By the end of that week, my wound had reduced to just a scab. I was able to walk and sleep properly. The only thing that kept me wondering was the man's eyes.
"Good morning, Moon. How are you feeling today?" Dad said, taking a sip of his tea immediately afterward.
"I'm doing a lot better, thank you." I said, sitting down next to Anya. I felt a little tap on my thigh as I turned to look at Anya. She brought her face close to my ear and whispered.
"Well, the hot guy finally healed you, hm?" She chuckled as I rolled my eyes.
"Tea or coffee, my dear?"
"Tea, please. Thank you."
Misaii handed me the cup of tea and I took a sip, immediately feeling fresh. The aroma of the tea filled the dining room.
"Oh, God! I love the tea you make, Misaii." I said, taking another sip. Misaii smiled gently while continuing to work. Mom kept awfully silent. To be honest, since the day the man treated me, she had been acting distant. I was weirded out by how quickly this event made us so detached. I even tried apologizing to her, but she never listened.
I felt a reassuring squeeze on my knee and I turned to look at Anya. She knew what was on my mind. Even though it was just a touch, her energy made me feel better.
"Thanks." I said. As I finished my tea and Misaii cleaned up, I couldn't help but stare at her. She went to find that man and brought her to me… Could I ask her about him?
"Uh- Misaii." I called out to her as I got up from my seat. I could see everyone looking at me, but I didn't want to make it a big deal.
"Could you… please clean my room too?"
She nodded, and finished up, and followed me to my room. I closed the door behind us and made sure to lock it. Misaii had already taken to cleaning, but I stopped her.
"What is it, My Lady?" She asked.
I looked at her and spoke calmly, trying to be clear and articulate with my request.
"Um- well. Since you… brought that man here for my treatment, the other day… I suppose you… know him?"
Misaii contemplated for a surprisingly long time and fidgeted with her fingers, before finally speaking.
"Yes. I… I know him. He's a nice man. Knows a few healing methods."
"A few?"
"Healers sometimes deal only with specific types of cases. It's different for every healer. So… in that sense, he knows the relevant methods of healing for the type of cases he takes up."
I thought for a second.
"And… what specific types of cases does he deal with?"
My curiosity was taking the best of me, and I was unable to tell if Misaii was comfortable with it or not. She laughed a little awkwardly.
"Why are you worried about all this, My Lady? You are better now, all healed. That's what matters!" She stroked my cheeks a couple of times. I took her hand off my face and held it between my palms, squeezing it a bit.
"Misaii, please don't hide anything from me. The man… he told me that… I was attacked by a werewolf. Was he telling the truth?"
Misaii's face seemed to lose all colors as she looked at me blankly. Then, she tried to muster up a smile, but terribly failed.
"Yes." She finally spoke. Her hands fell from my palm as my fingers failed to stay strong. "A werewolf?"
Even the word felt like a nightmare. Never in my worst dreams did I imagine I would have to come to terms with having experiences with mythical creatures. I once again looked at Misaii sternly.
"Tell me the TRUTH, Misaii. Not some story that you made up to make me stay away from the garden." But Misaii's face showed that she was indeed serious about it. I staggered a few steps behind but controlled my emotions in time.
"Then… who was the man? What's his identity-?"
"My Lady, the man-"
'CLANK!'
We both looked out the window, only to catch a silhouette moving away with the speed of light.
"Who's here?" I ran to open the door but only saw the broken vase on the floor. Misaii smirked as if she knew what was happening.
"Sometimes, sly cats like to eavesdrop. But cats make silly moves too, sometimes, no matter how stealthy they are."
Misaii's words made no sense to me. But at the same time, they did. I just couldn't figure out how to find the middle ground.
"I'll go clean it up." Misaii said, and I nodded, about to go into my room. My thoughts were still clouded. Moreover, I didn't even get a clear answer. Hestia was becoming increasingly difficult with every passing day and I was clearly hating it, unlike Anya, who felt like this was an action movie she was a part of.
