Chapter 4

Chapter Four.

No paths are bound

Kael hesitated, spoon hovering over the bowl, caught in the delicate balance between hunger and fear. The savory taste lingered tantalizingly on his tongue, but the question Elena posed echoed ominously in his mind.

"How did you get in here, child?" Her tone was serious, but underneath it lurked an unmistakable curiosity.

Kael swallowed hard, his mind racing. He could feel Elena's piercing purple eyes boring into him, as if seeking to unravel every secret he held. He was acutely aware of how vulnerable he felt, sitting at the table, surrounded by unfamiliarity and danger.

"I... I was looking for the Fruit of Miracles," he stammered, speaking quickly as if to distance himself from the foolishness of his earlier wish. "I heard that it grants strength and power. So... I snuck out," he admitted, shame creeping into his voice.

‘Fruit of MIracles?’ Elena wondered in her mind, ‘For the longest time I have lived here, I haven’t heard anything like that.’

She looked at Alterna to confirm if she really did hear it right. But Alterna just shook her head.

‘Who the hell invented some absurd stories like that?’ Elena could help but scoff, humans have gone crazy.

Elena could help but laughed at the absurdity. “What a Fruit of Miracles! I haven’t heard any of that for the longest I have lived here, child.” Elena said as she tried to rub the tears forming in her eyes because of laughing too hard.

Kael who heard Elena’s laugh couldn’t help but feel embarrassed and ashamed. He was like a child who was caught stealing by his mother, who already knew he was going to steal her money but deliberately didn’t tell him to just embarrass himself and learn a lesson.

“All of them told me about it. The stories and legends said they will give me power!” Kael expressed, his voice full of determination and hope.

Elena's expression shifted slightly, her amusement now mingled with something deeper—serious. "The Forest will never give you power, child,” she replied. “It takes as easily as it gives, and more often, it claims lives."

Kael couldn't help but play with the edge of his bowl, feeling the warmth radiating from the food. "But... they said if I could find it, I could prove myself worthy!" he insisted, his own voice trembling with a mix of anger and desperation. 

‘They?’

Elena's eyebrows knitted together as she absorbed Kael's earnest words. "They?" she echoed, leaning forward slightly. "Who are 'they' you are talking about? The elders of your household? Your friends? The people you desperately seek approval from?"

Kael shifted uncomfortably in his chair, the gravity of her stare making him almost shrink back into the wooden frame. It was like being caught in the eye of a storm—the swirling chaos of his emotions battled fiercely against the stark, almost eerie calm that emanated from Elena. The comfort of the food he'd just sampled dulled as the heaviness of the moment settled like an anchor in his chest.

"Everyone!" he exclaimed, managing to muster some courage. "The maids, the guards. They all said there are magical things hidden in the Forbidden Forest. That if I could find the Fruit of Miracles, I could be worthy of the name bestowed to me by my master."

Elena’s eyes could not help but widen when she heard what Kael said. ‘Worthy of the name? Master? Does this mean at this time, Kael was already a disciple of Lucien?’

Elena could help but think, she thought that it was much later when Kael became a disciple but to her surprise all of this started much earlier.

But it wasn’t a surprise, Elena didn’t take any interest in humans in the first place, not even when the war started, the crusade of various churches, a coup d'etat and when finally the empire fell. Actually, to be honest she was happy, elated to be exact but that might be one of her regrets.

Because of her indifference and selfishness, she lost a lot, she lost everyone. And seeing this little boy in front of her reminds her of the painful memories. This little boy, seeking for power and desire beyond the limits of his body and capabilities, no wonder a heart of demon sprouted. 

But it isn’t a child’s fault, rather it is the guardian and his environment that should be blamed.

Pitiful yet mesmerizing. Even though Elena hated Kael, the Heavenly Demon yet she admired him for defeating all odds, made himself the strongest. He ran, climbed and even crawled just to get to the summit.

What a child.

Even Elena doesn’t know herself, how can she still admire and respect the person who ruined her life and killed everyone.

Maybe they were right, she was an eccentric witch.

But she knows, the future still can change.

There are no paths that are bound.

And to do that, she must snip the demon heart from its bud.

Elena stared at Kael with her purple eyes. “You are dreaming big, child. Don’t desire too much if you don’t have the means and talent for it, or else you will just ruin yourself.”

Kael was stunned as he heard her, her purple eyes looking straight at him as if she knew him, looking directly at his soul.

Kael gulped and his heart was trembling, he was never used to looking at someone else's eyes directly. He always drops his head or gaze to avoid looking at them, because all he could see is contempt and disgust directed towards him.

But Elena’s gaze was cold and indifferent, yet her face was radiating with warmth. Kael doesn’t know what to believe but his instinct told him, ‘Don’t trust anything.’ However Kael has learned something in his journey towards here. 

