The Source of All Evil

Chapter Twelve

Michaela Walker.

“You’re hungry?”

Michaela bashfully nodded, and Malick stood up. “Since you lack spiritual powers, I guess pills won’t be of much help to sate your hunger. . . I’ll check what I have in the kitchen.”

“And I think I should leave. Mariana must be waiting for me.” The old man said with a smile, waiting until Malick went to the kitchen, adding in a mere whisper. “Malick is a good guy. Just don’t touch that chair over there, and you’ll be fine.”

Michaela looked at the chair he pointed at, and only now she noticed the thick layer of dust on it. She turned around to ask the old man about it, but he had already left, leaving her with millions of questions.

You can’t just warn me about something and leave without explaining further!

“I only have some tateroots and Argent eggs.”

Michaela’s eyes lit up. Rafe once explained that people in this world called potatoes ‘tateroots’. Argent was basically a chicken with a face of an eagle. She never tasted it nor its eggs, so she felt extremely excited to try something new.

“You’re a chef. I’m sure you can make something out of it.” Malick sounded doubtful, but not Michaela. She was inside a mage’s house, so he was bound to have spices and vegetable oil. And not to forget the different types of fragrant herbs.

“Sure, thanks. Can I borrow your kitchen?”

“By all means.” Malick gave her a once over, grimacing in slight disgust as he said. “But I think you should wash up and change your clothes first. . . The bathroom is upstairs. You can find the stairs in the back of the kitchen. I’ll clean this place up.”

The room they were in was basically clean, making her roll her eyes discreetly as she concluded he was a neat freak.

One warm shower later, Michaela headed to the kitchen, wearing clean white pants and a blue shirt Malick lent her. The clothes fit her almost perfectly, for how small Malick's stature was. He even showed her around the house that had only one bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchen, and the main room. Malick explained that he used his main room as his shop to sell elixirs and use his expertise in creating medical concoctions for the villagers.

Michaela was happy that he was acting friendly and didn't question her identity. 

She studied the small kitchen, checking the wooden cabinets, smiling at how fragrant the spices and herbs were. She checked the primitive stove, rolling her sleeves up as she used firewood to light a fire. 

Michaela was smart and a fast learner. She easily figured out how to work out the arrangement of two iron swings that kept a pot above the fire.

She smiled, getting down to business as she quickly peeled the potatoes, marinating them with the available spices. In this world, all spices came in the form of cubes. Michaela has used them before to cook for her and Rafe. She found it interesting that no matter how much she put, the food would always turn out great.

It was like magic.

Michaela had a satisfied smile, sitting around the dining table in the kitchen, watching as Malick carefully tasted her simple meal. The man first frowned, showing a bit of surprise in his eyes as he exclaimed.

“T-This is amazing! It tastes so good, like the food at the Emperor Kitchen in Dycema city!”

Michaela snorted that this man got swayed by something that was nothing major in her world. She smiled, eating a piece of french fries, feeling happy. An idea crossed her mind, already figured out how to earn money to survive in this world.

She didn’t need Rafe, after all.

Days gone, friends made, and places explored. Michaela learned that the people of this village chose to live their lives as normal as possible, leading a peaceful life, staying away from unnecessary fights. They rarely used their spiritual powers, relying on their prosperous lands of many medicinal herbs to survive and trade with neighboring villages, towns, and cities.

Some chose to give in to time as it slowly showed on their features, not resorting to their spiritual powers to hold onto their youth, which explained why Michaela had met a lot of elderly in this town, which somewhat made her feel at ease as if she were back in her world.

It took Kirby a couple of days to fully heal, and within this time, Malick and the Chief, William Thunderborn, helped her set up a small restaurant in the village. Since the villagers resorted to spiritual pills for sustenance, opening a restaurant was a major hit for Michaela. The villagers sought a change in their diets, visiting her restaurant regularly, enjoying the variety of meals she had to offer.

Days turned to weeks, and Michaela soon taught the villagers how to use the vast lands around the area to grow vegetables and fruits instead of just herbs. They often resorted to trading when they craved something to cook a meal with, which wasn’t helpful to their economy.

Michaela even accompanied the Chief and some local hunters to the outskirts of the forbidden forest as they tracked and hunted the small wild creatures. She soon had access to an abundance of fresh and decadent varieties of meat.

Hema village, her current place of residence, started thriving as nomads and visitors from surrounding villages and towns turned to Hema for their reasonable prices, friendliness, and the tasty, peculiar food Michaela’s restaurant had to offer.

