Chapter-22 A way to bring him back
1955 Words
Back in the 16th centuries there was once a time when Ella had started to warm up to the humans around her.
There was a small town which she had just moved to, It was a poor town which had not gotten good harvest for years and the people had not much food stocks but they were lively and hard working. The people there, took pity on the lonely girl who looked like a teenager without a family so they took concerned for her.
They taught her many new crafting skill, gave her extra goods at the shops, the ladies gave her some spare clothes and Ella was content. She had more precious gems and golds than anyone there but she liked living a humble life. It was never her plan to get that closed to the people but they treated her so nicely that they started to grew on her.
Until one day when she was out on her usual shoppings; a rough guy ran up to her and slashed her face. The wound was not that deep and hence it began to quickly heal itself. The man who had just slashed her looked at her bewildered with a maddening grin with some horror and he rambled to himself shouting for everyone to hear, " It was true, it really healed by itself, she is a witch, she has cursed our land. It's her fault we haven't been getting enough harvest for the past years, kill her!!"
By the time the wound healed the busy market had frozen, they starred at Ella before coming to their senses, some screamed in horror as they ran, some shouted calling her a monster, some churlish people threw stones and heavy objects at her.
Ella stood still, it was like she was immune to the pains she felt from those objects thrown at her, the little hope she had came crumbling down, the screams of the people hurt her more than their stones. The people tried to capture her and she ran, they were holding torches and guns and haunted her down wherever she went.
They haunted her for days until finally she manager to hide herself in a small cave. She escaped from their pursuits and waited for her wounds to heal itself. This was not the first that she had been treated like this but still she believe in them, thinking that the previous people didn't know her so they just misunderstood but she was wrong.
The people who were talking care of her previously didn't even think that maybe she was slandered even for a second. The moment she was branded a witch everybody turned at her, even the nice woman who always favoured her looked at her in horror. They fired bullets at her, threw knives and stones making holes and cuts all over her body, no matter how fast it healed, she still felt pain when she got it.
The first time she ran from the castle and got hurt she screamed, howled and cried in pain but later she learned to just bear it quietly, enduring the pain.
When her wounds subside and she had time to think, at first she was saddened by their behavior but later she began to be mad at herself, it was true, she might not have been a witch but she is a demon, a monster in disguise. Much later her dislike for herself turned to hatred for everyone else, in order to accept herself she hated those who hated her, thinking everyone and everything as an enemy she should avoid.
She laid in the cave for months, wanting to give up, wanting to die but as she couldn't she lied there, after some time when she was getting support from the wall to stand up, the space she was leaning on suddenly moved. It opened itself up to a small pathway and she entered it.
She saw a faint glow as she got nearer, from the first glance she knew what it was, she would have recognised it even if it was broken but it was there in its perfect form, placed horizontally in a stone altar .
The moment she saw it, she felt like it was a sign for her to go on with her life, she shall live and protect him before he recover his powers. She didn't want to get hurt but to get stronger she had to stand up and build herself among the people.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The last time Ella visited the cave, her old pain and hatred triggered in her again and she knew that she had wrongfully taken it out on Iri, she regretted it, even while she was saying those harsh words, she was knew she was hurting Iri but she could not stop her anger and right after Iri left, she regretted it but at that time she was a bit relieved that Iri left.
She knew Iri was attached to her and that she meat so much to her but she wanted Iri to stay away from her. The road ahead was not safe, she needed to have as little connection as possible for the other's safety and right now Iri was the most attached to her and vice versa.
Back to the present time Ella was a lot calmer than before, she knew he was provoking her and she had to protect herself. The man was still sitting comfortable in the one man couch, admiring the withered flower in the vase, not at all minding the short silence.
However Ella wanted to know how far he was involved in her sufferings and asked " What do you mean you were the one who instigated it? "
" Hmm.... Now let's see where it started, it's been so long my memories are a bit hazy. Ah! Yeah. . .. It was that time when I found a hopeless shaman on my way. You see, he had been so desperate as he had no way to increase the harvest and the people were losing faith in him, I happed to tell him something about a girl with a strange magic who was in town, and the next thing you know he did that to you. Ah! I can't believe they turned on you that quickly, poor you. " He spoke like he was truly worried for Ella but his fake concern could be seen from above the mask.
" Why, what do you gain from chasing me out from the humans, won't it be easier to find me among them? " Ella was keep in control the anger burning within her.
" Well ya, but I had a better plan you see, but unfortunately it turned into a plan to help you haaa.... " He was talking slow and dramatically like acting out a drama on stage.
Ella's patience was running thin " Get to the point, or get out. "
The man got up and looked slightly around the room like he was sightseeing " Well my plan was to make you hate those humans and return to our side but I guess the annoying sword helped you in keeping your hopeless trust in them."
" I don't trust them and I was never and will never come to your side. Now get out." She growled.
He glanced at her through the creepy mask and walked out, " I guess it is time for me to go, I won't wanna lose my prey. Later, princess. "
He left and Ella slammed the door and went back to her room but before she could relax there was someone at the door again.
She took her time comming down, which she would never had done if she knew who was knocking, as she opened the door she was shocked for the second time in the day. Old Li was standing at the door, he was panting heavily and his clothes were covered in blood.
Ella quickly invited him inside and tended to his wounds, they were not that deep but there were lots of scars from whip lashes, he was probably tortured from the looks of it but she took her time before asking anything.
He didn't let her tend to the small scars elsewhere other than the whip scars saying " No need, I don't have much time, I'll leave after I'm done with my business. "
Ella asked " Who did this to you? Were you the one he was searching for? "
" Those demons of course, they wanted me to tell them the way to return the power of the divine prince." He reluctantly stated, every demon knew the devine prince, he was the strongest enemy they ever faced, he was the one who put them in chaos.
His statement shocked and angered Ella " There is a way to bring him back? Why... Why did you never tell me, you knew I was searching all over for it. "
Old Li laughed in mockery " Tell you and get him back? Why should I, he is a devine who kills every demon that passes his way, whether he revives or the demons succeed makes no difference to me. So why shall I choose him? "
Ella was lost for words " But he will understand that you are good, he wouldn't kill without a reason. "
He laughed at Ella and looked up at her " Really? He may be a devine but he a human you know, or are you saying that he is different from them? Hahaha.... Look at what happen to you when you believe them and you want me to believe that he'll be different? Besides Miss witch, what other reason does a human need to kill a demon than the fact that I am a demon. "
Ella could not say anything, she knew trying to change his mind will be pointless and moreover she had no idea how to convince someone to trust the people she herself hated.
She leave the topic and asked him " Why do they want to know how to bring him back. "
" They want to either prevent his resurrection or bring him back and kill him before he gains full power, after all it is highly that nothing can defeat him or them if he never came back. Something always gets in the way as it was the predestined fate for everything to start exactly from how it happened. "
He calmed down a little continuing " It won't be long now, there is an internal conflict between the demons, I witnessed it when I was kept there, they never thought that I'll escape so they didn't bothered hiding. "
He continued, " Some of them are running out of patience, some are starting a riot saying that the leader has turned senile and is deliberately avoiding war with the humans. I'm sure they can't be kept in check for long, they will start acting soon, I just came to warn you. "
" Do you have a safe place to go to after this? " Ella asked.
He confidently replied, " Of course, last time they got me because I let down my guard, but I can always run from them as long as there are humans. You may hate them but they are the perfect hiding tent. "
" Thank you for warning me.... Old Li can you really not tell me the way to bring him back? Please... " She pleaded
He sighed and said " Well I guess he's a safer bet. "
- Writer
