V2 Chapter 6 First Village, Hilldale

V7 POV

The sunlight creeping through the trees slowly hits my face in an annoying manner. I groan as I rolled over to my side, trying to get some more sleep.

" Shinigami."

Someone calls to me softly, I could feel his warm breath against my ear. A light touch touches my hood. I could feel his fingertip moving aside my hair.

" Ten more years. "

I answered sleepily as I rolled to my side and rub my head against the soft surface. Why is my pillow so warm?

" Shinigami. Come on, rise and shine sleepy head."

He calls to me again in the same tone this time he sounded like he was in front of me but slightly higher. I sleepily open my eyes to see the person's Ocean blue eyes looking at me, his face inches away from mine. Kids when will they understand private space?

" 1 more hour."

" *Sighs* What should I do with you?"

I suddenly feel the pillow moving and something going under my knees. I felt as if I was on air and the only sense of safety was coming my back and the back of my knees. I could feel the warm annoying sunlight hitting my face a couple of times before it disappeared. An annoying yet familiar creaking sound disturbs me. I then feel myself being lowered onto a cloud and my warm pillow leaving me but the warmth was soon replaced by a familiar soft sensation that covers my whole body.

" 1 hour then you have to wake up, sleepyhead. "

I sleepy hummed a response as the same annoying sound replays again but this time it was softer than before. The lulls of darkness and the calmness of sleep soon took over me.

I stretched my arms in front of me like a cat and left them there but then when I lay my arms down I could feel my hands hanging off the edge of something. The heck? Am I sleeping on the edge of a cliff? Whatever, I thought as I withdraw my arms and turn to the other side.

I couldn't sleep but the pull of the bed was so strong and I didn't feel like getting up. I lay there and try to get some more sleep.

" Is that a tail?"

A voice questioned in the distance.

FUC****!! I turned into my half-beast form when I was asleep! I immediately got up but I didn't feel myself sitting on my tail and I didn't feel my tail. I touched my face but I didn't feel any fur nor whiskers. Maybe I did a quarter transformation? I thought as I ran my hand through my hair looking for my ears but I found my human ears instead. Bloody hell... I thought as I turn to glare at person but then I realized I was inside the Caravan. No wonder it's so wonderfully dark. .. Wait a minute. ... What the heck? Wasn't I sleeping outside? Whatever, I thought as I pulled my blanket off of myself and got out of bed, and headed outside.

" I think I just saw a tail of a rabbit right there. How about rabbit stew for breakfast? "

He asks his horse as he stares into the woods with a bunch of firewood in his arms.

" Well, that's if we can catch it ,of..."

He finally turns to look at me and caught me glaring at him.

" .... or not... *Whispers to himself* (should have known cats hate rabbit meat)."

I try to rub the sleep out of my eyes but I still felt groggy. I bet if I didn't accidentally fall asleep while joking around, we would have talked until the first rays of sunlight shined through the night sky. I yawned.

" Finally up? Sleepyhead. It hasn't been an hour yet though."

" Kids hyper as soon as the sun is up. Don't want to imagine what happens when they have too much sugar in the morning."

I shivered at the thought of that I headed to the river to wash up.

" I'm Not a kid!"

By the time I returned, he was ready to go.

I headed to my Caravan and pulled out some bread from my stash.

" Excited for your field trip kid?"

He just frowned at my question.

" Alright, Alright. No need to pull such a long face. "

He gave me a surprised look when I pat his head. For a kid younger than me, he's taller than me a bit.

" Here, Eat up Rookie. We have a Kingdom to save."

I handed him the bread and took his horse from him.

" You're not having any?"

" Na, I wolfed out too much yesterday. You're fault Rookie, don't think I won't have my revenge. I'll stuff you so full, you wouldn't even want to look at food."

I teased him as I strap his horse to the Caravan next to mine. Rookie started laughing.

" There's no way that would happen!"

" Oh? Really? Then just wait and see Rookie."

I hop onto the Caravan.

" Well, what are you waiting for Rookie? We're wasting daylight. "

" Right you are Super Rookie Shinigami. .. or should I say Master Rookie?"

" That does have a nice ring to it. Nice one, Rookie. "

I shoulder bump him playfully as he sat next to me. With two horses pulling we should move faster than yesterday.

" When there's a fork in the road turn right and we'll hit the next village near the borders."

He informs me with a pointing finger.

" We aren't heading to the First Village?"

I questioned, slightly confused, about the sudden change of destination.

" By the time we get there, it will be too late to help them. I have a feeling they won't move deeper into the kingdom randomly. If they did, they wouldn't kidnap people from the same village in the past month, no... these people. .. Whoever they are... They want to show how powerful they are and that no one can stop them. If we want to prove that it isn't demons once and for all, we have to find them here before the first village runs out of girls to kidnap."

" And Grandmothers... and a prize Gypsy? ..... What's a Gypsy?"

I added, which soon changed into a question.

" A type of horse that's only found in the Mistheaven. Seriously .... These kidnappers are sick people, but why would anyone kidnap someone's grandmother?"

" Maybe they like raping prized horses while being beaten by a walking stick and screamed at by an old lady?"

" Whaa* Laughing* There's* Chuckling*"

He tried to exclaim but broke out laughing before he could.

" Oh! Yeah! Grandma beat me harder with that stick. * Laughing*"

I moaned jokingly.

