3.5

Knock. Knock.

The back fist of a hand found its way to a large white door that was beautifully decorated with golden accents for its details. The elf stood there silently awating a reply from the person on the opposite end of the door. Out of all the chambers in the Elven Palace, this particular door that the elf would dare to knock belonged to a girl who was akin to a sister to her.

“Raina…even if you ignore me, please at least open the door to receive your meals when I am here. A-aren’t we friends?”

“…”

The occupant to the room remained silent. Raina’s attitude was like the silver tray left at her doorsteps, cold and unresponsive.

This was the sixth week that Raina Valindra Eridi had isolated herself from all of A’vetheas in her room. Weeks have passed ever since that breakdown from her, a breakdown that even Lureena—one of the closest elf to the Elven Princess—could not fathom from a girl who had yet pledge her soul to partner.

Could it be that…

Lureena shook her head and dismissed that thought. The human that Raina loved so much may be a demon, but his dedication in preserving Raina’s public image was so strong that it became a flaw of his. That was the type of person that he was, but now he was gone.

“That is no way to spend your life away, Raina. Even John would like you—”

“Get out.”

Cold anger spewed from the princess’ mouth was unmistakable.

“Raina, I didn’t mean that… I just wanted to help,” the elf shrinked.

“Go away before I decide to burn our friendship down to ashes, Lureena. You have no right to speak his name. None of you elves do.”

Lureena slumped her shoulders and squatted to the floor, silently took the empty tray that Raina had left outside of her room.

“I will be going then...”

Hiding the sting caused by Raina’s sharp tongue, Lureena paced herself away, leaving her friend alone just as she wished to be as she made for the kitchen.

“Lureena, I see that you have visited my daughter again,” a familiar voice called out to Lureena a few moments after the exchange with Raina. “Being A’vetheas’ court mage aside, I cannot express my gratitude for your friendship with Raina. Without you, she wouldn’t do so as to touch her food.”

Lureena immediately took a bow at the figure that stood before her, the rightful person who ruled and rebuilt the Elven Tribe for the kind compliments.

“Queen Veissa, it is only natural to care for her. I only hope that Raina recovers from this incident with the de—human. What happened was beyond our control, e-even I wouldn’t think that we would loose one of our best soldiers during John Sarvod’s escort…

“Recovery from the Princess over John’s death remains stagnant. Alwin Zinrelle had not survive it, let alone...”

“Fret not, Lureena. Engrave the task of staying beside the Princess at all times and time will tell.” the queen reassured Lureena who still had her head low. “Go along now, I won’t be taking anymore of your time.”

“My thanks, Queen Veissa.”

With a short reply, Lureena raised her body straight and left for the kitchen to return the dirty silver tray.

She had many questions for the Elven Queen. Was Queen Veissa herself aware that Raina Valindra Eridi offered a Soul Oath with John Sarvod? What was the point of masking his identity as human and keeping it as a secret if it meant for him to be exiled in the end?

The fact that a royal elf like Raina had fallen head over heels for a demon, the very beings that destroyed and had almost committed genocide of the elves in the ancient times was… detrimental?

Raina was to inherit the throne after Queen Veissa, and for her to bound her love for a demon. Not only did the queen did not stop their budding romance when Lureena had made her report but the queen chose to assist the male in his endeavor to better himself.

Was it to teach Raina pain? I do not understand.

Lureena kept her silence and chose to place her trust in her Queen like the secrets that she had been entrusted with.

A young court mage like her with a 175 years of age knew better than to questions the Elven Queen who had survived and took part in the Great Demon War.

All Lureena could do was to obey the command given to her. She would protect Raina, the successor to the throne, her friend who she had long thought of as her own sister, that was what she decided when she was elected as a court mage.

If it came down to it, Lureena would give up her life for Raina in a heartbeat.

After Lureena had left, Veissa turned towards to Quinatta who had been silently observing the conversation on the side.

“You can see that I have had this planned out quite properly, Quinatta. Lureena is my guarantee that someone will always have Raina’s back no matter what happens. I am fully prepared if she comes to hate me.”

“…Having to do that to Raina, there must have been a better way to handle John’s trial back then.”

Veissa shook her head, her distant eyes looked out of the palace’s sapphire window panes, she moved her warm palm against it and lowered her head.

“Quinatta. I miss him. Even after so long…I still yearn for his company.”

“Then you must understand how Raina feels. That’s even more of a reason that you should not have done it to her during the John’s trial. You, who had lived longer than any of the elves here must understand how much it pains to be separated from your beloved.”

“There was no choice, that was the deal I made with him. Taking John in and raised him as a royal blooded elf was what the Hero instructed.”

