"Aw, I forgot about my rat at the academy. I hope he's okay." Nihara said.
"Hey Nihara..." Rene leaned in to whisper. "Do you have any idea how those raiders knew about you?"
"Ehh... I.. mmm.."
"Nihara?"
She appeared to be asleep all of a sudden. Right as he asked the question he desperately wanted answers to. He sighed and slouched down on his chair.
"I'm getting a lil' worried here. Most of the people here have pushed their plates aside. Nihara has constantly been eating macarons, probably a dangerous amount... fainting probably isn't a good sign either." Mikael said.
A few moments later, she suddenly rose up to get more. She came back with a tray with seemingly dozens of macarons, a mountain of chocolate, cake here and there...
"Err, Nihara? You can die eating all that, don't you know? You've had enough, haven't you?"
"Blah blah blah." She responded before starting to eat macaron after macaron.
As Rene was busy staring at the ceiling, the sound of a woman stumbling and gasping for air was heard. Elise and Lucien immediately rushed over to help her. In a swift moment, she magically recovered. Elise leaned in close to him, whispering something in his ear. Mikael wondered what this was about.
"Yikes. Hope she's all right." Mikael said.
"I need a breath of fresh air, I'll go ahead and rest at our hotel." Yara said.
"Sooo... Mikael. You haven't told me much about yourself."
"Ah, I specialize in combat and tactical analysis. Most people at the academy want to be warriors, scholars, or something prestigious. Me? I just want to be useful. And if I get to punch people and solve mysteries along the way, all the better." He rested his hands behind his head. "What about you? You're not just some wandering graduate, are you?"
"That's quite possibly what I am. I guess I'm also just someone who wants to be useful, like you."
"I see. Say, what if I joined you? Y'know, form a little party. Hunt criminals and beasts."
"Nope!" Nihara yelled.
"Ah, well why not? There's good pay..."
"I have a very big secret that only Rene can know. Were fine with just the two of us! You don't know how strong I truly am, I could handle anything myself in fact."
"Damn, whatever you say."
Mikael was definitely getting suspicious. He knew she was the only one able to use Myen during the academy incident. Now she can eat as much as she wants with no problems. It was only a matter of time until he found out she wasn't human.
"Rene, can you please feed me the rest of the macarons? I can barely move.. I don't like this feeling but I can't stop."
"You really should stop."
"In my centuries of living I've never eaten something as good as these..."
You idiot!
"Centuries?" Mikael questioned.
"Oh, ignore her. All that sugar must be affecting her head." He tried to play it off, turning to Nihara. "After you eat the rest of this you'll come with me to our hotel room, okay?"
She nodded, letting Rene feed her the rest of the macarons and cake.
Was she just careless? Did she want Mikael to know? She's so difficult to figure out...
"Wait! Just a few more, Please? I'll do anything."
"Looks like their all out of macarons."
"Ugh, leave me here for a bit. I'll meet up with you later."
He listened, leaving her be. Once he was out of sight, Nihara got up and slammed her hands onto the counter.
"I demand you make more macarons!"
Julien was aware how much she ate. He was silently observing. He stepped over to her, nervously tugging his shirt.
"Miss, would you please come with me? You've had far too many of our macarons. It's certainly not healthy. We wish the best for our guests, so I request you see a doctor. If you're fine, I shall make you more, deal?"
"DEAL!" She shouted.
Nihara was led to the back of the building, where a man in white stood in front of a tent. Julien whispered something to the doctor before going back to his work. He was a half-bald man with a brown mustache.
"Come on in, Nihara. Unique name, I like it. I've been told you have been eating quite a lot? How many macarons do you think you've eaten?"
She stepped in. "Eh, probably a hundred or so."
He raised his eyebrow. Usually a human would only be able to handle twenty before feeling ill.
"And do you feel all right?"
"Yeah. A bit sleepy but that's all."
Based on what Julien had said, it was impossible for her stomach to hold that much food, and yet she apparently feels fine?
"Are you even human? It's impossible..."
"I'm beyond anything you can comprehend. I'm the Void Angel, one and only!"
"And why admit it?"
"You asked and you received the truth. I truly don't give a damn. Anyone that spills my secret will get killed without a trace."
"I see. Well, uh... you seem perfectly healthy. I'll inform the chef."
But he had no intention of staying quiet. This was information too valuable to keep to himself. If she thought she could silence everyone who learned the truth, she was mistaken. It would reach far.
"Julien, sir. That girl—she's not human. She called herself the 'Void Angel.' Whatever she is, no human could eat that much and still be standing."
Julien's eyes lit up with amusement rather than fear. "Oh? Now that is interesting. I want to meet her immediately!"
"But wait sir! She will kill me if—"
Not caring for what he had to say, he burst through the door.
"I come in peace!" he declared, arms spread wide. "Please, let me get to know you. A Void Angel? And here I thought I'd met all kinds of people in my lifetime."
