The Source of All Evil

Chapter Seven

Michaela Walker.

All the people in this world looked beautiful to the point of perfection, wearing fancy-looking clothes and jewelry. She found it strange that the clothes were of plain colors, such as white, sky blue, and pale pink for women. She spotted others who wore flashy colors, and they were mostly females. They stood by small buildings, wearing heavy make-up, greeting all passersby as most people avoided them.

Rafe explained that the women with flashy color dresses were what they called in their world 'hookers'. Michaela preferred the term ‘escort’, as the other was offensive to those in that profession. She wasn’t a judgmental person. She knew that people get forced to do certain things to survive.

Michaela looked over at Rafe, whose powerful aura seemed to stray people off their path, staring at him with a mixture of admiration and fear.

“Rafe, you mentioned that you’re an expert in this world. Why do I have a feeling that you’re of more importance than that?”

Rafe had his hands behind his back, walking with his head held high, exuding an alluring charm, making everyone they walked by, stare at him in awe.

“Are you complimenting me?”

Michaela rolled her eyes at this conceited man. “Actually, I just wanted to know what status you bear in this world.”

Kirby let out a squeak, moving from her right shoulder to the left, as it hid its face from Rafe’s glare. Michaela found it odd, but she didn’t dwell on it.

“My position is similar to that of a General. When I changed the story, I added a character who was ruthless. He was the one who suggested to force the princess and her people to enter the forbidden forest.”

Though this sounded rehearsed for Michaela, she still nodded, chuckling. “Somehow, I can see how it suits your character.”

Rafe just glanced at her and smirked.

“That wasn’t a compliment,"

“I can choose how to take it.” Chuckling, he held her hand, pulling her towards a big clothing store.

Michaela was soon distracted by the fancy clothes, surprised that this cheap man was planning to spend a lot on her. She lifted her head and looked at him in thought.

“You mentioned that the world had reset, and since the King is still alive, it’s safe for me to assume that everything major is yet to happen.”

Rafe politely asked an attendant for a private moment when she hurriedly approached them. The saleswoman smiled bashfully at Rafe, fixing a disdainful glare at Michaela when he wasn’t looking.

Am I getting hated because of Rafe? She wondered.

“Yes, the princess will turn eighteen in three months. And if you remember, after her birthday party, the divine maters showed up and attacked them.”

“So that leaves us three months to do something for the princess not to die tragically.” She mused, and he curtly nodded, waving for the saleswoman to assist them.

Seeing that Rafe was looking at a light blue dress, Michaela said. “Do I have to wear dresses? They’re really uncomfortable, long, and too heavy for me to move freely.”

Rafe furrowed his eyebrows down at her, asking. “What do you want to wear then?”

Michaela looked around, spotting an outfit that looked similar to that of a horseback riding enthusiast would wear. Long pants made out of a material similar to jeans, and button-up, form-fitting shirts. She smiled at seeing black combat boots, making her realize how uncomfortable the flat shoes she had on.

“How about I choose something from that section of the shop?”

The saleswoman snickered by Rafe’s side while he kept a calm glare, smiling. “Sure,” he said. “Let’s check it out.”

Michaela gave a condescending smile to the saleswoman, who looked puzzled, following Rafe to choose her new clothes.

“Are these what you want?”

Michaela nodded with a satisfied smile after selecting blue pants, a gray shirt, and a pair of boots. “I hope they’re not expensive?” She asked.

“Don’t be silly. I can afford it.” He said loud and clear for everyone to hear, making the saleswoman stare at him in admiration and a bit of disappointment.

Michaela, who learned a lot about this frivolous man, pulled him down and whispered. “Is it for real, or you’ll ask me to pay after we leave?”

Rafe just grinned; a silent confirmation to her last guess was evident in his gray eyes. She knew this man wouldn’t spend a dime on her for how cheap he was, yet she almost believed his little charade in front of everyone in the store.

Feeling depressed, as she didn’t have anything on her to pay her debt, she picked up the clothes, asking the saleswoman for the changing room. This simple question drew a lot of attention towards her. The saleswoman and the customers glared at her as if she said something taboo.

Michaela looked at Rafe inquisitively, hoping he could shed light on the matter. Instead, Rafe smiled at the saleswoman, politely saying. “I’ll have to trouble you some more to take her to a private room to change.”

Though the saleswoman looked hesitant, she still complied, guiding Michaela to the back of the store. They climbed a set of stairs to a hallway of three closed doors. The saleswoman finally looked her way, sounding like a snob as she said.

“You can use the bathroom over there. Try not to make a mess.”

Michaela was soon left alone, wearing a dumbfounded look. “Weirdos!” She grumbled.

She opened the door to the bathroom, which looked decent, surprising her when it had a typical toilet and a small bathtub, a large mirror on top of a sink. For some reason, after she opened her eyes to this world and saw the people that lived in it, she thought everything would be primitive in a way. It wasn’t her fault for making this assumption, as women wore heavy-looking dresses with corsets, and men sported fancy capes on top of their warrior outfits or expensive-looking suits.

