Chapter 10 – Storytelling

Dale smiled as he heard her whispering her gratitude into the air, but quickly assumed a mask of apathy as he began to acknowledge the joy he was showing; he wasn't sure whether he was trying to hide his feeling from Ivan or from himself. Maybe he was trying to hide it from both of them, but he dared not search for the reason for his pretense – something told him that he knew the answer already. The relief and rapture he felt at seeing her full recovery was too great to be described in any form of language, he only remembered how powerful it was, crushing down at him as if a tidal wave would a tiny seagull. He had never experienced such bliss so overwhelming that he lost control over himself; it frightened him.

He was seeing things more lucidly now despite his reluctance, and part of him, deep under the thick ice of animus for the human race, knew that he was feeling more than simple affection or admiration toward Xenia; no, it was much, much stronger than that. Still he refused to admit it, he didn't want to love a human… and never thought he could. Once human had been nothing but prey to him, weak and inferior, worthy of no respect from him, an enemy race so dishonorably artful that they disgusted him. But Xenia was different from the others of her race, she was noble and courageous; there was a charisma within her, he was involuntarily being drawn to her, and no matter how he resisted he could not stop himself. Fate was playing a cruel joke on him by binding him with his opposite. The wound from his past reopened, those painful memories scorched his mind and thoughts, tormenting his soul as stigma began to fill him.

Dale sighed, elevating his gaze to the small patch of sky visible above him. He could tell that Ivan noticed his inner struggle, sometimes he wished for a less observant and serious Ivan, he felt utterly uncomfortable when Ivan's eyes rested upon him, those eyes that could see into his very soul. The sky was as blue as ever, wisps of feathery clouds drifted where the wind would carry them; they were free, with no worries of life, no struggles against fate. Perhaps it would be better if he was one of them.

"Dale," Ivan said quietly, pulling Dale's attention back to him.

"Forget the past," Ivan said, and Dale lowered his head to meet his silent gaze.

"Do not defy your heart. Who she is, is not based on what she is, she is pure and worthy, a rare one. You need to move on to the present, not lingering in the past."

Dale grimaced; he knew Ivan was telling him the path he must take, but the shadow in his heart only grew larger.

"Tell me about your last few years, we have a lot to catch up on." Dale forced a grin onto his face and changed the subject. Ivan peered into his eyes, seeming to read his thoughts. He seemed as if he was about to say something, but he looked away instead and began to tell his story as a Royal Guard. The rest of the day past heedlessly, they told each other of the past few years they'd been apart, they exchanged stories and things they learned. At sunset Ivan departed into the shadow, eager to slip back among the Guards before he would be discovered missing. Dale came beside Xenia, who was still sleeping deeply, wanting desperately to seek comfort in her warmth. What he saw bothered him; she wore a deep frown with beads of sweat on her forehead, her mouth opened several times to form silent scream. It was just like the other times he watched her sleep – she was having nightmare.

He came closer, with each step he took she trembled more violently. Finally her knees gave out beneath her and she fell on her knees to the ground. Her eyes were wild with fear like that of a trapped animal. Xenia tried to look away, to stand up, to run away… but her body was not in her command, she was rigid and frozen like a statue, and her ability to move was no more. She didn't notice the fact that she had begun suffocating the moment his eyes locked on hers; fear gripped her and forced her airway to close, all she could manage was to sob short gasps that burned her throat, but she could squeeze only barely enough air into her lung. Her chest throbbed with pain and her heat fluttered with panic, she could bear those eyes no longer, they pierced her would and mind with force of myriad of needles and knifes, it was too much to gaze into them, in death. He came before her and knelt down slowly, as if taunting her helplessness, his nose was barely an inch from hers.

Her heart stopped beating; in those eyes crimson as blood, she saw a fiend, one that was more terrifying than the one before her; she saw a ghastly creature that came from the deepest, darkest abyss of hell. It was a creature so horrible that a mere glance at it would drive a person both physically and mentally over the zenith; a glimpse of the fiend would send any living soul into an abiding nightmare of terror and insanity, perhaps sending many to their deaths. She knew destruction was near, a calamity, her own excruciating death and others'. Blood and flesh, faces twisted by inhuman screams elicited by extreme fear and agony, the smell of death and broken corpses… tears streaked her face, her eyes opened wide with fear so palpable in them.

