Alora kept silent as she gently wiped his hands. She never once spoke after the incident that had happened yesterday.
The guilt in her was eating her away.
She could still remember the ironic smell of the blood and how it spilled. How it shone with a bright red color. She tried to erase those gruesome images off her mind.
Her hands that held the wet cloth started shaking, her nose felt sour and her chest felt heavy. She tried her best to not let her cries out when she felt a cold hand on hers.
Silas skimmed his thumb over her palm. "Are you still scared?" She looked at him.
He looked serene.
Alora always felt that Silas was something akin to a roof and a pillar.
He unfailingly shielded her from adversity, willingly absorbing any harm on her behalf. He consistently provided unwavering support in all aspects of her life, accompanying her on every journey.
Despite having known each other and spent just two months together, Silas had swiftly become an integral part of her life.
However, as Alora tried to suppress certain memories and emotions, they flooded her mind like an unstoppable tide. Tears streamed down her face, her lips quivered into a frown, and she stared down at her hands resting on her thigh, resembling a child unjustly scolded by her parents.
Seeing her in such distress stirred Silas's heart profoundly. He gently grasped her wrist and drew her closer to him, allowing her to lean on his shoulder. His hand tenderly patted her back and rubbed it, offering her the solace she needed. However, instead of calming her, his comforting gestures only caused her to cry harder.
"I-I'm sorry hic*...I sho-shoudn't have ta- hic* taken you with me...yo-you're hurt beca-cause of me hic*...I'm sorry hic* I'm sorry hic*..." She sobbed, her breathing ragged.
While he felt a surge of joy that she cared for him so deeply, it pained him to witness her burdened by guilt and in tears.
Silas cradled her head within his hands, his thumbs delicately brushing away her tears. He showered her forehead and eyelids with tender kisses, his lips leaving a trail of affection on her skin. Her cheeks felt like soft dough, plump, and squishable, with a faint blush gracing their surface. In his eyes, she was absolutely lovely, and he couldn't help but admire her.
"It's not your fault," he whispered, his voice filled with sincerity. Her small hands enveloped his large ones that framed her face.
"I went there with you so I could protect you, and I did. I couldn't be happier. So it's not your fault. It was my choice."
Her cries turned into sniffles as se listened to him.
"B-but you're h-hurt...wha-what if-"
"Yes, I'm hurt but it isn't painful. I'll be fine." He reassured.
He placed his forehead against hers, his eyes never moving away from hers.
"You know I'm different, right?"
"Yes."
"Do you trust me?"
"Yes."
She didn't even hesitate.
Silas smiled happily at that. Her unwavering trust in him made his heart sway.
"Then know that I am fine. I will never hurt or leave you."
She nodded.
"Don't ever blame yourself." She nodded again.
Silas lovingly swipped his fingers, wiping her tears.
Alora felt rising embarrassment within her as she remembered how she wept like a child.
knock knock*
Silas felt slightly angry and regret at getting their moment destroyed. Alora felt relieved. She felt her heart was going to melt.
She opened the door to see how it was. Maren stood their with Grandma Sen. Maren held Grandma Sen's arm to provide support.
"Please come in." She made way. She instantly got inside the kitchen and heated a put of hot water and prepared tea leaves, milk and sugar with tea cups on a tray and brought them to the table.
Grandma held her walking stick close to her as she inquired. "I heard that news." Her voice was frail yet it held power.
"Are you okay, my dear?" Grandma looked at Alora than at Silas who was wrapped in bandages. Maren was equally worried about Alora.
"I'm fine grandma but Silas got hurt..." Grandma Sen nodded. It wasn't a secret to her about what had happened. She sighed, making her wrinkles more defined. She finally turned towards Silas who simply stayed in bed, leaning against the wall.
"Thank you for protecting her." She nodded her head towards him expressing her gratefulness.
"It's what I must do."
Grandma Sen smiled.
She remembered how this mysterious man had promised that he would never hurt her.
'It seems he really did keep hat promise.'
Maren rushed towards Alora and slapped her back hard.
"Oww!" Alora screamed. She rubbed her sore back.
"If you keep hitting my back like that everytime, I'll develope back problems at a young age!" She whined.
Maren fumed, "Me and Grandma left you and the village for a few days to sell some merchandise and you get in all kinds of life threatening problems!" Alora gulped.
