Mobile Legends Anthology

How Love Didn't Bloom(Leomord|Irithel)

The furious fire reflected in the eyes of a little girl as she watched her parents scream in despair under the roof of their burning small house. There were people at standby, holding torches and swords as they curse at the dying couple.

"Mama... Papa..." Irithel cried as she outstretched her little hands, hoping that her beloved parents would come and hug her just like the old times.

"Look! There's the child!"

Irithel's feet were rooted on the ground as her teary eyes watched the men come running towards her with their weapons drawn.

"Mama... Papa... I... I'm scared!"

Her horrific shriek drove the birds away but the men did not care if she was a child or not. In their eyes, redheaded people in their land were nothing but a curse who bring misfortune to all living.

But before they could land a hit on the helpless child, a man riding a horse appeared behind Irithel. With a large sword at hand and an air of death lingering around the newcomer, the people backed away and ran as fast as possible before they'd lose their lives.

With Irithel crouching on the ground still crying out of fear, Leomord got down from his horse and patted her head.

"They're gone now so stop crying, you weakling," he stated after clicking his tongue.

Despite his sharp remarks, Irithel wiped off her tears and pointed at the house which was now nothing but a skeleton of black woods.

"Please help mama and papa," she pleaded even though she felt a bit scared of the man with a long, dark hair.

Not wanting to deal with the matter any longer, Leomord flicked her forehead and replied, "They're dead already. They are not coming back because they're dead. Did you get that, weakling? Now, go and find some food for yourself."

After saying such, he got back on his horse and went on his way. He could hear Irithel running after him while shouting for plea but he did not stop or even turn back to take one last glance at the young girl he saved.

For him, getting unnecessarily involved with a person was nothing but just a nuisance and a waste of time. He simply saved her because she was a helpless child but that's it, nothing more, nothing less.

Irithel was left behind in the woods all alone. As the sun set on the west, the dark started to embrace the sky. The faint howls of wolves made Irithel scared that her eyes started to water once again. She didn't know where to go and she was even lost.

"Mama! Papa!" she repeatedly cried out. She looked around but all she could see were the gigantic trees and tall grasses. She came to a stop when she noticed something furry behind a bush. With her curiosity getting ahead of her, Irithel slowly approached it and when the furry animal lifted its gaze and met her eyes, she paused for a while.

Just then, loud scream escaped her mouth. She immediately turned on her heels and ran as fast as she could without minding the track she was taking. But when she made a sudden turn, her forehead came in contact with a fallen branch. Her sight begin to spin and before she knew it, she fell unconscious.

12 years later...

"Leo, run faster!" Irithel yelled as they try to match the pace of the wild deer.

With her crossbow in place and Leo running at a faster pace, Irithel aimed at their target. With a wordless count to three, she pulled the trigger and three arrows were shot at the same time. All of them hit the deer dead in an instant.

Irithel, who was now at the age of 20, got down from the back of Leo, the furry smilodon that she got scared of 12 years ago. It grew bigger than the largest wolf and it can carry her with ease. Irithel patted him before she placed the deer at its back.

They went to the town and sold their hunt before going back to the woods where their home was located. However, they both sensed something out of place. But somehow, Irithel felt that it was a familiar aura. Drawing her crossbow, Leo took careful and slow steps as they approach where the eerie aura was coming from.

But before they could take one step closer, the ground below them suddenly rose, causing Leo to lose balance and dropping Irithel on the ground. She was about to stand back but upon lifting her gaze in front of her, a tip of a sword greeted her.

"I don't really like uninvited guests," said by a man whose long and dark hair covered one of his eyes. Instead of trying to escape or fight the man in front of her, Irithel stared right into his eyes as she cracked her brain to remember where she had seen this familiar man.

While she was doing so, Leomord retreated and sat on the fallen trunk of an old tree. He carefully examined the redheaded woman in front of him who seemed to be lost in her own world. After a few seconds, he realized something.

"You have grown quite quickly, weakling," he stated.

"They're gone now so stop crying, you weakling."

Those words echoed in Irithel's mind until she finally remembered when and where she crossed path with the guy who just called her weakling. She stood on both feet and pointed at him with her eyes wide.

"You're the scary guy with a horse!" she shouted, only to receive a glare from Leomord.

With a scowling face, he repeated, "Scary guy with a horse? Are you kidding me? Tsk!"

Irithel never expected that she'd meet her lifesaver at such unexpected time and place after years of not seeing him. Without any idle chatter, she bowed 180 degrees and shouted, "Thank you for saving me!"

She stood straight once more and took a step closer towards him, "What can I do in return?!"

Leomord found her a bit too noisy and feeling close so he pushed her further away from him. He was also wondering why she wasn't reacting negatively despite calling her a weakling. She seemed to be a peculiar one. And he, too, wasn't expecting to once again cross path with someone he just saved out of a whim. But seeing her all grown up and seemed to be stronger than before, he felt satisfied that his effort and time didn't go to waste.

"You don't have to do anything," he replied, "but how'd you live after I left you?"

Irithel smiled wide before running her fingers on Leo's fur. Then she responded, "Leo's mother took me under her care so I grew up hunting. Ah! What would you like as a gift? A wild deer? A wild boar? Or probably a bear?! Name it and I'll hunt it for you!"

Her enthusiasm almost stoked Leomord's enthusiasm as well but he managed to suppress it and faced her with his usual stoic face.

"Like I said, I don't want anything from you," he said but Irithel wasn't listening to him at all.

She held her chin, thinking seriously on what to do as to return the favor she received 12 years ago. It would be rude of her if she won't show gratitude.

After a few seconds, she beamed with glee. She had been hearing a lot of gossips in town about the things that would make a man happy and she was thinking that if she followed that, maybe Leomord would also be glad.

"How about I become your girlfriend?!" she proposed that almost made Leomord lose his composure.

He stared at her as she smiled from ear to ear. With the seriousness and enthusiastic front she was showing, Leomord came to realize that Irithel was someone who is ignorant of love and romance. She was too innocent and it was probably because she grew up isolated from the human civilization. It made Leomord feel that he shouldn't leave her alone or else she would be taken advantage of.

However, if he looked at the bigger picture, it isn't ideal for him to have Irithel by his side. In the first place, he wasn't obligated to take care of a human. And most of all, he didn't want to take the risk of accepting her for he might fall for her. Such situation wasn't impossible especially that at that very moment, he wanted to protect the innocent Irithel.

With a decision finally made, he walked towards her and just like before, he patted her on the head. With a smile drawn on his lips, he said, "Tell that to a more suitable man."

With that statement as his last words, he got on his horse and traveled back to Necrokeep. Irithel was once again left in the woods, watching him as he grew smaller, with only Leo as her source of comfort.

"In this world, some are never meant to be together like the living and the undead... like Irithel and I."
-Leomord