The vampire before her touched her cheek with his fingertips, slowly tracing along her jawbone and down her throat. She choked out a sob of despair. He laughed, locks of golden hair fell before his ruby eyes. His fangs grew longer, extending with intimidating sharpness.

"For a monster to be summoned, a sacrifice must be made." He hissed, grinning to bare his fangs.

She screamed.

"Xenia," someone was calling her. She screamed, thrashing and kicking, trying to find off the vampire with blood red eyes.

"XENIA, WAKE UP," The voice called again. She snapped open her eyes, panting and gasping. As she saw the face looming over her, she gave a stranded cry and rolled away from him; crawling away in fear. He caught her by the waist and she screamed, struggling to break free from his grip.

"Xenia, it's me!" he spun her to face him and shook her by the shoulders, speaking only loud enough to overcome her weak shrieks. Xenia stared at him in shock, slowly recovering from her nightmare. She saw before her not the fierce red eyes but tender blue eyes. She gawked with vacant eyes, letting her screams and struggle fade away.

"You are him… but he is… no, no… you're not him, he's not you…" she murmured to herself, flinching as he drew her closer to him. This was Dale, a vampire that saved her life, but he looked exactly like the man in her nightmare aside from his blue eyes.

"It's… just a reflection, a reflection of my… fear," she whimpered, her voice raspy. Was this an ominous dream that was trying to warn her of him? She told herself again and again that he was not a threat, but the recurrent dream seemed to grow more vivid every time she closed her eyes. The doubt in her began to subside as he held her against him; she laid her head on his chest and let her eyelids drop, shivering at the cold radiating from his body.

"There, there, everything's okay, have no fear." He sighed.

Xenia took a deep breath and pulled away, she was truly annoyed at the fact that she was almost reluctant to slip away from his embrace.

"I'm not afraid." She stated defiantly, even now she wanted to show no part of her that was weak and cowardly – she would not have him debase her. Then she noticed the absence of Ivan and scanned her surrounding with puzzlement.

"Where's Ivan anyway?"

"He left." He stated, not one moment lifting his intense gaze away from her. Apparently her effort to lure his attention away from her was useless.

"I taste your fear. Something's bothering you, is that not correct?" he asked, his brows furrowed gently with concern. She looked into his earnest eyes, those magnificent blue eyes so mesmerizing that she came close to losing herself in them. No trace of playfulness showed, there was no contempt. She forced herself to look away. No, Xenia told herself sternly, He isn't a monster. She shook her head and allowed his eyes to lock on hers; a small smile spread itself across her face, serenity washed over her, momentarily burying her nostalgia and trepidation. Her trust in him would not waver, because she saw kindness in his eyes, a kindness that had been there since they met but she had failed to notice. He raised an eyebrow in surprise, tilting his head to the side with confusion that was soon to vanish. A bright grin lit up on his face, and his eyes twinkled in the starlight.

"This is the first time you smiled at me since we met… you have a smile that outshine Varra."

She blushed, rolling her eyes impatiently but with pleasure.

"Should that take that as a compliment?" she asked timidly. Blushing again as he smiled.

"You certainly should. You see that star over there?" he leaned toward her at the same time snaking an arm around her shoulders, with his free hand he pointed toward the sky hidden behind the sable leaves. She squinted as hard as she could, but could not see through the thick layer of leaves.

"Uhhhhh, no." she complained.

Dale turned to look at her with questioning eyes, then realization was soon to form a grin on his face.

"Right, I forgot; with your poor human eyesight, you can't see as well as I can though objects."

She shook her head with pursed lips and shrugged away from his arm.

"Racist."

"Well, that's just the heart-breaking truth! Let's get you to my clearing, you can see Varra from there."

"Exactly how -" She felt herself suddenly lifted into the air and gave a surprised yelp.

