Chapter 9

Aylin's POV

The map I held in my hands was my way out. The sun is up but since I am in the wood there is little to no light coming in . As I stand in the middle of an unfamiliar place, the trees moving with the wind making a sounds, there is nothing around me, no one close. Just woods, it's been I think hours since I left Kieran's pack land.

 Kieran left the map on my bedside at night while I was a sleep, I guess he did not want to say goodbye while I was a wake, which it would have been hard for him to do. I don't blame him, I would have done the same thing if I were him.

Last night

 I hear someone entering my room, I stayed still and not even moved at all. With a whiff of scent I knew that It was him.

He moves slowly and gently towards my bed where I am rested, his footsteps carefully touching the floor. He came closer to my bed.

I can feel his huge body slowly lowering it's self on my bed. For a few moment all movements stop, I can hear his heart beating and his breathing slowing. His hand reaches up to touch my cheek, his hand was cold as ice but still soft.

I hear him sucking in a breath and releasing it, like he is calming himself down. 

"I hope you find what you are looking for out there, I never got the chance to know you that well but you are my everything. I love you deeper than the oceans combined and the core of this world, I love you caramel cake, you have taken my heart by storm and I hope that one day I can take yours by crashing waves." with low whispers he quiets. 

He places a kiss on my cheeks that were warm and his lips were as cold as his hands then gets up and leaves a map on my bedside and walks towards the door and looks back "Next time, let it be you who finds me" he gets out and closes the door. 

As I listen to the footsteps that slowly fade in a distance I get up and look at the map and also see a backpack. When I opened it there was enough food and essentials that I will need for the journey. I slump back to sleep with the reminder of how cold his hand was on my cheek and the kiss he implanted on my cheek.

End of Last night

My skin prickles at the cool air that the forest is producing. I walk in the direction the map indicates, a few more turns later I get out of the forest and the sunlight and warmth hit my face then travels all the way to my toes. I walk slowly towards the light and get out of the forest. I stepped closer but I was focused on the warmth that I did not see the river.

"Oh shit" my body rolled forward then back, catching myself. I moved a few steps and looked down to were I almost fell, there was a river. I scanned the river, and looked to where it was leading to.

My breath catches and my heart beats faster. The scenery I saw caught me by surprise, I found them, the mountains.

I looked back at the map then back up, It was like I was in different world. Birds chipping and the air blowing.

The trees were a different color than the forest I just came out of. They were orange brownish in color, they make a sound that is different from the sound normal trees make. The river gleams and shines, there were glowing fishes swimming and rocks that layered on the sides of the river. The mountain looked big and had a river that lead to the mountain top.

 It looks pretty. Okay I can do this, yeah. I already found the mountains, the only thing left is to find the King Of Esmond or Goddess Aria.

This does look stunning I could live here if I could but I have people to find and a destiny to change.

The mountains are far from where I am standing estimated time to reach there is probably 2 day minimum. Maybe I am pushing it. I start waking on the side of the river, climbing through rocks and getting burnt by the sun. I bet when the day ends I won't have dark brown skin but be pitch black.

 ***********************

The day finally came to an end, the day went slow, which was an unusual to happens in this world. I felt like I have been walking for such a long time. The star shine as usual, which is one thing that has been normal since I have entered this place.

It is very cool. I am not to close to the mountains but not too far. The only thing that is around me is the river and a big tree apart from the other long ones, this one was short and had a thick bark that had patterns and had a smooth surface with leaves just as the same as others. With grass just the same as the trees leaves, I will spend the night here, just for tonight.

I look up at the sky, then proceeded to walk towards the tree. I slumped down and removed my bag from my back and leaned in on the trees bark and listened.

Everything went still, my chest rising up and down, my body aches from the long walk, my mind wandering to my sister and what had happened the last five days.

My sister is my mother's child and father, I am not. The thought of being made makes me feel a lot of thing. If I had been given birth by a human, I wouldn't have met him, I wouldn't even be here and maybe I would have never killed my own father. Or even made my mother sick.

Tiana is a good child and if this fate and destiny that I have cannot be changed, I can't keep my promise of going back to Tiana and she might die because of me "Yah because of me she can die" I mummer

My brain hurts, I just can't do that to anyone again, if this does not work Tiana is also in danger. It started with my father when I was 13 years old, I loved that man with my soul, more than I have ever loved my mother. He died because of the the goddess sickness, well at least it's what I call it.

In ancient books, goddess's cannot love anyone other than everyone equally. In a goddess' heart a special someone or someone the goddess loves more than other people is given the goddess sickness. A goddess shall not love one person more than the others no matter what kind of goddess you are.

My mother has the sickness, because before my father died my mother was pregnant with Tiana. After he died I was meant to be there for my mother, so we became close, then my sister came, we became a family, a family a goddess loves deeply. After six years my mother fell extremely sick. During those years the signs were there but I chose to ignore them.

I thought that I might be reading into it too much but, the marks kept showing everyday. The marks it leaves are of a flower, everyday they grow into many. It depends on how strong the love of a goddess for this person is.

Tiana is my sister and she is also the one I hold dear to my heart. I might love her more than my mother or father and that scares me more than anything.