Spoiler: Legacy chapter content

Gentle ivory moonlight trickled through the leaves, lightly illuminating two walking figures. They trekked quietly through the wooded park at a slow, steady pace. The long haired figure stopped, leaning on a tree to rest.

“You OK, Ellowyn?” The other asked, his adolescence voice crackled a little.

“Yeah”. A wispy breath escaped her small lips.

“Your dad will be furious if he knows I’m letting you do this”. He sighed.

“Relax! We have been coming here since forever. You know how I hate being couped up in there”. Showing an impish smile, she stared at him with her gleaming crimson eyes. A swift breeze lifted her loose silver hair. It glowed softly, reflecting the pale moonlight.

His breath stopped for a second. “I feel like I’m making a deal with the devil here”. He smirked. A very enchanting one.

Their walk continued until they reached a large clearing. She put her backpack down, pulling out two belt clips. She threw one toward him and clipped the other onto her skirt belt.

“They won’t slam into each other this time right?” He asked, reaching his hand out to catch the clip.

“Don’t worry, I recalibrated the sensors already”. She pouted, pulling two quad copter drones from her pack and activating them.

The drones whirled to life, taking flight and shining a bright stage light on each of the two. Ellowyn’s light was white and His, blue.

With a black jacket, short skirt and a white shirt, her attire was both suited for dancing and a light forest trekking.

“I’d still prefer that you wear a real dress”

“You aren’t very fancy yourself”. She chuckled. Giving him a once over.

“I’m not too fond of traversing forests”. Wearing a blue jacket, white shirt and jeans, he had a more casual look.

”You know how ballrooms don’t allow flying stage drones. Besides, I’ve done countless practice sessions at your place already. I know you like dancing, I like technology and nature“. She closed her eyes, taking in the refreshing scent of the forest. “This is the most that I can compromise”. She threw him a challenging look.

“There are countless alternatives to your faulty logic, but its fine I guess”. He gave a helpless shrug. Opening his backpack, he pulled out a portable speaker and set it on the ground, starting the music.

Arms intertwined with shoulders and hands clasped together, their faces almost touched. They moved fluidly with the rhythm, speeding up and slowing down as the violin fall and rise. Their feet moved in unison, hers often stepped in front so as to circle around.

“You know, this would look a lot better if you are shorter”. He concluded.

“Thats what you get for dating someone older”. She gave a mischievous smirk, shortly before turning it into a frown as she leaned her head into his firm chest and rested.

He paused the music with a tap of his phone, his arms embracing her thin waist. Placing his chin on top of her head, he inhaled the sweet fragrance of peach from her soft white hair. His calm demeanor portrayed the numerous times they spent together in that pose.

“Continue?” He asked after a minute of silence.

She nodded and they continued the dance as if nothing happened.

Sometimes, her slender left leg would lift backward swiftly. Other times, she would do a full twirl, her long hair radiated moonlight as it spiraled outward. He would use both hands to lift the sides of her still-blossoming bust, carrying her and spinning around. Despite the few times she had to rest briefly, it was clear to any bystander that they were no beginners.

The dance ended with her head leaning on his back, her arms embracing his firm chest.

“I wish that I could complete our dance without any moment of rest. She complained, her breathing hoarse.

“Me too”. He wore sad smile.

“Alex!” His eyes snapped open, darting dazedly at the source of the shout.

“I told you not to sleep during a raid supervision” A pair of gleaming emerald eyes stared back, her curvaceous lips curled into a mischievous smile.

“It wasn’t my fault, really. This is rather bogus, the other side didn’t even bother to get their forces into formation”. He shook his head. “I’m pretty sure they’re doing this for formality or something. And welcome back, Miss Sophie. This is one of the few times you have left without my guard. May I ask of what has transpired?”

“I told you a thousand times, just Sophie is enough! Can you imagine it if I just call you Mister Alex or Guardian?” She pouted before sitting down next to him. Her long champaign blond hair cascaded down his uniform as she leaned her head on his shoulder. A long sigh escaped her lips.

“Bad day huh?”

“You wouldn’t believe it if I tell you. I just found that we had a sister! A sister, Alex. One whose life was kept a secret until the very moment of her death! I have no clue why dad would do such a thing, locking her up and putting her away like that.” Her eyes turned to his.

“And get this, she had white hair and red eyes, just like a girl in your past, Ella right?”

“Ellowyn”. He corrected absentmindedly, his mind whirled. She was here? He shook his head, dismissing the thought. There were albino people in this world too, though few in number, most of them had good health and lived normal lives.

“Heres a picture of her. Her name was Emilia”. She took out her phone and showed it to him.

It was a picture of a plump albino girl of around seventeen. She smiled while standing inside a small indoor garden.

He sighed inwardly, both out of relief and disappointment. Raising his eyebrows , he mused silently. John can be sly and brutal at times, but he was not the type to lock away his own daughter. Alex knew about Emilia and Lia. John said that they died in one of the assassination attempt that targeted him. He was really curious to know why John would kept his daughter’s life a secret.

Nodding pretentiously at Sophie’s hysterical outbursts, his mind wandered back to the memories of the dance. It has been 18 years already since our last dance, it seems. He recalled his bewilderment when he received the summon request at Ellowyn’s death bed. His heart was filled with bitterness and sorrow, he had wanted a quick escape from life.

Sighing, he concluded that was the most idiotic decision of his life, having chosen to be dragged into the pointless conflicts of another world. Like Ellowyn, he was a man of logic. He smiled wryly. She would have laughed hard at him if she knew he had gotten himself into this mess.

Sophie stopped, frowning. “You’re not even listening to me, and that smile, you’re thinking about Ellowyn again, aren’t you?”. Her voice a hint of bitterness, she put her face close to his. “You shouldn’t cling so hard to the past. I know she wouldn’t want you so either”. She hugged her luscious rounded waist, emphasizing her heaving bosom. She stared at him, her lustful gaze emitting loneliness and the desire to be loved, physically.

He shook his head and pulled her into a soft hug. “I may look only a few years your senior, but you know I’m old enough to be your dad. Whether you like it or not, you have always been like a child to me. ” He already concluded long ago, that the desire to be in bed with someone dropped to rock bottom after you have seen and took care of them as a baby.

She pouted again, but did not make any attempts to remove herself from his embrace. “I promise with my heart that one day, you will see me as a child no longer”.

John Lyon sat in his office. The dimly lit lights blended with his sorrowful expression. Beep. He answered his phone before it can ring the second time. “John’s here”.

“I’ve switched the photos, both digital and in paper. I really pity your daughter, even in her death, her family would morn for the wrong person.” The caller was female.

“You know it had to be done, they will likely use her for distraction. I’ve gotten reports of recent kidnapping and necromancy cases”. His monotone voice quivered slightly.

“What I’m really worried about is you. I’ll come see you as soon as I’m done cleaning up the mess.”

“Thanks dear.” Ending the call, he sat in the dark silence, still as a statue.