Chapter 142: Chapter 142

It was all…surreal! And yet so bittersweet…

Eren looked down at the girl sleeping on his chest, her beautiful face marred with the scars that told volumes about the amount of pain and agony this frail looking girl suffered, her face, tired with dark circles around her eyes, yet at the same time so relaxed and peaceful, it was a sight he didn’t see in so long, two years to be exact, when she was sleeping peacefully on this same particular bed in that same estate, the irony!

Another thing that he found ironic was that even with all the years, all the tragedies, all the changes, Sara’s biggest concern was and still the acceptance of her family, her breaking was enough to prove it, and it made him think that she didn’t change that much after all, that the darkness she covered herself with didn’t reach to that pure soul of hers, and that for years, her heart was covered with a layer of ice, but it was never frozen.

However, and unlike the last time when she was living the lie he weaved around and for her, when she thought she was safe and he was the charming prince from her dreams, this time was different, this time was more truthful, even when it was laced with pain and tears, she knew who he was, and he knew what she was hiding, she knew his darkness and he knew her agony, they knew that they were both imperfect, incomplete, with sharp edges that might harm the other if they stepped too close, yet somehow, each of them fitted where the other was lacking, missing, she was his sun, his light that showed him the right path, and he was her darkness, the night in which she hid and rested, away from the hurtful eyes, she was his sanity and he was her safety, she was the one that brought calamity to his life while he was the one who unleashed the fearsome Goddess inside of her, and despite the fact that the way they were sleeping together was only because of her breakdown and need to be contained and reassured as well as her fear of being left alone, it still felt…surreal.

It felt too good to be true! Eren thought while swallowing his fears, he knew how unfair life was, and feared that it would take away his happiness, his love, who was sleeping on his chest like a little child in her mother’s arms, the sight of her was too beautiful to be anything but reality, and yet, it was real, her breaths, her scent, her face, her warmth, her heartbeats, it was all too real, she was there with him, right where she should be, he knew it was selfish of him to think that way but he couldn’t stop himself, she was his, his woman, and he wanted her, he needed her by his side, yet at the same time, he knew he didn’t fully earn back her heart and trust, and it was that small space that remained unclaimed that worried him the most.

Leaning down, Eren placed a feather like kiss on Sara’s head, making sure not to wake her up, after crying her heart out and asking him not to leave her, Sara nested herself in his chest and wrapped her arms around him while his were around her, and as he caressed her hair gently, she managed to find enough calamity to sleep, it was a pleasant thought, that she felt so safe with him, enough to fall asleep in his arms that were her fortress, the one that kept all er pain and the hurt outside for her to sleep inside peacefully without a single worry about the world.

His fair lady, his everything.

With a contained sigh, Eren leaned back on the headrest of the bed, careful that his moves won’t wake up the sleeping beauty on his chest while he thought about the situation at hand, the scents from the holy tower all lead to the capital, to a few of the citizens, it was pretty believable if that was just the citizens to be accused, but the fact that the human princess’ smell was one of them made him retaliate, one, because she was the person his fair lady cared about the most, and two, because the princess was too frail and innocent to make such a crime, she wasn’t someone who could kill or conspire to kill anyone, let alone children, which meant that the whole thing was but a scheme in order to make the demons attack innocent humans, who were not so innocent according to the report he got from Andrea ,who was receiving a well-deserved punishment.

Luckily Sara was there to stop the demons, otherwise, a conflict would have started between the humans and the demons, something only Gods had a benefit in doing.

His fair lady saved the day once more, yet she only received hurt and rejection in return, and even though she didn’t tell him the details, he knew it had something to do wit her sister.

There was also the second matter that Sara mentioned, the one about the men with marked faces, she did mention that they were the priests who managed to escape and form a cult that spread chaos among humans, not only were they the ones to wrack havoc in the Taghit capital when she was poisoned, but they were the ones to fit in the role perfectly, if they were the true servants of the Gods who aimed for immortality, then killing children would weight nothing on their barely existing conscience.

And her second brother was one of them, according to Henry, that brother was so brainwashed by the priests and the Gods doctrine, which made him the perfect suspect with the right motif and the background, as well as enough knowledge about the castle building to get inside, poison his fair lady’s water, and leave it without anyone’s notice, the question was, how did they manage to kill the demons, and how were they able to contact the Gods, and if that was true, could it possibly offer him the opportunity he was looking for to find the Gods and kill them before they harm her.

