The Demon’s Bride

"Are you alright puppy? You can open your eyes now." His confident voice brought ressurance to Elise's ears.

Under the scarlet moonlight, the man's appearance looked rather vicious. He looked around his late twenties, having a young yet full of wisdom face. The red eyes that he had were brighter than the blood but deeper than the colors of a clotted blood. Skin as pale as snow but red eyes that showed his inhuman identity. Holding unchanging untamed wildness but an omniscient composure that brought reassurance to the people around him. The person was none other than the person who saved her from being sold in her childhood. The Lord of Warine who was known well for both his sorcery and his mysterious background. The person that goes by the name Ian White. 

Elise's bright blue eyes continued to drip of tears of fear and sorrow of the dead bodies she had just seen. She looked at him in a daze, having not seen the face for such a long time she doubted herself at first. But finally noticing that her first guess that the man was the genuine Ian White, her shoulders broke down in an indescribable relief. Ian stared at her eyes that seemed as though it would melt from the tears it exuded and extended his hand. "Can you stand up?" 

Elise took his hand and tried to stand up but as soon as her upper body raised, a pang of pain struck her from her ankle and she collapsed to Ian. Ian instinctively saved her and felt the harsh trembling on her fragile shoulder and knit his elegant brows. He placed his hand over her head and whispered. "Don't worry, no one is going to attack you." 

The gentle touch of his words made her sobbings and pain worse. She clutched to his coat and cried on his chest to pour out all the sorrow for the people that she lost. 

In a night, she had lost her family again. Her parents, her little brother, aunt, uncle, and their soon to be born daughter. Happiness of her daily life was robbed of her again. "Why...?" She whispered. "Why does it have to be them?" She asked a question that he couldn't give a reply. 

"No one can foresee death." Ian stated and use his magic to heal the sprain on her ankle. He stayed still, letting Elise to cry on his chest for a long moment and waited until she calmed herself down. When she did, he asked in concerned. "Can you stand up now?" 

Elise wiped her tears, resisting her urge to break down again and chugged down her sobbings. "Yes, I think I could now. Thank you very much for helping me, my lord."

"Don't worry about that now, also don't look at anything besides you." He lend his hand to lead her. Elise followed the path he led on and bit to her lower lips to ask. "Can I meet my family once again?" 

"I will come with you." 

They stopped again at the house where the murder had taken place and walk over to her family. It was hard for her to resist the urge to bawl. "Please rest well, uncle and aunty." Elise prayed beside them and felt her eyes stinging from the tears on the rim of her eyes. Grief coming over her couldn't stop her body to tremble. He only prayer was to have her family's soul to rest in peace above. 

Ian silently stayed by her side as she pray beside her family members that she lost. Suddenly a cat appeared from behind, looming from the shadow with his tail swinging in the air. "Milord." Austin spoke in his cat form. 

"What is it?" Ian who stood at the frame of the door turned his head. 

"Cynthia have apprehended the black sorcerer in the town's fountain." The news rose the thirsty blood-colored eyes on the man. He smile a little with a terrifying look at the person who have made his little puppy to cry. 

"Stay here. I will come back again." Ian ordered as a red mist covered him to transfer him toward Cynthia who was standing in front of a man covere with black cloak. Her beautiful face had blood splattered across that had been wiped when she felt Ian's magic presence near her and bowed to greet. "Milord." 

Ian spared a glance at his subordinate to look down at the man and stepped his feet on his shoulder. "The dark sorcerer?" 

The dark sorcerer looked up and felt chill running down to his spine when the red eyes looked down at him. "I- Ian White!" As he spoke, he felt a sudden breeze wheezing from his left side and took some time to finally realize that his hand have been ripped off by Ian. 

"That's a wrong answer. I asked are you the dark sorcerer?" The man could only let out a muffled scream and heard him talking again In a twisted whisper. "It seems that you don't have the intention to answer me. Good thing you have your limbs all attached. It will be fun to rip it of one by one. Let's start by the fingers. Are you the dark sorcerer?" 

The bewitching voice brought the hell from where he came from as he spoke. Cynthia watch the whole scene in silence without batting an eyelid to the gruesome torture that Lord Ian used to finish off the dark sorcerer. After a few questioning which made the dark sorcerer to be left with only his legs, Ian asked his last question. "Where are your companion?" 

The dark sorcerer had his eyes widened in a large pop. He had thought that he fooled the man in front of him very well, but how did he guessed that he didn't work alone? 

Ian saw him not answering anything and repeated with his patient running to a thin snapping thread. "Where are your companions?" 

The dark sorcerer had nothing to say, in fear he ground his teeth to muster a strength to retaliate. "I don't have any companion!" He shouted and saw Ian smiling.

"Is that so? Farewell." Ian finished his life by ripping his head off from his body and threw it to give a roll on the pathway. "What do the Church have to say?" He asked to Cynthia. 

She closed one of her eyes with her palm and saw the Church carriage that was a few meter far from them with her magic and replied. "They would arrive after another half an hour, milord." 

"Late as always." Ian sourly commented to have himself back to Elise's house by using his red mists. When he came, Elise was standing outside the house with Austin. Her eyes were bright red as the color of her hair. The depth of her sadness couldn't be fathom just by seeing her broken expression.

"Milord." Austin turned his head and Elise followed to see Ian's face and hand drenched in striking red blood in worry. "The Church will come after another thirty minute. Are you alright now puppy?" 

Elise avoided her eyes a little from him, not from fear but embarrassment after she realized how she had cling and cried at him. "Yes." 

Seeing her avoiding his red eyes, Ian took a step forward and brought his face to her. "Do you remember me? You were too young at that time perhaps you forgot who I am?" 

Elise looked up and shook her pale face. "No, I remember you. Master Ian." Her heart was too struck by the sudden grief and even though she was happy to meet her savior, she still couldn't pull a better face. In her mind, all she could think was that she was now left alone again. This time the family who loved her as much as she had loved the, died in the worst way possible. Recalling the sight of her dead family, her insides felt burning and her chest stung from an unseen ice needle stabbing her heart.

"You should've forgotten him." Aryl's voice came out of nowhere, taking a great surprise to Elise. When she turned her face to the small being with a feathery wings, shock came across her face. The mythical beings that she had been unable to see for nine years now appeared in front of her. She looked down quickly to see the red bracelet that had disappeared before staring again at Aryl. 

"He's not someone good enough to remember." The Sulix continued to blabber on her series of curses to feel Elise's eyes on her. Aryl blinked, flying across the air to see whether Elise's eyes followed her air dance and stopped by her eyes to scream. "E- Elise, you could see me again?!" 

"Y- Yes. Aryl." Elise replied with a sore voice. She was very happy to see the people she had wanted to see. However right now she is in a deep despair that still hadn't seeped into her understanding yet. Everything happened too fast. Too fast for her to even understand what was happening.

Ian swept his gaze over to Elise's wrist that was vacant from the red bracelet and noticed it fell under her. "It seemed that the bracelet have finally lost its power." Austin sniffed his small pink nose at the bracelet and pawed it to show the bracelet thread severed. 

"Puppy." Ian called her to gain her questioning gaze looking at him and spoke. "For now, you should get rest at a different place until your family will be buried here." 

Elise felt her heart swallowed by the sadness again and felt Austin rubbing his head on her feet to cheer her up. "Lead her to the carriage, Austin."

"Yes, milord." Austin bite the hem of her skirt to tug and escorted her to the black carriage.