Boy Death Meets a Girl

Ellulia

Ellulia sat with her arms wrapped around her knees, pouting with tears in her eyes. She was on her bed, in the middle of a small square room with a large wardrobe in the right corner and a window above the bed. You are overreacting, Beelzebub told her.

“But he’s going to think I ran away again!” Ellulia cried. If Eliot is amazing as you think, he will understand.

“He shouldn’t have to understand!” Beelzebub rolled his eyes. If it means that much, I can go for you, Beelzebub offered. Ellulia rolled her eyes up, trying to glare at Beelzebub.

“You said that you were powerless.” I said what I had to in that situation. Since using her bloodline at full power, Ellulia found that she could control it much easier. After specific testing, results showed that she could use up to thirty percent without having to focus beforehand. Using that thirty percent, Ellulia drew the chains wrapping around Beelzebub tighter. She only stopped when she could audibly hear him suffocating. Are you done with your tantrum? Beelzebub rasped with a derisive tone.

“Whatever,” she spat, “What do you have in mind?” As a spiritual entity, I can split my body into pieces. If you allowed me to transfer the majority of my ego into a small amount of my flames, I could apologize to Eliot on your behalf, he explained.

“How is that any different from simply letting you escape?” My body is composed of spiritual fire, if it is not constantly supplied with mana it will extinguish. If that should happen, I would die, Beelzebub told her patiently.

“How does that stop you from killing Eliot and draining his mana?” Ellulia continued to interrogate him. Beelzebub sighed, even if I were to do that, I doubt his mana could sustain me for more than a day.

“How does that stop you from mass murder to sustain yourself?” You have to trust that I would not do something so sure to get me killed. Ellulia silently mulled it over, Can I really trust an Abyssal Lord? Would I be putting Eliot in danger? Is there something he is not telling me? Beelzebub interrupted her, I can hear your thoughts, Ellulia.

Eventually, Ellulia relented with a sigh. She stood up and put out her open palm. A tendril of fire grew from her hand and down to the floor, where it pooled together into a human shape. When the tendril disconnected, the fire bubbled and erratically changed shape before settling on a perfectly human appearance. Beelzebub stretched in his servant attire while examining himself in Ellulia’s only mirror, propped up against the wall left of her bed.

“Well?” Ellulia probed. Beelzebub shook his head eerily similar to a dog drying itself off.

“Something isn’t right,” he muttered. His head turned into flames and fell into the hole of his neck. After a few seconds, flames spouted out of his neck and turned into a large goat head. “Perfect,” purred Beelzebub. Ellulia didn’t care about his inhumane choice of appearance and promptly ushered him out of the window. Now, she sighed to herself, I have to go play princess.

Ellulia plastered a beautiful smile on her face and dressed in a silk dress that revealed more than it should have. She strutted through the castle like a peacock and found herself at the banquet hall. It was a large room with extravagant, whaling chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. A hopelessly ordained table, more than ten meters long and almost two meters wide, bluntly took up the middle of the room. Ellulia always played her part as princess flawlessly. She silently put on a show of sitting in her chair, to the left of the king who was sitting at the head of the table in a plush throne, and across from Henry.

The king was a fat man, covered in comfortable robes and furs to beat the winter snap. The incomparably dazzling crown sat dimly on the over the top flood of white hair that touched the ground whenever the king sat. King Plador was the incarnation of the useless and contemptible noble that Ellulia despised.

She couldn’t be more grateful that King Plador was her uncle and not her father, like the other nobles were told. Her actual father, Klause Crucible, had no desire for the throne or most noble pleasures. When he was Ellulia’s age, Klause left the castle with a few servants and his belongings, leaving his three brothers to vie for the throne. Through a stroke of dumb luck, Plador’s competitors both succumbed to the other’s plot and died, leaving him as the only heir. When Klause and Sarrah, his now deceased wife, gave birth to Howard, Henry, and Ellulia Plador ordered Klause to send them to be raised in the castle as his children. Klause complied, but he never let them think they were Plador’s children and visited frequently, along with Sarrah before she died.

“Well? Are you all going to be silent forever?” King Plador shouted at the room.

“Of course not, your majesty,” started Overseer Teiler, overseer of the Trade District, standing as he delivered his piece. “Beelzebub and The Four Seraphim completely razed the construction sector of the Trade District. I suggest you to commision the peasants in a mass rebuilding. Until then, I have drawn up a new trading schedule that will make up for our losses.” Overseer Teiler had a stack of documents that he passed to the king while speaking. The king even didn’t spare the schedule a rudimentary glance before sliding it back and approving. Teiler sat down; next to speak was Polly Ofal, captain of the guard and military advisor.

