Chapter 04

Mizuko could hear indistinct chatters and she softly groans while slowly opening her eyes. The first she saw were faded brown eyes, it was almost gold but when she notice the grin on his face and his fangs showing, her brows knitted.

“Oh! The pretty lady is awake!”

As soon as she realized it was the man riding that big cat, she abruptly sit up hitting her forehead with the guy. They both yelled, and Mizuko touched her forehead, moving away from the guy, taking a twig from her side and pointing it towards him.

“Who the hell are you? Did you kidnap me?” She angrily asked, breathing heavily. Oh forget the damn gorgeous eyes of that man, she has to know where the heck this place was.

“Easy there, lady. I don’t think that will help you. If you want, I’ll give you my dagger. What do ya’ say?”

Mizuko kept her glare at the man even though her hands were trembling. She swallowed hard as her gaze shifted at her surrounding. The earth that she remembers isn’t as green nor was its sky as blue as this.

“Where am I? And where is my Roya?”

“Roya? Do you mean your Kebano?”

“K-kebano?”

And then a cotton-like creature appeared and it was exactly like Roya but black. Then the guy who was keeping a lopsided smile pointed at it.

“His name is Zed, my Kebano. He is loyal and does come in handy most of the time.”

“Fuwa!”

“He said you have one too.”

“You understand him?” she questions him.

“Well, don’t you?”

Mizuko nibbled her lower lip. So, she’s supposed to understand Roya? But all she hears is ‘fuwa’ and nothing else. Where is Roya anyway? She has not seen her nor that big cat this guy was riding. Just where the heck am I?

“Where on earth is this place? And where is that big monster you were riding with?”

Suddenly, the man stood up and looked sideways, focusing his gaze inside the forest, his nose sniffing something. It made her cross her brows even more.

“We are in Pinress, the borderland. This is where people are free to do whatever they like. And Keisuke isn’t a monster. So, which kingdom are you from?” He remained looking at the forest.

“Nowhere,” she muttered. She must have teleport by that dying lady from last night and which Kingdom she’s from? What the heck? Did she teleport in some game or something? It’s just hard to believe all of this!

All of a sudden, Mizuko’s head began hurting and that is when she started hearing the woman’s voice from last night, the message she wanted her to relay. Her eyes widened.

“Hikari! Do you know where Hikari is?”

“I--”

“Fuwa! Fuwa!”

Roya suddenly appeared that interrupted Kenshi. But Mizuko couldn’t understand her Kebano and so she faced Kenshi who was keeping an evil grin.

“What is she saying?”

“Well, she said that Hikari is a dangerous place.”

Mizuko was not going to believe the man when Roya started shouting ‘fuwa’ a lot. Confused, she decided to him.

“But I can take you there. I can help you,” he stated, finally looking at her. “My name is Kenshi.”

“Mizuko. I’m not from here so I will need help. I am tasked with an important message from somebody. I’m sure you will get compensated if you come along.”

But all in Mizuko’s head was her to deliver the message to a mage at Hikari. The woman’s voice said that she will know when she finds the mage. Then she will be returned home and away from this craziness she only sees in movies.

“Compensated?” Kenshi scoffed. “What can you give me? I don’t think you have something I want.”

“I thought you said you’d help!”

“I said I can help. I didn’t say I will help.”

Oh this scumbag, Mizuko thought, glaring at the playful grin he is plastering. She doesn’t know this kind of world nor the places. That woman didn’t even give her a map or anything. And if she sees a fucking saber tooth monster, oh she knows she’s going to get eaten alive.

“How do I get to Hikari? At least that you can tell me.”

“Hmm… It’s not safe for a lady like you to travel alone. Why don’t you just ask me for help?”

“It’s not like you would help!”

“I will,” he said flashing a smile while he took steps towards Mizuko. In front of her, he suddenly moved his head closer to her which made her lean back with a frown. “Make a promise with me and I will get you there safe.”

“What kind of promise is that?”

“That you won’t runaway and you’ll tell exactly what I tell you to.”

Mizuko immediately raised a brow, blowing air sharply. Nobody in their right mind would promise something like that. That’s fucking slavery.

“Listen, if you are trying to trick the fuck out of me, you’re messing with the wrong person dude!”

“I just need your trust,” he uttered. “If you can not trust me, you won’t survive this world. You don’t even know what kind of creatures are living here. You are dead without me.”

If only she could understand Roya like how this man understands his black fluff then she would be out of here. And who knows what is out there. And she can always just run away from this guy as soon as they get to that Hikari place.

And so she glances at him with a proud look on her face. “Alright, let’s make a deal.”

“A deal…”

“It’s like a promise. I promise not to run away if you promise not to hurt me too.”

Mizuko saw how the corner of the man’s mouth lift up. Suddenly he raised his hand mid-air and raised his pinky. It made her brows draw together.

“Are you serious? A pinky promise is a kid’s thing.”

“It’s how we seal a promise,” he replied.

Mizuko slowly raised her hand and when she was about to intertwine her pinky with his, she suddenly had a flashback of someone. It made her eyes wide, hearing a voice that she should never make a promise with a demon.

Realizing that, she was about to withdraw when suddenly Kenshi took her pinky. It made her eyes much wider staring at his smiling face.

“Well,” he uttered, beaming at her. “I guess we sealed our promise.”