Mordret woke up in a great amount of pain. For a moment, he worried that he might have been attacked while he was unconscious. However, he quickly started to regain his surroundings.
He was in a bed, a single linen sheet covering him and a fluffy white comforter thrown to the floor.
He was also covered in sweat.
"Gods…what the…"
Mordret abruptly flinched as he felt bile rise in his throat. He summoned the detoxification Memory, hoping to get rid of this.
However, when he went to summon it, the Memory didn't respond.
Or rather, it wasn't there.
What the-
Mordret threw up.
This was the first time that had happened in his life, and he had to admit, it was a very unpleasant sensation.
He managed to make it to a waste bin, but it was still deeply unpleasant.
Mordret did not dwell on it. Cursing himself once more before disappearing into a mirror. Without his physical body assaulting him, the nausea and pain lessened. However, it still somehow crept into his very being.
What the hell did that guy create? How can it affect the Soul?
Was it through the use of the strange Awakened Aspect of his that Mordret still had no idea how to operate, or was it with something else entirely?
Or was it just a placebo, and Mordret was making this up himself.
Flitting through the mirrors, he looked through the rest of what looked like an inn. It rested atop a bar where Gehrman, Sunny, and Caster, appeared to all be still at. They were not drinking, of course. Instead the three of them were all asleep at the tables.
Sunny was sitting in his chair, but leaned forward so that his face rested upon the table.
Caster was laying on the table. What appeared to be a makeshift blanket of 5 different napkins were laid out sporadically over his body.
Gehrman was on the floor, lying face down in the middle of the room.
Mordret appeared from one of the glasses that had fallen beside him and summoned a blade. He held it over Gehrman's inert body before dismissing it.
The weapon was of Transcendent Rank and was quite formidable, but using it to threaten Gehrman was the height of foolishness. From what Mordret had seen, even a weapon like that may not be able to effectively injure a Transcendent Titan, especially one with the physical prowess of Gehrman.
Instead, Mordret walked over to the bar, went behind it, and filled up a glass with some sort of liquid.
Then, he returned to Gehrman and dumped on the man's head.
The Saint did not react to the liquid being poured on to him. He did not even stir. However, a voice did sound from below, greatly muffled.
"I'm up."
"That's great," Mordret said, his voice a deadly whisper. "Because I have a Memory missing that I would quite like returned to me. Not to mention quite a few memories missing. Which is to say my recollection of events from last night are somehow spotty. I must confess, I am not sure how you managed to pull off a trick like that."
Gehrman was silent for a moment, and then he started to heartily laugh. He was still laying face down, so it was muffled and creaking, but the humour was unmistakably raw.
"Oh! Oh my gods! Mordy, buddy, you blacked out. We didn't tamper with your memories they just couldn't form because you were so fucked. As for the detoxing Tool, I think, uh, Oskar has it. He promised to give it back in the morning though."
The Prince of Nothing, face still a bit green, took on a look of seemingly genial calm, but was in fact burning with rage.
"And what, pray tell, does 'blacked out' mean?"
Gehrman finally stopped laying face down on the floor and rolled over, his face full of jubilation.
"Oh, my sweet summer child," he said with a grin. "First, let me ask you, what's the last thing you remember?"
Mordret's face twisted in malice at the teasing. However, he concentrated for a moment, genuinely unsure of his response.
Then he recalled, and his face returned to one of disgust.
"Shots."
"Shots indeed," Gehrman chuckled. "So you recall being a little rascal and scampering off to threaten some poor Squire, probably as a part of some dastardly machinations in the process?"
Mordret's body, which had been stiff, suddenly turned relaxed at the mention of the event.
"A bit peeved about that were you?" he asked.
"A bit." Gehrman stood up slowly and roughly from his position. "Hence, the shots."
The dim lighting of the bar, this one (for some reason) nautical themed, was all a bit absurd. It made the conversation feel like it was a mundane one. A groomsman talking with the husband-to-be after a long night. However, it was anything but.
This was the worlds strongest Saint talking to the what might be the world's strongest Master.
"Listen, Mordy. I like you. I think that you've probably never been told that in your life and that's why I don't blame you for pretty much everything that you do. I'll forgive you for a lot of things. Even this, even trying to use my wedding to make a preemptive strike on Valor. However, you're a smart kid, and I know you'll want to take advantage of that. So I just want to remind you that though unless you turn to indiscriminate murder and or murder of innocents, I won't kill you. However, if you push me on smaller things like this, I'll still find ways to make your life a bit harder…hence shots."
Mordret's face was completely and utterly devoid of emotion. He looked deep into the eyes of Gehrman. Who, like always, stared right back.
There was no fear there.
He was one of the very few who was like that.
There was no contempt there.
He was the only one who was like that.
Even after everything he just said.
There was a long silence.
"Do not call me 'Mordy' ever again."
"I will only call you by that from now on," Gehrman promised.
All Mordret could do was let out a sigh, as he knew it to be true.
The Prince of Nothing turned back to the closest reflective surface, ready to seek out the Sleeper named Oskar to get his Memory back. However, before he left, Gehrman called out to him.
"One last thing. Though it may be beneficial to Song, I'm not letting anyone get hurt at my wedding, including anyone from Valor. So…sorry about the wasted effort."
Mordret turned his head slightly, facing Gehrman with only a single eye.
"Apology accepted."
With that, he vanished into the Mirror Realm.
At the same time, he couldn't help but think.
What a dauntless man. To say that even when you know it's out of your hands. Even you can not go against a Queen in her Domain. If you think Ki Song won't use this opportunity, then I'm afraid you'll be sorely disappointed.
...
Author's Notes
Okay, short chapter but long Authors Notes. (hence its in the chapter and not on the thing) First thing first. The infrequent uploads. This is gonna be the last one until next Wednesday. I'm changing up the schedule because…well to be perfectly honest there is a reason I have been so inconsistent as well as why I am writing about these things now. My cousin is getting married (Hooray!) and we are out of a resort celebrating (Faking awesome). Unfortunately (its really not unfortunate at all) it is an all-inclusive and the drinks are endless. Therefore, I must take advantage.
It's for my cousin! Not because of me, promise.
Anyway, I thought I could manage to still get chapters out but the allure of the resort was too much and this measly thing is all I could manage before the events got underway.
So, very sorry, plz forgive.
ON A SEPARATE NOTE.
Those of you caught up with Shadow Slave may have noticed that a CERTAIN CHARACTER WHO HAS BEEN DEAD SINCE VOL 2 IS BACK BECAUSE G3 HATES ME SPECIFICALLY.
Well, let me just say now that we are going cannon divergent with this one. Caster is taking on different Nightmares so he will have different Aspect Abilities (most likely) than what G3 gives him. I'll be sticking with what I have planned since I have everything already planned out until Supremacy for him.
Anyway, that's all for now. Thank you for the continued support!