"Put me down!' She wiggled in his arms as he laughed and turned toward their right.

"I'm going to give you the most amazing ride ever."

"Wait, what -"

He sped into the dark woods faster than the speed of light, the dark shapes of the trees and bushes shot by them so incredibly fast that they melted into a wall of rushing darkness. She felt blood drained form her face, her heart stopped beating and she stopped breathing; she threw her arms around his neck with fright and held on with all her will, burying her face in his shoulder. She thought she heard his chortle, but the sound was left behind the moment it left his throat, carried away by the hissing wind. Squeaking, she held on tighter until every muscle in her body began to contract from her effort. Before she knew it, the wind stopped. Raising her head slightly as she detected no more movement, she peeked through the slits of her eyes. They were in the clearing now, the little cottage stood in the center of the empty space quietly.

"You were scared," he snickered mockingly and released her onto the ground.

"I was not!"

"Was too!"

"Was not!"

"Oh yes you were!"

"God damn freakin' vampires!" she yelled, loosing her patient as she fought to maintain her balance. The image before her swan in and out of her view due to dizziness and she fell forward. He caught her by the waist, jerking her backward against him. Her heart pounded at the intimate contact and she pushed him away.

"Jerk." She gritted her teeth angrily, only to fall sideways when she left his supportive arms. He let her fall this time, grinning mischievously like a devilish child.

"I see that you have quite an anger issue."

"Do not!"

"Do too!" she glared at him and pushed herself up, sitting still and waited for her dizziness to assuage.

He sat down beside her, constantly peeking sideways at her with amusement in his blue eyes.

"You probably think I'm a volatile, spoiled brat that is used to having her way all the time, don't you?" she sighed. "It's just that, I just got thrown into all this mess, I don't know anything anymore. How would you feel if you were me?"

He lifted her chin and turned her face toward him, his eyes intensely locked on hers.

"If I were you," he said softly but his voice was firm, "I wouldn't have been so brave."

He smiled a dazzling smile that took her breath away, mesmerized, she returned the best smile she could manage.

"Now, lay down."

She did as she was told and he did the same beside her.

"You see that star? The bright blue one?" he pointed to a star in the sky. Xenia searched among clusters of silver sparks and finally spotted the star he was pointing to. The distinctively bright star flashed crystal blue then a rich sapphire blue, dancing with more grace and energy than any other silver star; it alone stood out from all the others, its immaculate beauty and elegance immortal and divine.

"It's called Varra," he said softly, his voice rich and musical, adding a sense of romance into the starlit sky. "It means the Eye of Salifus. It's the brightest star in the sky, well, in the sky of this realm. It is said that this star holds the most clandestine, ancient secret that is the key to the survival of my race."

"It's beautiful." She exclaimed dreamily.

"Yes, and as are you."

She blushed at his remark, trying her best to ignore the sound of her heart beating, but she wasn't oblivious to the fact that his vampire ears must had picked up the acceleration of her heart rate.

"Who's Salifus anyway?" she asked, directing his attention elsewhere.

"The first and the greatest King of this Empire, one that transformed the savage vampires into rational creatures. He was the one to make peace with the human race during the Blood War. And Salifus is also my name."

She gasped, confused. "What? I thought you -"

"Dale is my alias. It's customary among us that we use our aliases before others, we only give our true names to those we trust the most. It's but a custom though, our true names do not hold power like the true name of a fairy. But you should call me Dale anyway."

"Well then, I'm honored that you told me your real name."

"You should be."

"So Ivan, Akzorr, both those names are -"

"Yes, but of course Ivan and I know each other by our true names."

"But why chose the name 'Dale'? It so doesn't sound like you at all." Xenia asked. The breeze brushed down softly, caressing her exposed skin. She sensed sorrow and regret as the wind swirled around them, it whispered in a voice too muffled to be understood, but she knew it was telling a story, a tragic story that broke her heart. Pained by his unease and agony, she gently placed her hand on his, offering what little comfort she could to him. He tensed, she could feel him bewildered. He flipped his palm up and interlaced his fingers with hers, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb.

