CHAPTER 39

***Past***

RUDINA’S POV

It’s not that I have no other choice, but I want to take care of them even though they want me to disappear from this world. There is so much going on in this world that I don’t know how to handle it. Honestly, I don’t know how I can do it, even though I know that I’m getting weak. It's like I don’t want to fight anymore, even though sometimes I just want to give up.

“Do you think you can pass us like that? You don’t know the pain that Daciana is going through right now, Rudina!” Daenim shouted.

I looked at her with tears in my eyes. “What do you think? Is she the only one having trouble? Is she the only one with feelings? Is she the only one hurt? Daenim, I also have a heart, and you know I didn’t do anything bad to Daciana because you are the only one who hurt her,” I said, then she laughed at me.

All they know is what hurts the one they love because they don’t care about others if they hurt their feelings. Thana suddenly rushed at Daenim, then she raised her sword. I immediately rushed at her, and I took back the sword she was holding and pointed it at her neck, causing her to lift her neck. She also swallowed, and I could feel her fear. Suddenly, her companions pointed their swords at me and lifted my neck.

My mother immediately came to her, then looked at Thana evilly. “Stop it and come with me,” she said calmly.

I looked at my mother, and she was just looking at me as if telling me not to worry about what they were saying. I looked at Daenim, who was staring at me, but she couldn’t rush me because of the many soldiers surrounding us.

“If you force them to do what you want, your mercy will do nothing else for them,” she said, and honestly I wanted to listen to her, but I was annoyed with myself for not knowing what to choose.

“What do I have to do?” I asked Thana, then I looked at her.

“Rudina!” Mother disobeyed, and Farkas called my name.

I didn’t look at them and just kept my eyes on Thana, who then stood up, and took the sword from my hand. She signaled his soldiers, and she held my hands. I just looked into his eyes, then she smiled at me.

“You don’t have to be different from them, and you don’t have to hide anymore just to stay alive. The decision is yours, and you don’t depend on other people. You will be the one to say what is better for you, Rudina. What do you think is important to them? Isn’t it to kill you? So think carefully,” she said to me, and I closed my eyes tightly when she said that.

I want to go with her to find out what other skills I have, but I can’t leave my mother and my friend Farkas, who is always there no matter what the situation. I cried even more, and I don’t know what to do. To go with Thana or to stay with my mother. I don’t know why my body moved spontaneously, then I looked at her, who was smiling at me as if she were happy with the result of what she did.

“We will not leave you, Rudina. We will take care of you, and you don’t have to depend on yourself just to survive,” she told me, and I looked at my mother crying.

“Rudina…” mother said softly.

“Sorry,” I said softly to her, then I turned away.

I couldn’t look at my mother anymore because I knew it was a betrayal of her. She always didn’t want me to go with my aunt, and she knew it wouldn’t be good for me if vampires took care of me. Anyway, it was my choice, and even though I knew what could happen, I did it anyway.

I could still hear my mother calling me, but I didn’t look back at her because what was going to happen was that I would still follow her instead of myself. In this instance, I felt that I had made my own choice and that I no longer depended on those around me or even on what my mother would tell me. Even what Daciana is saying I can't listen to anymore. I want to be free and decide what is best for me.

“Rudina, you know what you’re doing is wrong. You know that no matter what you do, nothing will change. You know that no matter what you do, you cannot change what has already happened. You’re just making everything worse. Rudina, my child, I am begging you. Please…” she said, and at that moment I stopped, then I looked at her.

“I know nothing will change no matter what I do. But I just want to change myself and learn my own abilities and what power I have.”

“Because that’s complicated, and there are a lot of processes.”

“But mother! I also have to defend myself from others without depending on you or anyone else!” I shouted, which surprised her.

This is my first time I’ve yelled at my mother like this, and I know for myself that it’s not right. I held my mouth, then I looked in another direction. “No matter what happens, no matter what your decision is, I’m here for you, Rudina,” Farkas said, then I looked at him.

I never expected Farkas to say that to me, but it made me feel better. At least one friend gave his statement on what I wanted to do. It’s not even Dacia, but I know this is the only way I can defend myself against them. Thana held my hand, and then we turned our backs on them, and suddenly we flew, and she led me.

I don’t know where we are going or to what place we are going. But the only thing I know is that I will know what kind of personality I have and what skills I can learn. We are approaching a beautiful palace that just floats in the air, and to be honest, I have never seen such a castle floating in the air. I looked at Thana, then she smiled at me.

