Chapter 17

He was filled with rage after watching his brother wore the crown that should belong to him, his strong glare didn't leave the new king's figure as he felt the strong urge to kill him right on the spot. But Calamir managed to sense him from afar, and threw him a death stare.

Only then, Collins started to cower a little bit after being threatened by those powerful glance.

"What's wrong, My King?"

Calamir turned his head at Nyxon who's ready to put the red robe on him.

"Nothing, just a pest." He sneered a bit while looking away from Collins' direction. And Nyxon aided him to put on the red robe for Calamir.

Of course, I heard the conversation really well. But I don't dare to interrupt since they will only think of me as a nosy commoner. Why did I think like that? Because it's been a day since they ignored me, while Eclara was away to follow Meldia for some of their times alone.

Was it because I just a burden to them? Why did they distant themselves from me? Without telling me a reason for doing so, only I was getting hurt more and more by their cold treatment.

That's when I decided to go back to where Lefka was, Atharis mansion, without telling them that I was gone.

"What? It's not only Nyxon but Calamir too?"

The purple colour started to reside his eyes that contained almost anger within them, feeling like his nephew turned hostile towards me after becoming a king.

"I don't care what the reason is, but I'm sure that it's not Sister's fault." Lefka crossed his arms, wrinkling his eyebrows while thinking about how much they've changed after the throne was passed to Calamir.

"I don't know. But I don't think I can stay there any longer. It's awkward, you see..." I scratched my head and lowered my eyes a bit on my thighs. "Whatever the case is, I don't like the way they treat me now."

"Then, show them a lesson." Says Lefka, pulling me and stepped out of the mansion. "We're going to hunt, Sister. I will protect you." He blinked twice to me, with his jade glowing eyes looking at me endearingly, I smiled after realized how beloved I was when I'm with Lefka and Atharis.

Hunt, he said. But actually we're on front of the mage tower.

I gave a simple glance at Lefka who coldly stared down the long tower. Finally, there's someone who got out from it and greeted us, but hardly we called it a greetings. Since the lady with pointy ears in dark purple robe treated us with hostility. She had an olive green eyes while her long hair was blond.

"Master is waiting for you inside." Her glare was overly furious after she saw me, a human who entered their domain normally like I had a special power. But it's all thanks to Lefka's dragon power. He had me wearing his jade ring that he used to wear before.

"Is she an elf?" I asked in whispering, slightly on my tip toe so that I can reach Lefka's ear.

He nodded while his glare was still on her. "Yeah, all elves hate me because I smell like dragon."

I automatically smelled him, but I couldn't smell anything like dragon on him. "You're a dragon, kid." I nudged his arm and he smirked. After that, he pulled my hand and straight went in the tower, passed by the elf girl who's already upset about being ignored by someone lowly like me.

"Who are we meeting?" My eyes glanced at every angle of the inside.

There's also a male elf, and another female elf who sat at the table. They're assigned to register any guest who would meet with the higher wizards. But both of them were glaring at us like we're here to bring chaos.

"My old friend, he knows my identity too." Says Lefka while reaching out his hand to me, as we're going upstairs through these small stepped staircase. "He's also an elf, but he's not like those asshole we saw just now." I giggled at how he's always blunt with chosing words. He described the man we're going to meet.

He's a cool looking old man who had a pretty ash coloured eyes, and a cold grey hair that's long to his waist level.

But when I saw him, he's not an old man! But he's actually the most good looking man I've ever seen after I entered this novel world. Nyxon and Calamir might be the standard, but this man named Helron was too much far from them, which meant he's more handsome than them.

It's true that his eyes were soft toned ash coloured, one of them was covered with a pirate-like eyepatch but his hair was all white. The sharp in those preying eyes made me almost lost my mind, thinking that I might end up falling for him.

And he lovingly smiled at us.

"Helron, how come you're looking old like always?" Lefka laughed, as he got near him, he slapped Helron's shoulder while that man just got annoyed but suppresses the anger.

"You stupid dragon, dare of you to say that I'm old?" His eyebrows twitched. "Hm? So, who is this young lady?" Helron stared at me up and down, finally told me to sit. "Aren't you the one who accidentally swaped soul with a girl named Lysandra?"

