Together with the Captain, Kyle exited the bay and headed down the same corridor Lillia had left from. It was clear however they weren't going to the same place as several passages broke out to other areas. There were no signs or indications on where to go but under Bethial's guidance Kyle had nothing to worry about.
The Captain spoke as they walked, "It's easy to get lost here and you'll have to memorise the routes. Don't expect a sign to tell you where to go."
"Isn't that a problem?" he could already tell he would have trouble himself.
"It can be for new recruits like you, however if things were too easy to find, our enemies would also benefit."
"Enemies?" Kyle could only think of the demons and monsters outside the fog but there was no way they could make it inside.
"The Four States and Central work in tandem but are not always harmonious. If it weren't for the Hero's influence, civil wars would have broken out many times already." He stopped outside a certain door, "That's why the truth that you saw is hidden. The Hero is the defining figure of our world and sits at the strongest peak. Humans are ambitious by nature and there are some who can only be stopped by a force far greater than they are."
Kyle nodded as the Captain opened the door and led him inside. It was a simple room with no other entrances. On one wall was a bookshelf partially filled and in the centre was a single table with a chair on either end. Several strange looking tools were set against the wall waiting to be used and as Kyle was ushered inside the Captain picked one up. Without asking the Captain took his arm and attached a smooth plate to it. A small lead led from it to another orb like tool.
The Captain left him and sat down on one end of the table leaving Kyle to stare at the device he was now attached to. "Sit down and make yourself comfortable."
"Ah yes," Kyle did as he was told.
"Please answer the following questions as honestly as you can." With a flick of the Captain's hand the orb lit up. "What is your name?"
"Kyle Barker."
"How old are you?"
"17 but I will be 18 in the coming few months." He could feel a slight anxiousness spread inside him as the orb flickered.
"Have you lived anywhere beside the Village of Tomph?"
"Aside from a few visits around Trentheim no."
"What is your main occupation?"
"Baker."
"Have you ever studied magic before?"
"Aside from the book you gave me, no."
The Captain's eyes hardened momentarily, "Do you believe in any religion other than the Church of the Hero?"
"Umm no?" Kyle didn't even know there was another religion.
"Do you hold any aggression to the Hero?"
He firmed himself, "No."
"Have you ever been a part of the military before?"
"No."
Time passed as the Captain continued to question him and prob his background. Most of what he said Kyle could only reply with a meek 'no' as the terms flew over his head.
Finally the Captain nodded and flicked off the orb, "You seem fine. Here let me take that off of you." He reached across the table and began to undo the bindings on his arm. Just as Kyle began to relax, out of nowhere a knife was suddenly at his throat. In panic he sprang away falling from his seat. He didn't know what to do, was he meant to run away or stay where he was? The Captain however simply nodded, "Good. You make take your seat again."
Kyle stood up tentatively, "Umm can I ask what that was about?"
"I was testing your reflexes. If you had been a fighter of any kind it would have been incredibly hard for you not to react. It was just to confirm things on another level."
"Please don't do that again," he breathed out heavily. The past few days had not been good for his heart at all. "I know that practically anyone here could kill me but I'd rather it not shoved in my face."
The Captain softly chuckled, "It's an effective technique. I've used it on occasion before to root out hidden assassins."
"Assassins? I-I won't have to deal with anything like that will I?"
"I'd like to say no but the Hero's Guard is the envy of many people. From all military organisations we have the largest reach and secrets to match it as you know." He folded his arms, "That being said, you are effectively going to be treated as a non-combatant. Which brings us to our main topic, where to send you to work."
Kyle straightened himself in his chair.
"Because of your circumstances you will be kept within the districts directly under our control for the time being. Though you passed the test there is a certain care we still have to take."
"So I can't visit the city?"
"Not for a while at least."
"I see," he couldn't hide his disappointment. After seeing it from the outside it had been so amazing that he could barely wait to explore. Compared to his quiet home, there would be so much to witness that he may never get to it all.
"Regardless you are being paid which means you need to work. Your current skillset fails to qualify for the most basic of tasks within the Guard and while I could place you as a cook that would be a waste of your potential."
"You think I have potential?"
