Upon arriving at the mountain top and finding an inn they will stay for the night, Aeriel and Invictus separated from each other temporarily."Aeriel, I will be out for a bit," said Invictus, already at the door of theirroom, bringing nothing with him but only what he has on.The long, tiring walk from the feet of the mountain, all the way up to its peak where the main establishments of the town were built drained Aeriel of her energy.She is on her bed, relaxing. "It's almost dinner time, Lord Invictus.""I just have some business to deal with.""But you told me you're only here for sightseeing?"Confused, Aeriel got up, about to follow Invictus in the doorway when he put his hand out on her, stopping her from continuing any further."Yes, I said that I'm here only for sightseeing. But I did not say that I am here to see the beauty of the horizon. I'm just intrigued at the thought of watching a whole damn mountain from the bo

What she did to pass the time was knit her unfinished scarf.Under a small mana-powered lamp, Aeriel made progress in knitting the scarf, bitter about the fact that Invictus still chose not to tell her his story."And what's the rice wine for?! If you're going to buy liquor, drink it!"Sadness turned into annoyance. Aeriel wanted to lash out herfrustration but couldn't, remembering that Invictus was already sleeping."All I wanted is to know more about Lord Invictus. I've cooked different varieties of food for him, and he would always say that he likes it. But I never know what his favorite food is. Should I just choke him with a pillow since he does not want to tell me anything?"Frustratedly, Aeriel decided to continue finishing the scarf later and threw herself on the bed, letting out a deep sigh before closing her eyes.---Another morning came...It was Invictus who was the first to wake up. He left the room to cle

"It's the perfect temperature. I like it. It's not too cold, and it's not too lukewarm."Bathing in the incredibly soothing water, chest-deep, and buck naked underneath, Invictus scrubbed and scrub his whole body using his hands, getting rid of those dead skin cells."I'm mentally unstable... When I thought I was fully committed to taking revenge, seeking justice by bringing it into my hands and destroying the kingdom, people who are just so kind pop in one after another. And then at some point, I would realize that my daughter was innocent too. My wife, even if she was really the mastermind in the massacre of many lives, I don't think she deserves that. They could have at least made her die apainless death and left me and my daughter out of it! So, eventually, I'll be back to being vengeful and despising everyone in sight for being happy."A rustling of leaves and bushes suddenly resounded, making Invictus instantly turn his head in the direction where

By the time Invictus got back to their room, it was almost lunchtime. The breakfast the innkeeper gave him was cold already, and Aeriel was nowhere to be found.Invictus did not pay that much attention to it and just dug in the cold servings. Despite its cold state after being left for a while, the food was still incredibly delicious.As a common courtesy for receiving food from the innkeepers, Invictus picked up the tray and used kitchenware and brought it down to wash. He wanted to at least do the dishes for having a free meal from the innkeeper because it was a huge help, considering their financial status at the moment."Hello," Invictus called, but no one answered. "Uh, lady innkeeper? I've come to bring the dishes."No answer was given to him. He then noticed the silence of his surroundings. It was inexplicably quiet to the point that Invictus could hear his own heart beating.Strange as it may seem, instances like this often occur from time

"Are they letting crazy people in the town now? He might be dangerous."When Invictus was done wallowing, he decided to talk to Aeriel after he got back about Rahel. The tiniest drop of conscience wanted Invictus to let the old lady go and live her life where she could be happy."Spending some time with people really has the heart interfering with your mind. It hinders your decisions and gives you the exact amount ofconduct to think twice about your wicked decisions."Aeriel does not seem to understand what Invictus said."Um, can't Lord Invictus just cut to the chase?""Innkeeper Rahel is a kind soul. I don't want her to perish along with the poor souls residing in this town, but I can't think of an excuse to pull her out of the misery she'll be put in."His words brought a smile to Aeriel's face because deep down, humanity in Invictus' heart still hasn't faded completely. It's just there, imprisoned in a blockade of corrupting ill