If Kaien didn't manipulate his memories to deceive him when he forcibly read his thoughts, Rouen was sure that the direction he was heading in was the right way. According to what he saw inside the Chairman's thoughts, Eona's house was a few stations away from the academy. It would take him thirty minutes if he had taken the train like a normal person would, but he is a vampire, so he made use of the ability he gained from being born a bloodsucker to travel at the speed he was born to have.
The sun is continuously pricking his skin under his jacket, and it is also irritating his eyes behind his shades, but he paid it no mind. At first, he thought of using a car, but in the end he opted to use his own speed instead, even though it was slightly toned down at the moment because he was being restrained.
He had a single goal, and he is going to have it fulfilled by the end of the day no matter what, because this is the only chance he has got. It is the only reason why he had chosen to ask for permission to leave the kingdom. He was only given a little bit of time, and he is not going to waste it. Who knows when he'll be able to come back after this time?
He knew what he did to the girl that held his heart. He remembers every word he said and the taunting that he did to her. He knew he had killed in her presence and, as much as he regretted hurting her that way, he did not feel an ounce of guilt, knowing that he killed that many naturals at once because the moment called for it for his entertainment.
His twisted heart felt elated at the taste of her blood, and he hated himself for that. More so, since he's aware that he enjoyed every second of it. His nature as a vampire made sure that he did and that he wouldn't be able to deny the ecstasy he felt as her blood glided through his tongue. And though he felt like something was missing from his memories, he was certain he had hurt her to a point that made him hate his own existence. If she wanted him to stay away, he really could not tell if he could. But if he really needed to stay away from her, he would. At least that way she'd be a little safer from him. But would he be able to live like he used to? Who knows?
It was a little later when Rouen came to a complete stop. He was standing in one of the skyscrapers after realizing something. He cursed under his breath when he noticed that he had been traveling in circles. His sense of direction was somehow rendered useless at some point. Is it part of the protection spell the hunters cast to keep Eona from him?
"Damn you, Kaien!"
Did he really have to make sure he'd have a hard time finding her? He knew Kaien was not the type to forget to tell him something as important as this one. For sure, he deliberately manipulated his memories when he was reading it to make him a little miserable. For a hunter of his caliber, Kaien is capable of doing it to deceive supernatural beings such as him.
"Did you really think such tricks would hinder me?"
When he removed his shades, his eyes glistened while his pupils turned into slits before they slightly dilated. He could see better that way because his eyesight was enhanced immediately. Sometimes, he despises the truth that he was born a vampire, especially when he is reminded every day by his nature that he is an existence that depends on the blood of the living to live. But it was during times like these that he was thankful that he was born differently, even among his own people.
Through his vampire eyes, using his heightened sense of sight, he could see the fluctuations around him. Something naturals were not even aware of as they go through their daily lives. It only means a distortion spell was cast in such a large area and only those beings with heightened senses like a vampire such as him will be able to sense it and will be affected by it. The hunters really did put it their all to hide Eona. But whoever said they could hide her from him completely?
He leaped and followed the fluctuating flow of power. After traversing the area made complicated by the hunters to keep him at bay, he finally reached the house where he could strongly sense Eona's presence. His heart was thumping inside his rib cage both in nervousness and anticipation with the thought that she was there, inside that house, within his reach. It almost made him want to just barge in without any second thoughts because of how much he wanted to see her. After months, this is going to be the first time he is going to meet her after all the horrific things he did. No matter how much he contemplated things, it was either she had grown to hate him or worse, fear his existence.
With a single leap, he was able to land safely without a sound on the balcony on the second floor where her room is. He could hear voices on the ground floor from different areas, so they were probably the ones working for the Lorentzs. Helena, Eona's mother, was not at home. But Eona's grandmother, Lauren, was among the individuals he could hear below.
The French door that leads towards Eona's room was open, making the sheer white curtains dance softly because of the wind coming from outside. Like a careful thief, he took a step inside and what assaulted his nostrils at his first step was her scent that had now become familiar to him. Roses and spring.