The Captain stare strengthened, "Any man brave enough to stand before a raging beast with no weapons or training has more than enough."
"Ah right...," Kyle averted the Captains eyes. While it was a compliment it was also a warning.
Bethial scratched his chin in thought, "Somewhere you could grow but not be in danger...."
"Then can I make a request?" Kyle firmed himself as the Captain eyes him again. "If... if I could, I'd like to be placed where Lillia is."
The Captain blinked and after a pause, "I understand you're at that age however-."
"No wait you misunderstand," Kyle began to fluster. "I mean yes she's- No I mean-." He took a moment to organise his thoughts. "Before Jana passed on she asked me to look after 'Lillia and the others'. I don't know who these others are but I guess they're other Hero Candidates. I know I'm not much but I want to be there for them somehow, even if it's just baking a cake to make them smile." With what he wanted to say out in the open, a sense of fulfilment spread inside him.
The Captain for a moment seemed stunned but then suddenly stood up, "You're entirely right. You aren't much but you're also something else. I was preoccupied by trying to make you one of us that I failed to see the answer. Kyle come with me."
"Ah yes sir!" he barely had enough time to leave his chair before the Captain was already out the door and walking at a brisk pace.
Kyle followed the larger man almost struggling to keep up. They exited the passage and entered an office of sorts but didn't stop. There were a few people around but none of them took much interest as they passed. Before long the two were in the open and Kyle was hit by the cold air. He realised where they were, the top of the mountain in an area of the Cathedral that had been walled off. The Cathedral itself was built into the mountain and most of its structure was embedded inside. It was clear that where they were wasn't somewhere normal people could get to and not far away he could see a path that lead to the Cathedral atrium. Although it was a place to worship the Hero it was also the headquarters of the Hero's Guard and the Council that looked after their world. Although the architecture of smooth stone and marble was mostly the same, there was a difference of care between the two zones. Outside in the open world it was tranquil while behind the walls there was a clear sense of diligence, much of it coming from the uniformed men and women who wandered the halls.
As much as he wanted to take a look around and gaze upon the city sights below, Kyle was ushered away to the other side of the mountain crossing through corridors as he did so. Even with the sun set and many of the doors locked away it was clear there was still work being done as he caught glimpses of desks and tables covered in books and papers. There were more people working here than there was in the entirety of Tomph.
The scenery changed again. First they had started in the militarised sections given to the Hero's Guard and moved to the Cathedral's back where the Council did their work and now finally the two had stepped somewhere much quieter. The lighting was low and the corners a bit dusty, a seemingly unused corridor that split into a seemingly unimportant door. They had passed through many of them now but with the Captain's purposeful gait he was sure they were getting close.
"Welcome to the Garden," Bethial unlocked a final door and pushed it open. A dark passage welcomed them and at the Captain's insistence Kyle lead the way inside. After a few metres the light at the end of the tunnel flared revealing its true nature. Kyle couldn't believe his eyes but what he did know was that sight before his eyes was something that went against common sense.
"A forest?" he blinked in confusion as the cold hit him once again. A walkway of wood that cut across a small river and on the other side trees. Unlike the Midnight Forest their branches were mostly bare now that winter had come. The skeletal like prongs of their limbs pointed in all directions creating a wondrous sight and a single path led between them heading off towards the darkness. Stranger still was the sky above. For one there was a sky where there should have been thick earthen rock. The same as the one outside it even included the waning moon and drifting clouds. It was as if a hole had been cut from the mountain itself. Kyle turned back to see the open door he had come from and around it a simple wooden façade that was engrained into a rock wall. A sign was stuck against it 'No passing through this point without permission.' He looked past the Captain again but the darkness of the night firmly confined his vision.
"A strange place but a nice one," the Captain spoke before stepping across the bridge. Kyle quickly followed him as the door clicked to a close behind them. The forest path was quite long and wound between the trees, even moving across a small swamp of sorts. Then as the trees began to thin he caught a warm yellow light in the distance. His heart beat slowed, strangely relaxed. Before his eyes was what he could only describe as a home. Not a small home but unlike a mansion, it reminded him somehow of the wooden villa he had seen in his dreams. It stretched across the open area two stories tall with a tiled roof and plenty of windows to let in natural light. Many of the rooms inside were lit and shadows passed by the curtains. There seemed to be quite a few people living there and from the outside Kyle was definitely right. A courtyard and clothesline, a ball left in the centre of a field, a small vegetable garden and even the remains of someone's lunch that hadn't been cleaned.
