The Gamer's POV-Chapter 231: Foundling

Cedric reconnected with his subjects of influence to see if he would feel those emotions that he had felt earlier. Strangely enough, he didn’t feel anything even after a minute passed, and no energy trickled into his essence core.

"Hmm..."

He took another drag from his pipe and exhaled a long, meditative stream of smoke.

’I do not understand those emotions exactly, but it looks like I gain essence from them. I think Aika might understand them better since she’s been awake the whole time. I’ll go ask her.’

He swung his legs over the side of the bed, letting his feet rest on the cold floor while he remained seated.

’But first...’

He closed his eyes and began to reconnect with his feathers and ravens which were at different spots across the sunken city.

Then, one by one, he began to see through the eyes of his ravens. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

A raven was perched atop the weathered stone cornice of the palestra. It was a sprawling, open-air courtyard paved in dark, soot-stained sand and surrounded by a grand colonnade of towering marble pillars that were streaked with grime.

Despite the fact that it always looked like night with a moon high above, it was currently a bit past midday, and so the hollow ones were training the cadets just as they promised they would. Through the vision of the bird, Cedric could see a group of more than sixty cadets who had just finished their training with a few of the tireless hollow ones. The cadets all looked exhausted, with some resting on the shaded stone benches of the exedrae and some leaning wearily against the surface of the pillars.

In the center of the arena, more cadets were actively engaged in drills with the hollow ones instructing them. It seemed they were training in turns, allowing one group to recover while the next took over.

The raven turned its head slightly and zoomed in. Amidst the haze of kicked-up soot and the chaotic mess of mana from the cadets using their skills, a familiar figure caught Cedric’s eye.

It was Dion.

He seemed to be sparring with a hollow one, and he seemed to be holding his own against her pretty well. As his spear collided with the creature’s own, the hollow one yelled. "For the tenth time, avoid my eyes, boy. You can’t look them in the eyes!"

Dion gritted his teeth and lowered his gaze, while leaping back to avoid her weapon.

Cedric took a drag from the pipe, and as he exhaled, he turned his head, and his perspective split into two separate visions as his consciousness jumped to another bird.

One of his ravens was currently gliding over a large, soot-covered basilica, and as it banked, Cedric began to see through its eyes as well. Now, although the cadets and the hollow ones were coexisting, they stayed in the section of the city that was given to them to reside in and did not venture unnecessarily into the other parts of the derelict ruins.

Unlike other parts of the city which were cloaked in shadows and not illuminated, this part had lots of fires and torches lighted to illuminate the pathways and streets, and for warmth in the buildings. And while the other parts of the city were silent except the sounds of blacksmiths working, this part was noisy with the constant chatter of cadets.

After a few seconds of observing the bustling activity below, Cedric shifted his focus once more, letting the vision of the basilica fade as he jumped to another raven.

This raven was perched on the flat roof of the high keep of the castle he was in. Beside the raven, Aika was sitting on the roof with her knees folded up to her chest while resting her chin on them. She looked like she was staring blankly into space, and a lost, distant expression was etched on her beautiful pale face.

When Cedric saw her, he involuntarily smiled, then muttered in a quiet voice.

"There you are."

He stood up, took his black coat from the inventory, then draped it over his shoulders and began slowly walking out his chambers.

***

Aika wasn’t exactly just staring blankly into space. Actually, she was observing two cadets through the eyes of a raven in the area the cadets resided.

They were two sisters, sitting together on a crumbled stone bench near a small cooking fire. The older sister was carefully braiding the younger one’s hair, while the younger one simply leaned back against her sibling with her eyes closed.

Aika had been observing them for a while now, watching the younger sister giggle to the story the older sister was whispering to her.

As she watched them, for a reason she couldn’t understand, Aika felt a deep pain in her heart, mixed with an aching loneliness that made her chest feel tight.

She began to subconsciously stroke her long black hair as if she were trying to comfort herself in the same way the older sister had done for the younger one.

After a moment, she sighed and turned to the raven beside her.

"Little Ced," she said softly. "Just how much longer is your master going to keep sleeping?"

The raven tilted its head to the side, fixing her with an intelligent gaze. It let out a soft, low croak as if it were actually trying to answer her, then hopped a few inches closer and brushed its dark wing against her hand.

Aika stared at it for a moment, then looked away and rested her chin on her knees again.

However, not long after, she felt warm hands reach around her from behind. It startled her at first, and her eyes went wide. But just as she was about to get defensive, she recognized the familiar warmth and the scent that always seemed to follow him. Her tension melted instantly as Cedric pulled her close, enveloping her small, curled-up frame in his arms. Then, pressing his chest firmly against her back, he gently rested his chin on the top of her head and said softly, "Hey..."

Aika’s mood immediately brightened at the sound of his voice and an involuntary smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

"You’re finally awake," she said as she reached up to rest her hand on his.

"Mm-hm," Cedric replied with a quiet, sleepy hum that vibrated against her back.

He seemed to be staring in the direction that she had been looking at before he came. Then, after a few seconds, he pulled back just enough to look at her, smiled brightly and asked, "Do you want me to do your hair?"

When Aika heard that, she snapped her head toward him and blinked in surprise. In that moment, she felt a sudden warmth bloom in her chest. It was a gesture she had longed for, but in a way she hadn’t even realized until he offered it. She hadn’t known how much she needed that specific kind of care until the words were actually spoken.

Her blue eyes sparkled, her smile grew wide and shy, and like a foundling finally being seen for the first time, she nodded eagerly.

Cedric chortled at her enthusiastic response.

"Here." He handed the smoke pipe over to her. As she took it from him, he shifted his weight, moving to sit more comfortably behind her so she could lean back against his legs.

Then gently, he reached for her hair and began to divide the strands. He started at the nape of her neck, working slowly as he crossed the sections over one another to form a braid.

As he worked, he muttered softly, "I’ll make you look even more pretty than you already are."

Aika’s eyes widened slightly. She tried, but couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. Even more surprising to her, she felt a flush rise to her cheeks.

’He thinks I’m pretty?’ she thought, looking down as she took a slow drag from the pipe to hide her reddened face.

After a few seconds though, as if remembering something, she looked back up and turned slightly. Then, clearing her throat, she spoke up softly.

"By the way, congrats on developing an essence core."