Chapter 158 - Aileen's Past

"The place where I am from are divided into six factions right now. I am sure one of these factions is quite friendly, while the rest are not. If we come across the friendly faction, I am sure we will be able to avoid the danger."

"But the other factions are very hostile towards Beastmen and Humans, and one of them is the kind that would kill anything they see. They are the ravaging kind", she said.

They were listening to what she was saying intently. They did not understand why there were people who were seeking them out when all they did was live in seclusion all these years.

"Most of us have been living somewhere secluded, and when chaos broke out in our place, we were scattered. Right now, we are trying to avoid any kinds of conflict with each other and keep our distance, and I do want to find the reasonable one and talk to him about how to handle this smartly", she finished.

Mike smiled after he heard the explanation. Now he understood what was going on and why there were people that were headed for the City.

He was determined to protect the City, and this time it was left on his shoulders. He wanted to show his father that he was capable of taking care of the place in his absence, and he wanted to grab this opportunity.

"So, you said you are amongst the top five. Who else is present?", asked Mike. He remembered a quote he had read before.

"Know thy enemy, and know thy self", he remembered as he thought about defending the City. Aileen nodded her head and began to elaborate on her peers.

"At the fifth place, there is me. Aileen Hopkins, also known as Shadow Wings", she said as she spread her wings from her back.

They were pitch black, and they had some scales on top. She retracted them back and looked at all of them.

"At the fourth place, there is Silver Wings. We do not know our real names, as the only place we meet is The Arena, and we are mostly known by our stage names", she said. Everyone was stunned.

"So they only know each other from fighting? Maybe the city is a very big one, unlike ours", concluded Mike as he looked at her. He then began to calculate the power difference across both of them.

"At the third place, there is Shadow Fang. He is a man who follows honor more than anything, and I am sure he would be open to reason", she said. Mike took note of what she had said.

"At the second place, we have Martial Monkey. She is someone who likes to fight, but she never kills. She likes to cause destruction and is easy to buy off. Call her a hitwoman of sorts", she explained. 

"At the top, we have Crimson Samurai. Rumors have it that he is a person who likes to leave destruction and death wherever he goes. And thus the name Crimson Samurai", she said. Mike had a crucial question and he raised his hand.

"Aren't Samurai's very honorable people though?", he asked. Aileen had a smile on her face after she heard his question.

"He was indeed once a man of honor. They say that the day he lost his wife and three kids to someone, he turned to the Devil's Path to gain strength. How many more lives will he take to achieve his goal, only God knows", she said as she looked at everyone.

Mike was stunned when he heard the words 'Devil's Path'. It was uncommon, but it was a shortcut to gain an immense amount of strength in the shortest while. 

After learning of everything, he decided that everyone would make camp here, and that the next day, they would plan a strategy to tackle any incoming enemies.

While everyone was asleep, Mike was looking at the beautiful moonlight as he was running his hand through the lake next to him. He didn't know why, but this seemed to calm him down a bit.

His jittery nerves as he thought about tomorrow began to act up again, and he was looking forward to spending some time here to calm himself down.

"Can't sleep?", came a charming voice from behind him. He turned his head and saw Aileen standing behind, with a cloak on her. 

She had lowered the hood of the cloak, and her face was mesmerizing under the moonlight. Mike stared at her for a few seconds, but then lowered his gaze.

She sat down next to him, and they were in each other's company in silence. After a few minutes, he decided to ask something that was bugging him from the moment they met.

"Why were you hiding your gender?", he asked. Aileen had a smile as she looked up at the sky.

"They began to kill every woman they could find. Many were raped repeatedly, and they were used as sex toys for the men to find pleasure in."

"As I was a little kid, no one knew what gender I was. A kind Illusionist taught me the way of masking my gender by making me hide my breasts, and gave me something down there."

Mike was disgusted when he heard the things she was saying. He wanted nothing more than to torture these people and kill them horrendously.

"The Illusionist was caught one day and was led to an inspection. They stripped him naked and checked him in front of everyone. Some of the men, who were addicted to sex used him as a toy to satiate their carnal desires."

Her body was shaking uncontrollably, and Mike didn't know what he could do to comfort her. He remembered how he felt whenever he was hugged by Nora, and placed his hand on her shoulder and pulled her close.

She rested her head on his shoulder and felt a warmth inside her. 

"It's been a long time ever since I have felt this feeling", she thought as she continued her story.

"One of the people, while he went up to the Illusionist, asked him to change into a young woman. He did not want to give in, but they held his daughter as a hostage in front of him, and made him oblige."

"And ever since that day, he was used repeatedly to the point where he had to be healed multiple times a day. Even Regeneration spells were ineffective, and only high-level healers were able to heal him."

Mike began to feel sorry for Aileen, and he vowed that he would protect her secretly. She continued her story for him to listen.

"Before he died, he wanted to meet and called for me. He held my hands and pulled me close to him, and whispered these words. 'If you have someone you like, cherish him. And get out of this place when you have the chance'."

"And when the outbreak happened, I ran. I ran along with the people that were headed towards your City, but I never stopped. Now that they are dead, I hope that I am free", she finished. 

Mike had a mix of emotions as he looked at her. He was angry at the men who had done such filthy deeds, and pity towards a woman who had to fear for her every second in her life.

He turned his head towards the sky and muttered under his breath.

"If I ever come across that person, do give me the strength to face him. And kill him, yeah that would be better. They have to be wiped away from existence", he said the last sentence out loud.

Aileen was stunned as she heard the line. Although she was telling all of this and wanted to feel better, she was now more drawn towards him.

"He has grown indeed", she thought as her heartbeat quickened. A blush appeared on her face, and she asked the question she had on her mind.

"How old are you? I don't want to feel bad by calling you a kid if you are older than me", she asked. Mike's mood changed, and a smile appeared on his face.

"I am twenty-four years old", he said. The blush which was on her face thickened, and her face was red as a beet.

"No way! He is three years older than me! How do I cover this embarrassment when I called him 'kid'?", she thought as she looked at his smile. The way he was looking wasn't helping her either, and she wanted to find a place to hide right at that moment.

Mike stopped teasing her and turned his head away, as the smile that he had was a cover-up for the blush that was about to form on his face. There was a tension building up between them, and Mike didn't want it to escalate any further.

He coughed and let go of her, and she realized how close she had gotten to him while she was talking about her story. She got up and turned around to head back to where she came from.

"Good Night", she said before she went into the woods, and a smile was on her face. She remembered her Master's final words.

"Cherish him, huh?", she thought as she took one final look at Mike looking at the sky, and jumped into the tree to get a good night's sleep.