Blood running down my arm, teeth clenched, I stifle the pain down my throat.
“Tia…! Run away!” Shouting at a frightened Tia, I tried to convince her to move. The legs of the young elf quivered side to side, her eyes filled with shock.
Cursing under my breath, the wolf’s jaws bite deeper; I tense up and step backward. My tiny body was barely able to keep up such a ferocious beast.
Noticing the other wolf was approaching Tia, I couldn’t stall any longer; I needed to act and kill…
“Get away from her!” I lift with all my power and strength. The wolf claws my arms, and I jump backward.
Falling on my back, I extend the bitten arm toward the broken log to my side. A fortunate wood spike pierces the wolf’s body, leaving it impaled. The jaws let go of my arm just as quickly as the life of its eyes dimmed.
Turning toward the last wolf, it senses its partner’s death and turns its attention towards a wounded prey.
“Damn it!” I scramble to reach for my dagger.
The blade leaves its sheath, but the impact of the charging beast knocks it out of my hands and to the ground. I scramble toward the knife once more with desperation.
The tip of the blade touches the edges of my fingers before the wolf pounces on me. I can slip away by twisting my body fast, but my dagger is even further from me. The wolf doesn’t relent and just as fast pounces once again.
The back of my head hits the edge of a tree, causing a disorientation of my surroundings. I struggle for survival as the wolf viciously snaps its jaws toward my neck.
“Ahh! Damned beast!” Looking around, I try to search for a weapon. Grabbing a nearby rock and start bashing the wolf’s skull repeatedly. Each attempt was met with another close bite. Kicking my legs up, I try to push it back, but the strength of my wounded arm falters, unable to keep up the defense.
I drop the rock to brace against the opposing creature. The disgusting breath pierces my nose, sickening my stomach. However, I begin to lose the battle, the sharp teeth bare close to my throat. The snarling growl of the wolf fills my heart with dread.
“I don’t want to die…!” I plead to myself—the heavy burden to hold onto.
Then, like a silent rainfall, wet drops of warm liquid ink on my face and neck. I open my eyes and turn toward the wolf. The soft panting of the creature loses its strength, and the warm feeling of its blood touches my chest.
I didn’t notice until looking to my side, the young Tia, both hands on my dagger, impaling the wolf’s side. She lets go of the blade and takes a step back. Her hands were drenched in the dark crimson.
Pulling the wolf to the side, I grab my dagger and drive it into the beast’s heart, ending the painful suffering. Sliding the blade out quickly, I wipe the contents on the dagger before stowing it back into its sheath.
“You saved me, thank you, Tia-” I stop in my tracks.
Tia stands still, holding her hands in front of her. The drenched hands of the gentle girl shake to the depravity of her sanity.
Approaching her, I remove my handkerchief. Gently caressing her warm hands, kindly eliminating the stains from her hands. Tia looks up with the same sickened look as before.
“If your hands are stained, I’ll be there to wipe it away, blood and all,” I speak softly, the tone of my voice gentle.
I remove the blood from her hands and gently rub her hands with mine. Her shaking hands seem still, and a calming breath leaves her lips.
“Thank you, Caleb.”
I nod before stashing the cloth and holding my bleeding arm. Tia blinks before caressing her fingers around my arm. Knowing what she is going to do, I allow her free use.
A silent exchange between the two children occurs. Tia looks at the wound and uses her holy magic to heal the damage. The wound slowly stops bleeding. Tia focuses more on repairing the injury, but the spell enveloping Caleb’s arm fizzles out, and Tia desperately tries to summon more of her power to achieve her goal.
“It’s alright; you’ve done enough for me already.”
“No, this much I can do… If I can’t, then I…-” Her speech weakens, and so does the strength in her legs.
Caleb acts quickly and takes hold of her, stopping her sudden collapse.
“Tia!” Worried, Caleb lifts her gently on her back and carries her back to the manor.
The young girl had used up all her mana and drained her own energy in doing so. Caleb approaches the tall manor before an exhausted Tia regains consciousness. She holds onto Caleb tighter and plants her face into his back in her tired state.
“You suddenly collapsed. Do you think you can walk?” Caleb was exhausted, and the pain of his wound was draining.
“Sure… Set me down, please.” She said with a sad tone.
Kneeling, Caleb lets her off, and she dusts herself off.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t heal it completely…”
“Don’t worry about my arm. You fixed it enough; I’ll wrap it in bandages.” Caleb conceals the pain in his arm. The night sky shined brightly on the two fated children. A gleam of hope reflects on the elf girl.
“We almost died, didn’t we?” Tia asks abruptly.
“If my magic weren’t gone, those wolves wouldn’t have been such a problem.” Caleb flaunts his pride.
