• Chapter 23 - The Dark Side


    She stirred, yawning and stretching herself out. Her throat hurt, but the pain was quickly demolished. She winced as the sunlight hit her eyes, burning her throat.
    “Geh, I’m so thirsty.” She said, wincing. She walked to the river in a sluggish daze, bringing her head near the shiny surface and lapping it up like a Wolf. She caught herself halfway, groaned internally, and pooled some into her palms, drinking from there. Her tail wagged.
    “So, what kind of immortal are you exactly?” A voice came from behind her, startling her. She spat out the water in her mouth in a grand fountain, coughing.
    “I’m… half Wolf. But I’m also half Vampire.” She said, standing up and brushing off her green shirt.
    “Aha. No wonder your blood was so intriguing.”
    She stuck out her tongue.
    “You’re never getting another sip.” She said tersely. She’d gotten to know the Vampire, but she still didn’t like it that he attacked her. She walked off to groom her mare.
    “That’s no fair! I get my strength from that, and if I don’t get some more at some point, I’ll die.”
    “Then die.” She said in a flat monotone, her eyes glinting.
    He flinched.
    “I’m sorry.”
    “Not sorry enough, Clown.”
    He sighed, scratching the back of his head. But he laughed, making her snort and raise an eyebrow.
    “You’re stuck with me anyways. So,” he picked her up and placed her on her back, then sat on MoonShine. The mare didn’t mind. Though Kaida was punching his back, to no avail.
    “Here’s your bow and arrows. You can shoot me if you like, but let me tell you one thing.”
    She looked up from her pounding, taking the weapon from him.
    “I’m not the only Vampire around, and there are plenty of others.”
    She shivered, and sucked it up as he set MoonShine into a gallop.


    “I wonder why he said he couldn’t come into town?” She muttered to herself, looking out her bedroom window.
    “What’s the matter, young master?” Her maid asked, laying out a light spring dress onto her bed. Kaida shook her head.
    “It’s nothing.”
    The maid frowned, but left her master to change into the dress.
    It was a simple yet elegant design. She studied herself in the mirror before she walked out.
    It was a low-neck, revealing her collarbone and had no sleeves. It trailed down to her feet, with a swirl of golden ribbon running from under her chest in a spiral to the floor. The white of her dress contrasted the dark gold. She still had the beads on her forehead, as well as the gem. At her feet were simple golden slippers.
    She walked out, being cautious as she walked into the rear courtyard. She didn’t want to get anyone’s attention, especially not her parents’.
    She walked to the Sakura tree near the cliff, and sat down on the branch closest to the ground. She was a little bit afraid of heights, but only at high altitudes.
    “This is nice.” She said softly, her white hair blowing out behind her. “I’ll leave again in the morning though. I hate this place.”
    “Why’s that?” Asked a voice. It startled her so much that she fell backwards off the branch. Black clothed arms caught her.
    “See, I’m useful.” Pierrot said with a grin. She pushed herself away, staring at the view from the cliff.
    “Why did you say you couldn’t come into town?” She asked out of the blue, turning to face him. She didn’t see his face, since she was smiling with her eyes closed as she turned, and the sun was to her back.
    “No reason. I just… I’m not welcome there.” He sat down at the base of the tree. She gave him a puzzled look, sitting in front of him, though not too close.
    “Why not?” She asked, honestly curious and a little worried. The problem with the girl was that she was too self-sacrificial. She put anyone before herself. Even an enemy. “You can tell me. I won’t judge you.”
    “Yes you will.” His eyes hardened, and they held a slight red to their blue marvel. She noticed that when he suppressed his bloodlust long enough, his eyes were blue. And a very beautiful blue at that. But anger, a violent emotion, or a bloodlust would turn them red. Since he was holding back the anger, they only took on a small red.
    “Why?”
    “Because we’re enemies. You know the man Nereza and Kilunar killed?”
    “Yes, of course.”
    “I’m the evil that the man said that was greater than he was.”
    She froze, and then stood up. Her face was a mixture of shock and another unrecognizable emotion. But she gathered herself. She kneeled in front of him, her hands on his shoulders.
    “You know,” she started, smiling. “If you were that evil, you would have attacked me already. Plus, I think there’s a little good in everyone. You just have to pull it out.”
    “Bunch of bull.” He muttered, looking away. She put her hands on his cheeks, turning his face.
    “None of that; got it?! You say you need my blood to survive. Well, you won’t get any unless you promise me something.”
    He stared at her.
    She hugged him, her face in a slight sad smile, her eyes holding sadness.
    “Don’t leave me alone like they did.” She whispered, averting her gaze. He sat frozen, staring at her face, which was hidden by her hair. But her tail was droopy, so he knew she was sad.
    “But-”
    “Promise me.”
    He watched her head as she sat still, unsure of what to do.
    “I promise.” He said after some time. She smiled, her tail wagging behind her. She offered her wrist.
    “Here you go, then.” She smiled, sitting back. She had one hand on her legs; the other was extended towards him. He raised an eyebrow.
    Shaking his head, he stood to his feet.
    “But how can you not care?” He asked, watching as she stood up and brushed the grass from her skirt. She noticed the grass stains on her dress, frowned, and shrugged.
    “I’ve just learned to accept a person how they are, that’s all.”


