Chapter 50: Chapter 50

Recommended music for chapter: WHEN THE LAST HOPE RUNS OUT BY Epic Music VN

Eren stared at the black-haired demoness, crouching on the ground like a frightened kitten, gasping and shivering, her cheeks flushed, her lips agape and trembling, and her wide teary eyes looking up at him without blinking.

He partially understood her shock, he knew that the way he looked in that moment wasn’t the best sight for the eyes, the battle didn’t just leave him drained but beaten up to his pulp, wounds and burns covered most of his body but the most sever ones were on his right arm.

If it wasn’t for the thick blood running in his veins, he would have been long dead, if not by the fire lord’s hands then by the excruciating pain he was feeling, his right arm was shivering uncontrollably, he knew it was going to take a lot of time to heal, and that he might never be able to use it the same way again, it was a necessary sacrifice though, and the outcome was worth the price, or at least that is what he hoped.

Eren didn’t fully understand what the fire lord meant when he said he wanted everything, but he knew it wasn’t anything good since he started burning down the forest, what he was sure off however, was the fact that the fire weasel planned to use Sara to get to his goals, and he doubted it would be in a kind way!

Over his dead hybrid’s body that is!

Besides being the strongest and most destructive element, Fire was the natural enemy of shadows, Therefore, it didn’t come as a surprise when Micka’s fire ring took over Eren’ circle of shadow fog in no time, what came as a surprise though, was the mad look on the fire lord’s face.

Micka was always a sly but a composed man, he was the one who calculated and preplanned all his moved and even words, however, standing against the hybrid he hated more than anything in the world, the fire lord seemed as if a part of his sanity was taken by the bubbling anger and loath he was feeling, offering the destructive fire magic in his veins the best food to go out of control.

Eren watched, as the Fire lord’s skin lit up on fire, burning his black clothes in the process, in any other day, he would have considered the sight to be fascinating, a magnificent display of strength and skill, the way Micka turned himself into a walking flame without hurting himself nor losing control over his element was a proof of not just how capable he really was, but also why he, and not anyone else, was the lord of the fire empire.

The purity of the fire lord’s blood was indeed extraordinary, his fire managed to break the shadows shield and started burning down the forest, weakening the shadows lord who previously had the upper hand since they were on his lands, isolating him from the source of his power, the flames creating the ring thickened, and the heat turned unbearable, Eren’s fur was caught on fire several times but his shadows were quick to extinguish the small flames.

The battle was mostly dominated by the fire lord, not because Eren wasn’t a match to him, his blood might have not been pure but it was surely one of the thickest, thanks to that little dark secret of his that he didn’t share with anyone.

The shadows lord took most of the attacks even though he could have avoided them easily, he was much faster than the fire lord and his fire, not to mention his ability to create illusions that could have distracted the fire weasel, he didn’t though, for he wanted to protect the forest from any additional damage before his entire nation is affected and weakened, especially with the great war coming.

Eren couldn’t let him damage the forest anymore, but he couldn’t keep on taking the attacks like this either, his body was already screaming in pain, the fire lord had his share of critical damage but he wasn’t planning to be stop any time soon, he was so adamant on killing the hybrid lord, his mind, heart, and instincts were all set on that one goal, all while the hybrid lord was thinking of a way to end this fight with the minimum losses possible.

Eren knew that his armies alone won’t be enough to fight the Gods, and even though he was sure that the ice queen didn’t hold the same ill wills as the fire lord and was indeed willing to help whole heartedly, her armies were not enough either, without the fire demons, they were at a serious disadvantage, and killing the fire lord would put them in a worse one as it would destroy, for good, any chances of alliance between the shadows empire and the fire empire.

Instead of killing the fire weasel, Eren planned to capture him alive, and then bargain with the fire empire, their armies for their lord, it was the best thing to do in order to thicken their slim chances in winning the upcoming war.

Easily said than done, Eren thought as he dodged a massive fire ball coming his way, Micka wasn’t saving any efforts, his attacks were deadly while Eren’s were less intense as they only meant to knock the fire lord down without killing him nor causing him any critical damage.

However, his plan died the moment a mouthwatering smell made it way to both the lords’ noses, it was faint but somehow managed to stand out in the middle of smoke, burning fur, and demonic blood, and while the fire lord was taken aback for a second to savor the tasty smell that woken all his demonic thirst, Eren only stopped to let the horrifying realization sink in, for he, unlike the fire lord, knew exactly what that smell was.

