Immortals

8000 years later

This april's morning of 2016 was cold and cloudy, the stormy sky threatened to discharge huge streams of water on Greyhall at any moment. This small, fortified city mixed the charm of the Renaissance and the austerity of the medieval times. The industrial revolution hadn't really come there. Of course, they had the electricity, the gas, internet and all the usual technologies, but the earls of Greyhall made sure that these new things didn't change the charm of their city. Cause next to Greyhall was Wood Castle, the castle where the earls lived. It was an imposing house, dark and mysterious which dominated the valley, standing just before a cliff. And none had ever dared defying an earl of the family wood, then at least, none had remained alive after that.

 Loads of rumor circulated about the earldom of Greyhall, of it's lords, of it's inhabitants. Most of them were partially true, the lords didn't receive the gene of kindness and compassion. Plenty others were a bit crazier, worthy of the best transylvanian tales. The inhabitants liked to spread them or even to fuel them, it attracted the tourists but discouraged any new inhabitant to come. So most of the family were already there centuries ago. 

In the neighboring countryside were a lot of farms spread in little groups. In one of them lived the family Madaeve who raised the sheeps.

-" Ereyne ! You're going to be late at school !"

-" I'm coming mum !"

The sixteen years old teenager sped up to finish her hairstyle, putting back pins in her blond hair. How could a simple bun be so difficult to make. She caught her leather jacket, her backpack and went down the stairs as quick as she could.

As she dropped back quickly, picking up a croissant in the kitchen that her mother had prepared for her. If truth be told, Elisabeth Madaeve wasn't really Ereyne's mother but all the persons who lived by her called her that way. Ereyne slipped on her black shoes then ran to the next bus stop. Breathless, she finally caught the bus in time and went into the vehicle.

She sat at the first place she could find, next to a boy old of maybe twelve years, a bit podge which she greeted with a smile. She straightened her skirt and sighed loudly. This dreadful run had completely uncombed her hair. Why the hell did she lose twenty minutes of sleep for that ?!

The young lady looked at the castle. Far away, the towers were somehow agressive with their pointed roofs.

It had been nearly a year that nobody, except the personnel had stepped onto the castle. The lord was on a trip so only the ghosts invited themselves in the strange abode.

A shiver travelled through her back when she saw a flock of crows taking off of the tower. These cursed scavenger birds never meant that something good was about to happen.

Ereyne took out her phone when she heard it ring in her pocket. Most of the other students did the same, actually, everybody in the bus had just received one or several messages.

Even her little neighbor had taken out his phone.

-"What ?"He was astonished " who's this lord ?"

-"Unbelievable" whispered Ereyne, her eyes one her screen. She chased a tear away and shook her head. Easter was coming, she should have guessed.

"Hey" her neighbor was talking to her " Who's this lord ?"

-" you are new, aren't you ?" 

-"I'm the new prop of the rugby team, Thomas Johnson."

-" Ereyne Madaeve, nice to meet you. The lord is Zelyan Wood. Did you notice the huge castle near the lake ? she asked while answering one of her panicked friend on her phone.

-" Of course, it's impossible to miss, it's so imposing"

-"This is Wood Castle, abode of the highly respected family Wood. Zelyan is the worst generation known nowadays."

The psychopath able of torturing you for his own pleasure, stay away.

-" Let me guess, you love him like all the girls of this school ? There was a boy like that in my old school, the bad boy type who fucked all the girls."

She stared at him with a look of obvious fear, so far from the ashamed look he ha expected. He was now regretting his words.

-"I'm not joking ! ask anybody, he hold everyone under his yoke. He's bad !"

The bus stopped in front of the high school of Greyhall. The teenagers got out one by one and went quickly on the building.

Ereyne descended the few steps, careful to not fall down and lifted her head back up, then she froze.

In front of her, leaning back against a low wall, a young man clothed with a dark suit, a red rose pinned to the buttonhole looked with a certain delight the others carefully avoiding him.

When he saw her, he straightened, watched from left to right then walked to Ereyne who was now shaking and offered her his arm.

Arm that she took after a little hesitation while he was dedicating her a charming smile, frightening of sentimentality.

-" My sweet Ereyne, did you miss me ? I have been gone far too long."

-" Zelyan" she whispered with pleading eyes. "Don't do this"

-"I'm here" he said, kissing her forehead while she let her tears roll all the way down her cheeks." It's gonna be alright"

He had been gone for nearly a year now, that made him a perfect unknown person to the new students who were staring at him with the utmost astonishment. His suit was not something usual in this school which imposed the uniform. They crossed the path of two teachers but they didn't make any comment, more exactly, they walked the length of the wall, trying not to make eye contact with Zelyan.

-" Last time we met, you wanted to go to the university. Why the hell am I still in this school ? He asked while sending mean glares to every person who came too near of them.

-" I wanted to, but they have refused my inscription because I didn't have the certificate of the end of schooling."

-" And couldn't you ask Caius to create you one ?"

-" I prefer to earn it by myself."

-" Then, take advantage of this end of year cause we are at the end of the millenary and everything's going to change in very little time."

She looked up at him, worried, of course the millenary will end soon but like many before it and nothing really happened before despite the announcements and the prophecies.

The current calendar was displaced compared to the dates of the creation. And the humans have always feared the end of the world at the wrong time. But the true end of the world as announced by the godly texts was supposed to be followed by cataclysm and none was listed.

-" This summer" he answered at her mute question.

He was going to trigger the end of the world this summer and he told that with this playful tone.

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Thanks for reading, the next chapter is coming soon. Please leave some commets and vote for the story, it will make me more eager to go to work ;)