-The Land of ETERNALS-

-Part 30-

Alora's POV

I walked towards Blath, second-guessing myself about what I had said earlier. I knew deep down that no one was perfect, whether they were humans, creatures, or objects. Love, too, wasn't perfect, despite the idealized version we often dream of. So how could humans or vampires be perfect? I was frustrated because he hadn't said those three words I longed to hear.

But instead of hearing those words, I heard him say, "I'm glad I don't have feelings for you." It hurt, but when I looked into his eyes, I could see that he was lying. He wasn't being honest with himself or with me.

As I approached the lake, I noticed a few other vampires standing nearby. It was the same lake where Alaric had gotten mad at me for almost getting myself killed, though I still didn't know what was in there, and I didn't bother asking.

"Hey fellow!" one of them yelled at me.

"H-hi," I replied, not sure what they wanted. I wasn't great at making friends, and I never really needed to. I had my mom and Fiorella.

"You're heading towards Blath. Wanna get yourself killed?" one of them asked.

"Thank you for being concerned," I said, mustering a sarcastic smile. One of them rolled their eyes but stepped forward.

"I'm Lucifer, and they are Cassara and Carter," he introduced himself and his friends. Lucifer was tall, though not as tall as Alaric, with brown eyes that looked almost black from a distance. His curly hair fell perfectly on his forehead. Cassara and Carter looked like siblings, with their wavy hair and gray eyes.

"Hi Lucifer, hi Cassara and Carter," I greeted them, waving my hand. "I'm Alora."

"And Alora, why are you heading towards Blath? Don't tell me you're going after that son of a— I mean, the king's son, Alaric."

That made me angry. Why did everyone here see Alaric as an asshole? "He's the king's son, right? He deserves respect, so call him respectfully. Make sure I don't hear you saying anything like that about him ever again."

"Are you in his team? Or maybe his love—" one of them started, but I cut him off.

"That doesn't matter," I interrupted. When I looked at Cassara, I noticed an irritated expression on her face. Was she jealous?

"Anyway, I'll get going," I said, turning around. "Adios."

Leaving them behind, I continued walking towards Blath, contemplating what I was going to say. 

'I'm sorry I said all that'? 'I'm a dumbass and a very stupid person, let me bow down to you and sincerely apologize'? I wanted to smack myself right then and there.

After a few more minutes of walking, I finally reached Blath. The black, dead grass and trees gave me chills, but my concern for Alaric outweighed my fear. He wasn't safe.

"ALARIC!" I yelled at the top of my lungs as I started walking. Strangely, everything I stepped on seemed to come alive, as if it had never died in the first place. It made me even more scared. 

"ALARIC, ARE YOU HERE?"

He had to be here. If not, I'd smack him so hard. Okay, maybe not.

After a few more minutes of walking and screaming, I finally saw him sitting on the ground.

"Alaric..." I whispered loud enough for him to hear.

He turned around, his eyes darker than ever, and walked hurriedly towards me. "What the fuck are you doing here?!"

I was relieved to see that he still cared. "I... I came here to see you. Honestly, I'm here to apologize..."

He looked at me with a soft expression on his face. "And I guess I'm ready to hear you say those three words," he chuckled, as if he had never been mad in the first place.

"I am sorry," I said sincerely. "I'm a dumbass and a stupid person, and I should've never said those words to you. I apologize, and I'll make sure never to do this again. I'll never bring up anything from the past—"

"Calm down, calm down," he interrupted, taking a few steps forward. I smiled at him.

But our moment didn't last long. His expression suddenly changed from relief to horror. Was he scared?

"What the hell..." 

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-the universe doesn't care about time. we do, because we remember-

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