Their style similar to that of Victorian era. They all barely ate food and resorted to spiritual pills for sustenance, as Rafe explained, so she assumed their bathrooms would look different, not as normal as back in her world.

Her logic might be faulty, but her thoughts were always shrewd.

She got curious and checked the water and was not surprised that they had a heater. It was safe for her to assume that this world was similar to hers, with the exception of their Victorian fashion sense and the fantasized spiritual powers and mythical beasts.

Looking at herself in the mirror, for the first time since she got here, Michaela studied her face up close. She’d seen her reflection once in the water of the lake, but it was distorted and unclear. She knew that she looked the same as back in her world. The only difference was her medium short hair that was now longer to reach her hips.

She remembered that she based this character on her friend, Hannah, but it somehow turned out to look like her.

She could now see her face clearly in the mirror. Her usually beautiful tan complexion looked paler from lack of nutrition, making the freckles that covered her nose and cheekbones more prominent. Her lips were chapped, and her eyes were duller than before.

Michaela looked as if she were sick.

A thought crossed her mind, smiling mischievously as she started removing her dress. Kirby’s cheeks reddened as it turned its head away from her. This made Michaela chuckle.

She said not to make a mess, but she didn't say anything about not taking a shower, she thought with a sly grin.

She went down after some time, feeling more at ease and fresh, loving her new outfit. Rafe had a bitter smile when he spotted her, matching that of the saleswoman, who was chatting with him in a flirtatious manner. The customers that were still in the shop all glanced at her, scowling as they sized her up.

Michaela didn’t care, of course, feeling happy that she finally got rid of that white dress. She stood in front of Rafe with her hands behind her back. “Why is everyone staring at me?”

“Because you look stunning,” he said with a straight face, staring at her hair. “Why did you style your hair like that?”

Michaela wasn’t accustomed to longer hair, so she lifted it up in a big messy bun, tying it with a piece of white fabric that came from the dress she left behind.

She frowned. “Does it look weird?”

She noticed how his eyes glinted weirdly as he smiled. “You look perfect. . . Let’s go. I paid already.”

The strange glares followed her wherever she went. Rafe made sure to take his time, walking around, stopping at every store, claiming that he wanted to show her around. She finally had enough when an older lady glared at her and called her an insolent.

“Just what in the hell is going on?”

Rafe didn’t look her way, his shoulders shaking, making her eyes narrow in suspicion. “Rafe, what did you do?!”

“I did nothing,” his voice came out strained as he tried to hold back his laughter. But to no avail, as the moment Michaela forced him to face her, he laughed hysterically that his thick eyelashes shook.

“You. . . You’re the one who’s done something.” He let out a breath after his fit. “Women who wear males’ clothes are frowned upon in this world. They’re considered worse than the hookers in the flashy and provocative dresses. Also, they don't have changing rooms in this world, as everyone can use their spiritual powers to size if the clothes would fit.”

Rafe stared at her as if he was expecting some sort of reaction from her. However, Michaela just heaved a sigh, saying. “Is that it? I thought I had something on my face.”

For not getting the reaction he expected, Rafe’s expression turned bitter, grumbling. “You’re really annoying.”

She shrugged off his behavior, patting Kirby’s head when it looked puzzled, hurrying after Rafe as he walked off. Spotting a candy stand, where the merchant displayed figurines of beasts made out of sugary sweetness, she pulled Rafe to a stop, nodding towards it.

“You want some?” He asked and chuckled when she nodded eagerly. Rafe smiled at the merchant, asking for two candy figurines, glancing at her as he asked. “Which one you want?”

Feeling like a kid, drooling at the sight of the colorful candies, she pointed at one. “What is this supposed to be?”

The merchant was the one to answer, acting friendly, unlike the people they passed by, smiling her way. “This is the Demon Emperor.”

Intrigued, she looked at Rafe’s way, nodding.

“You want it?” he said with a heartfelt chuckle. Michaela nodded curtly. Her eyes were on the male figurine, trying to discern what the Evil Master and Demon Emperor looked like. Rafe asked the vendor to give him two, choosing one that looked like a bunny with fangs and the one she selected. He pulled out one silver coin, handing it over to the vendor, asking him to keep the change.

The merchant's face turned darker, and Michaela thought he’d say something, assuming that he received less of the value for the candy. But he didn’t. Instead, he mumbled something under his breath, looking away for other customers.

“How does money work in this world?” She asked, intrigued by that vendor’s reaction to the silver coin. She reached for the figurine, but Rafe moved his hand away before she could grasp it in her eager hand.

“I asked you if you wanted it. I didn’t say anything about buying it for you.”

Michaela’s brown eyes stung with tears, shooting him a vengeful glare. When he didn’t yield to her silent threat, she huffed, her lips forming a pout.

“Besides, you owe me three hundred gold coins for your clothes.”

Feigning ignorance, she asked. “Didn’t you say that it was fine and that you can afford it?”

The greedy man happily munched on the bunny candy, still looking graceful as passersby fawned on him. “I said that, yet still, I didn’t say that you don’t have to pay me back.”