I didn't realize when Misaii put her hand on my shoulder, but I turned around to look at her grainy black eyes. She read my face for a moment and then spoke.
"You look frail, My Lady. Don't worry too much. Life is a lot like the butterfly effect. You will get answers when it's time." She smiled and walked away as if what she said was some sort of elementary school poem. I sighed, because, to me, this was yet another riddle. I closed the door behind me and lay on the bed on my stomach, and looked outside the glass door on the opposite side of the room that led out to the garden. It still felt like yesterday when it all happened. But even among all this chaos, what stuck in my head were the eyes. The human-like blue-green eyes that studied me up and down that night, definitely made me realize that I had a void in my heart. A void that made me feel weak and powerless, but at the same time, it made me feel like I was like an empty vessel, that was once in its full potential.
A human figure flickered right outside the brick fence, and it didn't take me long to realize who it was.
"Anya? What is she..."
Without a second thought, I got out of the bed and walked outside, keeping a safe distance from her so that I didn't get noticed. Anya walked slowly and took small but steady steps. She stopped every now and then and looked around to see if someone was following her.
"What the…" I couldn't come up with a reason why Anya was out alone, in a place that we barely even knew, and why she was acting that way. For a moment, I felt like coming out and catching her, but then, I felt curiosity bubbling inside me. I wanted to know what she was up to. To be very honest, I felt a little mischievous too. I smirked a little, following Anya. I had no idea where I was even going, but I kept following her intently while something in me said, "this is gonna be interesting."
Anya stopped near a river and hid behind a big tree. I hid behind another tree, far enough for her to not notice me, but close enough so that I could hear her. She kept checking her phone and looking here and there as if she was waiting for someone. My guts told me that I already knew what was about to happen. Soon enough, voicing my thoughts, a man approached the tree. It was the same man I saw on the day when we arrived. The man was almost my height, with long black hair and hazel eyes. He wore clothes traditional to Hestia and had an attractive smile.
"Oooh, gurl-" I smirked at my own thoughts but kept hiding behind another tree a little farther away from them, noticing their every move like a spy.
"Did anyone see you?" The man asked.
"Nope, I sneaked out. And to be honest, nobody other than my sister snitches on me, and she was resting in her room, so I sneaked out."
"This bitch-" I gasped at her words and listened even more closely this time.
The man giggled. Anya laughed too.
"Anyway… did you… get me what I wanted?"
"Yeah. It was a little risky, but… I got it."
Anya was so excited that she hugged the man tight. I almost screamed in excitement too, but I clasped my mouth with my hand and stopped myself. I really couldn't believe my eyes. Though as a sister, I was still annoyed, but Anya was growing up so fast! I was really excited to see her making moves.
The man reciprocated the hug, and once they pulled away, they both looked into the eyes of each other, almost getting lost in the moment. I felt like I was watching a dream sequence, but then, my sister coughed and looked away. The man pulled out a book from his bag and gave it to Anya.
My curiosity got the best of me, as I slowly walked out of my hideout and went next to Anya as I pulled her ear teasingly.
"A book, huh? That's the reason you had to sneak out of the house at this hour?"
"Moon- I-... H-How are… what are you doing here?!" I tried to jerk my head away, but I couldn't, so I stood still like a child who was being punished by her teacher.
"I'm your elder sister, Anya, and that means, I came out of mom BEFORE you did. I've been through your age and I know you as clearly as every breath I take. Therefore-"
"Therefore," Anya shook her head away from me and looked at me angrily. "You decided to take my privacy from me, isn't it?"
I barely managed to stifle a laugh and looked at the man.
"Seriously? A book? That's all you could do?" I smirked and looked at Anya who was clearly flabbergasted.
"I- um- she… she wanted it- so I…"
I sighed and shook my head.
"Seriously? Up your game," I looked at him questioningly for his name.
"Uh- Vlad."
"Oohh, Vlad… now I get it." I nodded understandingly and smiled at him.