He looked around her room, trying to familiarize himself with it. For the first time, he was able to enter Eona's safe space but the reason why he was there left a bitter taste in his mouth. Even if he saw some things that made him wonder as to why Eona was taking note of such things, he went to look for her.
The sound of her heartbeat is what leads him to her. She was lying in the middle of a queen-sized bed. Looking at how peaceful she was sleeping, no one would think she had undergone such a horrible experience under his own hands a few months back. Her neck was free of any bite marks and the filigree lines that were there before couldn't be seen.
"Eona…" he whispered.
He extended his hand to touch her, but a few centimeters away, he stopped himself and clenched his fist on his side. Did he still have the right to be standing this close to her?
She was sleeping soundly, but her present state made him detest himself more instead. Her peaceful demeanor reminded him of her eyes filled with fear the night he taunted her. She looked lost back then, as if she had lost all hope. And with her eyes closed, even though she was breathing, hit him with the fact that she was in that situation because of him.
If he was in her shoes, forgiveness for what he had done would become nonexistent. He was already expecting the worst.
He kneeled right beside her before he gently held her left hand with his own. He was wallowing in his own misery and regret as he held onto her hand with both of his hands while he had his head down, praying that Eona would be able to forgive him.
"I knew the moment I first saw you that I shouldn't drag you into my world, but I still did," he whispered.
He had a lot to tell her, but he couldn't. He promised himself he'd protect her from danger. He should've at least considered the fact that he himself was the one that would threaten her.
"I should have stayed far away from you because I embody all the danger that you should be wary of. But Eona… I couldn't. Call me selfish, but something in me wanted you near."
His voice cracked. It held all the guilt and regret he felt at that moment. But in the middle of it, there is also hope and longing. Love even. Rouen was known to be cold and distant. His existence and circumstances made him unable to feel certain things and emotions, but with Eona in the picture, his walls became nonexistent. With the short time that they had spent together, he had gotten far too close to her, more than he had planned to be. It just happened.
Eona's hand tightening on his made him look back up and stare at her. With the way her eyelashes moved, he knew she was waking up. His heart hammered inside his chest. He was not ready with her waking up in his presence.
After a short while, her amethyst eyes opened. She appeared to be a little bit disoriented as she blinked a few times. Probably because she was still gathering her thoughts, wondering about everything there is to wonder. But when she gasped as she held onto his hand a little more tightly than before, though unaware that he was there right beside her, he just knew something was wrong.
Her consciousness stayed a few months back when he himself put her at death's door and not in the present when he is already resenting himself and wallowing in his guilt for what he did to her.
"Gem?"
The way she whisked her head at the sound of his voice in his direction with fear clearly written in her eyes made him second-guess if calling onto her was the right thing.
"I should've just left without a word," he thought to himself, though it was already too late for that.
She let go of his hand as if she was burned before she tried to move away from him.
"Jewel, please…"
"No!" She hysterically cut him off. Fear was clearly evident in her eyes. "Stay away from me!"
She looked around and when she recognized that she was in her room, she immediately crawled out of bed only to fall on the floor with a loud thud because she didn't have the strength she needed to support her weight after being bedridden for months.
"Mom!" She called out, as if someone was going to kill her and that hurt him more than he expected. "Grandma!"
Rouen pursed his lips as sadness passed through his eyes, which he immediately concealed. She was the only one he did not want to feel that way towards him. She was the only person in this world that he did not want to fear him. But after what happened between them, he could not actually blame her for acting this way towards him. He was at fault and he admits it so.
He stood up and carefully walked around her bed so as not to startle her. He tried to get a hold of her with good intentions because he knew she had not regained her strength yet after sleeping for how long after he had drained her blood dry, but Eona only recoiled back and huddled herself in the corner.
"Eona…" he called out to her again in barely a whisper.
The second he took a step towards her was the moment she started to shake and cry. He froze as if a bucket of cold water was poured down on him. She hugged herself as if the gesture itself could protect her from him. And it broke his heart to know that he was the cause of it all. She was this miserable because of him.
"Please…" She begged, as if her life depended on it.
He crouched down to be on the same level as her. "I'm not going to hurt you, precious."
"Please… don't kill me…" she begged as her voice cracked with resignation.
