The Gambit of the Faceless God — Epic Fantasy

-Emon-

She brought us to one of the many taverns Eastern Ventoria consisted of. After parking the car a good few steps ahead, we entered the empty tavern; comprising only a handful of staff members who all harmoniously turned their eyes towards our approaching figures with smiles on their faces. The moment we stepped inside, our faces were struck with a striking smell; A warm mixed aroma of freshly baked bread with meats, as well as a cinnamon-like candle scent which gave the overall fragrance a delicate touch.

It appeared that this particular tavern—just like most taverns—kept its medieval aesthetic alive—with most of the furniture like the tables, stools and chairs made of light wood. Myriads of plants in buckets hung on the walls, with several metallic lamps etched on the walls. Behind the main front counter that carried a few miscellaneous items, a ray of beverages in glass bottles stood in three long rows placed atop each other. The entire place was bathed in the mystical sunlight which gave the tavern a truly magical, comfortable atmosphere. One servant, a young woman, presumably in her early twenties, smiled at us after she groomed her short blonde hair over her face.

“Welcome to The Pearl!” she began. “How can we help you?”

Aurora stepped forward, her hands buried in the pockets of her white coat. She squinted her eyes as she folded her lips.

“Hm… I’ll do a smoked meat sandwich with roasted tomatoes and avocado.”

“Very well. Would you like to have any drinks?”

“Lemon juice will suffice.”

Despite the serene ambiance of the tavern, my mind was still quite filled with what we were supposed to do, that being to reach southern Ventoria, as if a sudden surge of apprehension struck me.

I was not particularly feeling hungry at this moment, but it was hard to reject Aurora’s offer given her usual… strong personality. Standing beside her inside this place with time moving forward did not necessarily make me feel annoyed but rather impatient. So much so that I wandered off the conscious realm while standing on both feet, my face aimlessly averted towards the ground, not paying heed to Aurora’s exchange with the staff member.

“Is that everything, or does your partner also want to order?”

“P…partner…?”

She then turned towards me with a befuddled mien and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, gently pulling me back to the present.

“Are you okay?” she asked with concern.

“Yes, I’m fine,” I stammered, clearing my throat. “What is it?”

She then softened her gaze, as if she understood my momentary lapse.

“What do you want to eat?”

“Ah, eh, do you guys sell Pescos here?”

“Sorry,” the staff member shook her head. “We don’t sell those here.”

I disappointingly remained silent in response for several moments, before Aurora took the word once more.

“Would you like the same order as mine?”

“What is your order?”

She chuckled with closed lips. “…You really are oblivious sometimes, aren’t you.”

The staff member then chimed in from behind the counter.

“Madam has ordered the smoked meat sandwich with roasted tomatoes and avocado.”

“I’ll have one of those as well, then. Thank you.”

“Roger that! Would you like to have any drink aside?”

“Yes, please,” I nodded. “A black coffee will do.”

Aurora then slightly recoiled her head, dumbfoundedly pulling a puzzled face.

“A black coffee? With a sandwich?”

“What’s wrong with that?” I retorted, barely above a whisper.

“It’s fine,” she turned back to the staff member. “How much will it be?”

“That will be…” the servant began, flying through the pages of the order book she held. “25 Quills in total.”

I then confidently stepped forward, reassuring Aurora that I would be the one paying, until…

…I reached for my pockets, and realized I left my wallet in her car.

She chuckled slightly as she lowered her head—fishing out her wallet from the pockets of her coat.

“It’s fine, I’ll pay.”

“Sorry…”

She then caringly tilted her head to the right, a soft, beautiful smile etched on her face.

“Don’t mind it. You’ve always treated me so well. This is the least I can do.”

“I will pay you back today,” I nodded furiously. She responded with a cheerful tone, patting my shoulder several times before turning to the counter.

“Don’t be so tight, Emon. Relax a little,” she said, looking into my eyes. “Did you get enough sleep today?”

“I… did,” I responded, lowering my head in a sigh, as the staff member chimed in from behind her.

“We will bring your orders to your table. Thank you for choosing The Pearl!”

“No problem,” Aurora responded, pulling me towards a nearby table. “Let us go.”

We both sat adjacent to each other at one of the many cleanly-polished wooden tables that stood scattered around the area. I sat with my back facing the window behind me whilst Aurora was fully bathed in the sunlight which emphasized her charming face. She glanced at me, playfully resting her chin on the bridge of her interlocked hands.

“It genuinely feels as if I’m taking a child with me. Are you sure you’re doing okay, Emon?”

“It is nothing,” I sighed. “I was just feeling a little impatient for our visit to the south.”

“There is nothing to worry about,” she responded. “We haven’t given them any foreword regarding our visit. So there shouldn’t be anything to worry about. Besides, we may want to take our time to let them enjoy their time of peace before we break it.”

“You’re right,” I responded. “I may just be overthinking right now.”

