An Expected Betrayal |TBATE

Chapter 1

ARTHUR LEYWIN

I stacked up my firewood and ignited my fire for the night. I sighed and looked up at the stars. What happened yesterday was still stuck in my mind. I told them, I told everyone everything. Alice and Reynolds looked at me with bloodshot eyes. The DC looked at me in fear. Gramps gave me the cold shoulder. Elijah pretended I didn't exist. The twin horns treated me like a stranger.

Who hurt me the most was Tess. She looked at me with pure hatred. I still remember the last thing she said to me. "Were you just pretending this whole time? Were my feelings just a game to you? I can't believe you kept this from me. From everyone. Leave. Leave and never show yourself to me again"

After that I hired someone to cancel the bond between me and Sylvie. I then left Sylvie with Tess. Hopefully Tess will keep Sylvie safe and happy. No, I suppose I should call her Tessia now.

The only person that still loved me was Ellie. She tried to convince everyone I was still the Arthur they knew and loved. Ellie's cries fell on deaf ears and no one would even give me a second to look in my direction. After she failed to get anyone to acknowledge her, she herself broke down in tears. I didn't even have the guts to say goodbye to her. I just left a note on Ellies bed that said "I love you. Keep Alive and Reynold safe. Make sure to give Sylvie all the meat she asks for. Goodbye Ellie."

Feyfey also didn't see me in a new light. Instead he started to study politics so that he could compete with me even more ever since he learned I was a king. I'll miss that crazy elf.

After I left the note on Ellie's bed I ran to the beast glands. I didn't have a direction, I just followed the wind. After a while I ran across an unidentified teleport gate. What was strange was that it was activated. I ran through on a whim. One the other side was a not so densely packed forest. There were mana beast's I've never seen before so I assumed I was someplace far away from Xyrus. Once I went through the portal it closed, trapping me here.

I had spent the entire morning crying. Once the afternoon hit I started to get ready for night. I had caught some fish in a nearby stream and I was now grilling them over the fire. My tent consisted of big heavy leaves and the roots of a giant old tree. It was rain and windproof while also offering a decent amount of comfort. The fish started to smell nice so I took them off the fire and bit into one of them.

Who would've thought fish cooked in such a simple way could taste so good. "Can I have some?"

I jumped at the sudden voice right next to my head. I turned to see a girl about my age standing right behind me. She had navy-blue hair and scarlet-red eyes. Her features were quite sharp, highlighting her unparalleled beauty. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you, it's just I haven't eaten in two days so I'm starving." she said while waving her hands in front of her face.

I couldn't do anything but laugh as I handed her a fish. "Fhank you."She said as she sat down next to me.

"Pardon?" I asked to clarify. "Thank you, this is greatly appreciated." she replied after swallowing her bite of fish.

"You're welcome. Since you took my fish I believe I at least earned the right to know your name." I said with a slight laugh. Her eyes went wide and she turned red from embarrassment.

"My name is Caera Denoir, and yours?" she replied after composing herself.

"My name is Arthur Leywin. Nice to meet you Caera, now mind telling me why such a young lady like yourself is in this forest. You don't have to answer, I'm just curious." I replied, fanning the fire.

"My mentor told me I have to survive in this forest for two weeks to train. If I fail, she said I'm going to get extra training for the next 3 months." Caera sighed. "Why are you here?"