Laylania Chapter 4

The audience started to talk loudly among themselves as they stood up and walked out of the tent. I glanced at Akuheki and she looked super impressed with the carnival troop. She grinned and I think she forgot about me as she stood up and walked out of the tent.

As people were filing out of the tent, I looked around me at the now empty seats. The knives and daggers that Dao and Tanken threw were still in stands. Before I knew it, I was the only one left in the tent.

Awkwardly, I quickly walked to the exit of the tent and suddenly felt hands on my shoulders. I turned around and saw that it was Cleite and Dao again.

"So did you like our show?" Cleite asked me with a brilliant smile.

I pointed at them and stuttered, "Y-you all . . . you all have devil marks!"

They just laughed at me and Dao said, "As I was saying before you ran away yesterday, that these marks aren't called "Devil Marks"!"

I looked at them skeptically and asked, "Then if they aren't devil marks, then what are they?"

"This isn't the best place to talk about this," Cleite said while grabbing my arm, "So let's go somewhere were we can have some privacy".

They led me to the exit of the tent and instead of heading to the village, they walked away to the smaller tents set up behind their large performing tent. Cleite and Dao led me to a tent that was pink and white and we went inside it.

It was furnished elegantly with a simple bed with pink covers and a few chests with pictures on them. Cleite sat down on her bed while Dao went and sat on one of the chests. I just stood in the middle of the tent.

Cleite put rested her head on her hands and said, "So what you call those marks on your face "Devil Marks", are actually "Angelic Marks". Some people mislabel them as "Devil Marks" because they attract monsters and demons to the people who are marked".

"People who have Angelic Marks have angelic blood in them and that is what attracts monsters to marked people because the demons and monsters want to kill off anyone who possesses angelic blood," Dao continued.

Cleite added, "The reason we have all our powers is because we are all marked with Angelic Marks". She then looked at me pointedly and said, "It's also why you have power over fire".

Huh?

"H-how do you know that I can control fire?" I asked, scared.

"Gadalka saw you in a vision," Cleite answered.

"So she really can see the future?" I asked, shocked.

Cleite and Dao nodded.

Thinking out loud I said, "If "Angelic Marks" are due to having angelic blood, how come my sister doesn't have a mark?"

Cleite answered me with a shrug, "We aren't exactly sure why some people get marks while others don't. Take me and Dao for example. We are twins and we both are marked but we have different powers. Anything that Dao touches can be used as a lethal weapon while I have wings and can control the air".

I looked at Dao and asked skeptically, "You can even make a piece of paper a deadly weapon?"

"Yup!" he said while grinning evilly.

"So assuming I believe what you told me, why are you telling me this?" I asked with suspicion in my voice.

Cleite and Dao smiled at each other and replied at the same time, "So you'll join Laylania!"

I held my hands up and protested, "W-w-wha? No!"

"C'mon if you join us, you'll get away from the misguided people who would rather see you dead!" Cletie said.

"And not to mention, you'll get paid for the work you do here. You also get free food and board!" Dao added while rubbing his stomach and drooling.

Cleite said calmly, "Do you really want to spend the rest of your life here in this tiny forsaken village?"

I thought for a second about the people here. Everyone basically hates me and my own sister can only tolerate me. She treats me like dirt and takes the money that I earn.

Do I really want to stay here if I don't have to?

"If I join you guys, what do I have to do? And what's the point of Laylania anyway?" I asked.

Cleite and Dao smiled and Cleite said enthusiastically, "First, you would have to perform in the carnival troop. Exactly what you'll do to perform is up to Rida since he's the leader here. And the point of Laylania . . . You know how we all have marks?"

I nodded.

"Well there's a reason for that: as a travelling carnival, we go to villages that host someone who is marked. We try to recruit them here-"

"Or kidnap them!" Dao said evilly.

Cleite shot him a look and she continued, "As I was saying, we go around and gather marked people. But the second and most important reason Laylania exists is that we are demon exterminators. We use our powers from our marks to defeat and kill monsters".

I felt my eyes bulge out. "R-really?"

"Yup," Dao said, popping the 'p'.

"So wanna join Kasai?" Cleite said while holding her hand out to me.

I looked at her outstretched hand and saw that her smile was genuine.

I slowly reached out and shook her hand.

If possible, Cleite smiled wider and said, "Welcome to Laylania!"