Chapter 28: Chapter 28

When Niah was crowned as the newest Watcher of their kind, they danced the ceremonial coronation. They formed a circle on the sand and placed six candles around it. Niah stood inside the circle with a wide smile. The Animies and Demis surrounded her as they chanted the ritual. They performed a tribal dance with the rapid beat of the drums.

It was like watching a musical show in a theatre. The full moon shined the brightest, but red spots crawled over it like bloodbath was about to happen.

The feast began at 1:00 am. It was the weirdest time to eat dinner, and I don’t have an appetite. Kylo and I have separate cottages because she chose to stay beside Niah, while Sojin sat beside me. They set a variety of dishes on a long and narrow refectory table, and none of it was familiar to my tastebuds.

“Before we savor our delicious dinner, lord Luxferre will be joining us,” Vior said.

Our eyes darted upon a man who walked into the cottage. His height was skyhigh, from the looks of him, I think he’s 189 centimeters in height. He has bulky muscles who wore a plain white shirt and khaki shorts. As I looked at his face, his identity became clearer to me.

“Lord Luxferre,” they said and bowed down their heads.

Luxferre smiled and sat at the right side of the table.

“How fascinating. You have feet. I can barely recognize you,” I said.

He looked at me with a blank expression.

“Vad, you’re an inquisitive girl. I see. Your name doesn’t suit you,” he replied.

“Why not? In Latin, my name means to evade or to stop something from happening.”

“Interesting,” he said as he sipped the glass of black wine.

Vior cleared her throat.

“Let’s eat,” she said.

I grabbed the knife to slice the grilled meat.

“Ahh. By the way your name suits you,” I said to Luxferre.

He glanced at me.

“In Latin it means lucifer… the best friend of God.”

I flashed a sarcastic smile at him.

“You sure knew a lot of things, Vad,” he replied.

“How come you don’t look like a wild beast now? Where did you hide your remarkable features?” I asked.

“I used a spell to temporarily be in my original form for this special event.”

“A spell? I thought using magic is forbidden?”

He paused for a moment and looked displeased with my question.

“I can use magic for emergency purposes.”

“You mean that’s your original form? Are you a human before? or an Animie perhaps?”

“I think you badly want to know the entire story. Sojin, tell her everything.”

Sojin faced me and told their history.

“There’s an animie named Racan who fell in love with a mortal. The relationship between mythical creatures and mortals is forbidden, so lord Luxferre stopped them. That’s when Racan cursed our kind. Our heart vanished and our life span decreased. Only mortals can extend our life by bearing a child. That child will be chosen as a watcher who will guard us from evil spirits. An act of genuine love can save us. But when our partner dies, we will also die with them. But that’s not the end because a demi can also save us. Our baby will serve as a sacrificial being to extend our life. It’s the product of our genuine love.”

“Sacrificial being? So they’re going to kill the demi?”

“No. They’re just going to be in paradise to serve the Gods.”

“Oh. It’s like enlisting in the military.”

Sojin sighed.

“I’m not familiar with human terms, but maybe.”

“So did that answer your question?” Luxferre said.

“Not entirely.”

Vior looked at me.

“Racan cursed lord Luxferre into a beast during their fight,” she said.

“I heard Racan, and the mortal escaped to our portal. Why aren’t you searching for them?” I asked.

“Racan possesses dominant power. He’s dangerous. As of the moment, no one can possibly defeat him. Also, he’s good at hiding,” Luxferre replied.

“Well, if only you train your people to use magic, then maybe you can defeat him. But unfortunately, you were imprisoned by fear that someone might abuse their power. My lord, you should learn crowd control first, before leadership,” I said.

Sojin tapped my legs to stop me from uttering unpleasant words. I glared at him and that made him stiffen.

“By the way, how did you know all this? Were you there?” I asked.

Vior flashed her agitated look at me. The sweat on her forehead was visible, and I noticed her uneasy breathing.

“I was the only witness of their battle. Racan killed those who intervened. I hid behind the tall trees. Actually… I pretended to be dead.”

Sojin cleared his throat and stared at me.

“That’s enough. The memory is traumatic, try to be more sensitive. You already know everything,” he said.

I sternly met his gaze and spoke.

“I just know your side of everything.”

We continued the feast with solemnity on our side. The other cottage was loud and everyone was having fun. I can’t say that they satisfied me with the information that I heard. There seems to be a missing piece.

After the feast, my feet led me to the ocean. The chilly wind blew through my hair as I walked towards the sea. I could hear the voice of the tide. My feet didn’t stop moving until the water reached my neck. It gave me warmth.

I need to clear up my mind. This mission is driving me insane. It’s hard to be someone I’m not. I want my life back.

My fists missed the filthy faces of the most wanted criminals. My body craves for a nerve-wracking experience. I missed having a goal in mind and knowing who the target is. I missed hearing my superior say things I want to hear.

“Kill this man.”

“You’re doing it alone.”

“Hunt her down.”

“You never fail me.”

“Excellent performance.”

I wonder how they’re doing without me.

My body floated on the ocean as I stared at the beautiful moon. I was breathing fine while closing my eyes. I want to fall into a deep sleep as the sea takes me faraway.

The waves moved swiftly as I felt an uninvited guest. As I opened my eyes, a nasty face greeted me with a naked body. I stood up and faced him with a hint of irritation.

“Why are you following me?” I asked.

“I’m worried you might drown,” Sojin replied.

I smirked.

“Stay away from me. Can’t you understand? I’m officially allergic to you.”

“You hate me that much? How unfortunate. I have no intention of leaving you alone.”

“Do you have a death wish?”

He smiled.

“Well. Would you grant it?”

“As long as it’s on my advantage.”

“Then… be mine.”