Too many questions and no answers, Eren thought, wondering how much time he had with his fair lady before hell broke loose once again, pushing away all the negative thoughts, he settled himself comfortably with her still sleeping in his arms, what was he doing? Wasting such a precious moment to think about the unknown, while his entire life was in his arms, holding her tighter, he buried his face in her hair and inhaled, the intoxicating smell causing him to relax until he too was asleep.

………..

It felt…strange, Sara thought, like a distant urgency, or a distant knocking, a far warning that wasn’t there yet to worry about but nevertheless, managed to get her attention, she was safe, protected in the black fortress she was in, but she knew there was something outside, something that tried to get to her.

Opening her eyes slowly, Sara was met by the dim light that immersed the room, the glowing rays coming from the window and sneaking through the curtains to fill the place with colors and life, she remembered this room, it was hers, the one she stayed in when Eren first brought her to the estate, a sudden feeling of nostalgia washed over as she remembered the days when she was at her happiest, even when they were a lie.

Why was that lie even there though? Sara asked herself as she looked up at the man holding her in his arms tightly even when he was asleep, his eyes closed, surrounded by his beautiful dark lashes, his jaw relaxed, the frown between his eyebrows was no where no be seen, his messy locks scattered all over his forehead, his lips slightly parted, he looked so harmless and serene in his sleep, so beautiful, her demon, her anchor.

As if seeing him for the first time, Sara stared at him for a while, studying every line and detail in his face, the sight of him was intoxicating, making her skin warm up at the thought of their position, his arms, holding her tightly like a lifeline while hers wrapped around him like an anchor.

Surprisingly, she didn’t regret any of her actions like she thought she would, like sleeping with him or exposing her wounds to him, she felt connected to him on deeper levels than any other person she knew, and she was no longer the girl she used to be, the one who would shy away from her man’s eyes, instead she would take what she wanted, what she needed, and right then she needed him.

But she also needed answers, she reminded herself, telling herself to wait, to take things slower this time, and to give them both the necessary time to mold in each other, the memory of her crying in his arms, asking him to never leave her while he only soothed her without providing an answer was another reminder for her to take things slow.

With careful and slow moves, Sara unhooked the arms that were wrapped around her, and after placing her pillow in her place, she slipped off the bed, picked her boots that she didn’t remember removing, and tiptoed towards the door, careful to not wake the demon she thought was still asleep.

Once she stepped out of the bedroom, Sara made her way towards the first floor where she sensed a strange but not threatening presence, several ones at that, and as expected, it was merely some young shadow demons, preparing the food and cleaning the house very discretely, once they saw her, they all stopped their actions to bow at her in union.

“Good Morning, My Lady!” Sara only nodded in acknowledgement to the polite young demons and demonesses, focusing on their cores to see that they were all stable, they were not planning to attack, none of them had any hidden ill wills in them, she thought while checking the things they brought for her while the smell of delicious food filled her nostrils, reminding her of how hungry she was.

Maybe a quick bath to wash off the tiredness would do her good, and then a nice breakfast, she told herself while avoiding to think about what happened in the capital, the wound in her heart was still too sore to put any extra pressure on it, even if things couldn’t be delayed, Eren assured her that he was going to deal about the matter before it turned into a conflict and she chose to trust him, besides, what harm was there in taking a bath and enjoying a breakfast.

It was too painful, Sara swallowed, and she knew that ignoring it for so long was a bad thing to do, but after crying her heart out the previous night, she decided to give herself a break, for once, and free herself from all the complications, she decided to live that morning as herself, Sara, and enjoy an hour or two for herself before returning to her Dahlia’s skin and back to her duties, If she had any left that is, a small voice mocked er but she quickly brushed it off, not allowing it to mess with her, not with the task se ad at hand.

Looking through the dresses the demons brought, Sara picked a white one that was made of fine silk, it was very simple an elegant, and so soft on the touch, she never thought she would wear such a thing again but it was only temporary, until her clothes get cleaned and her task is finished.

