The Demon’s Bride

Ian moved from his place to take a drink, passing the crystal glass to Elise's hands. The water was colder as they used the remaining ice from Winter. Her five fingers misted a trace on the glass and she held them on her hands, "Before I fainted, I saw someone."

"I am sure you did," Ian had wanted to ask but he thought he should put Elise to sleep before she did, but seeing that she appeared better now, he didn't think it would matter if she speak a little more. "By the time I get to you, the dark sorcerers around you have been killed. It is that person's action that send you."

Elise nodded her head slowly and her hand tightened, "It was a Demon. I only looked at the person's back and head his voice, I am not sure how he looked. Why do you think he came to save me?"

"Beats me," Ian answered, he truly didn't know, "But if you ask me to make a wild guess, I will say it is your father," he perused her expression, where Elise didn't seem surprised instead she looked more stable as if she hoped he would have the same guess as she did. "You also guessed the same as me."

"I am not sure how much of my guess is correct. I saw him, for a little while and he touched my head, somewhere it feel nostalgic..." she then pursed her lips, "But if that man is indeed my father, why would he hide? Why didn't he wait until I woke up or stay beside me?"

Ian went closer toward her cutting the distance, "Did you want him to stay with you?"

Elise felt like a mess and by that she meant both physically and mentally. She wasn't sure what she was feeling and this had happened since long time ago, making her frown, "I used to think that I don't need to know my birth parents. One left me and the other went mad; until I know I was the one who had been fooled and they had been wronged. I want to know why he left me was it the punishment and that he didn't have a choice or..."

Ian caught her hanging words delicately. He knew to approach sensitive part of a person one have to be careful and this was Elise's heart he needs to handle, therefore his utmost care, "Or?" His voice was never as gentle as this.

"Or maybe he didn't need me," Elise pulled a smile but hidden beneath it, Ian could see her sadness and loneliness. Elise had always been a lonely person; her family tossed her as if she was a disposable maid, sold as a slave, and then her adoptive family were killed. In one of her pasts someone must have told her that she didn't deserve love, Ian knew this because those words had been thrown to him before.

"He wouldn't," Ian convinced her, pulling her chin lightly so she won't look down, "Sadness and darkness doesn't suit your lovely eyes, Elise. They had always been bright, my savior during my darkest hours. Your father wouldn't not want you if he did, then think of it this way: it wasn't him who choose to discard you, it is you who choose to discard him. We don't need to keep people who hurt us around us and let their opinion or words affect us. What matter is you. Be selfish, didn't I tell you this?"

Elise couldn't help but chuckle on his words, "Is this how you always think?"

"Like how I rule the world? Yes," Ian confirmed unashamedly, one of his strongest quality he possessed. "If you know how my brain work, my love. You would spend endless night in nightmares, believe me. This is one of my kindest thoughts but it works doesn't it? It is a comforting thought that can ease your heart from worries," and he was correct, thought Elise.

Ian took the glass from her hands once he saw her expression turning more relax. Elise's life hand been going up and down and he knew unless one is as crazy as him, it would be hard to face things head ons. 

"How was everything after I lost consciousness?" asked Elise, trying to remember what happened, she found some part of her memory lost as she blackened out.

Ian put a smile as of to not make her uneasy as she had said to him earlier, "Many people died, some are also alive. The souls had disappeared which I would like to hatefully conclude that the dark sorcerers completed their task of gathering souls. Also... I see that you have found a new power in you didn't you? I saw traces of power used not far from the place you ran to. There are no one as strong as you."

A sudden proudness came to Elise, like a child who had just won a price and wanted a praise, "I can control my shadows. The whispers that I have been hearing all this time, they are actually the shadows quality that we tested before. I can show you—"

"Not now," Ian stopped her, "You are tired and using your power now, we won't know what will happen. I will look forward to see it."

Now that the case was brought up, Elise asked what had been occupying her mind, "Before I used my power for a longer duration than now but the symptoms of exhaustion appeared faster."

"Because it is not an exhaustion. I need you to promise me something Elise," Ian took a hold of her hand, "From now on use your power only with me. The bloodline of Demons and Angels inside you are resisting each other. While you were asleep, I went to search for informations about child who are born from Angels and Demons; it's said that nosebleed, spewing blood, dizziness, and fever, are symptoms of illness that all hybrid of Demons and Angels face. This illness can be acute and it can be mild according of how well can your body adapt to the changes. If it doesn't adapt well..." Ian's word ended there but Elise felt a cold trailed on her back as if someone had let a sharp needle to fall on her spine, chilling her. 

The flowers behind her wilted, it didn't turn to ash but appear as if life had been suck from them. This was the difference of their power which Elise had just noticed in the midst of mixed emotions.

"I will be alright," Elise said, squeezing back his palms, "I have something I wish to do about Esther," she then said, changing the conversation. "We might be right that she hold secrets about my father."

"And you want the answers from her," Elise nodded her head on his questions.

"It won't be easy," she said, thinking of how Esther was, she could tell the woman had a very tight lips. 

"Don't worry, I have tortured hundreds of people and none of them fail to tell me what I wish to know. They all have the same amount of bones, and once it's all broken, I can heal the bones again and repeat the torture until the answer is served," Ian stated with a hint of pride.

"No," she shook her head, "I wish to confront her myself." The woman might not be her sister but if there is a possibility they are a family, it was up to her to take matter of her own family and the secrets she was kept in the dark with.