Chapter 74: The Room Where It Happens [Bonus]

Maks walked in and looked at Amaya lying on Zayn’s bed, and it was clear his mind had gone to wild places as he awkwardly said:

"Oh... hello, Amaya, Zayn."

Amaya sat up, giving him an odd look.

"Hello...? That’s all you have to say after running me over?"

Maks scratched the back of his head.

"That, uh... was my bad."

After closing the door behind him, Maks crossed to the far bed and set down the sword that had been tied around his waist.

Zayn, still plagued by Amaya’s infectious words of reason, didn’t even reply.

Amaya smiled deviously, then asked:

"So, I hear Zayn has roped you into his devilish plot?"

At her words, Maks stepped forward, smacked his shin against the bedframe, and promptly fell on his ass amid a loud series of thuds.

"Gyeah!"

He threw his head back and locked eyes with the solemn man.

Amaya chuckled, then said:

"Relax, Maks. You technically haven’t done anything. Also... don’t be too surprised. Zayn had been consulting with me the entire month about what to do with his task."

"D-does that mean...?"

Zayn forced himself out of his stupor. Waving his hand dismissively, he said:

"I don’t exactly know what she’s planning, but she’s not an enemy. And, yes... she knows the gist of what happened in that room."

Maks flipped over, his eyes still trained on Zayn.

"Man... I really want to punch you."

"Huh?"

Maks sighed, climbed to his feet, and sat down on his bed.

"I said I’d help you with your task... not that you could freely announce it to anyone. And why didn’t you tell me she knew until now?"

"Neither of us was particularly in a state fit for such a discussion... with what went down this morning and all."

Maks’s eyes took on what Zayn could only describe as ’bloodthirsty.’

"Ah... I guess. Still, if we’re to cooperate, do consult me before revealing my involvement."

Amaya narrowed her eyes.

"Wow, Maks... you’re quite the man when you’re angry."

’Does she really feel the need to be an asshole no matter the situation...?’

Maks’s gaze snapped to Amaya.

"Shut it."

Amaya’s eyes widened as she said:

"Damn, landmine. Noted. I know you have Claire; you should know I was only joking."

’Ah, right... she doesn’t know.’

Still, she should have at least known Claire was ’missing.’

’Does she suspect something?’

Zayn shuddered slightly.

The whereabouts of Claire weren’t something his mind was able to discuss.

Maks, who’d begun to shake, took a deep breath to calm himself, then muttered:

"’The gist of it...’ huh."

Amaya squinted as if she could see those words hanging in the air, but whatever thoughts passed through her mind stayed there.

Zayn swallowed hard, then interjected:

"I think I should elaborate a little... on all this."

Zayn traced a circle in the air with his finger. After quietly clearing his throat, he whispered:

"Amaya agreed to help me if I could prove the task was real... something I haven’t figured out how to do. Maks... you have your own reasons that you can share with her if you wish. Just keep in mind that I don’t want to force you... into anything. If anything, just having someone to talk to about it is enough."

Amaya studied his face with an expression that screamed, ’How vulnerable.’

"Still... Maks, Amaya, I came up with a plan after hearing about the guilds. Instead of trying to handle the Disasters one by one, we get them to join the guild."

Zayn’s mind returned to the diction discrepancy.

’"Hunt..." not "kill."’

Zayn added:

"Get them all in one place and settle it at once. If recruiting any of them proves impossible or the circumstances demand it, then commit to the original goal..."

Goal...

Like murder was Zayn’s ’goal.’

After a slight pause, Zayn looked down at his own hands and continued:

"This way, you can assist without getting your hands dirty. Trust me, Maks... don’t you dare blindly assume you’re capable. It’s not your task; it’s mine."

Amaya hummed.

"I could assist with that much as well."

Zayn nodded.

Maks, sitting on his bed, leaned forward, resting his elbow on his thigh.

"That seems a bit idealistic... but it’s an ideal we’d be fools not to strive for."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Zayn said:

"Alright... in that case, we should try to convince Cynthia to join."

Maks jumped slightly off the bed.

"Cynthia... Wait, you don’t mean?!"

Amaya smiled and held a finger to her lips as Zayn inhaled a slow breath in through his nose.

Zayn exhaled and replied:

"Yes... she is a Disaster too. I’ve also been looking for the other Disasters. As for how I identify one, it’s through skin contact."

’I hope Amaya stays quiet about Hae-Ryung...’

Zayn didn’t want Maks suddenly acting weird around her.

Maks said nothing, but his eyes widened in surprise.

Zayn quietly closed his eyes and tried to change the topic so the last one died quicker. He’d said what he’d wanted to say. That was enough. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

"I’m glad to see you’re doing a bit better, Maks."

Maks replied:

"Thanks... if only that were true."

Zayn opened his eyes.

’I hear you...’

Silence settled over the three for a while until Amaya suddenly picked up the satchel she’d brought with her, pulled back its flap, and withdrew a thick book.

Zayn’s eyes widened as he read the title: Graveyard of Sins.

Amaya said:

"We can beat that topic to death another time... There’s something else I wanted to talk about..."

She set the book on her lap, opened it, and began to thumb through the pages.

"I’ve only skimmed it, but it’s a story about a girl named Adsagsona... I feel it may be important, considering the lady in the library kind of forced me to take it and she shares a name with this place. But speaking of the librarian... she also said I was the first customer. I guess you somehow happened to miss her."

Zayn kept the details to himself, but...

"Uh... I met a man inside, though I got the same book."

He held out his hand and summoned [Adsagsona’s Diary].

Maks’s and Amaya’s jaws dropped in unison.

"What the hell?"