[18+] Flames and Death

[kyonides]

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Flames and Death

Written by Kyonides

Chapter One

Immolation

They took me by surprise while I was just having lunch. Verily, I can tell you that it is no minor issue for me. I had to interrupt that exquisite pleasure because I did not expect to see how they were pushing a woman down the street in such an despicable way.

I do not recall her and I do not think that I had met her anywhere else, yet, I felt as if some invisible hands were pushing me towards that enigmatic girl. Well, my fellow diners also did the same, they had almost passed over poor me.

Pressure was so great that I gave in to their stubbornness and left my chair without paying any tab for my meal. In fact, they did not even blame me for it, as far as I can remember at least.

“Yes, she’s gonna meet her very own end”, a passerby told me.

“Oh come on! They are headed to the stake and she definitely deserves it”, added another female with a mouth full of visceral hatred for her.

Why would I remain watching her among all those thousands of voices filled with such an intense bloodthirst? My best choice was to go after that woman. It would be convenient to find out what had led her to such a terrible destiny or see if I still had a chance to free her and run away from that rowdy place. Later on she could spend as much time as needed, feeding me with all the details.

Now you got to be asking this: how is it possible that I could get infatuated with such a girl already, after having seen her for just a few moments?

OK, they turned right, after finding one of the most iconic signs of this city. There it says “Via Draconiana” and I am convinced its name is quite meaningful indeed. At the same time, it does not fit very well with the Germanic or Nordic style of the surrounding buildings.

That poor victim, or that criminal based on people’s vile accusations, is not the most beautiful gal out there, nor can I claim she is high breasted or curvy at all. If talking about her long hair, I got to say it is quite matted indeed. Somehow she still manages to captivate my dull senses, but you gotta have noticed that by now, right?

Curiously, I have never made a remark on her buttocks or her legs. I might only add that her arms had seen better days because now they are quite bruised, her wounds can be found everywhere. It is truly embarrassing to look at her in her current state.

Perhaps they are right when they tell me I am more interested in her appearance than anything else. I hope they are totally wrong about that. Man, I got to be gross…

Right, it is about time that I propose in my heart to go save her from that cruel fate, still, I am not sure if there is something I can do to free her from her captors. It seems to me that it is a titanic task for a single guy, especially one like yours truly…

“Keep moving if that’s what you really wanna do!”, another voice uttered but for some reason I could not recognize it at once.

I do think I am the best guy here to accompany a girl like her. I mean, I gotta be kind of handsome due to the fact that so far no woman has ever made funny faces after staring at me. Except for those days when my hair was as messy as my latest target’s, he, he. Add to that list that I practically have got a slim body.

“I thought I had been crystal clear!”, that unknown guy yelled at me once again, not showing me any kind of consideration.

He got a point here, I have been hesitating a lot lately. I spend more time thinking than acting. That should be a bad trait for a guy like me, isn’t it true? I gotta get moving…

“That guy is beyond any repair”, explained a middle aged man. “It doesn’t matter how many times I tell him to take his sacks away, he never listens to me.”

Alright, he was not addressing me at all. It has been my fault, nobody else’s. If I were not still here like a statue, waiting for reactions like that guy’s, I would not be wasting my time thinking that everything is spinning around me or my prey. Fine, she is no bird in a cage, at least not in a literal sense.

“There he goes after just another tart!”, a lady shouted aloud.

“Erik has always been one of those fools that believe their latest target is their true love”, a neighbor responded as if she knew me ever since I was a little kid.

I am not anything the like, although I must admit I have been tailgating here for several cobblestone streets. I have not even noticed I had walked round a city without taking a single break. Nonetheless, I have not gotten any closer to her. They always stay ahead of your servitor. How do they do that!?

“It’s about time to burn up that darn witch like charcoal”, a disrespectful old timer commented in regards of my most recent obsession.

“Bravo! That evil girl won’t curse us anymore…”, asserted another neighbor until he unexpectedly forgot what he was about to tell next.

Then those insensitive brutes dare to claim she is some sort of witch. It is alright, we already know how ignorant guys get confused after meeting those people with unique or special skills. No matter how long they have been cultivated for generations, they are not recognized for all the time and effort spent learning such amazing things. I do believe I can relate to her way better than anybody else!

It looks quite odd. If they badly pretended to take her to the stake, how is it possible they have not reached such a place after walking around the whole city? She should have no strength left in her bruised body by now!

“What a fuss!”, another local youngster insulted me then. “Right now she gotta be glad that she’s able to go for a walk after spending a long time rotting in a forgotten dungeon.

Yeah, it was self evident that her clothes and her limbs belonged to a poor victim only. There is no other way to clear up that submissive attitude of hers. By the time she left that foul smelling cell, she had already been domesticated.

Err, what should I do if I get close to her and notice she smells terrible like no other woman ever has? I gotta be standing at a crossroad! I might take some wooden clamp just in case I am right about that and her enticing smell could knock me down otherwise.

“Once again that olive-skinned watches how that stinky witch passes by and isn’t brave enough as to do something about it”, remarked a second middle aged man that seemingly looks like an acquaintance of mine.

“I dunno what you’re talking about”, I told him while removing his hand from my shoulder.

“As if I didn’t know you very well, Erik the Faint-Hearted!”, that imbecile complained showing me no respect, as if he had lost all common sense.

“This gotta be the twentieth time that you take this unending walk around the streets without ever reaching her a single time!”, declared that vile liar without thinking it twice.

I did not thought I should have ever reacted then. Even if I am a strong willed guy, this time I could not refrain from turning around without any hesitation. My frustration for not helping her moved my lips at will all of sudden.

“It’s very clear to me that your reasoning is as faulty as my very own haircut, idiot!”, I replied showing there was no decency left in my troubled mind.

“As you wish, your Majesty, Erik the Faint-Hearted!”, exclaimed that irreverent moron with an evil and dark smirk on his stupid face.

It is very curious, extremely curious indeed. It feels like I could already listen to the crackling flames, longing for consuming firewood as well as that poor woman at any time. When did we ever get to the central plaza? Has the market been demolished without warning? I cannot find it anywhere around.

I suppose I can see another sign up there. We are at the Strata Amarga. Again I got to accept that they truly know how to pick the best route for their sorrowful parade.

The reason behind her long travail was they did not want to show her any mercy because they could not execute her in the presence of their beloved public. I am referring to the mayor’s special guests who refused to presence the slay of such a “spoiled beast”, as they considered that it was too vulgar for their refined taste.

Even so they still wanted to watch her being turned into ashes, treated like a mere fatling destined to be sacrificed for the greater cause. How despicable they are!

“What are you complaining about now?”, that hateful guy inquired of me. “It’s a thousand year long tradition of theirs and they don’t see why they’d ever stop it. Even less like they’ll do it for an imbecile, the biggest coward in history. It’s about time you give up on her.”

“I’ll never do that and you know it very well!” I cried out loud, as if that fire had entered my lungs back then.

What I am about to tell you is going to sound weird indeed. Nonetheless, I am suddenly in my bed. I have recently waken up as I could confirm by touching my face with my right hand. There was some saliva left on my cheek and I did not know about that. That weird dream left me astonished. At least that is what those bizarre characters living in my crazy mind would have ever noticed.

“And did you ever get up, oh faint-hearted Erik?”, a not so sweet voice was asking me then.

“But I’m not a coward at all, my dear lady”, I cleared up at once.

“Oh please! What did you dream about this time?”, she interrogated me like a real pro.

“Well, I did have a vivid dream or the like and it’s not about to happen in real life any time soon just because the lady’s asked me about it”, I threw in without hesitation.

“It’d have been better if you could not remember it but I knew it because I had always been there, a few hundred steps away from you”, affirmed the unknown girl as if she were a relative of mine.

Once my sleepy eyes got used to the sunlight, I could clearly see that young woman standing in my room. I got paralyzed inadvertently. It was her. The very same person but without all those bruises and wounds on her flesh.

