Chapter2
Late in the night the silence surrounding Dirk's home was only disturbed by the groaning of the house's wooden planks in the wind. Patches of the flawless star-studded night sky starkly contrasted with the thick roiling dark clouds, which signified the approach of Iselia's rainy season.
Hunched over a small bench with only a small porch-lamp to provide her with the necessary lighting, Raine furiously scribbled down notes in volume no. 20 of her extensive journal collection. Everyone had turned in for the night while the half-elf professor decided to polish up the log of both Syverant and Tethe'Alla's monsters for Nova.
Not only was this a chance to further her knowledge of the two worlds but it was also Raine's way of relaxing. The end was fast a approaching, and though she didn't fear for her own life, she did fear for her brother's well being.
Ever since she was eight years and suddenly stranded in the wilderness with her newborn baby brother, Raine had fought tooth and nail to ensure his happiness and safety. The betrayal and overall confrontation with Mithos had really worn down the poor kid's spirit.
Sighing, Raine looked up into the sky catching a glimpse of the crescent moon as dark clouds continued to roll by. The crisp forest breeze rustled the scholar's hair causing a few silver locks to fall in her eyes. It didn't matter though the crisp air felt wonderful compared to a stuffy full house.
Unfortunately a barrage of icy rain drops put an end to the woman's activities. Raine threw her body over her notes, desperate not to let the water ruin the inked writings. As soon as she collected her things Raine pulled open the door to Dirk's wooden house and rushed in.
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From his meditative position in the corner the mahogany eyes of Kratos Aurion snapped open at the unexpected intrusion. He could hear the beating of the sudden down pour on the planked roof and window panes, as the door burst open ushering a semi-wet figure in a large orange coat. Kratos watched as she carefully spread papers along wooden table near the center of the room.
His sharp eyes continued to watch her through darkness as the half-elf took off her outer coat and laid it on the back of a chair. Using her sense of touch Raine ran elegant fingers along every near available surface, searching, no doubt for a source of light. She took a couple tentative steps forward before her fingers traced the contours of a glass lamp with a feather light touch.
The sudden illumination caused his pupils to dilate, but Kratos remained unfazed; his eyes catching every move she made. So far she hadn't noticed him and after pulling up a chair, started scribbling furiously on her spread out pieces of paper.
Their last encounter still remained fresh in his mind. She had accused him of being cowardly. He was angered that she, one who had lacked 4000 years of life, would rip into his most guarded insecurities.
In a rare moment of pure anger, Kratos pushed back accusing her of cowardice as well. He did not know why he felt that he needed to defend himself against her brash appraisal of him. Somehow Raine had wounded his already fragile pride, so he struck low in response bringing up the subject of her heritage.
But that volatile exchange served as a catalyst to confront Lloyd about his past and the tragic death of his mother. When he told Lloyd it had been one of the most liberating experiences of Kratos' long life.
Now healing at Dirk's house, Kratos had ample time to think about what the professor had told him those many nights ago. To sum it all up she was absolutely right, he did fear Lloyd's rejection and the truth. Now he owed her an apology for his brash actions.
However some unseen force keeping him rooted to the spot was impeding the progression of his resolution. So waiting for the right opportunity to approach her Kratos settled on just watching the half-elf for the time being. He observed the way her layered sliver strands swayed with the movement of her head, the way her deep blue eyes scrutinized over her work, and the way her slender shoulders hunched over the wood table. As she was in life Riane was tenacious when it came to her research. She had one of the most brilliant minds Kratos had ever come across in the past century. She was quite lovely too…
Pulling the characteristics of an Egg Bear from the top of her head Raine jotted down each detail, from the color of its fur to the length of its claws. The lamp was happily flickering away encompassing her in a warm orange glow when suddenly her writing hand stopped mid-word. There was an awareness tingling on the edge of her consciousness. It made the small hairs on the back of her neck rise and her skin crawl. Someone was there with her; watching. 'Who would be up at this late hour?'
Slowly Raine lifted her eyes from her work. Moving cautiously as to not startle her spectator, the professor straightened and scanned the deepest darkest corners of the room. The chair she sat in screeched across the sanded floor surface as she rose to her feet with the lamp in hand.
Casting the lamplight into the shadows Raine met the ancient seraphim eye to eye. "Forgive me. I didn't know you were here," she said quietly, systematically stacking each of documentations.
"How are your wounds?" Raine asked trying to make polite conversation.
"I'll live," Kratos replied crossing his arms over his ribcage. He could feel her eyes scan him from head to toe as if verifying his words for her self.
"You should be resting, if you want to heal."
Kratos shrugged himself from the shadowy corner and stepped further into the globe of illumination from Raine's lamp. "I'll keep that in mind," he replied. She of all people should have remembered that he didn't need much rest.
"Well, considering what you sacrificed for us I just wanted to ensure that you were alright," Raine said, somewhat agitated that he disregarded her advice.
Kratos approached the seated half elf with a hint of caution in his stride. "I want to…apologize," he stated. This caused Raine to look up at him and blink.
"Excuse me?"
"That night in Meltokio," he replied. Kratos could make the faint hint of pink staining her cheeks, clearly telling him that she absolutely remembered the scene they shared.
"Oh yes…um," Raine began fidgeting with her papers. "T-There's no need. I know that I can be a bit insensitive at times and--"
"No, what you said was true. However I had no right to…invade your personal space as I did. I was a bit irate that evening, and I have no excuse for my actions." Kratos explained.
"Well then," Raine said in a soft tone. "I think we both acted without thinking that night and I'll accept your apology if you'll accept mine."
"Agreed," Kratos answered with a small smile.
Raine's return smile turned thoughtful as she placed her chin atop her hands and said, "I'm actually quite glad for you both. Lloyd seems much more at ease now that he knows the truth."
Kratos looked a bit shocked that she knew of his meeting with Lloyd, but then again his son was never good at keeping things to himself.
Raine continued, "I remember one of his dreams was to face the man who killed his mother, and find out the truth. You gave him closure as well as yourself. That's more than facing your fear. That's love."
"Even the strongest fall pray to fear it seems," Kratos whispered wryly.
"But not impossible to overcome," Raine finished.
TBC
