After venting my frustration, I left the manor and set out to find Kivana.
Malachi was supposed to be handling the food at this hour, which meant Kivana would likely be near the central plaza.
She had mentioned wanting to assign people jobs, so it made sense she would be in the thick of it.
I was right.
She stood near a shop that I was fairly certain used to sell clothes, talking animatedly with someone.
To my surprise, it was the same man I had helped bring here. Michael, I think his name was.
I walked up just as he noticed me and bowed deeply. Kivana, on the other hand, ran up and immediately grabbed my face with both hands.
"Nicholas. This guy, he has a Memory."
I gently removed her hands from my face. "Yes, I am aware. I was there when he awakened it."
I looked at Michael, who was still bowing his head so low it was almost touching the ground.
Sighing, I took both of Kivana's hands and walked her over to him.
"You may lift your head."
He nodded and looked up respectfully. As I let go of Kivana's hands, she spun around with enthusiasm.
"He would be a perfect soldier for your new army."
I looked down at Michael. He was slightly shorter than me, but the bastard was annoyingly attractive.
Honestly, everyone I have met in this world so far has been stunning.
Except for Mirabel, who might just be the most beautiful creature ever to roam any reality.
It makes a man wonder how ugly he must be in comparison. I have seen myself in a mirror. I am not hideous, but I doubt I am anything special either.
It irritated me how his green eyes shimmered with that effortless charm.
My fist moved before I even thought about it.
I hit him.
He fell to the ground, and Kivana gasped. "What are you doing?"
I crossed my arms. "Testing his power. Since he is still alive, he passes."
Michael slowly stood back up and bowed once more.
"Thank you for saving my people."
I liked him now. Unlike Kivana or Malachi, he was smart.
I turned to Kivana. "I want you to inform me of all my abilities."
She glanced back at Michael and sighed. "Well, I suppose I could. Mind giving me a few more moments with him?"
I shrugged. "I will head back to the manor. Do not keep me waiting too long."
I turned to leave but caught something strange.
Michael was trying politely to ask her to stop interrogating him about something.
From the way he spoke, her excited tone, and the context, I could guess what it was.
A girl.
This bastard was probably getting grilled about his relationship with some girl.
I turned back with a smirk. "It can wait. Take your sweet time."
Kivana turned and gave me a thumbs up. That surprised me. I had not realized this world had adopted that gesture. Then again, maybe I taught it to them.
As I made my way back toward the manor, I passed several people gathering around a large food stand.
It looked like a small market had popped up.
Michael was sitting at the stand, surrounded by baskets filled with cooked potatoes and apples.
I chuckled and took a mental snapshot of the scene before continuing.
Apparently, I had taken the wrong path earlier, ending up in an open space surrounded by a circular stone ring.
My memory had been unreliable lately. The haze likely came from the transfer or perhaps from the long sleep.
It annoyed me, how easily I forgot things, how easily I got sidetracked.
When I finally reached the manor, I walked through the front gates and immediately felt it
A strange gaze.
Like something or someone was watching me.
I tried to shake it off, but as I entered the manor, the sensation only grew more potent.
I moved through the halls, eyes scanning the walls and the floor, trying to pinpoint the source.
Eventually, I came to a door just before the entrance to my room.
Feeling oddly compelled, I reached for it.
The old brown wood groaned as I pulled it open, revealing a small study.
Shelves lined the walls, filled with books. A desk stood in the center, lit by a flickering candle.
And there, sitting quietly in a chair
Was a person.
They turned to me with a small smile.
"Hey there. King."
Their long hair flowed freely, each strand a different color, as if painted by a living rainbow.
Their eyes shimmered with swirling hues, like liquid prisms in constant motion.
Her skin was pale as snow, and in the center of her forehead sat a single horn, much like that of a unicorn.
She was tall, with delicate features, wearing a flowing white dress cinched at the waist with a rainbow-colored belt.
Her black boots rose to her knees, giving her an ethereal yet commanding presence.
She held a book in one hand and gently closed it upon acknowledging me.
"You do not seem to remember me. Interesting. Well, allow me to introduce myself for the second time."
She stood gracefully and walked over, bowing with one hand behind her back.
"I am Lancerial, your trusted steed."
Huh? My steed?
As in, something I rode?
I stared at the horn and came to a simple conclusion.
She really was a unicorn.
"I see. Well, when did you arrive here?"
She stood upright, her tone casual but clear.
"Around one minute ago. To be quite frank, I am surprised you did not sense me."
I turned and opened the door. "I have had some issues lately."
She stepped past me, bowing again as she did.
"For your grace to open a door for me, I shall remember this for the rest of my life."
Mirabel said they would not return.
Looks like she was wrong.
These people were all far too loyal to me.
"For now on, speak freely with me. I do not like being spoken to or about in that way."
She nodded once.
"I understand. I will keep such thoughts to myself."
I stepped out and closed the door behind us.
"So why did you come back? I mean, what made you return?"
"I had not planned to at first. However, I felt you use some power. Annoyingly, I was in the middle of fighting an angel, so forgive me for being late."
An angel?
You know what, I do not care.
"It is fine. I did not use it to call you. I used it to tame those two."
She smiled knowingly.
"Kivana and Malachi? That is the only reason you created the ability in the first place."
I chuckled at that, the implications sinking in slowly.
As we walked toward the throne room, I could feel her presence subtly guiding me. Even with me walking in front, it felt like she was the one leading.
It was as though she constantly watched, constantly observed, and constantly adjusted my direction without saying a word.
Like a compass always pointing me toward the path most fitting.
When we reached the throne room, I stepped forward and sat on the throne.
Yet it felt like no time had passed at all.
Time had blurred. Rushed.
[A mystical being. A creature who controls time. Lancerial was fast.]
The voice in my head echoed my exact thoughts.
Just being near her seemed to bend time around us. There was some kind of dilation, some invisible warping of the world's flow.
And she moved lightly, so lightly. She looked as though she weighed nothing at all.
She bowed again before speaking softly.
"I am sorry if you feel betrayed by my absence. I was saddened by your situation."
I waved my hand dismissively.
"Do not beat yourself up. After all, I was gone for an eon."
She tilted her head slightly, puzzled.
"It was not the time. I do not experience that. It was the feeling."
Wow.
She was loyal too.
Those two bastards did not seem to miss me all that much.
Mirabel, though
I think she hides it.
I was about to say something when Lancerial spoke again.
"So, when do you plan on killing me?"