Ever since I was born, I knew I was different from most girls. I wasn’t born from a traditional union of man and woman. I had no father… No mother… No one to call my family.
I was already aware of my surroundings when I first ca to consciousness. I rember the faces of those who gave life very vividly. They smiled and cheered for my birth, laughing with an odd expression I couldn’t understand.
I didn’t know what they were doing, even after all these years… I couldn’t understand their emotions.
Ti passed, and I grew from an infant to a small child. Throughout my growth, I was given explanations of what I was and who I was ant to be.
A perfected product of the Shadowgarden House.
The Vampire whose sole existence was to resonate with the World Tree. My power was required to balance the world and to keep the World Tree from external threats. With around, the World Tree would never fall ever again, keeping the harmony of all living beings in check. When I matured and ca of age, I would attune myself to the World Tree and eventually beco its sole protector and the Vampire who would eternally leash its power to the Shadowgarden House and the Elves.
At least… That was what I was told.
Over the years, I was placed under a special training program to prepare for my eventual future. I’d learnt the magical arts of the Shadowgarden House to sate my Vampiric blood. I’d learnt Spirit Magic that only Elves could possess in hopes that it could help in my bonding with the World Tree.
Everything that I had been placed into was all for that one mont in the future.
I would one day beco the World Tree’s protector and maintain the planet’s balance through my powers.
I had to do my duty…
It was for the good of everyone else…
And I accepted that fate. Ever since I was born, I had only known one fate. I was just a tool to be used. A life to be sacrificed. I was born without emotions because of that.
Joy… Sorrow… Anger…
They were all redundant in the face of the greater mission.
But when I was finally given the chance to et face-to-face with the World Tree, I heard a different voice. One that contradicted my mission and gave a different answer to my existence.
“Go and find the boy, and he’ll make you happy…”
Boy? What boy?
I didn’t understand what the Spirit of the World Tree ant. Wasn’t my purpose in life… The sole reason I was born… Wasn’t it to serve the World Tree? What does this boy have to do with anything?
I didn’t know, but my existence was ant to serve the World Tree. If the World Tree states that I must find this boy, then I’ll do everything in my power to do so. However, there were no other hints other than that one sentence.
Fortunately, over ti, the prophecy beca clearer and clearer. And finally, when I turned eleven, the World Tree gave a clear answer.
Jin…
That was the na of the boy who was promised to .
He was the one who would save us and the boy that the World Tree was looking for. I didn’t know what the World Tree sought to do with that child, nor did I have an interest in discovering its intentions. There was only one thing that I was focused on…
Jin… He would make happy.
Happiness… What kind of emotion was it?
Would it change my life for the better? Would it change anything at all? I couldn’t help but be curious about that.
In the beginning, I was just going to perform the duty that the World Tree had given to . But as the date ca closer, my mind started to wander. What did Jin look like? What kind of personality does he have? Does he smile a lot? What emotions would he show ?
Day by day, my mind was filled with thoughts of Jin, and for the first ti in my life, I felt a new emotion. Sothing that I’d never thought was possible in my empty heart.
Expectation.
How would Jin be my promised saviour? What did the World Tree prophecise about him? How would my life change when he arrived? And most importantly… What would happiness feel like?
Just by thinking about it, my lips unconsciously rose into a smile. Smile? Was this my first ti smiling? In ti, I realised that even before eting the boy, my ntal state had also begun to change.
And so when the promised day ca…
“Hi there, my na is Jin Valter. I’ve recently beco Irina’s older brother. Nice to et you!”
Jin’s youthful voice echoed in the hallways of the villa. Since I’ve been given the prophecy, I’ve already learnt what he looked like by looking at him through the eyes of the plants nearby. Yet, this was the first ti I’d ever heard him speak. His voice sounded very juvenile, and his tone had yet to shift. Yet, there was a tinge of confidence hidden within his octaves.
It was also my first ti seeing him face-to-face, and the first thing that struck was… He’s far more attractive than I’d thought. Whenever I saw him through the eyes of plants, he was always a green blur with barely any colour to his skin. But now that I could see him clearly, I realised that his skin was a healthy beige colour. His glossy black hair was as smooth as possible, and his beautiful blue eyes glistened the sa colour as the morning sky.
When he entered the villa for the first ti, it felt like watching the sunrise in the morning.
And his personality wasn’t any less radiant.
Always kind and loving, Jin quickly captured the other girls’ hearts around . Irina, Lilith and Ysabelle had beco obsessed with him, showing bright smiles whenever he ca into the room.
I wonder how they can show their emotions so openly.