Michaela was diligent in her work. With the help of Mariana, the Chief’s wife, they ran a successful business. The former wanted people to discover the dishes of her world, finding it unsurprising when people praised her skills, becoming regulars.

She often changed the menu every three days or so to include something new. Michaela didn’t know how to cook many dishes from her world, which was a shame, as she wanted everyone to taste them. But she knew some recipes by heart, mostly fast-food-related, using them to prepare delicious meals for her customers.

She even expanded the business to be a restaurant/library, putting her writing and creative skills into practice, providing several manuscripts of short stories for people to nourish their minds while nourishing their bodies.

She loved the praise she’s received for her entertaining stories and her delicious, gourmand food. The villagers soon started thinking of her as their savior, who innovatively changed the way they ran their businesses, which led to their decent earnings.

The village soon established a council, wherein Michaela, a stranger, had an important role within. She occupied her mind by helping them improve their living standards, renovating their houses, cleaning their streets, and adding decorations around the village.

But as time passed, Michaela started missing interactions with someone from her world. She missed Rafe but refused to admit it. She tried to busy her mind with her new business and by helping develop the town, but she’d always feel empty at night.

And tonight was just like the many nights she spent in this village. Michaela was thinking about the cursed book, the story, and the time she was wasting by staying in this village. But she didn’t know where to start or how to find Rafe. Whether she liked it or not, she couldn’t fix the story without his help. He’s been in this world for many years before her, and he had the book.

Michaela felt lonely.

She sighed, and someone did the same next to her. Michaela rolled on the bed, glancing at the person sleeping on the floor, whispering. “Are you awake, Malick?”

Malick allowed her to stay at his place. He offered her his bed, claiming that for a human with no spiritual powers, it’d be hard for her to sleep on the floor. Michaela knew he was just too kind, and he hated to admit it, accepting his offer.

“Mn,”

Hearing him hum in response, Michaela lied flat on her back, staring at the ceiling. “Do you feel lonely?”

Malick had one hand under his head, staring as well at the ceiling. “No,” he said after a brief silence.

She didn’t know if this was his pride or tenacity talking, but she couldn’t neglect her feelings like he did. Ever since she transmigrated to this world, she never felt this amount of despair. Having Rafe around was comforting for her, as he gave her hope that one day they’d manage to return to their world. Now, the more time she spent here, the more her world moved on and forgot about her existence, the more she’d get used to living here. She’s already used to having Kirby around, bonding with characters from this imaginative story, that she would sometimes forget it wasn’t real.

“I do,” she said truthfully. “I miss my friends and my mother. I miss the little things that I took for granted. . . I miss Rafe.” She whispered the last part, but Malick heard it.

“You can go visit them, Hannah. Though the Crystfire Kingdom is far away from here, I can take you to Decyma city for you to rent a Windhorse.”

She wished it were as easy as renting a mythical creature for her to travel back to her world. Tears started streaming down her cheeks, and she felt grateful that the room was dark, trying her best to conceal her sniffles.

“And who’s Rafe?”

She reluctantly replied, trying not to stumble on her words from the overwhelming sadness she felt in her heart. “Rafe is. . . a friend of mine. We set off together to explore the lands, but due to an unfortunate incident, we got separated.”

“Was it because of the Cursedwings?!” There was a hint of sympathy in his voice, making her smile a little.

“No, it’s a long story.”

Malick didn’t say anything. They both drowned in their thoughts. Michaela lost in her world of doubts, wondering what took Rafe so long to look for her. She feared that he might’ve gotten wounded or worse while fighting the Celestial Master. And at the thought of the latter, she shivered, recalling those galling portraits of her around his palace.

Her mind went wild with random possibilities, settling on one theory. The Celestial Master was someone she met before in her world. He could be someone who also got transmigrated here, but then again, how did he get his hands on the magical book?

Rafe mentioned when she first woke up here that he checked the book to find her, so were there two books?! But if the book could clone itself, it wouldn’t be as special as indicated in the mermaids’ song.

“I had a friend once,” Malick’s voice cut through the thick silence, bearing a note of hesitation mixed with sadness. “I don’t know if it’s okay for me to call him a friend. . . He was pushy, clingy, always cracking lame jokes.” He chuckled, turning on his side as Michaela did the same, and she could see his lips curving upward.

“I always thought he was annoying, and I hated that I couldn’t get rid of him. Then he started growing on me. I started laughing at his jokes, depending on him to do certain things, enjoying his company. . . He felt driven to become a powerful expert, but his innate ability wasn’t that great. No matter how many years he spent in closed-door meditation or how many paths of cultivation he tried, nothing worked in getting him powerful.”