“Undoubtedly, what you have seen is my past as well as my destiny”, she confided me her secrets. “That’s what happens when you get involved in the life of a woman after she has been and will be accused of committing the worst atrocity ever, casting spells like any good witch does. At least everybody says so.

Miraculously, I could talk to her without issues, although I cannot recall how did I get there. Without a formal explanation, I was sitting on my comfy bed with tender sheets. I also had a wooden nightstand with two shelves on my right. My beloved captive was wearing the typical medieval maid’s outfit, and she was right there to pull me out of that tempting bed.

“You might mean this time, at least this time, I managed to reach you, ¿ain’t I right, my sad sweetheart?”, I quickly questioned her regardless of her feelings.

“Reaching me you say? It’s been dumb luck, although I gotta admit you’re no longer a newbie…” the root cause of my insomnia revealed.

“I don’t understand your obsession with self-immolation”, I scolded her out of deep my concern for her.

“Depends, for some people it’s immolation while others would call it immolation for me and a punishment for the rest of you”, my mortal delight delved into it.

Once I could react back after such terrible news, I was back in the restaurant, sitting at the table; about to get a snack.

I limited myself to taste that awful defeat of mine, while biting a not so juicy meat at a very slow pace. Later I sensed the sight of someone that knew everything about me. That woman was passing by and that tremendous uneasiness did not allow my whole body to ignore her.

After the whole walk around, I cannot remember what is the color of her eyes and I have no explanation on that.

Yes, I ran after her once again.

To be continued...

[kyonides]

Chapter Two

Academy

Do you remember what I had told you last time we met? Well, I am not walking down the streets nor tailgating an alleged witch. That is a tremendous relief indeed. It does not mean that I had forgotten her already. I guess that would be impossible. And I am still unable to recall the color of her mesmerizing eyes.

Right now I am in a very different place. It is a wing of a large building where all the classrooms are wide. They certainly look like some sort of auditoriums. Sometimes it is kind of difficult to see what the professor is doing down there.

The truth is that it does not seem normal to be at some prestigious academy, sort of, because I am not a noble. If I were that important then I would surely have dozen of renowned tutors that would take care of my educational needs to the very end. Nevertheless, I am here, studying just like many other teenagers. And they are well dressed for sure.

A few students look quite elegant whenever they go out for a stroll, still, it seems that it is forbidden for average learners like yours truly.

“Heck! I would die for dressing like that Michelangelo! Thus I could impress the ladies on a blink of an eye”, commented Kyle, full of vicious envy.

“I don’t know why you’re staring at them, they even look like actual dolls—I intervined only to bother them.

“Err, that’s exactly what girls are looking for as of late, we’re not expect to look real but otherworldly or the like”, Giancarlo cleared up the mystery.

“Anyway, I shouldn’t be here so I’m leaving”, I uttered and went away from those groupies with no grain left of self esteem.

Thinking about it, I should take the opportunity to find out more about my new environment. How did I get there? What happened to the so called witch? Why didn’t I recollect anything from my very own time as a student? Such questions kept overflowing my mind like a flood.

Spotting new students over there. Let us hear what they might reveal to us about this place.

“Yes, I know, Dina” the brunette girl was sighing. “It’s a shame we need to get some extra classes during this holidays, being one of the most wonderful times of the year.”

“Right, Lisa, the rest of the students will only return after these two weeks have passed” the blondie complained about their situation. “At least some of the handsome guys have never left the academy so we’ve still got a chance-”

“No, my dear friend” Dina kept sighing. “I’ve learned from an acquaintance of theirs that they are planning to visit the Foresta Daghe among many other dangerous places.”

So those males my friends were chatting about the whole time gotta be either stupid or extremely addicted to adrenaline rushes. Or maybe both. Widespread rumors claim that Foresta Daghe has some strong monsters hiding in its dark hills and humid caves.

In this institute, all hallways are miles long. Even the restrooms are kind of far from the classrooms! The sinks are kind of luxurious as well. I can only guess the campus extends over two blocks or I would not be getting tired by simply trying to reach the library. By the way, it is the three storey building on top of the hill.

Why does it look like a mountain from here? Have I not the right and unquestionable duty of taking a nap where nobody can interrupt it?

Another structure that you cannot miss at all is the Baroccan Clock Tower. I truly ignore the actual meaning of Baroccan. Can you lend me a hand here?

Here is my next idea. I gotta find the most remote, isolated corner of the academy for I have been feeling the undying need to see my witch once again. Err, now I do believe I deeply regret it, yet, my tired legs and sore feet will make me sleep soundly as to make one of those weird dimensional travels. Why could she not let me stay in a single place?

“There he comes!”, a girl kind of refrained herself from yelling while she ran away from the door, hiding from me.

Right then I preferred to ignore her and cared about sleeping until I had encountered my bitter obsession. Opening the door, I entered the library. Everything went as just planned, till the woman in charge left her seat and got close to me without making any noises. She laid her hand on my head.

“Don’t even think you’re gonna get away with it. I’ve recently learned about the book you took away without my permission. What makes it even worse, you haven’t returned it as of yet!”, that bitter lady scolded me.

“As far as I know, you’re not the librarian”, I carelessly replied.

“Just because of that you’re now thinking your the big deal here and do as you please?”, Miss Morrigan rebuked me right away.

“Milady, you’re being quite noisy here. Didn’t you know this is the library?”, I questioned her humorously, in my humble opinion.

“What a bratty boy you are indeed!”, shouted her while slapping me.

I was not aware of the fact employees where allowed to treat students like punching bags. For a moment I even thought we were untouchable somehow. Now I see that was never the case. Oh and I should add here that my cheeks truly hurt. Hopefully, she didn’t loosen my teeth.

Fine, I accept that I deserved it for pinching her buttocks after her second slap. It seemed to be the only nice thing she might have. And nope, it was not a great deal. I would bet she suffers from cellulitis. She should feel thankful for knowing a guy ever turned around to see her.

She was still talking like a parrot when I left her behind, taking a few books on any given topic as a mere disguise only. Some volumes handled about local history. As you might know by now, they were some of the best works to make me fall under the influence of Morpheus’s flute or whatever you wanna call it!

Not long after, two girls drew nearby without saying a word. Only one of them had a fair skin, her beauty, well, was average to say the best. The other girl was a living critter, she had no hope. Let us say she was one of those teenagers that keep delving deeper into all kinds of witchcraft and occultist stuff, becoming a lethal compulsion for them.

Err, I do not know what they did to me but it was relaxing for sure. It could not be any better, and then I had to resort to my dirty thoughts again. I was suspecting they would do something that would put me in the way of grave danger, including being expelled forever and ever.

“This massage gotta make you fall deep asleep, letting you cross to other dimensions”, stated the scarecrow, I mean, the unlucky witch girl.

Having no reason to fear them, I realized they were simply helping me achieve my goal. That did not explain how did they learn about my unusual problem. Were I some sleeptalker? Did I disclose a couple of things about my adventures in that world of cobblestone streets?

Thinking it twice, I do not mind if the pretty girl ever crosses the line. That gotta be the greatest feeling… No! Not my coin purse! How dare you? That was not part of our deal!

Too late, my body was unable to react to external stimuli. In case anything goes wrong, take for granted I am blaming that old Morrigan for ever beating me up.

“Now time is running low as it was foretold by the oracle”, asserted an ethereal voice. “Yet, you are not ready to face your cruel fate. Well, let us just say it is, err, unusual.”

“Darn drunkard!”, I carelessly yelled at him.

“And thus”, elaborated the voice, “the wheels of destiny will not stop, not even for a spoiled brat…”

 To be continued...

[kyonides]

Chapter Three

Revelations

Based on mere assumptions, I might have lost less than three or four hours, floating around in an ethereal mess. Well, I cannot even describe it with words other than a cheap version of a starry sky. I was growing desperate for there seemed to be no single door or window that would let me exit that darn dimension of sorts.


As a side note, let me tell you that I was wearing my high school uniform the whole time. It would have been embarrassing if I had been naked there, don’t you think?


