Amethyst went silent. She shifted her gaze towards her dessert plate. "I'm thankful
"It is possible considering the nature of her job. She found him at the border and he was only a few months old by that time. She was supposed to kill him but, the heart of a woman is hard to understand. She ended up looking after him.""Oh...""Life at the border was hard and she starved herself to keep him safe from dangers including from her fellow hungry comrades. The life of the little one was not easy..." Luveas paused and inhaled deeply, recalling Herenica's past. "...against all odds, she managed to keep him alive. She built a house far away from the vampires only to raise her human son."Amethyst smiled sweetly. "That is so nice. I have no idea there are gentle vampires out there."Luveas paused and scoffed. He was slightly unhappy that she praised someone else in front of him. Then, he continued with his narration while he buried his sadness within his heart. "One day, which was seven years later, Herenica got news fr
The 'child' with the moustache cleared his throat and said, "I am Tiny Kin, the chief of the Tiny Clan. We look after the North side of Ancea's border. May I ask for your name?"Amethyst didn't immediately respond but she looked around, searching for Luveas and the horse but she found none. Her heart was restless."Before you get to know my name," she said and glanced at Tiny Kin, "I want to know something. Have you seen my companion and a black horse?"Tiny Kin caressed his beard. "I have not seen your companion but we have saved a horse from a vicious vampire." Amethyst widened her eyes. "Where is that vampire?" she asked frantically.Tiny Kin observed her mien. Interest sparked in his eyes. "Are you not worried about the horse?"Amethyst responded, "You said you saved the horse, so, I have less worry about it. But, I'm worried about the vampire.""Why do you worry about the vampire? Have that vicious vampir
Amethyst smiled at him. "I've just marked you as my travelling companion.""I've never heard of such a thing," replied Luveas, getting wary."It's a common thing in Ancea.""How common?""Traveling Companion Oaths are commonly used by sacred animals to bring in their new friends to see the beauty of Ancea.""Am I an animal now?" asked the perplexed Luveas.Amethyst hissed. "Shut up and listen!"Luveas pursed his lips and listened. Then, Amethyst continued, "An Ancean will mark a non-Ancean to gain entry permission from Nature. However, if the Ancean is harmed or died, the non-Ancean with the companion marking will never be able to enter Ancea forever. The permission is revoked instantly."Luveas was stumped. "What about the marking that I have? If you die, am I going to get chased out of Ancea forever too?" he was worried."Yes, and from now on, you should be careful not to get me hurt or you hurt yourself," Amethyst reminded him without revealing the truth."Oh," Luveas exclaimed. "Th
Luveas looked at her. "I'm not unhappy. I'm speechless. I've never asked anyone their age before..."He had no one close to share and ask such things. He had always been lonely since his childhood because he trusted no one after the passing of his parents. Amethyst said nothing when Luveas fell into a trance. She ate silently and after she was done, she went to lie down near the fire."Are you not worried that I might attack you?" asked Luveas after he placed the empty plate away. He noticed she didn't seem to be as wary as their first encounter.Amethyst fluttered her eyes open. "I'm not worried.""Why?"She inhaled deeply and responded, "...because the moment I die, Nature would have properly dealt with you, and you might need to go bid farewell to Ancea forever."Luveas looked around, eyeing the flora around them, fearing that something might smack him."Hmm, that's disheartening..." he replied.Ame
Luveas nodded and stayed silent throughout the journey. Their journey took another countless hours before they arrived at a village, a deserted village. There were cottages but, the buildings collapsed to the ground. The wild grasses grew abundantly, covering nearly half of them. The walking trails were all covered by dirt, remnants of the explosion, and moss took over some of the places. The smell of decay and burnt wood lingered in the air for there were lots of dried-up skeletons covered in clothes lying around; some still held swords and arrows. Some got arrows piercing their skulls and bodies.Amethyst froze where she stood. Her chest tightened. The memories of the horrendous day flashed in her mind. She could vividly hear the screams and cries of her kin floating around as if she had stepped back to the past; to the day when humans ambushed her, once peaceful and thriving, village.The elf covered her ears when their voices only grew loude
On the other hand, Amethyst pursed her lips and followed Luveas to the burial site. There, she saw mounds everywhere. Each mound was showered with flower petals.Again, the elf found her composure slipping away slowly. Her chest tighten as she got emotional. All of her people were lying there, resting in eternal slumber. She couldn't believe she'd be one among the elves in Ancea who mourned the loss of her entire tribe; she hoped some survived and hid in the woods...She glanced at Luveas. He was busy placing the bones in the holes that he had dug out. Her heart ached, but it wasn't because of anger. It was more like she was touched deeply by his unexpectedly humble side.Tears filled her eyes. "Thank you, Luveas..." she said faintly. 'Now, I'm glad I marked you as my husband...' she added inwardly....After burying all the bones, Luveas went into the woods. "I want to find a flower that suits your sister," he said before he went fo
Amethyst nodded. "Yes, and please repeat after me...""Wait, wait..." Luveas stopped her. "What Oath are we talking about now?"Amethyst eyed him piercingly. "Are you doubting me?"Luveas shook. The elf nodded. "Then, since you have nothing else to say, then follow what I say. From today onward and until death do us part, say my name, is mine and I, say your name, am hers. I shall be granted freedom to roam Ancea just as her."Luveas hesitated. "Uh, that sounds so strange for an oath...""Just do it!" snapped the elf. She was getting impatient for she wanted to end the process soon. Luveas, despite his wariness, said, "From today onward and until death do us part...""Say my name, is mine and I, say your name, am hers.""...Amethyst Elan is mine and I, Luveas Dayn, am hers. I shall be granted freedom to roam Ancea just as her."Amethyst beamed in satisfaction. Then, she glanced at his chest which was h
Luveas began, "During my childhood, my parents were killed. Humans ambushed us when we were picnicking in the palace backyard..."Melancholy danced in Luveas' weary eye when he revisited the painful memory lane. Humans appeared out of nowhere and killed his parents. Strangely, on the day of the former king and queen's assassination, not a single guard appeared on the scene. That moment was still a mystery to him until today."I was too young to understand anything and the one thing I knew was humans took me in as something they studied," he added painfully. His voice bore pure hatred when he mentioned 'studied'. Amethyst knitted her brows. "Something they studied?" She had no idea Humans would do such a thing to other races.Luveas nodded. "Humans studied the endurance of young vampires to estimate the strength of adult vampires. They wanted to find the best weapon to kill us if they could find our weaknesses,” he paused again, seemingly inhaling a deep breath although it wasn’t cert