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nChapter 63 – Consumed with Rage

n“Who dared do this to you? They… Urgh!”

nLevisia glanced at him, her eyes full of concern. They were not enough to calm the rage burning up inside Pel. He may be overreacting, but it felt like it was necessary. He gritted his teeth and held out his hand for her to take. There was nothing good about showing himself angry like this in front of the anxious Levisia.

n“Are you hurt anywhere else?” He said quietly, praying that she wasn’t.

n“No.” Levisia touched her neck again, looking up at Pel. “Don’t worry, that’s not the important part.”

nPel resisted the urge to scoff. If her injuries weren’t the most important part, then what was? He bit down on his cheeks to keep himself quiet, and waited for her to continue.

n“Necklace… They took my necklace.” Levisia admitted, shame lingering in the voice. “You know, the one you gave me. It has the horn pendant attached to a chain.”

nWas that the reason behind the ugly mark on her neck? Pel asked if he could take another closer look, being as careful as he could when Levisia gave him permission. The cut was horizontal, like it had originated from something sharp. The thief had likely yanked the chain from Levisia’s neck with enough force to break through her skin.

nThe thought of that occurring did little to quell Pel’s rising anger.

n‘Should I kill them?’ He thought to himself, his mind racing with dark thoughts of revenge. If he tied the perpetrator up and carved hundreds of wounds into his body, similar to what they did to Levisia, it would still not be enough.

n“Pel!”

nLevisia’s voice broke him out of his troubled thoughts. Pel rapidly blinked and looked up at the sky. He took a few minutes to calm his erratic breathing, and looked back at Levisia. She was nervous, clearly taken aback by his troubled mumblings.

n“What should we do?” Levisia adjusted her hood to hide the scar on her neck.

n“Let’s go back, for now.” Pel held out his arm for Levisia to hold onto. After what happened to Levisia, it was best not to keep her outside for any longer. When Pel tried to turn, he found that Levisia was planted firmly in place, not budging even an inch.

n“Are you sure, Pel? That necklace was precious to you, was it not? You said your mother gave it to you…”

nPel’s face melted when she said that. Of course, she would remember that the necklace was a priceless family heirloom. Levisia sniffed, tears falling down her delicate cheeks.

n“I’m sorry. It was my fault that it’s gone.”

n“You don’t need to apologize.”

nThe thief who stole the necklace was the one who needed to apologize. And then, the realization of what has just occurred finally struck him.

nThis whole time, they weren’t after Pel nor Levisia, only the necklace. Whoever had swiped it straight for Levisia’s neck knew of its significance. There was no need for her to apologize, no matter how much she cried.

n“I’ll find a way to get it back to you, Pel. Whatever it takes.” Levisia grasped onto her hood, as though she was trying not to touch her neck again.

n“You don’t need to―” Pel opened his mouth to talk, only for Levisia to interrupt.

n“But I want to.”

nHow, exactly, was she planning to get it back? Even while pondering on that, Pel felt a sense of relief at her passionate words. But there was no way Pel would allow her to roam the streets looking for that necklace. Not after what happened.

nLevisia gazed down a small street, identical to the others. Pel wondered if she had caught a glimpse of the thief, but even if she had, it would be impossible to properly find them. Pel briefly considered using the dragon’s eye to increase his field of view. However, he came to the conclusion that it was not worth it. He was still weak from last time, and if he were to drag his weakened, cursed body around trying to find a thief, they would have the upper hand. On top of the streets being crowded with innocent civilians; it would also be hard to prove that they were the culprit.

n“It’s not like there isn’t a way to find him. I’ll deal with them later. Let’s just so, Levisia.”

nLevisia nodded, accepting his choice even if she was not happy about it.

n‘Thank the gods for that,’ Pel thought, and they headed towards the path back to the palace.

nLevisia was the one to break the awkward silence that had fallen between them. “I’m really sorry that I’m not strong enough to fight back. Even though I have the strength of Kraidens.” Levisia was now clenching her jaw, her trembling eyes betraying her emotions and how she was blaming herself.

nPel stood there in disbelief. All this because Levisia lost his precious item, nothing else.

nCould he really just walk back to the palace, as if nothing had happened? Even when they did go back, there was no doubt both of them would suffer a sleepless night. The only possible solution was to get the necklace back, there and then. Doing so would put Levisia’s mind at ease.

n“Let’s look for it now…”

n“Huh?” Levisia’s eyes lit up in anticipation, and excitement. Pel knew he had made the right choice.

n“I know a place where we can get help.”

nPel, his arms linked through Levisia, led her down a street far away from the public.

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