out of the routes

Maliah and Troy sat beside each other leaning on the walls of the tunnels, it was silent as the two of them breath smoothly. then, to break the long silence, Maliah asked him

"Troy"

"Yes?"

"while I was coming here I saw paintings on the wall"

Troy looked at her as if she wasn't surprised by what she said, he gazed at her as she continued ..

" I was passing them with a very high speed trying to get to you as fast as I can so I didn't see them properly, but am sure they meant something..... especially with the fact that, while I was there alone in the other tunnels, I saw..... you "

Troy again looked at her, but his expressions remained constant, then he asked

" What did I say? "

" He said that, these tunnels, they tend to play with our heads, and then they show us how the soul of one's owner feels.... he said that, you lost her once, twice, he'd go mad if he didn't find me in these tunnels again.... "

Maliah looked at him with sad eyes as she suddenly felt the changes in Troy's gaze... she called out to him

" Troy? "

Troy raised his face and looked at her. his eyes were already filled with tears and looked exactly like how calm the sky was before the rage of the atmosphere began.

Maliah looked at him and asked him

"You and your past love, it is related to these tunnels..... right? and that's why you didn't want me to come in here, right? "

Troy could only look at her with those sad eyes as he nodded his head to her. Maliah's expressions also changed as soon as Troy's tears fell once he admitted it to her.

"Troy..."

she called out to him as she fell into his arms and embrace him, like a mother covering her child who has been freezing in the cold for years without a blanket.

Troy embraced her back as he slowly started to tear up. Maliah patted his back as he was crying quietly in her arms, in her embrace. Maliah also shed tears with him as she felt like she knew what he was going through.

Maliah patted him for awhile til she felt he has calmed down, then she ask her

"What was her name?"

"Eira"

Maliah's heart skipped a beat upon hearing that name, then she asked him.

"Eira, how was she ?"

Troy smiled and told her

"Beautiful, smart .....and powerful."

"Powerful? how?"

Troy answered as he still wa in Maliah's embrace. this embrace around him was like wonder woman's lasso of truth, he just seemed to be pouring everything out to her with every question she asked, at the last question, Troy smiled and told her

"Just like you, she was the light fae. but unlike you, she grew up in this realm and was trained by her guardian who taught her everything since she was little, by the time she grew up, he's almost mastered every power that was under her control. she could control the winds and the earth, water and the flames. she was indeed powerful as she was able to fight without laying a single hand on her opponents, no one could stand against her, she was just too powerful"

" If she was that powerful then how did she die? "

" she let herself die, to protect me"

Maliah's eyes widen as he listened to her. then she ask him

" Trying to protect you? "

"mmh... like today, that beast, like millions of them existed in these very same tunnels, at that time, the warlock already took control of my city and Eira saved us. she defeated him and locked him up in a crystal which was unbreakable. but his minions were still on loose, and some of them are the one we fought today. as soon as their master was locked, they lost their minds and behave madly. they still had one mission... to kill Eira. and so they chased her, I was the one who suggested to enter these tunnels Maliah and... as we entered deep, thousands of those creatures attacked us. they attacked vigorously as their master was confined in the crystal. they has one mission in mind, and that was to kill her, and Eira knew this, she knew these thousands creatures would stop attacking as soon as she died. she looked at me, I was stupid not to read that look in her eyes..... but then, when I saw her smiling at me, I knew it, that was her way of saying goodbye.... she through away her swords and stood still as the monsters ripped her in peaces. "

he gripped on Maliah's arms I tighter causing Maliah to hiss in pain, she knew he was in pain and that's why he held her like this. she felt his heartbeat as it beat vigorously in his chest, that's when she snapped out and hugged him tightly pulling him into her embrace as she tried to calm him down.

"She died.... trying to keep me alive"

"Shhhh Troy.... please.... stop"

she cried in return and embraced him putting his head on her chest to calm him down.

Troy was in agony and Maliah finally understood the strange attitude this man carried with him. after a while he stopped as he listened to the constant heart beat of Maliah.

"Promise me... don't ever do that again love... okay?"

Maliah got shocked upon hearing those words. without looking at her, he raised his arm and lifted it, his palm open

"Promise me Maliah.... please"

With out a waste, Maliah put her palm on top of his and their fingers intertwined.

then Troy looked at Maliah's face, his tears fell again but with no tense gaze on his face. he slowly let his other arm caress her cheek with the back of his hand and called her

" Eira, Leah, all of them left me here for millennials. please Maliah, don't leave me, don't sacrifice yourself for me, I won't bare it, please"

" I promise"

though there were many questions in Maliah's eyes to why he called her all those names and Leah? who was she again? he said her name was Eira, so who's this Leah? but before she could think, her mind was turned off as he felt that warm feeling again. that feeling on her lips, that sense again, she tried to pull her hand but was held tightly by Troy as he tasted her lips, tongue and inside her mouth. Maliah was shocked, shocked that she didn't expect this, then, she thought that, she should just play along because, she thought maybe when they were done with this... Troy would feel a lot better.....

and so she allowed him to kiss her as ravaging as he desired til that pain fed away in his heart and mind....