“You always overthink, Emon,” she chuckled softly. “I wonder how you look when you’re as relaxed as a sloth. Hypothetically speaking, of course. I don’t think that has ever been the case with you.”

I smiled back at her, closing my eyes. “No need to assume things you don’t know about, lady. I do plenty of things when I’m at home.”

“Such as?” she asked confidently, slightly raising her eyes.

“…I read books.”

“Oh, okay. What books do you read?”

I hesitated for several moments. The moment she asked me this question, my mind couldn’t come up with even one of the many books I have read to this date. I furrowed my brows, deeply contemplating until she chuckled once more. However, it was not enough to break my hazed state. She proceeded to gently land her soft hand on mine, as she spoke to me,

“I’m just kidding. Of course, you don’t just sit on a chair with shadowed eyes, waiting for the next day to arrive in complete silence. You’re much more than that.”

“You surely are a piece of work, aren’t you…” I murmured, trying my hardest to stay composed. I could feel the warmth of her soothing palm caressing my hand. Playing this game alongside her was the only thing on my mind, even though I did not quite understand this gesture. Nevertheless, she eventually slowly slid her palm off my hand.

“Hey, we’ve known each other for over five years now,” she said, smiling. “I would expect you to have gotten used to me already. Or is that not the case?”

“It surely is…” I said nervously. “You, alongside Dark, are the only ones who I can converse normally with.”

She slightly averted her gaze, responding with a soft tone,

“Not normal enough to take me out to a fancy restaurant, or something the like.”

“I don’t think Dark enjoys being in such places, but,” I began “…we never really had the chance to spend time outside the Cellar, have we?”

She relaxed her eyebrows as if greatly disappointed for some reason. “That’s not something for him, indeed. He is too much of a dishevelled man, incapable of holding his manners wherever he is.”

“Exactly,” I nodded. “So we should think of an alternative.”

She took a deep sigh, sinking her cheek into her right palm. “What’s on your mind, then? What places would you like to visit?”

“I am more of a sightseeing type of person,” I responded. “Not a big fan of established buildings.”

“I’d say that suits you,” she said. “I can easily picture you sitting alone on a seaside cliff in the early morning hours.”

“Those are the best if I’m being honest,” I chuckled. “I tend to be at peace when finding myself in such places…”

“Or… you’re just afraid of people.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Is that so?” she tilted her head to the left. “Then what if I accompany you sometime? That would make your experience far less ‘lonely’, right?”

“I don’t mind. But, you might get bored. I tend to be a lot less talkative when sightseeing.”

“It is fine,” she shrugged. “You are one such person whose silence speaks more than a thousand words. I bet Garold and Anary are much aware of that, too. I have been with you on many of your important discussions with the other two. Regardless of your sedated demeanour, you still came out as their ‘Chosen One’ in the end.”

“Thank you… but, be careful with your words,” I retorted, nervously casting my pupils from left to right. “We’re in public.”

“No worries,” she said. “None of them know who you are. Most don’t even know who I am. Think of us both being celebrities who aren’t easily noticed in public; we dress normal, we act normal, live normal, just like most people.”

“That is what I find most striking about you, Aurora. Regardless of our positions within society, I could place you next to any ordinary lady and not notice even the slightest difference in terms of demeanour and appearance.”

Only silence followed after I finished my sentence. She stared at me with a puzzled face, trying to recollect her words until she finally spoke.

“Appearance? What do you mean by that?”

“Like…” I stammered, gulping before finishing sounding my thoughts. “…normal?”

She then disappointingly relaxed her eyebrows once more. “That is a little different than complimenting me for being modest.”

“I… should have worded it differently!”

“Oh?”

“I always saw you as someone who could easily blend in with society,” I began, reconsidering my previous sentiment. “It is like randomly encountering a lady who seems too good to be walking around normal people, yet she decides to remain modest.”

Realization struck me only after I finished talking.

What was I doing?

I was aware of Aurora’s demeanour. The moment when she touched my hand and suggested we both spend some time together. Perhaps she too understood that our relationship deserved far more than the confines of the Cellar. I was too afraid to consider the top of the latter; her bearing some romantic feelings for me…

I was afraid of this feeling because I always knew that I could never deserve anyone, especially someone as great as her. It had been this contagious pesticide that had already managed to spread its way throughout my entire being. I could never see myself embracing her in my arms—and yet I was speaking to her like a gentleman trying to court a fair lady.

At any rate, this was not the moment to reflect on my actions. For some reason, I felt like taking her hand and accept her dance of love, but with a mask overlapping my face. Perhaps it may not necessarily be my feelings towards her, but it was simply the act of engaging in this dance with her, allowing for temporary dopamine to spread within me, and only for that dopamine to wither away as soon as I find myself alone in my manor once more…

“…I’ll take that, I guess,” she responded calmly. The staff member who took our orders then arrived at the table, placing our plates alongside the drinks on each respective side.

“Here are your orders. Please, enjoy!”

