Sientro

Luce winced when the black feline tending to his wounds pressed both paws against his ankles, first his right and then his left. The pressure felt sharp, like needles digging into his skin to stitch an invisible wound with a thin thread. The priest's paws were glowing a pastel violet, the same color as the highlights on his eyes, emanating a wave-like aura that spread over the fox's limbs. It was the only light source in that room, other than the moonlight gently brushing their fur through the windows surrounding them. No matter how often he experienced the wonders of Akumu's healing magic, it always made him grit his teeth and grip the bedsheets underneath him. At least he didn't feel the urge to kick him away like he once did as a teenager.

“You're lucky there were only two guards from the Church that night,” the priest scolded him, and Luce could have sworn Akumu's grip on his ankle had become tighter for a moment. “If there had been more of them, they could have split up, and the stunt you pulled wouldn't have worked on them.”

“I did two weeks of surveillance. It wasn't luck.”

The fox closed his eyes and turned his head to the side, but the silence he was met with told him that his excuse had not worked. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself staring directly into the unblinking third eye the priest had on his forehead—a dark shade of purple that contrasted with the white of his other two eyes. His brows were slightly furrowed, and his expression was stern. Nothing gets past you, Luce rolled his eyes and leaned backward to admit defeat.

“Fine, I didn't pay enough attention to the guards' schedules. The mission had a really tight deadline, and I spent most of it trying to figure out how to access the laboratory I needed to steal from.”

“If you knew it was dangerous, you should have turned it down.” Akumu lifted his paws from Luce's ankles, but the warmth of his touch lingered. “Your life is more important than a job.”

“No, it isn't. Not to them.”

The fox scoffed and pushed himself up when the black feline was done examining him. He lifted both legs, one after the other, and then ran in place to check whether the pain was gone. After doing that, he took another look at Akumu's face, who was still sitting in front of him with a worried expression. Luce froze in place, feeling a pang of guilt that made him want to avoid the other's eyes, and sat down again with his legs crossed and his hands resting on his knees.

“Look, I'll be a little more careful next time.” That didn't satisfy the priest, who frowned as if to remind Luce of all the times he had said that before. “The reason I accepted this mission is because the scholar from Rento that wanted these notes—” Luce grabbed the notebook he had stolen and gave it to Akumu, who flipped through the pages. “—was one of the lead scientists developing power-enhancing potions for that war from ten years ago.”

“The Vismagus Succession, so that's what this is about...” Akumu muttered. “You still haven't given up on the search for that boy you told me about?”

“I haven't had the chance to search for him in the past, how could I give up when I've just started? A lot of people close to me died that day, but he's the only one whose body I didn't see. Maybe he's like me, and he also got sent to a town close to Lucatago,” Luce looked at his legs. “Even if that's just a stupid hope, I want to know for certain.”

Luce heard the wooden boards below him creak, followed by the feeling of gentle hands stroking the fur on his head. When he looked up, he saw the face of the priest smiling down at him. Was it pity, or was it meant to be supportive? Regardless of what the answer was, it made Luce feel understood. Akumu always understood. Ever since he had been brought here ten years ago, Akumu had been taking care of him and a few other children. They had been sent away from Lucatago by their parents when the war happened. Now, most of them were adults. Some of them were mages who had left the town to study under various Academies, and some chose to stay in the comfortable simplicity of the village after seeing the cost behind the luxuries offered by the cities. There were even a few of them, like Luce, who had chosen riskier lifestyles. But Akumu always smiled and took care of them all the same.

“One day, you're going to give me a heart attack.”

Akumu flicked Luce's forehead, and the fox rubbed the spot the priest had hit and laughed.

“You could always just come with me,” the fox stood. “I bet your all-seeing eye could help me figure out a thing or two.”

“A wonderful idea. An official priest of the Lucatago Church, working with a common thief with possible ties to insurrectionists. I'm sure Head Priest Vismagus Tàiliàng would be pleased to hear the news.” Akumu turned around and raised his voice every couple of words, trying not to laugh. “The sun won't rise for another hour, you should rest before you leave for Rento. And try avoiding Alumbra for a month or two. They don't tend to remember the faces of every thief they catch for long, but now would be too soon.”

“Good night,” the fox paused for a second, and spoke up again before the feline could close the door, “and thank you, Akumu.”

“Sleep well, Luce.”

Luce swore he could feel a bit of hesitation when Akumu closed the door, pausing halfway through before finally shutting it. However, the weight of his eyelids was too heavy to allow him to think of that for long. He allowed himself to fall on top of his bed, taking a passing glance at the room around him before falling asleep. Its contents never changed—a couple of bookshelves, a small bed, tools pushing open the doors of a closet that was too small to fit them all, and a table where he occasionally wrote something—but it gave him a sense of comfort. Those days, he barely spent any time in this place. Eventually, he fell asleep.

