Chapter 17
She woke up panting, as another nightmare hunted her during her sleep. She wipe off the beads of sweats aroubd her forehead and neck, breathing in and out - trying to calm herself down. She stretched her arms around and slap both her hands to her cheeks to wake herself up fully. She had a long shower, her preoccupied mind taking over as she had her bath.
"Mikasa?". She heard his familiar voice, "May I come in?" Followed by the door being opened.
"Are you in the bathroom?"
Mikasa took a deep breath.
"Just wait for me, I'm about to be done."
She bit her lower lip as she changed into her clothes- a silky gown lace with gold. She had a cold shower but it seems like it wasn't enough to shift her attention from her nightmarish dreams.
"Eren?" She ask as she left the bathroom. "What brings you here?"
"It's already nine , you haven't eaten yet so I was hoping that, you'll like to have a breakfast with me downstairs?"
Mikasa smiled,although forced but Eren didn't have to notice that. It's not important anyway. Mikasa took a deep breath.
"Alright."
"Great, Mother is also having breakfast with us, is that alright for you?"
She nodded immediately and he left the room.
She wanted to scream, she wanted to get that nightmare out of her mind and anything she had dream off this past three months of her life. Those dreams made her life so miserable but it also bring her to him. There are many parts of the dream that she couldn't understand, her dreams before is only about her memories but her dreams now were different. A nightmarish thing to dream about as it is full of blood and violence. She wanted to tell others about those dreams, ask for an advice and be told to forget all about it, although impossible.
She wanted to clear her mind of all those stupid dreams that she is having, Mikasa couldn't help it, she wanted a escape from all those dreams. She sat down on her bed, thinking. Then, she wondered- would it be better if she never remembered her past life? Would it be better just to live her life the way it is before? Would it be better if she never died in her past life? What would happen if she was never reborn and Eren married another woman? She let all her ridiculous thoughts taunt her for the time being.
"Mikasa?" The door opened, revealing a smiling Eren.
" You didn't go down stairs, it's been an hour since then, Did something happen?"
Mikasa look up at him and smiled, shaking her head. She saw his worried face and she didn't want to worry him further. "It's alright, I guess, it's just because this surrounding is still new to me." She laughs, " Maybe I'm just feeling homesick."
" Are you sure?" He sat beside her. " You'll be alright."
There was a comfortable silence between the two as Mikasa lays her head on his shoulders. " Are you really alirght or you are just telling me that so I won't worry about you?"
" I'm really alright." She shakes her head, " It's just that, this surroundings feels surreal."
" You know, I'll always be here beside you so you don't have to feel left out alright." but his words only made her feel more lonely, she doesn't even know where she belong anymore and her nightmare's tormented her more and more, as the days pass by, those nightmares became more vivid and alive. Silence rule over them as he lean her head on his shoulders.
"Mmm..will vampires disappear if the blood tree disappeared?" Eren look at her with a puzzled expression, the question is very confusing and even as a vampire who had lived a very long time, he couldn't give her an answer because he doesn't know what will happen too. Eren began thinking, the blood tree is about to die , everyday, he could see how much the blood tree lowers it's production of the fruits that simply contains blood.
The blood tree gave them their immortality-by drinking it's fruit- The fruit is a round fruit similar to the shape of oranges and it's color is bloody red, an intense scarlet color and inside of it is a liquid that contains blood. The origin of blood tree is unclear , nobody knows where it came from - the only person who knows the secret of the tree has been dead for so long- their ancestor, Ymir.
The artifacts says that she is the very first vampire and that vampire continues living by drinking the fruit of the tree , and Mikasa may be right.
"Your Majesty?" A servant entered the room, " The council is asking for your presence."
Eren took a deep sigh, he look over at Mikasa who is still learning onto his shoulders, Mikasa had fallen asleep. Eren sighs as he carefully lifted her up and put her on the bed. "I'll be there in a minute."
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The king look at the aristocrats around of him, their eyes is as ferocious as usual, as if waiting for his downfall. The fact that they hated him isn't hidden but they were also afraid of him. The king seem different than usual-that, they noticed first.
His warm forest green eyes is now filled with coldness and his gaze is cruel- it was as if they are infront of a different person.
"So, what was all this about?" He elegantly sat down on the chair that is made entirely for him- there was no other design similar to this design,covered in Diamond and gold. The Noble vampires infront of him bowed.
" I am sure, you are well informed." Tybur was the first one to speak up, " My king, was that lady your lover?"
"..." The king didn't answer. " ..and what was it to you?"
" I am just worried about you, your Majesty the king. It's very unlikely of you to brought a strange woman that clearly doesn't belong in this world. " Tybur continue to speak up, not able to sense the king's building anger. " She may have look like the Queen but she has been long gone. It's just that, I feel sorry for that strange woman - she doesn't know this world at all and aside from that, if you would wish to get married again- she does not fit the standards to be the Queen."
" Ah, really?" The king ask in a cold manner, his forest green eyes narrowed and the other nobles gulp as the king's expression darkened. "You seem to be very free to speak up."
"Of course, do you understand what I am pointing out, your highness?"
" I do," he replied and the nobles around of them became puzzled. "Right, aside from that, pardon me my king but isn't disrespectful to marry a woman who had the same face as your dead wife.."
At the mention of his wife, the windows around them shattered as his anger pours down without any control. The shadow around him thickens as he felt a hand grab his shoulders, a slender finger grab his shoulders. The darkness he hated began to laugh at him.
‘As expected of you..relax will you? It's no fun when you looses your temper and it's not the time yet for me to take action.’. His tense shoulder gradually drop.
" Well then, this meeting is over."
He turned around as if nothing had happened. Eren went to his room and lock the door. It seems the monster inside of him is beginning to take control of him, he look at the mirror and glared.
" Are you just going to hide insid?" He ask but there is no answer. The shadow did not respond to him. " What do you want?"
At that, the shadow appeared I front of him . It has no face, it was just a shadow without a face or any structure at all but do not be fooled, even if it does not have a body of it's own, it's mind is terrifying. The shadow does not show any mercy at all.
"Why do you ask?" The shadow said," Shouldn't you know what I want and more than that, you have no escape anyway."
" It's manipulation," Eren replied, emphasizing what happened five hundred years ago. "You took advantage of my weak state."
"So, it does not matter," the shadow laughs at him, " whether I took advantage of you or not, you are still the one who took the bait and naturally, shouldn't I grab onto it?" The shadow chuckled darkly. " You know what I want and you agreed to it."
Eren clenched his hands to the point that his veins are showing, he bit his lower lip angrily.
‘My,my.. what's that expression? Have you grown so old, I remember you being so young five hundred years ago and that woman, I could feel something strange about her-- an old soul, she wasn't new. Ah, I've figured it out- the Queen reincarnated.’
The shadow chuckled even more darkly. ‘..so then, I succeeded.’
Five hundred years ago, Eren had wished for Mikasa to be alive again and the shadow said he could do it, in one condition in which Eren agreed to.
‘You know what that means..’
The Shadow soon vanished.
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The condition, what could it be? 🧐
Next chapter is Eren and Mikasa kissing hahahahahaha