"Moon! Stop!" She facepalmed and I laughed out loud.
"Okay fine, but 15 minutes only."
I shot one final smile at Anya, who looked clearly embarrassed, while Vlad simply smiled at Anya. I turned around and walked a little away, to see my phone buzzing in my pocket. To my surprise, it was Caleb. My heart skipped a beat and I was about to pick up the phone, only to be pushed rudely onto the ground, by someone. My phone fell off my hands and fell into a nearby puddle of mud. I was speechless for a minute. I turned to look at the person who pushed me, who was now advancing rapidly towards Anya and Vlad. As he approached Vlad, the person seemed to tense up a little on seeing Anya, but without hiding his anger, held Vlad by the collar and spoke in a language that was far out of my understanding. But my concern was my phone. I was almost sobbing because of it. Caleb finally called me, and as much as I wanted to hang on to Anya's words, the call still gave me hope. It made me feel like Caleb really did miss me and was making some effort. But the man ruined it all. I was furious. Wiping away the tears in my eyes, I ran up to the man and pulled him by the wrist.
A piercing pain ran through my spine as I noticed the sigils on the man's wrist glow up in a bright red hue. My palm began sizzling. Everything started to go dark in front of my eyes. I could see the man turn to look at me with his blue-green eyes, and then, silence…
"1320:
I woke up at dawn just as usual. I sat up on the bed, slowly and gracefully, and looked outside the window. Birds were flying around on tree tops and squirrels were running in the garden. I got off the bed and looked at myself in the mirror and smiled. Brownish-golden locks fell right till my back, and I wore a gown- purple and black in color. I clutched the emerald necklace that I wore and closed my eyes as if feeling its energy. I opened my eyes to look into the mirror. Dark brown eyes reflected my image as it was in the mirror- a small girl, roughly 8 years of age, smiling contentedly. I knew from her eyes that it was me.
"I thank you, Oh, Eternia, for letting me see the bright dawn and a beautiful day." I closed my eyes in prayer but it was cut short as I heard commotions outside. My heart pounded quickly in my chest, as I ran out to see what was happening, without even giving it a second thought.
"Yasva-tat-nimit! Avnat-nasva! Karcena!!!"
The angry voice came from the west of the garden. Taking the main door, I rushed outside, just in time to catch the boy's hand as he was about to beat up another kid, slightly leaner and smaller than him. The kid on the ground flinched and looked away, but seeing that there was no attack from the other side, looked up at us. While I glared at the boy standing in front of me, the boy looked back at me with an equal amount of undisguised contempt.
"Nobody harms anyone in Hestia. I do not tolerate it!" My shrill voice thundered. The boy, very rudely, jerked his hand off. I looked into his blue-green eyes as he looked at me questioningly.
"And you are?..." He said it, almost in a mocking tone. I straightened my back and looked him straight in the eyes.
"Princess Dione. Healer and princess, Dione. And nobody in Hestia DARES to go against me."
My glare almost tore him down. Even though I was young, I knew very well my powers as a royal. Hestia was a small village. Being a princess here didn't give me equal prominence or importance as a queen in bigger kingdoms, but for the people in Hestia, that title was all that mattered. After thinking for a while, the man looked down and apologized.
"I'm sorry."
I nodded and walked forward to help the other kid. The kid seemed to be a little younger than me, but the other boy was a bit bigger than me. I turned to the boy and asked, "Why are you both in the garden? What is this all about?"
The boy looked away and answered, "I'm Victor. This is… Vlad. My friend. He stole a very important book from me and was running away. So… I accidentally came here, trying to catch him and I was just… telling him to return it." His voice made him sound irritated and his actions made it clear that he would've very much liked me to stay out of it, but I couldn't let someone get hurt because of something so trivial.
"A book?! That was the reason why you thought it was okay to beat up someone who is younger than you?"
The kid clasped a book under his ragged clothes, while the boy flinched, not looking at me. I sighed.
