Selene Terra Firma

Human

Ares woke up with his throbbing head. His body felt heavy like it was being crushed by hundreds of stones. His muscles and joints were twinging he couldn't move an inch. He closed his eyes and tried to flashback to what had happened for him to feel like this.

He was in the library together with Selene, she was doing something. She asked him a few questions regarding vampires and lycans.

When it was getting awkward, a lycan, the prince, second son of the king of lycans showed up offering marriage to Selene. The debate for a few moments then later Selene proposed to have a decent talk with that lycan.

They choose to talk over the corner where there is a table that could be used. Much as he wanted to probe, he respected Selene's intention to have a chat with the lycan. At first, he was watching with a sour face seeing how she smiles at him.

Selene was always interacting with him and never saw anyone talked to her like he does. Slowly, gradually, Ares has sensed how his emotion stirred as he saw them laughing so melodiously.

When she laughed out loud talking to that lycan...a burst of bitterness, anxiousness, madness, and jealousness brewed altogether.

He tried to prevent himself from walking towards them. To stop their conversation and hide Selene somewhere, where he is the one who could only see and talk to her.

It was not a smart move, concealing his emotion. Hiding his true feelings for a long time. Then, out of nowhere, a stranger took her to his side. Stealing away what he had always treasured. Something was wrong, the whole thing was not right.

He...he found her. He saw her first. She is his Selene before anyone else. She belongs to him! It wasn't right, laughing, giggling, and smiling to another man who proposed to her a marriage.

That's him, it's his place! Beside her! The one who she should be talking and laughing to her was him! She should be happy together with him, not anyone else!

He took a step closer but halted. No, he cannot own her. He cannot be irrational. She's not staying, she will leave soon enough. If he acted by an impulse, he might ruin everything that they had built up in their relationship.

Being close to her is fine. Stepping onto the line, saying things like 'she is mine', will damage the friendship they made... They are friends and nothing more. He likes her not more than a friend, just a friend.

Again, sealing his true feelings, denying his only intention. Be contented, contented, contented. That is what he repeatedly said in his mind. He stepped back, watched intently.

Until she offered her hands to that lycan. The composed, calm, determined, and holding back posture staggered.

Anxiousness, panicking, and fear baffled. His heart hollowed as she saw her smile widens watching the lycan reached out to her.

'No, she did not. She did not. She could not do that.' He murmured on his mind, convincing himself to not get affected but he was already swallowed by insecurity and jealousy.

Offering your hand to someone is like offering your life to them. It's a cultural norm for everyone. Whether if it is loyalty in serving a lord, or an act of offering someone a commitment.

'She is mine, she is mine, she's mine! Don't touch her! That's my Selene! She belongs to me!' The concealment, the hiding, the preventing, and the denial have been pressured so much in a container that it had exploded.

As the Lycan's lips landed on her skin, a burning surge of blood l**t rushed to his veins. His body moves fast, held her arms, and pulled her away from the lycans kissed.

'I have to kill him! He has to die!' He cannot just show up out of nowhere and take her away from him!

Ares saw her asking, wondering what is he doing. He did not respond, instead, he asked her, a question that's causing his heart to tighten by pain.

She opened her mouth but he doesn't want to hear the answer. She might accept the lycan, if he heard that came to her mouth, he will go insane.

He couldn't hear, she becomes muted to his ears. Her expression became distorted, she looked in pain. Why? Why? Was she disgusted because he is jealous? Is she annoyed by his actions?

Why? He tried his best not to become possessive, he stopped himself from falling. So, why?

'Stop looking at me like that! Are you disgusted by me?!'

Ares was not able to grasp a thing. Thoughts, negative thoughts swarming, together with dark emotions, it's brewing. It's infuriating, he wanted this sensation to vanish. It is maddening!

The lycan came into the view. His eyes widened and his breathing got heavier, this is all is a fault. His fault!

His sight blackened and ears buzzing. Nothing's clear anymore. Everything is so hollow and so dark. He was being swallowed by his emotion. It's lonely, terrifying...painful.

He heard sobbing from a familiar voice. He tried to break free from the darkness. He pulled himself together. Getting back his consciousness he saw Selene wailing and bleeding.

"Selene..." The last thing he did was call the name of the woman who took his heart away.

"You're awake," Cronus turned his head around and saw Selene's smiling expression. He was stupidity by some seconds but immediately got up from the bed to kneel. "Hello."

"I did not protect you, I'm useless! Punish me!" He exclaimed with remorse.

"Hey, what are you saying? Stand up. You should rest more." Selene forces him to get back on to bed. Cronus saw her having a hard time lifting him, he followed her order to move back to bed.

"How're your injuries? Does it still hurt?" She asked in n a caring manner. Cronus bit his lips not to smile by this simple gesture.

He should not be that happy because she is worried, right? Then, why is his heart beating so hard again?

"I'm alright, how about your arm?" Cronus uttered and looked at her arms. Selene's wearing a black cloak so he cannot see. She smiled again and shook her head.

"It's fine, don't worry. I'm worried about you, it's a good thing that you woke up." She said softly.

"I'm sorry, I'm such a shame, I failed to protect you from danger." He said wrinkling his forehead as he remembered the last thing he saw before he lost his consciousness.

Cronus could still hear voices crying and begging. It's breaking his heart. He should have gone to those training before. He should have taken seriously the offense and defending technique of fighting! If only he was ...

"Hey, it's alright, as you can see, I'm fine. You and Ares were in the worst condition."

"You mean that vampire? The one who harmed you?! Why is he still alive? Judging from his actions that time, he should be dead!" Cronus exclaimed.

"I get it that you are mad, but don't slander Ares like that. He's my friend." Selene said politely yet in a firm tone. Cronus had no choice but to sneer.

"I'm not slandering him. It was the fact, vampires could use telekinesis but he has used too much. It will cause damage to his brain and body. Judging by his activity that time, he couldn't uphold the pressure of too much power surging from him." He explained more casually.

"I know, Ares attendants told me." Selene nodded. A paused of silence.

Cronus sighed and look up at her. "Are you really fine?" He asked more sincerely and she nodded again.

"What happened after I collapsed?"

"Ares came back to his senses but later collapsed. Then, Phobos and Diemos entered the library, when they reached our location, they saw the situation and brought the two of you here." She said about the clinic of the academy.

"Phobos and Diemos. Who are they?"

"They are the twins that serve Ares. They told me about Ares's ability's consequences."

"I see." He played with his fingers as the silence envelops then once again.

How's this? How do you normally talk to someone? Moving his eyes to the ground, he felt restless. He never bothers socializing before but why could he not think of a topic in this conversation?

It's uncomfortable and embarrassing yet he doesn't want her to leave because he is a boring conversational partner.

"D-do...why do you like help?" He asked out of context. Feeling that his face flushed out of the embarrassing unrelated question.

"...they're juicy and delicious." She replied casually, he was startled by this and looked up to her again.

"I-I know right. Was it your favorite food too?" He asked again stammering and she nods innocently with enthusiasm.

"You too? When I first tasted it, it was so different from my world's cuisine!" She said smiling with gleaming eyes.

"You do? When I first...wait, did you say your world's cuisine?"

"Yeah."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Huh? Did not I tell you? I'm not from this world."

"...what?"

"I live on the earth, and I'm a human, didn't I tell you that?" Cronus's head got blank listening to her.

He heard that she was called a human by the vampire prince before. He never heard of that race and assumes that it was something made up or was a species not worth mentioning. He did not expect that she is a human. However, he doesn't know it.

"Earth? Human?" He asked dumbfounded and she nodded again.

Earth as her world and human as her species. What is that?