“Your magic won’t always save you, Caleb. You’re the son of a lord of one of the greatest Scarlet Knights ever. Most of his children your age would already know how to use a sword and carry one.” Tia looks at Caleb with a displeased expression.
“I don’t need to learn how to handle a sword!” Caleb barks.
“You’re stubborn!” She pouts, throwing a fit.
“Better be stubborn than having to do something you don’t want to do!” Clenching his fist, Caleb proclaims his belief.
“Your magic is limited; what will you do if there is much more you can handle? Just sit on your side to die?”
“I’ll get stronger!” Caleb raises his voice, determined.
“Strength doesn’t come from power, Caleb… I thought you, of all people, should know that.” Tia breaks away and decides to leave the conversation.
“Power is what drives the world! Nothing was gained without it!”
“You sound just like a Demon Lord! Power this! Power that! Magic or not, you can’t do anything when you break yourself.” She trails off a bit before resuming her departure.
He is taken aback by her comment. Caleb is filled with emotion and is hurt deeply by her words. Anxiety plagues his mind; the very thoughts of Tia now calling him a monster like everyone else is a burden, too much for a young child like him. But within the pain of being abandoned, being treated less than human, he held onto the one thing he was proud of…
“I’ll become stronger to protect everyone! Strong enough to protect you, Tia!” Caleb didn’t care if she hated him now; something awoke inside him to proclaim his charge. He didn’t know if it was what she said that got under his skin or if it was Tia herself that caused a change. But one thing was sure: he didn’t want her to always look down on him.
Tia stopped in her tracks and went still.
Caleb watched her process everything. He watched as she turned around and approached him with intensity. The young girl, barely taller than him, paced and grabbed Caleb by his shoulders. Unable to move, Caleb was stunned by her sudden possessiveness.
“Tia…?”
Before he could say anything more, a soft, warm sensation pressed against his cheek; a process of alarm blared within his mind as the kind and beautiful elf in front of him kissed his cheek. A sudden realization of the moment causes Caleb to jump back and press his hand to his cheek; a rose-red blush envelopes his face.
“Huh!?” Caleb turns towards her.
“That is for saving me, dummy! Don’t get the wrong idea; I still think you are stupid that you think magic is all you need!” Tia finally turns and runs away from Caleb. You are leaving the young boy who is red from head to toe.
*
I ran away again, but not for the same reason this time. I couldn’t let him see how embarrassed I was when he said that. Hiding around the corner of the manor, steam was pouring from my heated skin. The blush was intense, and it spread to my long ears. My ears twitched and moved up and down in response.
“You dummy…” I slip past, enter the manor, and head straight to my room. Leaping into bed, burying my face in my pillow.
The intense feeling was overwhelming, and I couldn’t relax. Tossing and turning around, I struggled to find any good sleep. Caleb was all I could think about more than ever. After my fit, I felt my body give in to the exhausting day, and the darkness of sleep consumed me. I lifted my hand above my eyes. Reliving the moment, he wiped away the blood, remembering his words. The kiss upon his cheek was now a bright highlight burned into memory.
A warm smile is the last thing I could remember before falling asleep…
*
Caleb stood still as the young girl ran away. The moment she went out of sight, he couldn’t contain his composure any longer.
Sprinting off into the woods so no one would hear, “She kissed me!!” excitedly and leaping into the air with a single fist in the air.
He returned to his room soon after, wrapping his arm in a bandage. Upon hitting his bed, a sweeping sense of darkness clouded his eyes, and the restless night eased into the morning son.
*
Sitting in his chair, Lord Valum Airs was writing a letter to his eldest, Dunick. Awake late at night, a cold sweat dripped from his forehead.
“Come to bed, dear.” The young wife of Valum. Regina stares at him, begging for the night to end.
“Just a little longer. I must invite my children back home before Miss Tia and Lord Soldia return home at the end of this month. I want to give them a proper send-off with everyone.”
“Even with that thing?” She scoffs.
“Caleb is still my son, so watch your tone.” Valum fires back.
“He’s more trouble to keep around; why didn’t you leave him when you found him, let him die along with his filthy mother who bore him.”
“Because I made a promise to that woman. I kept my vow and intended to keep my vow and honor as Lord Commander of the Scarlet Knights.” Valum places down his pen and sits up from his desk.
“If you weren’t so attached to such a creature, you wouldn’t be just the Lord Commander.”
“What I do with my children is my responsibility; he will leave when he turns fourteen. I know the church and empire have grown distasteful at the news of Caleb. He is still my son, and I will do what a father will do for his child.”
“Tsk…” Lady Regina gets up from the bed and exits the room, presumably getting herself a drink.
Valum rubs his exhausted eyes. Resuming his letters to his children, a slightly depressed thought enters his mind.
“The cloud of war is approaching house Airs; I fear, my children, that I must ask you to stay strong…”