Quietly he followed the Captain inside to what looked like a small reception. The warmth of the building quickly seeped into his skin and he could feel himself begin to sweat. Taking the Captain's lead he took off his coat and stood waiting. It didn't take long for a pair of hurried footsteps to find them. She looked to be in her late twenties. Long brown hair tinged with red covered her ears and fell down neatly past her shoulders. Her mouth hung open wanting to say something as she saw the two of them but closed instead. Kyle couldn't help see the disappointment in her gaze. They weren't the ones she was waiting for.
"Maila I'm sorry for coming so late," the Captain nodded his head to her.
She patted herself down and neatened her simple dress, aligning the apron on top, "You're always welcome Bethial. Though... is it just the two of you?" her words implied more.
The Captain's eyes glossed over but he tightened his voice, "Lillia is undergoing her tests."
"Tests? Then...," the young women tightened her hands against her sides. "I see Jana... she won't be coming home anymore."
"She did her duty to the end."
"I understand."
The Captain shifted almost awkwardly, "On other news this is Kyle, he'll be assisting as a caretaker from this day onwards."
"Excuse me?" Maila widened her eyes shocked by the news. "I know I could use the help but-," her eyes turned to Kyle but instead of backing down she firmed her words, "I can't just accept someone I haven't met before. These children are important to me. I won't let their care be left to a stranger."
"You already refused the other candidates," the Captain replied calmly.
"That's because that list was filled with military blockheads like you," she straightened herself clearly not afraid of Bethial's much larger frame.
"Does this young man look like military to you?" he pushed Kyle forwards. Putting aside the uniform he had borrowed from Valandus, it was clear as day that he wasn't the fighting sort. Maila stared at him but refused to admit it. "He's never held a sword or gun before and until a few days ago was a simple baker. Give him a chance."
She tapped her foot against the floor, "Maybe but I won't let-."
The door opening interrupted her as Reina and Lillia entered. The group already inside turned to them and Lillia gasped in surprise, "Kyle what are you doing here? I didn't think I'd see you again for a while."
His eyes flicked between Maila and the Captain, "Well I think I was going to be your caretaker."
"Really?" she smiled clearly happy. "After all that happened, honestly I was worried where they'd put you. At worse I thought you'd be kicked out." It was at that point that Kyle realised Lillia really did not have high expectations of him. "But if you come here then it'll be fine."
"Wait, Lillia you know him as well?" Maila looked at the girl seriously.
"Yes," she nodded. "Kyle's from the village the incursion was. He kept Jana and I company and was also there when she passed." Her eyes turned to Kyle. "I trust him, Jana did as well. Though he is a bit weird." She showed a tender smile.
Maila folded her arms, "Then I guess it's fine but if he does anything that I don't like I'll kick him out in a heartbeat, understood?" The words were aimed at everyone in the room.
"Yes ma'am," Kyle straightened himself and bowed his head.
"Call me Maila," she sighed. "I hope you'll actually be of some use."
Bethial chuckled, "Well if you're sorted then I shall take my leave. There are a lot of things that I still need to sort out. Also Kyle about you luggage, I'll have Valandus bring it over tomorrow and as for your studies, just because you will be working here does not mean you can be lenient. We expect you to become a member of the Hero's Guard well and truly."
"Yes sir!" Kyle saluted.
"Reina let's depart." The two picked up their coats and left.
With only Kyle left he felt a certain unease how to act around Maila. He was counting his lucky stars however as compared to working on heavy handed military duties, living in the Garden seemed much more peaceful.
A tumble of footsteps came from the corridor and a small blue haired boy carrying a teddy bear entered the room. He rubbed his eyes, "Maila I can't sleep." His eyes were solely focused on her and he didn't even seem to notice Lillia.
"Lillia show Kyle to his room," Maila curtly nodded to him before crouching next to the boy. "Rudy did you have bad dreams again?"
