Creatures of the Light

Eighteenth Light

Eighteenth Light

Creatures of the Light

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##### Eighteenth Light #####

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So wonderful an existence

So mystical a creature

Blow me into your blue feather

Bring me you to your heavenly full moon.

Dark petals fall slowly like rain upon most of the family members that gather around the front porch of the castle that evening, minutes before our departure. I always make sure to secure the castle, putting a simple but powerful charm that protects the area around the castle like an invisible dome. Then I turn to see that Trace and Raion are among them, so I approach the two.

“Trace, welcome back.” I put a hand on his shoulder. “I hope you will do well here while I am away. I hope that my decision will not bother you, knowing that it came out so suddenly just after you were back from finishing training.”

“Not at all,” he smiles slightly in his new adult features, his grey eyes shimmering under those now mature eyelashes. “I am grateful that you decided to take me in and even allow me to live here. For years I have always been alone. I think I finally have a place where I belong.”

“Good to hear it,” I say to him, before moving on to Raion. This will be kind of hard, since the last time I talked to him was when I had decided that I do love someone, and that person is not him. He was looking very disappointed and upset, before taking off. “Raion,” I call his name.

His eyes, which are deliberately staring at the distant of the forest, hesitantly turn to me. He is holding something underneath that stiff body language. It is not really that hard to see through. He is not that good at hiding it.

“Yes, Your Grace,” he bows politely like a stranger instead of treating me like a friend.

“It’s okay, Raion.” I reach my hand out to him as he stands on the top of the stairs. He stares at my hand and.... that is when he starts to break down. Tears roll down from his dark eyes, causing them to become stained and wet. Then he passes my hand and runs to me for an embrace instead.

He circles his arms around my waist in a desperate manner and his head is just on the level of my chest. He cries despondently for a minute or so, gaining attention from the others around us. I put my hand on his back and pat him lightly as he pours his emotion out.

“I’m sorry. I am so sorry. Please don’t hate me, Arsene,” Raion cries like the boy he is.

“I do not hate you, Raion. You don’t have to be so upset. And I forgive you,” I hush him as I pat his back.

“But-but.... I acted so childishly,” he whimpers against me.

I pull him away so that he can look at me. There are just so many emotions running in his eyes.... so many that they look hurtful. I try to calm him down before I have to depart. I do not want us to separate like they way how it happened last year.

“Alright, we are going. Please take care while we are away,” I bid my goodbye to the family as they wave back. I am about to step away with Artro when I feel a hand grabbing me from behind. I turn and Valline’s lips collide with mine in a perfect sync. He deepens the kiss before pulling away with a smile on his handsome face.

‘Take care,’ he sends through the communication link.

‘You too,’ I send back.

A giant white owl flies in the sky when the sun is about to set. It swoops down and lands on the ground with a final flap of its clear wings to lessen the turbulence seconds before its claws touch the surface. Wind blows toward our direction from the force that the bird puts on its three-meter-wide wings. It resonates before lowering itself for Valline to climb on top.

“This is Justin. It is my familiar,” he introduces us.

I walk closer and raise my hand to pet its beak. Justin lowers its head down so that his beak and my palm meet on the process. Such an obedient bird. I smile with that thought.

“Justin? Why did you name your familiar with a human name?” I ask out of curiosity.

Valline shrugs. “Long story. I will tell you once we come back,” he promises before ascending on the big bird and orders it to take off. The wind blows again when the owl flutter its wings up.

“We should leave soon as well,” I say to Artro and summon Avin down.

The golden dragon slithers through the air and we jump high on his back. The travel to Redwood will take at least two hours from Artro’s calculation, so we pretty much just have to sit back and wait patiently.

“Do you even know their names?” he asks me.

“No. The White Lotus didn’t know, so I can not get my hands on that information. We just need to detect their energy to locate them and ask them ourselves. I don’t think it will be that hard once they know who we are.”

“This kind of job.... why didn't you just assign me to go by myself? I might not be used to this kind of task, but at least I am pretty sure that I will not cause any complications in the process.”

Grandfather also said the same thing yesterday. Why did not I?

“Because.... You know about Minny’s death, don’t you? She was the little girl that I took with me when I escaped from Sorcier.” Artro is sitting behind me, so I can not see him nodding. I just have to take his silence as an affirmative reply. “She was dead even when I was with her at the time. That incident was so dreadful that it burnt on my mind forever. I do not want to take any chances in any other possibilities like that anymore. That is why I could not just send anyone alone without my supervision. I do not want them to come back dead.”

“Arsene, I am so sorry that it happened to you and her. I have heard about that incident when I came back to Sorcier years ago. I do not remember much of the news, but I remember that they said you care about that little girl so much.... so much that you even decided to run away with her. It was not your fault that you could not do anything about it. Her death is inevitable, especially when your powers were still sealed away back then─”

“Yes. Now that I have my full power back, I will make good use of it. It does not matter even when I have to go on solo field mission. At least no one will die anymore─”

“But that does not mean that you have to leave every time there is a field mission, Arsene. You forget that I am like you too. My blood can heal me even after being chopped to pieces, just like how yours did when you were sentenced to death by the Wizthority. You forget that you are a queen now, and that there are so many responsibilities that you have to fill in the castle. You can not go just anywhere for every five minutes. Even with all the teleportation powers you have, your obligation still lies inside the castle walls. You can not just leave any when you wish.”

