The 8th Tetrad: Breaking Bond

Outside the Barrier

Days passed after Hera's sister Aria approached her to ask if she could come on her next visit outside the kingdom. She is still having second thoughts about whether she should let her join her or not. However, she recalls that she had already given her words to her. To let it all end, Hera decides that night to give Aria a heads up regarding their meeting place and time of departure.

The next morning, she secretly took Aria with her during her duty check outside the protective barrier of Meraxes.

"You have to remember all the things I said," She reminded Aria.

"Yes! I have to be attentive, not to leave your side and make sure not to draw attention," She gleefully answered.

"Good! Now let's go! We have to return before it gets dark." She informed her.

They both hop onto their respective horses and leave the castle using a passage that only Hera knows. While on their journey, Hera shares things that Aria needs to know. In the human world, there's The Tutela Consilio (Protective Council), which is a council formed by the human government in agreement with leaders from other supernatural creatures like vampires, werewolves, shifters, fairies, and others.

The agreement is about ensuring the protection of the human race, that no one among them will hurt or haunt humans as long as they are providing what they need. So, however, not all vampires agree with this. For them, humans are basically their food and they are far superior to them. That is why killing is still widely spread. It did not take long before they reached the FORUM LOCO (Market Place).

"This is awesome!" Aria exclaimed.

"We have to make a stop, then from here we have to walk!" Hera told her sister.

Hera moves down from their horse, and Aria does the same. Hera hands those horses to the horse-keeper, Marshall.

"Marshall, I have two today! You know the drill!" She said while she gave him their horses' rail.

"Okay, Anala! Don't worry, I'll take care of them just like before," he assured her.

"Anala?" Aria squeaked in surprise.

Hera immediately drags her away from the stable while waving goodbye to Marshall.

"We'll back at the same time. Bye!" She yelled as he waved back at her.

Marshall then scratches his head as confusion draws on his face,

"What Anala? Who is Anala?" Aria asked.

"It's me. I have to change my name. Remember, they should not know who we really are." Hera explained in a whisper.

"Do I have to change my name, too?" She inquired.

"Hmmm, I guess you should." Hera agreed with her sister.

"Okay, what about Amaya? It also means air, which is my power." She awaited her confirmation.

"Amaya? Amaya? I think it's a good name! For now, you will be Amaya and I am Anala. Don't forget that, okay? " Hera reminded her again.

"Okay!" She swore.

#

They check from one shop to the other, trying to find stuff Aria would like. While her sister is busy shopping, Hera is on the lookout, she is sometimes discreetly dealing with her informants to get information. However, she still did not get any information about the sudden appearance of the dragon in their kingdom.

"No word from my friend from the Kingdom of Irad, Anala." The informant said.

"I see, just don't forget to give me a heads up if something comes up or if you get any valuable updates, alright?" Hera told him.

After he nods, he instantly disappears into the crowd. Aria asks to look at the other shops. As they reach the dark side of the FORUM LOCO, Hera already knows that they might be out of danger. However, she cannot ruin the happiness her sister is experiencing right now.

Aria enjoys checking from one stall to the other where she sometimes buys the things she likes. When they turn to the next alley, Hera feels someone is tailing them. She looked to check out her sister. Aria had already been a few meters away from her and it would get more attention if she would yell to call her name or if she made a sudden change in her movement.

It is also not a good idea to use the wind to communicate with her, as it might expose her sister's power, so Hera tries to distance herself from Aria. The moment she is certain about her sister's safety, she moves.

"I cannot let you do something without knowing your intention!" Hera told herself.

As she distances herself from her sister, she can now strongly feel some sort of energy. Hera closes her eyes for a bit, it's positive, the one who is shadowing them is actually a vampire. It has long been known that vampires hunt fairies to drain their blood.

They believe that once they consume it, they can enjoy the privilege of walking in daylight. This has not been proven, and yet a lot of their kind are still eager to take the risk. Hera may not have powers she can use, but she is a skilled and well-trained fighter. They trained her to deal with their kind.

"Looks like I am getting lucky today!" He said with a smug look on his face.

In a fight, it is important to know and scale your opponent. Vampires are fast and strong, but the older they get, the stronger their power grows.