I was mad at that imbecile that dragged me down by making me feel helpless there when something else caught my undivided attention. A female entity was calling my name out of the blue. What the hell was going on in that eerie space?

“Listen to me, Erik!”, the strange voice with a female tone informed me. “You may find a mysterious item hidden deep in Foresta Daghe. Do not let anybody else find it first, my child! Your future, even her future depends on these items that you have to collect in order to succeed!”

“How absurd!”, the male voice complained then. “The curse that had been dormant for many years is awakening as we speak. His soul is now unattached to-”

“Silence! Forget not that it is still too early to declare the designs of the wheels of destiny to this poor boy”, she interrupted the bad guy.

“Even so this bratty boy has no chance to collect them all in time!”, the male voice insisted.

That argument of theirs made me recall something from my distant past. Were they the voices of my very own parents? I mean, they could be the very same relatives that many years ago had vanished, leaving no clue of their whereabouts or their plans. As a direct consequence, the three of us had to live as orphans at some horrible institution from that point onward. So do not expect me to get back to the southern region for the next few years or so.

Even now I am missing my siblings, you know. What would be Astrid, Jens and Kirstin doing right now? Last time I was able to hug them, they were little kids. OK, I was eleven back then but several years have passed and I have no idea if they are still living in that scary haunted house.

Anyway, I am partially convinced of the possibility that the recent interaction of those voices was very similar to the way they often disagreed with each other in the past. Why would they suddenly return to assign me some sort of special quest of theirs as if nothing had ever happened? They seriously got the nerve to ask me to do their job. How dare you, my lousy father and mother!

A Disturbing Arrival

This is unexpected, guys! My partner had arrived and I only noticed it a few moments ago. Yes, I know my dear friends. I should have been paying attention to the surrounding area instead of getting absorbed by my own thoughts.


“Don’t worry about them, my love!”, my girlfriend the witch told me. “You will succeed for certain, but I’m afraid to admit here that I can’t stay away from the flames for too long…”

Let me take a break now. Was my lovely girl motivating me just a few moments ago? Or was that just that darn sandwich technique being applied here? You know, it is that mind game that makes you think that you did not do a bad job, yet, you definitely failed to achieve the proposed goals and stuff like that.

“Stop!”, I commanded her with a stern tone. “I won’t let you leave me behind like those two idiots did long time ago! Wait for me, err, girl! Fear not! And just wait for me!”

How shameful it was to abruptly realize that I had never caught her name, no matter how many times I had been following her back in Anima. Just in case you did ignore this fact, it is also known as the city of lost souls. That is not the end of this brief story, I am now able to recollect that its ancient name was Anima Perduta and has always been the place for executing the worst criminals.

Waking Up

Once I managed to wake up from that strange nightmare, I noticed that I had been sleeping… with her, the hateful scarecrow! What a terrible mess this is! Man, how could I do such a thing to my unnamed partner!?

“I’m so, so happy to hear that you’ll never stop loving me, my dear, that I can’t stop acting like a crybaby”, the monster disguised as an ugly girl confesses then.

No, do not dare to ask me how does she look like while naked because we had been hiding under a horrendous blanket. It is full of the weirdest things you can think off. My only guess is they are a bunch of witchcraft symbols or the like. At least our pillows were beige and had no awkward designs on them.

“Come on! Stop crying for us, baby!”, I ask her as a favor.

“It’s impossible for me to do your bidding after how you declared your love to me while being trapped up there”, she explains.

She was the very same girl that had resigned herself to be humiliated while walking down the streets of Anima? This ugly critter was or will be my beloved girlfriend, the one sentenced to death at the stake at age of… Well, twenty five I guess.

Right now I have no time for playing silly games but I have to put my theory to the test. Perhaps some vague revelations of what happened in that despicable city will tell us whether or not both girls are the same once for all.

“Now your face looks as gorgeous as the day I first met you at that restaurant”, I affirm with a strong but still fake conviction.

“And then you tried to catch up at Via Draconiana with that stupid look of yours, he, he”, my unexpected date states.

Huh? How could she even elaborate on an event that had truly transpired there? Do not tell me now that we both had the same dream where she was a maid! I could not stand it when she kept talking about her past and future as a witch burning at that dreadful stake!

Our Relationship

“I don’t have to worry about us like I used to for now I’m one with my dear hubby!”, she declares without notice.

“Hubby!? Does it mean I’m her husband already?”, I can only ask myself.

“Yes, you goof! We’ve finally consummated our love!”, she replies with some unusual intensity.

“Wow! We… did it, right? Wow!”, I quickly assert.

I do not know how she had found about that secret room, hidden deep in the three storey library. Honestly, it does look quite normal for a newly wed couple with a very limited budget. I suppose she has been working on this ever since the semester had started. I could say she did a great job here, adding a nice lamp that barely illuminates the room. Perfect for lovers like us.

At this point I am no longer sure if I should keep calling her scarecrow and some other awful names I had reserved for my most fearful enemy in the academy world. That very same girl wound up being my mesmerizing love. Now that I look at her face, it does seem to be like a younger version of the poor witch that I had been following everywhere to no avail. When did her appearance change?

“Why did your poor face look so different, my lovely dove? I mean, my lovely crow!”, I suddenly inquire of her.

“He, he. I’m glad to hear you haven’t forgotten my favorite nickname”, my partner says adding, “You see, it was only after we had been engaged and shared our comfy bed together that this curse of mine would be lifted.”

“Really? Then why didn’t you tell me anything about yourself, explaining why I couldn’t remember you or feel attracted to you at all?”, I formulate then.

“That’s mainly because I couldn’t do so, not even if that was killing me, with the crackling flames of your stubborn ignorance and deep distrust imbued by this curse of mine”, she uncovers with some tears falling down her cheeks.

“You know, I’m afraid of asking you this while we’re enjoying such a tender moment but what was your real name again?”, I query carelessly.

“What the!?”, she overreacts. “Nope, it’s not your fault indeed. I was forced by my late mother to erase any memories you had that could ever make you remember me.”

“Did she really ask you to do that? How evil!”, I criticize her mom.

“No, not all! She said it was all done in my best interest. And now I strongly believe she was right about everything!”, my wife hastily elucidates.

“So once again, what’s your name, my lovely crow?”, I challenge her.

“My dear Erik, it’s Alice!”, she responds in no time. “It’s always been Alice, still, you may also call me Raven. I like that pet name you gave me that day at the cave.”

Yeah, I gotta be true. I could not have met her anywhere else for it would not have been horrific enough for her weird sense of beauty. And then she had the very same picnic basket that she has brought along today.

First of all, let me clarify something now. When I told you she is my first love, I should have said that she would be like my fifth love interest, if I remember clearly.

“You’re wrong, my dear!”, she corrects me.

Wait a moment! How is it possible? What kind of spell has she cast on me to be able to read my mind just like that!? It gotta be witchcraft indeed! And that would be pretty much normal for my lovely wife, the witch, right?

“As far as I know, I’m your first and sixth love. Oh, I love number six! It’s my lucky number indeed!”, my partner shouts.

I am totally unable to understand how I can deeply love her and, still, I am feeling she is creepy as hell. Let us admit it, she is a weirdo and that is not going to ever change. Alice will always like crows and ravens, and also love number six above all other numbers… Plus she is my dear witch.

“And never forget I’m your clingy wife as well!”, my significant other adds.

Now I am seriously suspecting that I am writing this very same chapter while my consciousness is divided between my time spent with my darling and the distant future where I might have been able to buy some feather and ink to record on a parchment how startling this event has ever been to me.

“That’s amazing! I didn’t know you could do that! Now I’m envious!”, Raven protests.

“By the way, what happened to your alleged friend, the blondie? Where is she now?”, I request.

Her face looks nervous now and she cannot stop playing with her long raven hair. I wonder if Alice did anything she might regret later on.

“Well, since her services were no longer required, I just, err, beat her up”, my darling concedes.