" Sto!* Laughing* Stop!* Chuckling* You're killing me! * Laughing*"

He held his sides with one arm as he pats me on the shoulder.

" Can't imagine how they're doing it with a horse. "

" *Laughs* There's no way anyone would do that to a horse!"

" But curious... isn't it? Out of all the horses in the kingdom why that one?"

" Maybe he likes collecting horses?"

" For what? It's not like he can ride it around without anyone noticing it. There's only one Gypsy horse here on this whole continent. That's basically, running around and screaming 'Hey! I'm the kidnapper!'"

I sigh as I try to figure out their plan with all of this... Maybe they are ingredients? But what kind of spell requires the lives of more than 50 females and a hard-to-find horse?... Don't matter right now since we have to kill off the demons.

"... What if we get every female in the first village send them out of town and have everyone spread the rumor that we had hidden them somewhere in the village?"

" That would buy us time to kill off the demons and find out how they are kidnapping the girls, but how much time?"

He questioned as he looked up at the sky, to check the time.

" I would say a week at least and the best thieves work at night. This could be our chance to catch them in action. "

We soon reached the fork in the road, and I pulled my caravan to a halt.

" So what do you say? Rookie?"

I asked with a raised eyebrow.

" Lead the way, Master Rookie. A student lives to support and learn from his Master."

" Well then! I won't let my student down."

I grinned as I took a left and within the hour we reached the Village Hilldales. As soon as we arrived the villages ran over to greet us.

" The Queen's Knight! The Queen's Knight is here! He will save us!"

They all cheered as they waved their hands to welcome him.

" Damn.... the point in life where the student is more famous than the master."

I commented slightly jealous of all the attention he was getting.

" Isn't there a saying 'Those who can do teach'?"

" I have to retire first before I can become a real master? Well, that sucks...."

" You just debuted. Need more fame under that belt to be a real Master. Here's your chance, Master Rookie."

" If you say so Rookie."

I stood upon the driver's seat of the Caravan.

" People of Hilldale! We are here to help your village from the Demon Raids!"

The villagers immediately cheered and cursed the demons.

" I promise to kill every demon in sight! But before that! We have to guarantee the safety of all the women in this village!"

" We already have the Palace guards here! And yet people still go missing! How are you going to protect us?!"

A random villager from the crowd yelled.

" Easy, We will hide them here in this village where no one knows. Under high protection!

And before those demons have a chance to find them! I promise that there wouldn't be a demon left! I will not let another female will be kidnapped from this village!"

I announced reassuringly with much determination in my voice.

" Yeah!!"

They all cheered.

" Gather every female here before dusk and I will keep them safe. "

I confidently said as I jumped down from my Caravan.

" And how do you plan to bring them all, anywhere without anyone knowing?"

Rookie voiced out as he rested his head in one hand, looking at me.

" Follow me, and you'll see."

I gesture and brought him to the back of my Caravan and opened it.

" If you're planning on getting them all to fit in here then you're crazy."

" Well, then I'm Crazy. "

I moved my bed right to the other side of the caravan in front of my cabinet and toss my food sack on top of the bed.

" What we need is this, right here."

I said as I pull open a trap door.

" ... A full-length mirror?"

" That's right!"

I chimed as I rub the version symbol on my uniform like it was a grand badge of honor.

" How is that going to save the villagers?"

" Well, I actually prepared this for my enemy but there's no harm in using it, just once."

I started looking through my other sacks on top of the cabinet.

" You're going to use a mirror against your enemy... You okay, Shinigami? Did you bump your head on the way here?"

" Well not anymore, since trapping a person here doesn't mean that it would take away his fate but rather prevent it from playing out, which means the fates tied to him might either give him a way out when the time is right or wait for him. "

I explained as I struggle to get move it out of the trap door. How long has it been since I took it out? Why is it suddenly so hard to pull out?! Did the mental frame rust and got stuck to the Caravan? I took it out last week perfectly fine without any problems. Maybe I should have left it hanging on the back of my door?

" Wait wait wait... How is this mirror going to trap somebody?"

He exclaimed as he gestured for me to stop whatever I was doing but I ignored him and did my best to pull the darn thing out.

" Ever heard of the world behind the mirror? Well, for most of my spare time, I would spend it here."

" Shinigami, you aren't making any sense!"

I groan exhausted from trying to pull it out.

" You know what? Screw it, it would work perfectly fine like this anyway. "

I reached out my hand to Rookie offering to help him up onto the back of the Caravan and into the mirror.

" Come on Rookie, we don't have all day."

" I know that but you're not done explaining yourself. "

" Come on, it's easier just to show you, you trust me right?"

" W-What?"

" Do you trust me?"

Rookie's eyes shot up from the mirror to me as I asked, without even looking away or blinking, without even missing a single second, he grabbed my hand. I smiled at his response as I pulled him up and gestured for him to step into the mirror.

" After you."

He trusts me and takes a step into the mirror. The mirror as it has always done became liquid. Rookie slowly goes in like a kid going to a deep lake for the first time. As soon as, he was out of view, I went in after him.

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Interview Corner with V2

V2"Today our special guest is! Hikaru! So Hikaru, what made you so determined to join Kaen on this deathly quest?"

Hikaru" * Laughs* Would you believe me if I said because he saved me once?"

V2" What?! There's no way! V7 hates humans. "

Hikaru" Not exactly, he just hates the common human greed for wealth, power, and fame. He may not remember it but I owe my life to V7 and I intend to show my gratitude."

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