"Sorry." She pouted. Maren suddenly felt a sharp pain the back of her neck as she felt faint. "You always stress me out. When I and Grandma Sen heard that news, we rushed back as fast as we could." Maren was clearly tired. Alora felt even more guilty.
Maren hugged her friend tightly, "I'm so glad you're safe." In the embrace of her friend that she considered as her sister, the tears she stopped with hard work came gushing out.
Maren looked towards Silas.
"Thank you Silas. Thank you." Silas glanced at her and nodded.
-----
Somewhere in the Limerence Kingdom.
The atmosphere in the isolated bar was tense, as the two individuals sat on chairs facing the dimly lit counter. The hooded figure concealed their identity entirely, leaving their features shrouded in mystery. Opposite him, a man with brown hair and freckles on his skin exuded an aura of intense hatred, his dull green eyes radiating a palpable anger.
The hooded figure leaned in slightly, their voice a low, whispered tone meant to protect their secrecy. "Yes, the information is true," they confirmed, their words carrying a weight of importance, "our leader said so. He is someone of great importance in our country, so his words should not be taken lightly."
The hooded man warned.
"It seems that we should fasten our plan."
"He does not pose any threat for now. Cardinal Erix has vouched for him." The hooded man said.
At hearing such an absurd thing, the other man laughed maniacally. "For a man who worships and devotes himself to Goddess Asteria, it's laughable that he actually 'vouched' for that monster. I didn't expect any less from that bastard."
He continued. "He is not a true devotee of the goddess." He sneered.
"It seems the world can only depend on us. Only we are the true devotees of the goddess and her doctrine."
"For now, the leader has forbade any us from taking any actions." The hooded man informed.
The other man slammed his fist against the counter.
"Why?!" A middle-aged bartender slightly looked at those two people.
The hooded man explained, "Leader has told us it's not the right time yet. We will attack but not now. Have patience."
"Have patience? Patience?!" He screamed angrily. "I have waited! I didn't wait for a year or two! I have waited for 8 years for this, and yet you tell me to have patience?! I don't care anymore about some orders given by a man that I haven't even seen!"
His outburst attracted the customers that came to the bar. The hooded man put his hand on his shoulder.
"The reason that you weren't driven out of the church and could still live till now was because of our leader and you dare speak of him in a disrespectful manner and disobey him." He applied pressure in his grip as he spoke.
Despite the calm appearance and tone, it was evident that he was really angry.
The man strangely became quiet.
"If you can't follow any orders given by him then you can simply leave."
It succeeded in instilling fear in the man. He knew if he left the graces of this mysterious leader then he will truly be left with nothing.
He meekly bowed down his head. His earlier personality and outburst seemed to disappear.
"I apologize."
The hooded man took off his hand and walked away before stopping.
"Remember. Leader wants what's best for the world. He cannot jeopardize his plan for the greater good because of one person."
The hooded man left saying that.
The man stood there, his clenched fist almost drawing out blood.
-----
Few Days Later...
"Alora, the Ragna ceremony will be held a week later. We have collected everything, can you take care of it?" The village chief asked.
"You don't need to worry, chief. I'll handle it." Alora wore a soft blue long dress that faintly glimmered under the multiple different lights of the food stalls at night as she agreed to the chief's request.
Sakir was gratified that Alora would take care of it. He looked at his son once and said to Alora,
"Lennon will assist you." Alora and Lennon both nodded.
Sakir left them as he went to recheck if all the ingredients for food had been ordered.
Certainly, here's a refined version of the text:
Lennon had been away when the demon bear incident occurred, but he had learned about it from his father. Concerned, he turned his attention to Alora.
"I heard about the demon bear incident from my father. How are you holding up?" Alora tensed slightly, her smile fading as the memory resurfaced.
"I'm alright, but Silas got hurt," she replied, her expression reflecting the lingering worry she felt for him.
Lennon, too, felt a sense of unease as he recalled the menacing aura he had sensed from Silas during their previous encounter.
"And how is he now?" he asked, his curiosity piqued, knowing that Silas's rapid recovery was far from ordinary.
Alora tried to steer the conversation towards lighter topics. "So, Lennon, how's everything going on between you and Maren?" She playfully teased, hoping to shift away from the more somber subject.
