Chapter 3: Beauty Sleep? Not Today!

As the heavy iron doors of the eastern wall groaned open, Lloyd stepped into the streets of Eastwatch, the largest city within the eastern district. The city pulsed with life, despite the shadow of the wall looming overhead. Weathered stone and aged wooden houses lined the streets, and the air was filled with the scent of sizzling meat and freshly baked bread. Vendors called out their prices, children weaved between the crowds, and blacksmiths hammered steel with rhythmic precision.

Lloyd couldn't help but feel a sense of peacefulness and calm as he followed Garrick through the winding streets. The city was poor, but there was an undeniable unity, a fragile peace held together by the protection of the wall.

This was the city that Lloyd had apparently lived in. 

"Eastwatch is one of the more peaceful areas," Garrick explained. "But further out, past the city, you'll find places where outlaws lurk. They steal, kill, and survive off the scraps of others. Yet here, the people find joy in the simple things. The safety of the wall... it gives them hope to live a normal life."

Lloyd listened in silence, observing the faces of those around him. They looked worn, weathered by hardship, but their eyes glimmered with resilience, trying to make the most of these peaceful days.

As they walked through the bustling market district, Lloyd noticed civilians occasionally glancing over at Garrick with a look of respect and pride, while others stopped and thanked the lieutenant for his hard work in protecting the walls, which he dismissed with a nod. Lloyd noticed a surprising smile creep up on Garrick's usually inexpressive face.

"Is this your hometown?" Lloyd asked.

"No, but it reminds me of the village I was raised in, the peaceful look on their faces and the sense of community."

"I see. Where is your village from?" Lloyd questioned, trying to break the silence with humble conversation.

"It was also in the Eastern District, located just a few miles from Eastwatch." A change appeared on Garrick's face, though Lloyd didn't notice it.

"Was?"

Garrick stopped in his tracks and turned around. The remnants of the smile he had before disappeared without a trace, and he gave Lloyd a deep, dark look.

"We were happy, and it was peaceful. Until a demon appeared on our doorstep."

"S-sorry for asking," Lloyd stammered, a bead of sweat dripping down his face.

"It's fine. Most arcanists have gone through something similar, so just think about what you're saying before blurting stuff out, kid."

'This didn't make sense. How were demons able to get past the walls? And what's an arcanist, is this linked to the malachite that Selene spoke off earlier?'

Interrupting his thoughts, Garrick stopped at a humble food stall. An elderly woman, her hands wrinkled from years of labor, handed them two bowls of warm stew and slices of bread. Lloyd hesitated, but who knows how long it had been without food in his stomach. He accepted the meal with a quiet nod of gratitude.

They sat down at a nearby bench and began eating.

"Kid, you've gotta eat more. If you wanna become an arcanist at the academy, you can't go looking as pale as a ghost, especially with those skinny arms. You gotta start doing some regular training."

"I see. I guess I didn't look after myself properly."

A pitiful look came across Garrick's face.

"Still, that's one unique scar you've got there. Never seen anything like it."

Lloyd's face paled as he thought back to the day before he died. The black cat. The slender demon that chased him. The icy slash he felt along his neck as his vision parted from his body. The way the demon dragged his corpse back with it…

"Hey, kid? Are you alright?" Garrick's concerned voice snapped Lloyd out of his thoughts, and his large palm rested against his shoulder, jolting him back to his senses.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. I just feel a bit sick."

"Sorry, kid. I should take my own advice sometimes."

Moving his hand off Lloyd's shoulder, Garrick continued, "Anyway, since you're gonna be going to the academy, I might as well explain to you about the different factions within the walls."

"Before that, an arcanist is a person who wields an A-blade, a weapon made from malachite. Malachite is the soul of a demon. Killing a demon is how you obtain their soul malachite. 

"So, an A-blade is a weapon that is forged from demons?"

"Precisely, if you can harness the demon's malachite energy which resides in an A-blade this can give you a huge increase in power. However, it's dangerous and very few have the talent. Especially when it comes to higher ranking demons"

Lloyd nodded along

Garrick then began to speak of the factions that protected humanity within the bastion.

"Firstly, The Arcane Watchers—our job is to maintain order and protect the wall from any high-rank demons that seek to harm the wall, being the second line of defense that protects the humans from the demons and devils. Selene Vale, the one who brought you in, is one of our four Vice Captains, each Vice Captain manning a different side of the wall."

Lloyd's mind drifted to Selene's cold amber eyes and commanding presence.

"The Arcane Reapers," Garrick continued, a bead of sweat running down his face, "They're more demon than human. Their strength is second to none, constantly making excursions outside of the wall to obtain malachite and fuel the city. They also have a secondary task of discovering weaknesses and different species of demons, as well as finding the root cause for them. However, no progress has been made in the 300 years these walls have been standing in terms of the cause."

"Lastly, The Arcane Knights. The weakest of the bunch. They handle internal affairs—outlaws, criminal activity, and protecting the people from threats within the walls. In fact, on your arc link there is a distress function where you can call arcane knights to your location if you've spotted a demon."

'That's handy' Lloyd thought 

"In most cities and towns there's also a knight's outpost where you can file any suspicious criminal activity and any kinds of information you may hold which can assist the knights in stopping criminal behaviour." Garrick explained 

Lloyd absorbed the information as they finished their meal and continued their walk through the streets, the world around him feeling more foreign with each passing moment.

Finally, they arrived at a modest wooden house on the outskirts of Eastwatch. The single-room home was small and worn, but something about it felt oddly familiar.

