Chapter 4 - Please Don't Forget to Forget Me
He tried to sit up, but the tight ropes around his wrists and ankles held him in place. He stopped, his muscles relaxing as if the effort wasn't worth it. Letting his body slide back against the base of the cart, he closed his eyes. For a moment, he remained still, the sound of hooves filling the silence in his mind.
"Do you think the restraints are enough?" a female voice asked.
"Well, if they aren't, you and I are in for a long overtime shift," a male voice replied, followed by a chuckle.
Deimos opened his eyes just enough to stare at the cart's ceiling. "I can't sleep with you two talking..." he murmured, letting the words escape as a sigh before closing his eyes again.
Outside the cart, a young woman with reddish hair, seemingly in her early twenties, exchanged looks with a man in his early thirties. His golden hair had varying shades, some lighter than others, subtly reflecting the sun.
They shared glances filled with unease, as if an unspoken tension hung between them.
"That's not the reaction of someone who just woke up tied up and being transported," the girl remarked, raising an eyebrow in doubt.
The man, his eyes sharp and lips touched with skepticism, glanced at the back of the cart before turning back to Lyra. "I agree with you, Lyra. He's not... normal." His voice was low, almost a whisper, yet firm. "Either he's plotting something, or he's simply accepted what's happened to him. And that doesn't make sense."
Still lying in the cart, Deimos didn't respond immediately. The sound of hooves was the only thing filling the void between them, reverberating in his ears. He wondered if, in some way, the movement of the cart felt more real than anything in his mind at that moment.
He didn't care anymore.
"Either way, it's not our job to worry about the cargo. If he's planning something, we anticipated that. If he doesn't resist, all the better for us," the man said, smiling casually, as if the kidnapping was merely a formality in the grand scheme of things.
Lyra, however, didn't seem convinced. She looked at the cart, her expression pensive. "Yeah... I guess you're right," she replied, but doubt still lingered in her tone.
The silence that followed made Lyra furrow her brow slightly, as if something was bothering her. Finally, she asked, "Maybe it's just in my head, but it really piques my curiosity. What would make someone accept being kidnapped like this, without even trying to fight?"
"Maybe he realized resisting wouldn't do any good. Some things are easier to accept than to fight against, Lyra. Ever think that maybe he's just waiting to see what happens?"
"You always simplify things too much. I can't decide if seeing the world through your smooth brain would be more fun or just plain dull."
Deimos was tossed around inside the vehicle. He simply assumed something on the road had caused a sudden stop. Even so, all it did was change the spot where he would remain—eyes closed and curled up like a stray dog. As if rejecting the world, his powers blocked his hearing, allowing him to remain undisturbed in his attempt to cease existing.
"Ugh, disgusting! I knew this could happen, but I was really hoping it wouldn't be now," Ajax complained, leaning back as if the sight of the creature was a direct blow to his morale.
"You complain too much about nothing. We just need to clear the way," Lyra retorted, her tone almost indifferent, as she shifted slightly to position herself sideways. Her eyes locked onto the giant centipede in front of her, a creature with multiple legs and mandibles glistening with a greenish slime.
With a fluid motion, Lyra raised a hand and traced an invisible arc in the air. A fire arrow materialized between her fingers, its orange glow briefly illuminating her red hair. She pulled the imaginary string, aiming at the creature's head.
The arrow sliced through the air with a sharp whistle before striking its target with a muffled plop. Lyra's eyes widened in disbelief—few things in the world could withstand such an attack.
The creature, however, advanced without hesitation, zigzagging through the desert sand toward the girl. Before it could reach her, Ajax leaped, his hands encased in a strange metal, striking the invertebrate's head and slamming it into the sand. The impact, though powerful, wasn't enough to halt the monster's charge. It emerged even more furious, now with Ajax clinging to its body.
From the creature's perspective, only the striking red of Lyra's hair or the deep blue of her robes should have been visible. But none of these details seemed to attract its attention. Instead, it frantically twitched its antennae, searching for stimuli to guide it toward the girl.
At last, the giant arthropod detected a shift in the air from above. Lyra's silhouette, positioned against the sun, radiated a threat beyond the creature's ability to react. Sensing this, the centipede began retreating in desperation, but Ajax prevented its escape.
With a swift motion, he materialized boots and a metallic cloak, increasing his weight. Using this advantage, he swung the creature with impressive force. In the blink of an eye, a hole opened in the monster's forehead, sealing its fate.
"Good thing you took care of that thing. I hate squashing bugs."
"Technically, it was a chilopod. But I suppose that won't change your aversion to invertebrates."
"You always cling to these unnecessary details. Keep that up, and you'll always be the loner. You need to lighten up a bit, you know?"
"I'm not here to make friends, Ajax. The Order is the only place where I can be myself. There, I have access to all the knowledge I need. It allows me to maintain my hobby of collecting spells. Now, let's move. We shouldn't push our luck—there are still months left in this journey."
Inside the cart, a girl with long dark hair and gray eyes sat, staring at the cross-sword in her hands. In the dimly lit space, the mark on her nape stood out, glowing with a neon-green hue that pulsed as if alive.