(Raijian's POV)
When morning came, I managed to steal a new outfit as the merchants were setting up their shops downtown. Afterward, I kept myself hidden until Aluma's arrival.
She stood at the edge of the lake and then squatted down to look into the water while waiting for me.
Her dress was silver again with a train that was at least five feet long.
The back of the dress was cut out, low enough that I could see the dimples on her back.
"Hey..." I greeted.
As soon as she heard my voice, she ran to me and held me.
"Hey... how are you?... Did you sleep well?... Have you thought about what I asked you last time?" Aluma met my eyes when she asked this, so I nodded and said,
"Of course, I thought about it."
I thought about how futile it was... and I thought about how helpless I felt.
"Oh, thank goodness, I'm so relieved... my.... future husband is set to visit me in a week, and I need to leave before then."
Her thoughts were transmitted to me:
"Even if we can't leave this planet, at least we should get far away from this city and hide our identities."
"I'll do what I can," I promised while cupping her cheeks and latching onto her lips with mine.
Questions were running through my mind, but my priority was to quench some of my lust.
It was hard to stop myself, especially knowing the time limit looming overhead.
She'll be leaving me soon, as soon as her curfew hits, I can't waste this time.
Today I had my way with her on the lake's shore, instead of in the deep waters.
Her body reacted more favorably to me; I could tell she enjoyed herself much more than yesterday.
This eased some of the guilt I felt for not being able to do more for her.
I'm going to send her home to a man who is expecting a virgin, with sand and grass covering her hair and skin, as well as wrinkled clothes.
I have no idea how she can explain her condition away to her guardians, and I know her husband will be disappointed next week, but... the guilt I feel for him is minimal.
Thinking about why I was wrong and all the reasons I should stop only excited me to go round after round with her.
"W-wait... Tonight, I'll pack my things and meet you here... Let's change our names and move to a small town. Then I won't have to marry him and perhaps... we can be together instead... me, you, and even Jey," she suggested, just as I was prepared to penetrate her again.
The sudden request killed my mood, so I pulled away.
"There won't be three of us." I clarified.
She gasped and asked,
"Why?! You shouldn't leave a young boy like that alone! Does he even have any other family?"
"Yes... There are other brothers and our father, but honestly, leaving without me would be safer for you. I am... more important than I've let on.
If I leave with you, you'll never have peace," I confessed.
Aluma arose and walked into the middle of the lake to wash her hair.
"I ... am the same. I haven't been completely open with you."
"How do I tell him about my mission... he'll be too afraid to elope if I do," she thought.
Aluma started crying, so I got up and stood behind her, helping to clean the sand from her back and lighten the stains on her clothes.
"What are you hiding?" I inquired while I removed grass from her hair.
Aluma groaned loudly and said,
"I'm an Infaniyan! The Eastern Prince was captured in battle... my people went to your king to negotiate, and he promised to release our prince in exchange for a woman. Only a woman who matched a certain description, dark hair and caramel skin. So they sent me."
I froze... she's not just anyone's bride... she's my father's...
"I don't want to marry him, Raijian. He's cruel and he scares me... he agreed to the trade, but he tortured the prince so harshly beforehand that he can no longer talk. The prince has permanent scars. I... felt like sacrificing myself was noble at first, but he says if I walk more than a hundred yards from the castle, he'll kill me.
All the other women in the Crimson Palace... the ones for his consorts; they all hate me. Especially because my looks are his preference. I've been poisoned several times already, but because my main element is Earth, I've managed to filter it from my system before it took effect.
I'm sorry for rambling... know this is a lot to take in," she admitted, hanging her head.
"Oh, he's your fiancé... that is lucky for you because I hate him more than you'd ever know and... I wouldn't want to live in a world where he has you.
Let's do it! Meet me here tonight. I will take you far away."
As I said this with newfound conviction, I touched her cheek, brushing away some dirt, and laughed within myself.
I know I'm telling her the truth because my vow wasn't triggered. I'm shocked that it was so easy for me to resolve myself. She kissed me, and then we parted ways at the usual time, though, unlike usual, I expected her swift return.
That day, I had planned on taking her away as agreed, but before I made it back to my shelter, I was intercepted by hunters.
"Found you," one said while holding up a picture of me and unsheathing his weapon.
I turned to leave, but that's when I noticed I was surrounded.
That's when I extended my wings, preparing to fly away. My wings are larger, so I can easily outrun them in the sky.
That's when one of them tossed a sickle and chain weapon at me.
I had to create a barrier of flame to stop it, but the person behind me had the same weapon, and as soon as it touched me, I knew it was a power-suppressing tool.
The chain wrapped around my body, pinning my arms, and I fell onto my knees, losing connection to my wings in that same instance.
"We got him! The king will be so happy!" a female hunter shouted.
Her face was obscured by a mask.
I doubt I knew her, regardless.
"He'll probably pay us extra since it's only been an hour since he hired us," a thin man stated excitedly.
They hugged each other.
I observed them quietly.
It was a band of ten people.
"Time to get him home," the man who caught me said.
He seemed to be the leader, and as soon as he got within range, I incinerated his arm.
"DAMN?! WHAT THE HELL?! WASN'T HE SUPPRESSED?"
