Blood-Forged

The fashion of Kon changed a bit in the 200 years I was sealed away. The clothes Death-Bringer brought me were loose and flowing with tight, easy to move in undergarments with simple colors. Inoffensive. Something Ves'hil'n would wear on a daily basis. But the people around us in the tavern wore clothes that were more colorful and decorated than Ves'hil'n's ceremonial garb. Completely inappropriate and utterly gaudy for peasants.

Piercing Gale and Death-Bringer sat across the table from me, staring coldly while I glared back.

Finally Piercing Gale opened his mouth to ask something I did not expect, "Are you hungry? We can order something to eat."

"I don't know." I didn't know what it felt like. For Ves'hil'n hunger was something that did not happen frequently nor did he pay it much mind when it did so it was not a sensation I remembered.

"You must be." Piercing Gale said in a tone that reminded me of Eun and made my eye twitch. He flagged down a waitress and ordered a few dishes.

"How do you know the Demon Lord is rising?" I asked, voice still hoarse. I had asked Death-Bringer but of course Piercing Gale opened his bastard mouth instead.

"I was enshrined with the seal indicator in Kon, I could see it fraying from the moment I woke up."

"Why not just go to reinforce the seal? Why must we all gather together?" why must I let you live?

A few steaming plates were set on the table. Piercing Gale pushed one of the hot plates closer to me, "Do you suddenly know advanced exorcism techniques? Please enlighten me on how one of us could do that."

Unable to respond, I stabbed at the dish in front of me with my chopsticks and brought the bite to my mouth... And immediately regretted it.

Spice exploded in my mouth. I almost spat it out but felt that would be too satisfying to Piercing Gale so I swallowed it even though it burned my throat the whole way down. "Sorry. Spicy food may be a bit too much for your first real experience eating." A light and wholly unapologetic smile adorned Piercing Gale's face. I gripped my chopsticks tighter, fantasizing about stabbing them into Piercing Gale's cold, black eyes. As if reading my thoughts, Piercing Gale chuckled. I half stood and raised my fist with my chopsticks in it leveled at his eyes.

Death-Bringer sighed, "Will you two stop acting like children?" she pulled the plate away from in front of me and pushed another one to me, "Eat these instead. They're sweet and the cream should soothe the spice a bit." I slowly sat back down and set the chopsticks down and picked up one of the sweets with my fingers, settling for kicking Piercing Gale in the shin under the table.

Piercing Gale grunted, his eyes briefly narrowing at me before he shook his head and leaned back against his chair, "The three of us are nothing but dumb muscle. We need Eternal Lullaby. Only she will know what we can do about the seal and whether all of us will be necessary."