Waking Up In A Hot Spring
Two beings clashed in the night sky, one wielding a weapon and the other wearing gauntlets, moving at a super speed no eye could track. They fought for hours, neither losing ground.
Eventually, they came to a stop. Elijah said, "It's midnight."
"I know." Ava jumped from a tree and stood face-to-face with Elijah. "You did well, reaching the peak of the Novice realm. You can relax now. I want you to hunt your own food, but your body is at its breaking point." Ava's voice started to sound distant from Elijah's perspective.
From the moment Ava said, "You can relax now," the fatigue of the past fourteen days overwhelmed him. He began to see himself falling before everything went black. Elijah's body didn't hit the ground as Ava's power held him.
"I pushed you a little too much, but the diamond didn't crack, which is a relief. Let's go and take a bath."
Somewhere far away, not even on this planet, a young man with blonde hair stood with a katana on his waist. In front of him was another person with darker hair, but their faces seemed identical except for the older appearance of the second person.
"Where are you going, brother?" the older one asked.
"Why are you standing in my way?" the blonde young man retorted.
The older one didn't reply, looking far away at the red sky and dark trees. This was their world, the world of the Abyssal. "You are the son of one of the pillars, even if the youngest. You should have pride in yourself."
"I can't have pride in what isn't mine," the young man answered.
"Kai…" The older brother shook his head and sighed. "Okay, then you can leave, but you need to promise me one thing."
Kai knew that if he didn't agree, his brother would possibly drag him back home. "Yeah, what?"
The older man appeared in front of him. "Don't die," he said, flicking Kai's head. Kai went out of commission as his body fell to the ground. "Luna, can you hear me?" A woman appeared beside the older man.
"Yes, young master."
"Take my brother to Planet #4653, to the lawless city in the continent named Buliovers. If he survives the gladiator trials, then he can enter the realm that's opening. But if he doesn't, being a gladiator will teach him more about himself—if he doesn't die," the older brother instructed.
"Would you like to put someone to protect him?" Luna inquired.
"No, let him go alone. That is what he wishes, so be it. Also, the Vampires seem to be making a fuss because of the birth of their progenitor. Someone needs to step in to put them in their place. It will be either me, that woman, or maybe that man. Who knows what those old bastards will say?" The older brother seemed worried and distressed.
"Hehehe, what is it?" Luna inquired.
"Take my brother there and we'll talk when you are back," the older brother said.
"Okay," Luna spoke and disappeared.
On Planet #4653, also called Emprymine Planet, Elijah woke up, feeling his body on something soft. A stream revealed Ava's beautiful face.
"I'm dreaming, right?" Elijah asked.
"So you dream about me?" Ava inquired.
"Yeah, a crazy woman trying to kill me all the time is becoming my new nightmare," Elijah said.
"Fuck you," Ava retorted as she cleaned his body.
Elijah couldn't really move, so he just let her. "I've been wondering, you haven't explained anything about us being married and how that happened."
"Do you remember the papers you signed the first day you came into our house?" Ava asked, and Elijah slightly nodded. "Just remember not to sign what you haven't read yet."
"Yeah, but it didn't seem like I had much of a choice then," Elijah added.
"At first, I just married you so that those idiot Elders would lay off my back for a few hundred years. But it seems like it was fate for us to meet." Ava said, but seeing Elijah's expression, she sighed. "I can't tell you now, just focus on getting stronger. Will you promise me that?"
"For what reason?" Elijah inquired.
"So that you can fully marry me," Ava added. Pain flickered in Elijah's heart at the care in Ava's words.
Ava felt it and asked, "What's wrong?" Elijah's eyes became lifeless and soon returned to normal.
"Nothing, and okay, I promise you," Elijah said, then added, "Was there a hot spring in the mountains?"
"Nope, I created one."
Just then, Amy appeared with dishes, the aroma wafting into Elijah's nose. "I'm—" Before she could say anything, Elijah had already jumped up, devouring the food like a madman.
"Your body seems to heal when it's about food." Ava shook her head and stared at Amy. "What is it?"
"The Upper-ups want to speak with you," Amy said.
"If it's about the vampires, they should only speak to me if it gets serious." Ava waved her hand and stared at Elijah. "What are you trying to hide, Elijah?" She realized the pain in his eyes—
the pain of losing everything,
the pain of being betrayed,
the pain of losing a loved one,
the pain of hating a loved one.
"He will tell me when he wants to. By then, I'll be waiting," Ava thought to herself.