"What do you want?" Hera bravely asked.

She might already know the only reason he is chasing them; for their fairy blood, yet she is eager to see if vampires can really determine their kind.

"Well, I can smell you from afar. Your scent is different, that I want to devour you right here, right now! "

He teasingly stated while slowly moving towards her.

"You think you can drain me?" She tried to have a conversation to test the water.

Hera did not make any move. She is actually waiting for him to get near her. Soon enough, he is already behind her, holding her head and exposing her neck.

He sniffed her scent, "Oh! Yes! This scent of yours, there's something special in it, and I would love to know what it can do to me?" He smirked.

He prepares himself to take his bite, but before he can even land his fang on her bare skin.

"You wish!" She remarked with confidence.

She grabs him by his head and twists it with all of her strength. She turns to face him and, as quick as lightning, she stabs him in the heart using a special dagger made just to kill vampires. He vanishes with no single remnant left like he does not exist at all.

"Well, sorry, big guy! You met a fairy that you shouldn't mess up with!" These were her last words to him.

While she is about to keep her daggers away, she hears Aria's scream.

#

"Ahhhhhhhh!" Aria screamed from a distance.

"Aria!" Hera whispered her name.

She rushes to the place where she left her sister last, but when Hera reaches the place, she sees a vampire who is already sucking her sister's neck. While he is busy draining Aria's precious blood, in a rage, he did not expect Hera would attack him from behind and he vanishes just like the other one.

"Amaya!" Hera called out her alias.

Aria almost falls to the ground, but Hera immediately catches her.

"Are you alright?" She inquired.

"What was that?" Aria asked in a shaky voice while holding her bleeding neck.

"A vampire!" Hera said.

"A what?" She exclaimed.

"I'll explain it to you later. We have to get out of here!" Hera took a cloth from her pocket to cover Aria's neck.

"Where are we going?" Aria asked while in pain.

"We need to treat your wound!" She pointed at her bleeding neck.

Hera helps her sister stand, but before they can even move further, two more vampires block their way.

"Where do you think you two are going?" The curly-haired vampire questioned them.

"Hmmm! That smells nice, right, babe?" The lady vampire sniffed the air.

"We can smell our brothers here, too. Though we cannot sense them anymore, we know they were here. Now, tell us! What did you do with them?" The curly-haired vampire questioned them both.

"What are we going to do?" Aria whispered.

Aria is young, and she knows nothing about combat or fighting per se, and using her power will provoke those vampires and will gather more attention. Hera has to think fast before things get more complicated.

"Use your power discreetly, use it for me!" Hera ordered Aria.

She might not be knowledgeable about any fighting, but she is her sister. She immediately understands exactly what Hera wants her to do.

"Are you scared?" Mock by the lady vampire who is now standing a few feet away.

Hera stands in command, ready for their next move since she already gives Aria a heads up, and has not had to worry about her that much anymore.

"I'll take the young one." The lady vampire said.

"Go ahead, babe! Let me take care of the other one!" The curly-haired vampire then suggested.

They attack the princesses at the same time. Hera then covers her sister with one arm as she uses her wind power to block them. Because of that, they cannot come closer. Before they know it, Hera already has her special dagger piercing the lady vampire directly to her heart.

"Argh!" And just like that, she vanished with no trace left.

"Noooo! Ophelia!" The curly-haired vampire screamed in anguish.

Tormented by what happens to his lover, he again prepares to attack. The sisters also ready themselves. As fast as a thunderbolt, the vampire tries to grab one of them. However, another force out of nowhere pushes Hera to the side, and because of the powerful push, she hits the ground.

She does not have any idea what happened. The moment she turns her head, she sees a guy holding the vampire in his neck, and then his other hand suddenly pierces its chest using its sharp claws, and, without a warning, he pulls out the vampire's heart.

Then it burst into pieces. Hera quickly covers her sister with her cloak to avoid the splatters of flesh and blood that came from a now-dead vampire. The good thing is that the specific area where they are currently at witnesses.

"What happens?" Aria then asked under Hera's cloak.

"Sorry, just a second!" She excused herself.

She leaves her sister's side for a while to thank the guy who saved both of their lives. However, she cannot see him anymore. He is nowhere in sight.

