Just as he was about to leave the mansion, Val approached him from inside.
"Where do you think you are going?" He asked Nux. He seemed to know where he was going and the look on his face showed that he was against the idea.
"To see Isabella," Nux replied. "Is there something wrong?" He asked him.
"After everyone told you earlier? Going to her place may lead to you death! Don't you get it?" Val mumbled, a look of unease on his face as he spoke.
"I don't know what's wrong with you but my feelings for Isabella will not change just because of a mere speculation," Nux said. He gazed and Val and the latter could see the confidence in his gaze. "I like Isabella and I will not turn against her because of anyone or anything. I am going to see her and don't worry, I'll return soon."
Val shook his head, the unease he was having was increasing by each passing second and it was getting him scared.
"Dont go," he pleaded Nux. Though it may seem that openly, he was always going against Nux, pissing him off and teasing him, he had grown fond of him. He had really taken him as a senior brother, the family he didn't have. He couldn't just let his only family member fall deeper into this abyss he calls love. Tears gathered in his eyes as he tried to persuade Nux further. "Can you not go? Stay back, please!"
"I am sorry but I can not," Nux replied and Val's shoulders dropped. Nux was saddened by this, after all, Val was the first person he met after being summoned into this world. Val was his little brother from another world and he cared about him as much as he would to his real family member. Seeing him sad saddened him but there was nothing he could do about it, there was a greater task ahead of him. He would not because of anyone not carry out his duty; this is who he was. "I am going to return, okay?"
There was no way he could persuade him any longer, Val was aware. As such, he reluctantly have up. "Promise?" He asked him. "Do you promise to return safely?"
Nux didn't know Val to be this nagging but nevertheless, he played along. "I promise, alright."
"If you die out there, I swear I am going to kill you!" Val said and turned back.
As he went back into the mansion, Nux shook his head. He could not shake off the feeling of unease that he was having, it was exactly as Val feared but he wasn't going to back down... Not when he had two people waiting for him to be saved.
Having made up his mind once more, he left the mansion and began his journey to Isabella's home. He pulled out the hairpin she gave to him and gazed at it. She said the hairpin would guide him to her home, he didn't know how that was going to happen but he believed in her words.
As he held the hairpin, he felt a strange sensation, like a gentle tug on his wrist. He looked around, wondering what was happening, and that's when he saw it - a faint, shimmering light that seemed to be emanating from the hairpin.
The light grew brighter, illuminating a path that Nux hadn't noticed before. Without hesitation, he followed the path, which wound its way through the streets and alleys of the city.
As he walked, the light grew brighter, until Nux found himself standing in front of a beautiful, ornate mansion. The light faded, and he looked up at the mansion in wonder.
He had never seen anything like it before. The walls were made of white marble, and the windows were stained glass.
His heart skipped a beat as he realized that this must be Isabella's home. He took a deep breath, steeling himself for what lay ahead, and pushed open the front door.
As he entered the mansion, Nux was greeted by the sound of raised voices. He followed the sound to a large, ornate room, where he found Isabella's parents, Lord and Lady Thomas, standing in front of a young woman who looked eerily like Isabella.
But it wasn't Isabella. This woman had pointed ears, like an elf, and her eyes were a piercing red.
Lord and Lady Thomas were raining abuses and curses down on the young woman, who stood calmly, her eyes flashing with anger.
"You're not our daughter!" Lord Thomas shouted. "You're some kind of monster!"
The young woman's eyes narrowed, and she took a step forward. "I am your daughter," she said, her voice cold and detached. "And I am not a monster. I am just an elf."
Nux's eyes widened in shock as he realized that the young woman was indeed Isabella. The first thought that came to his mind was his conversation with Val... It so happened that Val wasn't lying to him. Isabella was indeed an elf.
Nux glanced at the couples, he had never seen Isabella's parents before, but he could tell that they were furious.
"How could you deceive us like this?" Lord Thomas shouted, his face red with rage. "You're not our daughter!"
Isabella stood still, her eyes flashing with anger. "I am your daughter, father!" She said, her voice cold and detached. "How can you not recognize me?"
Lady Sophia Thomas stepped forward, her eyes filled with tears. "But why did you keep it a secret?" she asked, her voice trembling. "Why did you deceive us?"
Isabella's expression softened, and she took a step forward. "I didn't know, mother. I swear I didn't know. When I realized that I was not a human, I used magic to change my appearance so that no one would notice." She held her mother's hands as tears gathered in her eyes. "Mother, I am still your little princess, there's nothing wrong with me."
Nux's heart went out to Isabella as he watched her try to reason with her parents. He could tell that she was hurting, and he wanted to do something to help her.
But before he could intervene, Lord Thomas turned to him. "And who are you?" he demanded. "What are you doing here?"
Nux hesitated, unsure of how to respond. But before he could say anything, Isabella stepped forward.
"He's a friend of mine," she said.
Lord Thomas's expression turned grim. "Friend? I see," he said. "You better leave with him! I don't want to ever see you in my house!"
"Father!" Isabella began to cry. "I didn't do anything wrong, I am still your daughter for crying out loud!"
"As from today henceforth, you are no longer my child," Lord Thomas said, shocking everyone in the room. "I never gave birth to a witch." With that, he stormed out of the room.
"Mother..." Before Isabella could say a word to her mother, the lady slapped off her hands and followed her husband silently.
Isabella watched them leave, tears streaming down her face.
"But I didn't do anything wrong," she cried. "It's just that I happened to be a half-elf. What's so bad about that?"
Seeing her like this, Nux's heart was shattered. He rushed over and hugged her tightly, caressing her hair which was no longer blue but brown, matching the color of her eyes.
"There's nothing bad about, Isa," he consoled her. "You are still the little princess I know and there's nothing that is going to change about it. Forget about them, if they don't want you, you can come with me. Let's leave this place."
Isabella looked up and met Nux's warm gaze, the same gaze she had expected from her parents but instead of getting it from them, she was getting from someone she met only once.
"Nux..." She whispered, her voice breaking.
"It's going to be fine, let's go," he reassured her.
She nodded and the two of them left the mansion together. They took the same path that Nux had taken but when they had gotten farther away the mansion, Nux felt like they were being watched.
"We need to hurry u—" before he could complete his sentence, they found themselves surrounded by a group of people dressed in black robes. Their faces were covered with demon-like masks so Nux could not see what they looked like.
"Who are you people?" He asked them.
"Give us the witch and you will live," they said in unison.
"The hell are you talking about?" He asked.
"Give us the witch and you will live!" The repeated.
'Witch?... They are here for her?' He thought and everything soon dawned on him. "Isabella, we must leave—"
"Die!"