I stole a glance at Lefka who allowed me to speak about myself to Helron.

"I am Claire. Does that mean she's still alive somewhere?"

"Alive, huh? To be precise, she's already dead the day she was assaulted by her brother, who was him again? Ah, Siegfried the fake."

"Fake? Why is that?"

"He became a prince by Shagan king's help. And he even plays his role as the prince really well, telling people how he's only interested in women who have a kind and calm nature. That's just he hides his lust over her own sister, by making his own ideal based on Lysandra. She's a very good girl who succeed in capturing one of difficult men, which is Siegfried. But, knowing how he'll never get his sister, he assaulted her and kept it a secret."

Lysandra... Lysandra Nyktoskiád... To think an extra in the novel would have a tragic backstory too beside Eclara's.

"Her soul is no longer here, that's why, you should be free too, child of otherworld." Helron filled my amethyst eyes with a pity gaze, he then patted my head like how a father would do to his daughter. I compared him to a father figure because he's that age already according to Lefka.

"Is there a way for me to go back?"

Lefka gulped after looked at me in surprise, his eyes were glazing. "Do you... Want to go back?? Sister?"

Helron's grey eyes shifted on him only to see how fixated that dragon had became towards a girl who barely existed in this world line. Then he realized that Yvalaefkar Xen was reluctant to let the girl go not because she's Lysandra, but it's because she's a soul named Claire.

And that girl was me.

"I am fine, then. You must have been missing your family so much, right? Sister?" Trying to hold back his clingy attitude, Lefka finally got up and left after forced himself to wear a smile.

Of course I had the intention of chasing him, but Helron shook his head not to bother. So I remained there, staring at the empty closed door.

"What did you do to that dragon? His arrogance disappeared along with his pride and ego. It's impossible for Atharis alone to make him so obsessed over something that doesn't even last."

His words were sharper than sword, but it's the only truth that I failed to swallow.

"If... If I can go back, what will happen to my friend Ronea who currently resides in Eclara's body?" Nervous, but I had to face the answer I expected as much.

"She will return too, but only if she gets to avoid the curse. By then, the plot of the story will change 100% and her role will end. Her soul will be sent to where she was, which is also the same as you."

I nodded. But then I looked at him again, in shocked. "Wait, how do you know about the novel?"

He smirked before doing a fingersnap, and there's a book appeared in the air. Helron held it and the title of the book faced me. I forgot that this man's the owner of this magic tower...

"I bet that Yvalaefkar didn't tell you about his character. There's something hidden about his character that you might don't know, my child." He still had a fatherly smile om his face, and gave the book to me. "Does the colour of his eyes remind you of someone?"

I couldn't speak for a moment I think again, did he resemble someone I know?

"Who...?" I asked.

He responded with a kind laugh, "His character is based on someone you met for a very short time. Just after he locked eyes with you, he sent you here to save the princess which is your friend now."

My eyes lowered on the floor, only flipping the memories I had before the truck accident.

"Have a nice reading, ladies."

And there's a soft tone voice that passed by my brain, that's when I thought of the man who touched my hand as the novel fell at the library. After that, the accident happened.

"That man... He has a beautiful emerald eyes..." I raised my head and looked at Helron who was waiting for my answer. "Is he the one who Lefka based on?" Seeing him nodded, I just realized that the green eyed man was the author of Curse & Cure.

*

His eyes landed on Lefka, confusedly wondering where did the girl he brought with him go?

"Where is Our Lady?" Asks Atharis as he watched Lefka sat on his right thigh.

"I left her with Helron..."

Of course Atharis noticed the dejected expression on his face, that's why he won't ask any further instead he stroked Lefka's bang that almost covered his eyebrows.

"Is it my fault, that I get attached to her?" There's a sorrow in those jade eyes, staring at the duke who focused only on him.

"No. Dragons have feelings too, after all. So it's not your fault."

Can't hold back his tears anymore, Lefka bawled his eyes out. Feeling lonely as he cried, he wrapped his arms around Atharis' neck.

'She will go...' He kept saying the girl's name in his heart, while his hands clasped on Atharis' clothes. 'All I want is to protect her... But why does she want to go to a place where I can't reach? What if she's in danger again...?' The same question was played in his head over and over, while he also knew the same answer that will continue to haunt him down.

