Halfling (editing in process)

Chapter Eighteen

Javen sensed something strange in the forest as he traversed to meet his long-time friend and fling. Both lived too far away for anything serious to blossom between them, and both were too stubborn to move closer. She had her home and he had his; after all that had transpired however, he was having second thoughts of staying in the place that had raised him since his parent's death. He didn't know what Aria would do now that she was free; and he no longer had a long time goal. His purpose was to destroy the demon that had turned his life upside down, and now that demon was dead. Since he was a young man he had been studying demons, slaying demons and interrogating them for information on the whereabouts and identity of the demon. He hadn't had a way into the Underworld, and thought he would never get justice for his family's death. Aria had come along and all that had changed. He didn't have anything now except his half-sister.

He had heard from a lesser demon that someone was coming to steal his mother's bracelet, a trinket the elves had taken from him when they felt her energy within. It was an old spell, and a powerful one at that, and they had held it sacred. When he had told them he needed inside they had assumed he was paying his mother tribute; little had he known that Aria would arrive, that the bracelet would bond to her. He still didn't know why it had bonded with her instead of him; his mother had been his entire life and Aria hadn't known her at all. He had felt betrayed at first and could only feel anger. Now he thought he was beginning to understand, he had been thinking about the vision of his mother's capture that had come to him and Aria both when they had first met. His mother, while she had been tortured and suffered with the knowledge of what kind of abomination she was carrying, had cared for the baby growing within her once she had been stopped from harming herself. As her stomach had swollen as the baby grew she had spoken to her, loved her, and even had given her a name. She hadn't even gotten a good look at the infant before her death. Maybe that was why she had bonded with Aria instead of him; she hadn't gotten to know her second child. Perhaps it was for the simple reason of her knowing that Aria needed her mother's touch. He had noticed Aria fooling with the bracelet more since they had rescued her from the world of darkness. He had been feeling stronger pulses of energy from the bracelet since then as well. His mother was comforting her. They had nearly shared the same fate. The thought still sickened him; not only had the demon raped and killed his mother, but he was willing to do it again with his child.

He was glad the bastard was dead.

He wasn't angry anymore, he wasn't spiteful, he was at peace; but still felt like something was missing, something was wrong. Perhaps it was time that he went and started a family of his own, to leave the past behind and start new. He didn't think he would be traveling with his half-sister any longer; she and the demoness seemed to have grown fond of one another, and the demoness had grown quite protective of his sister since they had gotten back from the dark realm. He wouldn't stop them; if Payne could make Aria happy then so be it. He doubted any elf would look at her with romantic intentions. They would see her as the half demon she was; he had gone from tolerating her to accepting her, it was what his mother would have wanted. Besides, his sister was something to be proud of. She was strong, cared about other creatures and people, she was curious and filled with wonder at anything new. She had the spirit of an elf and the attitude of a demon; a fusion that made Aria a unique spirit that he had come to accept and... love. He would keep in touch with her, they were family.

There was a whispering in the forest as he walked through it, as if the trees themselves were holding a secret they could not contain. He found himself compelled to walk in the complete opposite direction of where he was going, and found himself in a soft clearing of purple flowers, shaded by interlocking branches overhead. Something moved on the other side of the clearing and he drew his bow, only to stop as the figure stepped into the light.

"M-Mother?" Javen stammered, and thewoman smiled.