I guess that makes perfect sense for she was a dangerous rival of sorts. Besides the blond girl stole my coin purse some time ago.

“Oh no, no!”, my crow cries out loud. “That was me. It happened that I had to pay the sum I had promised the janitor and the librarian to let us occupy this space.”

“Meaning you were hungry, bought some food and later cursed them as to make sure they wouldn’t interrupt our first time as a lovely couple, ain’t I right my love?”, I just elaborate on a stupid theory of mine.

“I guess… you know me… very well, my… brave knight!”, my girl replies while eating a calzone.

“Fine! Fine! Just give me the last remaining calzone you’ve been hiding down there”, I sternly demand from her.

Alice Raven accepts to hand over that delicious food, and I begin fearing that I will soon have to leave her behind and explore the dangerous Foresta Daghe as per that wacky female voice’s request. Crap! Now she has found out all about my current mission! Darn future me!

“You bet, darling!”, she yells at me. “But don’t worry! I’ve got the perfect charm that will protect you for a day or two at least. I’ll look for it later on and give it to you tomorrow.”

“Wow! I guess it’s terrific to be married to a well prepared woman like you, my love!” I exclaim.


Since I am quite thirsty now, I am going to get some drink. Hopefully, it is not some weird herbal tea of hers. Or is it that very same bitter tea I can barely swallow up? Crap, there is no doubt that her eyes gave her away a moment ago.

To be continued...

[kyonides]

Chapter Four

Travel Arrangements

Before classes even started the next morning at eight o’clock, I paid a visit to my beloved Alice. It was the perfect time to enter her building without being watched over by any teacher or warden. Not even the president and other members of the female student council would dare to show their faces there.

Gladly, Raven’s room was located in a dark section, making it easy to slip in and keep walking without sounding any alarms of sorts.

The girls’ dormitory looks quite clean, even a bit classy in my humble opinion. Its floor was made of fine and sturdy oak wood, unlike my stone building that was some sort of monument to masonry. So I had to walk slowly, trying not to make a noise. Done.

Finally I was right in front of her room. I then knocked on her door and she soon opened the wooden door while yawning, as if she had forgotten about our agreement. Her long hair looked matted as usual and she was still wearing her black pajamas. That wild look of hers makes her look quite sexy.

I thank her blond roommate for not being there, it would have been a mess otherwise. At least I could not see her from the doorstep while I was waiting for Raven to give me that amulet of hers. So I thought that I could whistle some old tune in the meantime.

“Erik, couldn’t you just wait till we’d meet in the history or algebra class?”, Alice asked me.

“As far as I can remember… I think we don’t have neither today and I was planning to leave the academy before my lunch hour in order to explore the woods”, I recalled.

“Why is it so important, darling?”, Raven wanted to know.

“It’s not my idea”, I clarified. “I’m simply following orders, hoping that female voice will later reveal more stuff about what treasures I might find there and why I gotta retrieve them before anybody else finds them.”

“And why can’t I tag along and help you find them?”, my girlfriend queried, grabbing my left arm with some force.

“Err, good question indeed!”, yours truly got startled. “Yet, I can’t assure you that you won’t get hurt or killed in the process so I’m not gonna take the risk. You better stay here, my love.”

“Oh really? Leave me behind and you’ll learn how terrible my curses actually are, you goof!”, she warned me, pointing her finger at me.

Honestly, I did not know what to do then. I had to leave as soon as she handed over her present, still, Alice was using it as an excuse to follow me anywhere. I was no longer sure that talisman of sorts ever existed in the first place.

“I gotcha, you wanna come with me but are you ready to travel long distances, my dear?”, I had to find out then.

“What? Well, you see… I’ve been so busy with my experiments that I forgot all about physical training”, she made up some poor excuses.

“Then it wouldn’t be wise to take you there, you’d get tired in no time!” I tried to dissuade her.

“Oh shut up, you idiot! I’m going to Foresta Daghe as well. Period!” she sentenced, closing the door.

Nobody said that restarting our relationship would be easy peasy, right?

The Roommate

After making a turn to the left to flee away from her room, I stumbled upon the missing blond girl. And I dared to think she would have been tied up by my lovely crow and hidden in their large closet. Was it just a casual encounter?

“Hey! I had been waiting for you ever since I managed to get untied by some friends of mine”, she commented. “Where have you been the whole time, darling?”

I could not tell her that I had slept with her roommate, could I? I hate getting desperate to come up with a plausible story that would satisfy her curiosity in short a period of time.

“She made you forget about me, right? It’s me, Sienna. I’m your dear girlfriend!” she remarked.

“Oh thanks, Sienna. I’ve certainly forgotten your name because of her magic spells but I’m glad that you’d help me with that”, I thanked her.

“Don’t worry ‘bout it, my dear!”, she uttered. “So tell me, darling, what happened yesterday?”

“You see, I was kidnapped by her right after I had fallen asleep and had no control over my will” I asserted.

“Of course, you were! She’d not let you stand by me for even a split second. I hope nothing bad happened to you while being her hostage”, Sienna said.

“Nah, nothing serious except for some strong hallucination that made me think I was floating in space the whole time”, I narrated the events, omitting critical details.

“I really hope so for we still gotta travel to my home city this weekend in order to finally introduce you to my parents”, the blondie surprised me with her recent disclosure.

“Yeah, how could we miss such a great opportunity to get their blessing…”, I expressed insincerely.

Crap! What a pile of crap! When will I finally stop looking for new matches? Every time I talk to a girl, she ends up calling herself my long lost fiancee or anything the like. Is it even legal to marry several women in this country? Or will I wind up being thrown in jail by any of my parents-in-law?

“Fine, I gotta go now, yet, don’t forget to ask me anything we might need for our travel”, I reminded my second partner.

We kissed each other and said good bye. She entered her room and start yelling at Alice just as expected. Meanwhile I left the place troubled by Raven’s decision of traveling to Foresta Daghe and Sienna’s plan of meeting her parents very soon.

Joining a Party

So there I was, walking all the way down to my own bedroom without any amulet in my pockets. It felt as if I were walking several miles and, still, I had only traveled half the distance between both dormitories.

Allegedly, I had plenty of time to find a way to go visit the forest on my own and return just a couple of days later. Then I would have to pack my belongings really fast, take a bath and later take the carriage headed to the region of Tarentia with Sienna.

You might like to know that the girls’ dormitory is located to the most eastern part of the complex. I had to go back to the western section in no time to pick up all my stuff and run to my first class, namely biology. Feeling a bit tired, I rested for a moment at the southern fountain.

Then a few classmates got close to me unknowingly. After taking a look at them, I realized they were the same mates that were planning to enter those dangerous woods. They were Elvio, Nestor and three others I could never talk to before.

“What’s up, guys? It’s me, your old friend that has been cursed by that blondie slut and her scarecrow companion! I’m still hoping you do remember me after a few days of slumber”, I told my classmates all of sudden.

This was the very first time I had even tried to get involved in their weird schemes, and I do realize now that my introduction really sucks. Why did I come up with such denigrating details of my recent misadventures!? That should be especially hurtful for my beloved… wannabe wives!?

Unsurprisingly, they preferred to ignore me for the time being.

As far as I knew, my fellow students were too popular as to talk to some nobody like me. Everything would clearly indicate my attempt to figure out why the forest was so intriguing would soon fail, right?

“Hey guys! The name’s Erik”, I greeted them once again.

“Oh yes, it is you, Erik! How are you doing as of late?”, Elvio finally reacted, barely turning around.

He is a blond male, the tallest of those five guys and his attitude is quite obnoxious indeed. This means I should not be caught off guard for he had never had a reason to realize I even existed. What is he up to now? Is it too late for me to spin around and pretend I have never talked to them?

“You know, I happen to have learned about your trip to the woods and I just wanted to let you know that I’m interested in joining your team. Let’s explore Daghe together!”, I made my offer.

“So you’re the one eavesdropping on us!”, Nestor accused me.

