After that outing with Lilith passed a couple of days, she and I started to be closer to each other even though the situation we left on was still unsolved, and every time that I want to bring up what we talking about the last time Lilith avoid the subject each times, and I give up at trying, but now the emperor ordered her to be my teacher for the time being to give some base knowledge of this world. So now I have to do some homework for her, but I don't mind, her lessons are easy to understand and when I get distracted she doesn't get mad at me, but she tries to get my attention back on her and repeat herself.
I'm holding right now my notebook and a pen in my hands running to find my teacher to ask again about the sigils and how it works all this complicated coven system.
It passed about thirty minutes and still no sign of the raven witch. So I decided to just ask Steve, from what I could see in does past few days, he is one of Lilith's friends. So I run toward the garden of the castle knowing that at this time of the day is not on turn to guard. It didn't take long for arriving in front of the door that leads toward the large garden. I finally found him, he was in his break time sitting on a bench with a book in hand. I hate the idea of disturbing him when he is so relaxed. So I decide to walk away as quietly as I could.
"Hey, kid!" It seems I wasn't so stealthy. "Do you need anything?" He asked me with a gentle smile on his face. I turn around to face him.
"Do you know where Lilith is?" He seemed surprised by the question, he stares at me before opening his mouth.
"She didn't tell you that she was going to her pupil today?"
Huh? Pupil?
"Does Lilith have a student? She never told me about it" I was surprised to learn that Lilith teaches someone other than me, who knows if I will meet them someday, maybe we can be friends.
"Maybe she forgot, but anyway she won't be back until tonight, and she usually comes back pretty late, so don't stay up waiting, okay?" I nodded, I couldn't argue with him, not when he does it for my sake. I said goodbye to him and went back to wandering around the castle, meanwhile, I don't have much to do and I'm not allowed to go out without my teacher.
I heard footsteps, it isn't strange that someone was walking around these parts, well it's a hallway so of course there would be people walking around these areas, but it was weird this one, it was light footsteps and it sounds like it's running, the sound is getting closer and closer before I could do anything someone falls on me, I let out a groan in pain from the hard impact to the ground, the person on top of me moved off enough for me to sit up and massaged my lower back, I looked toward the person and see who it was, it was that young guard from last time, he stood up quickly and stepped back slowly, he appeared to be in panic.
Before I could open my mouth to ask if he was ok he ran away leaving me far too confused, every time I meet him he always leaves me with a lot of questions, who knows if I can ever talk to him?
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I'm in front of the entrance to the castle, I'm waiting for Lilith along with some guards to come out of the throne room, she was talking to the emperor about our trip outside. Yes, we were going out again! But I have to get escorted by some guards because we have to go to a dangerous place, from what I understand, five guards will accompany us, and I found out that Steve is not one of them, too bad. Currently, there are only four guards, who knows where the fifth is?
The door opened wide letting Lilith and another person out, when they got close enough I realized who it was- that young guard? I wonder why he is with Lilith.
"Are you ready to go out?" Lilith asked me, I nodded and then brought my attention to that guard still behind her, she noticed that and said they were the missing fifth guard. and I admit that I was a bit surprised by it, but I don't know why, I don't need any motivation for it. We moved toward a snowy mountain, Lilith introduces it to me as 'the knee' apparently a very dangerous place for the creatures that live there, for this, we have guards to accompany us, but a very powerful place itself because the magic become more powerful here.
She was telling me the history of the place and its dangers, but I didn't listen to half of what she was telling me, rather, I looked around until I noticed something moving in the middle of the woods, a small, slippery figure. I walk away from the group without them noticing my vanishing while they were distracted and went into the woods to see what that creature was.
I heard groans...I got scared, but then I hear it again. It was like a cry for help. A pitiful cry of pain.
I get closer to the sound and went through the dense fronds of the snowy trees, the sound of whimpering was getting closer. And closer. And closer.
Finally seeing a light in all that darkness, I approached the exit and then popped out in front of a little beast, a giant mouth with long paws and all covered with white fur and I couldn't even see the eyes as soon as he saw me he tried to stand on his paws only to fall to the ground soon after and make out a whimper in pain, he was wounded in one of his front paws. I approached the little guy slowly trying not to scare him any more than he already is, I bent down in front of him showing him my hands to prove that I was unarmed, I didn't want to hurt him.I just want to help him.
"Can I see where are you hurt...?" I said in a calm and quiet tone, he seemed to relax from my words, like he was really understanding what I was saying.
I moved slowly to his paw and saw that he had a deep cut where he was bleeding quite a bit, I took a first aid kit from my backpack, with disinfectants and bandages.
I always take with me a kit, I'm so clumsy that I get hurt easily.
It didn't take too long for me to take care of it, it wasn't difficult, especially since the little one was cooperating well even though it was hurting him.
When I was done he got up slowly and lay on my lap, I patted him on the head and showed him a smile. I looked around to see where I was coming from so I could go back, but everything looked the same to me, I was beginning to panic, and by now it was getting close to nightfall. I'd better find a place to stay.
I got up with the little one in my arms, I admit he was really heavy, but I couldn't leave him defenseless in the night. I set out in search of a place safe enough to wait for daylight.
The air was starting to get colder, and being in a snowy area didn't help, the layers I was wearing were no longer enough for the cold weather that was setting in, and by now night had also been falling for a while. I'm scared. I don't know what to do, and I'm all alone in a place that I don't know. In a world that I don't belong. I wanted to cry. I'm near to cry like a baby, but I have to hold back, it's not the time. I moved through the snow, it was getting too cold, and I could now barely feel my body. In the distance I saw lights, maybe it's them.
"H-Hel-" I can't get my voice out, I'm so tired and I could feel that my muscles were weakening, I could barely stand, and having a kind of heavy puppy in my arms wasn't really the best. But I have to hurry up.
The next step I took, my body could no longer hold me up, I collapsed to the ground on the soft but freezing snow, I could barely keep my eyes open and my body did not want to respond anymore, the worst thing was that it began to snow. If I don't hurry to get up I will die under the snow.
I can't move any muscle. I don't want to die. Help. Please, someone help me. Mami, Mami I miss you.
I began to see blurry because of the tears that were forming, I closed my eyes, now losing hope.
I was losing consciousness. But before doing so I hear footsteps approaching rapidly. I could not my eyes to see who or what was approaching. I was too tired.
The next thing I know is...
I could see only the darkness.
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I opened my eyes, and found myself back in my room in the castle, I slowly got up to sit down, I noticed that at my side is that guard asleep with his head resting on the side of the bed and he was holding my hand.
Someone entered the room, I shifted my attention to the door, it was the emperor.
"Good morning," he said to me. "How are you feeling?"
"I feel fine, thank you" I replied.
"Don't thanks me. Thanks Hunter instead," he said, pointing to the sleeping boy next to me.
"Who exactly is he?" I asked the emperor as I had my attention on Hunter.
"My nephew," he said simply. I stayed in silence for a couple of minutes.
"Emperor..." I called him to make sure I had his attention.
"If I accept your proposal, will I be allowed to play with Hunter and be his friend?" I asked. I didn't receive an immediate answer.
"Of course."