The Immortal | Prequel Story |

Chapter 51 ~ Mason and Ian

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~ Planet Earth ~

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"Here it is," said Cyrlin, the new pilot of Mallen's ship. "Planet Earth. It looks so pretty from up here."

Mallen and Iérti peered at the window in curiosity. Their perfect eyesight allowed them to see every detail. They used the Iredescent invisibility cloaking technology to hide their ship from view, so humans wouldn't be aware of their presence. The Csa looked like very stylishly dressed humans, though they were far from human.

The ship landed in a remote location in Ireland, underneath a tunneled cliff edge where there were no boats or people present. They kept the ship on invisibility mode, taking sparkly purple sunglasses with them as they went outside.

Once put on, the sparkly purple sunglasses allowed them see where the ship was via a certain type of infrared light that detected invisibility. The Csa kept the sunglasses inside their long coat pockets, their sword and sheath hidden from view underneath their coat as well.

"Ready?" Mallen asked Iérti, motioning for him to proceed.

Iérti stepped out of the ship and stood looking around the beautiful Irish landscape, taking note of the seashore and countryside in the distance. He took a breath of ocean air, combined with the misty scent of water, frangipani flowers, grass, moss, and sea salt. It was a lovely, fresh scent. Peaceful and calming.

"First time at the beach?" Mallen asked, smiling as he walked forward towards the ocean, feeling the wind tug at his long raven hair. He took his shoes and socks off, placing them on an embroidered blanket a careful distance from the shore. He took his jacket off and folded it neatly beside his footwear. He rolled up his shirt sleeves before going in the water.

Iérti watched him in astonishment as Mallen dove into the water, swimming effortlessly like a dolphin. He moved through the water so fast Iérti lost sight of him before Mallen emerged a moment later, flinging his hair with water spraying everywhere.

"Come in the water, Iérti! It's fun!" Mallen called out, encouraging him to get in the water.

But Iérti remained where he was, tentatively peering at the ocean.

Mallen came closer, curious why Iérti was still standing there. Iérti waited until he was within speaking distance before saying in a small voice, "I can't swim." There was a glimmer of fear in his voice.

Understanding immediately dawned on Mallen's face. He realized Iérti spent his entire life on land, in the fortress and surrounding forest. He never had the chance to go near a large body of water to learn how to swim; hunting vampires and keeping people safe was his main priority. As a result, Iérti felt comfortable in forest settings and inside buildings. It produced a fear of large bodies of water, since he had never been near one before.

Mallen, on the other hand, had visited beaches before, albeit at nighttime. Though he never learned to swim as a human, his adventurous vampire life led him to exploring many corners of the land. There were two oceans on planet Verdamnt: the Căpșună and the Ciocârlie, Romanian for strawberry and lark. With the help of another vampire, Mallen learned how to swim in the two oceans.

Mallen exited the beach, the warm sunlight drying him. He walked up to Iérti, his previously cheerful face now sobered. "I'm sorry, Iérti," he said quietly in understanding. After a pause, he asked, "Would you like for me to teach you how to swim?"

Iérti shook his head, stepping further away from the water. "Perhaps another time." His voice indicated he was still much too afraid.

Mallen pushed wet hair back from his face. After a brief silence, the ocean waves crashing loudly as if eager to break their silence, he said, "Just let me know if you ever do want to learn."