He sighed, his voice wavering as he added. “I wish I put an end to his obsession over power. I wish I listened to him and realized why he was trying to achieve what’s impossible. . . I. . . I’m a horrible friend for ignoring him when he got depressed, abandoning him when he lost the will to live.”

Michaela didn’t know what to say to comfort him, feeling bad that he was harsh on himself. She didn’t know the full story. However, Mariana told her that the special dusty chair was made by Malick’s confidant. She often talked about how that man lost his ways, learning wicked arts to become powerful. And in this world, if someone accepted the demon path, they get shunned by society. For that, the dark arts weren’t as pure as paths to spirituality.

“He lost his ways and joined the demon clan, yet still, he tried to reach out to me. He tried his best to get me to talk to him, but I refused. . . Years passed, and after we decided to separate from our clan, I heard that he became a renowned expert. . . I was happy for him, yet sad that we’d never see eye to eye. . . I chased him away, and I sometimes wish I didn’t. . . I-I cared about him.”

“It’s not too late to mend things.” She offered, and he let out a humorless chuckle.

“I wish that were true, but Adrius, my friend, has disappeared a few years ago, presumed dead. The new Evil Master fought him and took his position by force. . . That’s what I heard at least.”

Michaela’s eyes widened in shock, dried out of tears as she suddenly sat up. She couldn’t believe what she just heard.

“Adrius Gaelerith?!”

Malick hummed. “I know, it’s shocking that a master like him thought of me as a friend. I was the only person he trusted enough to show his face, later known for the extravagant masks he often wore.”

Michaela lied back on the bed, still shook, clutching the thin blanket closer to her chest, her mind running wild. The news of a prime character’s death took a toll on her. His death meant a crucial change to the entire story plot.

If Adrius Gaelerith, the Evil Master who was supposed to help Princess Nirvana, died, then how the story would now play out?

She finally realized how everything got messed up, and the unknown was the most frightening for her.

“It’s busy today,”

Michaela carefully plated a steak adding the garnish, making sure it looked presentable as she handed it over to the new helper she hired to run the front of house. Abigail, the waitress, was an outgoing person who enjoyed hunting, showing an unhealthy fascination with exploring dangerous domains.

“Well, it’s the weekly market today, so it’s kinda expected for us to get more customers.” She placed plates of fries and steamed vegetables on the tray, pushing it towards her. “Here, let’s not keep the customers waiting.”

Abigail nodded, her red hair swaying as she quickened her pace towards the front of house. Michaela watched as few customers discreetly followed Abigail with their eyes, allured by her natural beauty and charismatic character.

“I guess hiring her wasn’t a bad decision.” Mariana handed her a new order ticket, smiling. “She’s beautiful and young, overflowing with energy. If customers don’t like your food, at least they’ll come back to see her.”

Michaela gave her a side-eye, rolling her eyes as she checked the meal order. She sighed from exhaustion, thinking of teaching someone to help in the kitchen. Manning the kitchen alone proved to be a tough job, especially now that the restaurant started getting traffic.

“You’re beautiful too, Hannah.” She heard Mariana say as she busied herself preparing the next order. “It’s just, your way of dressing and unfeminine look intimidates people to take even a second glance your way.”

“If you have nothing else to do than criticizing the way I look, then I’d suggest you give me a hand in here.”

That seemed to chase Mariana away, claiming that new customers walked in, chuckling as she strode away.

By the time she finished preparing the last two orders, Abigail has hurried inside the kitchen, holding a new ticket. She looked flustered, face red and eyes glittering, smiling like an i***t.

“What’s with you?” Michaela asked lazily, checking the new order. She paused when the other rambled on about a handsome expert who walked into their restaurant. Abigail dreamily described him, shrieking in her ears about how courteous and gentle he was, already thinking of a way to flirt with him.

But all of this didn’t matter to her. Michaela removed her apron in a hurry when Abigail said that he asked for something she couldn’t discern, and that was the word 'burger'. And who else would know a word that existed only in her world?

Michaela rushed to the front of house, her heart strumming and her eyes glazed in tears, looking at the gracious and noble-looking man who sat at a table, checking one of her manuscripts with a smile.

“Rafe?” She called, and he looked up, his smile widening before scowling.

“If only you’d stop disappearing. I’m tired of this silly cat and mouse game.”

He stood up just in time for her to throw herself at him, hugging his neck tightly. “It’s really you.” She sniffled, tearing up from the swirl of unfamiliar emotions that invaded her heart. She wondered why her heart was thudding louder, why her face was getting brighter, and why her lips wavered, fighting an urge to sink her teeth in his neck out of frustration.