---

The sun had reached its highest point by the time Luce woke up from his slumber. After a quick meal, Akumu and Luce left the temple towards the town's travel nexus. Although both points were on opposite sides of the village, it took no longer than a 30-minute walk to make the journey. Towns were much smaller in scale than the cities they surrounded, which could be nearly ten times wider. However, their layout differed greatly. The cities were narrow, with suffocating streets that only served as connections between one place and the other. The roads of the towns were much wider; while they walked along the dirt path carved between grassy plains, Luce and Akumu often spotted kids playing on the side of the road and people chatting away.

“Luce, is that you?!”

A feminine voice exclaimed at them from afar while they made a temporary stop by one of the local shops. The fox's ears perked up, and he turned around to find the one who had beckoned him. On the other side of the road, there was a park with a group of kids gathered in a circle around a woman, tall and covered in copper scales from top to bottom. A mane of pale ash-brown hair extended from the back of her head to well below her shoulders, flowing from the gentle breeze. The woman seemed to be reciting a story to them, and the kids looked at her with wide eyes so as not to miss even one of her gestures. She waved at Luce and, following her steps, most of the kids immediately stood up and did the same, twice as loudly. The fox scratched his cheek, embarrassed at the attention he received. Knowing her, she had probably fed them embellished stories of his missions as if he were a hero.

“Does she always need to make a scene?” Luce joked, and the feline next to him snickered. “I'll be right back.”

He crossed the road, not even bothering to check both sides before he did, and made his way to the group, raising a hand to greet them. The park was clean and tidy, with a fountain in the middle where they often gathered. The cold breeze of winter made the leaves rustle, a scenery that could only be found in rural areas like this one. This was home.

“What have we got here? Are you Lavinia's new army of soldiers?” A few pounced at Luce and hugged his legs, almost making him trip and fall backward. “Friendly fire! Friendly fire! Lavinia, you traitor!”

She laughed and beckoned at the children, who obediently retreated and left the fox alone.

“They missed you, idiot,” the woman gently punched his shoulder. “They've been waiting for weeks to hear another heroic story from you.”

“Maybe next time. I'm still in the middle of a mission.” Despite what he said, Luce kneeled in front of the kids and whispered just loud enough for them to hear. His dramatic tone made Lavinia roll her eyes. “It's a super secret mission. Illegal experiments from an evil scientist who wants to take over the world, and the Academies know nothing of it. You can't tell anyone, you got it?”

When he winked, the children gasped and nodded at him. He kept narrating the events of the past month, weaving them into a story. He spoke of elaborate traps he narrowly avoided, and a monologue from a crazed scientist—far from the real, sterile halls of the laboratory he visited. They didn't need to know, though.

“How brave of you,” Lavinia didn't even try to hold back a smirk. “Was that the reason you were limping to the temple yesterday night? Did you get in a fight with that evil scientist?”

Of course you heard about that, you witch, Luce thought.

“I had to use the sigils.” He sat on the ground to show his legs, where that strange tattoo was. The children crowded around him, admiring the mark with starry eyes. “I know they're not the safest thing, considering how much mana they drain, but I had no choice. I wish I were a mage, so I could control how much mana I use instead of relying on these things.”

“You crybaby. Are you all right now?”

Luce gave her a thumbs up. “Akumu patched me up.”

“Good. I'm guessing you're heading to Rento, now?”

“Yeah, but it shouldn't take too long unless a new mission pops up.”

“I think Pius was going there, too,” she looked up, tapping her chin with one of her claws. “You'll probably find him in the travel nexus. Say hi to him for me while you're at it.”

“Will do,” Luce stood up, and brushed away the blades of grass that had become stuck in his fur. “One day, you've got to come with me. The life in the city may be boring, but they've got some banger liquor you'd probably like.”

“Sorry, I can't kiss ass the way you do.”

Luce feigned offense at that comment by pretending to gasp and turned around towards the park's exit. Akumu had long since finished shopping and stood there waiting for the fox to finish his conversation. Once he was close enough, the priest spoke.

“They truly admire you.”

“The kids probably do. Their captain probably wishes I'd stop going on these espionage missions.”

Luce walked ahead of the path, but Akumu stayed behind to look back at Lavinia. She stood at the entrance, her eyes lingering on Luce's back as it became more and more distant. The way she gripped the gate while watching him go made Akumu wonder what she felt. Worry? Longing? Or, perhaps, even jealousy?

No, the priest thought. I think she admires you more than anyone else.

As they approached the edge of the town and the travel nexus, the faint hum of magic gates opening and closing grew louder, drowning out the laughter of the kids from the streets behind them.