Caught off guard, Lennon blushed, "It's been good. I even proposed -"
"What?! You did?!" Alora's eyes widened with excitement, and she let out an enthusiastic scream. Lennon flinched at her loud exclamation, aware that passersby were now turning their heads in their direction.
Panicking, Lennon quickly placed his hand over Alora's mouth and whispered urgently, "Shhh! You don't have to announce it to the whole world!" He cast a worried glance at their unintended audience.
Suppressing her laughter behind his hand, Alora whispered back, "What did she say?"
Lennon maintained his hushed tone, "She said she'll think about it and let me know."
They both looked sneaky whispering to each other in secret.
"Alora." Lennon stilled his action of whispering into Alora's ear.
'Is this how a grim reaper sounds like?'
Alora's expression bloomed when she saw Silas. "Silas!" She ran towards him - leaving behind Lennon who stood there with his waist bended and his hand covering the side of his mouth.
Silas patted Alora's head lovingly. "What were you both doing?" He smiled, but what Alora couldn't see what that the corner of his lips were twitching unnoticeably.
"He proposed to Maren!" She giddily said. Silas made his hand towards hers.
Silas looked at Lennon, "Oh I see."
Lennon felt chills up his spine.
"I hope she accepts." Silas smiled.
"T-thank you." Lennon quivered
'Of course I'm thankful that you're saying that but...THE LOOK IN YOUR EYES DON'T MATCH YOUR WORDS AT ALL!'
"I-I need to go help my dad bye!"
Lennon fled as if his ass had caught fire creating a funny image.
"Bye Lennon!" Alora waved at him.
"You shouldn't be close to other men, it's dangerous." Silas said. A tone a jealousy in his voice that he tried to hard to hide.
"But Lennon is my childhood friend. He grew up with me together, so he's not dangerous." She pouted.
Silas burned with jealousy and Alora defending Lennon just added more fuel to it.
"Listen to me. Childhood friend or not, you never know what's going on in inside someone's head." He lightly brushed his fingers on her soft cheek. Alora mischievously smiled.
"Then what about you? Should I also stay away from you?" She gave him a lopsided smile.
Silas knew what she was trying to do.
"No." He said.
"But why?" She challenged.
"Because I'm different." He simply stated, as if it was an undeniable fact.
Alora was speechless. But she was soon drowned in her thoughts that popped up.
'Is he really different to me?'
Seeing her speechless, Silas continued.
"Am I not?" Silas asked.
'Is he?' She questioned herself.
If Maren or Seira were present, they would undoubtedly roll their eyes. It was almost comical how oblivious Alora was to the truth. Even a dog could sense that for her, Silas was indeed different, but the woman herself remained blissfully unaware.
"Alora," Silas's voice broke through her tangled thoughts, and she shook her head, silently imploring him to change the topic. However, her request was met with a sight that jolted her.
Despite the lack of significant change in his facial expression, Silas appeared utterly disheartened, like a storm cloud had settled over him.
"You are different," Alora blurted out, the words escaping her lips before she could think better of them.
Silas and Alora both froze, the weight of that revelation hanging in the air between them.
'Is there any hole nearby?'
'I didn't think she would really say it.'
Their hearts raced. Alora's face took on a hue resembling the ripened plums grown in the neighboring kingdom, flushed with emotions she had long kept concealed.
Silas had always suspected that Alora harbored feelings for him, but hearing her affirm it so boldly left him stunned. The realization washed over him like a tidal wave, and a whirlwind of emotions threatened to overwhelm him.
Happiness surged through him at breakneck speed, but it came with a sense of disbelief and fear. He felt unworthy of someone so perfect, the nagging fear that she might leave him, and the haunting notion that he was undeserving of the love she so openly professed.
Alora spied at his face.
'Is he uncomfortable?' Alora thought sadly.
'Does he not like me?'
These thoughts cast a shadow over her, making her despondent. She fought back her emotions and turned away from Silas, concealing her tears.
The road was brightly lit because of the food stalls as the cloudy night sky covered the moon above.
"Let's go. It's getting pretty late." She tried sounding cheerful and started to walk away.
"You are different for me too."
Alora paused as the moon peeped out from the fluffy cloud and fell on them.
Finally done!
Enjoy reading and please do vote and comment.
Hope you all have/had a nice day!
~ Snow