Picking up the dress and the toiletries, Sara headed back upstairs, to where her room was, opening the door slowly, she peeked inside only to frown when she saw that the bed was empty, there was no sounds in the bathroom either which meant he wasn’t there, maybe he had something to take care of, Sara told herself while tasting the disappointment on the back of her tongue.

The bath was a quick one, yet she still managed to relax and clean herself probably, she didn’t know where he was buried, but she wanted to meet her in a good shape, just in case he was watching her from somewhere, it was such a strange costume, but Sara still wanted to honor her father with it.

Stepping out of the bath, Sara dried herself with a big towel before wearing the dress that fitted her perfectly, looking at her reflection in a mirror, she barely recognized herself, it felt as if she was looking at a weird combination between herself and Dahlia, the short hair and the scar were no match to the soft and delicate dress, taking the hair brush, she tried to brush her hair in a way to hide her scars, her hair was longer and it was the time to cut it yet she was hesitant about it, deciding to delay it a bit longer, Sara placed the brush back on the stand and walked out of the room towards the dining table where she knew the breakfast would be served in.

Stepping inside, Sara was surprised to see that Eren wasn’t there yet, and as if the question was written all over her face, a young demoness approached her with a polite smile plastered on her face.

“The Lord said that he had urgent business to take care of, and that you should have his breakfast, he will be back soon, my lady!” Sara noticed the difference between the way this demoness talked and the way Geraldine used to talk, and wondered whether it was because of Eren or her impressive aura that the demoness seemed so respectful and submitting, what ever it was, she nodded at the demoness and walked towards the table where her food was waiting, filling her plate, she began eating without hesitation, she was safe in that estate and she knew it, not that anyone could hurt her that is, and therefore, didn’t hesitate before digging in her plate.

Once she was done with her food, Sara dapped her mouth with the napkin before excusing herself out of the dining room, not knowing what to do, she walked back to her room to clean her mouth and do her business, but the second she walked inside the room, her heart almost dropped.

What was he doing there? Sara asked herself while she felt her body going rigid and her knees going weak, the childish face smiled at her across the mirror, her eyes roamed the room to look for any traces of him but he wasn’t there, he was but a mere reflection on the mirror.

Kalan!

This was dangerous, Sara thought, he was not an enemy she could defeat on her own, and therefore chose to retreat whilst she still could, but the creepy smile on the childish face prevented her from doing so.

“Come in, little hybrid, let us have a talk!” seeing that she wasn’t moving, the reflection’ smile grew even bigger and more sinister, completely contradicting the childish skin he was using as a shell.

“This is not the day where I’d be killing you, little hybrid, so stop disgracing your mother by acting like a scared mouse and come here!” the words that left the reflections mouth and the smirk on his face were mocking but Sara didn’t miss the threat in them, not that she could, and as if it needed a further confirmation, the man reflection spoke again, this time, not giving her a chance to retreat, “You don’t want me to come out now and butcher all the little children downstairs and then maybe butcher your handsome man, do you?”

A part of Sara trembled with fear as the threat sank in, the image of Eren drowning in a pool of his own blood brought immense pain to her heart, but another part, the part she has been building for the last two years was furious at the way the bastard was threatening what was hers, gathering her courage and her strength, she walked inside the room with steady steps and closed the door behind her, her eyes shooting glares at the reflection, promising hell if he dared come closer to her man.

He was a first generation God, but so was she, even if her half was human, she still had her mother’s strength, she was equally strong, and more so, she had a reason to fight, a flame to fuel her fighting spirit, and that was to protect those whom she held dear, including her man.

“Now, that is the spirit I would expect from Historia’s daughter!” the reflection said approvingly, and even when her curiosity was burning inside her to ask the ungodly God about her mother, she still chose to remain silent and just wait for him to say what he had to say.

“The world is ending, little one!” the voice changed into a more mature one, one which she heard I her dreams, and this time, she couldn’t stop the shiver that ran across her spine, the way he spoke the words left no room for doubt, he meant every word.

“You have seen it with your eyes on the frozen edge, the dark energy trying to seep through, the creation energy lost it balance, we must restore the balance, the once one must be one again, and for that, you must die!”

“Why me?” why not one of you three? Sara wanted to ask, she didn’t want to die, she wanted to live, she wanted to make things right and have her chance to experience happiness with the man she was no longer trying to push away from her, and instead was trying to forgive for what he did and accept the feelings she was denying, she wanted to make it right with her sister, she wanted and wanted, but death? So soon?

