Chapter 131: Chapter 131

Sneaking out of her room’s patio and towards the castle’s gate, Sara tried her hardest to not get anyone’s attention, there were few ours left before the break of down, and earlier that night, she made sure to exhaust hers sister with every bit of paper work she could do, and even made her discuss war strategies which Nara knew nothing off, all in an effort to exhaust her enough so she would sleep until late that morning and not find about her absence, Sara hated to lie to her sister, but the princess was becoming a real liability with her insisting all the time to accompany her everywhere, causing Sara to falling behind, not just with her investigations, but also with her training.

She couldn’t take it anymore, Sara told herself while jumping swiftly from one roof to the other, her footsteps silent as she didn’t want to wake the capital residence, she didn’t know what was looking for exactly, but a stroll, an appropriate one this time, wasn’t going to harm anyone.

Landing on one of the deserted alleys in the outskirts of the town, Sara sniffed the air, catching the significant smell that draw her attention in the first place.

Fresh blood, Demon blood! Sara frowned as she followed the smell, her senses sharp and her body ready, however, instead of a body, she found the strangest of things.

Symbols on the wall, all drawn in blood, demonic blood, but that wasn’t the part that shocked her, it was the familiar symbols that took the form of a large circle with a dote in the middle, they were the same she saw tattooed on the faces of those of who attacked Nara long ago, one of them being her brother.

Taking out her notebook, Sara quickly draw the symbols on a blank page before hiding the notebook in her vast and leaving the location, she wanted to do something about the symbols but didn’t have enough time to, even when she knew that it was probably something very important that is going to comeback and bite her later, but later for later, and she had present issues to worry about, especially with the recent events and the information they received about Rima's pregnancy.

She thought back about the previous day when Rima told them about the baby they were expecting, she then understood why they both looked so happy and passionate about each other, and despite her prejudices and dislike toward the ice queen, she couldn’t deny the fact that she would have been happy for her brother if it was any other time, but with everything happening, she feared it would add to the people's fury and unsatisfaction, Sara wasn't stupid enough to think the whole riot happened because of her, her imprisonment was nothing but the last straw, and she knew she had to find out about the rest of the pile before it was too late, the king was avoiding any forms of violence or repression against his people, so far he was settling down with peaceful solutions that pacified the riot, but if things got out of control and the riot and vandalism continued then he will have no option but to use force against his own people, Sara didn't want the people to be harmed nor she wanted for her brother to be seen as a tyrant.

Reaching the river at the edge of the dark forest, Sara took a deep, inhaling the scent of the forest, the sun was still hidden behind the horizon, sanding shy lights over it, casting a gold orange glow on the world, the river reflected the beautiful mixture of the orange sun rays and the inky bluish sky, the humid moss and bush only added to the beauty of the place, Sara contemplated the peace around her, thinking back about the days she first moved here with her father to the shack, she loved the place but hated how isolated and lonely it was, Ironically, it was what she loved most about it nowadays.

Sara took another deep breath before sitting on the edge of the river, she wasn't there to enjoy some alone time, she thought to herself while scanning the area around her, she came here because she needed help, and sadly, the only person who could help her was none other than the shadows’ lord himself, he was the only person alive who could, and since he possessed some of the creation energy, she knew he could teach her about hers.

She wanted so badly to take a quick nap, just to rest her eyes a little, but thought against it, and instead about her tiredness, she thought about her latest conversation with Eren, when he answered her questions which caused her concerns to grow, She, according to him, had greater dangers threatening her, A second generation God named Nov, as well as the three first generation Gods, Sara believed they were the ones she saw in her dream, they wanted her strength, What for was the question, and how to stop them, Sara learned from Eren that the second Generation Goddess named Ayartma died from losing her energy, and so did her mother when giving birth to her, and even her, she was meant to die from losing all her energy but Eren only took few drops of her blood.

Sara looked at the beautiful sky, dropping Dahlia's mask, allowing herself to be lost and uncomposed, allowing her feelings to wonder here and there, to question her heart decisions, and to feel totally clueless about her next step, Dahlia was always the composed one with a plan in her back pocket while Sara was the emotional one who judged whether that plan was ethically right or wrong.

Sighing, Sara wondered if the Shadows’ lord was going to show up, she could not make it in time for their meeting last night because Nara was following her everywhere, but according to him, all she had to do was show up in the spot and he would know, how? She didn’t know.