“I’m afraid we have no room for a stranger in our team but thank you for being so kind as to come here and offer your unrequired services to us”, the petulant Elvio replied.

“Oh, it’s fine! I’d have expected to be rejected by you for not asking sooner. Thanks anyway!”, I simply asserted.

Leaving the fountain at once, I then headed to the Baroccan Clock Tower. It was not the shortest path to my bedroom, still, I did not care about anything at that point. Later I walked all the way down to the boys’ dormitory. People did not notice I had returned from my brief visit to Alice.

A New Plan

I easily slipped into my room without uttering a single word. My roommate was too busy running around looking for his biology book. He could no longer remember Gastone had borrowed it the other day and had never returned it. So I ignored him and quickly laid on my bed.

What a problem, my friends! Thanks to me mister quick mouth, they now know for certain about my intentions of entering the infamous Foresta Daghe. We had become bitter rivals and the worst part is that they have got the upper hand here.

Yes, I was growing seriously desperate then. Should I take Alice with me? How could we go there without Sienna finding that out? Everything looked as awful as if I had already lost the bet against the plans of the wheels of destiny.

After closing my eyes for a few minutes, Chiara’s face crossed my mind all of sudden. She was in another class but I clearly recalled a day when she told us about her uncle the tour guide during lunch break. He had visited several famous places including Foresta Daghe and Civitas Antiqua dungeon. Hopefully she could still be in the academy that day.

If I ever had a chance to defeat my foes, it got to be by asking her to introduce me to her relative before Elvio and his lackeys could even leave the campus. And yes, my lovely and quite evil Alice Raven will surely hate me for approaching another female, without regard to my irresistible urge to recover the artifact at all costs.

To be continued...

[kyonides]

Chapter Five

Not So Fast!

Biology is boring. Whenever I thought the professor would touch an important issue, he would simply change the topic at once. Some female was so fed up with it that she threw a small piece of paper that fell down on my table. I opened it and passed it to my roommate and Gastone.

“Dammit! He surely hates the human body, and there’s a good reason behind that hatred! It’s because of all those women that’d cheated on him, leaving him with a broken heart that can never be healed.”

Mister Jäger seemed to have noticed that both of my classmates were just playing around. I quickly snatched the note and burned it with a disposable magic staff under my desk.

The bell was ringing. How great! My class has finally ended and I was relieved indeed.

You know, I could not stand it anymore. It was dead boring because we had to take a lot of notes, just too many for a lazy guy like my roommate. Jäger certainly loves to fill the blackboard with all kinds of stuff, only to erase it right after that. It was a never ending loop and I was running out of sharpened pencils.

“Man, he kept filling the board with thousands of crazy explanations, convoluted diagrams and some weird drawings I could barely understand”, I complained without hesitation, falling flat upon my table.

“You bet! My wrist gotta be swollen by now!”, (insert first name) disclosed.

Other students were just leaving the room. I thought that I should take my leave as well but something was missing. Actually I realized my money had disappeared from my leather backpack all of sudden!

“Come on, Erik!”, (insert surname) yelled. “Let’s go to pay a visit to our beloved foreign language teacher!”

Wait a second! This is quite weird… Every single time I mention my roommate’s first name or surname, it gets replaced by some (insert name) label automatically. Can pencils do that, guys? Let me know if you ever find the answer to this strange question of mine. Please do it!

“Err, I’ll catch up later!”, I told him.

I was busy thinking on where I might have placed that money. Besides I also had to come up with a brilliant plan soon because I still needed to recover the lost artifact, hidden in that infernal forest. I had too many foes and very few allies on my side. Something made me suspect I should not involve Alice in this crazy quest of mine. And yeah, my mind was about to blow up at any second.

As far as I could see, most of the students had left the classroom already. Some people were heading to the northern fountain only to chill there, while others preferred to look for an empty room for unknown reasons. Meanwhile I was standing right there, in the middle of the hall, opening all of my pockets. I was desperate to find my darn coin purse!

At last I had found my beloved money in the last remaining pocket of my backpack. For a brief moment I had surely thought that I would not be getting any lunch later that day. You see, I forgot to recall I had not brought along my coin purse because it takes too much space and people start glaring at it. Instead I just threw all of my coins in that darn pocket.

Then I took a few more steps towards the stone hallway. Huh? Someone had placed his hand as heavy as a mountain on my left shoulder without warning.

“May I have a word with you, Mister Seidel?”, the professor queried out of the blue.

Too late! My spine got frozen. I had failed to secure my escape route. What an unlucky guy I was!

Believe me, there was no way I could flee from Professor Jäger. If the other rumors spreading across the campus were correct, he knew everything about tracking down his prey like a real professional. Even so I could not help it but try to ignore his request for good, taking a few more steps forward.

“Oh I see now. Perhaps I was wrong about you fiddling with the idea of visiting the mysterious Foresta Daghe any time soon”, he declared.

Was if he throwing me a bait? Specifically one that I could not resist for more than a few seconds. Yeah, I know what you are thinking, guys. I am lame. Period.

“What makes you think I’m interested in such a dangerous place, professor?”, I questioned him while not turning around.

“Oh nothing special”, Mister Jäger uttered. “It is just that it is exactly what morons like you or even Elvio and Nestor would do during the holidays.”

Mentioning Nestor made me look at the exit at once, as if I had spotted him standing there just a few moments ago. Did he accuse me of having a stupid plan to run away from school and enter the forest any time soon?

“You are correct, Mister Seidel!”, my professor informed me. “Nestor came by to alert me of your stupid intentions. It seemed quite obvious to me that his gang of fools are now headed to Foresta Daghe as we speak.”

Darn Nestor! Not only had he betrayed me but was also making sure I would not be able to tailgate them, giving them the opportunity to be the first team to ever find the treasures hidden there. I felt the urge to go kill him if I ever got the chance.

“Your facial expression gave you away in no time, Mister Seidel”, he realized. “I could not care any less if they ever get lost in that natural maze, yet, I do not think you can ignore the suffering of your three siblings after learning that you have passed away in the woods…”

I got startled for sure because I did not see it coming. Let us say he gave me the creeps. One hundred percent guaranteed!

“How do you know about my siblings, sir?”, I had to find out after recovering from that huge impact.

“Last time I had checked, your mother was expecting a baby”, he asserted. “I believed she was Kirstin because I do recall having seen three children there including you, Mister Seidel.”

“And how’s that possible, professor?”, I kept asking him, finally turning around.

Jäger explained himself, “Is it not obvious by now? We both lived in the same region some time ago. Actually we were neighbors for a couple of years while I was working for your grandfather, Mister Heinrich Seidel.”

“Right, and now you’re gonna tell me something awkward like Miss Morrigan being my nanny or something like that”, I mocked him.

“Indeed. She worked for the Seidel family as your nanny and I have also heard that you dared to pinch her… buttocks yesterday afternoon”, he plainly admitted.

“Yes, I’m afraid I did it by mistake but now I do regret it!”, I had to feign repentance.

“He, he. I do believe you. Only a desperate teenager with his hormones getting out of control would ever dare to get involved with a cursed woman like Miss Morrigan”, Jäger confessed.

Seriously, I did not know about her alleged curse, guys. Otherwise I would not have get closed to her. Or was it his way to persuade me from doing it ever again? Yeah, it got to be a lame trick, right?

“Well, since you are immature enough as to even go further with your strange obsession, it would be fair for you to know what would happen next”, he said as to entice me even further.

“Huh? What would happen then?”, I simply asked only as a distraction.

“If she ever gives birth to a baby, it will mysteriously disappear at night”, the professor elaborated. “Make sure she never catches your sweetheart Alice or else she will endure the same curse as hers for the next seven years at least.”

Fine. Is there anything this guy does not know about me and my family? It is as if he were my tutor or even my very own bodyguard. How creepy!

“I can tell for sure that Miss Sienna Balducci already knows about that because she keeps her distance from Miss Morrigan no matter what”, he added, making me feel extremely nervous.