It was Sara’s blood, she was injured and bleeding somewhere near, somewhere filled with blood thirsty demons such as the bastard standing next to him.

Not caring about the mad look on the fire lord’s face, not caring about the fact that Micka was now at his strongest and deadliest state because of his thirst, and not caring about the fire wave that was sent his way, Eren attacked, pushing himself forward with full speed, taking the attack but not allowing it to stop him until he emerged from the flames, right in front of the fire lord who looked at him with wide eyes that slowly lost life as his flame extinguished, until he was nothing but a limp naked body with the wolf like man’s right hand buried inside his chest.

Throwing the body to the ground, Eren groaned in pain, for his right arm was badly burned, the pain was unbearable but seeing the scum, who planned to feed on his fair lady, naked and motionless, was worth it.

Fuck the alliance! Eren thought while using his shadows to kill what was left of the weasel’s flames, cursing himself for even considering such a stupid idea, for wasting the precious time on the fire bastard instead of going to save his fair lady, the fire empire was not and will not be their ally and this was a fact he had to accept, now that he killed the fire lord more than ever.

Not wasting another second, Eren ran through the thick trees towards the source of the smell, his heart ached at the sight of the burned branches, and an annoying thought that he didn’t make sure the fire lord was really dead bugged him, but he pushed all of that to the back of his mind as there were much more urgent matters at hand!

Finding the source of the smell wasn’t difficult, nor was taking the four fire demons, especially with how mad he felt with the idea of them taking his fair lady, they were but flies compares to their lord and just like how one would on take down flies, he ended them in one strike, his magic and strength were drained in the process though, and the excruciating pain he was ignoring resurfaced.

The pain he felt in his body however wasn’t as bad as the one he felt in his heart while seeing the state his fair lady was in.

She was laying on the dark bushes, standing out in the middle of them like a white jasmine, wearing his shirt, her legs porcelain legs bare in the cold, and her face…

“Eren…” looking back at the black haired demoness, he saw how terrified she looked, her lower lip trembling, he didn’t know what scared her though, for she didn’t seem afraid of him, maybe because of how close they were, or because he just saved her life even after her treachery, all he knew was that she looked at him with a mix of fear, longing, hope, despair, and blame.

He had never seen her that way, Geraldine was always a tough woman, even when they were kids, but seeing her like that, he couldn’t even bring himself to look at her angrily, all what came out of his eyes was a pained, pitiful look, knowing that he had broken her as well.

Eren’s steps were slow and only stopped when he was standing right in front of her, giving her his left hand, he watched as she stared at it hesitantly before placing her shaky one in it.

“Eren!” Gera sobbed while standing up, not bothering to hide her vulnerability any longer, she needed him to sooth her in that moment, she was just too scared and she needed her man, the one she gave everything up for, she needed him to tell her she was okay, that they were okay, and that he wasn’t mad at her for doing what she did, she needed him to tell her that he understood her motives, that she did what she did out of love, that she wanted to save what they had and that it was worth it.

The sob was followed by many when Eren pulled the demoness into a hug, his left arm placed on her back while his painful right one rested on her head, stroking her silky black hair, it was the very first time she broke down like this and he somehow felt guilty for being the reason of her pain, he knew how much she loved him, but her love was a hopeless one for he never felt the same, for his heart belonged solely to the little silver haired girl who offered him a cookie to eat with her own blood.

“Hush now, Gera, it is over!” he whispered in a tired and said voice, it was difficult for her, but it was more difficult for him.

Not just the situation, with the closest person he ever had to a family betraying him and the woman he loved laying on the ground with deep red grooves on her face, it was also the scary realization, that in the end of the night, he would be alone, one way or another, it was all leading to the same scary result in the end, the same pitiful destiny, loneliness.

“You came for me!” she sobbed some more while pressing herself more to his body, and he didn’t have it in his heart to tell her why he was really there, he just hugged her tighter, reassuring her while she cried even more, this time shedding off some of her pain with the tears to only be replaced with relief, it was the least he could do to her, comfort her in those last moments.

“I am sorry, Eren, I love you, I really do..” she cried out the words, repeating them over and over again, she wanted him to know, how much she loved him, he was securing her in his arms which meant he cared, he was hugging her and not the hybrid, he was…

Hugging her too tightly! Geraldine thought when she realized the hug was becoming uncomfortable, she tried to wiggle free but his arms only kept on tightening up, she tried to tell him but her chest was pressed so tightly to his to the point where she couldn’t even say a word…only another pained “I love you” before her breathes died in her lover’s arms.