The boy nodded.
"Come on, let's get you settled. Would you like a glass of milk?" Compared to her headstrong approach before, she had become incredibly tender and held the boy affectionately. With him in hand she led him back down the corridor.
Lillia smiled softly, "There's quite a few of us but it's getting late so I'll introduce you later. For now follow me."
Kyle nodded and walked after her. Their steps let out a gentle creak across the wooden floor. Rather than being creepy or annoying the sound was relaxing as if the house itself was welcoming them. Instead of heading down the corridor, Lillia led Kyle down a different path that moved to the back of the building. She gave him a brief introduction of where to find everything as they made their way and soon enough the two reached a simple wooden door. Behind it was a room not much bigger than the one he had in Tomph. A layer of dust had settled across the furniture and aside from a bed, wardrobe and nightstand, the room was bare.
Lillia coughed as the dust rose, "Sorry no one's been here for a while." She opened the window and made a small gesture with her hands causing a shallow light to glow about her fingers. A gust began to swirl within the room collecting the dust and with a simple wave of her hand, Lillia sent it all out the open window.
Kyle widened his eyes at the expert use of magic but quickly became concerned, "Is it okay for you to do that?"
She smiled, "Don't worry I'm fine now. My check-up gave me the all clear. I could even put the Hero's armour back on if I wanted."
"That's a relief," Kyle breathed out. "Honestly I thought that what happened may have been permanent. It was my idea back then and if you had been hurt...."
Lillia shook her head, "No. Even if you weren't there I would have still went out. Worse I would have put on the Armour and then really been in trouble." Her eyes flicked to align with his, "I'm glad that you're here."
Although Kyle was sure that she had no further meaning behind her statement, being told that by a girl like Lillia he couldn't hide his blush, "Um well. Thanks for cleaning up my room. You really are an expert."
Seeing his reaction Lillia realised her own embarrassing words and turned away, "Well I did tell you. I'm probably the best here at magic... and if you ever want tutoring just ask."
"I'll do that," Kyle smiled earnestly. "Ma-,"
A creak at the door caused him to pause and turn around. Lillia noticed as well and took a quiet step forwards before lunging outside. A shrill cheeky scream rang out as several shadows tried to disappear but Lillia caught each one.
"What did I tell you three about sneaking around?" she snapped at them, holding two with one hand, another in the other. The three girls reacted differently. One with green hair poked out her tongue and tried to free herself. The second whose hair was a bright yellow looked away meekly. The third with a calming purple hair like Lillia's apologised.
Unable to free herself the green haired one opened her mouth, "We just wanted to welcome you home." Her eyes however continued to flick towards Kyle in interest. The three of them couldn't be older than 13.
The yellow haired one looked around, "Is-is Jana not here?"
With those words Lillia slowly let go. Seeing her expression the three didn't run away. "Jana... Jana isn't coming back."
"Oh...," the three looked visibly upset but didn't cry.
"Um this is Kyle," Lillia gestured towards him. "He'll be our new caretaker from today onwards."
"Nice to meet you," the green haired one saluted, "I'm Himila"
"M-my name is," the yellow haired girl paused trying to focus her words, "M-Mitsu."
"And I am Kara," the purple haired girl curtsied politely. "I hope we get along."
"It's a pleasure to meet you as well," Kyle made a small bow. "I look forward to getting to know you." The three girls giggled.
Lillia frowned and folded her arms, "You three should be in bed. We'll talk more in the morning. Now go and sleep before Maila catches you and puts you on clean up duty."
The three flashed a final look at Kyle before running off down the hallway.
"Sorry about that," Lillia sighed. "Those three arrived at the same time and are more curious than the others. Feel free to scold them."
"Don't be. I thought it was nice," Kyle said sincerely.
"Don't let them catch you saying that. Give them even an inch and they'll take a metre," despite her words she smiled. The two of them stood in silence not sure what to do or say. Eventually Lillia stepped towards the door, "A-anyway I should let you get some rest."
"Ah right, yeah. Big day tomorrow."
"Yep."
"Umm Lillia...," he paused as the girl was about to close the door, "goodnight."
"Goodnight."