guardian tales: deviation from the tale

another night at the campfire

After the stormy experience I had gone through with Karina, I found myself in a state of overwhelming weakness. It was as if my body had been stripped of all its vitality, leaving me in a state of extreme exhaustion. I collapsed on the ground, feeling the cold bite of the hard terrain against the skin of my back. Every fiber of my being was begging for rest, a period to recover from the anguish I had just endured.

However, after a few brief and precious moments of rest, the tranquil silence I had enjoyed was interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps. That sound encouraged me to gather the little energy I had left to get up from the ground. When I looked up, I saw the figure of the knight approaching. His appearance left me stunned; I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

His body was pierced by several almost transparent arrows. Additionally, his skin was marked with various wounds that, surprisingly, seemed to have been caused by a rabbit. Despite his condition, there was an indomitable determination in his eyes, which made me admire him even more.

I was about to ask him about his state when he spoke first. He approached me and knelt down, observing with concern the wound on my neck.

Abdiel, with a trembling voice, urged me, "Quick, eat this, you look too pale."

With that, he started searching for something in his bag. After a moment, he pulled out a shiny, red apple, which looked fresh and succulent. He extended his hand and offered it to me. Despite my initial confusion and the strange situation, I decided to obey and accepted the apple. With slight hesitation, I brought the apple to my lips and bit into it. Instantly, I felt revitalized, as if the apple had injected life back into my tired and exhausted body. The taste was even juicier and sweeter than I remembered, as if each bite was filled with the very essence of life.

Abdiel, still with a tone of concern in his voice, asked, "You were so pale, what happened to you?"

I explained in detail everything that had happened with Karina, revealing the complex truth that she was actually a vampire and that in an act of compassion, I had offered her my own blood. Abdiel seemed very worried upon hearing the story and began to blame himself for not having been present at the moment of crisis: "I can't believe I wasn't here when it happened..."

Despite the seriousness of the situation, I tried to infuse a bit of tranquility into it, "But... despite everything, I think I managed to do a greater good by donating that blood. That has to count for something, right?"

Trying to keep the atmosphere light and to calm him down, I gave him a reassuring smile, to which he seemed surprised. Without saying a word, he simply extended his hand and gently caressed my cheek, returning my smile with a look of understanding in his eyes. Although it was a simple gesture, I couldn't help but feel that this particular moment was special and unique; a moment I would remember forever.

After some time, once we had both recovered from our respective wounds, we ventured out in search of some dry branches to prepare a campfire. We wandered through the forest, carefully collecting wood and returning with our arms full. Once there, we used the old method of creating fire by rubbing two stones together until finally, sparks ignited the wood. We sat around the fire, letting its warmth envelop us as night fell around us.

The day had been incredibly long, full of unexpected challenges and tense moments, but now, in the light of the fire, it seemed as if all that had happened in a different lifetime. I felt strangely content, as if this adventure had shaken my world and left it a little brighter, a little more interesting. And the best part was that I was sharing this moment with someone who didn't fear me, someone who didn't distance themselves or become cold in the face of my strange curse.

That night, as we sat next to each other, absorbed in the hypnotic dance of the campfire flames, I couldn't help but notice the joy that radiated from the knight. His smile, which to some might seem naive or even silly, to me seemed charming and genuine. As I watched his face illuminated by the fire, I saw him pull out a jar from his pocket. What it contained seemed like a strange mixture between cream and some sort of slime, something I had never seen before. With great care, he proceeded to apply this mysterious ointment to his face, a gesture that piqued my curiosity.

Unable to contain my intrigue, I asked him with a somewhat shy smile, "What do you use that for?"

He let out a sigh, one that seemed to carry an invisible weight. Then, with a look that denoted a certain air of sadness, he replied, "This is to improve the appearance of my face. Let's just say... well, I don't consider myself particularly attractive."

At that moment, I was deeply confused. I couldn't understand what could be wrong with him, but it seemed that the comments he had received in the past had affected him considerably. I decided that, in such a situation, the best thing I could do was try to console him. I said sincerely, "To me, you look perfectly fine just the way you are. In fact, I would dare to say that you are the kindest knight I have had the pleasure of meeting. And I'm not just referring to your physical appearance."

Upon hearing my words, he simply blushed and looked away. He even completely forgot about the cream in his hand. It seemed that my comment had managed to alleviate a bit of the weight he carried on his shoulders, and that filled me with joy. I felt truly satisfied to have been able to help such a kind and considerate knight.

After spending some time together, immersed in a constant but reassuring silence that seemed to speak more than a thousand words, we decided it was time to retire to rest. Under the starry night sky, I extinguished the campfire, whose sparks seemed to compete with the stars in their fleeting dance. The residual heat from the dying embers dissipated into the cool night air. With the tranquility of the surroundings and the peaceful silence that enveloped us, I allowed my mind to cross the threshold of reality into the vast and mysterious world of dreams and fantasies.