East side antiquated common room of the dormitory area was lighted with a faint glow crosswise the worn wooden floors whilst the evening condescended, Eliena sitting on a loveseat away from the hushed murmurs of a small girl group of senior students engrossed in their studies near the crackling fireplace.
Outside the night unfurls with rain. The storm rages unleashing fury accompanied into the distant rumble sonorous through the very bones of the building. In the flickering lights of the fire her hands cradle the thick book in her arms, open-eyed over the bold inks unflinching by the thunder strikes beyond the window panes with the euphony of nature's brute strength.
"Liena!" the voice called, pulling her attention from the pages beckoning to her approaching friend. With a bright smile, Isabelle strides over. " Seriously I've been looking for you everywhere!" she half yelled, drawing a few disapproving glances from nearby students for disturbing their studious atmosphere before it melted into a warm endorsing grin at the girlish infectious enthusiasm.
Extending two cups of steaming hot chocolate milk towards Eliena. " Thought you could use something to warm up," she insists, sitting on the loveseat beside her.
A smile spreads across her face. Accepting the cup, she nods, mumbling a ' Thanks', and her eyes return to the pages.
Only edition of Blood-bounding sits open, the chapter titled in bold dictatorial letters—BLOOD MAGIC— amuses Isabelle's curiosity. "Reading fantasy now, Pinch me, I must be dreaming," she exclaims dramatically, a few strawberry locks cast on her face as she leans in closer. "What happened to My Logical Warner? Dear Lord, where is my friend?"
Rolling her eyes in fond annoyance. "Oh, stop with your theatrics Belle," Eliena chides amorously, shaking her head. " Jasper suggested it to me, and I'm giving it a try. That's all."
Undeterred, Isabelle hums thoughtfully tracing her fingers abreast of the passages. Each heading is written in different styles describing various forms of bondings. One title in particular, calligraphy in a striking shade of crimson, catches her eyes — SOUL BOUND— an altar title read — SOUL(TETHER) MATING— vibrant red script.
Eliena watched but didn't react, keeping herself cool as the latter's eyes narrowed over the lines. "The sacred bond interlacing through the intricate vessel of blood finds with the essence of eternity branding two spirits in an ethereal embrace. Behold, the solemn covenant of soul binding, wherein two souls, in the ardor of their mating, merge with a mortal form. "
Nudging forward, she drags the book out of Isabelle's grasp and closer to herself; her eyes scan the passages, and her birthmark pulses, almost burning. It makes sense now, not entirely, but still enough…she doesn't want this to be true, though it was everything is right in front of her.
" A call brewed by the mortal may create a tether as a vessel for the soul to find each other. This tether is a thread of consent. Without it, souls may turn to dissonance. If the soul dares to usurp another as a vessel without invitation, anguish ripples via the bound," dread washes over. She continued. " This tether is forged in the mosaic of crucible reverence where marks of loyalty gild the mortal body as a devotion for souls transcends the boundaries of fate."
"An unbreakable connection,'' Isabelle ponders. " Dang, it's actually terrifying and cool at the same time."
" She used me as a doorstep, I was nothing to her." She told herself.
"Who?" Isabelle gently jerks her a little. " Wait, It's only the first part; there's more ."
Eliena's voice is weak. " This tether can be a curse for the user to their mortal body and the spirit influenced by the force to do their bidding. Where once control ended, others began."
"There's a warning here," Isabelle indicated forward to the next line.
A bitter acidic tide wells up her throat, harder to swallow. " Once the tether is done. It can't be reversed. Both parties should be careful about their bidding. Soul binding is fraught with peril, an ill-fated union may yield agony and grim even death. "
There's no way to run. Eliena once recalls Lilith saying that and she was right. Since the day she uttered the woman's name, her fate is doomed with a parasite who won't get off sticking to the flesh.
Maybe if she had been smarter….
Hadn't responded…
Never have fallen for the trick…
You shouldn't have. A voice said.
But she didn't have a choice. Did she?
Isabelle watches the girl silently. Eliena's hands were shaking, something wasn't surface, prompting her to reach out and grasp them gently, squeezing them for comfort. " Relax Warner, it's just a book, don't waste your thoughts."
"Indeed," Lilith revealed herself from the corners, steps sauntering, a self-satisfied smirk on her face, the warm glow of the fire dancing across her skin. She rounded the lounge running her fingers along its back.
" Don't listen to the book," the velvety mouthpiece said. " Every answer to your question is right in yourself," feathery lissom digits ran over Eliena's shoulders, sending a violent chill down her spine, causing her to jump off Isabelle. A low chuckles rebates. " Darling, all you've to do is trust."
Unable to look at the face of her tormentor she shuts her eyes. No use the flawless fervent visage of the woman glorifying her even with closed eyes.
