Chapter 261 – Chances

Chapter 261 – Chances

 

The door stuttered close behind Kai, creaking on rusty hinges. Body Augmentation rushed into his legs. He was confident in bolting outside, but where could he run?

I’m on a ship, miles from land.

Shouting for help would accomplish nothing. Oraine could simply feign ignorance, the eerie teen was far more adept at dealing with people than him. If he could convince the other survivors they knew him, he could definitely turn them on him.

With one last squeak, the door swung closed, trapping Kai in the narrow cabin. Hallowed Intuition was silent, though so little made sense about the white-haired boy, he didn’t know whether he should trust it. As his teachers taught him, every skill had a counter.

Blessed Spirits! Why can’t I catch a breath?

Oraine leaned comfortably against the boards of the wall, less than two meters away—it would not even take a step to cross the distance for someone at the peak of Yellow. There wasn’t a hint of worry on his handsome face, or a flutter of mana to show he was preparing a spell.

“Please, make yourself comfortable, Matthew.” He gestured him to take a seat. “It’s your room.”

Then why are you in it?

Left without a better option, Kai sat at the very end of his cot, rigid like a block of wood. The air felt unbearably stuffy. He dried his sweaty palms on the sheet, keeping his fingers spread to avoid fidgeting.

“You can relax. I don’t mean any harm to you.” Oraine smiled reassuringly. He took out an obsidian pearl speckled with gold from nowhere.

Kai took a second to realize the flecks of gold were a network of minute lines and symbols. They weren’t in any of the runic alphabets he knew, though he recognized the mana web that covered the room: a privacy ward—the most elaborate he had ever seen.

Not creepy at all.

Layers of functions were hidden within the foreign enchantments. He bet no one would hear a thing even if he were to scream and bang his fists on the door.

“I thought we’d better have some discretion for this conversation.” Oraine brushed it off and pocketed the pearl. “The arrays of this ship are quite abysmal.”

Why does that sound like serial killer talk?

“What do you want?”

“Just to avoid any misunderstanding. It was you who inquired about me with the other survivors of the Intrepid.” Oraine bit his lip, the first sign of hesitation. “I thought it’d be easier if we were straightforward. I didn’t mean to alarm you.”

Hmm… Is this all a ruse? I guess it doesn’t matter at this point.

Kai released his hold on Water mana. If the teen had done half of what he suspected, fighting would only worsen his position. “If you don’t want to alarm someone: try not turning up in their room in the middle of the night.”

“Mhmm… I thought you’d have avoided me otherwise. There wasn’t any other place for a private talk on this ship.”

You can bet on it.

“I’m sorry I asked questions behind your back, but some things about your story didn’t make sense.” Kai watched carefully in case the boy took offense at the accusation.

Oraine sat crossed-legged on the lumpy cot and leaned forward with an amused grin. “Really? I thought I did pretty well with it. No one else suspected anything. What gave me away?”

“Well…” Kai mumbled to take time. He hadn’t expected the teen to confess so readily. “The pirate who tried to kill me after the Intrepid sank had his throat slit in front of me, and someone dragged me away. When you lied about it, everything else was just a matter of piecing together the clues.”

“I see.” Oraine furrowed his pale brows. “You were bleeding a lot when I saw you amidst the wreckage. When that man tried to choke you, I thought you might not make it if I didn’t act quickly…”

Kai blinked, once more surprised by his frankness. “So it was you!”

“Yeah… wasn’t the point that you had figured it out already?”

“I— yes…” Despite his suspicions, there had been too many missing details to be certain of what had happened. “You saved my life. Thank you…”

Oraine tilted his head and gave him a long, perplexed look. “Flynn did say you were quite odd.”

“It’s just…” His face burned fiercely. “Why did you lie about it?”

“I was trying not to attract attention…” Oraine wrapped his arms around himself, looking at the dark sea out of the porthole. “It wasn’t something planned. Leaving home, I mean. I just left our convoy to get a break from my mother when a current pushed me toward the storm. When I saw the wreckage, it was obvious the humans using Darkness were the ones who caused it…”

Left his convoy? Did he just jump into the sea? Guess it’s my fault for using the Fulcrum…

“Who are you exactly?” Kai asked, unable to suppress his curiosity.

Oraine snapped out of his stupor, perhaps realizing he had said more than he meant. “It’s complicated.”

“Didn’t you want to be straightforward?” Kai silently cursed his big mouth. Possible explanations fluttered in his mind, one crazier than the other.

Can he be…

“Hmm… are you also going to tell me who you really are?”

“What?”

“I heard you were a reclusive alchemist, but you and Flynn have also been friends for years.” Oraine grinned. “For someone unused to social interactions, you were pretty apt at figuring me out.”

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

“I don’t—”

“You’ve also got a spatial artifact on your finger. They should be somewhat rare.”

Kai covered his silver ring with the other hand. “How—”

“I was only half sure before you confirmed it.” Oraine flashed a pointy smirk. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to trick you. It’s an old habit.”

Well… I’m fucked.

“You’re right. I shouldn’t have pried into your identity.” Kai sagely nodded. This sounded like the perfect opportunity to cut his losses. “If that was everything, I’d like to rest on my bed. Tomorrow will be a busy day.”

Oraine looked about to stand up for one beautiful second, then he shook his head and slumped back down. “I’d also like to get to know you better. Flynn said you’re also new to the continental territories of the Merian Republic, perhaps we could explore the town together tomorrow…?”

The bright hazel eyes nailed him with tentative optimism. Kai almost said yes. “I—”

“Of course, there is no commitment,” Oraine rambled. “You’re the closest to my age and grade. So, I thought it could be interesting to explore the town together. To see if it could work.”

Maybe he’s not a serial killer…

An easy path blinked in his mind. Kai could have led along this naive rich boy, and disappeared the next day, but the teen had also saved his life. He at least owed him honesty. “I don’t think that’s a good idea…”

“Oh.” His buoyant face froze into a blank mask. “May I ask why?”

“You made other passengers believe they saw you on the Intrepid.”

“It was the only way to blend in.” He held his gaze with a hopeful glimmer. “I swear it won’t do them any harm. The charm will vanish in a couple of weeks. It will be like nothing ever happened.”

So you say…

“How can I know you won’t mess with my or Flynn’s mind? If you haven’t already.”

“I would never do that!” Oraine stood up, looking livid. His mana fluctuated wildly, and voice choked up “I… sorry, this was a mistake.”

Before Kai could speak a word, the teen stormed out of the cabin faster than he could follow. The steps thumped quickly away, disappearing into the creaking of the old ship.

Why does it feel like I’ve bullied a kid?