He never knew that some day he would actually come to love someone other than Atharis, he also didn't expect that he would feel reluctant to let go of some human who never meant so much to him. But here he was, realizing his agony and pain while thinking of a human leaving him. What hurt him the most was how he knew the fact of the girl actually from the other world.

Now, he will have no one to protect to. She was the burden that Lefka never thought of letting go. But to him, she had already became a half of his life. The fact that will not change, even after he died, the bond between them remain unchanged. They stayed the same not until they died but forever.

Only if he can say all those deep feelings of hid towards her, only if she could understand why he was reluctant to let her go...

Lefka would actually be happy...

"Uncle!"

A voice was heard from the outside, when they looked at the door, there were Calamir and Nyxon who stood there and entered.

"Do you know where is Claire?" Asks Calamir while his blue eyes were scanning every angle.

Atharis didn't reply, instead he only stared at his nephew and shifted his eyes to Nyxon next. And there's Lefka who only let them faced his behind, not because he's embarrassed of crying but he didn't want to see any of them.

"Uncle, why did you stay silent? Answer me, she's nowhere to be seen!" Calamir tried to touch the duke's arm, but Atharis glared at him.

"Didn't you two cast he aside so that she dissappears?"

A blazing stare was given to the new king, Calamir actually was threatened by his uncle who's the grand duke of Axteg.

"Why are you saying it like we did it intentionally?"

"I don't know if people could actually see that you're both did it unintentionally."

The cold war between the uncle and his nephew only made Nyxon became more furious. But he couldn't do anything except getting help from Atharis himself.

'Did I stumble on another mistake?' Nyxon blinked his eyes twice while kept thinking about Claire.

"She's not here. Upon knowing of how she's no longer needed by you both, she's in a despair where it leads her to someone who can make her happy." Says Atharis, his eyes were filled with almost purple colour. That only meant he's barely holding in his anger towards his nephew.

Nyxon could not say anything to that, he was staring at Lefka who didn't turn to them. Meant that there's something big happened to the his lover.

Clenching his hands while feeling frustrated, thinking of how both of those men would protect her unlike him.

Would it be better if they take Claire under their wings? But what if he can no longer see the girl he loves? Will he contain his jealousy when seeing her together with other men happily laughing? What if Claire smiles to another man? Will he stand still and act like she's not his anymore?

That was the first time, Nyxon was scared by his own thoughts.

'Why did I act cold to her? Did she do something? Did I ignore her too?' No answer that can responded to his questions. Wondering if he's actually deserves a girl like Claire.

Meanwhile...

"What if your lover ends up with the Shagan Princess, after you return to your world?"

I was flabbergasted. While Helron only smiled after threw such question. Seeing him tapping his index finger on his arm as he crossed arms, I just knew that he only wanted my answer for fun.

Nyxon was not someone like that, after a girl dumped him, he wouldn't find another one. But what if it's true, since Helron was also a powerful magician. What if Nyxon actually finds Angela as his comfort after I left him?

If that's going to happen, I'm not here anymore to intervene their relationship. Only me being delusional for him in my world, while he enjoyed his life with another woman.

"If that's the case, then I will cancel my plan to return." I bluntly said to him.

Looking surprised, Helron scratched his chin while his eyes shifted away from mine. "Youth is nice, but there's a limit to it. He can find his own happiness, so you can exclude yourself from this world."

I couldn't reply to him as I stared at his amethyst jewelled silver ring. Its colour reminded me of my eyes, they only captivated people's interest but never Nyxon's. Maybe purple reminded him of Siegfried...

"Yeah, you might be right. But it's not about what he will do after I leave. It's about my desire to stay with him."

Helron's gaze was locked on mine, he unconsciously smiled and waved his hand, a sign for me to come near him. And I did so, then he placed his hand on my head. "Your love for that man has no cure, if you have a choice to erase all about him from your memories, would you want it? So that you can live happily in your world."

"I don't want it. He's the only one who can make me go insane, falling in love like I'm crazy, no word can describe my love for him, no number can measure how much I love him. The world is not the same without him, either I forget him or not, I still will find a way to know him again."

He was surprised by my every word, but he still smiled in the end. He patted my head and I felt something was tingling inside me, a pleasant aura that slowly flowed within my body.