I never tell anyone about my teleportation skill before. It is not that I am keeping it as a secret, but I never did it in front of others to let them know about it.

“Yes, I know, Arsene. You do know that I am a hunter, and a hunter always take notice of his surroundings. You are not an exception as well. You need to sort out your priorities, or else things will start to crumble down very soon. A family this big is nothing without its leader,” Artro reminds me.

Every word that comes out of his mouth is right. Still, there are just some issues that I have in myself. I am not that perfect. My past still haunts me, my present is a mess inside, and my future is uncertain. Everyone has their own share of misery. But mine? This is something that is crucial.

“Think about it,” he mumbles from behind.

The cold wind of new zone we are entering is coming, so I cast a warming spell for us. Avin grunts appreciatively, not making any stop in the air. I have also always cast a spell of invisibility so that no human can start choking in shock when they come across him flying in the sky. The spell is so naturally cast that it has started to become one of my reflexes.

I know that Artro will want an answer, which is why I make a slow turn to him, so that I can half-facing him. But something heavy catches me in surprise by pressing me down against Avin’s golden scale, forcing my face to be smacked against the hard sheath. I push back up, but the strong grip that the palm has on my back is defiling me to stay down. Then suddenly the gravity feels as if it lets itself off me, spinning in a half-turn in midair, coming back at me again to slam me harshly against Avin’s back. That act almost caused me to fall hundreds of feet above the ground.

When I try to get up, I can only manage to lift my head to see Artro pinning himself on me, his harms definitely not wanting me to raise from the position as they are holding both of my shoulders so that I can remain on the spot. My long legs are somehow being hook to something hard and firm. He looks down on me through his glasses, which at this point looks pretty menacing. His ink eyes are storming with enigma, gazing upon mine as if he is about to snap at any second. The tightness of his hold around me does not help, let alone the disorientation that is spinning my head.

Personally, I think that he is just being a little bit too overreacting. But then the hold loosens, and so does the stern look in his eyes.

“Please.... consider your future choices very well,” he says slowly, his tone pleading.

I inhale, breathing in his familiar yet extrinsic scent. He used to be close when we were little, along with Link. Hugging, kissing and physical contact were normal back then. But even we have been drifting apart by time, changing our courses. It has been a while since he was last so near me, especially since I am not single anymore.

“I will,” I mutter through my teeth.

Hot breath tingles my neck. The two of us look up to find Avin looking at us. We also noticed that he has stopped flying. Pulling away and helping me into a sitting position, Artro and I look down at the forest under us, circling a small town called Redwood.

We have arrived.

I see the light first before hearing the music. The light of a burning fire is igniting the thick, dark forest suspiciously. Then comes the pounding beat from the illumination.

“There are humans there,” I say to Artro from a top of a hill without turning my gaze away, letting that horrific shadow stays in my eyes. “Lots of them.”

“Our cousins are down there,” he replies. “All four of them.”

“You should go then. I will stand by here, watching from afar in case something unexpected happens.”

“Why are you not coming? I thought you wanted to make sure that everything goes fine,” he questions skeptically.

“I can see threat coming from other creatures. But humans? No. They can only mortally wound us. Besides, you will need eyes up here in case something unexpected happens.”

Artro closes the distance in us and inquire, “Are you afraid of humans?”

It is my turn to look incredulously at him. “Why do you think I am afraid of them?”

“As far as I am concerned, you rarely involve yourself with humans. In fact, I have never seen you talking to one my whole life.”

“That is because there is rarely a chance to.”

“And now you have it. So let’s go.”

“I would like it better to remain on the spot and survey from up here.”

“You can still sight-seeing from down there and will do just fine, Arsene. Furthermore, if it is rarely a chance for you to encounter humans, I think this will be a great practice for you to start hanging around them.” Artro grabs my wrist and starts pulling me, but I stop him.

“But Artro, they are teenagers. You know that I can hardly get along with human children, let alone a crowd of teenage humans,” I protest.

“You got along pretty well with your nephew. Besides, you husband was a child himself when you first met him. Surely they will not be such a hindrance to our mission now.”

“There is a big difference. Raion and Valline are wizards. Those humans are not.”

“Why are you so concerned, Arsene?” This time, Artro asks seriously. I sigh before finally give in. It will be rather odd to keep putting up a feud on this matter.

“Fine. Let’s go,” I say defeatedly.

“Wait, I think you will need to change first,” he pulls me back from walking further.

I look down on myself to see what is wrong with what I am wearing right now. This is my normal combat suit ─ a pair of high heels boots, tight pair of leather pants, a corset and a long sleeve shirt ─ all in black. What is wrong with what I am wearing?

“Humans do not wear this kind of outfit. You will look suspicious enough if you go there like this. We need to blend in too, you know, so you better change it.”

With a snap of a finger, shadows hurl around me like a thunderstorm cloud. It stays for a minute or so, before disappearing and leaving me with a black dress and a leather jacket. My boots has changed into a normal pair of heels and net stockings.

“Done,” I announce before we start to depart.