Chapter 5

Darkness quickly descended, enveloping Melody’s surroundings. She looked up from her hiding place at the base of the northern wall. The torch flames danced wildly, casting eerie shadows on its bricks.

Melody bit her lip in frustration. “Hasn’t he gone a little overboard? There’s nothing here that requires this many guards.”

Caisar had doubled the usual number of guards stationed along the wall. The position of palace security commander had been recently vacated, leaving Caisar, the captain of the Imperial Guard, to temporarily take over security affairs.

Tragically, Caisar’s attention to security was far more suffocating than his predecessor’s. The sewer channels had been the only gaps that Melody could slip through, but those were now blocked. The only route back into the palace would be to go over the wall.

She waited patiently for a lapse in the guards’ vigilance, hardly aware of the biting cold. After what seemed like an eternity, the moment finally came. The guards disappeared from the top of the wall, likely for a shift rotation.

Melody gripped a crevice in the wall. The smooth stone surface would be a challenge for even the most experienced knights to ascend barehanded. But using only the tips of her fingers and the strength of her legs, Melody was able to scale the towering barrier without a rope, displaying her astonishing grip and cat-like balance.

The wind began to howl as it swept up the side of the wall. The gusts were especially fierce at the northern wall due to its position facing the mountains. This was why Melody far preferred the sewer channels. She could tolerate the wind itself, but its whistling obscured any sound coming from the top of the wall. Even Melody, with her keen ears, was left unable to hear a thing.

She was also unable to look up as she climbed, leaving her completely unaware of anything happening above her. She moved her hands and feet with urgency, focused on making a quick crossing. She reached the top edge—towering at a height about five times a grown man’s—and cautiously made her way onto the top of the rampart.

That was when Robel Luci appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. In a flash he drew his sword and charged at Melody, who by all accounts appeared to be an intruder.

The blade came at her with a chilling speed. She ducked and moved back toward the edge of the wall, ready to leap over and drop back to the ground, but Robel quickly blocked her path. He stood with his back to the wall’s edge and brought his sword down once again with merciless, lethal intent.

Melody quickly calculated her options. She could climb back down and run, but that would result in immediate capture. Escaping into the palace itself, with its many places to hide, seemed to be the better choice—although she would have to wait out the chaos that would inevitably ensue.

She bounded toward the direction of the palace. Robel watched in astonishment as she leaped from the towering rampart without the use of any equipment. Such a height hardly made for an easy descent, yet the intruder had not only made it look effortless, but was also able to start running as soon as she hit the ground.

Robel’s voice boomed from above. “Intruder!”

At his cry, soldiers and knights began emerging from all directions. Melody gritted her teeth. She couldn’t afford a capture. Every muscle in her body tensed as she focused her keen eyes and ears.

She dashed through the palace grounds like a wild animal, doing her best to elude her pursuers. When she put her mind to it, she was able to run so fast that almost nobody could keep up. Such agility left even the most seasoned knights staggering and out of breath.

Caisar, who had been observing the pursuit, finally sprang into action. His focus had remained fixed on the intruder since the showdown with Robel. The Oddness he had sensed seeping into the palace had to belong to this hooded figure.

He drew his sword and concentrated his energy into its blade. A vacuum formed between the sword and the air surrounding it, and Oddness began to flow into it.

Caisar was a swordmaster, an individual who had acquired the ability to use Oddness. In that sense, he was not only a swordmaster but an Oddity as well.

Melody sensed Caisar’s approach, her acute senses picking up on his presence. Damn it... She had recognized the bluish hue of Oddness surrounding his sword. She sprinted away with a burst of speed, prepared to use her own Oddness if necessary.

Caisar trailed closely behind. With his own incredible speed, he managed to catch up to the swiftly moving Melody. Her eyes widened. She had underestimated his prowess as a swordmaster.

The blue blade swooped toward her. She leaped backward, drawing a dagger from her cloak. Though the weapon itself was no match for a swordmaster’s blade, Melody was a natural-born Oddity. She transferred her Oddness to the dagger and parried several of Caisar’s oncoming attacks. She barely managed to fend off the strikes, but it had earned her some extra time.

Robel suddenly appeared, finally managing to catch up to the others. He swung his sword at Melody’s waist. Instinctively, she dodged backward. She then raised her dagger and charged, eying Robel’s neck.

“Robel, get back!” Caisar’s voice echoed with a sense of danger.

Melody suddenly realized her attack would fatally wound the knight. She halted her arm at the last moment, staggering off balance. Robel took the opportunity to strike.

