[EVA'S POV]
I feel my eyelids lift up, revealing my eyeballs which land on a vaulted ceiling. I blink several times, realizing I'm actually existing. A heart is beating in my chest, blood is rushing in my veins, a tongue is moving in my mouth. My nose is smelling sweet incense and exhaling carbon dioxide.
I sit up and observe my surroundings while touching my body like a newly constructed robot who has just come into existence. I literally have a life! There are three candelabra in the room, a huge mirror with a stool, a large bed I'm sitting on with thick, expensive paisley sheets.
This not the afterlife! This is my room! I'm in Exyclott! What am I doing alive? How the hell am I not dead? It was my dream to be remembered as a martyr and now it was all ruined! Great, now I can't be a hero.
Suddenly, I see three familiar men rush to my room and surround my bed. One of the men is middle aged with very pale green eyes, wearing a long, red leather coat. That is....wait, that's Damaris? And...and the old looking man in the armor is Moros and the good looking one next to him is .....
"Ace!" I gasp, throwing my weak hands around him. I hear myself tearing up onto his shoulder. "Ace, you're alive!"
I feel his larger hands on my back as he pulls me closer and tighter to him.
"Eva! You can't imagine how happy I am to see you awake. I missed you so much." he said as he let go off me, but not completely, kissing my forehead, and then my lips. Oh this definitely not the afterlife. You can't find such lips in the afterlife. It's all skulls and bones there.
I don't even remember how the afterlife was. I think I was, I don't know... asleep?
"How long have I been unconscious?" I ask innocuously.
"For three days, My Lady." Damaris answers.
My hand automatically flies to cover my wide open mouth. "Oh My God!"
"It's okay, love. You're awake, that's all that matters." Ace coaxes.
"But...but Moros you said if I revived him I was going to die. Why am I alive?" I ask, bewildered.
"I don't know, My Lady. I'm confused myself. Let's just thank your luck." Moros says.
"You two, please leave us alone. I'll be with you in a minute." Ace says, dismissing Damaris and Moros.
I stare at his precious face, smiling a little, as his gaze was fixated on our intertwined hands.
"I thought for a moment when I woke up that I was in heaven. But then I saw you and realized that people like you can never make it there." I say wryly with a smirk, as he chuckles and looks up at me. His eyes soften.
"I can't believe you did that for me. I would've killed Hudson if you died." he says, squeezing my hand.
"I don't even know what I was thinking." I sigh, pinching my nose. "It also seems surreal to me that I'm not dead."
"Whatever it is, I'm glad you're alive. Also you should thank Damaris for his concoctions. But if you died, Eva, I would've never forgiven myself..." he coos. "You didn't have to do that. That was crazy. I always knew I couldn't trust a Sansoran to make logical decisions."
"I'll choose to ignore that. Where is Hudson? You said you would've killed him, meaning you haven't."
Ace looks down and sighs. "He uh....I put him in a dungeon."
I chortle. "Why do you feel under accomplished about it? Well, I'm not surprised. I know you would love to crush his skull beneath your foot and feed on his intestines instead of just lock him up...."
Ace groans. "Eva..."
"....it's okay. I don't think you're a monster." I say with a tiny smile. "You have anger issues often, but I understand. This time he tried to kill you. You have every reason to lock him up safe and away from society. He's a monster and he's very dangerous. He's a threat to you and me. The last I saw the look in his eyes, I got scared. I never knew he could be that deadly."
Ace sighs again. He looks worried. "Hudson escaped from the dungeon."
My heart sinks as I gasp. "What? He escaped?"
Ace nods. "Yes. Moros believes he was assisted. I don't know who, but my mother probably knows about it."
"That's....that's bad, isn't it? I can't imagine what he's gonna do." I wince.
"According to the laws of Exyclott, it is an abomination to kill a relative. That was the only thing stopping me from killing him. But that law wouldn't stop him from killing me, in fact, it never has. He's going to revolt." he says with a sense of urgency.
"So what are you going to do?"
"I'll fight him when he comes." he says fervently.
"No, what if he hurts you? He had once killed you, you asshole! If he does it again, I will bury you myself. With Otis. I'm not going to heal you." I say sternly. "And then, I will get married to Damaris because his medicines saved my life."
Ace laughs and shakes his head, though I was being serious and totally not joking. "You would marry Damaris? That great grandpa?"
"Yes. Why wouldn't I? He's not that old and just as handsome..."
Ace sighs. "Cardale..."
"My point is, I'm not going to let you risk your life, Ace. I really care about you."
Ace smiles and his eyes soften. He caresses my hand gently as he tilts his head and gazes at me. "Why?"
I shrug. "Because I have a soul?"
He groans and rolls his eyes. "I thought we were making progress." I know what he was getting at, but I glare back at him trying to get him to be serious. He sighs and continues: "On a more serious note, Eva, if I want to protect Exyclott, I must protect it no matter the cost. At first I wasn't planning on killing Hudson, but now I do. And I will do it in cold blood. Sutr will understand."
"But..."
"I'll be fine, Eva. Trust me."
"Okay." I give in. "It's just that...well we were beginning to build something together and... I don't want to lose you to any deadly war."
Ace puts his hand over mine. "You won't lose me, I promise. But you're right about one thing?"
"What? That you're an asshole?"
"No. That Hudson is dangerous. That's why I don't want you to be here. Go home."
I frown. "What?"
"Look, you've done a lot for me and Exyclott and Hudson. And Hudson wants you as well, not me only. But I don't trust him. I don't want you to get into any kind of trouble. Just leave. These are dangerous times."
I shake my head. "Hudson wants me, that's why he wouldn't hurt me. I'm not leaving you here especially when...." I hesitate and sigh. "I need to be by your side. I'll have to make sure you're okay. I've got healing powers, remember?"
Ace smirks. "I thought you said if I died, you were going to bury me and get married to Damaris."
I roll my eyes. "Forget about it."
"Look, you don't need to do me any more favors, okay? It's my turn now. I promise, after everything is over, I'll come back for you."
I stare back at him, my expression sad. I don't know why there was something in me that didn't want me to leave. Something was making me stubborn. This probably was a sign of a bad omen. I don't want to go anywhere. My fingers played with his dark hair, my eyes locked with his entrancing green ones, my expression grim.
"Read my lips, Ace. I'm not going anywhere."
❇
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Song recommendations:
Sweet Night by BTS V 👌
Mic Drop by BTS 👌