He was only made aware that he too was crying when he felt a silent tear roll down his face. He immediately wiped it dry, but another tear replaced it in its place. He could not stand seeing her like that, and it hurt him to know how much fear his presence was causing her. At that moment he knew he had to make a decision. For Eona's sake, he had to let go - of his wants, of his future plans… of her.
In a flash, he was able to get near her. And before she could protest, she was already in his embrace - his left arm circled ever so carefully at the back of her waist, his right palm gently hovering over her tear-filled eyes to hinder her vision. She was shaking with fear. Her mind surely filled with the memories of that particular night when everything went down the hill, and she was expecting him to do the same thing to her again. She was expecting he would hurt her again.
"Eona," he whispered her name with the utmost love and care. "If my existence in your life will only make you this miserable, I will stay away."
Eona did not say a word nor did she move away from his embrace. The only consolation he got was she was clinging onto his shirt while her tears still continued to flow down as she cried. She too surely wanted him close, but her memories of him would not permit it. Her mind is constantly rejecting their proximity. He smiled sadly. It was bittersweet.
With his palm still covering her eyes, he made their foreheads touch. For a while, he did not say anything. He could feel her grief. Much more so, he could feel the fear that enveloped her entire being, as if their emotions were synchronized.
She was completely afraid. Of him. And for her life to go back at its own pace, he had to stay away.
"I'm sorry…"
The moment he said those words, Eona went back to sleep. She slumped in his embrace and Rouen did not move from his position for a while before he carried her in his arms as he stood up before laying her back down on the bed.
Only in her sleep could she look so peaceful, and he hoped for the day she would wake up without fear. She looked so beautiful, but he knew she was still young. He wanted her to live, and he would stay away from her for her to be able to. He remembered her telling him she wanted to become like him. He could not forget the interest her eyes held back then. She even stated that she wanted him to be the one to turn her if the time came.
He smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. "A vampire's life would only give you nothing but grief and suffering, my sweet."
He softly kissed her forehead as he whispered words Eona would never be able to hear if only she was awake. He had to leave because he didn't know if he'd be able to if he stayed a little longer. But for Eona to start anew, he had to seal away her memories of him. Memories that will only surely bring her pain if she remembers. He may not be able to completely re-write it, but he is capable of erasing every trace of himself from those memories. It may leave some gaps, but she won't be able to remember him.
"I'll see you around…" he whispered before touching her forehead with his forefinger.
A black mist appeared from where their skin touched before it completely disappeared, leaving a faint seal on her forehead that disappeared without a trace after. Rouen took a step back. He knew that the moment she opened her eyes, she would no longer be able to remember the memories they shared nor would she be able to remember him.
Rouen glanced at her for the last time before he turned his back. Instead of leaving directly, he jumped down into the garden where he felt the presence of Eona's grandmother, Laura. He knew she was aware of his presence the second he arrived, but he was thankful that she was understanding enough to give him time alone with her granddaughter.
"Greetings, Mrs. Lorentz," he greeted, and the old woman just nodded in acknowledgment.
Lauren could see that the prince had cried, but she never said a word. She could see how much he too was being tormented by the situation at hand and his handsome face showed his defeat and loss. He must have finally come to decide what's better for Eona. She heard how her granddaughter screamed for help, but she stopped all the maids that attempted to go to her rescue because she knew Rouen was with her. If Helen had been present, Rouen would not have been able to have a glimpse of Eona, even for a moment. Though not intentionally, he had hurt her granddaughter.
"I have been waiting for you, young man. Can we have a little talk before you go?"
"Of course."
Rouen followed her without a word into the gazebo where a garden table with chairs were placed in the middle. Lauren gave him her thanks when he pulled out a chair for her before he sat on the other one.
"As a prince, I'm sure you are aware of every family working as blood donors to the vampires of your kingdom and that my family have been working for Cohen Lohengrin for generations exclusively."
He nodded. He knew of Cohen's relationship with the Lorentzs. After all, he was his godfather.
"We are loyal to him because we owe him so much. Were you aware that it was him who found my granddaughter when we lost her back when she was eight?"
