Note to the reader: *.......* means he's saying that in his head.

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Sorry for taking so long. Been working.

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Chapter 52

Ilyana:"Please don't go!"

I turned back to my closest friend and showed her a kind smile.

Becket:"I have to go. The gods requested it of me."

I wiped away the tears that began gathering in her eyes.

Ilyana:"B-But I'll never see you again!"

Becket:"You know I'll be back. You're one of the chosen after all."

My fingers gently caressed her cheek. Her sniffling slowly stopped as she placed her hand over mine.

Ilyana:"It won't be you......"

My gaze shifted to the woman behind Ilyana.

Becket:"Take care of Ilyana for me, Naomi."

She nodded without saying a word. I looked back into Ilyana's eyes then, with no hesitation, pressed our lips together. Even though we had already lived over a hundred years, this was both of our first kiss. Elves do not get intimately involved with the other gender unless it's their spouse. Neither of us have been married so obviously we're inexperienced. We finally separated, and she began wiping away the few tears still left.

Ilyana:"You kiss like a girl."

A playful grin adorned her face.

Becket:"How would you know."

I bonked her on the head. It was slightly peeving since she knew I had a complex about that. The other elves always call me girly.

Ilyana:"Here."

In her outstretched hands was a mana crystal, our food source. It was pulled out of the satchel she always wears. This one was a pure white color unlike the usual yellow.

Becket:"This is....."

Before I could complete my sentence, she shoved it into my chest and ran away.

Naomi:"Have a safe trip."

Naomi said her farewells before chasing after Ilyana.

Becket:"That girl....."

I smiled at the backs of my two childhood friends. The mana crystal I was given is special, among elves it represents a marriage proposal. It's created from an elf's own essence also known as their soul. Only one can be made in their entire life so it's very important to be careful who you give it to. If the proposal is accepted then all I have to do is eat it.

.

.

The weight of someone sitting on top of me suddenly roused me from my sleep. My eyes were covered in a haze because of my drowsiness. The sound of someone sniffing was the first thing I noticed.

Becket:"Carmilla?"

When my consciousness fully returned, I realized it was Carmilla sitting on my chest. Her nose was touching my neck and her warm breath could be felt. I couldn't actually see her face, but it was easy to tell who it was.

Becket:"You know drinking my blood is not allowed."

I could guess what she wanted so I reminded her of the command I had once given. The limits to my commands haven't been tested yet so I wasn't sure if the one I had issued, back at Gene's inn, was still being forced upon them. It was given as a way to protect myself, obviously I needed to be sure it was still working.

Carmilla:"Someone is following us."

My ears perked up at her whispering voice.

Carmilla:"They've been following us for a while now, but they kept their distance to keep from being found out. I almost didn't notice."

With a quick surge of mana to my eyes, I activated my vampire sight. The only heartbeats I could see were Camilla's, Bram's, and my own.

*They must be quite far away.*

Becket:"Which direction?"

I still wasn't sure why she was on top of me so I rolled over putting her on the bottom.

Carmilla:"That way."

After she extended her finger, I took off at top speed. Fairy wings sprouted from my back, and I soured into the sky. I passed through the treetops to get a birds eye view of the surrounding area. A lot of ground was quickly covered when a faint red dot finally came into sight. By the time I was clearly able to see it, the dot began to move.

Becket:"Damn, I was noticed."

There was still a large gap between us, and the forest covered them so I couldn't make out their appearance. They moved at an incredible speed while zigzagging through the trees.

Becket:"No choice then."

Both of my hands reached out toward the red dot, my body trembled as the power began to flood the forest. A creaking noise echoed throughout the woodland below me while the trees started twisting into frightening shapes. My lack of control was deforming the forest.

Becket:"This is trickier than I thought."

I tried to focus all of the power toward the dot. It wasn't easy since the swift little thing was constantly moving and barely in one spot for more than a moment.

Becket:"I've got you!"

A twisted cage of trees trapped the dot inside. It darted around trying to find a way out then just stopped moving. I descended toward the cage and landed with a thud.

Becket:"That really...ha...ha....took a lot of energy."

After a few seconds of sharply inhaling, I got my breathing under control. It didn't take very long to catch this person, but I ended up using too much of my own energy. Manipulating the earth pulse puts a large strain on my body and mind. Practice is essential.

Becket:"I'm going to come in! You make one move and I'll kill you!"

One of the twisted trees making up the cage began to move. An entrance appeared in front of me, and I jumped inside. It was dark in the cage, but I quickly matched eyes with the person in it.

Becket:"Aria?"

All the tension that had been built up was suddenly lost. The innocent looking fairy was the only one inside with me.

Becket:"You followed me."

A sigh escaped from my lips as the twisted trees separated. That artifact to increase size was still around her neck so she currently wasn't tiny. Even with it she's still short.

Becket:"Didn't I tell you to stay with Eva?"

My voice was stern so that she would know I was angry.

Aria:"I didn't want to stay."

She refused to look me in the eye and made her pouting obvious.

Becket:"It's going to be dangerous in the place I'm heading to."

