The Demon and the Elf (Book 1)

Chapter Eight pt 2

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Earlier in the afternoon that day, Eial's eyes creaked open, the blinding sunlight and pleasant fields completely oblivious to his current situation. When his hazy mind took its time to clear, he shot up and frantically looked around. He was beside a tree and a field full of grass... but no demon. His brain —and his heart— couldn't fully process the sudden change. Why? He thought back to their days and how sweet the demon had been. His gentle caresses. "Trust me," he had said. And Eial did. So, what did he do wrong?

Then, it hit him. During the last moments of his wake, he recalled the demon saying Eial wouldn't want him either. Him— a prince. The type of person he vaguely remembered saying he'd rather not be with a few days ago.

"Ohh! I'm so thoughtless! I shouldn't have said that!" Never in his dreams would he have thought the person he spent his days with was an actual prince.

Years ago, he'd snuck his way into an elven library and spent hours looking through books after books, trying to find anything about demons in a naive attempt to find anything about his former caretaker who disappeared. But it was all for naught. Most of the fictional stories were about demons as enemies to an elven romance. The only piece of nonfiction that caught his attention was about the royalty. To his curiosity, the prince was said to have existed, but had never been publicly revealed.

That is, until just a few hours ago, in front of this elf.

"He probably thinks I don't want him! Oh jeez, his feelings must have been so hurt!" Eial looked distraught and disappointed with himself. He was hoping to make the demon feel comfortable, but unknowingly had been rejecting him all the while. "I have to let him know that I accept him, prince or not. He is my bond and always will be."

Eial took a deep breath in, preparing himself to enter a territory full of beings he was weak against. And then his lips turned wide with confidence and his chest grew lighter. Just a misunderstanding. I can fix this. This is not like before. I just have to find him and clear it up!

Without another second of doubt, he jumped and drafted a spiraling ball of air below him. Sitting on the ball with his hand between his legs, maintaining the magic, he set off straight northeast, around where he knew the demon territory to be.

Restlessness in him grew each minute and as much as he could, he tried to speed up. He wondered if the demon had made it to his home yet or if he would encounter him on the way. What if he had taken a break and they met on the way? Envisioning a scene of them meeting in surprise, explaining the misunderstandings, and happily hugging made him bashfully hold back a smile of excitement.

A few hours of riding and the evening sun had rested a bit above the horizon. In his weariness of unbroken magic use, he was relieved to see a town in the distance with winged beings flying above. Demon territory. Soon, his relief turned into nervousness as his heartbeat picked up and his eyes scanned the area. Where was he supposed to go? And how would he go unnoticed? He broke his magic and covered himself tight within his cloak. Looking at the unfamiliar flying demons above the town, he wished he had met his demon on the way.

As he took a few minutes behind a boulder to try and think of a plan, a sudden bolt of panic struck over him, just as it had the day they'd first met. Except, this time it was much stronger.

The demon was in trouble.

Instinctively, Eial closed his eyes and teleported— unknowing of his destination, but without an ounce of doubt.

When he opened his eyes again, he was in a long hallway decorated in gold. Immediately hiding behind a decorative vase beside him, he saw his demon, thrown out into the hallway by a push of dark magic.

"Leave the palace now before I kill you," he heard a booming voice threaten.

However, the demon stood up, his attention focused on the person hidden behind the hallway walls, and attempted to attack once again. At the next moment, the air chilled. With a sudden whoosh, a spear flew in the direction of the stunned demon.

Eial's eyes widened in panic as he saw the spear, almost in slow motion. Immediately, he flung his hand and washed over a thick wall of water, misdirecting the spear and impaling the wall right next to the demon's shoulder.

At the same time, Eial rushed over and pulled the demon towards him and out of sight of the attacker. Making sure to hold onto the demon, he teleported to the end of the hallway where a large window lay. With a quick glance outside, he quickly teleported again to the nearest location he could see that looked empty.

Eial relaxed at their momentary safety, and before he could ask if the demon was okay—

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Drokn shoved the elf, looking angrily at him and unwelcoming his presence.

"I just— our bond called out to me because you were in trouble—"

"Trouble?" the demon scoffed. "The only trouble is you. I was fine! Why did you take me away?"

"You would have died..."

The demon's face grew redder and his snarl grew wider. "What? Are you also saying I'm fucking weak? Can't win a fight? Must be nice to be so powerful, huh?"

Eial bit his lower lip at the unexpected conversation and misassumed statements and tried processing the right thing to say.

With a huffed breath, Drokn kicked the ground in frustration. "Are you happy now? I'm not a prince! And I'll never be! Because somehow he found out I have a fucking elf as a bond."

Eial's chest sank, uncertain of how to respond, but he tried his best to communicate with a quivering voice. "I- I don't mind if you're a prince. And I don't mind if you're not. No matter who you are, I just want to be with you. I'm sorry that I'm an elf, but... i-it'll be okay. I promise. I'll make sure you're happy, and—"

"You don't fucking get it. Just seeing you makes me burn. Everything I've worked for is gone because of you. I don't want you. I don't want to be with you. Not now. Not before. Not ever." The demon's eyes grew dark and his fists clenched, the sharp nails piercing into his skin.

Facing up, Eial looked at the demon, his eyes darting from one eye to the other and his pulse pounding in his ears. "B-but we're bonded..."

Drokn sneered, narrowing his seething glare. "And?" Turning his back towards Eial, he bared his wings and flew off without a single glance back.

And as for Eial— an empty pain grew in his heart as the demon's words sank in and he finally understood. My bond doesn't want me either.