Melody groaned. A simultaneously burning and freezing sensation swept across her torso. Robel’s blade had sliced a long cut across her back. Blood rushed to her blue eyes.

Robel pulled back his sword and aimed for the intruder’s legs next, intending to immobilize her. Just as his blade was about to cut into her leg, the noise surrounding them ceased. The fluttering energy of the Oddness enveloping Caisar’s blade, the flickering of the torches’ flames, and the arc of Robel’s sword all came to a standstill.

Melody struggled to her feet. Everything around her had come to a sudden halt and only she could move. She clenched her teeth as the pain gnawed across her back. She knew she had to vanish before spilling blood and leaving a trail that could be followed. She had one minute at the most.

She sprinted, pushing herself to her limit. Is a minute enough time to make it back to my quarters? No matter what, she had to get as far away as possible from the scene.

Running at full tilt, Melody could hardly feel the pain in her back, but she did notice a lukewarm sensation trickling down the side of her thigh. The world began to spin. Her Oddness was nearly depleted.

No, just a little longer... In the distance, she spotted someone. Claire! At the same time, her Oddness finally ran out.

Time began to flow normally. Claire found the princess collapsed on the ground, the scent of blood thick in the air. Despite her trembling hands, Claire managed to hoist her up and began retracing the path back to Melody’s residence.

Robel looked around in disbelief as things once again began to move. He was sure he had been about to sever the intruder’s leg, but they had disappeared.

He looked to Caisar. “Captain...”

Caisar was equally shocked. The figure that had been in front of them only a moment before had vanished without a trace.

“They must have been an Oddity. I’m sure of it,” Robel said.

Oddness was a strange, naturally occurring power. Those who were able to control it were called Oddities. The abilities that Oddness granted varied greatly from Oddity to Oddity.

“Can the Oddness make someone disappear?” a nearby knight asked.

Caisar didn’t respond, his gaze fixed on Robel. The knight had been a moment away from death. If the intruder’s dagger had continued its path, his throat would have been slit. But the figure had withdrawn their strike at the last moment, even though it had left them defenseless against a counterattack. Why didn’t they kill him?

Suddenly, Caisar recalled that a dazzling blue flash had crossed his vision moments before. As the intruder was on the verge of collapse, he had noticed something blue glittering beneath their cloak.

He remained pensively silent as Robel sheathed his sword. “I’ll announce a state of emergency throughout the palace, Captain.”

“That’s not necessary.”

“What? Are you sure?”

“The hour is too late. For tonight, take the guards we have and focus on finding any trace of the intruder. They were definitely slashed across the back. There has to be a trail of blood or some other clue. Find whatever you can.”

“Yes, sir!”

Claire helped Melody to her room and gently pulled back her hood with shaking hands. Blood dripped from the edge of the black hood, indicating that the thick cloak was entirely soaked through. As the maid removed Melody’s bloodied clothing, she clenched her jaw. “Please hold on a little longer, Your Highness.”

Claire removed Melody’s shirt and laid her hand on the cut across her back. She began to transfer her own Oddness to the princess’s body. The power hazily fluttered between her fingertips and the wound. The bleeding soon came to a stop and the injury began to heal.

“Claire... Don’t...” Melody groaned.

Claire forced herself to stand, exhausted and depleted of Oddness. There is still work to be done. “Your injury will heal soon, Your Highness. Please, get up. You have to get out of these clothes.”

Claire gathered the blood-soaked clothes and helped Melody change into a fresh set. Having lost a great deal of blood and all out of Oddness, the princess barely had enough strength to move. As soon as she climbed into bed, she drifted into a deep sleep.

Claire burned the bloodied clothes in the fireplace and set about cleaning up the bloodstains left in the building’s halls. Suddenly, she remembered the spot where Melody had collapsed. She had removed the rest of the stains, but there would certainly still be blood at that location.

Claire knew how Melody had received her injury—she had likely been caught while attempting to cross over the palace wall. She bit her lip, anticipating the chaos that would soon erupt within the palace.

She hurriedly grabbed her supplies and left Melody’s quarters. Although she moved as quickly as she could through the darkness, she was too late. A group of knights had already formed a circle surrounding her destination, with Caisar standing at their center.

She silently turned back. All she could do was pray that they wouldn’t discover her at the scene. Even if she was caught, she could plead ignorance—hopefully, it would be enough to prevent them from immediately connecting the incident to Melody.