Wishmaker Chapter 17: Chapter 17

Read chapter 17 of Wishmaker by Larch on NovelPedia.

White clouds covered the milky sky, brimming with rows of light cotton that felt as if it were at their fingertips. Maybe, perhaps because they were. Looking down at everything below with an innocent smile of purity. They broke when disturbed under touch, vanishing into thin air as if they were never there to begin with. Someone's heavy breath came from the side, with a deep growl responding to it in the same manner. It wasn't hot nor cold up there, but a pleasant wind blew across the colorless sky, forcing Valentine's eyes to fully open and brace against the cold sun. With a groan, he pushed himself off sluggishly, just to wince and hold onto his stomach, with a hand riddled in faded black scars. He looked down at himself, then up at the clouds that were just a hair's length away. His heart was racing wildly at its presence, but something told him that no matter what happened to him from this point on, it wouldn't cause him any serious harm. How long have I been out for... He could barely count the number of times he had managed to pass out lately; it had been rather annoying to lose his consciousness in the middle of something, just to wake up for something new to slap him awake. It took a heavy toll on his psyche, making him feel both dead and alive, sometimes even neither. As he was looking at the clouds, a familiar voice called out to Val, making him tense up. "You're awake, Valentine." Turning to the side, a boy sat next to him on an obsidian floor, dressed in casual, light clothes with no proper footwear, let alone even socks. Only his dark grey shirt and baggy black pants were clinging to his pale skin. With deep-blue hair that was carried weakly by the wind, similar to Valentine's now ebony hair glistening under the pale daylight, he put on an awkward smile that didn't quite reach Valentine. Who is this guy... Pursuing his lips, he looked at the boy's scarlet eyes that held nothing but calmness inside them, something he hadn't seen before. Even Sunday's gaze was filled with nothing but blind fanaticism towards his so-called goddess. Ah, wait. He turned his gaze slightly, looking at the curious boy from a different angle. Something clicked inside his mind. With a trembling voice, he pointed at the small boy. "Y-You're that knight!" "Indeed." Nodding his head, the boy sat in a cross-legged position, placing his hands across his legs. He didn't act like the ruthless knight who had not an ounce of hesitation while beating him; his cold gaze was gone, with his face illuminated in the calm daylight that made him seem softer than he looked. It was as if he were a different person entirely. His eyes scanned Valentine. Then, surprising the startled boy, he leaned down so low that his head almost touched the black floor. "I am truly sorry for treating you like this." He slowly raised his head, looking down with half-closed eyelids. "I never once in my lifetime expected to see someone blessed by an ember." "Uh..." "It is truly an honour of mine to escort you." Blessed by an ember? Despite his clearly expressed bamboozlement, the knight kept on apologising to him over and over again as if he'd done a great sin. Weirdly, Valentine wanted to laugh at him for mistreating him earlier, but also couldn't quite bring himself to it after seeing the ruthless knight act like this. Wait, didn't Sunday say I'm cursed now? What is this guy on about? Also, didn't he beat the crap out of me moments ago? What's up with people changing their attitude so fast? More questions arose in his raging mind, but he chose to keep them to himself for the time being so as not to raise any more conflicts with the monster. "For me to treat a goddess's chosen one like that, please accept my humble apology." Looking down at the knight, Valentine's mind froze for a moment, unable to come up with a proper response. "Yeah... sure." Feeling the boy's intense stare, the knight gave a light bow before returning to his position and turning his head somewhere away from