    She stood in the training ground by the edge of the forest, being watched by her instructor as she notched a sapphire-tipped arrow, aimed for the target two hundred and fifty meters away, and shot. All of this took less than four seconds, but it was not up to the instructor’s standards.
    “Sloppy. Very sloppy. You can do much better.” He said, shaking his head and sighing. The arrow was dug out of the target from the dead center, and had to be pried out by cutting the target in half, since not only was the arrowhead stuck in it, but the shaft of the arrow as well.
    “Take a break.” He sighed, and walked away, muttering about her incompetence. She was handed her arrow back, and she mashed her teeth together, breaking the arrow into splinters with her bare hands.
    “’You can do better than that.’” She repeated in an annoying voice, muttering profanities. “He can’t even shoot an arrow at all, so who does he think he is?!”
    “No one in this damn World can shoot an arrow!” She threw her hands up. “Why am I so different?! I’m sick of this!”
    Sighing, she bent down to the broken arrow at her feet, looked to her right and to her left. When she was sure no one was looking, she put both hands over the broken arrow. Her hands started glowing blue, and the arrow pieces floated over the grass, magically piecing itself back together. She then picked up the arrow and put it in her quiver.
    “I bet it’s different in his world.” She muttered. “It’d be nice to see what it’s like, rather than be this pampered princess.”
    She smiled, glancing around her. She sprinted along the large field at a speed only a Dark Vampire could match – and that was very fast – reaching the woods from the other end of the field in less than five seconds. She went along until she found a river. Smiling, she picked up one of her arrows, placing her bow and quiver near her legs. She took out a bag stashed under a large rock at the base of an underground sapphire cave, and then she looked at her reflection once more in the water.
    “Well, I just hope they’ll be okay.” She said sadly, her eyes betraying her thoughts. With one clean swipe, her long hair fell down to the grass below.



    “Were you trying to trick me?” He asked, his eyes wide and his mouth in a half frown, half smile. She splashed water on her face, passing her fingers through her hair. She rubbed off a sort of cover-up from her cheeks and forehead, as well as her right forearm.
    “Of course not!” She stared, aghast. She smiled. “I’m tired of being the spoiled and hated child of the World.”
    Her hair was cut short, and pulled back so that it ended in a flat point behind her head. She had two strands of white hair falling above her ears, and some hair lining her forehead flatly. She had a straight black line going from over her eyebrows, down over her eyelids and to her cheekbones, where the tips ended in a cross. The tops of the lines had small stars over them.
    She had a bright red headband on her head, tying behind her neck. She had on a white mask that hid her mouth and covered the tip of her nose, which ended in a tip near her chest. She wore a black sleeveless belly shirt, which had white designs on them. Her stomach was hidden by a black leather wrap that wound around itself, with golden yellow edges on either end sticking out. She had a golden pocket watch attached to the right side of the leather. It hid her waist to a quarter ways down her thighs. She also had on a black and dark purple overskirt, which flowed down the back of her legs freely. They ended at her ankles, leaving the front of her legs entirely exposed. On her feet were simple black slipper shoes.
    Wrapped around her left thigh was a whip with a blue tip, which wrapped tenderly yet strictly at the middle of her thigh. Her right thigh had one at the same place, though this one was tipped red. She had a tattoo on her right forearm, a simple diamond pattern. Hidden under her mask was a black birthmark, which was oddly shaped like the outline of a heart and a line going down the middle with spikes.
    She held her bow in her left hand, her quiver nowhere in sight. At her back was a strange blade – it looked like a key, yet it wasn’t. The hilt was a swirl of golden metal, and the blade itself flowed straight to the tip, where three pieces jutted out – albeit a little edgy, shaped like a crown – before the blade ended.
    “Well,” she said, stretching her arms over her head. She smiled. “Can I come with you back to your World? This one’s boring.”
    “Sure. But can I ask something?” He said, eyeing her skeptically. She gave him a look of confusion.
    “Anything.” She smiled, closing her eyes and tilting her head in the process. He looked away a moment, but looked back when she opened her eyes.
    “Why the mask?”
    “So I won’t be recognized, silly!” She laughed, but then stopped herself. “Do you have any idea why I’m so different from everyone else?” She suddenly asked. He eyed her, taking a step back.
    “Hmm,” he thought a moment, his right index finger on his lips. “Well, for one, your blood is different. I have a theory about it, and about other things, but they’re a little weird.”
    “I’d like to hear them.” She sat down on the lush grass, him following suit. He glanced at the bright blue sky.
    “Well… your blood seems to be able to control anything that comes in contact with it. Like two days ago, when I attacked you… I wasn’t telling you all that freely, you know.”
    She nodded, but she was taken by surprise.
    “And the other?” She prompted.
    “This one’s weirder. Maybe you’re just the Goddesses’ Beloved Daughter.” He shrugged. “Told you they were nonsense.”
    “One guess is better than none.” She smiled. “Thank you, Pierrot.”
    He waved it off, getting to his feet and brushing off his jacket.
    “Come on. It’s a long way to the Portal point.”