He shook his head 'no'.
Lauren continued. "The authorities already gave up back then because they never had a lead. No one saw who took her and no one could even tell where she was last seen. How could she disappear just like that?"
Rouen stared at the old woman. He was certain Lauren was telling him that, even at a young age, Eona had been involved in something unnatural.
"Cohen found her in a forest, alone in the midst of a strong winter storm, surrounded by snow painted red with blood. We did not ask for his help, but he helped otherwise. For that alone, we are forever grateful and would do anything he asks. But he has never asked for anything other than our loyalty and silence.
"We never told Eona about the fact that it was Cohen who saved her because she'd only end up wanting to meet him. Something which Helen had strongly opposed to happening even until my granddaughter found out all the secrets. You see, it's a tradition that a Lorentz in every generation will serve as Cohen's blood donor and, after my daughter Helen, Eona will be next. That was the natural order."
Rouen clenched his fist and Lauren couldn't help herself but smile when she saw how Rouen reacted. At least she knew he really cared. If he could, he'd surely end the cycle that was taking place in the family, even if it was not his business to do so.
"But do you know what Helena said? No matter how much privilege we gained from serving a vampire, living as a blood donor has been this family's curse and that she will make sure that the cycle is going to end with her daughter. As a mother, she can't have Eona shoulder the same fate as the rest of us. Helena knew, through experience, that it was hard living that way. Thus, she made sure that Eona, my granddaughter, would never be entangled with your kind. But in the end, she did. Because of you."
Rouen remained silent. His eyes everywhere but at the old woman in front of him. He felt ashamed for some reason because of his nature, his own existence, though he knew it wasn't Lauren's intention to make him feel so. She just wanted him to know about their side of the story.
"It was at that moment that I realized I had failed my family. I raised my daughter like my mother raised me - aware of the unusual job that we have, but unaware of how horrifying it could be, unaware of how greatly it affected our lives - no semblance of normalcy. Because of Eona, Helena decided to have the tradition stop and Cohen respected her decision. They have already agreed to a consensus.
"And yet, here's my grandchild, trying her best to be a part of the world we have vowed to leave. Eona is different. We knew that. She cannot live under the sun, and she can see and hear things that aren't of this world ever since she was a child. The people she befriends were either people who knew of your existence or beings whose existence aren't supposed to be known to us. Your world is calling out to her and she unknowingly seeks it. It wanted her to know of its existence, to meet the ones living in it. We tried to put a lid on it, but she started living in a secret world before we became even aware of it. And look at what happened to her.
"That night, we thought we had lost her." Rouen knew Lauren was now talking about the night he drained her of her blood. "Eona was literally bathing in her own blood. Her complexion was paler than it ever had been before. She was not breathing then. She lay lifeless in the Chairman's arms with her eyes closed when they suddenly appeared right in front of our eyes through a transportation spell made possible by a witch."
"Astrid," he thought to himself.
"Helena cried and cried because Eona did not show any signs of life in her. She blamed herself and she blamed me."
Rouen still could not say anything. If Lauren learned that Eona asked him to turn her into his kind, her family, who wanted to keep her away from his world, would despise him so much more.
"I'm asking you… begging you, please, let my granddaughter go. Let her have a normal life. Please do not take all the things a human's life has to offer her. She's much too young to understand these things, but I know a time will come that she will." At that moment, Lauren shed a tear.
Rouen held out his hands and held onto hers. "Please do not beg."
He did not want to see her begging for their rights. Of course, he understood. He understood more than ever. Eona was young, she had a great future ahead of her as a natural. What kind of life was there for her if she became one of his kind? There is a war threatening to happen, and he is going to be in the middle of it. He, too, wanted her to live. And though he so badly wanted her to become his beloved, it wasn't her.
He remembered what Sorian told him back then.
"If you do not want to hurt the girl whom you have said already claimed your heart, stay away from her. The longer you stay by her side, the harder it will be for her when you say goodbye, because you cannot fight a beloved's pull, even if you are the prince of this kingdom. It will take you away from the girl who has claimed your heart the second you get to meet the one destined to be by your side. You love that girl now, your highness, but that love will vanish immediately upon meeting your destined beloved as if it never existed in the first place. You will never forget, but you will never feel regret. Us vampires are cursed to live our lives that way. No matter how much we treasure someone, if they are not the one, it will all be in vain, and they will always be the receiving end of all the pain that comes with it, as long as they live."