“Oh I see. It’s crystal clear that Miss Morrigan hates us!”, I exclaimed.

“What? No, that is not true. In fact, she only hates you, Mister Seidel, but it appears that you have forgotten everything that had happened the day she left your house”, the professor divulged.

“Gotcha. I’m staying away from Miss Morrigan and the forest to stay safe”, I lied to him.

“Sadly, I know very well that you are as stubborn as to ignore my advice once you step out of this classroom”, he hit the jackpot.

“You see, professor, it’s not as if I ever loved the idea”, I tried to explain myself. “It just happens that I’m forced to get there this very same week.”

“How unlucky! Oh well, at least let me give you some final advice, youngster” Jäger informed me. “Look for Mario Niente, he is a herbalist of sorts but he knows a few things that could help you in that crazy quest of yours. And keep in mind that you should trust nobody once you enter Foresta Daghe. Ignore me and you will die for sure.”

After all that chitchat, I left that room. I began walking down the hallway, not paying attention to my surroundings. I was afraid that I would not make it back. Time was running out and I could not afford to waste it in some foreign language that monsters or rogues would never speak in the dark woods.

“Hey Erik! Did you know that?”, Gastone shouted suddenly.

“Huh? Know what?”, I inquired of him.

“Well, Chiara’s left the campus already! She didn’t tell anybody about it, not even her close friends!”, he commented.

That was a major setback for sure! My eyes got squared in no time. There was no way I could reach her to ask her about her uncle the tour guide. I lost the bet indeed.

Only then I learned that I was at the northern fountain, and I have been holding a deep grudge against that darn place ever since. Do you want to know why? Nope, it has nothing to do with its ugly shape or her being a fat chick. Actually, it was right there where I had found a magic note that very few people could see.

“How dare you, Erik the Faint-Hearted! I know I was taking a long time to answer you, to tell you for certain if I truly loved you or not. Even so you had no right to break my heart the way you did it! What bastard! That’s it! I’m leaving this stupid place for good!”

I was not mad at her, mainly because I did not even remember her face. What really made me hate the fountain was that someone had told her about my nickname in the future world.

Walking away from the fountain was not enough. There were other issues that I had to deal with as well. One of them was my beloved crow.

“Not so fast, Erik!”, she cried. “Where are ya headed, my dear?”

“What? Nowhere! Now that I’ve lost my only lead, there’s nothing I can do to complete my stupid mission”, I growled.

“Good! Now ya can focus on my needs before we leave the campus, my love”, Raven stated.

“Oh wait a sec!”, I yelled out. “Have you convinced Chiara of leaving the academy a while ago, Alice?”, I enquired.

“I dunno whatcha talking ‘bout, darling”, she refused to talk.

“Fine. Why should I ever care about her or my darn quest, right?”, I let her know. “Well, my dear witch Alice, I guess this is the perfect moment to break up. Right here and right now.”

“Say what!?”, my former girlfriend cried out loud.

“Bye Miss Raven!”, I replied back, leaving for the nearest town for good.

The end!?

[kyonides]

Chapter Six

Where is the Exit Door?

It is settled. Alice Raven has become just another witch I should take care of later on. Witches are evil and their petty lives should not be spared. The only thing I will ever miss is her not really special, warm body and matted hair… but nothing else!

Going back to my room was not an easy task. I could feel it, Alice was hard on my heels. She could have disguised her own presence by fusing herself with my very own shadow. Was there a way to kick her out of my life for good?

The hallways were empty, filled with deafening silence. The room next to mine then sported a brand two new plant pots but there were no bush nor flower to be found there. What were they doing there anyway? I kept walking only to stop right in front of my own door. I looked both ways before opening it. The place was clear.

How weird! I opened the door and it did not screech as it usually does. It makes me feel quite nervous. Somebody got to have entered the room, I am pretty sure. Could he or she jump at me and attack me by surprise? Highly likely.

Nope, I was wrong. Everything remained the same, including my bed with its red and black sheet and my desk that is closed to the door. Nobody was hiding there and no items were missing at all. Yet, I had not checked his desk nor his closet. That person could still be around.

While approaching his desk, placed at the opposite side of the room, my sight was growing blurry. Nah, my eyes are working fine. It was the whole surrounding area. For some reason, it was getting darker and darker the longer I stayed there. So that meant Raven had slipped in just as I thought. Crap!

“Funny. Why don’t you come out of the shadows now?”, I was teasing her.

Time is Up!

Nothing changed even if I let her know I was aware of her presence. Could this mean there was somebody else here? A thief? Any bloodthirsty assassin?

Huh? Why did I feel the need to touch my neck?

Oh nice! I have got a new black scarf covering my cold neck. Huh? No! I don’t have one! Never bought one in my whole life! I am darn sure about it!

“Die, you wretched piece of meat!”, a female voice mumbled.

“Well, I guess that I should feel honored that a woman came by to kill me. I would definitely hate to be disposed of by a fellow male”, I avowed.

“Then let’s just finish this at once!”, she cried.

I am sorry, guys, but I gotta kill the mood now. You see, normally you would expect me to fight back or try getting rid of the scarf. Instead I found it quite interesting that there was no such need to get desperate or do something at all. The assassin girl was an amateur and lacked the required strength to break my neck or even suffocate me somehow.

“You know, it’s highly disappointing to notice that you’re nothing buy a weakling, my dear”, I admitted with a smirk on my face.

“Damn it!”, the attacker pouted. “I seriously tried killing you but… but… I simply can’t!”

“Oh! And tell me, my dear assassin, what’s holding you back?”, I queried.

“After that fateful night when you had taken my virginity by force, I swore that I’d kill you one day”, my beloved killer asserted.

“Err, your point is…”, I commented.

“You idiot! Why couldn’t you just wait till the appointed day for our wedding?”, she insulted me.

Was she my fiancee Sienna complaining about sleeping with her at night? But I thought it had been Alice the one that had cast a spell on me, hypnotizing me in order to make love with her. What was going on there?

I turned around at a slow pace. She was wearing a black suit that help her conceal her presence and a face mask but I could see her eyes watering already. Had she seriously strong feelings for me? Was she rendered helpless, unable to kill her lover?

Curious. Something made me focus on a silly detail right then. I could clearly see that there was a hair strand that was not covered by her mask. Yes, I had to touch it and play with it like a kid. By the way, she is half a feet smaller than your dear speaker.

“You’ve got some nice dark brown hair, I think it smells like some fresh pears”, I described her as if it had evoked some hidden memories.

“Well, you said that was your favorite shampoo so…”, my attacker elaborated.

“You know, I’m flattered to hear that!”, I expressed sincerely.

No, guys, this was a bad idea. Instead of running at me to hug me tightly, she changed her behavior abruptly. She was scaring the hell out of me! I suppose she was not an epic failure after all.

“What did you say, you moron?”, she threatened me with her words as well as a sharp dagger. “My beloved Erik hates pears! You gotta be an impostor that robbed his face and tried to seduce me, thinking I was an easy prey for sexual predators.”

Fine. I surely thought that she was an easy target. It does not mean that I had any issues with pears. Honestly, I was planning to have one at lunch, way before I got mad at Alice. That shiny dagger and her sudden “free the pears from their oppressors” mentality took me by surprise. Nonetheless, I wondered how did she get my name. Where did we ever meet?

“This has been a weird week indeed!”, I disclosed out of the blue. “First, I’d pinched Miss Morrigan’s ass and got slapped by her twice. Then Alice Raven took advantage of me. Later Sienna told me I had to go pay my respects to my wannabe parents-in-law this weekend. And now, a confused assassin’s threatening poor me because I took her virginity away and for loving pears as well.”

“You pinched her!?”, my killer got startled. She also packed her dangerous weapon then.

“Surely did… I’ve got my aching cheeks to prove it!”, I barefacedly remarked.

“I’m so sorry, for a brief moment I really thought you couldn’t be my dear Erik”, she cried like a baby.

“Stop crying, baby!”, I asked of her. “Let me wipe out your cute tears from your tender face.”