“That’s our palace, Rudina,” she said, then I looked at the palace she was talking about.

“Us?” I thought.

She nodded to me, and when I got inside, I couldn’t believe the people who were waiting for us, especially the man with a crown on his head and a cape on his back. He was holding in his hand a cane with a red gem on top of it, which amazed me even more. I never thought I would see such a beautiful creature like him. Thana bowed to the man in front of us, and I did the same.

Actually, my nervousness prevailed, which is why I touched the peace of my dress. I’ve only ever faced a king this close, and even once, I never planned for my scenario to turn out like this. I heard him walking towards me, and I even swallowed because of the nervousness I was feeling who prevailed,

My eyes widened when he touched my chin. “I never thought that I would be able to see you this close... my child,” he said which surprised me even more.

“C-child?” I thought.

He grinned at me, and honestly I feel like I’m going to run out of breath because I can hardly breathe from what was happening now. He held my hand, then he smiled at me. “I’ve been waiting for a long time for your mother to show you to me again, but she always denies you something that makes me angry,” he said with emphasis on every word he uttered.

“W-what do you mean?” I wondered.

“Rieka doesn’t show you to me because she knows I will take you back from her. But because she loves you and doesn’t want you to be separated from her, I let you go. But the situation today is different,” he said in a serious tone.

Honestly, I want to be happy about what's happening now because I’ve only seen my father this close. It was only now that I saw him like this, and it was only now that I realized how handsome he is. I don’t know what happened to them, but I don’t want to ask him about that, and I want it to come from him.

“W-what kind of situation?” I wondered.

I heard his sigh, then I looked around, and everyone around us was just bowing, and I could see that they were respecting the man in front of me now. He raised his hand and signaled for his soldiers to leave first. I don't know if I will leave too or if I will just stay where I am. Everyone turned their backs on him instead of me, and I don’t know if I should follow or not. I was about to turn away when he suddenly spoke.

“I’m not letting you go,” he said, making me ghost bump.

“W-what... I thought ... w-what…” I don’t know what to say, and I don’t know how to speak properly to him.

“If you don’t already know, vaewolfs are more dangerous than lycans. A hybrid like us shouldn’t associate with lower types of creatures like them,” he said, confusing me.

I don’t know what he is saying and where he is going. I was confused and honestly I never even heard that thing from my mother. “What makes vaewolves different from normal wolves?” I asked him.

“Vaewolfs like us deserve more respect than being made into monsters in their eyes. The strength you have is that you can control it and have other skills that you can learn. People like us are not just random, but we can use our powers and strength in other ways and defend others,” he explained.

To be honest, I don’t see that my father is bad, and I don’t see that he has bad intentions in life. He has something of which I can be proud, especially now that he has his own palace and his own servants. What he said to me just now is so disturbing to me that I don’t know how to make him believe it.

Honestly, his presence is scary, and I can’t explain what I feel. I don’t know if I’m excited or happy with what my father is telling me now. He turned to me, then he held my hand and looked me in the eyes.

“I’m not a bad creature like your mother thinks. Our only desire is to have peace and to make it clear to everyone that it is not people like us who are bad if they are not themselves greedy for power,” he explained to me.

We have the same goal in life and I like what he told me. That’s something I’ve always wanted to hear but I know there are people who really don't have open hearts and minds on such matters. He pulled me until I reached the veranda and then I saw other soldiers practicing their skills.

“We are all different. Heart, mind, powers, and belief in ourselves. I built this palace and world to have equal treatment for all living beings. When lycans or vaewolves can’t control themselves, I catch them so that they can be treated. Because I know that in these situations we also need to understand them,” he said, and then I looked at him.

“Where are they?”

“In a prison that will give them comfort and make them realize what they have done.”

He took out his staff, and in an instant, he was in a room where other witches were studying what might be medicine. As we walked, they all bowed to us, and when we got to a room, there was a strange box with some strange black light inside. As I watched it, I couldn’t help but be afraid—afraid of what might come out of it.

He held it, then showed it to me, and I was surprised when he suddenly opened it, and the monsters flew all around us. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing and I never thought they were this scary. I was about to grab one of them, but Father immediately patted my hand, which surprised me.

“The moment you touch one of them, they can get away. You can’t touch them because the moment they get loose, it will be dangerous,” he explained, then I took my hand off my back.

“But why are they locked up there?”

“Because when the time to find a cure for them, they can be cured. But for now, they have to stay where they are.”