"Yes, it's me. Why did you bite me? It hurts a little actually." Claudio massaged where the bite was and collapsed. Before his head hit the floor, the woman caught her.
"I'm really sorry Claude! I didn't mean to do it. Is it really that painful?"
"I miss you, Flora," Claude gave her a drunk look and uttered words, words that sounded like music. He was the first to accept her as a human, not as a monster. Flora was born half-mortal and demon. During her mother's pregnancy, their village was attacked by a single demon. It was a formidable one. Caught inside their house, the demon smelled an aroma coming from a womb and attacked her by its sharp nails. The father tried to protect his family and shouted 'run!' for all he could do was to delay the devil. Running away while crying, her water bag bursts; she's already watering. She managed to make it to the garden of zeymer. A flower with the color of ocean and spring season– turquoise green. It secretes an invigorating scent and is used for magic.
In order to give birth without making any noise, she bit her arms. She hurriedly pushed hard for the poison of the demon might catch her baby. In her last shout, a baby girl was born. Tears filled her vision when she saw the poison has reached her baby. She doesn't have much time left. She begged for someone to came but none.
"Anyone, please save my baby. Please."
Begging before she dies, the zeymers glowed and a spirit showed. "My child, please." The spirit looked at her. A mother's dying wish, a mother's love. The spirit gently nodded and granted her plead. The baby was then covered by the flowers.
"Thank you, " her last tear dropped and freed her last breath; she vanished along with the wind. When the morning came, a survivor found the child and gave it to an orphanage.
"It's been so long since I've got to touch you and be this close to you. Where have you been? What took you this very long?" Claude hugged her. Flora's smell was still addicting as ever like sweet honey and blooms of the spring season.
Flora explained everything from the day she left the kingdom to gather information up to what happened in the village. She then asked Claudio about the kid.
"She's sleeping– oh right! Is the kid yours?" Made Flora smile.
"Who's the father?" Flora laughed femininely and cupped Claudio's face.
"Silly jokes really suit you." Flora went to the window and watched the people below.
"I'm glad that you have survived, Claude. So where are the lovely couple Max and Esperanza?" He didn't answer for a long moment that made Flora looked back at him.
"Claudio? Did...did they died?" She's lost for words to say. The four of them were always together before the infiltration happened. Max died during the retrieval mission and Esperanza sacrificed her life for Claudio. They were a talented magician and a swordsman. The four of them are basically the foundation of the kingdom. Claude and Flora were the brains, Max and Esperanza were the strengths. They keep humanity from total obliteration in the surface of the world against the demons for years. Back when Claudio's parents died in the service, the people thought it would be their last day alive. But Claude gave them hope even when he was still young at that time.
Now that the two are gone, it's hard for him to live each day. However, many have sacrificed their lives so he must move on but promised to his self to not forget the lessons. With the return of Flora, Claudio felt he's not alone anymore.
"Max and Esper are heroes." The king walked to her and embraced her from the back.
"Claude, we need to prepare for a possible battle again. This might be a war now."
"Flora, what really happened during your mission?"
"Claude, the demons you had defeated were only a fraction of their own. A big wave is coming. The one I fought back in the village was their retrieval troop. Like us humans, they also have a system. I'm afraid that there will be more bloodshed."
"You will bear my child. Flora, I will protect you and everyone."
"Claude, silly jokes really suit you."
The days have passed. Everyone has prepared for the upcoming fight. Magicians or not, all trained most especially in the night. Demons are nocturnal, they get their inhumane strength from the darkness.
Days have passed again and a horde of terrifying demons first appeared in the southwest, they easily won. On the second night, demons infiltrated the west. The traps and formations they had practiced lessen their numbers but still made it to the heart of the kingdom. On that night, it was the doom of the demons. People celebrated their victory the moment the sun rose from the east. They won. Smiling, cheering, and shouting. They believe it was a new start for them. They won so fast without any casualties but a moment later, all the proud people screamed in horror. Everything happened in a blurring way for the king's sight. The ground was painted with the blood of his people. The painters were the demons different from the normal one they had known for years and then an explosion made him fly.
"How...how? It's already daylight."
Grunting and trying to stand up, his eyes darted at the woman lying unconscious. Statued on his feet, he knelt down and clenched his fists. The anger and guilt he felt that moment caught the attention of every demon as his body released a cloud of suffocating aura. A flying demon spits out its sharp tongue directly into his back but before it reached him, it already turned to ashes.
"Flora."
Her right hand and leg were cut off. Claudio glared at who amputated Flora and decapitated that demon using the blade made of blue fire from his arms in an instant. He began citing an incantation and when knights heard him, they all ran away. "Get away everyone!" It was his most powerful magic.
"Flames of the western Phoenix hear me,
Threefold your fire and radiate
Dry this land with your breath
Everything before my sight shall obliterate," the wind surrounding him heated in an unimaginable temperature. All the demons caught by the wind dried up even the human corpses.
Flora has regained consciousness. She felt the heat in the wind and automatically thought of Claudio.
"Claudio!" Trying to wake up the rampaging king, Flora shouted his name in all that she could. The scope of Claudio's magic increased. She must stop him before he could obliterate the kingdom. The magic Claudio was performing was just at the start. Soon, if he cites the second incantation, everything before him will burn to ashes.
"If saving the people means dying, " she gets some blood from her arms and drew a pattern in the ground. A small flower then grew.
"I am willing to die." Looking at the man who showed love for her made her cry.
"I didn't know farewell could be this sad knowing I'm the only one who could only say that word. In my next life, I want to live a life with you in the place you always envisioned. A lively and peaceful. I hope your dreams will come to reality."
Flora started to focus all her left energy into her eyes and cited the incantation for eternal sealing. The demon sensed what she was doing and attacked her. Even when stabbed and another leg was torn apart, she continued the incantation. Claudio saw them and there he went back to normal. Running as fast as he can to kill the demon and stop Flora but when Flora showed a smile– seemed to be a farewell smile, Claudio paused.
"Goodbye."
The flower illuminates a blinding light and when the illumination faded, gone was the woman he adored. Zeymer flowers grew on that spot, she sealed every demon.
"No," he couldn't shout, there was no voice coming out.
The war. It has ended with a crying heart.
———————
[Spring Kingdom, 522]
Time flew fast and twelve years had already passed. The kingdom lived in peace since the day she sacrificed her life for everyone. If Max, Esperanza, and Flora were still alive. The four of them would be happy. The king's dream came true only them were missing in the picture.
In his room, he was busy writing a story about his life on a book. He gazed at the turquoise flowers in the vase and smiled.
"I'm dying to see you again."
He opened the book Flora was always reading and found a letter. He immediately opened it with so much care.
"Dearest love of my life;
Just look at the flowers and call my name, you'll feel my embrace. I want you to live that dream. Do what you think feels right. I am so proud of you as my king, as my friend, and as my lover.
Forever be thankful to you since the day we met,
Flora"
The breeze entered his room and embraced him. A smile escaped from his lips.
"I will."