Hearing someone's footsteps approaching, Wren and I turned to look and saw a familiar colour of baby blue.
"Lady Arla, are you talking about the upcoming war with Infermel?" Eason walked towards us with curved up lips. They call that a 'smile' but personally if it's Eason who's doing it, I'd call it 'deception'. Seeing his deception (smile) makes me shiver.
"Oh, are you cold Infermel? Let me help you," Eason walked closer to me but was stopped when I held my hand out, giving myself distance from him.
"No thanks, I don't need your help. Seeing you makes me feel colder," I replied. I won't be the only one with the power of one of Esper's heads. In the future, Eason will awaken the power of 'Lumi'. Previously, I was in Eason's body and had fought with the power of ice, so I think Esper must be fucking with me to give me the exact opposite power of ice after time was reversed. Now that I think about it, Eason does have blue hair which is a sign of awakening Lumi's power. Back on earth, Eason had light brown hair, so I found it strange that his hair turned blue when we appeared here, but now it all makes sense. I guess his hair immediately turning blue as soon as we came here just meant that he's really the chosen one. Maybe I never had anything chance to become the hero in the first place… fuck that.
"Are you sure you don't want to let me help you?" asked Eason with a worried expression, "you're shaking a lot." Yeah, I'm shaking because of the temperature around you, you bastard. I know you'll awaken the power of ice but goddamn the air around you is hella cold.
"I'll be fine without your help," I said coldly, but maybe that's just child play compared to the air around Eason cause when I say it's hella cold, I really fucking mean it. Don't believe me? How does it feel to sit in a bathtub full of cold water and ice on a snowy mountain in the middle of winter? Yeah, that's how cold I'm saying it is… Ok maybe I over exaggerated a little…
"No need to be shy!" Wren smacked my back with a smile as if she was saying 'go get 'em kiddo', "you're classmates right? Back in my days I use to steal my classmate's coat all the time!" 'Back in your days'? You don't even look that old Wren!
"Lady Arla is right Infermel," Eason smiled, "there's no need to be shy between classmates." Eason then took off his jacket and tried to approach me, but a line of white flames appeared on the ground before he could take a step towards me. Eason paused and looked up at me with a nervous smile, "do you mind letting me get closer?" he chuckled anxiously.
Maybe if we never died and are still alive back on Earth, he would be a great actor if he managed to escape the laboratory disguised as an orphanage. He could fool everyone else but now that I know how he really is, his fake expressions just make me more aware of how skilled he is in the art of manipulation. Emotional manipulation, mind manipulation, and the manipulation of his own expressions, he's mastered them all. Underneath that nervous expression is true evil who bares the title of 'the hero'.
"You stay right there, I'll grab it myself," I replied. I walked up to Eason who stood in the same spot as if he was froze there and snatched the Aegean coloured jacket out of his hand before taking off Wren's coat, and putting it over my shoulders just as Wren did for me with her own coat.
"Go on, say thank you," said Wren. I felt like I was a toddler who Wren was teaching manners to. I was going to retort but the eyes that Wren was giving me immediately made me oblige to do what she said.
"Thanks," I spoke with clearly no sincerity, but Eason didn't seem to mind, or should I say; he didn't care at all.
"No worries," Eason replied with a smile.
"Eason Jarle right?" Wren asked.
"That's right lady Arla. It's an honour that you know of my name."
"Quite hard to not know your name when everyone is talking about you. Said you're an excellent swordsman and they've been praising you for having such talent at only 13 years old but," Wren suddenly appeared behind Eason, holding her sword that was still in its sheath at his neck, "you're still just a greenhorn.".
"Lady Arla…" Eason said quietly but it was heard by both me and Wren.
"Oh of course, I wasn't trying to pick on you or anything," Wren moved away from Eason. "Sorry if I offended you or made you uncomfortable."
"No! No! it's ok," Eason turned around to look at Wren with shinning eyes, "I admire you a lot lady Arla. May I ask you to take me under your wing?"
Hah… it seems he's already getting to work. Without a doubt, Eason's number one goal must be to absolutely crush me in life and leave me with nothing. After seeing that Wren and I are close, he must be trying to cut off Wren's relationship with me by becoming her disciple and slowly manipulate her into hating me. From what I've seen before, his methods nearly always worked, the only exceptions being Alberu and Marcus Infermel . He probably would've tried the same thing if he knew that I had connections to Wren before he used the relic too, but luckily, he didn't or I would've stayed as a lost fool forever, wasting this chance that I have to live a different and hopefully peaceful life.
"Sorry but," Wren walked towards me and placed a hand on my shoulder, "I already have my kiddo."
"Oh, I see," although Eason's voice sounded like he was unhappy, his face didn't look that disappointed at all. Well, that's to be expected since he probably didn't actually want to go under her wing, it was most likely to get at me… fucking asshole.
"Wren, let's go," seeing that I looked like a kid who was forced to watch a play with their parents, Wren nodded without hesitation.
"Felix must be very cold right now and I'm afraid he'll get sick, so we'll be leaving Jarle," said Wren.
"Have a nice day lady Arla, you too Infermel," Eason smiled. We turned around to leave when Eason spoke once again, "oh and, congratulations on awakening the power of Cyrus Infermel. I might not be able to compete against you anymore, but hopefully lady Esper acknowledges effort too."
Effort? You have to be fucking with me! You must be! If Esper acknowledges effort, then I would've awakened the whole goddamn rainbow if she had more than two powers! The efforts of people like me should never be compared to the efforts of someone born with talent like you. It is not only unfair that I have to put in a thousand times more effort than you, but it's also an insult that no matter how much effort I put in, I will never be as great as you!
"Don't worry Eason," my grip on the part of Eason's jacket I was holding tightened, "I'm sure that fate will favour you more than me."
"Fate?" Eason raised an eyebrow, "you believe in fate?"
"I don't believe in fate." No, I witnessed fate.
"Then why did you say that?" asked Eason.
"You're really asking why a pebble is worse compared to gold?" I replied annoyed. Everything was silent until Wren spoke up, saying we shouldn't make the coachman (carriage driver) wait for too long.
When we entered the carriage, Wren immediately said, "I didn't know you had an inferiority complex." Inferiority complex my ass! "It seems to not be a good thing either since it makes it harder for you to control Cyrus's powers."
"I don't have an inferiority complex! I'm just angry that he used the relic just to mess around as he likes and got me killed," I retorted.
"Right, you never told me how you died. Tell me now."
Huh? I thought she already knew though?
"Didn't your friend who can see the future tell you?" I questioned.
"He did but," Wren paused, "it's quite confusing so I want to confirm how you died."
"Confusing?"
"All he said was, 'Fate will take its course and the true villain will be left in despair after witnessing the end of his life as well as the destruction caused by the phoenix.' How does he expect someone like me to understand that?" Wren recited. "So, how did you die?"
"I was in Eason's body and saw my own head get cut off by the guillotine," I answered.
"Quite brutal huh? What about the phoenix? Did you see it?" asked Wren.
"No, I didn't see the phoenix. I think time reversed before I saw it. You were there though," I tried to remember all the details I saw at the execution. "Hm… maybe I did see it but forgot about it? My memorise are still a little jumbled up and I feel like some parts are missing."
"Felix," Wren moved forward and firmly placed her hands on my shoulders with a serious expression, "you have to remember who summoned the phoenix no matter what." I was taken back by her expression.
"Is it that serious?"
"Felix, before my friend disappeared, he told me… 'The phoenix will end the nation of Kassiel.'"