"Shouldn't one of us remain awake? You know, to keep guard and make sure the other one isn't… sleepwalking."
"It's not necessary to have someone on standby, the area has already been cleared out. And even if a Revenant managed to get here, I would immediately sense it. For the other matter, you've already survived two nights, which means that you have a high mental resistance and can withstand the call of the siren. But if you don't feel safe, I can always tie you up."
While saying that, she took a nearby rope and pulled it with both hands in opposite directions. He sensed a hint of amusement in her words and actions.
'Wait, is she trying to tease me?!'
In the entire journey Eline had never made even a single joke, speaking to his colleagues only when addressed. She was not the sociable type—at least to his understanding—but given her current mood, Alwyn decided to play along, faking a nervous gulp.
"...Fine, you got me. How did you know I had this kind of fetish?"
An almost imperceptible chuckle escaped from the girl's mask.
"Just a hunch~"
'Yes!'
He had somehow managed to make her laugh. The two had started on the wrong foot, especially Alwyn. The prank he pulled on her, the one about her sitting on him, was really tasteless, even though at the time he had purposefully said it out of spite, to make her feel uncomfortable.
But now, since she showed that she was willing, the two of them could start anew.
Alwyn looked at Eline's mask.
It was made of metal, completely plain, the only two holes were the thin slits for the eyes. It was what all Reapers wore when on duty, for formal tasks at least. Most of them usually kept it on the inside of their mantle, because the visibility it granted was very low and that was not very optimal when fighting.
There was only one person who always had it on: Eline.
He had always wondered why she had never taken it off, not even when sleeping, or so her colleagues had told him.
'What could she possibly be hiding under that mask?'
He didn't ask the question out loud however, as it could have been a delicate topic for the girl.
'Forget it, we don't have that kind of relationship.'
Alwyn thought to himself, while she tightly tied his hands and feet together.
'...Wait, is she really tying me up?! I thought it was just a joke!'
The next time he went along with her jokes, Alwyn had to keep in mind that not every person had the same kind of humor. Apparently, some people were more literal than others.
"Done. Rest well and heal your wounds. If you need anything just wake me up. Goodnight."
He was now curled up on his bed, his body as rigid as a statue. The knots were the work of a master, because his limbs wouldn't move an inch.
His wounds had opened again after their brief battle, so he had to tend to them a second time, but rope prevented him from doing so.
'Fuck it, I'm too tried for this. I'll do it tomorrow.'
Eline covered him with the blanket and then put out the candle next to her with her fingers.
A pungent smell of smoke soon enveloped the whole cabin.
"G-Goodnight…"
Staring into that acrid darkness, Alwyn's mind ran wild. He recalled all the events of the last two days and the unfamiliar emotions they evoked in him.
For thousands of years he had been just a mindless machine—in each round becoming even more apathetic than in the previous one—and now he had been forced to undergo a sudden, radical change.
His personality had morphed drastically, fusing with Lynn's. He had become more resentful, cynical, a bit spiteful and sarcastic, but also kind. More human.
His mind was literally a mess.
Alwyn tried to reorganize the knowledge he had acquired from the memories of the previous owner of that body, and he reassessed his goals.
He needed to survive—to pass every test that the gods had prepared for him—in order to be considered worthy of challenging them one last time.
He wanted a chance.
His wish… was to give them a slow and painful death.
Apart from that, his other aspiration was to live like a proper human being, to experience what the gods had taken away from him. To make friends, create good memories, and possibly even find love.
In short, enjoying life to the fullest.
That, however, was not something easy to achieve, considering the plague that was currently afflicting that world.
His last objective instead—the most feasible one among the three—was to avenge Lynn, killing Gariss and the other Reapers responsible for his murder, as well as those who entrusted them with such a task… the higher-ups of the Church, most probably.
'When we wake up, Eline, the two of us will need to have a proper talk.'
If he succumbed to the siren's call, would Eline keep him safe or would she release him so that she could locate the beast's nest?
Alwyn hoped it would be the first case but, as the two were basically strangers, she would probably choose the latter.
She had said it herself. She had a mission to accomplish in that forest, and that involved reuniting with her colleagues. But he still decided to trust her one last time. She had promised him she would not try to kill him again.
Eline.
With the only hint of her long, grey hair—which were usually hidden by the black hood of the mantle—Alwyn tried to imagine the girl's hidden appearance, to remove that featureless mask. But no matter how many faces he envisioned, in the end none suited her ambiguous behaviour well.
There must have been reasons for her awkwardness, and he felt like her character was much more complex than she was letting on.
'I want to get to know her better.'
Lulled by such a wish, one he hadn't had in ages, Alwyn got lost in his dreams.
And so, the third mental battle with the siren began.