" I see you made it here early, my fair lady..." speak of the devil, Sara told herself as she turned towards the source of the familiar voice, and indeed he was standing a few feet away from her, dressed in black just like herself, just like a reflection, she thought, noticing the similarities they shared for the first time, as if realizing for the first time that the image she created for herself was a reflection of his.

The thought annoyed her but also confused her, for she didn’t understand herself, the main reason she wanted to change for was him, and the things he did to her in the past, she thought that by changing herself she was killing the naïve girl he broke, and creating a new strong woman, only that that woman, looked just like him.

The hair was almost the same, inky blue and lush, hers a bit longer than his, the clothes were the same, their behaviors were the same, and Sara wondered if during all this time as she desired strength and self-evolvement, she was actually mimicking him, the strongest person she knew.

Or maybe because the both of you had similar journeys, suffered the same pain and lost, and were eventually shaped to be the same when you met, a small voice said inside of her, but she quickly shushed it as she reached subconsciously to touch her scars, they were not the same, for while he looked perfect, she was scarred, while he walked out of the battle unscratched, she was for ever mutilated, maybe because she was the one with the real feeling, and eventually the broken heart.

But his battles were not just with you, the voice whispered again before retreating to the back of her mind as she noticed the shadows’ lord moving towards her, a frown adoring his handsome face as his legs quickly ate the distance between them, crouching down, he looked at her in the face before his careful fingers took hers, the ones she was using to clutch her scars.

“I am so sorry for being late that night!” The apology and guilt clouding the red eyes couldn’t be mistakable, they were so evident, he was truly sorry.

“What do you mean?”

“I couldn’t prevent this from happening to you!” Sara knew that he was talking about her scars, at first, she thought it was him who did it to her, but apparently it wasn’t, not that it mattered in anyway.

“The past is in the past.” Sara said sharply while hardening her gaze, putting back her Dahlia mask, she was in no need of his pity for he was the reason for her pain, but mostly, she was beginning to believe him and that made her afraid.

Taking back his hand, Eren smiled at his fair lady lovingly, not minding the sharpness that wounded the sore parts of his heart, reminding himself that having her alive was a bliss itself, he asked calmly.

"Shall we begin with our first lesson? "

……

"Something is on your mind!" Eren sighed while looking at Sara, she had been trying to channel her energy since an hour for no use, at first, he thought she was just afraid and unready, maybe even uncomfortable with his proximity, but after a while he figured something was troubling her, clouding her thoughts and stopping her from fully embracing her powers.

That, and the fact that she was beyond exhausted, the circles under her eyes told so, and he didn’t need to ask to know why.

Sara opened her eyes, frustrated with her failure in front of the shadows’ lord, she stared at her sweaty palms, wishing she can find some answers written on them, but there were none and she knew it, releasing a frustrated sigh, she picked herself up, ignoring Eren's stretched hand which he retraced awkwardly, before clearing his throat.

"This is not going to work", No kidding, Sara thought to herself, she had been trying her hardest to recreate her energy’s "path" as Eren called it but it was of no use, her core was just unresponsive to her, and without a stable core she wasn't able to define her energy’s path, also known as the links which she created back against the fire demons, according to the shadow lord, the energy path is a permanent inactive link between her core and the rest of her body, all of her body, for her to activate and channel her energy through it passively and effortlessly when she needed it, instead of creating a link every time she tried to use her energy, the problem was, every parson had his own path according to his body map, and to draw that path in the right place for it to be permanent and passively used, a person's mind and core needed to be at a supreme state of stability, otherwise the body might be damaged by the wavering energy.

And that was the problem, Sara thought as she wiped her hands on the sides of her hips, before running one on her short hair, Eren's eyes followed each one of her moves, studying her carefully, and just, admiring her, truly, this girl could be sweating like a pig and still look so breathtaking, he wondered whether she was that beautiful or was it his love to her that made her look so alluring in his eyes.

Eren forced himself to focus back on the matter at hand, he knew it wasn't easy for Sara to relay on him for help, he still remembered how hard it was for her to tell him she needed him to teach her how to control her powers, he did prepare himself for everything really, for an attack, an insult, a trap, anything but not for that request from her, he even didn't believe his ears at first, not that he minded of course, he was happy he got a chance to spend time with her, close to her, talk to her and hear her talk, he was so happy he spent the previous night by the river waiting for her arrival, and when she didn't come he thought she changed her mind, swallowing his disappointment he jumped into the river for a natural cold bath, telling himself it was only natural, and that is when he caught her scent approaching the river.