I knew she wasn't going to back down after following me all this way. The only choice left was to take her along, but I hoped this last warning might convince her to turn back. The smile on her face told me my warning was completely disregarded.

Aria:"I'll be ok!"

After quickly patting her on the head, we headed back to camp. Both Bram and Carmilla recognized Aria as one of my friends which let them lower their alertness. Bram easily excepted her arrival, but Carmilla seemed a little upset.

Of course she slept with me like always. It had been a while since we last slept together, and I've gotta say, it feels better to have a warm body beside you at night.

We didn't talk much the next day as we got up and prepared to set off. There was still a mountain path we had to cross through before reaching the port city. As we moved along, the temperature continued to drop. Bram drove the wagon like usual.

Becket:"Could you move back a little?"

Aria was being a little clingy, and it was getting in the way of my doll making. I had already finished the Eva doll and was now working on an Aelisia doll.

Aria:"Don't want to. It's cold."

She pulled closer to me trying to cuddle into my side. Carmilla had been watching us this whole time. My doll making process seemed to interest her; however, this time she was mostly watching Aria. More like glaring at her. It kind of seemed like jealousy, but I didn't think Carmilla had a thing for me. Who knows maybe she fell for me, love is a mysterious thing after all.

I subconsciously rubbed my neck. Last night I was worried she wanted to drink my blood, and now there's this problem. No matter how things turn out, I'm certain my near future will be filled with trouble.

Becket:"If you have to be this close then at least use my back instead of my side."

There was a few second long pause to think about it, but she ended up accepting. With her now at my back, I was free to work on the doll. I even made some red armor and a little sword for the Aelisia doll. It looked like a miniature war goddess with the flaming red hair and crimson armor. The armor had to be removable since it wasn't very cuddly with it on so she also had that tight black outfit all knights wear under their armor.

Bram:"You can see the town."

When Bram called out to me, I had been extremely absorbed in my work. The fact that Aria had already moved to the front of the wagon to see the small city was not noticed by me. There were walls around the town, but they weren't as tall as the capitol's.

Bram:"This town makes a lot of money for the human continent. I hear their taxes are high in order to prevent them from making more money than the capitol."

Aria:"Why?"

Because of her lack of real world experience, Aria didn't understand this country's political worries. Bram was nice enough to answer her.

Bram:"The capitol is afraid this town may one day rebel if they're allowed to grow richer and stronger than the royal family. That's why this area hasn't reached the level of a city yet since they're also having the expansion of their territory limited. Despite the fact this town could thrive if released from the royal families rule, they have never tried even once to oppose the capitol."

It wasn't until now that I thought about who I was traveling with. Aria is the fairy princess, Carmilla is the vampire princess, and Bram is the vampire prince. They've never really felt like royalty so my mind never really excepted it. Eva is the only one I've acknowledged. She's a princess that will be queen some day.

Becket:"Why do I run into so many royals?"

I mumbled to myself as we approached the town gate. It felt like a shrunken version of the capitol if you just judged it on first looks. The town itself could be completely different, but I won't know until we get inside.

Two knights in silver armor stood on either side of the gate. A third knight was talking to the man driving the wagon at the front of the long line we were currently in. The knight was handed a few coins then he went to check the contents of the person's wagon. Once the check was over, the knight waved the man through after the gate opened.

The wait wasn't long and we soon reached the front where the knight was standing. He approached our wagon and spoke to Bram.

Knight:"What's your purpose here today?"

When the knight and Bram met eyes, there was a short silence. The reason was because the knight took a step back. He must have noticed the red eyes and realized Bram was a vampire. This probably isn't the first time he has seen a vampire, but they are still frightening creatures. The eyes naturally intimidate you, and the stories of their blood sucking would likely be revolting to a normal person.

Bram:"We're traveling. We'll only be here for a few days before departing."

The knight seemed to settle down and collect himself before speaking.

Knight:"Any cargo?"

He looked towards the back of the wagon.

Bram:"Only three other people and their personal luggage."

A skeptical look flashed across the knights face, but was quickly changed. The sign of a true professional, he easily hides his thoughts. Still, he's not all the way there yet since what you're thinking should never be visible for even a second. He'll rise through the ranks with a little hard work and a few more years of practice. Poker face is important in any job.

He searched the wagon to be sure. This was a much more detailed search compared to the others that had been ahead of us, but that is to be expected. He obviously doesn't trust vampires.

Knight:"Everything looks fine."

After paying the entrance fee, we passed through the gate. The town was bustling with many different kinds of people. Unlike the capitol there were less humans. I was surprised since this is still the human continent.

Bram:"This town is a major port city where a lot of trade happens. Almost all goods coming and going from this continent pass through here. The constant traffic from other continents has allowed this place to mix with other races."

As if sensing what I was thinking, Bram began to explain.

Becket:"Good. I've been looking forward to meeting some of the other races."

My voice was low since I was talking to myself. Mostly, I've been looking forward to meeting a proper elf. There weren't any currently within sight, but hopefully I'll run into one. Since my body was that of an elf, I was very interested in what they were like. Carmilla broke me out of my thoughts with her next statement.

Carmilla:"I can sense Radu's kin."

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