Alyssane felt a chilling numbness as a thousand thoughts raced in her mind. She was not sure what to do, there were only questions, and uncertainties. No one to answer them.
Kazmun released her hand, there was a cold harshness to his words, "Stop running all the time."
"I thought you loved coming after me." She murmured.
He ignored her words.
Alyssane walked towards the tavern on her own.
The night winds felt colder in Kazmun's presence, as her thoughts sank inside that dream once again. She had debated whether it was merely a coincidence, or if she had walked out of the manor on the night of the murder.
'What if I came to the city and forgot it all? But that would mean I have met Kazmun before...'
Alyssane wondered if he would answer her. 'When he found me in the forest, there were no signs of recognition in his face.'
'Am I putting too much faith in a dream?'
Before she could speak to him, something shifted in one of the alleys. It was too dark to see, but Alyssane felt someone was watching them.
"Stay close," Kazmun said, voice low and commanding. His sharp gaze unmoving from the darkened alley.
Alyssane nodded with a frown, bracing herself.
The next moment, a small boy emerged, his face red and teary, his small frame trembled. He seemed as if he was holding back for so long, but now he broke into hiccuping sobs and rushed towards Alyssane.
She flinched, his small hands wrapped around her legs, "Mommy!"
Kazmun's cold demeanor dimmed for a moment, and he raised a surprised brow at Alyssane. She grimaced, "It's not that."
"I want m-mommy…" the kid broke down in more tears.
Alyssane felt uneasy from the vulnerability of the child. She glanced at Kazmun, silently pleading with him to do something.
He did nothing. There was a flicker of something in his eyes, a hint of amusem*nt perhaps, but his demeanor remained distant.
Alyssane hesitantly patted the boy's head, and he only clutched her harder as if he were afraid she would not help her either.
She softened her voice, trying to think of something, "If you don't stop crying the ghosts will hear you."
The sobs slowed down, but now the child was shivering uncontrollably. His tears soaked her skirts and she could feel their wetness on her skin.
"What is wrong with him?" She whispered, her voice concerned yet fearful, trying to move back from the boy but it was impossible.
Alyssane hesitantly looked at Kazmun and urged, "You should carry him."
His smile faded, "No."
"But it's―it's distressing," she said, what would make a child so young cry so hard? Why did he even come to her?
She pressed her lips into a thin line and glared at Kazmun, "If you do nothing, I am also going to start crying, and then good luck taking me back to the tavern!"
Kazmun grimaced, he subconsciously glanced at the street up ahead to see if there were some patrolling knights. But there was no one he could call.
With a reluctant sigh, he bent slightly and pried the child's hand open from around Alyssane. There was no resistance.
"It's going to be alright," he murmured, and Kazmun had that kind of voice hard to ignore. Low, deep, and so easily soothing when he intended it to.
The sobbing boy sniffled, still shivering but his cries slowed down as he gazed back at Kazmun. He did not move for a moment.
Alyssane held the boy's other hand, "What happened with your mommy?"
He glanced at Kazmun, and only when there was a small nod, did the boy answer in a meek voice, "Nothing… but I can't return home."
"What were you doing here?" Kazmun asked.
"I was going home at sunset, but then… th-there were so many of them… and I got scared, I couldn't…" The boy's face turned white, his body shivering once again.
Her heart felt strange at that. What are the chances no one noticed a troubled child?
"...they?" Alyssane asked,
The boy hesitated, swallowing hard before speaking in a quivering voice, "Witches… everywhere…"
Alyssane shared a confused glance with Kazmun. She was not sure what to make of those words. But the city was a confusing puzzle.
Kazmun calmly responded, "Lead the way."
With a shaky nod, the boy agreed. His anxious steps led them through some dimly lit streets and alleys. There was no one, anywhere.
"Is the city cursed?" Alyssane murmured, not expecting an answer.
No doors of the houses were open, no windows, not even the lights. How could they all just leave? And those who hadn't, how were able to live like this?
"It's not clear," Kazmun said, "A strange ailment has been plaguing the city, and some nights ago things took a turn for worse."
She remembered the tolling of the city bell and the violet smoke from her dream.
The boy looked between Kazmun and Alyssane with wide eyes and nodded, "My father won't wake up!"
"He's dead?" she asked dubiously.
"Sleeping," Kazmun frowned at the choice of her words in front of the teary child, she frowned at his hypocrisy, "Half of the city is like that. They suddenly fall asleep, and don't wake up."
"Damn," she whispered.
"Not the worst part."
The three of them soon entered a long street, and they finally found the 'ghosts'.
More than a dozen women dressed in black robes, their faces veiled, loudly and impatiently whispered to themselves. None of them moved, but their eyes blankly turned their way.
Alyssane watched them carefully, unnerved, curious, as she realized all the women seemed too human to be anything other than that. Was that an act? Some cult ritual? Mass psychosis?
'...They suddenly fall asleep and don't wake up.'
Her eyes slightly widened in shock as the severity of the situation dawned upon her. She was too young when she heard of the curse, half it's details forgotten from her mind.
"Are they asleep right now?" She whispered with uncertainty.
"Mn." Kazmun's voice was cold once again, "Let's not disturb them."
Alyssane was too uncomfortable to say anything more.
Many many years ago a mysterious curse had struck the imperial capital of Sol Valeria. It lasted for one night, people complained of nosebleeds and migraines, before suddenly collapsing into a nightmarish slumber.
They never woke up.
But before succumbing to their demise, many of them showed peculiar behavior while sleepwalking. The curse vanished as abruptly as it had appeared.
No one survived.
Alyssane glanced at the boy. His legs were trembling from fear, his face white but he had not complained. Silently, she carried him up. No child should feel such horror.
Kazmun added after a while, "It's different this time, slower."
She was not sure how to respond to that.
The mysterious death of Lord Chancellor, her nightmares, missing memories―what if they were all connected? The pieces of the puzzle were slowly falling into place.
Yet she felt so unsure of everything.
A warm trickle trailed down her nose, Alyssane touched her face and her fingers returned red. "What even…?"
Kazmun's eyes darkened as he took the small boy from her hands, "Are you going to faint?"
She wiped the blood from the back of her hand, and it slightly shook.