“The army is currently marching through the Viorite Forest. They are to arrive at Relice Fortress in three weeks’ time. Unfortunately, Relice Fortress is the farthest settlement with public portal transport. Therefore, they shall resupply and rest for a fortnight before setting off again. Following the timeline, the army will be in position at the Town of Flora by next autumn. In addition, I will have knight Faraday present the declaration of City status to the mayor and Mage Damien will be responsible for the founding of the Mage’s Guild.” Surprisingly, the king sat forward in his seat and paid close attention to what Polly had to say.

“What of the Kirlandhil Empire? Last month you proposed to divide the army in preparation for their siege?” questioned King Plador.

“I have reconsidered in light of new information that I am sure Overseer Dally will surmise in great detail.” Polly bowed before sitting. Dally Fowler, overseer of foreign affairs, stood and addressed the king.

“Fear not your majesty, the Kirlandhil Empire has halted its expansion. The Emperor announced that they would spend the next few annums integrating the new territory into their empire. The next day, the emperor announced that he would travel and disappeared along with his personal guardian. All of my sources tell me they know nothing of his whereabouts or intentions.” King Plador nodded and Overseer Dally sat down.

Everything that followed was boring nonsense that Ellulia tuned out. I swear I am closer to dying of boredom each time I am forced to attend this, she repeated in her head. Finally, when twilight was approaching, the meeting ended and Ellulia was free. Of course, she never dropped her mask of the delicate princess and all of her actions were made slowly. But, the second she was sure no one could see her, she bolted up to her favorite tower and into her self proclaimed room, where Beelzebub was waiting.

“What happened with Eliot?” she practically shouted at him.

“It flowed smoothly,” said Beelzebub. “He said you can talk anytime you are available, just go and find him. Probably fed up making the first move himself.” Ellulia ignored Beelzebub’s comment and absorbed him, wrapping the chains just a bit tighter than usual. With no time to waste, Ellulia threw on her blue cloak and jumped out of her window.

Her heart beat in anticipation and tears streaked across her face with the wind. She flashed like a blue blur through the dissipating sunlight and quickly found herself at The Arcane Academy of Everveil. She slowed down to take a deep breath; She still had to be careful and discreet. Ellulia blended with the shadows as she prowled the campus like an animal hunting for prey. Within a few minutes, she realized most of the campus was empty, with the sparring grounds being the blinding exception. The problem was, she couldn’t get in there without being seen. Steal a student’s clothing, proposed Beelzebub. I’m supposed to be hidden, attacking one of the students is too showy, Ellulia denied. It is only one student out of hundreds. I seriously doubt the academy has insurmountable security, Beelzebub argued. Ellulia frowned, but she had no other ideas.

So, five minutes later, she was adjusting a jacket that was too loose for her as she walked into the gymnasium like structure. She had never played the role of a careless student, but she tried her best and made it to a seat on the bleachers without many roadblocks. Damnit, how am I supposed to locate Eliot in this crowd? Ellulia cursed to herself. I found him, Beelzebub said after her. Eliot had just come out of the locker room and stepped into the arena.

Ellulia and Beelzebub watched the match in amusement. They look to be losing, Beelzebub commented. Ellulia snorted, I thought you had a lifetime of battle experience and could even read the amazing Master Camble. There is absolutely no way they will lose this match. Beelzebub seemed spurred by her words. What makes you so certain? he asked. Eliot was able to cast an illusion spell directly in front of the four seraphim with none of them being any the wiser. And Henry practices the ranged matchup everyday. Lo and behold, Eliot’s team turned the tides and ended up victorious. What did I say? Ellulia gloated. Beelzebub shrugged, I am more interested in that women on their team. Penelope Evergreen was her name? Beelzebub let out a sickening mix of a laugh and growl. I would love to torture her, holy women always have the strongest faith in their gods. Ellulia rolled her eyes and gave his chains a strong tug to shut him up.

Ellulia abruptly shot up from her seat and ran across the top of the bleachers, her footsteps light enough not to stir anyone around her. She arrived at the hallway leading to the locker room just in time.

