"What happened last night?"
Raziah chose to ignore his presence. She had heard Bellerus and Acacia whispering to each other furiously just a minute ago, and now he had walked over to stand beside her as she kept staring down at the village. Her heightened senses were now back to a regular human’s, and this was the second time he was asking about last night. Sometimes, Raziah wished there was a way to shut her ears close whenever she doesn’t want to listen.
"Your leg doesn’t seem too fine, though I don’t think Acacia has noticed anything yet," He continued softly, then looked down the Witch village, "So far you haven’t brought me any trouble, but I’m fully aware that I still have to keep my guard up around you," He paused for a second, "There’s something new about you,"
Still, Raziah didn’t even spare him a glance.
"How much do you know about witches?" He asked again. Raziah simply wished he would just give up and walk away, "There was someone similar to you that was here at the Amethyst Forest a long time ago. That person came to see the Crown witch in charge that time too,"
This time, she did react. Subconsciously again, she reached out and started to fidget with the wristband. Raziah was somewhat interested in this new information, but she couldn’t just trust his words.
"Though it seems the person got her answer. The Crown Witch then was named Harlow, and from what I saw, they seemed to have been close." Bellerus continued leisurely again, "I want to assume you know what you’re, but you’re still as confused as we are about it. Two letter words were revealed by the silver book after everything, and I’m yet to find out the full word or hidden meaning, but the words were ’ HE...’ "
Raziah’s fingers trembled, and she took in a deep breath trying to steady herself.
"You’re not the first of your kind, and yet we have so little information about you. What surrounds you is still shrouded with mystery, and I can tell there’s a devastating sense of anxiety that follows you everywhere you go. You’re lost, and nothing seems to be helping. You need help, but you’re too frightened to reach out and ask for one. You’re haunted by swirling emotions all the time, and you think the only way to protect yourself is to keep them hidden, by masking them all beneath the cold that reeks out of your pores,"
Raziah had heard enough. As much as she would hate to admit that he was right, she would loathe it even more to stand there and keep listening to him. He had pissed her off the last time when he said something about her emotions being tangled in love, and now he was trying to do it again. But she had nowhere to go as of now. She wasn’t welcome anywhere around here, and she wouldn’t even want to be welcomed if that was the case.
"Out of five thousand Normal Vampires born, one gains a special ability at birth. The ability to control many of nature’s gifts to the world otherwise called elements. They can also survive for a whole week without drinking blood before they get very thirsty again. All Vampires seem to be immortal, but the immortality varies too. All Vampires will perish with a piercing to the heart directly, but the weaker ones could die from something less fatal. The only reason vampires are called immortal is because they possess healing abilities in their blood, but that doesn’t mean they do not die. Witches enhance their physical strength with spells to take on vampires if the time be, and while vampires use their claws most of the time, witches hold daggers or swords to compensate for that downfall. The Fourth Crown witch, Harlow, succeeded in uniting the Vampires and witches and ended the long war between them. Every once a year, witches ready to explore the outside world are allowed to leave the Amethyst Forest and mingle with humans and vampires. As for the ones that remain here, the present Crown Witch looks after them and conducts their affairs. The existence of Vampires and witches is very clear, but it’s said that there are others hidden in the shadows, hiding from what the outside world would offer... whether good or bad."
Raziah was left speechless. She never asked for so much to be explained to her. Things she thought she would have to find out on her own have just been placed right on her table.
"There are also rouge Vampires and witches out there. I’m in charge of getting rid of the rouge witches, and the vampires would be taken care of by whom I believe to the vampire kingdoms around. Mind you, There are no Witch kingdoms around ruled by Witches. I’m the overall seer of the affair of Witches in and out of this forest or else, there might turn out to be more rouge witches." He didn’t just stop there. He explained their sophisticated lifestyles and everything she needed to know about them.
Raziah didn’t know when she faced him so she could listen properly, all she knew was that they were now staring eye to eye. His eyes were truly cerulean and filled with wonder. The colors were magically beautiful, she would never believe someone like him existed if she hadn’t seen him with her own eyes.
"Why are you telling me all this?" She questioned. She needed to know why he would reveal all this to someone like her.
"Everything happens for a reason, Raziah," It suddenly felt as if he was no longer using honorifics to speak to her anymore. His eyes were crystal clear and deep, "Your existence, my existence, and every single being on earth. The sand you stand on has a reason for being there, the wind on your skin, the things you see and touch, and the ones that you don’t know about. The people you like and dislike. Life will go on with or without you. What we seek to find is our purpose in this life. How we choose to live, the smallest of changes we can make, no matter how little. It’s often disappointing how we seem to overlook the little things and focus so much on the bigger ones that we lost ourselves along the way, and that is exactly where you’re now Raziah. And telling you all this is the risk I’m willing to take. I’ll face the consequences if one develops,"
Raziah didn’t know why she was getting angry all of a sudden.
"You’re only one out of so many that are in pain, should it define you?" Bellerus sighed tiredly. He had already said so much and would have to let the rest slide. It was up to her to capture his message from the words.
Silence enveloped them, and Raziah turned back to the village again. It felt like forever was gonna come before she finally spoke too, and Bellerus didn’t know when he let out a relieved sigh as if he had achieved something so difficult.
"I found a tombstone not too long ago. There were molded statues of many vampires, and their names and abilities were boldly written on the tombstone. There, I found two things. A dead man’s graveyard who still lives and breathes. Two, a potential and powerful being that is after me. I know who the first person is, but I haven’t the slightest who the second is."
"If you’re saying this, it means you know who the dead man is." He replied, "I know him too, and that is why I can’t wholly trust Acacia around him,"
"Do you know anything about the tombstone?"
"Unfortunately, I haven’t seen anything like that before. Where did you find it?"
"Somewhere... Somehow," Raziah recalled as the wind had whispered her mother’s name as if trying to lure her in there right from the start.
"Be careful of what you do from now on. The Red Moon might come with some repercussions, and you may even fall sick if you do not take care. Treat yourself well, and avoid injuring yourself around where you feel most full at," His last sentence threw off her thinking. She didn’t quite understand what he meant by ’ Where you feel most full at ’. Were they straightforward words or did they have a secret meaning?
Bellerus gave her a once over, his eyes lingering on her stomach before he took his eyes off. He was more surprised at how long she had been standing there. It was already Noon, and he had a few things to take care of.
At Dusk, Aletta was making another fuss about leaving the forest already and Bell was arguing with her again saying he wouldn’t have had it any different. Oreo had recovered, and the three of them were set to leave again. This time, Oreo threw a kiss at Acacia and she threatened to curse him for eternity. Whenever he summoned the courage to approach Raziah, Acacia would glare at him like it was the last thing she would do.
And soon enough, the sorceresses had spelled them back to Erandell...and Raziah found herself standing inside the palace walls.
She totally forgot about the strange look Acacia had been giving her for a while now when her eyes fixed themselves right through the opened doors of the throne room, and there was Princess Gwenore on her knees, and a Crown was being lowered onto her head by none other than the King.
"... Queen of Erandell," He announced to the crowd and seated officials in front of him, right before he raised his head and their eyes met.
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