"Are we safe now?" She again asked.

"Yes! Yes, we are!" Hera assures her, but we cannot be complacent as they might still be around.

Hera's eyes still wander, searching for their savior. While walking back to the brighter side of the market, it surprises them to see someone from afar.

"Aureum?" Hera did not intend to say it out loud, but again, she did.

Aria follows the direction Hera's looking in. They both see Aureum being scolded by Alfonso.

"Where have you been? I told you not to leave my side!" Alfonso mentioned in an annoyed tone.

Aureum scratches his head and apologizes, "I apologize, Alfonso. I was just drawn looking at those fancy ornaments over there."

"Alfonso!" Hera called Medicus's name.

"Your High..." He was about to call her by her title but then stopped after seeing Hera giving him a signal not to.

"Anala and Amaya are checking out here, how about you?" Aria then spoke, emphasizing their aliases.

"Ah! Yes! Anala and Amaya...Yeah! We are actually glad to see you here! Aureum and I are looking at the things we can use in the infirmary.

"Anala and Amaya?" Aureum asked in confusion.

"Yes? Are you calling us? Do you want to say something, Aureum?" Hera answered him while giving him a knowing look, which he finally understood.

"Oh! Yeah! No, nothing!" He responded.

#

Aria then grabs Hera's shoulder. She almost forgets that her sister is still bleeding from the vampire's bite. When Hera looks at her, she is already pale and sweating. She loses her balance and then faints.

"Oh, my! Amaya!" Hera called her sister's name. "Amaya, hold on! Alfonso, help me." She ordered Alfonso.

Aureum is attentive to stand behind, he then rushes to the youngest princess's side and scoops her in his arms.

"Where should we bring her?" He looked at Hera and Alfonso.

Alfonso then says, "Here, follow me!"

They both march to wherever the Medicus is directing them. It did not take long when they stopped at a nearby shed. Alfonso goes first to talk to someone, then he gives a signal for them to come. They all enter a room where Aureum gently lays her sister down. Aria is now unconscious.

"What happens, Your Highness?" Alfonso inquired.

"Vampires attacked us. I fought with one of them and the other one came to attack Aria. It's my fault, I should have known this would happen and I shouldn't leave her alone." Tears rolled down her cheeks.

Aureum moves to her side and rubs her back to help her feel at ease.

"Your Highness, you don't have to blame yourself. It's not your fault. I heard that there are still some of their kind who disagree with the agreement of not touching humans or other creatures. It's their fault for treating us as their food." He said to console her.

"I know, but should have stayed by her side," Hera sobbed.

What you are feeling right now is a combination of guilt, worries, and fury.

"Don't worry, Your Highness! This is easy, Your Highness, Aria will wake up in no time. Now, Aureum, can you help clean her wound?" Alfonso requested Aureum's help.

"No! I'll do it! I want to help!" Hera insisted on helping.

Alfonso explains it will be better if she lets them do it, and she understands as he gives her the reasons.

"Okay, I'm just here in case you need my aid!" She gave in to his request.

Hera sees how Alfonso uses his power of healing to remove all the toxins coming from the vampire's saliva. It is said that once infected, a fairy can become a high-breed, so if not immediately treated, he/she will be brought to Gaia and from there, no one knows what will happen next. Though it is very rare for fairies to encounter vampires nowadays because of the protective barriers placed in the entire kingdom, there are still incidents like this for those who are visiting human territory to collect information and build alliances with humans and other supernatural creatures.

"I will never forgive myself if something happens to her!" Hera wept while watching her poor sister.

"Your Highness, Alfonso is here. He will save Your Highness, Aria. So you do not need to worry that much." He informed her calmly,

He sits in the space beside her and takes her hand to comfort her, and that is the time Hera notices something.

"His right hand has bloodstains. Where did he get those?" She said to herself.

Hera wants to ask Aureum where he got those bloodstains, but Alfonso interrupts her.

"Your Highness, she is okay now, but we still need to bring her to the infirmary and call Gaia for her to proceed with the total cleansing ritual," Alfonso reported.

After hearing what Alfonso said, they all gather their things and hurry back to the castle where the raging father is awaiting their return.