“Meet me near the cherry blossom tree,” Ellulia whispered in Eliot’s ear as he stepped in the hallway. Eliot turned in a start, but she was gone before he could see her. Ellulia waited perched on a nearby roof. Her heart pounded against her chest in anticipation as Eliot casually sat on the bench. Ellulia took a few deep breaths and tensed her muscles. Wait, Beelzebub stopped her. What is it now? she grumbled. Wait for the proper moment. Trust me, first impressions are extremely important, said Beelzebub. Ellulia bided her time with her hand on her chest, counting the beats as she waited for Beelzebub.

After four hundred ten beats, Beelzebub finally said, Carefully jump in the middle of the pattern, and make sure you smile. Ellulia followed his direction to a tee, only managing a stiff smile.

“Hello, Eliot.”

“H-hello, Ellulia,” Eliot tripped over her name. Ellulia was taken aback. Is Eliot… flustered? she asked incredulously. Of course, he is human after all, laughed Beelzebub. Suddenly, as if before she had the contrast out of whack and the volume blaring loud, she gained an acute mental clarity. Her heart still beat faster than a chain saw and she could still feel all of her emotions, but she could think perfectly fine. That simple sentence from Beelzebub shattered the preconceived image she had of Eliot: someone perfect, someone who possessed all of the qualities she loved and none of the qualities she disliked.

A breeze of fresh air blasted her in the face and completed her relaxation. Her shoulder relaxed, her eyes dropped ever so slightly, her legs stopped shaking, and her smile grew malleable.

“Allow me to properly introduce myself, I am Ellulia Crucible, princess of the Crucible Empire, sister of your friend Henry, the serial killer known as Beelzebub, and your admirer of certifiable proportions.” She flowed smoothly from syllable to syllable and curtsied at the end. Eliot finally snapped out of his daze with a shake of his head. Ellulia couldn’t help but giggle at him for being so late.

“I am Eliot Relius, Mage of the realm, friend of your brother, discipulus of Master Camble and Karl Favish, and your manic pursuer with romantic interest.” Eliot bowed as deep as he could manage without falling over. “Why don’t we go somewhere more comfortable?” Eliot offered Ellulia his hand as a portal circled open in front of them. They stepped through to the roof of a building. Half of the roof was raised for a second floor and provided the perfect wall to lean against. Eliot sat with his back against the wall and offered the seat beside him to Ellulia. From the roof, they had a perfect view of the sunset, dipping below the Metropolis walls in the distance.

“Can we talk now? How about we take turns asking and answering questions, you can go first,” Eliot started. Ellulia settled into her seat and took a deep breath. She tore her eyes from the sun set and gently turned Eliot’s face toward her with her left hand, making them lock eyes.

“Listen, Eliot. I… l-l… l… like you. I really like you.” Ellulia felt like she was being choked. She desperately wanted to say love, but couldn’t manage it. “My whole life I’ve withered away in that gods forsaken castle, with all of my problems taken care of. If I wanted, I could go weeks without ever lifting a finger. I became Beelzebub because I was drowning in that boredom. To me, killing someone is like taking drugs and I crave it all the same.

“But all of that changed when I met you. You make me feel so much more than I can handle. Whenever I think of you I-” Ellulia’s eyes widened. Eliot suddenly cut her off with a kiss. That was when she realized the feelings she struggled to express in words she could perfectly communicate with action. Ellulia leaned into the kiss. When they parted, silence reigned supreme. Ellulia felt like there were bubbles of bliss in her chest and she couldn’t wipe a giant smile from her face.

“I really like you, too,” Eliot said soon after. Ellulia didn’t know why, but she burst out into whole hearted laughter, a happy buzz in her head. Eliot was infected by her flighty energy and joined her in laughing. They leaned against each other, Ellulia’s head resting on Eliot’s shoulder and Eliot’s head resting on Ellulia’s head. Their knees were touching, hands interlocked, and fingers interwoven. After they calmed down for a few minutes, Ellulia splashed around in the melted ice.

“Why don’t you care that I’m a serial killer?” she asked Eliot.

“Does that mean anything? People die all the time. The earth is so big and there are so many sentient creatures that there is probably a scary amount of them dying right now. You adding some more people is negligible,” Eliot explained.

Ellulia pointed at him with her right pointer finger, “Why do you think that? I guarantee that no one in the world agrees with you, besides other serial killers. Wait, are you a serial killer, too?”

“Two questions is cheating,” Eliot stuck his tongue out. “I’ll answer them, though. No, I am not a serial killer, nor do I kill people for pleasure. At least, not yet, who knows what might happen in the future. As for your first question, I’m just as clueless are you. I’ve had to deal with being different my whole life, I’ve had to put on a mask around my friends sometimes, so they wouldn’t run away. I think I get why you’re so afraid of me accepting you in that capacity.