‘There’s no benefit without risk.’ and for that he’s willing to bet. He can’t let this opportunity pass by.

"I... I just want to prove myself," Kael stammered, words rushing out in a desperate plea.

Elena just stared at him and blinked. “Finish your food first before you say something about proving yourself, you don’t even have the strength to leave this cabin, what more about trying to gain power.”

Kael's cheeks flushed with embarrassment as he looked down at his half-finished bowl. The rich aroma wafted up to him, delightful yet tainted with irony. Here he was, seeking the fruits of power and respect, all while being reminded of his own frailty. 

“Eat, child.” Elena commanded.

Kael can’t do anything but swallow his grievance. “Food first, then ambition,” he muttered to himself, aware of how petty it felt to be chastised for his impatience. He quickly returned to the task at hand, shoveling the remaining bits of meat and vegetables into his mouth, hoping that silence would shield him from further scrutiny.

Elena's eyes never left him. She watched as he devoured his meal, a mixture of bemusement and something resembling interest stirring within her. “You’re a weird child,” she finally said, breaking the weighty silence. “Most would have run or cried out at the mere mention of their foolishness, but here you are, chewing on your regrets as if they were sustenance. No wonder you were called the Heavenly—” Elena could not finish her words when she suddenly felt tugged on her heart, as if it was gripped hard.

‘What was that?’ Elena wondered as the pain in her heart subsided.

Kael and Alterna simultaneously looked at her when she didn’t finish her words.

Kael was thinking that he isn’t weird and weirdest person here is not him but her! She speaks in such a strange way! Talking as if she is an elder or something! Keep calling him a child, kid, little boy when in fact she doesn’t even look that old. 

Elena smiled as she noticed both pairs of eyes were looking at her. “Continue eating, I will be back.” she said as she stood up.

“And you, Alterna. I know you don’t need to eat but you should try. Eating is one life’s greatest pleasure.” She advised as she took a step out of the dining area without bother looking back.

It was only then Kael realized the other person’s presence. He looked at the person named Alterna who was standing behind Elena’s seat like a shadow, he didn’t feel any presence at all! As if she was a ghost or a spirit! He thought that she left!

He looked at her just to see her looking at him.

It was an awkward eye contact, thankfully his bangs mostly covered his eyes.

Kael turned his gaze back to his bowl, taking a moment to swallow the last of the stew. The warmth in his belly was a welcomed comfort amid the whirlwind of uncertainty and fear that enveloped him. He had come to this strange place in search of something beyond himself, yet now he felt more lost than ever.

He lifted his head, glancing toward Alterna, who remained still as a statue, her mismatched eyes fixed on him with an unsettling intensity. The silence hung thick in the air, filled with unspoken words and hidden meaning.

“Uh… so, you’re Alterna?” Kael ventured, feeling the weight of her gaze. He doesn’t even know what to say in this conversation.

"Yes," came Alterna's response, her voice flat and devoid of any discernible emotion. It was reminiscent of the stillness surrounding them, the calm before a storm that Kael couldn’t quite shake off.

“I—uh—I just noticed you standing there. I didn’t even notice you were there the whole time, would you like to—uh sit down?” Kael stammered, his usual brashness fading under the weight of her cold intensity. He fidgeted with his empty bowl, feeling like an intruder in a world that wasn’t his.

Alterna didn’t respond but sat in front of him, her mismatched eyes were not blinking. Kael was creeped out but didn’t have the courage to say it, afraid it would put him into her bad side.

Kael shifted uneasily in his seat as Alterna took a place across from him, her presence a solid block of quiet that pressed against him like the oppressive weight of a heavy fog. He could feel her mismatched eyes studying him, as if they were dissecting every nervous twitch and tremble beneath his skin, laying bare his vulnerabilities without a hint of compassion.

“So, uh…” Kael began, his voice trailing off as he struggled to find the right words. He felt like a fish out of water, floundering in the depths of unfamiliarity. “What do you, um, do here?”

“Guard,” she said flatly, her voice echoing in the small space like a lifeless wind. There was an efficiency to her word, as if the response was a preordained line from a script, stripped of any emotional depth or flourish.

“Guard? Like, guard the forest?” Kael asked, his curiosity piquing despite the unease he felt. He had heard fragments of legends surrounding the Forbidden Forest, stories that hinted at enigmatic guardians.

“No.” She stared at him for a moment, unwavering. “My purpose is to observe and protect Elena. To ensure they do not disturb what should remain untouched.”

‘What?...’ Kael was confused really. ‘By Elena, did she mean the person who just left?’ He didn't even know the name of the person he was talking to for the entire time!

“What do you mean?”