Tangled Relationships

"Meifuni's friend?"

Xilian was puzzled, but he politely held out his hand.

"Yes. She's talked to me about you, and I've seen your photo."

Valerie had a beautiful smile, stylish short hair, and sporty clothes.

"This must be your first time here. It's hard to find, so I'll show you the way."

Valerie beckoned Xilian to follow her, led him through the crowd, and plunged into an alley.

After several twists and turns, Xilian spotted a colorful sign deep in the alley.

"Ink House?"

Xilian read the name aloud.

"See? It's hard to find on your first visit."

Valerie took Xilian's hand, her smile enchanting. Her sudden warmth made him uncomfortable, but before he could pull away, she drew him into the Ink House.

The interior was dim, with only a few lights barely illuminating its hazy outlines. Farther in, Xilian saw countless oil paintings hanging on the walls.

Their subjects ranged from landscapes and portraits to abstract symbols Xilian couldn't understand. Farther in, the space opened up. Several tables stood in the room, where guests chatted quietly.

Wine racks lined one side of the room and bookshelves the other. As Xilian passed a table, he saw the guests playing a board game.

Laughter drifted from the private rooms along the corridor. One door stood ajar, and through the gap Xilian glimpsed a sunlit room where someone sat before an easel, painting in oils.

In the month or so since he had moved to Her City, Xilian had visited many places, but he had never seen a club quite this strange.

He opened the door at the end of the corridor and found his colleagues. Unfamiliar with the route, he was the last to arrive.

"Xilian's here... Oh? Valerie came too."

Dailin noticed the two entering together and rose to greet them.

"Hello, everyone!"

Valerie finally let go of Xilian's hand and greeted the others warmly.

"I saw Xilian going in circles outside when I arrived, so we came in together."

"You know Xilian?" Dailin asked in surprise.

"I've heard about him from Meifuni." Valerie glanced at Meifuni, who was sitting nearby. "I also saw Xilian's photo on your staff roster when I went to the City Guard Bureau to see her a while back."

Xilian had happened to be off that day, so he hadn't met Valerie.

Only after sitting down did Xilian notice that Elton, who never attended gatherings, was there too.

"I like this sort of activity," Elton explained.

Meifuni organized all kinds of outings, from dinners to movies, but none of them interested Elton except this one.

Anya set a large box on the table. Inside were several folded maps, dice, and game pieces.

"Is everyone here?"

"Everyone's here," Dailin said.

Valerie paused. "What about the others who used to play with us?"

"Oh, them? They died on an operation a while back," Dailin said matter-of-factly.

It was sad news, but the mood in the room barely changed. Everyone there was used to such things, even Xilian.

"This is your first time playing, right, Xilian?" Meifuni said eagerly. "We're playing a board game today!"

Valerie moved beside Xilian and deliberately leaned against him.

Xilian shifted away. Valerie moved closer again, still wearing that sweet smile.

Xilian could only sigh and accept it.

The game flew by. Xilian glanced at the sky darkening beyond the window and stood to say goodbye.

"Everyone, I'm on rotation today. I need to leave early."

After a month patrolling the high walls, Xilian had been reassigned to patrol the city. The work would be easier, but since this was his first city patrol, he needed to arrive early and learn the details.

"I'll walk you out."

Dailin left with Xilian.

Outside the Ink House, Xilian took a deep breath and asked, puzzled, "What's Valerie's deal?"

"Oh? She's Meifuni's friend."

"I don't know much about her background," Dailin said. "I think she's from a wealthy family too. Otherwise, she probably wouldn't run in the same circles as Meifuni."

"How did she get to know all of you?" Xilian asked. "Meifuni works here, at least, but how did Valerie get involved with the City Guard Bureau?"

"She comes to see Meifuni a lot," Dailin said. "We got to know her over time. She rarely joins our gatherings, though. She only drops by now and then."

Realizing Xilian had plenty of questions about Valerie, Dailin grew curious.

"What's wrong?"

Xilian chose his words carefully. "She... she was a little too friendly with me. Something feels off."

Throughout the board game, Valerie had acted intimately with Xilian, constantly bringing up topics ranging from small personal details to specific experiences from his past.

Xilian had resisted, but once he realized that wasn't helping, he had gone along with it to avoid making things awkward.

"Off?"

Dailin stared, then burst out laughing. "Do you think everyone's out to get you?"

He looked Xilian up and down. "Honestly, Xilian, you're pretty good-looking. Sure, you're no match for me, but you could still catch plenty of girls' eyes."

"Maybe you're just her type. This could be a great opportunity. If you get in with her family, you won't have to work at that hellhole of a City Guard Bureau anymore."

Xilian's expression cooled. "Are you serious?"

"No."

Dailin stopped smiling and gave him a look of malicious amusement. "Even if Valerie really does like you, she might find someone else in a couple of days. Young people do that all the time."