“What about you?” Eliot flipped the question on her. “Why do you enjoy killing people?” Ellulia spent a few seconds searching for the answer, but couldn’t produce one in the end.

“I haven’t the slightest idea,” she shook her head.

“Well, do you like causing pain on others?”

Ellulia took a second to think about it, but responded, “No. I play with my prey but I see that more as a drawn out way to kill someone rather than causing them pain before killing them.”

They talked for hours, the questioning quickly morphing into simple sharing. Ellulia heard all about Eliot’s peasant-ness, drab compared to the quality of things that she could share, mostly because Eliot avoided the majority things that transpired in the past year. Of course, Ellulia kept some things she wasn’t quite ready to share, as well. However, Ellulia was perfectly satisfied with Eliot’s supposed averageness, in fact she was relieved that he had such a normal life. If she found out he was someone favored by the Gods, she would be extremely overwhelmed and unable to romantically pursue him.

They wanted to stay there forever, leaning on the other mentally as much as physically. This moment was perfect, the small nugget of gold amidst the sand. Alas, nothing stays perfect for long, they had their own lives to attend to. But, even after the sun fell below the horizon and they were surrounded by the thick veil of absent light, neither moved, both were unwilling to break the silence. Reluctantly, Ellulia said something. Eliot sighed dreamily and agreed with her, it was time to leave. They tore themselves away from each other, feeling the draw of the other’s heat like a magnetic force.

“We have to do this again,” Ellulia said as she stepped on the edge of the roof.

“It will be a proper date, then,” Eliot agreed, “I’ll take you to the best restaurant in the Metropolis.”

“I can’t wait.” Ellulia’s surroundings blurred as she flew through the air faster than the average eye can see. Beelzebub suddenly spoke up, I can tell you why you like to kill people. Ellulia was scared half to death, she forgot he was even there when she was talking with Eliot. Why? Ellulia asked. Your bloodline. Ellulia lost her sense of balance and slammed into the side of a building, smashing right through the wall. You know what my blood line is! Why the abyss didn’t you tell me? Ellulia angrily thought at him. She climbed up from the rubble and snapped in the face of the building’s owner. The man slumped down to the ground, asleep with his memories sealed. By the time the guards arrived, Ellulia was in the wind. We haven’t exactly been on friendly terms, explained Beelzebub. If so, why are you telling me now? Ellulia asked skeptically. Regard this as my attempt at diplomacy, answered Beelzebub. Fine then, tell me, Ellulia demanded. Your bloodline is that of the Grim Reaper. Beelzebub had an almost delighted tone when he told her. The Grim Reaper…? Ellulia had to strain her memory to recall why that name sounded familiar. Oh, I read about them in a book once. Ellulia had an Alexandria's worth of knowledge stored in her mind from the amount of books she read out of boredom. Ellulia’s inner voice took the mystical tone of a story teller as she recited the passage she read word for word, ‘Grim Reapers are hooded spectres of death. They wield scythes of pure darkness and reap the lives of every being, even the illustrious gods. They lurk in the shadow of every soon to be dead man and none have ever escaped once marked for death. They are always there, ready to fulfill their duty with an abyssal laugh.’ Ellulia’s brows furrowed as she dissected the passage. I suppose that aligns with most things, however it does not explain why I can control the Law of Sealing. Would it not be more fitting if I could control the Law of Death? Ellulia pointed out. Beelzebub scoffed, Don’t flatter yourself by thinking you could comprehend the Law of Death, no mortal has ever accomplished such a feat and none ever will. Besides, the job of the Grim Reapers is to deliver souls to the after life, utilizing the Law of Death would only end them. Ellulia stomped to a halt in the middle of the air, sealing the air in its place to keep her afloat. There’s an afterlife? I thought that was all the insane preachings of the church! Ellulia exclaimed, her mind blown. Somehow, Ellulia was keenly aware of the sick grin on Beelzebub’s face as he said, Of course there is an afterlife, where do you think serial killers are punished? Ellulia was more phased by Beelzebub’s inflection than the comment and quickly let it slide. How do you know all of this? About death and the Grim Reapers? They are creatures of ancient legend, much older than you claim to be, Ellulia asked, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. Beelzebub barked a laugh, How could I not know these things? Lady Death and I are old friends, after all. Ellulia queried further, but Beelzebub abstained from answering. She sighed and continued on her trek back to the castle.

