It took me 25 minutes to get out of the dungeon. Standing outside and taking a deep breath, I muttered under my breath, "Haaa, is that a dragon flying around the dungeon?" Summoning Neu back, suddenly the dragon began to land in my direction.
"." After it landed, she started to shake her head and produce weird noises. Taking a step closer, I stretched my hand to her head and began to scratch it. "It's fine, little girl, don't worry." She seemed to be deep in thought.
"Arthur, you are his bond, right? I was talking about him; his fine, don't worry," I said to her, and she seemed happy, wagging her tail.
Suddenly, she stopped and looked at me weirdly. "I know you are his bond. I met you in action, don't you remember? Don't look at me like that. Oh yes, I know you are the same black lizard. You can shape-shift, am I right?" She started to shake her head in agreement.
"What an awesome girl you are," I said happily while scratching the back of her ears. She seemed to like it. "Now I need to go; I have things to do. Bye dragon ." After saying goodbye, I jumped onto the back of my owl and flew away into the sky.
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Kathyln Glayder POV:
"Haaaaaaaaaaa..." I let out an exaggerated sigh, looking out the window from my room. My hands were getting numb from leaning my head on them for so long, but I didn't want to move as I only grew more annoyed.
How dare he! Stupid Eli!
Finally willing myself to get up, I let out my pent-up frustration by training myself hard.
"I'm tired."
Stupid! This is his fault too!
I wiped the tears that had welled up in my eyes, unsure of whether it was from the pain in my body or my loneliness.
That Ellis... When I get my hands on him, I'm going to give him a piece of my... Haa... who am I kidding? I just want to see him.
It had been a few months since he had left, but after getting so used to seeing him every day, those months had felt like years.
"Why didn't he tell me about it? The day he was with me, the next he disappeared," I muttered aloud.
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(Next day)
Standing at the teleportation gates, the large frames with runes were guarded by several guards in plate armor. I finished my plans for now; I needed to get into the academy for my next phase. "Next," said the guard. The teleportation gate was too crowded today.
Finally, the guard gave the go-ahead, and I started moving again. As I stepped into the teleportation gate, the familiar nauseating sensation hit me.
I could never get used to the teleportation gate, despite the number of times I went through it; the feeling of being stuck in a space where I had no control just didn't sit right with me.
Arriving on the other side of the gate in Xyrus, I heaved a big breath. I was home.
Catching a carriage home, I passed by the Academy I would be attending. The premises were enormous, and just looking at it from the outside, anyone could tell how much time and resources the Kingdom had put into this place. It seemed like its own separate world inside the city, with various structures and landscapes changing throughout as I rode along the smooth roads.
"Sir, we have arrived at Rose Manor." The driver got off and opened the door for me, tipping his hat as I stepped down gently, careful not to arouse my slumbering bond as I handed my driver a few silver coins. Taking one last look, I walked up the stairs I had become so familiar with.
The dull sound of metal clanging on metal rang surprisingly loudly. Unexpectedly, I could hear faint pitter-patter sounds followed by a voice. "Coming~!"
A maid opened the door. Immediately, her eyes went wide open upon seeing me, and she froze in place.
The maid looked at me with longing, evidently surprised to see me knocking on the door.
"Hi, Riva, I'm back," I awkwardly said.
Suddenly, she jumped at me, taking me in her bosom, hugging me so hard as if I would disappear. "Sniff."
She kept silent as she just tightened her arms around me, letting out soft sniffles.
I couldn't resist the urge to pet her head when she suddenly said, "I thought you were never coming back. I'm sorry for not being there for you. I... I want to help you through convincing the lady, but you were gone the next day . I'm sorry, Eli."
We stayed like this for some time; she was speaking nonsense and I was listening to her. "Riva, can we take this inside?" I said to her, pulling her away from me. Her face was scarlet. Quickly standing up and trying to regain composure, she shot me an embarrassed nod and pulled me inside.
Walking through the hallway that led toward the living room, I heard the voice of my grandfather. Pushing the door open, I looked at him and said, "I'm back." His reaction was amazing; he jumped from his seat and ran towards me, picking me up and starting to laugh.
