Sun and Moon (First Draft)

꧁ Chapter Nine: Swept Away ꧂

The nightshade was glowing a luminous blue, which was the equivalent of daytime in their Realm of Darkness.
Xander still hadn't made it to Izuri's daily training sessions at his dojo.
Which was strange because he had insisted that they would still be training while trying to kill every vampire in the realm.

He had explained to Izuri that doing so would take much time, and she understood that.
Izuri feared that such a task may even take an entire year, but Xander reassured her by telling her that both the elves, Krys and Oris, had gone out on their horses across the land, to spread word of the vampires and their curse and how they had to be killed.

Now, vampires were gradually being hunted all throughout their realm.

But it had been hours now. Xander was two hours late, and he was never late.
"Jacob," she called to the boy, who was talking to Oraya about something outside their dojo.
"Hmm?" He lazily called back, honestly too preoccupied with whatever it is they were talking about. Izuri didn't hear much of their conversation but knew that the two of them were talking about combat.
"Xander isn't back yet," she highlighted.

Jacob and Oraya briefly exchanged looks before entering Xander's dojo.
"Are you sure you're supposed to be training today?" Jacob tried.
But Izuri shook her head vigorously. "No, he said he'd be here. He hasn't even contacted me all day! Something's wrong, I just know so."

Something was wrong, the trio couldn't deny that.
"Where did you see him last?" Oraya asked calmly, looking into Izuri's hazel brown eyes.
"He left for his usual spot atop the trees at night," she said. "He didn't come back after that."

That was it. All the information they needed.
So, they set out to find him, walking through the forest outside the warren, near the meandering path that he always loved to take.
There, they found the same old, leafless and strangely black tree that he would so often be perched upon.

Oraya gasped at its unnatural colour upon their first arrival, but Jacob and Izuri could hardly say they were surprised. They'd seen a countless amount of these kinds of plants throughout the realm.
"Why is it black?" Izuri asked. Despite seeing many of them, she had never questioned their bold appearance.
"Disease," Oraya explained with one word. "The same one that is slowly killing your realm."

"Well," Jacob loudly piped up, letting out a sigh. "he's not here."
Izuri looked irked by how calm Jacob seemed. "What? That's it, we're just going to walk away?" Izuri yelled.
"No, of course not," Oraya offered. "We have to investigate."

But Jacob saw this as a pointless task. Investigate what? The man was mysterious and had probably gone out for a walk to slay a few more vampires. Who knows? Maybe he had forgotten about his training session with Izuri altogether. Afterall, these vampires did form quite the distraction.

Izuri on the other hand, was not buying it. This was not like Xander at all, and deep down inside, they all knew it.

"I'm not sure where he could have possibly gone, Izuri," Jacob said, as the three of them uselessly wandered around the tree that they would always find him perched upon.