"My arm?! What is this kid?!" he thought.
One of the perks of being Chosen is I'm never completely powerless... and unfortunately for this gang of fools, their lives don't matter to me at all, so I won't hold back.
I melted the chains around me. I felt my full power return, then my body became fire itself, instantly scorching the trees near me and causing a roaring forest fire to spread.
The woman to my right was the first to catch on fire, and the leader began crawling away to get out of my range, but his legs soon caught on fire, and I stomped on his back, lunging my foot through his spine to crush his heart.
I watched the corpse burn for safety's sake.
The others were burned in my initial transformation but managed to move back in time to survive with minor injuries.
"You're a monster!" shouted the thin man who spoke earlier.
He had stopped running to yell at me, so I closed the gap between us in that instant, grabbed him by the throat, and let my flames engulf him.
His screams were maddening... hearing them was almost addictive.
Unfortunately, while I was distracted by him, something hit me in the back of the neck, and the next thing I knew, I lost consciousness.
I could still hear their panicked voices, and one woman wouldn't stop screaming and crying... I wish I could get up and make her stop.
I was dragged back to the palace.
There was a new drug Tana invented to help the Chosen sleep... that's how they caught me. My father had it concentrated and turned into a tranquilizer.
He sent it with the mercenaries he hired.
"How did you get out this time?" Vetro asked, sitting sideways on his throne with his legs thrown over the armrest.
"I wanted to leave, so I found a way," I replied. Vetro frowned as he approached me.
He gripped my jaw and forced me to make eye contact with him.
"Who helped you?" he interrogated. I bit my tongue.
Then my father punched me so hard I tasted blood instantly and felt my body bounce off the stone floor.
His skin was rougher than sandpaper.
"Answer me, you little sh*t. Or do you want to take all this punishment alone? I'll go easy on you if you just open up to me... hmm?" he offered.
My head was spinning so much that I was not sure if I could tell him, even if I wanted to.
When I looked up at him, he was shimmering in the light because his body was coated in reinforced glass scales.
That explains why his first punch tore through layers of my skin, but even so, I was not about to rat out Zai and Valin... or even Cera.
They would never help me again if I did, and I have plans for the future that include them.
"Bring in the others!" my father commanded.
That's when my brothers, all seven, were led into the room. Vetro removed his robes and said,
"If you don't want to talk, then we can fight instead. Now... how did you break that barrier all on your own... and tell me where you went."
He created a glass sword and pressed the tip into the uninjured side of my face.
I refused to answer, so Vetro raised the sword, pointing it directly at my shoulder.
"That wasn't a question, it was a demand," he remarked coldly.
If I go all out in this confined space, my brothers will get caught in the fire, and all the oxygen in the room will burn away... but if I don't go all out... I'll just lose.
"Stop!" Zai shouted.
The King and I looked in his direction; Cera was beside him, crying.
Even though he was, clearly, terrified, he outstretched his trembling arms to guard Zai if necessary, but it didn't look like Zai noticed.
"I'm getting sick and tired of you," Vetro yelled back.
In a flash, he was in front of Zai this time, raising his sword to slash him instead.
Surprising everyone in the room, Valin caught the blade gently between his fingers, and it shattered completely into dust.
I heard gasps of astonishment, even from the staff.
"You've won! Rai is back! So stop hurting my family!" Valin yelled.
My father launched a series of attacks at Valin.
Hurling crystal spears, flying glass shards, vines, and even larger chunks of earth.
My little brother somehow deflected every attack.
He even managed to push the King back, causing Vetro to stumble backward as Valin stepped toward him, saying,
"I said stop."
The father I thought was invincible fled from the room.
Zai rushed to Valin to hug him and scream,
"Thank you!"
The rest of their conversation was drowned out by my thoughts:
Vetro can be killed... If I can just fight him alone, I might also have a chance of bringing him down.
That way I wouldn't need to hold back. This generation's Chosen must be the strongest yet, and it was foretold that the war will end with us...
Killing my father is one way to end this war.
To my astonishment, Vetro kept his distance from me.
Days of planning his demise passed until my chance finally came when I was summoned into the throne room.
Vetro always had a face that looked amused. He hated humor, but he was always so pleased with himself that his smile was permanent, yet today he looked pissed.
"It seems that you think because we're blood, I must share all my things with you," Vetro accused.
"What?" I asked, in confusion.
All the other servants left the room, shutting the doors and locking the two of us inside. Everything in here is made of marble or glass, and my father is dressed like he's ready for battle.
"You've been screwing my wife! Did you think I wouldn't find out?!"
The floor changed, so I extended my wings and hovered as the whole room morphed into spikes and daggers, which moved quickly towards my body to skewer me.
I barely managed to dodge them, and for the first time, it felt like he was trying to kill me, not just scare me. The safest place was near him, so that's where I flew to launch my taunt,
"She told me you weren't married yet!"
His eyes glowed bright with rage, and more spears launched from his body, coming within inches of me before I lit up, becoming fire.
All the stone and glass near me melted like ice.
"I'll kill you! You son of a bi*ch!"
...
I can't believe he called me that, but he did always hate my mother.
I wish he'd let it go.