Chapter Three

/// Seris Vritra ///

Sitting comfortably across an empty chair, I took a deep breath.

After meeting the boy I somehow convinced him to talk to me- although the method was a gamble. Somehow, it worked. After all, the indications that led to my assumptions were way too tempting to consider them as mere coincidences.

The doorbell chimed as my gaze wandered from the glass table to the door. A waiter entered with a tray in his hand,

"S-Scythe Seris... a boy is here. He claims that you want to talk to him", he said nervously.

Before I could say anything the door crashed open as a small figure, wearing a black robe came inside. With a swift motion he removed the hood from his head, revealing his white hair cascading down on a pair of soul-piercing honey coloured eyes.

The boy walked closer to other seat as he gripped the bottle of scotch in his hand, ready to pour himself a drink,

"No, no, no. This is for me", I said, snatching the bottle away from his hands. The unamused expression over his face turned into a frown.

"For you", I paused, motioning the waiter to put the tray in his hand. The waiter walked nervously and placed it on the table, "I ordered orange juice."

A look of disbelief washed over his face or a fraction of a second before he gripped the bridge of his nose tightly, squinting his eyes. "Yeah, I love orange juice. Thanks for the... Utter generosity you have bestowed upon me." He said, his tone dipped in a bath of mockery and spite.

Letting out a breath he sat on the opposite side of me while I motioned for the waiter to leave. He left immediately, shutting the door behind him.

"How do you know Sylvia?" The boy spoke almost immediately, a palpable miasma of tension and dread spreading in the room. His eyes burned in a hell of vengeance and regret, his jaw clenched so tightly that it seemed like his teeth would break any second.

I looked into his eyes, despite being intimidating, showed a glimmer of hope... but for what?

"I knew her through some means. I met her a few times before", I replied as his tensed features relaxed, however the pressure from his core still lingered in the room. I felt goosebumps as I looked at the boy not more than 6 or 7 years of age emitting an aberrational amount of bloodlust.

"So... what are you?" I asked him a question I had been meaning to ask him ever since I first saw him. He wasn't an asura, that was for sure. Asuras his age were able to kill lessuras like me, who had a meagre amount of asuran blood. However, he wasn't a lessura either.

It was a strange phenomenon in itself. His presence, his aura... no doubt it was that of a dragon. And not of any dragon. I could feel Sylvia's essence from him. His features and mana signature seemed to correspond with her.

It felt like he was a human but just recently became an almost complete asura. But how was that even possible?

His head cocked to the right as he placed his chin over his index finger and thumb, his white hair covering the left half of his face.

"What am I? That is something I am struggling to understand too. I understand I am no longer human", he said as he took out a small dagger and cut his finger. The finger dangled down as it swung here and there, connected only with a single tendon. A purple mist engulfed it; as the severed tendon and muscles started stitching themselves back together. In a matter of seconds the finger was back to its pristine glory.

"No one would like to classify this as a 'human' thing. As for what are the changes", he paused and gripped the glass of orange juice with both his hands. Taking the glass to his lips he took a huge sip from it. "I want to hear your opinion."

I relaxed back in my seat, taking the glass of scotch in my hand. Twirling the contents of the glass I fixed my gaze on it, "Since you know Sylvia, and seeing how ardent and edgy you are when she's mentioned, should I presume she's dead?"

The boy said nothing and instead looked down and nodded meekly.

"Did she do something to you?" I asked.

"She took care of me...", he paused for a long moment, carefully thinking what words to say next. I could see the mistrust bubbling up in his blazing golden eyes, yet he wanted to say it, take the load off of his chest.

"She gave me her will... but maybe it wasn't just her will. Perhaps"

"She integrated her essence with you." I completed his sentence for him while he just nodded.

I took a sip from my glass, processing the new information. The scotch entered my mouth, providing a sharp dominant taste to my buds. The subtle burn excited my buds, craving for more. I took in another sip relishing the unmissable peat smoke and charred oak taste.

"You're not from this continent are you?" I asked, out of context. His eyes widened as I saw mana flare around him.

"You can't hide anything from me. I am the best sensory mage on this continent. On another note it's good that it's me who sensed this." I said and he raised a brow, clearly confused.

"You have an issue with your memories, correct?" I asked him.

"How do you know all that?" He asked, as I saw more and more mana being syphoned from his core. The room's air became heavy as tendrils of lightning and flakes of ice became visible.

"Intuition, I guess", replying casually I took another sip. The boy was strong, freakishly so. I couldn't even examine his core because of some defence mechanism that prohibited me from checking his core. All I could see was a purple mist.

"Listen closely boy", I said, releasing my own pressure from my core. His magic faltered, his focus wavering as the mountain splitting pressure weighed down on his shoulders. I learnt one thing from him. Things won't progress if I don't prove my worth and strength to him. Such a thought process for a mere 6 year old was an anomaly, however, in the few minutes I spent with him, I understood he has what it takes to do what I want.

