Setting Off

Voidborn’s eyes opened.

He stared up at the ceiling, body positioned straight like a plank, lying rigidly flat. He wore the guest-provided floral beige pajamas, legs extended, arms resting straight by his sides, just like how a soldier would sleep. Sunlight struck his eyes, making him squint a little as the last traces of sleep faded.

He sat up and glanced at the plush mattress beneath him. It had given him a good night's sleep, something that he had not experienced in a long time.

Everything felt foreign.

He was always up and about, sleeping wherever he found space — benches in parks, scrap cardboards by the roadside, one inch thick hard beds advertised as soft in fake three-star motels, or nylon bivvies camouflaged beneath dead leaves and decomposing branches.

It was never about comfort. As long as he had a place to rest before his next task, anything was sufficient.

He stood and turned around, taking in the sight of the room again, committing it to his memory.

Perhaps it would be something to work towards.

He walked to the conveniently attached washroom to wash up. Right in the middle of brushing his teeth, a knock sounded on the room’s door.

“Apologies for the disturbance, Mr Voidborn. May I come in with your breakfast?

“Yes,” Voidborn replied.

The door opened and a cart was pushed in by a maid. The butler from the night before followed behind and bowed politely as the maid continued with her job, setting several silver plates on the table, each covered by bell-shaped cloches.

“Ah, my deepest apologies. I did not know you were washing up,” the butler said with another bow.

“It's alright.”

“Would you like coffee or tea?”

“Water. Warm water.”

“Yes, Mr Voidborn,” the butler said, turning to the maid. “Please pour our guest a glass of warm water.”

The maid nodded and grabbed a transparent crystal cup off the cart, before pouring a stream of lukewarm water from a metal flask into it.

“I hope you had a good night's sleep, Mr Voidborn,” the butler smiled. Reaching into his breast pocket, he fished out a piece of folded note, opening it. “Mr Derrick has relayed the following message: We will depart for Kandar after lunch. The family head will call for you at around eleven before lunch. Until then, you are free to rest within the estate.”

Voidborn rinsed his mouth and spat out the toothpaste-water mixture while listening to the message.

“Noted.”

“Then I shall take my leave. Please enjoy your breakfast, Mr Voidborn. You can leave the empty plates on the table. Once you are done, we will take care of them.” The maid pushed the cart out, the butler closing the door behind as they left.

The room was silent once again.

Voidborn stared at his reflection in the mirror. He looked unpresentable — scruffy, weathered, and rugged. Nothing about him seemed handsome, which made Rei’s comment from the night before perplexing.

He began to clean himself up.

He shaved with the guest kit provided, trimming the stubble formed from his last month long orc bounty. He then took off his pajamas and showered, scrubbing away dirt and grime, washing off the smell of fatigue.

Once done, he changed backed into his freshly laundered matte-black tactical gear, which had been kindly cleaned by the Yoo family. Face cleanly shaven, body scrubbed clean, the musky smell of grind plaguing him was replaced with a refreshing earthy, citrusy fragrance.

Voidborn exited the shower and sat down at the table, lifting the cloches. Medium-rare grilled T-bone steak, roasted herb potatoes, garden salad with toasted chickpeas for crunch, and a fruit platter. An indulgent meal too costly and excessive for a breakfast, but a welcomed one.

Voidborn picked up the glass of warm water first, taking a drink when—

“Voidborn!”

The door to the guest room burst open. His hand shot for the sword resting against the table leg, blade already half-drawn before he registered who it was.

Rei.

She hopped forward, planting her face close to his once again, bombarding him with endless words.

“You're awake! Good, good, good. Let's go, we still have time. I need to study you! I wanna run some tests—woaaaahhhh…”

She went silent mid-sentence, visibly shocked, before composing herself.

“You’re Voidborn? You shaved! You showered! You smell… nice~”

Rei danced around him, hands touching his face without permission, nose sniffing around his neck like an animal.

And yet Voidborn sat still, glass in one hand, sword half-unsheathed in the other, completely unmoved by her antics.

“You were about to slice me right?” Rei chirped cheerfully, unbothered by the fact that she could have almost lost her head. “Come, come quick, no time to waste. I wanna study you for before we leave. Please? Okay?”

“I'm eating breakfast.”

“I can wait! I’m a patient girl,” Rei declared, patting her chest with a fist lightly, before scuttling towards the seat opposite him. She slid in and placed her elbows on the table, resting her chin on her raised palms like a flower. “Go on, eat!”

Voidborn looked at her for a moment, then calmly resheathed his sword, setting it back down. He finished the water, then picked up his knife and fork, and began eating as if Rei did not exist.

And Rei just sat there, staying silent for once, watching Voidborn as if he were a specimen in a laboratory.

The next thing Voidborn knew, the warmth and silence of the guest room was gone.

His hands were still greasy from picking meat off the T-bone when Rei wrapped fingers around his wrist.

“Done? Can we go?”

Without even waiting for an answer, Voidborn was dragged out of the room. He was pulled into the corridor while scrambling to wipe the grease off his hands with the table cloth, grabbing his sword at the sole chance he had. Hands on his back, Rei pushed him forward down the corridor. The sunlight shining through the window panes on both sides blurred into flashing strobes as Rei rocketed off with enthusiasm.

“A living subject~ A living subject~ I get to finally test a living subject~” Rei hummed in excitement.

Voidborn didn't like the way she say that.

They soon stopped in front of a metal door with a crooked plate welded onto the centre.