“You’re a jerk, you know that?! How am I supposed to earn money to pay you back?!”

He shrugged. “You deal with it the same way I did. I managed to find a way. Are you telling me that you’re too stupid and incompetent to find a way to pay me back?”

Michaela fell in silence, cursing him in her heart.

“The clothes cost one hundred and fifty gold coins, the candies, and the food I got for you cost around fifty or so. The rest is my commission. The longer you take to pay me back, the more the interest would increase.”

Michaela stopped in her tracks, glaring at his back. “So, this is who you truly are?”

Rafe stopped too, turning around to face her. His face held that smugness that irritated Michaela the most. “I never acted differently than how I usually am. Don’t blame me for your simplistic mind that thought I was an open wallet with a generous and kind heart.”

Michaela had enough, feeling bitter that she didn’t get to taste the candy she craved, feeling the hunger build up in her stomach, infuriated for getting insulted with the same words as that anonymous critic of her book used to refer to her.

Michaela was livid. She turned around, walking the opposite way.

“Where are you going?” Rafe called from behind her, not making an effort of chasing after her.

Michaela stopped and glanced at him, smiling bitterly. “I’ll go find a job to pay you back. We each go our separate path from now on.”

Rafe let out a laugh, taking a bite of the candy as an act of spite, smirking. “You can’t survive without me in this place. Come on, don’t be silly and come back.”

Onlookers were watching the scene. Their eyes were mostly on her, shaking their heads and whispering about her strange way of dressing.

“Come on,” he pressed, his face turning a tad darker, a hint of devilry evident in his eyes. “I’ll find a way for you to pay me back.”

She hated the attention she got from all the people in this marketplace. Michaela hated that she got stuck in this foreign world and that her only choice of survival was to stay with this evil man. Michaela was having none of that, simply shaking her head at what he said.

“You watch me, Rafe. I’ll find a job and earn money, then I’ll come and look for you to pay you back.”

With that, she hurried away, fighting the urge to cry. Rafe wasn’t chasing after her either, as he continued walking the way he was heading as if nothing happened.

Michaela felt lonely, estranged, and very hungry. It seemed like she walked for hours, asking each and every store if they were hiring. They all gave her the same look, staring at her outfit before coming up with an excuse. One store owner told her to her face that he wouldn’t hire an insolent, promiscuous woman like her, chasing her away from his store.

Michaela felt really depressed, sitting by a small fountain in the middle of the town square, looking at her feet. She debated if she did a mistake by leaving Rafe’s side. Though he was a jerk, he still took care of her and tolerated her unstable mood. But then she thought of her situation and what got her here in the first place, turning the blame on him for everything that went wrong from the moment she saw him.

“Woah! Mother, look!” She looked up to see a small boy pointing in her direction; a wide cheeky grin adorned his face, tugging his mother’s dress. The latter was wearing a bright yellow, low-cut dress, her bosoms perking up, tanned and flushed from being under the suns. The skirt of her dress had a slit up to her thighs, showing a glimpse of her elegant, long legs. She had make-up on that looked professionally done. Big stunning blue eyes and a dazzling smile, holding a small wicker basket in one hand while holding the boy with the other.

The boy resembled her, though his hair was a darker brown, while hers was honey or ashy blond. He had similar features as hers and could almost be mistaken for a girl.

Soon, it wasn’t only the boy and his mother who were looking her way in awe. Passersby all stopped to stare in her direction, all smiling, looking ecstatic, weirding her out.

She heard a splash coming from the fountain, and she finally turned around to see what stopped people in their tracks and brought them a joy to watch. Tiny mermaids swam in the fountain, playing with each other. Some sat on the carved statue in the fountain, playing with their smooth, long hair. Their eyes were bigger than normal yet still beautiful, looking like anime, cute girls with their flushed cheeks, pouty lips, and welcoming smiles.

When they noticed her looking at them, they all gathered in front of her, singing a song. Their voice was melodious to her ears, calming her raging heart. Kirby, who seemed as depressed as her earlier, mimicking her expressions, has also gotten excited, happily humming with the mermaids, releasing its bright aura, making everyone within six feet radius of Michaela laugh euphorically.

When Michaela snapped out from her stunned gaze, she paid attention to the song they were chanting, which recited a story. They seemed to sing about a princess who got shunned by everyone for being weak. She returned to her village after harnessing an immense power, killing all those who wronged her. She then became a queen, her beauty drawn all powerful masters to chase for her love, all but the man she loved, who fell in love with her servant.

The queen was enraged, killed the innocent servant, who cursed her to never experience love. Years passed, and the queen lost her vigor and beauty, the powerful masters stopped chasing after her, and her people abandoned her. She felt bitter and set off on a journey to the cursed lands, looking for a way to restore her fame. Blinded by her greed and the false fame she had in the past, she stole a spiritual book to change her fate, only to fall into a trap.

The queen then died, cursing the book for her demise. And those who found the book, the queen yearned would seek her path. For that, the queen's soul dwelt in the source of all evil.