The Demon and the Elf (Book 1)

Chapter Eleven pt 1

CHAPTER ELEVEN

[I tried changing the way Eial talked but I don't like it, haha. I'm switching back and will eventually go back to edit the previous chapters]

The world was indeed playing tricks on Eial. His caregiver turned out to be the mother of his bond. And both were as if fire on fire, constantly building up in intensity. What an odd situation to witness.

He spent the evening foraging with his mother; learning of new plants and their uses, admiring the beauty of the wilderness. When he tried to speak, there was a slight sense of discomfort and often he'd find himself biting back his own words. The time between them was too much and he was a different person even if she seemed almost the same. How was he to interact with her?

But his heart wanted to build that connection. Out of everyone, she had known him the best. All his secrets. She was the one he felt he could trust the most. Although the demon had learned of the things hidden within the elf, the elf was also aware of the light but consistent pain that remained in his chest.

On occasion, Eial came back into the cabin to check on the demon. Each time, the demon responded with narrowed eyes and remarks the elf didn't know what to make of. "Ha. Back already?" "Must be nice to spend time with her." "Wow, how great for you."

"Yes! It is great!" Eial could only respond in honesty. But when he would add, "Would you like to join us?" the demon only scoffed in return. Understanding didn't live within the elf for the way the demon said the words in the tone that he did. At his denial, Eial just chuckled gently. "You're silly," he said and left before the demon could come up with a retort.

"I think he wishes to spend time with you," Eial told his mother while carving off pieces of bark.

To that, his mother laughed. "And what gave you that idea?"

"He talks greatly about me spending time with you, but doesn't join. I think he wants to but is just being silly." Eial looked over at his mother with a sympathizing gaze. "I think it would be nice if you spent more time with him. He is fighting with his father. I would be sad too if I was also fighting with my mother."

The demoness's smile was gentle but somewhat solemn and conflicted. She caressed the smooth surface of a leaf she had just picked and replied, "If he wants that, I'll try" Placing the leaf in a pouch, the tone of her voice changed to sly confidence. "So? What do you think of Drokn?"

The unexpected question caught Eial off guard and his gaze shifted downwards as a soft pink grazed his cheeks. "He's handsome." Eial's voice was so soft that if his mother had been just a few feet further, she wouldn't have even noticed a sound had come out.

But, his mother did hear, and with distinct clarity. With an "Oh?" she nudged Eial with her elbow and smirked, causing Eial to squeeze his eyes shut and blush as if red paint smeared on him. Witnessing this, the demoness heaved a heavy laugh and ruffled Eial's hair. Once the laughter slowed, she turned tones again and asked with care, "How does he treat you?"

Before Eial could remember the sweet days the demon joked with him and teased him, what immediately came into his memories was the image of Drokn's wings flapping into the beyond and his snarl when they'd met again. Hesitation did not miss his voice as he spoke. "He treats me well."

"I don't think someone who treats you well will just leave you in demon territory."

"He had his reasons," said Eial, recalling the sharp words he was left with that still repeated in the back of his mind.

[I don't want you.]

"Anyway, I have you now. I'll just help him while I can." Eial smiled with truth, but his eyes did not glow.

The horned lady quirked her head and strained her brows. "What do you mea—" Before the demoness could finish asking, a loud blow was heard in the distance, diverting both their attention.

Quickly, the two of them made their way over to the source of noise, only to find Drokn shooting purple and black magic into thin air. At their presence, the demon conjured a thick ball of black with streaks of purple moving on it. He looked back at Eial and with a confident smirk and condensed the ball even further, creating a smaller but more powerful sphere of energy. Swinging his other hand, he tossed a loose black disc of energy into the air. At the same time, the black sphere lifted a few feet into the air, and with pushing motion, the thick orb shot and collided with the disc, creating an explosion in the air with a boom. Looking back again, he carried a smug expression.

"How was that?" the demon asked the curious elf who was slowly walking over.

Eial brought up his hands and lightly clapped in soft excitement. "That was really cool!" he exclaimed, which only added to the demon's smugness.

"What are you doing? Training?" the demoness asked, to which the demon ignored. "You want some tips?"

Drokn couldn't help but scoff, "And what could a magic-less being even know?" His hands rested on his hips and although his nose was turned up in arrogance, he was faced away, his display unseen.

Stepping closer to Eial, the demoness rolled her eyes and desperately tried to hold back snide remarks. "I may not have magic, but I do know how magic works. I was the one who had first trained Eial, anyway. Successfully, might I add." When the demon said nothing, she caught Eial's attention and continued. "Eial, demonstrate with water magic. Throw a ball first. Then, throw a spear."

And so Eial did without questioning. It was to help the demon, right? He opened his palm and a condensed ball of water magic immediately formed. Imitating the demon's magic, with his other hand, he threw a disc of water and simultaneously threw the ball, making them collide with a boom. Then, a sharp edged shape of water presented itself on his palm, and repeating the same process, he threw it and a disc. But this time, the sharp form of water sliced through the disc in silence.

The elf peeked over at the demon to check if he was watching, and to his mild disappointment, the demon was still faced away. What the elf didn't notice, however, was the tight fist the demon wore— tight enough that his nails almost pierced his skin.

Following Eial's gaze, the demoness sighed. "I'm sure even without looking, you could hear the difference. Sound is good for distraction, but quiet precision is good for stealth. But that also means you'll have to practice aim."

As soon as she finished the last word, the demon flicked his cape and walked behind the cabin until he was hidden from their view. Eial slowly traced the demon's steps until he saw the demon who stood near the wooden walls, staring down at his palm. He had an orb of black resting on his palm, and slowly, the orb shrunk and condensed. Unlike the elf, this took the demon a few seconds to prepare. A crunch in step, the demon swung his head towards the noise and found the elf peeking from a corner of the cabin. Baring his teeth, his magic dissipated away as he clenched his fist and walked away again— this time, inside the cabin, unable to enter as the demon had formed a wall of dark magic in place of a door.