Map of the Blazing Hearth (Gazellian Series #8)

Epilogue

Thank you so much for reading my Gazellian Series. Thank you for making it this far. When I wrote His Bite, I never thought that readers will appreciate this kind genre, hindi ko rin akalain na mapapahaba ko ito nang ganito. Thank you for loving my GS series.

Maraming salamat sa nanatiling nagbabasa <3

Epilogue

"Let's go home, Tavion."

Before, when I heard the word home, I couldn't think of any good meaning about it. It was just a single word, but it pained me like the sharpest sword. I loathed that word because every time that I had the courage to call someone home, to find a place that I should call home— they tend to disappear right before my eyes.

But now who would have thought that a lone vampire like me, who accepted his fate to be alone, and who stopped hoping to find his new home would have been given a chance to have this beautiful view in front of his eyes?

Iris extended those warm hands as she looked back at me before we fully entered the portal back to that place they called home— Parsua Sartorias, I tried to find that usual pain in my chest. . . but all I felt was a relief.

She smiled at me as I felt that single tear glided down my cheek. Until I allowed her to pull me closer as we crossed the portal together.

***

I could remember how calm that kingdom was, the place I thought was my home— a place that I thought would accept me little by little, but everything was just too foolish to hope. 

It was that usual summer in the Kingdom of Athens, the children of royalties were outside of the castle, playing together with their servants watching them, Queen Nova, my mother was with them with her beautiful white parasol as the summer breeze flutters with the leaves from the huge trees towering our castle.

I grew up as a young boy, witnessing this scene multiple times, as I've been isolated to socialize with my siblings, and with other nobilities— because who am I to demand a place in this kingdom? I am an unexpected child, a mistake, a boy who has no father, and a disgrace to my mother.

I spent most of my time inside my luxurious room, dressed like royalty, with servants and tutors but no one to talk with aside from my lessons as a prince. I always placed my table near that slightly opened window as I watched my mother play happily and freely with my siblings. With my chin on the back of my hand, as I witnessed how happy they were in front of the castle, all I did was allow those pieces of small leaves to flew down on the current page of my opened book.

When I was young, all I wanted was to join them.

I was about to remove my gaze away from them when my mother's head looked up exactly at the window of my room, she smiled at me with a wave from her hand, but her attention was easily diverted when my half-siblings pulled her hands, not even giving me a chance to wave back at her.

"Prince Tavion?"

I brushed the leaves on the pages of the book and looked at those familiar lines. I shouldn't get swayed by my emotions and I should be satisfied with their treatment— a prison cell dressed in luxury.   

"I am sorry. This is my idea about this passage. . ."

As I read the passage from the book, my tutor's face brightened, fascinated by how I could easily understand the complexity of those words at my young age.

He shouldn't be surprised. Hindi ba't iyon na lang ang ginagawa ko sa buong buhay ko?

I lived in the Kingdom of Athens studying their law and history as if those gained knowledge would recognize me as someone who would be one of their rulers. Dahil alam kong kailanman ay hindi darating ang araw na tatanggapin ako ng mundong ito bilang isang may kapangyarihan.