"There, the sadness and grief you felt from the past have already perished. I hope you and your lover find a way to strengthen the relationship, and make sure to call me if anything happen, child. The next time we meet, call me father. Because I plant one of my wife's divine seed inside you, the purpose of its existence is to keep you out of sadness and despair like you felt before." As he passionately smiled, I could feel a father aura from him. To think he already had a wife, the woman must be so lucky to have a man as gentleman as Helron.

"Thanks. Will your wife become my mother too?"

He chuckled as he once again patted my head. "Sure, maybe I will visit her at the tombstone and tell her about our new daughter."

I froze. "Sorry, how did she end up like that?"

"Nothing much, she accepted her fate while I didn't. A fate where people hated her for being too nice and got married to me. Most women met with that one witch and put curse on her, and she died painfully as I could only stare at her while helplessly crying not knowing what to do. That's why I reveal my identity as the highest ranking magician, to frighten my enemies from touching my beloved. But she's gone already and I have no one to protect anymore. And now I have you, my child."

The genuine feelings in his grey eyes made me almost teared up, what a tragic story he lived with his wife. Women were evil even now.

'Slam'!

The shock was showed in Nyxon eyes as he saw Helron's hand touched my head. Didn't hesitate to slap the hand, Nyxon wrapped his arm around my neck.

"Even if you're the strongest, you're not safe the moment you lay hand on he, First Magician."

The red eyes glared at Helron with many hatred feelings, but his arm that wrapped around me was shaking as if he's scared. But to what, then I know he was scared of me losing again from his sight after I felt the grasp of his hand on my shoulder. And I tapped on his arm to let him calm down.

"Don't be mad, Nyxon. He's my father." I said. And Nyxon looked at me in disbelief.

"Since when?"

"I will tell you later. But now I have to bid him farewell."

Helron was there standing only to witness our bond, and realized that Nyxon listened to only me. He let me go and followed me walked towards Helron.

"Father, he is the man I love. Will you accept him?"

He gazed into such an intimidating crimon blood eyes, sometimes he would find those colour was scarier than ever but this time, they're relaxing like a red moon at night.

"Gladly." He shook hands with Nyxon who nodded.

And that's how we met with my father.

*

His cold hand still held my hand, not letting it go even my hand sweated.

"How did you know? Where I was." I glanced at him, slightly tightened our locking hands.

"Lefka ended up telling me."

He did not turn at me.

"I'm sorry. I made you worry..."

He didn't reply.

"I thought that I'm just a burden and a nuisance. Maybe you hope that I disappear from your sight so you can work in peace without looking out for me anymore."

Nyxon then stopped his legs, he turned at me with an upset expression on his face. His eyes were glassy as if they're about to let out tears.

"Let's... Let's go back first."

I delayed before nodding my head. And our journey to Hellian mansion was filled with silence, but it's not awkward like I thought it would be. Maybe it's because we're comfortable with each other even there's problem between us.

The door was closed, and I sat on my bed. Nyxon sat next to me but he's still won't talk.

"You're not talking. It's my fault, right?"

He shook his head. "What to do...? I'm nervous right now... My answer is only an excuse to you, I realize my mistake."

I locked my lips and activated my hearing.

"I'm sorry, Claire. I failed you, acting cold to you so suddenly must've made you feel disappointed in me. I'm sorry."

"Tell me the reason."

"I... I don't know, but I didn't expect that Calamir would ignore you too. So I suspect it's the effect of the magic we borrowed from Eldric to cover our true appearance. Still, I'm not sure. You can blame me and call that as an excuse."

I stared at him, to me, his eyes were no longer scary. Maybe it's because I know that he wouldn't harm me.

"I'm not disappointed or mad. I'm just wondering if you still want me by your side."

He raised his head and looked at me. "Of course, I need you for the rest of my life. But what to do about our different world?" He touched my face with both of his hands. "The future is not in front of us, so let's focus on the present. Because we can still change the future if it's possible. But if it's impossible, let's not delay our time and spend our times together." Almost cried, but he hugged me while rubbing my back affectionately.

"Nyxon... You are my only poison and remedy." After staring into his lovely eyes, I landed a peck on him and he's enough of it.