Bloody fancy shit!
In frustration, she reopens them, almost taken aback by the sight. The woman before her knelt, a smile beacon of warmth. "Those books can't describe the purity we have, it can never," under her spell Eliena could only stare. " I waited and you came, My Angel. We are heavenly bound to each other. "
Her friend was saying the words were dimmed so were everything else. Eliena couldn't avert Lilith's hands gingerly touching her cheeks, light a breeze, cold, affectionate.
" We are one, Eliena," an undeniable pull contact inexplicably logged. "Just like we should be."
The next few days her quest for answers and Lilith's company vanished into the tranquil surroundings of her daily life routine.
Engaging herself in the incoming month of coursework quite savoring before any storm came just in case the woman began to hunt her and find new ways to get attention.
Attentive in the pages of textbooks and classroom lectures Moonyoung's presence blossomed like the first rare flower of spring; her unsupervised visits flourish their moments.
Shin Moonyoung was head over heels her actions left the latter both charmed and amused in the depth of friendliness.
Nevertheless in the secluded corner of the library. After the brutal treatment of nature, warm sunlight streams from heaven through the windows devising a pattern of shadows of their books upon the study desk.
Because of the newfound company, she even manages to read most of the chapters of the thick book. She is impressed and worried, torn between admiration despite when the role was a confidante.
A pang of guilt tugged cognizant of her reluctance. Perhaps she was being selfish, choosing to turn a blind eye to someone's feelings.
Within conflicting emotions, she found fragile affirmation in her justification. It's not your fault, she reasoned,that someone is afraid to confess their heart desires to Moonyoung.
It wasn't her burden to bear nor her responsibility to explain someone else's logging. And so on, the young girl adhered to these convictions, covering herself from the weight of truth, avoiding the talk about letters. Moonyoung doesn't seem to mind it, nor does she.
One evening when she was sitting in the common room on her usual seat reading the last chapters of the book.
Meanwhile, near the flickering flames of the fireplace, second-year students huddle together, studying quietly. Their soft voice and gentle chuckles accompany their joy.
That's when She felt it.
A cold breeze against the cheeks drew her attention, lifting her gaze from her book. There a figure stood close to the other students.
Oh man,
The Devil Lady, who has a strange manipulating fascination with fire, peeks over the shoulders of the students, tilting her head and frowning slightly before rolling her eyes as the students murmur something in themselves before looking at Eliena. They laughed as if they were mocking her. Though their exchange eluded her hearing, the subtle curl of Lilith's lips hints only at mischief.
This is not good.
As the fire roars with the unseen touch and silent command startling others, Eliena stifles back a laugh at one of the students who was never truly fond of her fall from their seat in a rush to move.
The smirk on the woman's lips grew wider, almost pleased to see the latter smile.
Having the empty common room for themselves, seeing Lilith standing still, looking at her with a depth of myriad emotions— idolization, compulsion, heavenly passion, perhaps a hint of something beyond… beyond then Eliena's guesses since she hasn't seen it before. Or has she? " Where have you been?" she asked.
Lilith hummed hands clasped behind. " Somewhere…" lips twisted. " Why did you miss me?" her tone was laced with mischievousness.
I don't know. Maybe. Her inner thoughts were far different from the words she allowed to fall. " Nope, forget that I even asked."
The woman let out a soft laugh of amusement, enjoying the response. " It's strange how thoughts are far, far different from your words, Darling."
Something warm almost tickled inside her belly at the sweet terms beats of heart stride her cheeks warmed in embarrassment.
"Yet I believe you," The woman added, lacking a playfulness more of adoration.
Eliena cleared her throat and began to focus on her book. Even after a few moments, the woman settled into a seat, gaze never fawning at the girl whilst her back pressed and continued watching the certain student read in silence, subtly enamored.
Her presence didn't bother Eliena nor did her stares.
The intrusive, unwelcomed chime of the wall clock harshly clangs, echoing within the silent space. The ear-piercing symphony startled her reverie, interrupting her steady reading. She closed the book, acknowledging the late hours.
Exhaling a breath, eyes gazed up from the pages and alighted upon the unearthly vision whose persona had softened eyelids closed.
Unbelievable, who could have thought the sleep-snatcher devil could look holy, but was she asleep?
Do ghosts sleep?
Well, they are now.
Eliena shook her head. In the dimly lighted room, the demure placidity was a stark foil to the stridency of the swirling thoughts in her mind.
With practiced grace, she rose from the loveseat making sure not to create any more noise. She went out of the room, certainly acutely Lilith would follow her anyway.
While she walks into the empty, nearly dark hall, a cool breeze touches the skin of both side of her forearm, a reminder she is not alone; wisps of smoke drift down her sides, accompanying her to the room.
The smoke didn't bother her nor did the flickering lights.