"Why do you need the book?" I asked the kid.
"I… I wanted to learn." The kid said in a timid voice.
"LIES!! YOU TOOK IT AWAY SO THAT I COULDN'T LEARN ABOUT MY CLAN! YOU-" The boy wanted to advance on the kid, who clearly was too scared to face him, and dropped the book on the floor. I went forward and picked it up. The boy was about to take it from me, but another glare at him made him stop. By this time, my family members were already out in the garden to see what was happening.
"I will give this book to you, but…"
"This book… is MINE." He said, without caring about anyone's presence. I calmly looked at him.
"You will ONLY have it if you promise to not let anger cloud your judgment. OR, this book would be burnt to ashes right before your eyes."
"NO!" The boy screamed. His eyes bespoke the fire that he was trying to tame within him. He took a few deep breaths and finally spoke in a shaky voice, clasping the end of his shirt.
"I promise."
That was all I needed. All my actions were built on trust. I wanted to believe in people because that's where humanity lies. So I smiled and gave the book back to him. As if getting back a prized possession, the boy hugged the book right and smiled. For a split second, I found myself admiring the boy. His anger, his self-control, and his smile made me smile too. But then, I heard a firm female voice from behind.
"That's enough, Dione. Come in, now. Rakhat, throw these boys out."
Although the voice came from the corridor, I knew who it was. I obediently began walking away. Rakhat walked past me to the boys who were already leaving. I turned around one final time to look at them, but they were gone…"
"Current time:
" Urgh… I- A-Anya…" I kept mumbling in my sleep. My body felt light like a feather and I was unable to even feel myself. I struggled to open my eyes, but as I did, I realized I wasn't outside near the river, anymore. Instead, in someone's cottage, that looked more like a secret place to practise sorcery. My head was still reeling from everything I saw in the dream. Or the vision. I couldn't figure it out yet. I strained my eyes to look out of the door and realized it was already dark. Panic started to overwhelm me, and to intensify the situation, I felt a burning sensation on my palm. I turned to look at my hand and noticed the same man hunched over my palm, applying ointment on the burn. My voice made him turn to look at me, but with the same uninterested gaze, he turned away.
"What the f-" I felt my blood boil in anger. How disrespectful could a man even be?! This man destroyed my phone, burnt my hand, and now without even apologizing, looked at me like I was some sort of object lying around?! I pulled my hand away and winced in pain.
"What the- ARE YOU MAD?!" The man's voice made me shudder, but I kept my cool and looked him in the eyes.
"Am I mad? AM I MAD?! ARE YOU MAD?!"
"The hell do you mean by that?! Your hand is BURNT! I was putting medicine on it!"
"Oh yeah! That is honestly a great deed you did! Really praise-worthy!" I mocked him by trying to clap my hands, but I couldn't even touch my palms together because of the pain. The man sighed and sat on the chair next to the bed. He then proceeded to examine me carefully.
"What?" I asked him.
"Just trying to see where exactly the defect is."
I was confused.
"Defect? What… What defect?"
The man looked at me and bluntly said, "There's one for sure in your brain because I have never seen a girl this stupid, arrogant, and stubborn like a mule before. So I'm just trying to see if there are any more defects."
This man was continuously testing my patience, and every time I would feel generous enough to thank him for his actions and leave, he would trigger me so badly that the killer in me would just tell me to strangle this man to death. However, I was angrier because I couldn't come up with a witty comeback yet.
"I- I… you- I-"
The man smirked. This was the first time he was speaking to me for so long since we first met. But even though his voice was like smooth velvet, his words felt like a whip every time he opened his mouth.
"Yeah, I know. I'm a moron. And? I've heard that a couple of hundred times from you."
Although it was pretty back-handed, I still pondered over his words. As if taking the opportunity, he forcefully grabbed my hand and continued applying the medicine. The medicine hurt me more, and the pain soon turned into anger.
