The Lonely

Ophelia's eyelids fluttered open, the soft caress of sunlight kissing her glassy skin as she slowly emerged from the depths of slumber.

"You should rest," Damien's voice floated from another corner of the room, his words a gentle reminder amidst the stillness of the morning.

Confusion clouded Ophelia's voice as she struggled to piece together the fragments of her memory. "What happened…?" she inquired weakly, her tone tinged with apprehension.

"We were in the castle—" Damien emerged from Ophelia's wardrobe room, his presence a dark silhouette against the pale light filtering through the windows. He paused by her bedside, his figure casting a solemn shadow over her fragile form, "—and you collapsed."

The weight of Damien's words hung heavy in the air, mingling with the chill that seemed to seep into the very bones of the room. "I—" Ophelia's voice faltered, lost amidst the uncertainty that engulfed her.

"My lady, I believe you should rest a while longer. Despite the sunny day, the air remains cold," Damien advised, his tone tinged with a sense of urgency as he made his way towards the door, leaving Ophelia to grapple with her thoughts.

Confusion etched lines of worry across Ophelia's brow as she watched Damien's retreating figure. "Why are you acting so strangely?" she implored, her voice trembling with a mixture of fear and frustration.

Damien's demeanor shifted, a flicker of something dark dancing in his eyes. "I am merely fulfilling my duty as your servant," he replied, his words devoid of warmth or reassurance.

The air grew heavy with tension as Ophelia's mind raced with unanswered questions. "But this…this is different. You've never…" Her words trailed off, lost amidst the tumult of emotions swirling within her.

"No, my lady, you have done nothing wrong," Damien interjected, his voice sharp and final, as if cutting through the thick fog of uncertainty that surrounded them.

"Then why? Why do you treat me with such coldness" Ophelia's voice cracked with hurt and betrayal, tears welling in her eyes as she struggled to comprehend the sudden shift in their dynamic.

"Enough!" Damien's voice thundered through the room, his crimson eyes ablaze with an otherworldly fire as he turned to face Ophelia, his fangs beginning to emerge. "Just…cease your incessant questioning"

Ophelia recoiled, the sting of his words cutting deeper than any physical blow. "What did just…? I…I don't understand," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the sound of her own sobs.

Damien's expression softened, a fleeting moment of regret crossing his features. "There is nothing to understand," he murmured, his voice barely a whisper as he turned away, retreating into the darkness beyond.

Alone once more, Ophelia crumbled, her heart shattering into a million jagged pieces. Warm tears cascaded down her cheeks, the sound of her cries echoing through the empty room as she grappled with the pain of abandonment and betrayal.

Outside, Damien stood in silence, his chest tight with an unfamiliar ache.

"What…is this?" he whispered to himself, his voice barely audible over the haunting echoes of Ophelia's sobs.

- - - - -

After a while, Ophelia emerged from her bedroom, her eyes swollen and red from crying. With each step, she traversed the corridor barefoot, the silence of the house oppressive around her, pressing in on her like a heavy weight.

Room after room, she searched for Damien, her calls echoing unanswered through the empty halls. "Damien!" Her voice rang out, pleading and desperate, but there was no reply, no sign of him anywhere.

Frustration mounting, Ophelia pressed on, her frantic footsteps echoing through the house as she moved from one room to the next. "Damien, where are you?!" she called out again and again, her voice growing hoarse with each unanswered plea.

Outside, the afternoon sun cast long shadows across the snow-covered landscape as Ophelia continued her search, her heart heavy with worry and fear. But despite her efforts, Damien remained elusive, his absence a gaping void that seemed to swallow her whole.

Returning indoors, Ophelia paused in the grand living room, her shoulders slumping in defeat. Once a place of warmth and comfort, the room now felt cold and empty, the rich tapestries and flickering candlelights serving as a cruel reminder of happier times.

A sense of loneliness settled over Ophelia like a heavy cloak as she stood amidst the grandeur of the room, the silence hanging thick in the air, suffocating and relentless. With a heavy heart, she turned and made her way back up the stairs, seeking solace in the familiarity of her bedroom.

As the sunlight began to fade, Ophelia sat on her bed, her hands clutching her diary tightly to her chest. She stared out the window at the falling snowflakes, her eyes distant and filled with a profound sadness that seemed to consume her.

Beside her, the diary lay open, its pages stained with dried tears. Ophelia's gaze fell upon the words written there, each letter a testament to the pain and longing that consumed her soul.

[My heart is a meadow. Wide, yet empty. I could gaze away, far, far away, but, still, nothing. Take me away from here, the one whom I did not remember. This feeling inside me, began creeping on my skin. I was cursed, not to be alone, yet, to be lonely…

Then, again… Here…I became that lonely]

With a choked sob, Ophelia buried her face in her hands, the weight of her loneliness crushing her like a tidal wave. In that moment, she felt more alone than ever before, the emptiness of her heart a gaping chasm that seemed to stretch on into eternity.

- - - -

The night arrived in the Demesne Empire, the moonlight started to shimmer above the snowy woods. Then—

<swish >

Two black shadows stormed throughout the woods like a phantom, swift and elusive presence. The leaves rustled and branches swayed in response to its passage.

The moonlight created a haunting spectacle, casting elongated silhouettes that danced with eerie grace. They moved with purpose, navigating through the labyrinthine pathways of the forest.

Damien, followed by another shadow behind him, halted on one of the branches. 

<pant, pant>

"Stop, listen!" Damien's heart raced like a drumbeat, mixed with the frantic rhythm of his heavy breath. 

Then, the other shadow revealed a magnificent figure of a wolf. He growled towards the devil. His sharp, attentive golden eyes were alerted by Damien's arrival.

"What are you doing here…Devil?" He boldly asked.

"I did not intend any harm" Damien replied.

"Liar!" The wolf jumped over the branch as he swung his claws upon Damien. His eyes locked upon him as he hissed, revealing elongated fangs. 

He lunged forward with blinding speed, deliberately and precisely. In a second, the wolf was able to knock over Damien as they fell onto the ground.

"Grrrr" He growled.

The wolf opened his mouth and—

"I need to see Yukio!" Damien said as the wolf stopped attacking him. The wolf stepped back into the shadow as the creature gradually began to shift.

Tufts of fur, retreated into the skin, leaving behind human flesh. His long claws were replaced by human hands, snouts transformed into a human nose and mouth, and the sharp fangs shortened. 

The man walked under a silver moonlight, revealing his solid chest and pillars of stone hanging upon his wide shoulders. He stood amidst the remnants of his wild alter ego.

"Let me meet Yukio…" Damien demanded as he stood up, gazing straight upon the man's golden eyes. The man's face contorted from aggression to utter surprise in an instant.

"How do you—"

"Take me to Okami."

- - - - -

—to be continued