Chapter 7

Tranquility

Hello everyone sorry for the long delay. Hope u enjoy it.

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Seraphi lay on her bed replaying the scenes that unfolded earlier that they. Daryun's proposal of working together plagued every thought. Could she trust him enough to trust his intention and his goal? As far as she sensed, he was telling the truth, yet the uneasiness that she felt with him, had her debating with her conscience.

Lying down here isn't helping the situation. I need some fresh air...

"Excuse me; is there somewhere where I can take a walk? Like a garden."

Seraphi remained silent as she waited for the servant girl to respond. It always unnerved her how quiet they stood in the corner of the room, neither moving nor speaking...

Do they even breathe?

At that, the girl replied that Seraphi was to follow her, indicating that she would take her to the garden she requested. The girl knocked in the door, signaling the guards to open her room doors so that she may escape the confines of her room.

She had always been a free spirit. Back in her village no one ever disturbed her quiet life, so she took to nature to revel in the serene tranquility of the earth and the peace it had to offer her in her times of isolation. It was in nature that she found she could think clearly, as if the energy of the flora and fauna blended with her own so that a higher thinking plane was created, allowing her to transcend the mortal mental bonds that shackled her mind. She had always felt at peace with nature and sought its refuge when her troubles took their toll on her.

The girl led Seraphi through dimly lit winding corridors that were roofed with the night sky. Or rather the universe… It was truly a sight to behold, seeing each tiny speck for what it was, each cloud of dust that swirled in the nebulae, each speck of dust within the clouds, the vivid hues of purples, greens, red, yellows, and colors she didn't think could be created. The universe was truly a wonderful place, a myriad of mysteries waiting to be uncovered.

Seraphi too absorbed in the ceiling, walked straight into the girl that had stopped directly in front of the silver doors that fit snugly into the frame that was made of a darker, almost black metal. She reached out to steady the girl, avoiding an accident, taking notice that she was a full head and shoulder above her. She was a tiny thing, long magenta hair flowing down her back, stopping at her waist; her eyes a lighter shade to her hair and her skin a pale gold color. She noticed that beneath the girls chin, there were strange markings that swirled around her neck, and a circle around the base of her neck that was a darker gold hue.

"Is that a scar?" Seraphi asked in a whispery tone to assure her that the secret would be kept between them.

"It's ok, you can tell me. I won't say anything. What is your name?"

"My lady, I have lost all memories of my time before my planet's harvest. However, my given name on the ship is Zamala. As for this, "her hands trailed the scar around her neck.

"This was caused by a collar all those bound to the soul harvesting process. I was waiting for my turn, for my soul to be taken, but it never came. During my imprisonment, i would try to escape, but the collar prevented me, punishing me with electric burns. On the day for my harvest, Lord Daryun was there. He saved me. He argued for me, saying that i was better off being a servant in the kitchen than here because i was not about to die, or near my old age. He believes that only souls should be taken when their time in their host body is nearly over. For that i am grateful, since then i have obeyed him, and grew to respect him. He may belong to the royal family, but he is the most compassionate."

Seraphi stood in silence, watching the girl reveal her secret, feeling the emotions and the truth of her words

"Thank you Zamala, and please call me Seraphi. I am not accustomed to titles, nor do I deserve it. But where are we?"

The girl informed her that beyond the door was a garden, which only few can enter. She opened the doors and motioned for Seraphi to enter. When she did, Zamala closed the door behind her, shutting Seraphi in the garden. The site before was spectacular. An open green blanket spread out before her, dotted with yellows, reds and whites. There were trees of an uncharacteristic green that seemed to shine in the light. There was a blue stream of water flowing just behind the tree line. The tranquility and solitude began to sink into Seraphi as she made her way to the tree line directly in front of her. She sat cross-legged and rested her head against the trunk, closing her eyes, losing herself in her thoughts.

Zamala's story played in her thoughts as she remembered the tour Daryun had taken her on. She began weighing all the details that had been put before her, the respect that Zamala felt for Daryun, admiration even. The empire, the righteousness of the cause put forth by Daryun, and his proposal to end this tyranny of the harvest. The idea sounded good but she still needed to know if she can trust him.

Okay, I am going to give him a chance to see what it is he really wants. A trial, then I would decide. I'll agree to become his advisor.

Why thank you Seraphi, I will prove to you that I am worthy of your trust. Thank you.

Her eyes shot open the instant she heard his voice in her head.

How did u? This is invasion of privacy! How dare you? You insufferable spoilt little-

Now now honey, play nicely. And you can't blame me when you aren't shielding yourself properly. If you weren't concentrating so hard on trying to figure out if I am a liar or not, you should not sit under a tree having your thoughts run freely. Shielding dear one… Haven't you done that before?

There was no need to... wait... where are you?

There was no reply. Instead she heard the leaves rustling in the tree she sat under. A loud thud followed the rustling, revealing the invader. He jumped to stand right in front of her, but without warning he plopped himself down, right next to her barely leaving any room for a smidgen of space between them.

Something was different today, he was at ease, there was neither tension, restlessness nor any glimmer of worry. He was at peace, she realized.

"It's my favorite place to come when i need to think things through and come back to my… happy place if you will," he said with a smile.

A smile? Where is his mask?

"You're doing it again… not shielding…"

"Uhh… yeah… um why aren't you wearing it?

"I don't have to hide behind it here. It's usually just me alone, so no need to use it. But since you are here… oh well."

He flashed a lopsided grin that literally made her breath caught in her throat.

There is no way he could look like that! i thought he was hideous, wow… ummm… okay… oh shut it! He can still hear you….

She groaned inwardly as she realized her mistake, and not letting her get away with it, only verbally confirmed her thoughts, asserting to the fact that most people do think that is the reason.

"It's going to sound weird like this, but I know my face isn't exactly handsome, but it's too… pretty for its own good. I have gone without the mask for a day and people just stop and stare…. it's really embarrassing…"

His voice trailed off as he closed his eyes, allowing the light to soak through him, calming him and his thoughts, drifting into a daze. While his body relaxed, his mind however remained alert for any possible threats to him and Seraphi. She was still inexperienced, so he had to look out for her, until he trains her. There were no immediate threats save for the staring, Seraphi that threatened to erupt with curiosity and wonderment at his revealed face. He knew she had been staring at him, but for how long he didn't care, he took in every moment of their time together in the solitude.

Seraphi had known that he was aware of her watching him, but he didn't say anything which only made her more confused. She had unknowingly committed his eyes to memory, but the moment she had seen him without the mask, the full effect of his eyes seized control of her. His face was not characteristically handsome, but yet, it had a certain attractive feature that made it difficult to look away. it was the way his features fit together that caused such a consequence. The way his angular jaw thinned towards his chin, the grey eyes set in almond shaped eyes whose eyelashes fanned out to create a darker hue around them, making the effect almost surreal. The way his nose held its royal stature, straight and proud, and the way his lips drew anyone's eyes to them, at times feigning a promise of a smile, but remaining pressed together as if withholding some secret.

It took all her effort to not touch him, to trace every facet that made up his face. Scooting further away from him, she decided to mimic his posture, closing her eyes and soaking in the light.

"And just to be clear, I am only giving you a chance to prove yourself, I have to see what you are doing in order to make my final decision," she said with finality as she continued to fell the tranquility soaking through her.

"Whatever works for you," he replied, allowing an amused tone to ooze with his words.