"Like Anya?"

After some time at the City Guard Bureau, Xilian had roughly worked out the relationship between Dailin and Anya.

People said Anya was a flirt who moved from man to man, and that she had an ambiguous relationship with the bureau chief.

But Dailin liked Anya and kept pursuing her. She rejected him again and again, as though they were caught in some strange game of chase.

At Xilian's jab, Dailin raised a foot as if to kick him.

"You little punk!"

After cursing, he suddenly looked weary and sighed. "Some things are complicated..."

"Want to tell me about them?"

"Get lost and go on your night patrol!" Dailin said.

Valerie's intimate behavior had been obvious. Everyone had noticed.

"I'd advise you to stay away from Xilian," Anya said quietly. "If you want to toy with someone, go find a man at a bar."

Valerie looked unconcerned. "Why would I? I don't even like him. But I hear you care a lot about Xilian."

"Me?"

Anya hadn't expected the conversation to turn back to her.

"That's right." Valerie gave her a teasing look. "Anya, usually such a flirt, acting reserved around a newcomer? You can't even meet his eyes. Have you actually fallen for him?"

Anya laughed. "Fallen for him? Don't be stupid, Valerie."

"You're right, that was stupid," Valerie said with an emphatic nod. "Anya, you live off one man after another. How could you ever truly fall for anyone?"

Valerie leaned closer to Anya and lowered her voice further.

"Don't think I don't know what you've done. All you care about is what a man can give you. Poor Dailin still thinks you're his true love."

Anya remained calm. "Dailin knows my past. I've always been open about it."

"Then Dailin's even more of a fool than I thought." Valerie's voice turned provocative. "I'll win Xilian over, just to humiliate you."

"Because of Dailin?"

Anya gave Valerie a disdainful look. Now she understood where the hostility came from.

"You've tried everything and still can't win Dailin's heart. All I have to do is beckon, and he'll give me everything. That drives you mad, doesn't it?"

Valerie said nothing more. With a cold snort, she walked away.

"What happened? What happened?"

Meifuni had returned the board game and come back into the room. Seeing the two women giving each other the cold shoulder, she wondered what had happened.

"Nothing."

Anya gave Meifuni an affectionate hug. She and Valerie might be at odds, but Anya didn't want it to affect Meifuni.

Valerie said nothing. She didn't want anyone else to know about her feud with Anya either.

Then she asked Meifuni, as if issuing a challenge, "Meifuni, could you arrange for me to meet Xilian?"

"Hm?"

"I'm very interested in him," Valerie said, enunciating every word.

The sky was overcast.

Before his shift, Xilian returned to his apartment. As usual, Bruce was holed up in the living room, tinkering with a pile of scrap metal.

A few days earlier, Xilian had received his first paycheck. Just as Dailin had promised, even a trainee earned a generous salary.

Xilian had first repaid what he owed Dailin, then renewed his lease for another month. He spent what remained on the materials on Bruce's list.

Bruce had lived up to expectations. In just a few days, he had successfully repaired the Jet Revolver.

"I'll give you the basics."

Without looking up, Bruce said, "The Jet Revolver can enhance its shots. Feed Source Energy into it, and its muzzle velocity and firepower increase dramatically."

"And these are special rounds made for the Jet Revolver."

Xilian hefted the heavy Jet Revolver, then picked up the rounds laid out on the coffee table. There were twelve in all.

Brass casings, bright red bullet tips.

"What kind of bullets are these?"

The red looked familiar to Xilian.

"Soul Marrow Bullets."

"When they hit an enemy, the Soul Marrow ignites and explodes," Bruce explained. "They're extremely effective against the power of Chaos."

"Oh, and the Soul Marrow came from your blood," Bruce added. "Maybe it's my imagination, but the Soul Marrow in your blood seems much purer than usual."

"Does it?"

Xilian rubbed a fingertip over a red bullet tip. Its gleaming surface looked like a brilliant ruby.

Torchbearer Sacred Blood.

That was what the Deathbird had called his blood—the very blood that had set the tragedy in White Cliff Town in motion.

As Xilian learned more about the world, he had begun to suspect the truth behind the Torchbearer Sacred Blood.

It was a terrifying possibility.

"Can you tell there's something unusual about my blood?" Xilian asked.

"I only noticed after examining it closely," Bruce said. "Another Torchbearer would probably sense something wrong with your blood much more readily."

Bruce stopped working. He had thought he knew Xilian well enough, but suddenly it felt as though another veil of mystery had settled over him.

"If you don't want anyone to notice, you'd better avoid bleeding."

"That might be difficult."

Xilian smiled awkwardly. Surviving in a world this mad without shedding blood was impossible.

"I think so too." Bruce's goggled dog face turned solemn. "Then kill everyone who makes you bleed. That should solve it, right?"

The murderous suggestion caught Xilian off guard. Then he nodded in agreement.

"Of course."