Pulling out the dagger once again, her eyes got menacing as if she had killed countless people in the past. I gulped. Damn it! You would have done it as well, guys!

“Pretty sure you’re the only idiot who’d ever dare to pinch her”, she voiced.

“Hey! I didn’t enjoy it! Not even for a split second! Her ass was quite rugged while yours is quite pleasant for sure!”, I explained myself the best I could.

I know, I know. How could I dare to pinch her buttocks at such a perilous moment? I could just not help it, it is part of my nature. You know, I felt compelled to do that. I am serious about this, guys!

“What the hell!”, she yelled out. “Come here and kiss me, you moron!”

No way I could ignore her command. Nope, I could not. Your servitor easily ignored the undeniable fact that her weapon was still too close to my poor neck. Still, it felt so addictive. Her soft lips were the biggest temptation I had ever faced. They were numbing my senses. Oh crap!

The Annoying Voices Are Back

The fake starry sky is surrounding me once again. This got to mean I lost consciousness for the second or third time in my life. What do they want from me?

“Erik, my dear Erik, why are you so reckless? Life has nothing to do with harems”, the female entity soon grounded me.

“Did I not tell you that he could not focus on a simple task? Tsk. Our real problem at hand is that you both never listen to me!”, the male being complained more than usual.

“Gotcha!”, I let them know. “Now if you excuse me, I gotta leave and take care of my baby girl.”

Lunchtime

“My dear lord Erik! Wake up please! I’ve prepared your meal, sir!”, my second kidnapper informed me while I was slowly opening my heavy eyes.

“Huh? Where am I now?”, I had to figure that out.

“Where else? It’s your bedroom, my dear moron!”, she said.

Yeah, I was in bed, smelling some delicious cannoli. Wait a moment! I was naked, totally naked. Only my blanket was covering my body. Darn killer! She had sex with me and I could not recall a single moment of it! That is totally unfair! I am entitled enjoy it as well!

“Here! Take a bit, sweetie!”, my new lover commanded and I followed suit.

It tasted as good as my friends had told me about days earlier. Indeed, I was drooling because of the cannoli but also because her breasts were on top of my chest. Amazing how lucky I had become after breaking up with darn Raven.

“Let me also take care of the cannoli over there, my lord Erik”, she asked nicely.

Nope, I could not stop her from doing that. I was feeling as if I were living in an earthly paradise. We had become one for sure, my body told me so. My latest plan was to enjoy it one bite at a time. It surely sounds great, don’t you think? Unlike my egotistic ex-girlfriend Alice, this girl loved to share everything with me.

Why did she keep calling me lord? Did that mean I was the rightful heir to the Seidel family?

“I might hate asking you this while living the best moment of my sorry life but… I don’t recall your name, baby”, I made some untimely confession.

“You don’t have to remember my name, my lordship”, she stated.

“Come on! I need to know your name! I’ve gotta call you out and make love to you all day long if possible!”, I went overboard.

“It’s Mina, my sweetie!”, she shouted out loud before kissing me. Nice.

“Great, my dear Mina! Now let’s focus on making a baby, pretty please!”, I quickly demanded.

Another One

Do not dare to criticize me now! I had to try my luck right away. I rarely get a chance to get quite physical. You will understand this once you have become a grownup and enjoy these addictive pleasures for the very first time. And then the tenth, and the one hundredth time.

“Err, should we truly make another one, my lordship?”, she got scared.

Mina was about the same age as yours truly, yet, she had become a mother already! Quite shocking news for a debuting playboy like me!

“Huh? We’ve got a baby?”, I inquired of my lover.

“Oops! I wasn’t supposed to reveal this little secret of mine, my love”, she nervously pointed out.

“Say what, darling? What’s his or her name? I need to know that, my beloved Mina!”, I asked her.

The girl with the black hair and a deceiving dark brown streak was hesitant. She got to be hiding something big if she did not feel comfortable enough to spit it out immediately. What was she going to say next? Would she run away from me?

“Please tell me, Mina!”, I ordered then, grabbing her by her right arm.

“Well, my lordship, our baby boy’s Dirk and our lil girl’s named Tania”, she finally divulged.

“Excuse me, darling, where’s the exit door again?”, I could not refrain myself from joking.

“Damn it!”, she cried. “I knew it, my lordship, that you’d get scared to death and run away from me.”

“No, no, my love!”, I had to correct her. “It’s not from you! It happens that I’m afraid I won’t be able to face your mom, the librarian if I remember clearly. Especially not after she eventually learns that we’ve made love… once again.”

“Don’t worry ‘bout her, my lordship!”, she told me. “At least not for now… Let’s just enjoy our little reunion, please my beloved Erik.”

What the hell was I thinking!? Miss Morrigan had slapped me twice for being irresponsible and disrespectful and now I got the confirmation that she is my mother-in-law as well! It seemed obvious to me that she would kill me at first sight! We were the damned and the beauty!

“Erik Seidel, open this stupid door right now!”, Alice Raven the witch howled while knocking on the door like a mad girl.

Thanks to her sudden appearance outside my bedroom, we both had… Err, let us just call it some happy accident. I truly hope that it was one of her safe days, though.

To be continued...

[kyonides]

Chapter Seven

Alice to the Rescue

Your admired hero, Erik, with his eyes closed, was having a great time enjoying the pleasures of this beautiful world when I was interrupted. She reminded me of something important. This realm cannot be perfect at all!

“Erik! Erik! You are in grave danger!”, the female voice of yore shouted.

What now, you crappy old lady? Am I supposed to think that some monster has caught me while I had fallen asleep? No way! I am just having a great time there.

“You gotta be kidding me, you balloon head!”, I yelled at her.

Our conversation was cut short when I got hit on my forehead by some stone, kicking me out of my deep slumber. That piece of crap made my head hurt as if I had some intense migraine. Who the hell had thrown that at me? Could it ever be possible that the ethereal voice did it in retaliation?

Even if she loves to show up only to make my life miserable, she could not lift a rock in my world. I guess. After making a huge effort, I opened my eyes and discovered that it was some human being with a hair that resembled some crow’s feathers. It was Alice Raven, my former wannabe wife, standing at a nearby slope! What was she doing there?

“Why’s there no single darn wall in the surroundings!?”, I queried while being quite disoriented.

“Damn it, Erik!”, she grounded me at once. “Only a moron like you could fall right in the arms of a dryad abductress! What a loser you’ve become ever since we’ve parted ways!”

That was a total surprise for your heroic lead! At most I would have suspected that some man eater succubus would ever catch me unprepared one day. Who could tell that it would be a dryad instead? I did not know that such a species would be capable of doing something like that. It was entirely unheard of, I guarantee!

“You know, it’s great to learn I’m in the forest, surrounded by its flora and fauna. Yet, I’d prefer to continue this discussion elsewhere, if you don’t mind”, I humbly asked of her.

“But you’re awake now, dear Erik. Why don’t you stand up and come over here then?”, Raven suggested.

“This might sound laughable indeed, still, the undeniable truth is… that I can’t even sense my fingers and toes, my dear”, I painfully admitted.

“Of course, you can’t!”, she quickly stated. “That mischievous dryad is sucking up all of your life energy as we speak, my love.”

“Now I get it… My sorry life is in your brave hands now! So would you please be as gentile as to help me get out of this mess, my dear crow?”, I had to humiliate myself.

“Well, lemme think ‘bout it for a while…”, Alice the witch asserted.

Man, how dare she play with my poor life like that!? If she ever had fallen in love with yours truly, would she not rush to find a way to release me from my captivity? She was not taking it seriously!

“Come on, baby!”, I cried out of frustration.

“Shhh! I’m thinking!”, she comically reacted.

My right hand suddenly started shaking when my anger was about to explode. It was such an intense sensation that some smoke came out of the dryad’s own hands. At first I thought that she was about to prepare me as a succulent dish of sorts but I was wrong. It was my very own hand the one that wanted to set me free only to punch the witch I hated the most.