"Oh yeah? You know it already? That's nice because it's TRUE. You- You broke my phone!! And then- and then burnt my hand! And now you think you're doing a huge favor by applying medicine to it? I CAN DO IT MYSELF, YOU HEAR ME?" I tried to jerk off my hand, but his strong grip made it impossible for me to do so. But he was completely immune to my insults, which made me feel hopeless. I looked away and sighed, cursing him in my mind.
As if to soothe my soul and thoughts, I felt a careful blow of air on my palm. I turned to look at the man who was blowing air into my wound so that it wouldn't burn. All my thoughts immediately seemed to subside as I was mesmerized by the simple and kind action. I couldn't help but stare at him the whole time. I really couldn't understand him. At one point, this man was insulting me, and now he's tending to me like I'm someone he cares about, so much. His muscles tensed up every time I winced in pain, and he tried to be even more gentle. Though it felt like he really struggled with being gentle, he still tried. Maybe this was his way of apologizing?
A knock on the door made me startle a little.
"Come in." The man said without taking his eyes off the wound. Opening the door, Vlad walked in and looked at me while the man took to bandaging my wound.
"I did as you said, Vic. Anya called and said it's almost dinner time, so… we should be a little faster."
The man nodded and asked if I could stand. I slowly got up from the bed and walked for a bit around the room.
"I'm fine." I said. "Where's Anya? And… What happened to me?" I looked at Vlad and then at the man. Vlad and he exchanged glances.
"I'll tell you everything on the way, okay? It's… getting late. I'll get you back home and leave. Anya is trying to drive the crowd away from your room so that nobody is alarmed but it will be dinner time soon. So we have to be quick."
I nodded and left the room with Vlad, glancing back one final time to look at the man, but he didn't look back.
It really was getting dark. The way back home felt difficult because the roads were muddy. But we had to keep going steadily.
"Vic said you fainted because… because of his sigils. Nobody usually touches them other than he, otherwise people often get hurt." Vlad said. I thought carefully for a while.
"Why does… Vic have those sigils?"
"I don't know… he just has them for a while. Maybe he likes them." Vlad sounded almost neutral while speaking, so it was hard to understand if he was joking, or actually telling the truth. The rest of the walk back home was silent. I was too engrossed in the vision that I saw, and how this man was proving to be really mysterious.
"Moon, I think you should go in from the west of the garden. That's the only unprotected side and it's closer to your room."
"Yeah, okay." I quickly walked inside, looking here and there to make sure there was no one outside. I then turned to look at Vlad, who waited for me to get in.
"Thank you, and… say thanks to… Vic." I said to Vlad and he was about to leave, but as if thunder had struck me, I stood still as bits of the vision flashed in front of my eyes.
"Wait!" I shouted, making Vlad stop in his tracks. He looked back at me confused.
"How long have you known… Vic?"
My question being so random, made Vlad a little doubtful.
"I- I don't know… long enough…? But… why?"
Each and every word of Vlad made me want to think of a scenario that was scarier than everything happening right now, but I didn't want to think of it so soon. However, it was necessary to understand what was happening.
"Is… Is your friend… named Vic?"
"Yeah." He said as I heaved a sigh of relief. "Vic, short for Victor." My eyes widened at the name and whatever Vlad spoke about next, all became a blur.
"Victor…"
The name echoed in my head. Anya rushed out into the garden to drag me back inside, but my feet kept betraying me. Anya saw off Vlad, while I sat blankly on the bed for what seemed like an eternity until someone touched my back.
"My Lady?"
"Huh?" I looked at Misaii as if I had seen a ghost.
"You look pale, My Lady. Is… everything alright?" Her voice, although a little hoarse, made me calm down a little. I noticed her looking at my palm, as I quickly hid it behind my back and awkwardly laughed.
"Uh, yeah- um- I… I am just… Really hungry… W-Why don't you go serve the food, Misaii? I-I'll be right out." I forced a smile and although Misaii didn't want to believe me, she obediently walked away, leaving me to my thoughts…