most certainly peddled stolen goods. A watch in his hands.

Oh, Orion wanted to run his hands through that hair. It fell in thick curls, not unlike how most women style it these days. Edwin's clothes, for he had put on some now, that he was not at the beach, were worn and faded, but clean. So, as if he had tried to make a good impression.

Orion snorted. Yeah, no one would raise the alarm for Edwin. What for? He had more to worry about the demons than the demons from him.

Orion almost felt sorry for him.

"I can give you five silver coins for this watch," the peddler said, as he made a grab at it.

"Five?" Orion could hear how Edwin wanted to restrain himself, but his anger was slipping in his voice. "The watch still works, and looks to be from the time of…"

"Five silver coins or nothing," the smile on the peddler's lips made it clear that Edwin had no choice. Sure, he could try it with the humans, but the fact was that if he did that, the police would find out the watch was stolen in record time.

Orion placed the dagger back in the holster and made a couple of steps towards the two.

What to do, he asked himself. Does he join in on the fun? The game was over, he did not have to wipe Edwin's ass anymore.

And yet, without even knowing why, he made a stop right behind the Lich.

"Nice watch," he said, enjoying as Edwin whipped his head around so fast, that some hair got in his eyes. Orion watched, amused, as Edwin swatted at his curls, just to manage to see again.

"Oh, do you want to buy it, Orion? That would be 500 gold coins," the peddler said, and Edwin did that silly thing with the hair in the eyes again.

Orion was beginning to worry that Edwin would snap his own neck if he kept on doing that. And if he did so, then who was going to set it right?

Or would Edwin go around with a twisted neck? The image brought a chuckle out of Orion. The hair got into Edwin's mouth this time.

"Here," Orion said, taking out a blue silk ribbon, which had been wrapped around a container with bonbons with liquor he had bought on a whim, and handed it to Edwin.

Edwin stared at his hand as if he were contemplating biting it, but he did take the ribbon. Soon, the curls were ordered in a braid, a couple of which rebelling bravely, and framing Edwin's face gently.

Orion simply could not help it. After all, he did deserve something for the ribbon, did he not? Even though he was going to throw it away anyway, it had still cost him.

"My lady," Orion began, as he bowed slightly, a smirk on his lips. "Have you ever had the chance to sample demonic hospitality?"

Orion wanted to laugh until he got sick of it, or his lungs burst open, failing to provide him with enough air. The way Edwin scrunched up his nose was worthy of a meme adaptation.

"Are you selling or not?" The peddler said, short and to the point, for now, that he could see that Orion had plowed this field, he did not want the leftovers.

Edwin looked between the two demons, and then nodded. The watch exchanged hands, Edwin got his five silver coins, and looked on, as Orion handed over a heavy coin pouch like it was no big deal.

But that was just what he had wanted, even if he had not thought that it would be Orion who would help him lay the curse.

For he knew that trying to bite Orion's throat off so soon after starting to learn from the many deprived souls he had inhaled during his early days, when the control of his powers was non-existent, would result in him ending up with no teeth.

This peddler, this man who did not even notice as his soul was beginning to be sucked into Edwin, was a steppingstone.

Edwin nodded towards Orion, glared at the peddler, to keep up appearances, and then walked away.

It would take him a month to absorb the demon's soul that way. The man had to wrong him, and the trick with the loose hair had made it so, that the other demons had seen Edwin the same way Orion saw him.

It pays to play the victim, Adam had said.

But Edwin was not like Adam, who was now laughing his ass off in the back of his brain, enjoying an afterlife of a crammed mind castle. A gathering of innocent, the dredge of society, and various hapless animals.

Yes, it paid to play the victim. But it does not pay to stay put when you break the basic laws of society.

That was something that Adam had not cared about. Which is why he was now dead, and Edwin was getting the best meal he had ever gotten.

Served to him in small portions.