The sky was blue with some clouds slowly drifting around. The warm air felt as if someone had spread a warm blanket above everything.
Violet lay there under the shade of boulders, still in darkness, until a young boy woke her up and nudged her.
Violet opened her eyes and saw him staring at her with hungry eyes.
"Hey, can I eat you?" he said, with his tongue hanging out of his mouth and drool dripping down.
"No!" Violet got up in a thunder and slapped the boy. The boy was sent flying and crashed into a boulder.
Violet looked at him; he slowly fell down to the ground, stuck in the same posture he crashed in.
"Oh my lord, did I kill him? I killed him! Luciel, where are you? Where am I?" She looked around and saw red rocks and soil everywhere, dry shrubs, and a few trees with more thorns than leaves.
She realized she was definitely not anywhere near the cave.
She ran toward him, and in a flash, the boy opened his eyes and jumped back on his two feet.
"You can't kill me, woman!" The boy shook his head, and dust flew out of his hair.
He stretched his back while staring at her.
"Well, you look like you're one of them, but I don't think you're one of them..."
Violet looked at him with a blank expression. "What do you mean?" she asked.
"Don't bother! I can tell by your smell. You don't have the pungent smell of gold and silver on you," he said.
"Anyway, tell me, do you have anything to eat?" the boy spoke, and his stomach grumbled.
Violet exhaled a sigh of relief. She sat down on the ground under the shade; she was still light-headed. But suddenly, she was struck with all her memories flashing before her eyes.
"I don't have any food. I don't even know where I am. Where is Luciel? Where is Mr. Raven? Which world am I in?" Violet's eyes slowly filled up with tears.
"I don't know where the two you ask are, but you are in the Realm of Light. Aren't you human? Where else should you be? Don't tell me you're from—" The boy slowly walked around while looking for anything he could hunt, but the realization suddenly made him turn to her.
"I am from the Realm of Light—at least that's what Mr. Raven told me. But I was in the Realm of Night for a while. I remember getting hurt, but I don't know how I ended up here." Violet held her tears back. She knew crying didn't do anything after living with Luciel and Mr. Raven.
The boy then sighed. "Well, the world is big, of course..." His gaze was still searching for any prey he could find.
Violet still sat there, thinking about what could've happened to her and Luciel.
Violet then shook her head, strengthening her resolve. She got up with her bloodied gown, but before she could leave the place, the boy appeared in front of her again, this time with a dead rabbit in his mouth.
"Where are you going?" he said, pulling the rabbit out of his mouth.
---
Violet's POV
I was about to leave the place when the boy came back. He just went away and came back?
I stared at him. His appearance was a little different from anyone I'd seen.
Stark black hair with grey eyes, on his head two wolf-like ears. He was tall and wore thin clothes made of fur and cotton. He wore a vest exposing his chest, which was covered with scars.
He was a bit more muscular than Luciel and had a slightly darker skin tone.
He wasn't human or anyone like Luciel. He was someone really different.
The boy skinned the rabbit and then took a deep breath.
"(FLAME BREATH)"
He spoke and then breathed out. Flames came out and, in a blink, cooked the rabbit—well, somewhat. It was burnt.
He tossed me a piece and then sat down and started chomping.
"The blood on your clothes—are you injured?" He looked at me with eyes filled with curiosity.
"Well, I was, but I don't feel like that now. It's a long story. Anyway, thanks for the food..." I took a bite, and it was really burnt, but it would be disrespectful to throw it away, so I ate it without complaining.
We both finished, and then he picked up a small sack and wrapped it around his waist.
"Alright, woman, that's it! Let's part ways here! My destination is far from here. There is a village nearby. You can get help there, but I'll warn you to stay clear of those filthy noble bastards!" He handed me a sack of water.
But wait—since I am back in my world, I need to get to Mama and Papa!
"Wait! Where are you going?" I asked him. He turned to me, and his face suddenly became void of every expression.
"The capital of Isvalar..." There was rage behind those eyes, the rage exactly like Luciel had when he trained on his own.
A conviction and promise to himself.
"The capital... but why?" I asked.
"To destroy it," he said without changing expression.
Destroy the capital? But why?
What should I do? Should I ask him to take me to Greyhollow?
And something clicked in my mind.
But wait—if he is going to the capital, then I can meet Mother!
I can ask Mother to help Mama and Papa!
---
Violet was still oblivious to the actions of her beloved mother, everything that happened that night, because somewhere in her heart she still clung to hope—the hope to see her family again.
Some have heard that Calla wasn't actually treating her illness, but she had convinced herself that it was still out of love, or maybe for some reason...
Violet made up her mind. She wasn't a girl who could only rely on others. With every pain and doubt in her heart, along with her worries, she had decided to change herself.
"Well then, take me with you!" she spoke.
The boy looked at her, surprised. His expression finally changed, and his ears twitched.
"What did you say?"
"I said take me with you! I need to meet someone from the capital!" she said, her tone straight and without any tact.
"Are you saying you're from that kingdom? Well, of course, you have those accursed hair! Just like them! Here I thought it was just a coincidence, but I guess I was wrong!" His claws slowly grew, and his body gradually turned a bit larger than before.
"I don't know who you are talking about, but I've never visited the capital in my entire life. This hair is caused by illness—at least that's what my mother told me!" She looked at her hair, but even when facing pure bloodlust, maddened by anger, she didn't flinch.
The boy's nose moved a little as if he was taking a sniff, and then his body turned back to normal.
"It seems you are speaking the truth," he said.
"You can read minds?" Violet tilted her head in awe.
"No, but I can smell... happiness, sadness, anger, hatred, love, deceit. Everything in this world has a smell. Some are pleasant, filled with purity like yours, but some are pungent, foul as a corpse."
He looked at Violet as her face showed a sad smile.
"Really? I don't reek of any illness or curse?" She looked down, and the boy looked away.
"Well, it's faint. There is a smell that is covering the essence of that odor—a fresh smell... how should I put it... something those rich guys wear. Roses mixed with blood... It also feels like the smell is very rude."
The boy looked confused.
Then Violet burst into a chuckle. She covered her mouth and belly. She was laughing without any care in this world.
"Yes, the smell is actually very rude!" She looked at him and saw his face flushed red.
His ears and cheeks turned red, and she could see his ears twitching and his fluffy black tail wagging like crazy.
"Umm... are you okay?" she asked him, and the boy turned his back to her.
He knew this feeling. His heart was beating fast, and his face was burning up.
He took a deep breath, and without turning, he spoke.
"Vaelric Veyndar. That's my name. You can call me Vael. And since you asked me a favor with such conviction, I can't refuse a woman who's alone in this vast desert. You certainly need protection. Who can do that better than me, of course?"
Vael started blabbering in one breath.
"Alright then! I shall take you to the capital! You don't need to fear anything when I am here! Hahaha..." He tried his best to hide his flushed face.
"Thank you, Vael. Hope we can get along," she smiled.
"I really hope so," Vael murmured.
And thus, another chapter started writing itself in the prologue of a story with a dreadful end.