"This is your place," Garrick said. "Get some rest. Selene will come and update you tomorrow on what you should do next. You've got a long road ahead."

"I see. Thank you for escorting me here."

With that, Garrick turned and began walking away.

"Lieutenant garrick."

"What's up?"

"Something's bugging me from what you said before."

"Which part?"

"What's a demon, and what's a devil? And what's the difference between the two?"

Garrick stared into Lloyd's eyes for a few seconds, as if recounting previous memories.

"You wanna know? Truth is, I've seen countless demons. High-tier, low-tier, you name it. Killed my fair share too. However, I've only seen a devil once."

He paused for a second.

"Let me tell you, if you ever see a devil, consider yourself a dead man walking. It doesn't matter what you do. You can run, you can fight, you can even hide. It doesn't matter. You'll end up the same. Torn and mangled into infinite pieces."

Lloyd swallowed hard, afraid to ask, but his curiosity got the better of him.

"H-how did you survive?"

Garrick gave off an even intenser look.

"That day… over 500 Arcanists left the walls to subjugate the devil—Reapers, Watchers, and Knights. Out of those 500, 17 survived. Either due to absurd luck, or simply abandoning and leaving the rest for dead."

"Which one was it? F-for you?"

Garrick began to lift up his uniform top.

"Absurd luck." He shivered as a smile crept upon his face.

What was displayed on his huge muscles was a horrifying scar about an inch wide that ran straight from one side of his waist to the other, as if he had been cut straight in half.

Lloyd shivered upon seeing this.

"Don't look so scared, kid. 'Til we meet again!" Garrick snorted in laughter as he walked off.

'He's more expressive than I expected?' Lloyd thought, a nervous laugh escaping his lips. His words echoed in Lloyd's mind.

'Now I'm by myself.'

Lloyd looked up at his shabby shack, admiring it.

He stepped inside, closing the door behind him. The dimly lit room was sparsely furnished—an old wooden bed, a cracked table, a half-broken mirror, and a small shelf with a few scattered belongings.

He walked over to the mirror, taking a good look at his foreign body.

He was about 5'5"—fairly short for his age. He was skinny, though not to the point he could see bones. He was wearing fairly tattered rags: braies, sandals, and a tunic. A far cry from the fashionable uniform of the Arcane Watchers.

He ran his fingers along the scar on his neck. "Everything feels so surreal."

He sat down on a chair, letting his thoughts spiral.

His death. The scar. The bastion and its eerie energy. Selene Vale. And the name they gave him—Lloyd Eosian. And more importantly, demons and devils. What are they?

"Who… am I?" he whispered to himself.

His eyes drifted to a faint purple glow emanating from a purple shard resting on the table.

"When did this get here? Is this malachite?"

Drawn to it, he reached out and brushed his fingers against its cold surface. The moment his skin made contact, a strange warmth coursed through his veins, sending a shiver down his spine.

All of a sudden, images flooded his mind—visions of fire and darkness, of blood-soaked battlefields and towering demonic figures. A chilling voice echoed in his head, ancient and malevolent.

"Y–ou– Yo-u Mu–st."

He grasped his head as a throbbing pain took over and a chilling scream escaped his mouth.

"Akhhh, Th- this pain…" He had never felt anything so painful, not even his head being lopped off compared to this pain.

His body trembled, gasping for air. He stumbled back, knocking over the chair, clutching his head. The room spun around him, his vision went blurry as he collapsed onto the floor. The last thing he heard being:

"You must help m–"

Before his vision went black.

The Next Day

Selene had just finished talking with the principal of the academy. Being an ex-pupil as well as a top one, she held quite a lot of weight with her recommendations, allowing Lloyd to gain an interview with the principal himself despite the academy year already starting two weeks ago.

She was on her way to Lloyd's house to inform him of the news. Walking through the streets of Eastwatch, she thought to herself:

'The kid, he's got high potential, on par with me, maybe even higher. However, that's where the positives end.'

She began counting on her hand:

'Small,' she lifted a finger.

'Weak, looks like he could be crushed by a fly,' she lifted another finger.

'Suspicious,' despite confirming Lloyd was human, there was an abnormality with his body, though she couldn't confirm what exactly. She thought, lifting another finger.

'Amnesiac,' lifting another finger.

'Poor kid, something terrible must've happened to him,' she sighed.

She arrived at Lloyd's house. She had called prior, but received no answer.

Knock knock.

"Lloyd, it's me, Selene. I've come to update you on the academy."

She waited a few moments.

'This kid, he can't still be sleeping at midday, can he?'

Knock knock.

"I'm coming in if you're not gonna open up!"

After waiting a few moments, she barged the door open

And there, on the floor, lay Lloyd, quietly sleeping.

Slightly impressed, Selene joked, "Does this kid not remember what a bed is used for? I'm surprised he managed to sleep like this." 

Upon seeing this, Selene couldn't help but feel reminiscent of her younger brother. She felt a pang in her heart as Lloyd reminded her of him.

She glanced at Lloyd, eyeing him up and down before sighing and picking him up in a bridal carry. She gently placed him on the bed and covered him with a blanket.

'He's tiny. Just like him, also being about the same age when he—' stopping her thoughts there, she sighed.

She picked up the fallen chair and sat down, taking out a cigarette and lighting it.

Puff.

"No wonder I was being soft on him," she whispered.

End of Chapter 3: Beauty Sleep? Not Today!