Nihara narrowed her eyes. "I must kill the traitor. And everyone else who knows."
With a flick of her wrist, a razor-thin beam of Myen lanced toward Julien's heart. It appeared to not have even struck him. His clothes were perfectly intact. His expression remained the same.
"Was it too much to ask for? All I wanted was to learn about you. Is it every day that a person encounters an angel?" He held out a yellow macaron. "Is your heart not as pure and gold as this macaron?"
She swiped it from his hands, swiftly devouring it.
"Just for you, I'll make a thousand macarons. They will be ready by tomorrow, do we have a deal?"
"Yes. Please, I request more of these heavenly treats."
Her voice was steady, but the exhaustion was catching up to her fast. Her eyelids drooped, her breathing slowed, and before she could respond further, she collapsed into unconsciousness.
"Tell every staff member." he instructed the doctor. "The plan has just become ten times more valuable. For now, leave her be."
Meanwhile, Rene was growing increasingly suspicious and worried because Nihara hadn't came.
"Shit, she might've passed out from all the eating..." He muttered.
He pushed himself up from his seat and began his search. Clairvielle was beyond nearly other city in the world. The technology was far more advanced, the architecture was impeccable. It made him want to ditch the academy as he had forgotten how beautiful this city truly was. He glanced down at the water as he crossed a bridge, watching the boats pass by. As the Patisserie drew near, he noticed something that made his eyes widen, his hands shake.
Black hair cascading past her shoulders, flowing like ink. A maid's uniform, immaculate, perfectly fitted. And atop her head—familiar black cat ears, shifting ever so slightly.
His stomach twisted.
She looked at him.
Not a passing glance. Not a moment of mistaken recognition. She saw him, and her golden eyes widened—just slightly.
His instincts screamed at him to move, so he turned around and bolted.
The warm, confection-filled air blurred past him as he wove through the crowd, dodging merchants and civilians. A few disgruntled voices protested, but he didn't care. He needed to get away before—
A flicker of movement. Valerie was following him. Her steps were silent. Despite the elegance of her uniform, she moved with the precision of a predator, slipping past guests without breaking pace. Her cat-like gaze locked onto him, unblinking.
Rene's heartbeat pounded against his ribs. He ducked past a lavish display of pastries, nearly knocking over a pyramid of éclairs, and shot toward an alley. A glance behind—
She was gaining on him. A hand shot out. He barely twisted away in time, the faintest brush of fingers touching his sleeve. His escape wasn't going to last. And worse—he had nowhere to run. He knew he shouldn't have walked all alone. He prayed Nihara would save him. However, it was too late. The girl slowly walked towards him.
"Is that you, Rene?"
Shit.. SHIT... It's really her. He thought. He didn't know what to say, nor did he want to speak to her. He stayed silent.
"I.. we really missed you. Why did you run off?"
Valerie. One of the maids that took care of him.
Of all the things that could have gone wrong tonight, this was the last thing he expected. Nihara could be in danger—he needed to find her. But instead, fate had thrown him here, in front of her. He didn't know if she was here to drag him back or if she truly missed him—but he didn't care. He wasn't going back. Ever.
But escaping her? That was another issue entirely.
She was fast. He had no hope of outrunning her—not in a straight chase. He had no weapons, no tools, nothing to give him the upper hand. Cat demi-humans were terrifyingly fast, and Valerie, above all, was trained. If he bolted, she'd be on him in an instant.
"I know you want to run, but don't. We're not here to hurt you."
We?
Valerie was here, there was a chance Reina—her counterpart—was close by. He might not even be facing one opponent. The alley was narrow, flanked by looming stone buildings. The only way out was past her.
"Rene, I'm not here to force you into anything. I just want to understand. I just…" Her tail flicked, and she took another careful step. "I thought—hoped—you'd come back one day."
There was sincerity in her voice. Maybe she truly cared. Maybe she thought what she and Reina did was for his own good. But Rene wasn't about to let himself sink into nostalgia.
"That's not happening." he said simply.
Valerie sighed. "Then at least—"
He lunged forward, making it seem like he was going to push past her. Valerie reacted instantly, shifting to intercept him—but it was a feint.
At the last second, he dropped, twisting to the side.
His hand shot out, pushing her back. It wasn't a strong move—wouldn't hurt her—but it was enough to throw her balance off. In that split second, she stumbled just slightly—and Rene was already moving again.
✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦
Nihara stirred a bit. Getting up, she glanced around to recall where she was. After the rest she had, she had felt true bliss. A feeling she had never experienced once in her life. The sweets served here... she needed more. She couldn't stop, she didn't want to. She knew she needed to let Rene know she was fine, but her body was too weak. Walking wasn't an option. After all, she was an angel. As long as she was immortal, Rene had no reason to worry, did he?