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Chapter One
50 years had passed since the great fire. 50 years since the peasant village was delivered into a hell of torture and death, where their women were raped and their children were stolen. Some said that the decrepit streets were haunted by the spirits of the damned who had been consumed by the inferno. Others dared not to roam the metropolis in fear of meeting the rumoured beasties that crawled in the darkness, feasting from the flesh of lowly travellers.
But the city was empty. Long-since deserted by any humans that had been lucky enough to avoid the blaze and the monsters that had attacked, the dirt roads were barren, the buildings that enclosed them still smouldering and sending up ash into the nights sky. The wood was to burn eternally, as was the curse.
It was the dead of night, in a setting of deep grey. A yawning mist rolled across the ground like the smoke of the fire that had devoured so many innocent souls. The creatures were awake. One walked slowly, her long, flowing coat sending the haze tumbling around her booted feet and up, over her head in great tendrils of fog. Dead, frigid eyes stared forth, jumping out of their pale sockets, framed only by the deep ebony lashes that curled up to her thin eyebrows. Her hair was flaxen, ruffled and tousled into a style of disarray that sent it in wispy vines around her ashen face. Aelthar Torii was home. And she could smell blood. The girl stopped when she reached the centre of the dusty path, letting the mist settle around her, looking around almost blindly in the darkness. There was something very inhuman about her. Whether it was her blank, washed-out stare, or the gentle claws that had moved in place of fingernails, or even the strange luminosity of her gauzy skin, it would never be known. But the one who watched her in the darkness didn’t let this phase him. He took a step forwards. Aelthar span, her ears pricking at the dull footstep and she crouched low, reaching into her boot and revealing a well-concealed dagger.
“Now now.” The stranger chuckled, a light smirk upon his lips. He continued to walk towards her slowly, hands joined behind his back, his long, rich crimson robes barely disturbing the haze. Aelthar could tell immediately that he was a Demon. And a full, powerful Demon at that. A forked tongue flickered between his lips, tasting the air, and determining what it was exactly that Aelthar was. “Half Demon…” He muttered eventually, tilting his head to the side slightly. He stopped when he stood a few feet away from her, his tall, built figure looking down at the young girl through scarlet eyes that matched his robe. “Barely. Do you have a name, girl?” He asked her. But Aelthar was on the defensive. She just glared at him, not straightening. “Take another step forwards and I’ll cut you!” She threatened, though her voice shook from fear and the threat was false. Her pitiable weapon wouldn’t even cut through the thick hide of the Demon. Though he was still smirking. “Come now, child.” He said softly, kindly, holding his hand out to her. “You may call me Tempos. And you are?” She observed his hand nervously. It was tanned, olive in hue giving him an exotic look. Nails were pointed into dangerous claws, extending an extra inch away from his fingertips. Gentle creases lined his bronzed skin, showing the many years that this Demon had graced the Human Realm. But his face shared none of the maturity, and was just as youthful and smooth as it had been 5000 years in the past. He barely looked a day over 20. Swallowing her pride, Aelthar took his hand and straightened up. The dagger, however, remained rigid in her palm. “Aelthar…” She mumbled in time, slipping her hand out of his, wary of the claws that shimmered dangerously in the twilight. “Aelthar Torii.” Tempos smiled warmly at her, finally closing the distance between himself and the half Demon. “Are you hungry?” He asked. Aelthar didn’t reply straight away, but her stomach did so for her. It let out a low grumble, tightening and gurgling in complaint. Tempos smirked and reached to her side, easily slipping the blade from between her fingers. “I caught a deer. Come, lets eat, Half.” He lead her away, but didn’t touch her. Aelthar was still obviously very nervous. Her coat hung from her thin figure, barely held in at her waist by the various belts and buckles that criss-crossed her thin shape. She looked worn and gaunt, which worried Tempos. He had never been one to enjoy seeing others in discomfort, so when he had her tucking into the well-cooked deer he allowed a genuine smile to pass his lips.
The strange, contrasting couple sat around a small fire, Aelthar with her cooked meat and Tempos with his raw. His pointed incisors easily tore through the meat, stripping it to the bone, while Aelthar ate in a more dignified, Human manner. Eventually, she looked over the dancing flames at the full Demon, and spoke. “Why did you help me?” She asked quietly, soft voice lingering above the crackling of the fire. Tempos merely smiled at her. His ruby tinted eyes gazing above the small blaze towards his companion. “Because you’re a Demon.” He said simply. “And I couldn’t have left such a helpless creature, even if I had tried.” Finally, Aelthar’s lips twitched into a small smile. She set down her left over deer and pulled her knee’s up to her chest, resting her chin on her legs. “Thanks.” She said softly. “Really, Tempos… Thank you.” Tempos just waved his hand. Dawn was already appearing at the very corners of the Realm, sending shades of amber and pink into the flawless sky. He raised his palm to the fire and it slowly, but surely, extinguished. “Aelthar, my dear Half friend, would you care to join me on my travels?” He asked her, now watching her over the smoke. Aelthar was cautious. This was a full Demon. And she was just about Half. In her 56 years upon the Earth he had 100 times her age of experience. But… He was friendly. A rare trait to find in such a powerful Demon. And he was still smiling. That was a good sign, surely? She finally gave him a nod, and stood up. “I’ll travel with you.” She said, ruffling her hair momentarily. “Until I find my own calling, anyway.” Tempos graced her with an even wider smile, flashing his sharp teeth at her. He kicked out the remaining smoulders that burned within the small, hand-made campfire and straightened his robe, before moving to walk away from the village. The grey, mottled surface of the buildings could be seen properly now in the light of dawn, still sending strands of mist up from the flames that consistently burned within. The fog also remained, but was tranquil and placid. The village looked almost peaceful now… Aelthar tore away her empty gaze and sped up a little to walk beside Tempos. So much had changed in such a short amount of time. It still pained the Half Demon to know that she was further away from Humanity than ever before, and that her mutations could only get worse. But she had Tempos now. She had her protection. And she wasn’t going to give it up for the world.
Aelthar Torii · Sun May 18, 2008 @ 02:10pm · 0 Comments |
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