"How about you tell me what is on your mind while soaking your feet in the river, you may eventually find your connection with water, and if not, it will just make you feel better, hum? " Eren suggested, almost chuckling at Sara's expression when he said that, "The coolness of the water will help your core to stabilize, plus, the river is the heart of the forest, if you want to also connect with the forest, the best way to do it is through the river."

Sighing, Sara walked to the river, took off her boots and socks and emersed her feet in the cold water, instantly feeling a wave of satisfaction take over her tired body and mind.

Strange, Sara thought to herself, how she was feeling at ease with the shadows’ lord near her, she knew he wouldn't hurt her, not because he couldn't, even if her powers were greater than his, she had no idea how to perfectly use them for her advantage and knew he would take her down in no time, Still, she knew he wouldn't hurt her, maybe it had something to do with the way his heart acted around her, all she knew was that she was safe, and it was hard to believe, for it was only around him where she felt that.

"You do know that you are training me to kill you one day, Right? " Sara asked in a cold tone, she wanted him, and herself, to know and remember that she still wanted her vengeance, that he was still on top of her list, and that her moderate behavior around him was because she needed him, only that, no more.

"I know..." Eren said looking at her beautiful eyes, wishing she would allow him to brush some of her strands off her face so he can have a better look at it, he knew she was keeping them there to cover her scars, but even with them, she was just, so beautiful, so restful for his eyes.

"But I don't really mind, I told you that I would rather die by your hand, So, as long as you are going to be safe and able to face the dangers that will come your way, I will help you until the last day of my life."

"I.... won't need your help.", Eren couldn't help his chuckle this time at her mumbling, she wanted to tell him she didn't need his help at the moment but ended up contradicting herself, looking at her lovingly he spoke in his warmest voice...

"My fair lady, it is alright to need help, and it is alright to ask for it, no one can succeed on their own, no one, not me, not you, So why don't you tell me what is bothering you now?" Sara scoffed at Eren and rolled her eyes before looking at the river, The demon was actually expecting her to open up for him and have a small talk about her feelings, Was he delusional or just plain stupid?

"Sara..."

"My name is Dahlia..", She interrupted sharply, she didn't want to hear her name coming out of his sinful lips, not in her vulnerability and distortion and not while there was something waking up inside of her in each time he called her by her real name, something she wanted to keep dead and buried..

"No, your name is Sara..." he replied in a serious tone, his eyes held no humor as he stared into hers, ignoring her burning gaze, "Dahlia, is nothing but a mask, A wall you built to shelter your heart, and I don't blame you for it as it is myself that I should be blaming, And I am..." Eren noticed her look hardening and her fists clenching, she was angry, reminded of her hatred towards him but he needed to say what he had to say.

"If you wanted to reach your full potentials, and that is what you must do in order to stand a chance against the first generation Gods, then you should fully embrace yourself, all of you, your past included..."

"My past?" Sara asked sarcastically, "How exactly do you expect my past to be of any help, to be of any strength to me, my past self was but a weakling, a stupid girl with stupid dreams who trusted a stranger with her heart and life..." Sara's voice was calm and unwavering but Eren managed to hear the bitterness that laced every word, all this time, he thought she was only mad at him, that she hated him, that was no lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth either, because a part of that anger and hatred was directed towards herself, she blamed herself, and her weakness which she couldn't forgive.

"Do you know how did I manage to stabilize two opposite forces inside of me?"

"they were equal? "

"No..." Eren chucked... "I had to absorb the shadows of the sea to match the creation energy I got from Ayartma, but that wasn't enough, I needed sobriety and moderation and it was my human half that gave me that, the half I always hated because it made me feel weak, the half that made me feel, and the half that said I belonged to the humans who harmed and damaged me to the point of no return, and it was only because of that half that I survived and so did the rest of the world, it was that part that fell for you first and dragged the rest of me with it, and that is why you are alive."

"You should know better then, that it is not easy to make peace with the part of you which you hate." Sara wanted to ask about his past, about how he was broken beyond repair but couldn’t, she was afraid to know, because she knew it was going to be as painful as hers or even more, and she feared of herself sympathizing with him.

"I know, but once you do, you would only become stronger, and the openings you once had for others to use against you will become a part of your armor, they would become your strength because ‘you’, the rest of you, will be fighting with all of you."

"I will try."

"So now tell me, what is on your mind, Sara."

"I guess you haven't heard, Have you?" Seeing the questioning expression on Eren's face, she had her confirmation. "The ice queen is with a child..."