“I’m not gonna release you, my love!”, my flowery captor resolved. “You’ve promised me to marry me and let me become the mother of your offspring. Aren’t you a man that always keeps his word no matter what?”

“OK, that was before my alleged wife found you right on the spot, raping me over and over again!”, I furiously complained.

No, I do not think Alice would ever buy the “indecent succubus now clothed in leaves had kidnapped me in order to make me her sex slave” argument. For her I gotta be some cheater, just another guy with some insatiable libido taking advantage of… well, a sentient plant!

“Probably you’re thinking I was lying ‘bout our kids but you gotta know that Dirk is a lil brave trent and our cute Tania is a quite lovable tiny dryad indeed”, she remarked while blushing.

Damn it, Mina! You were not helping me! You were only making things get uglier and harsher than ever before! Do not even dare to ever call out our so called children!

“You bitch! How dare you mate with him and bear children of your own!”, Raven cried in desperation. “He’s my slave and nobody else’s! He can only become the father of my own kids!”

At that specific point, I was glad that Alice finally ran her up against the rock at her back. She was choking her with tremendous force. Nevertheless, I could not forget that she did not consider me to be her equal in our dubious relationship. How worthless I was indeed!

Perhaps it would not be a bad idea to spent the rest of my days with my dryad girlfriend if I ever persuaded her of stop killing me a sip at a time. Just saying. There is no need to take me seriously.

Freedom at Hand

Not long after my beloved crow’s intervention, I managed to free my right hand. It was quite hot and something made me think it was glowing a little bit at given intervals. Then I smiled and quickly grab her greenish left hand. A few moments later it slightly burned her leaf skin.

“You see what you’ve done to me, you ethereal sucker? Your maternal instincts got me into this mess?”, I accused my spirit stalker of some heinous crime.

“That is not my very own bidding but his!”, she justified herself pointing her unreal finger at the male voice.

“Seriously, Nova Donna?”, he questioned her. “Am I now responsible for his aberrant behavior? The same one you inspired him with to ensure the kid would not stop loving that eerie witch!”

“He would have given up right after learning about her dreadful fate otherwise”, she elaborated a bit more on her petty excuse.

“Huh? Are you talking to the spirits again, Erik?”, my slaver witch wanted to know.

“Sadly, yes, my babe. They’re pointing fingers at each other right now”, I informed her at once.

“Thanks for this diversion, my love! I won’t miss this chance!” Mina hit Alice’s poor face with a strong jab.

Great! Just great, Mina the boxer! My wife then had just another reason to believe I truly ditched her, only to desecrate our apparent marital link of sorts on purpose by getting a new lover.

“OK, that’s it!”, yours truly determined. “It’s about time for me to handle this myself. And I’m not sorry for what I’m gonna do to you, lovely Mina.”

It was hard but I had freed my left hand from her steady grasp. Therefore I was able to take out my sharp hunting knife hidden in my left boot. I turned around in no time, cutting her throat only once. It appeared the cut was quite shallow as to let her push her hand against her wound, stopping the green bleeding.

That was the very first time I realized that her hair was composed of myriads of small and medium sized leaves. Well, it was not my fault, she had kept me under her mesmerizing spell for quite some time. Even so she looked quite slender and very gorgeous for a talking plant.

Raven the crow girl immediately triple slapped her, spilling some of her victim’s sap on the soil in the process. Then she punched her, breaking her nose instantly.

“You, stop drooling for her! Do something! Now!”, my wife commanded me.

My friends, I had not paid attention to a path to our left before until I heard some steps. They did not belong to some horrible critter but sounded pretty much like baby steps. Since both partners kept yelling at me, I ignored the noises.

A Childhood Trauma

“Let’s end this ridiculous strife once for all!”, I screamed.

Standing up, I grabbed her neck. It kind of reminded me of a soft chayote or mirliton. My knife was still a real threat for her soft and verdant flesh. A few moments later, I forced her to bent over her chest. To make sure she would not counterattack or escape from us, my knee was pushing her back; thus rendering her helpless.

That was the moment when Tania watched me hurting her mother. The poor creature got to be thinking I was a wife abuser or the like because she soon screamed as she had gone mad already. What a sappy ending for both mother and daughter indeed!

“Dear Alice, we better get outta here before they call for reinforcements of any kind”, I tried to warn her.

We definitely needed to procure some way out at once so I stuck my weapon in my left boot.

“Fine, fine, Erik. Let’s flee away from these creeps then!” Raven did not waste her chance to kick Mina the dryad in her stomach before we left her for good.

We first trotted northward through the woods, hoping nobody would spot us any time soon.

“Mommy! You hurt?”, baby Tania inquired of her mother.

“I’m fine, baby!”, replied the adult critter, coughing up some sap.

Her daughter was bold enough as to approach her injured mother. I could never blame her for being mad at me for what we have done to my flowery Mina.

“Wait, mommy! Nature’s blessing!”, the little kid conjured out of the blue.

Amazing. My little daughter was a spell caster at such a young age. I guess that I should be very proud of her, shouldn’t I?

The Blessing of Ignorance

We both were unable to listen to them anymore after running away for about ten minutes. Inadvertently, my partner changed her mind and did not care to tell me about it.

“Now keep quiet and follow me, Erik!”, my demanding black bird crawled.

“Hey no! First tell me why are we going to the western section of this forest?”, I enquired.

“Just shut up!”, she spat. “Believe me when I tell you that you’d be extremely grateful for this!”

Twenty minutes later, we arrived at some clearance that seemed vaguely familiar to me. Alice soon stopped near a bush where she would unveil my backpack. Against all odds, she unpacked some cannoli sporting a large smile on her captivating face. Since my couple had not learned anything about my hallucination, she had no way to know I could not trust a cannoli anymore.

“What’s up, dear Erik? Aren’t you hungry?”, Raven attempted to learn the truth about it. She sat down, staring at me.

“Seriously, Alice! Couldn’t you just get some fruits-”, I fretted.

And that was an ill-timed blunder for sure, don’t you think? I could only notice how easy it had been to flee from my caring dryad and, at the same time, she still kept my mind trapped in her mystical world of fruits and leaves.

“Why do you say that?”, she insisted.

Her hand touched my chest and it quickly triggered a lost memory. I could see in my mind how Alice had pushed me hard after arguing and cursing at a nearby path. That made me roll down the hill. Just a couple of moments later, Mina found me and took me to the place where we first met. It was the same spot where she had been extracting my life energy with ease.

“So Alice, you were the one that had led me to my abductress in the first place!”, I blamed her.

“Whatcha talking about, darling?”, she feigned ignorance.

“How dare you!”, I groaned. “You’re gonna pay for this insolence, wretched bird!”

I jumped at her fiercely, looking for immediate retribution. Raven fell on her back while I was immobilizing her with my arms.

“Pfft. And what are ya gonna do, my love? Steal my cannoli?”, she challenged me.

“Maybe or I’d do something a lot worse!”, I threatened her.

“Hmph. I’m suspecting I might like that quite a lot”, Alice disclosed.

“You know, crow, I hate you. I deeply hate you!”, I hastily stated. Then I grabbed a bite of her cannoli.

“Nah, you’re just totally mad ‘bout me but you’re too stubborn to admit it”, my couple assessed.

“Ha! Now you just shut up and kiss me, witch!”, I selfishly ordered her.

“Yes, my lordship! Kiss me and explore my body thoroughly!”, Raven said with a smirk.

The only I should truly hate got to be that damned Nova Donna! She is the actual culprit by manipulating my feelings from the very beginning!

“How quaint, human boy!”, the male spirit mocked me. “Instead of finding a way to break her spell, you simply resort to blaming others for your failures. When will you finally grow up and solve your own problems, brat?”

What the hell!? If he knew about the possibility of breaking that darn curse, why did he not mention it ever before? Damn it, I really hate Alice, that pesky Nova Donna, the stupid male creep. I hate them all! I truly do, guys!

To be continued...
 I suppose.