"My mother wasn't a vampire, not until she met my father. She had always liked that name, it was the name of her human sweetheart. He died… but she never forgot him even as she fell in love with my father, a vampire. She loved that name so… and so I chose this name."

"Ivan said she has magic, and so do you. He said something about your brother…"

Dale shot straight up from where he was lying, pulling his hand from hers sharply. His fists clenched and he glared, not at her, but at a memory perhaps. The rage emitting from him blazed, and she thought she could feel the heat burning her skin as the ire rushed out from him. She flinched, shrinking away from him in apprehension that she had never felt when with him. He turned and saw the fear in her eyes, immediately he sunk back into his usual aplomb. He lay back down, all the while his eyes never left hers, only now they were gentle as before.

"There are things about my past," he sighed, and she relaxed beside him. "These knowledge can do you great harm if you learn them. It's better not to know."

"In other words, you don't completely trust me." She winced at how much the words rolling on her tongue sounded like whimper.

"I gave you my name didn't I? Now I suppose you want the answer to your other questions, like where you are and how you got here." He grinned, casting away all the tension before. Xenia could breath again, and she returned a grin.

"Bring it on, I'm with a vampire right now, I can take more than that."

"Alright then." He cleared his throat, and she closed her eyes. She felt calm, calmer than she had ever been. The wind was smiling now, she could tell, it kissed her hair, sweeping across her skin. It was telling another story, the history of the vampire race perhaps. She smiled, drowsy.

"You're now in the Realm of Vampiria, the realm of vampires. You see, once numerous creatures of different races dwelled upon Earth, but as time grew old, some of the more intelligent ones became civilized. It was not easy competing for resources or territories with other races, many became enemies. Of course, many became allies too. Some of these races were benevolent, but many were dark and selfish. There were wars, small ones, but then they all came together and evolved into a great war. We call it the Blood War, because too many were lost, and there was too much slaughtering and bloodshed.

"When it all ended, not many were left, most races were wiped out, like the elves, and some races had only a handful of descendants left. The wiser individuals of each race that survived came together and discussed the future they possibly shared. It was decided at last that these former enemies should be separated, divided in space and time, if you will. There were four races among the survivors that outnumbered the others largely, the four were the vampires, the winged people known to you as the angels, the humans, and the fairies. These four races were separated into four realms, and the other minorities were gathered in another realm, one bigger than the four. In each realm, there are entrances to the other four realms, and each entrance would open at different times; some open only once every hundred years, some open only at eclipse, and some open at a certain time of the day every single day or month. The entrance from your world to my opens at sunset once every month, and you were just lucky that you picked the right day to cross the threshold," He teased her, taking her hand in his again.

Giggling softly, she pulled her hand away from his.

"I guess I 'am' very lucky, you know, being able to meet a vampire." and meet you, she thought, but swallowed the words down so that she wouldn't abash herself by flirting.

A sharp screech sliced into the peaceful night, making both Xenia and Dale sit straight up. Xenia whipped her head around toward the direction of the cacophony, startled and her eyes wide. Dale tensed with alarm and narrowed his eyes nervously. He stood with one swift and graceful movement, turning toward the sound.

"Stay here," he said, his voice strained as if he was oppressing anger. "I'm going to investigate. Go back to the cottage. Don't. Go. Anywhere." As soon as the words reached her, he was gone, leaving a few leaves rustling where he past by them. Nervous and anxious, she stood up from the ground and headed toward the silent cottage, pacing faster as she came close.

Then she felt a presence behind her. Panic gripped her, she whirled around, her fingers curled and her hands balled into fists at her side, ready to put up a fight. She gasped the moment their eyes met, pain exploded in her head and everything went dark; the last thing she heard was a dark sneer, then she was out cold then.

Author's Notes: sorry that it took so long, but this chapter is at least a bit longer. I know I'm a horribly slow writer, but… I'll try to change that. I hope this chapter isn't too confusing, sorry how the last few chapters are all kind of boring and stuff, I wanted to explain things.