"I will help you find answers. Answers to all of your questions. I will tell you what I know and find out answers for things I don't", I said and paused, retracting my pressure, "while all I want from you is help me in my cause."

"What cause?" He asked, a little out of breath.

"You will know with time", I replied as I stood up.

"I want a few other things too", he blurted out, a vicious gaze in his eyes.

"Do you think you are in a condition to make demands?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.

"You're desperate", he said pointing his finger at me and a smirk over his face. "Whatever you're planning you lack what it takes to get it done. And you definitely need me. Don't you think just giving me answers is too little for the predicaments you will be putting me into?"

A smile formed on my face as I looked in his eyes. I could see it all- the buried insanity and barely shackled frenzy behind the cute looking face of his. An insanity that was enough to burn everything down to nothing.

"And what else do you want?" I asked him.

"You will know with time", he answered in the same tone as me and a devious sneer over his face.

<<-------------------------------->>

Wind blew and a calming sussarating sound of leaves followed.

The clatter of a carriage as its contents rolled over from one corner to another because of the uneven terrain of the forest was audible.

Rays of sun intruded through the minute gaps between the intertwined network of branches of the towering trees. The wind blew once again- brisk and warm.

Mellow chirps of little birds echoed like a distant whisper as they flew over the altitudinous, ancient trees of the spellbound Elshire forest.

The forest was overcast by an enchanting effect, a deep sense of relief blessing the very soul of anyone passing through it.

"How long before we reach out of this God-forsaken forest?" One of the men that walked alongside the old carriage said. His companions grumbled, ignoring their comapnion's question, sick of hearing it for the dozenth time.

"Shut up for a second, will ya?" The heavy muscular looking man barked at him, a vein popping at his temple. The lean man went silent, his shoulder slumping.

It had been almost 3 days since they had been walking through the bewitched forest.

"At least that damned mist has gone away", The one leading the carriage who held the leash of the beasts pulling the carriages spoke up. The beasts walked slowly, their movements in a near-perfect rhythm.

The beasts came to a sudden halt as the leash that controlled them tightened, a whip being flogged at the exposed back of beasts. They howled but remained stagnant, glued to their spot- fearing another whip might grace them in all its glory.

"What's the matter, Deuce?" The lanky man asked.

"We... have finally made it boys. Welcome back, To the Kingdom of Sapin. Our happy days aren't far away. Prepare the "ITEM" ", Deuce said.

The lanky looking man smirked as he walked to the back of the carriage. Putting his hands on the handles of the carriage he pulled it, revealing a whole load of stolen items and an elf sleeping peacefully on it.

Her body and face was caked in mud and dirt. Trails were formed on her muddy face, an indication she had cried herself to sleep. Her chest heaved up and down rhythmically- in tandem with her breath.

The man took a step inside as he gripped the little elf girl by her arm and pulled her outside like a ragdoll. Her eyes shot wide open, revealing a pair of turquoise eyes in a sea of crimson stained white. She tried to scream but it was muffled by the cloth that covered her mouth.

He pulled her by one arm, dragging her, her bare feet getting bruised by the barbarous handling as she walked over the stony ground. Taking her behind a tree he held both of her arms in one hand and extended it up. With the other hand he picked a bucket full of freezing water and started spilling all the water on her.

The water travelled from her hair, revealing the silky-smooth gunmetal hair. Dirt was removed from her as more and more water came down in the form of a rushing stream, making it difficult for her to breath.

The assault of water subsided, still trickling from her hair. She looked up, a stern look over her perfectly sculpted face. The innocence in her eyes was replaced by a burning emotion... something foreign. Something deep inside her changed- the prospect of a doomed future killing the innocent child inside her.

"What are ya looking at, eh?" The man who held her said with a smirk, revealing his plaque-stricken teeth.

The girl said nothing but instead harnessed every last bit of courage she had.

*ptooi*

She spat at the man followed by a look of satisfaction over her face. The man's eyes widened as he regarded her a second before bursting into a fit of fury. His grip over arms tightened as he held her both cheeks in one hand, his eyes turning red from pure rage.

"You damned brat... I am going to kill you", He said, extending his hand behind, ready to deliver a slap across her face. Her insides trembled, her entire being quivering in fear, however she remained steadfast, standing like an immovable mountain in front of the incoming assault.

However she still closed her eyes, her heart not able to bear the sheer pressure of the situation. She shut her eyes as tightly as she could, hoping that if she didn't see it, it wouldn't hurt.

Her whole body quivered as she felt his hand come closer and closer. A tremor ran through her body. However, the source of her unalloyed fear never came. She opened her eyes slowly as she took in the sight in front of her.

However, she wished she hadn't seen it. Her hands reached for her mouth as she fell down on her knees, a wave of nausea hitting her.

A/n (^^)"