He cannot hurt Eona that way.
"I promise you, I will never take away her chance to have a normal life."
A little while later, Rouen let go of her. He knew he had to fulfill his promise. Deep in his heart, he knew it was only fair and that it was the right thing to do. He just did not know that doing the right thing would make him feel so horribly empty.
After he said goodbye to Lauren, he had not actually left their place yet. He stood somewhere for a while where he could see the girl who was still sleeping peacefully in her bed. He knew she was still young, so he had decided to let her live a normal life, away from his world and away from him. But the mere thought of it left a bitter taste in his mouth. If he followed through on his promise to Eona's grandmother, today would be the last time he'd be seeing her.
Rouen could not tell how long he had been in that place where he watched Eona serenely. All he knew was that the sun had long set on the horizon and the blue sky was now painted black. The moon that hangs in the night sky gives a soft glow. And even though it's dark, his nature as a vampire made him able to see things clearly. He could hear all the noise around him but the steady beating of Eona's heart served as a lullaby that faded everything into the back of his mind.
He did not regret meeting her. In fact, meeting her had been the most precious gift he had ever received in his entire existence because it was her that made him feel. If only…
"Damn it!" He cursed.
He really should stop wanting things that could only benefit him. But is it wrong to want things to go right between them even if he knew that one day he'd only end up taking her life?
It was a little while later when his phone vibrated but upon seeing that it was Caius who was calling him, he ignored it. It didn't take long for his phone to vibrate again. This time it was a message from Sin.
"Pick up the phone. It's an emergency." Said the message before his phone vibrated yet again.
With no other choice, he answered his phone. "What's wrong?"
"The council members request your presence at the gathering."
He frowned. "Should I remind you that it was made clear before our departure from Aceldama that I won't be getting myself involved in it?"
"Well, things got complicated after they were notified that both Elysia and Tempestra had confirmed that they'd be sending delegates this time. Everyone sounded surprised if you asked me."
That got his attention. "Who's in attendance?"
"No one knows who'd be coming. Do you think it had something to do with them?"
He knew who Sin was talking about. But aren't they in hiding? Would they be willing to risk everything just to be able to quench the curiosity of everyone about their race?
"I'm on my way back. Find out everything you need."
"On it."
He stood up and, for the last time, he took a glimpse of the girl who had captured his heart and twisted nature. He didn't know when fate would let them meet each other again, but until then, he wished her well.
"So they really did not say who'll be attending the banquet?" Rouen heard Delilah ask no one in particular upon his arrival at the villa where he and Sin stayed during their disappearance from the kingdom.
"No, just the number of delegates."
"How are they going to be addressed upon their arrival then?"
Everyone looked at Rouen, who was by that time walking through the French doors that led towards the balcony on the second floor.
"Maybe the one in charge of the guests upon arrival at the venue will be informed about them at the actual event?"
"Have you heard anything from the members of the council yet?"
"Aside from the confirmation of attendance? No."
"So I guess all we have to do is wait for that day to come."
"You'll be coming then?"
"Do I have a choice? I was already dragged without prior notice."
The Silvers laughed. Rouen looked like he didn't want to go because attending gatherings such as the one he'll have to attend this time is something he finds bothersome. In fact, he wouldn't attend one if only he was not forced or obligated to.
"How about the Hunter's Association? Did Kaien say anything? They'll be hosting the event after all."
"He, too, did not have any idea."
"I wonder why they chose to attend this time."
"Maybe to let us know they're not extinct like we believed them to be. Their presence is enough to cause chaos for sure."
Their presence would surely be going to shake everything they knew and believed in, especially when everyone was aware that beings from both Tempestra and Elysia once held power and strength far exceeding everyone's. Many believed that their power had declined after the First Blood War and almost everyone believed that they only exist in history and legends. But have they been believing a lie after all this time or were they led to believe so?