“Thank you, darling,” Aurora said playfully. I thanked the staff member also as she stepped away from the table—leaving the both of us alone once again.

“Anyway, how’s the teacher's life going? Got anything new going on? Any eyes glued onto you?”

“So far, I’m still safe,” I responded, sipping my coffee. "I doubt anyone will leak my identity, especially if your daughter manages to keep her mouth closed."

“No worries,” she chuckled. “She won’t. If this is a normal society, then Helvega is undoubtedly someone who is too righteous to be considered a fellow. She is definitely not your typical fourteen year old. If Luria’s first administrator tells her to remain silent, she will abide by your words.”

“I was never really worried. I mean, even if my identity got leaked, it wouldn’t be too big of a problem, anyway.”

“Why did you decide to do this in the first place again?” she asked, taking her first bite from the sandwich.

“I did so because I wanted to become a teacher on the low, given my passion for teaching young Ventorians about our grandiose city. I was afraid I would lure too much attention towards myself if my students knew who I was.

At face value, it doesn’t seem that big of a problem, which I just considered, but you would also have to consider the sheer overarching presence the Luria Assembly has within not only Ventoria, but Deneve. We have control over the majority of the characteristics of our country.”

She sighed in acknowledgement, shaking her head. “I don’t know how you do it, Emon.”

I crossed my arms as I closed my eyes. “I surely had to get used to it at first, so do not get mistaken. Besides, I am only a teacher for two days. Thanks to my connections with the Monlay Assembly, I was able to gain employment rather rapidly.”

“Consider yourself lucky on that front,” she began, as the sun started to shine even brighter than before. Another couple walked into the tavern, both throwing glances at our table before proceeding to order—their voices intermingled with the staff member sounding muffled and hushed in contrast to Aurora, who continued to speak in a clearer tone.

“I know how fond you are of our city. And just like you said, your passion for teaching the young is certainly going to take them far. They are being taught by Luria’s first administrator, for goodness sake!”

She then sighed once more, taking a sip from her drink. “I wouldn’t be surprised if one of your students eventually becomes a high-ranking member of our assembly given the dangers of you blessing them with a little too much knowledge.”

I chuckled with closed lips.

“I think that seat has already been taken. Your daughter is a prime candidate so far.”

Right after I said this, Aurora’s face turned crestfallen, her voice taking a somber turn.

“…I’m not too sure, actually.”

“Why?”

“She is fanatically interested in the library,” she began, averting her eyes. “So much so that I am starting to wonder whether or not she actually enjoys spending time with me.”

“I am sure she does, Aurora…”

“Well, tell that to Miriam. She will most likely give you a different answer. Whenever I would enter the library to pick her up, I always saw the two of them together. It felt as if I became a personal teacher or a security agent coming to pick up someone else’s daughter for school, or something.”

I remained silent in response, as the sounds of the couple taking a seat in the far-right corners gliding over the surface seemed to have brought Aurora back to her senses, prompting her to continue.

“But, I don’t blame her… I haven’t been the best mother in all honesty.”

“Aurora…”

She hasn’t been the best mother, she said…?

If I recall correctly, Aurora never really had the brightest dynamic with her family members.

Even with someone like me who hides his depressive nature, she too seemed to have been sheltering something important to her.

She came from the Jinton Family, one hailing from the far Eastern side of Livayae. The Jintons are alongside six other Families considered to be the Seven Royalties of Livayae. They are the ones who share the strongest bonds and connections with the Golden church and are also the ones who, alongside the Golden church, have the largest shares of the tax money we all pay monthly. Not much is known about any of the Seven Royalties except the immense power and influence their members hold.

It never truly crossed my mind what exactly could have made her prevent me, or anyone else, even her daughter, from knowing more about this specific family. Yet, it was at this moment when I considered her former husband, who, according to Aurora, was a very abusive man towards both her and Helvega. It could be reasonable if that man was linked with the Jinton family somehow, since she never even told me whether she was married into this Family, or had been a part of the Jintons by blood.

At any rate, the latter was my consideration point for now. Since I was given the impression that she would feel extremely uncomfortable, I could never bring myself to ask her about her history. It would be quite hypocritical for me to do so, too, given I have always been reluctant to tell her about myself.

“Sorry, I tend to be a little careless with my words whenever I get comfortable,” she fake laughed. Trying to make her feel at peace, I nervously raised my hand as I responded,

“Oh, no, don’t worry. If that’s the case, then I am glad I could make you feel that way.”

Several seconds of silence followed after my words.

She then eventually let a closed, bittersweet smile form on her face. Her eyes slightly squinted.

“…You always do, Emon…”

I instinctively cleared my throat, taking the sandwich in my hands.

“Anyway, let’s finish eating before the food’s going to get stale.”

“Right,” she said. “Are you sure this is all you need?”

“I’m not that hungry, so… this may just be a little over my capacity.”

A genuine chuckle escaped her lips after hearing my words. “Alright, Emon.”