Even after everything she learned, Ellulia still had one question that plagued her thoughts: Where did her bloodline come from? Bloodlines were passed down through family, if she was a Grim Reaper then her family should be, too. However, she knew for a fact that Henry and her father weren’t Grim Reapers. The only answer she could think of that would satisfy the conditions was if she was adopted. But, that led to frankly depressing questions of how, where, when, who, and why, so she refrained from making that assumption and resolved to ask her father a few vague questions.

Eliot

As soon as Ellulia fled his vision, he collapsed flat on his back.

“Oh Gods, that was intense,” Eliot gasped. His heart pounded against his chest so hard that it started to hurt. Right now, Eliot was a train wreck of feelings and overwhelming anxiety. He couldn’t think straight their whole conversation, he was forced to put up a face of calm and relax that he always had. Ellulia was so much more than he imagined. After all this time he spent chasing her, in his mind she became an idea, a feeling of attraction he knew from no where else, and nothing more. Now that he finally talked to her, he realized that she was more than he knew, she was a human. As complex and intricate as him, more confusing and attractive than he ever could have dreamed.

Eliot proposed they talk because it was what he was good at. For as long as he could remember, Eliot understood how people worked, what made them tick. And he has a charisma that lets him get along with everyone. He took advantage of his knowledge to get along and slightly manipulate the people around him, as well as fake who he was in order to get on everyone’s good side. Of course, he doesn’t actually understand why people do what they do in the sense that he relates or has any sort of empathy. He understands how people work in the same way humans understand how an inanimate object or machine works.

By talking with Ellulia, he planned to do what he always did and get her to fall for him so that he could experience something new, this weird feeling of love. Eliot felt love for his family and his friends in that he didn’t want them to be harmed or sad and he genuinely enjoyed their company. But, he never experienced a feeling so strong that he couldn’t shut it down with a thought, or that it physically affected his body. Unfortunately, he underestimated how strong the feeling was. It was so strong that it messed with his thought patterns and made him lose the ability to fake or read. Because of this, when he talked with Ellulia he was stripped down to his knee jerk reactions and he couldn’t fully read who Ellulia was or what made her tick. Basically, when interacting with Ellulia he was forced to be himself, his true self that always hid behind a transparent mask and always kept a small distance.

Eliot never had to fully hide who he was, most of the time it was the inhumane ideology and feelings that he hid while showing his passion for knowledge and his playful nature. But, even though it was only a small part of himself, it was the part he never showed to anyone, especially not Cel. He knew from day one that if he let Cel see that part of him, he would be disgusted and grow to hate him. Because of that, Eliot was phobically afraid of showing that side to anyone.

And fear was what Eliot despised the most. It was the only other emotion he couldn’t ignore. Anger was also a problem, but Master Camble taught him how to ignore that long ago. Now, the only two emotions that controlled him were his love and fear.

After a painful session of deep breaths, Eliot finally succeeded in calming his heart. When his senses came back to him, he noticed how sweaty his hands were and frowned, anxiety worming its way into his head. Ellulia didn’t say anything about it, so it isn’t a problem, he told himself to calm down. He wiped his hands on his leggings and portaled back to his dorm room. Eliot collapsed on his bed, making it groan in protest.

“Where were you?” Henry asked, tucked in his bed and trying to sleep.

“I got caught up following a lead about the Serpentine BrotherHood,” Eliot lied.

“Did you get any useful information?”

“No,” Eliot sighed.

“A year in and we have nothing to show for it,” Henry muttered bitterly.

“We have lots to show,” Eliot disagreed. “We’ve taken down seven of their hidden slave trading outposts and stopped a bunch of their assassinations.”

“I know, I know. I’m just frustrated with my father, king Plador. We know of four noble families working with them, but my father won’t act unless we get rock solid evidence,”Henry vented.

“We do have solid evidence, we found the slave mark on the slaves the nobles have, that should be enough,” said Eliot.

Henry shook his head, “The nobles are insisting that the slaves were sold multiple times before being sold to them and they are claiming they had no idea that the slave mark was the signature of the Serpentine BrotherHood.”

“We knew it was going to be a struggle when we started,” Eliot told him. His mind still too focused on Ellulia to provide much council.

Henry heaved a sigh, “You’re right. We won’t give up until it’s over, we all swore it.”

“Good night,” wished Eliot.

“Good night,” responded Henry. I wonder how Cel’s doing with Camie. Maybe if I tell him about Ellulia, Cel will open up to be about her? Eliot let his mind slowly wind down and fell asleep.