My heart winces a little whenever I see Jin, but that was it. My face wouldn’t smile as widely as the others. My eyes wouldn’t sparkle like theirs, and my skin would never flush red.
And yet, the other three girls could openly display their affection to Jin with such ease.
I wonder how they do that?
Without knowing, I’d observed the three girls and how they’d interacted with Jin, hoping to co up with so idea on how I should behave around him. Whenever they were playing together, whenever they studied together, whenever they trained together… My eyes would never leave Jin.
I’d thought that if I looked hard enough, perhaps I could get so clue on how to obtain this ‘happiness’ that the World Tree promised.
Surprisingly, it worked. But not in the manner that I’d hoped it would.
Jin approached one day and started asking about my past. Although I was slightly surprised that he would be curious about , I didn’t hesitate to tell him everything I knew. After all, he was the boy that was prophesied. There shouldn’t be any derit to him learning the truth.
However, rather than accept our fates… Jin said sothing astonishing.
He wished to free .
He wished to save .
He wished… To give a soul.
I didn’t understand what he’d ant. How could I have? I was soone who was born without emotions, and I didn’t know what emotions ran through his mind. But with the fervour and excitent he said it in… I couldn’t help but nod unwittingly.
And well… Jin delivered on his promise.
The next few days were the best days of my life.
I’d experienced a new range of feelings that I never knew I could have. Every ti Jin played with , I felt an ease within my heart. Every ti he ca near to talk to , I could feel my heart pounding ever so quickly.
The days passed so quickly, and each ti I thought I couldn’t feel anything else, Jin would surprise with yet another fresh experience. Bit by bit, I started feeling emotions that I’d never thought possible, and eventually… I ca to realise how true the prophecy was.
Until that one fateful day…
“HELPPP!!!”
Covered in rain and gri, Ysabelle ran into the villa with sobs in her voice. The sudden tears of the girl woke Irina and Lilith up, while I was rubbing my eyes in confusion.
Wasn’t Ysabelle supposed to be training with Jin? Why was she running back in tears?
“Ysabelle? What happened?!”
“J-Jin! W-We were attacked by an Outer Demon!”
“Outer Demon?! Here?!” Lilith scread out in shock. “How can there be an Outer Demon? We’re far away from any Gates!”
“I-I don’t know!” Ysabelle cried out, her body shaking like a falling Autumn leaf. “W-We were training normally and then… It ca out and attacked ! J-Jin stood back to save , b-but…”
“Brother! Where is he?!”
“F-Follow !”
Not knowing where they were going, Irina and Lilith grabbed onto Ysabelle and rushed toward Jin’s location. But I didn’t need to run along with them. Since I could talk to all the trees nearby, I could save Jin even without moving a single inch. I closed my eyes and spread my awareness throughout the adow, eventually zoning in on Jin’s location.
Fortunately, Jin was still safe. He and the Outer Demon were still fighting, and it seed like neither side was able to deal any significant damage.
If that’s the case, I can save him! As long as I use my magic, I can eliminate the Outer Demon and protect him from any harm! I can…
“Stop.”
W-What?
“Rosalyn… Stop… It’s his destiny.”
World Tree?
“Stop… It’s his destiny… And your duty…”
My duty?
Was this the prophecy? Jin would save us? Was this how he was going to save us? By fighting the Outer Demon?
No, that can’t be right… He was ant to make happy. He was ant to be promised to . He was ant to… give a soul.
Why was this his fate? Why must I stay my hand? I could protect him right now, and yet… Why are you stopping ?
“Don’t do anything… It’s your destiny…”
Don’t do anything? I could see Jin losing the fight. The Outer Demon was attacking him without rest, and it won’t be long before he couldn’t take it anymore. Why? Why must I do nothing?
Is that my destiny? To watch helplessly as Jin perishes?
Before I knew it, my power to control the trees was sealed, and all vision I had of Jin faded out. Not knowing what had happened, I ran frantically in the direction that Jin was in. I don’t rember the last ti I ran this hard. My breath was heavy, and my face completely flushed. My limbs were aching, and my eyes filled with tears.
What’s this?
Yet another emotion I’d never felt before.
I was praying… Praying that nothing would happen to Jin. I didn’t want to see anything happen to him. I didn’t want his radiant smile to stop brightening up my life.
If his destiny was to die for us… I reject that fate.
And yet… When I arrived at the scene…
“Jin… Jin… Jin…!!!”
Tears were streaming down the three girls’ faces. Ysabelle held the young, bloodied boy in her arms as Irina knelt down by his side. Lilith was letting out tears as she drew so weird symbols on the ground, and as for …
For the first ti in my life…
I scread.
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