The Goddess Reborns as a Nobody

08 Ellynmen: A Pledge to Thee

"Please, forgive us, our son..."

"We don't want you to suffer from the mistakes we've made..."

"Ellynmen, our son... Please, live--"

And I woke.

I open my eyes but the pitch-black darkness that greeted me is different from the one I'm accustomed to.

There are no fuzzy and hazy giant figures with long necks that lower down to nuzzle my cheek lovingly before me. No voices that softly mutter and murmur words that I can't hear nor remember no matter how many times I try to strain myself to listen or recall.

All I know is that my parents are the ones behind my suddenly lethargic state.

I just woke up one day and, compared to my usual self where I'm so full of energy after waking, I just felt so sluggish and my body is so heavy that I can't move even a finger. All I could do was struggle to open my heavy eyelids and watch my parents helplessly as they discuss something that doesn't sound good in the least.

I swore to myself that when I open my eyes, I'm going to confront them. However...

My eyes are wide open now and, as I sit up from my bed, I know that they are nowhere near me anymore.

My eyes quickly adjusted to the pitch-black darkness and I recognize that this used to be my home...our home. Now, save for my bed, which is the only memento I have of my life with my parents, my home looks like any other underground cave.

Cold, empty, and desolate.

With a sigh, I run a hand through my hair and paused, staring at the long strands with a frown. My hair's gotten longer than I remember. I should cut it after I figure out how long have I been asleep and if the surface is still as barren and boring as it always was.

"Moooooooooooooooooooooom!"

My ears perk up at the sudden noise. It sounds so distant but then why does it feel like it's getting louder?

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"

Is that screaming coming from up...top...?

The moment I look up, a screaming little blur of bright pink comes rushing towards me.

I instinctively lift my arms up to catch the screeching thing or whatever that is, and I grunt at the weight when that blur finally crashes into me. I must have underestimated the blur's weight because it's heavier than I thought and it tipped me over, making me fall back on my bed with a soft thud.

"Ow, ow, ow..." it mews.

I flinch with surprise. The thing in my arms, the bright pink blur, is talking! What exactly is this thing?

I feel it squirm in my hold for a moment and when it managed to worm away from my arms, it braces itself on my chest and sits up. It looks like a little thing clad in pink and blinding golden fur--is that fur or something?--from the waist up.

Then all of a sudden, a small arm sticks out and flips all that golden tresses(which I now figure out was hair and not fur) away, clearing its face for me to see.

And I froze at the sight.

Because that bright pink blur is a human! And not only just a human but a very beautiful one!

Her golden hair seems to glitter and shimmer despite the oppressive darkness around us and those light golden eyes sparkle with intelligence, shrewdness, and...power.

But how can that be? By the looks of this thing, she is just a baby, yet the things that seem to flicker in and out of those beautiful light golden eyes are telling me she is nothing of the sort.

And that's impossible because no human can pull off something like that.

But what do I really know since it's been so long since I saw a human? Still, despite my lack of knowledge, I know human infants don't act like this...unless...

I silently watch her as she glances around, squinting and trying to make sense of her surroundings. And that's when I put two and two together.

She can't see. It's a little surprising now that I can feel this is no ordinary human. For some reason, watching her and being this close to her makes my heart pound so fast and so hard in my chest. I don't know why but every single cell in my body is screaming to be close to her, to keep her safe and to ensure her happiness.

It's really weird and surprising because this is my first time seeing...well, I can't say that she's just a mere human, but whoever she really is, it's still my first time seeing somebody else aside from my parents.

I glance up, knowing that beyond the rock and dirt that served as a roof over my head since I was born, is probably a whole new world. How much time has passed and how does the world look like outside now?

"Argh," the girl growls, her face looks angry and irritated but then, she suddenly calms down, taking a deep breath, "It's fine, it's fine. This much isn't a big deal. At least I'll be delaying my return to work."

However, contrary to her calm and collected speech, she pulls at her long golden hair in frustration.

"But then, I'm sure after this incident I won't be allowed to get out of the library ever! If only I wasn't so disappointed enough to become unaware of my surroundings--eeeeeeeek!"

Her rambling cuts off in a screech as she shakes my hold from her wrist.

Huh. I didn't even know I reached for her and held her by the wrist. I just want her to stop pulling at her hair like that, otherwise, she'll hurt herself.

And I discover that I don't want her hurt, even if it's from herself.

"Who's there?! Who are you?!" she demands while trying so hard to pry my hand off.

And it's just so adorable. It's like a chick trying to get mad at me while pecking uselessly at my hand. I want to hug her so badly from the cuteness overload I'm having.

I open my mouth to answer her but stop short. I don't know how to speak her language.

I can understand her since my parents taught me to understand the language, however, before they disappeared to who-knows-where due to who-knows-why, I wasn't taught how to speak the language.

There must be something I can do to ease her fears and let her know that I'm not going to harm her. Correction, I'm NEVER going to harm her and I dare anyone to lay a hand on her with ill intentions on my watch.

I loosen my hold on her wrist but didn't let go. With my other hand, I softly and gently pat hers, hoping by doing so, she'll know that she's safe with me.

And by some miracle, I feel her tense a little less than before.

"Who are you?" she asks again after a moment, tilting her head and squinting, struggling to make out my form in the dark. So cute.

I guess I'll have to communicate in the only way I can in this darkness. Gently pulling on her hand, I place it on the side of my mouth, tapping her hand with a finger, I slowly shake my head and hope she'll get what I mean.

"Huh? Are you trying to tell me...you can't talk?"

"Well, not quite," I tell answer her in my language.

"Oh. Oh! So you're using a different language! But...that's strange. I know every language there is in Asturias but the one that you're using...I don't know it at all. Just who are you, really?"

If I could, I could've asked her the same thing. She's definitely no ordinary two-year-old human girl, that's for sure.

But no matter who she is or what she is, I've already made up my mind.

I'm going to devote my whole life solely to her. I'm not exactly sure why I'm feeling this way but my instincts are telling me that that's the best way to go.

In fact, it might be the only way to go for me.

Pressing my forehead over her knuckles, I vow, "Now and forever, I, Ellynmen, am yours. I pledge my life, heart, soul, and body to you forevermore."

And with that vow, my fate is sealed. Despite my initial loathing regarding my family's tradition, one I always viewed as a prison to my kind, I never felt so free being by this girl's side.