7 Chapter 6: The Twilight Orb

- 3RD PERSON'S POV –

"Hey, Alucard! Are you listening?" Lesley irritatingly asked and slammed both of her hands to the table, poor innocent table.

Alucard blinked many times and glanced at Lesley who's glaring at him while her eyebrows furrowed. He cleared his throat and nodded, "Sorry. Continue."

Ruby, Lesley, and Alucard are the ones who are assigned to create a team by the gods and goddesses of the Dark Empire. They're currently having a meeting about their past battles and strategies that will bring their empire to victory.

Lesley massaged her temple, "I've been talking here for like an hour. Ugh, Ruby, you explain to him, this is your plan anyway. I have other important things to do. Harley is waiting for me. Ask Franco if he's okay as the tank in our team. I need to go, bye."

Alucard remained silent, staring at the displayed arrow in the room. The arrow made him remind someone. Someone he truly loves to the point he'll be willing to do anything for her, but she broke his heart in return.

"Hey, I noticed that you've been out of yourself lately. Do you want to talk about it?" Ruby asked and moved her chair next to Alucard. They're the only people inside the room since Lesley already left.

Ruby is always with Alucard. They've been friends since they were little. As they grew up, their affection for each other also grew and they became a couple.

Their relationship lasted for a few years. Alucard ended their relationship even though he doesn't want to hurt Ruby's feelings. He fell out of love with her. Ruby accepted that and since she loves him so much, she decided to let him go.

They remained friends. Alucard only sees Ruby as his little sister while Ruby is helplessly falling in love with Alucard.

Ruby is still hoping that Alucard will have feelings for her so they can be together again. She smiled remembering their memories when they were still together.

- FLASHBACK -

"Alucard? How did you fall in love with me?" Ruby was hesitant if she's going to ask that silly question to Alucard but she did it anyway.

She's curious how Alucard developed feelings for her when there is nothing much to like about her personality and looks.

He looked at Ruby straight in the eyes and held both of her cheeks, "Don't ask me that question Ruby because I don't know the answer too. All I know is that I love you so much and I'll do anything for you to be happy."

Tears of happiness overwhelmed her eyes. She hugged Alucard and whispered. "I love you."

Alucard caressed her back and kissed her forehead. "I love you too, Ruby."

- END OF FLASHBACK -

"Ruby I found my mate."

Her train of thoughts cut off when Alucard said those five words to her. Words that she wished she never heard of, words that will haunt her for eternity. The time she's really afraid of has come, the time when Alucard finally meets the woman who is destined for him.

'And that woman will never be me.' Ruby thought.

She tried to smile at him to show how happy she is for him but her eyes tell otherwise, "Th-That's great news!" Ruby tried to sound happy and was hesitating if she should hug Alucard.

"Yeah it was, but she ran away from me. Did I do something wrong? Am I ugly?" Alucard asked and scratched the back of his head.

Ruby wanted to laugh at Alucard's last question but she became furious when she heard that the girl left him, "What?! She ran away??"

Alucard shook his head and stood up. "I don't want to talk about it. Let's go and find Franco then meet up with Lesley and Harley at the woods. I want to end this quest early because I have other places I needed to be." He took his sword and was about to leave when Ruby called his name.

"Where are you going this time? Last week you went to a party and you didn't even tell me about it. Are you going to leave us again?"

'Are you going to leave me again?' She felt her heart tearing apart.

She thought that was the worst feeling she will ever feel for her entire life but she never expected that his words before he stepped out of the door can make her heart torn into millions of pieces.

"As much as I want to stay here with all of you but I can't, I can't leave my mate. You know me, Ruby. I don't give up so easily. I will bring her back and win her heart."

Ruby smiled sadly. "I know it already; you don't need to slap the truth to my face that I will never be the woman you will spend the rest of your life with. I accept that because it's the only thing I can do for you. I can't promise that I'll be happy for you, all I can do is love you endlessly without any love from you somehow I think I deserve." She whispered to herself while tears fell off her cheeks.

"Goodbye, my love..."

×××

Lesley, Harley, Ruby, Alucard, and Franco are riding their horses to reach their destination, the Sacred Statues. The Queen of the Dark Empire, Vexana is the one who ordered them to retrieve this mysterious Orb that she's so obsessed about.

"What's with this Orb anyway?" Lesley asked.

Franco shrugged while Ruby and Alucard remained silent.

"It's called the Twilight Orb. Rumors had spread that this Orb can cast any impossible spell if you absorbed the Twilight Orb's magic, though something bad will happen because you ruined the balance of nature." Harley explained to his sister.

Lesley frowned and looked at Harley's direction, "How did you know about the Twilight Orb?"

He avoided his sister's gaze and awkwardly laughed, "I just know a lot of things, sis."

All of them became silent again. You can clearly hear the howling of the wind and the horses galloping.

Alucard glanced at Ruby who seemed to be avoiding him since their trip started, "Ruby, are you okay? You're spacing out."

She shook her head without even glancing, "I'm fine. Just ignore me."

Alucard frowned and wanted to ask her about her problem but he decided to shut up because she really looked irritated.

"We're here!" Franco announced.

They stopped their horses and tied them on a near post.

"Wait!" Harley stopped them from walking and went in front of them and started chanting.

"What is he doing?" Alucard asked.

None of them answered. Harley finished chanting and faced them, "It's done." He proudly said.

Seconds later, the ground started shaking and a hole appeared.

"The Twilight Orb is down there??" Lesley pointed the big hole on the ground.

Harley nodded, "Yep and we better hurry before someone takes the Orb first. A lot of people also want to steal the Twilight Orb because of the power they can obtain from it."

"Is that why Queen Vexana wants the Orb? Because of power?" Lesley stared at the hole, checking if it's safe to go down.

Ruby scoffed. "Well everyone wants power, right? People only give you attention because of your ability, not because they care about you." She coldly said.

Alucard was about to speak when something came out of the hole. It landed in front of them, Franco is the first one to walk closer to see what it is. They discovered that it was not a thing, but a person.

Lesley pointed her rifle at the mysterious guy. Alucard and Ruby did the same thing.

The guy stood up and glared at them.

"None shall pass!"