“Because, you were never meant to be! It was Historia’s selfishness and blind love that caused all this chaos, and Zaman’s jealousy and stupidity that steered it, we are Gods, we are above these mortal idiocies, love, jealousy, but here we are, with an unbalanced hybrid, and a dying world!”

“What do you mean?”

“You don’t need to know, ignorant child, but you should be grateful, once again, the hybrid lord is the reason of your survival, you are important to him and he is important to Zaman, so we are giving you a chance, make yourself worthy of the powers you are carrying, be the Goddess your mother used to be, and help us revive our dying world, and then, you can live!”

“How can I do that?”

“That is for you to discover, however, you should know, if you chose this path, it is your lover who has to die, there is no other way!”

“What? No! no!” Sara screamed at the mirror, but the reflection was already gone, making her slam her fist angrily at the mirror, causing it to shatter and blood to splutter all around it, right when the door was pushed open and an alarmed Eren walked in.

Seeing him, alive, in the room with her, Sara didn’t try to hold herself as she ran towards him, burying herself in his arms with such force that he almost fell back, he felt the arms hugging him tightly as if she was holding on to her dear life, and he couldn’t be more worried at that as he didn’t find any reason for her action, for her erratic heart and shallow breaths.

“My fair lady, are you okay? What is wrong? What happened?”

“Nothing!” she couldn’t tell him! Sara thought as dread filled her heart, there had to be another way, she couldn’t just trust the words of the bastard who tried to kill her! “Just promise me, Eren, promise me that you would stay with me, always!”

“I…let me take you somewhere first!” Eren said apologetically as he was met with the pained and rejected eyes, taking her hand in his, he pulled her behind him and walked out of the room and then the estate, until they were in an isolated part of the garden, with a large orchard with many small white flowers.

“That is…”

“Your Jasmines, I hope you don’t mind, my fair lady, but I took a few branches from the shack’s orchard and replanted them here, they were…yours, and having them here felt as if a part of you was still alive, here with me, and I also thought that you would love having your favorite flowers next to you.” As he said this, Eren kneeled in front of a bump in the ground where the jasmine was planted and gently touched the soil as if it was a blanket hiding his beloved under it.

“You…buried them here?”

“I wanted you close to me, in death as I couldn’t have in life, I knew you hated it in the shadows’ empire so I couldn’t take you there, and I couldn’t leave you in the shack either, I thought you would want to be in a place with a lot of sun, an open view to the night sky, the breeze and the rain, everything that you used to love.”

“I still love all of that!” Sara’s voice was a little above a whisper as she spoke the words, trying her hardest not to choke on the tears she was holding as she looked down at him, still on his knees, a warm smile on his lips.

“I wanted to make a promise to you in front of your father, just like those strange human traditions, and here I am my fair lady, I promise you my life, my heart, and everything in me, I promise to never hurt you again, and that I will spend the rest of my life trying to pay for the mistakes of the past, I promise that I will always be by your side, I promise I will always be yours, and that you will always have me as your ally, and, I promise to always love you, like I always had, like I do love you now, if not even stronger.”

vorite flowers next to you.” As he said this, Eren kneeled in front of a bump in the ground where the jasmine was planted and gently touched the soil as if it was a blanket hiding his beloved under it.

“You…buried them here?”

“I wanted you close to me, in death as I couldn’t have in life, I knew you hated it in the shadows’ empire so I couldn’t take you there, and I couldn’t leave you in the shack either, I thought you would want to be in a place with a lot of sun, an open view to the night sky, the breeze and the rain, everything that you used to love.”

“I still love all of that!” Sara’s voice was a little above a whisper as she spoke the words, trying her hardest not to choke on the tears she was holding as she looked down at him, still on his knees, a warm smile on his lips.

“I wanted to make a promise to you in front of your father, just like those strange human traditions, and here I am my fair lady, I promise you my life, my heart, and everything in me, I promise to never hurt you again, and that I will spend the rest of my life trying to pay for the mistakes of the past, I promise that I will always be by your side, I promise I will always be yours, and that you will always have me as your ally, and, I promise to always love you, like I always had, like I do love you now, if not even stronger.”