"Bahaha! Ellis! My boy! Look how big you are! Oh my God! You're back, you're back!" My grandfather cupped my head in his hands to get a better look at my face. He broke down while placing his large hand on the back of my head, bringing my forehead to touch his.
I heard loud footsteps coming in my direction.
"You are alive! The Voice... I knew it was you! sniff You're back now! Yes, you're home now. Ellis, my baby!" That was all she managed to sputter out.
"Oh my baby! Eli!!" She arrived in front of me and...
My mother, frail and worn, looking up, my eyes widening in disbelief. Dark circles under her eyes, lifeless eyes, and dry lips.
"What have I done?" I thought .
"H-hi Mom. I'm home." I gestured a small, awkward wave, not knowing what to do.
*SLAP*
*SLAP*
I didn't know what to do or say to her; she hit me with two slaps. I knew I deserved it after all I had done to her.
I stood frozen, guilt flooding my veins. "Mom, I—"
*SLAP*
"Don't you dare say you're sorry!" she interrupted,
"WHY, ELLIS, WHY?" she said in a voice full of tears and emotion.
I kept silent.
"WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME?" she shouted.
"I couldn't sleep; I was thinking about you the whole time. Have you been eating well? Did my son sleep? Are you injured? Are you even alive? Will you come back to me? ELLIS, I COULD NOT STOP WORRYING ABOUT YOU!" She said while collapsing on her knees, her arms around my waist, gripping with all her strength, afraid that I might disappear again if she let go.
"Do you hate me that much, Eli?" she said between her sobs.
"No, I would never," I muttered in a low tone.
"Then why did you do this? If... if you just asked me again, I would have agreed, and you know that." That was all she managed to sputter out before breaking down into a bawl.
"Sorry, I…" I couldn't even manage a complete sentence before shutting my lips tightly. I couldn't help but think, while my head was buried in my mother's shoulder, how much of a terrible son I was.
"Do you know how many nights I spent awake, wondering if I'd ever see you again?" she cried, her voice breaking. "I felt so lost without you. I thought I'd never hold you in my arms again."
"I didn't mean to hurt you," i murmured, my heart aching at the sight of her anguish. "I thought I was doing the right thing."
"Right for whom?" she shot back, her anger flaring again, but it was laced with sorrow. "You think I wanted to live in fear? You think I wanted to feel this emptiness?, Eli!"
The room fell silent, the weight of their emotions hanging heavily in the air. Ellis could only hold her tighter, feeling the warmth of her body against his, a stark contrast to the coldness of the years apart.
"I'm so glad you're back," she whispered, her voice softening, but the pain lingered in her eyes. "you can't just leave me like that again. I can't bear it."
"I promise, I won't," he replied, his voice thick with emotion. "I'll never leave you again." ( let's see if he can keep his promise )
As they sat there, wrapped in each other's arms, the tears flowed freely, a bittersweet reminder of the love that had endured through the heartache.
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Late at night, lying in my bed and watching the moon from the window, I thought about many things. One of them was the next phase of the plan, which, in order to make it work, required me to go to the academy. I would ask Gramps tomorrow; I was too tired and exhausted to think about it now.
As I was drifting off to sleep, I heard my door open. Opening my eyes, I saw my mother standing in the doorway. She hadn't spoken to me today, except when she saw me in the morning. I knew she was very upset and angry with me. "Do you need something, Mother?" I asked her.
She didn't respond, but I thought I knew what she wanted. Sigh. I turned to the other side, giving her my back. After a brief moment, I felt two arms tighten around my waist, and a wet nose sniffed my neck, accompanied by faint sobs as I watched the moonlight.
"Why is she still crying? Did my actions hurt her that much?" I thought to myself.
I reached out a comforting hand and stroked Grace's hair. While it wasn't pleasant for me to be used as a cuddle pillow, I recognized that my mother was in a vulnerable state and allowed her to treat me as she saw fit.
As I caressed her, her grip tightened even more, briefly stopping my breathing. I tried to get more comfortable , after some time I fell asleep.