Identity (Editing)

Chapter 29

It had been months since my father and the surrounding kingdoms waged war against monster-kind. Atrocities, freaks of nature that shouldn't have existed in the first place, creatures that should be put out of their misery. This was the supposed reasoning behind their actions. Monsters were a threat to humans and they should be eradicated in order to preserve the human way of life... I could only pray for my sister, knowing that if I went back, it would only hurt her more. My hope was that my father hadn't been too hard on her after I left, but I knew better. That man was definitely one to hold grudges and take them out on whomever he saw fitting. I, however, was determined to be different. I had already begun to understand the true use for this mystical blade that was locked to my family's blood and also learned a bit about aura and how to control it. My time was spent traveling as a nomad of peace, protecting the forests from threats such as fires and hunters.

Everything seemed to grow bleaker the longer I went on, but I refused to give up, determined that I would persevere through whatever the world threw at me. Walking through the forest with nothing on me except Dein Nomos strapped to my side, I heard a faint rustling in the nearby bush and my body tensed. I quickly shuffled back, pointing my blade towards the sound and waiting for the evident ambush.

"Come out, whoever is in there!" Suddenly, I heard a shriek from behind me as something blunt hit the back of my head. Sharp pain radiated down my spine and I fell forward, the bladedropping from my grasp. Right before I hit the ground, I managed to turn myself over and I found myself pinned down. My eyes widened in shock and I felt my face reddening as I saw the girl sitting on top of me, using her body weight to keep me down. There was something sharp against my neck that partially dug into my skin as she glared at me with her angry, yet beautiful aqua eyes.

"What's your business in these woods? Answer quick or I'll kill you." She pressed the blade harder against my neck in order to prove her point, but I couldn't focus. Her hair... It was white like mine, her skin a beautiful caramel colour. But her clothes... There was next to nothing there... My cheeks deepened in their colour as I tried not to look at the black and blue top that covered only what it needed to. The same with her short black shorts. They had a gold band at the top and then little bits of blue armour hanging down the sides , the left one equipped with her sword holster. Again, it only covered what it needed to.

"I said talk!" She shouted and I snapped back to reality, looking up at the sky as I willed my face to return to its normal shade.

"My name is Duke, erm... Duke Pantarei! I'm just a traveling advocate of peace!" She looked at me skeptically and I closed my eyes, assuming I would be killed right at that moment. After what felt like years, she sat straight up, removing the blade from my throat and I exhaled with a sigh of relief.

"A peace advocate, you say? Anyone who wants peace is a friend of mine. Sorry I ambushed you, but these parts are dangerous nowadays with all the human knights that travel around." I raised my brow, looking at her body for a moment before I made my way up to her face.

"Human knights? You mean you're not human?" I asked and she shook her head slowly but then nodded.

"I'm half... I'm a halfbreed... Half-Elven..." She bit her lip softly as if she expected me to lash out at her, but I didn't. I simply nodded in understanding before looking down again.

"Would you... Mind getting off? You're sitting... On my..." I really didn't want to finish that sentence, but it seemed like I didn't need to. Her face reddened and she jumped up, taking a few steps back as I sat up and grabbed Dein Nomos. My gaze shifted to her again, my thoughts racing around in my head. She looked as if she came from a poor origin, but what did that matter? She was unrealistically beautiful, unlike any woman that I have ever seen.