One-Eyed Monster

Igor had been restless lately. He kept feeling that something important was about to happen.

Ever since he came out of the King’s Council Hall last time, he’d felt ill at ease, constantly lost, not knowing what he was supposed to do.

He wanted to join the Guardian Army, to go to the Star River with those soldiers and reclaim the Empire’s lands. But this idea was rejected by General Bisley. General Bisley said his plan was too radical, born out of impulsiveness, and told him to calm down before making a decision.

Igor still wanted to insist, but he just couldn’t persuade General Bisley, and in the end he could only slink away dejectedly.

Being turned down felt awful, but Igor still didn’t want to give up. He sent a letter to the Kangen Family asking to help. He hoped that he could help the people of the Kangen Family rebuild the Alchemy Workshop together.

Yet ideals and reality always seem to clash; the things Igor wanted to do now just couldn’t be realized. The people of the Kangen Family said Igor’s mind was unstable at the moment, that he couldn’t take part in something like reconstruction. They even kindly reminded Igor that he needed to rest well. Only after resting could he play his part.

Igor once again backed out with his tail between his legs. He couldn’t figure out why nothing he wanted to do these days was working out…

Igor walked as he thought, wanting to know what the real reason behind all this was. But no matter how he wandered up and down Bayes Avenue, the answer never appeared. He still didn’t know what on earth was going on.

Igor scratched his head. He’d almost covered the whole of Bayes Avenue, yet he was still lost. He kept feeling that there was something missing from his side, but he couldn’t say exactly what that was. All he knew was that food had lost its taste, his steps had lost their direction; he felt like a living corpse…

Without even realizing it, Igor had drifted to the cemetery.

There had once been a fierce battle here; Igor knew that much, since he’d been one of the participants back then. He just couldn’t understand why he’d come back here—this didn’t quite fit with common sense…

Igor was still puzzling over how he’d ended up in a place like this. Was it because he was so lost he didn’t even know where he should be going?

”Who’s there?” someone suddenly called out. Igor found the voice rather familiar.

”Me!” Igor answered naturally. He didn’t realize that responding like this wouldn’t actually tell the person who he was.

But miracles often happen without anyone noticing. The voice on the other side actually recognized Igor’s voice at once.

”Oh, Igor, it’s you! What are you doing here?”

Igor scratched his head; he still couldn’t remember whose familiar voice this was.

”What’s wrong? Look at you, all frowns and gloom. Got something weighing on your mind?” The voice went on. Igor couldn’t see where the speaker was, yet the person could see Igor’s expression, which only made Igor more curious.

”Heh, what, you don’t feel like talking? If you tell me, I can help you work it through.” The voice was getting closer, as if moving toward Igor.

”Uh…” At this point Igor finally saw clearly who it was. The person was none other than Xiso, now restored.

”What’s wrong? Seeing me is like seeing some kind of strange creature. Am I really that scary?” Xiso asked.

”Uh, no…” Igor scratched his head, embarrassed. He just wasn’t used to Xiso’s current appearance.

To be fair, Xiso was lucky. He’d suffered torture in Kuyi Tulan’s experimental facility, but in the end that ordeal had freed him from his monstrous form and allowed him to regain his original appearance. It really was something like a miracle.

It was just that Igor, having gotten used to the monster’s face, was having trouble adjusting to the change…

”Hehehe, what brought you here? Is it because you feel like you might find something here too?” Xiso asked, looking at Igor with clear concern in his eyes.

”I…” Igor didn’t know where to start. He felt like he no longer knew what he was doing; he was completely lost. The future seemed like a blank void; he had no idea about anything.

”What’s wrong?” Xiso noticed that Igor’s state was distinctly off.

”They won’t let me join the Guardian Army…” Igor thought of how General Bisley had rejected him earlier, and his heart twisted.

”In the state you’re in, you really aren’t suited to enlist,” Xiso said. ”You’re very depressed right now.”

”But they won’t let me help rebuild the Alchemy Workshop either…” Igor still couldn’t let it go.

”With emotions like yours, you’d only be getting in the way!”

”But I… I really just want to find something to do… I feel empty, lost, helpless!” This time Igor finally voiced what had been weighing on his heart.

”Mm. I know. I understand how you feel,” Xiso said, trying to comfort him.

When it came to things like this, Xiso naturally understood what was going on. He knew exactly why Igor was so lost now.

Xiso was famed throughout the Empire as a strategist; reading people was something he was very good at. He knew the reason behind Igor’s confusion: it was because he’d suddenly lost a companion.

”Why is it like this? Why have I become so confused?” Igor was still baffled. He kept feeling that he’d lost something, yet he couldn’t say what.

”Igor, we’re all grieving over what happened to Kadi. You don’t need to blame yourself too much,” Xiso said, directly touching the knot in Igor’s heart. This was the one thing Igor had been unwilling to talk about.

”Uh…” Igor stared blankly at Xiso, not knowing what to say. It really was a burden he carried deep inside.

Kadi’s disappearance was something Igor couldn’t forgive himself for. He’d been turning many things over in his mind, wanting to burn through his time like this, to get through this hollow stretch.

”Everyone knows their own duty. I know that at that moment, it was Kadi’s own decision. He did it for our sake, and we have to protect what he gave up for us,” Xiso said. He cared deeply about this as well, since Kadi had made that sacrifice for him too.

”I want to rescue Kadi!” Spurred by Xiso’s words, Igor blurted out the voice of his heart.

”We all want to rescue Kadi,” Xiso replied.

”What should we do, Xiso, sir?” Igor asked.

”We do it step by step. We’ll find clues about Kuyi Tulan, and when the time comes, we’ll be able to track down where Kadi is.”

Igor looked at the gloomy sky in the distance and vaguely recalled the time when he’d first come here. Little by little, his thoughts turned to Kadi again.

We’ll come back to save you, Kadi. Please, wait for us patiently.