“Only to forcibly exile him the moment he reawakened himself...”

“This is why I have not told you anything until now...” Veissa’s voice faltered but quickly recovered. “In any case, having the boy any longer in A’vetheas would only lead him down a darker path.”

“Veissa… You could have told me about such a thing the moment you gave life to Raina. To create an offspring without a partner and from your own blood alone...”

“Even if it pains me, I no longer want another Great Demon War that goes on for eternity… That’s what he wanted. This body of mine only belongs to him, no one else, the pain that I endured for my daughter’s creation was only minor compared to how much I miss him.”

“And what of the place where the Magma Dragon last seen. How would a mere demon survive the onslaught from an Elder Dragon?” the nymph stared intensely with her emerald eyes.

“Mere demons stand no chance against Elder Dragons, let alone with that high tier magic that the boy uses. My dear Quinatta, remember what I have told you about the truth behind the Hero’s existence.”

A gasp escaped Quinatta. Her body shuddered, mind drifted to the ancient days of the Great Demon War, where battles won meant greater defeat, at a dark time where the gods fell and perished, a time where fear was the driving force for all living things.

Endless amounts of blood would soil the grounds such that ponds would form from it, creatures more vicious and deadly that the dark beasts would spawn from hell and roam the earth, ravaging any living thing in their vicinity. Where the word “hope” belonged to a dead man’s vocabulary.

A time where the death is a mercy.

“John Sarvod is no mere demon.”

Raina was in the throne room once more.

Her body bounded and submitted to an external force was not under her control, though it moved naturally as it would under her control, every action that propelled her was uncanny and complete opposite of what she wanted.

No, not this again! No! I don’t want this! Johnny!

Her body slowly walked towards the throne where her mother, Veissa, was sat. Raina persisted, she wanted to break free of whatever controlled her but was unsuccessful.

Locked inside her mind, she pounded her small fists at the invisible fortress that imprisoned her.

Help me! Somebody! I don’t want this!

She knew what would happen next. She was under a mind control spell, one where it made her conscious of everything but unable to resist, let alone react to it.

Her body moved to the center of the throne room where a crowd of elves had gathered.

Then, she saw someone.

A young man of sable black hair, forced to kneel at the very center of the crowd.

The elves quickly made themselves scarce from him, averted their gazes and whispered to each other spitefully, fully knowing that their whispers were no louder than regular voices.

“I can’t believe he had us all fooled into believing that he was a mere human.”

“Demon magic…we are doomed!”

“Kill him, kill him for the sake of A’vetheas.”

In their eyes, he was no more than an outcast someone who never belonged in A’vetheas, this incident only made it clear that he was no ally for the elves.

Treated harshly ever since he entered the Elven Tribe, he worked his way up to gain the trust of the other elves to the best of his ability, for as long as Raina knew and adored him, he was someone who was willing to swallow his somewhat willful ego for the sake of the elves.

John…

Raina’s eyes swelled as she stared at him.

She had no recollection of when or how it started, but her lips and vocal chords had moved on their own when the queen told her to speak.

“W-we explored around the town a-anonymously…”

The words began to flow out of her like a broken dam. Uncontrolled truths of that incident that she bore witness to was made known to public.

Even with the throbbing pain that assaulted her heart from knowing what was about to happen to John, Raina fought at it. She fought to stop her foul mouth from adding more fuel to the harsh judgments that would befall upon him, if anything, she would put all the blame on herself to avoid punishment to be granted to him.

But they were not enough. The magic that controlled each fiber of her being was much more powerful than she is, much more ancient.

Raina only delayed the words from her mouth. She couldn’t change her words and only prolonged the inevitable.

No, that is not the truth! John was only trying to protect me! You people don’t get it! He meant no harm! I-I… I know that he did it out of his love for me! Someone please! Please...please listen to me…

“…A-and then we returned to A’vetheas…”

Her efforts proved to be futile.

The testimony was complete before she realized it.

She was unable to anything but watch as the two elves clad in fine armor sneering at him for the whole time. And the fact that all of A’vetheas saw him as an enemy.

“Raina, please… You know me ever since I got to A’vetheas…”

Raina teared up. She desperately reached her hand out to John, even for a moment, all she wanted to do was to hold his hand and comfort him. To show all of A’vetheas that he was harmless, that he was someone who placed his life ahead of hers.

“… That’s why please…tell them...tell them I am innocent…”

I know you wouldn’t do anything that would hurt any of the elves. You would rather have them hurt you if it meant keeping peace in a situation… All this time, Johnny. I knew, I knew...even if you are a demon. That’s why, I trust you more than anyone else.

The scene before her warped to another before she knew it.