Queen Of Adis

"Grandfather!" Adis was unable to stop himself and hollered. Then he staggered towards him, tugged his arm and begged. "Don't do this, grandfather, anything but that!"

"It was never my choice, to begin with, nor do I have the power to deny them." Camus was referring to the powerful demon clans who stated the rules of the game. He freed his hand from Adis' grip then walked towards Haru. He gently stroked her head like a father normally does to his daughter. "Haru, grandfather and the three Kings do not wish to hide anything from you, however, you are not allowed to ask questions nor are we allowed to help you. This is how this game must be played."

Her scowl deepened at the sudden mystery. When she looked at Adis, he was pacing the ground while restlessly running his fingers through his hair. He looked tormented and the corner of his eyes reddened. It was obvious that Adis didn't want her to play the game, and yet, none of them had any choice but to accept the trick of fate.

Was this one of the tribulations she had to face for loving him?

She clenched her fists as she softly called out to him, "Adis?"

Adis stopped in his tracks, closed his eyes and swallowed hard. When he calmed down, he slowly turned around to look at her. He looked like Vladimir when the vampire boy was pleading to not take his home away from him.

"I-I honestly don't have much faith in myself," she started as she nervously breathed out. "But if you tell me that you have faith in me, I think, I might be able to even cross the valley of death just to be with you again."

Adis dashed towards her and almost crashed her bones into a tight hug. He buried his face in her neck as he whispered against her skin. "I wish to just elope with you and leave this hateful world, but I knew that it's not the kind of happiness you seek."

He encased her beautiful face in his hand as he kissed her forehead, eyes, cheeks, and nose before his lips lingered on hers. He didn't know when, but it became a habit of his whenever he was being flooded with overwhelming emotion. "I trust you just as I trust in our love. You are brave, bold and you can outsmart your enemy with your brilliant mind. I know that you will come out victorious even without my help. And your resilience and courageous heart will bring you back to me. I shall await you here, my love, no matter how long it will take."

Haru wrinkled her nose then kissed his chin. "That's not necessary. You still owe me a date tomorrow, right?"

Adis kissed her lips again, then whispered something to her ears before he finally let her go.

Zen and Aquarius hugged her tight and gave her encouraging words. Then, they parted to give way to their grandfather.

"May the gods be with you, sweet child." With the gentle sway of Camu's hand, Haru's body gradually disappeared, taking with her the image of Adis' captivating smile.

*******************************

When Haru fluttered her eyes open, she was met with a familiar scene; grayish-white snow that's covering the ground and houses around, the skeleton trees encased in crisp glaze, the frozen terrain and the different species everywhere. Yes, she was indeed back in Nepri.

Creatures stopped upon seeing her materialized out in the open, then go back to their own businesses after a brief moment as though it was a usual sight to see.

She looked around as she bought some necessities for her quick excursion and store it on the space ring Adis gave her the other day. When she remembered what Adis whispered to her ears, her strides became fast and confident, almost running towards her d.e.s.i.r.ed destination.

She stopped in front of a huge stone mansion, with white picket fences and a small playground inside it. She stormed inside and went to look for a beautiful little boy with golden eyes and gray hair. When she saw her target, her eyes instantly brightened in satisfaction.

Vladimir was sitting in a corner lounge while talking to a pretty girl with a pigtail and in a pink dress. Mr. Bear was standing on a coffee table in the middle and gesturing his hand, completely engrossed in their conversation.

"Vlad?" She knelt on the floor and called out in a tiny voice, but enough for the child to stiffened and snapped around to her direction.

"Mother!" The boy squealed and sprinted to hug her. "I thought it will take you a while to visit Vladimir?" He chortled then peeked behind her. "Huh? Are you not with father?"

Haru shook her head as she held his hand. "No, mother came alone this time." She tilted her head towards the little girl in pink then pinched his nose. "Eh? Our little Vladi has grown bold! I told you to make friends, not to court a lady," she teased.

Vladimir stomped his foot as his face and neck reddened. "No, mother, please don't tease Vladimir. Vesta just came here yesterday and she's my friend. I am telling her about you. Come, mother, let me introduce you to her." When he turned around, he almost bumped at his new friend. He was surprised to see Vesta right behind him with Mr. Bear in her arms.

The little girl called Vesta was like a living porcelain doll. She had a huge and round lazy eyes, adorned with thick long lashes, a cute nose and lips. Her hair was the shade of a blazing flame and her eyes were as green as the lushes forest in spring.

Haru's heart instantly melted at the little angel in front. "Hello, nice to meet you, Vesta. You are so cute!" She cheerfully greeted.

Vesta just stared at Haru with an emotionless face for a brief moment. Then, out of nowhere, she buried her face into her bosom, squeezing the poor bear in between.

Before she could even react, Vesta pulled herself up again and looked at Vladimir. "You're right, she smells nice." She commented in a monotonous voice.

Unable to resist the urge, Haru slowly reached for the doll's cheeks and pinched it. Haru giggled when the kid didn't say anything but her lazy eyes reflected her real intention -- to burn her alive.

Afterward, she stood up and held Vladimir's hand. "Vlad, there is something I wish to talk to you, can you lend mother your ear?"

Vladimir immediately nodded in understanding and bid his farewell to Vesta before taking Mr. Bear from her arms. "I'll see you later, Vesta!"

Haru took Vladimir towards the abandoned playground inside he picket fences and sat at the edge of a slide, cradling the boy on her l.a.p.

"Uhm, I really don't know how to start," Haru restlessly scratched her nose while looking for the right words to say.

Vladimir held her cheek and tilted it to meet his golden orbs. "Mother, you can tell Vladimir anything. No need to be shy."

Haru noticed that he was acting more like Adis lately and he even took some of his father's mannerisms. Was he trying to mimic Adis? How cute!

"Well, mother has accepted a game and it's a very dangerous one. But your father cannot help me because I have to win it without his assistance. I wonder... if you can accompany mother?"

She honestly didn't want to bring the child as she would worry about his safety. However, Adis whispered that Vladimir was a gifted magic wielder like him. So long as he won't be angered or experience overwhelming emotional stress, he was a force to be reckoned with.

The vampire child's jaw dropped and his eyes widened in joy. He instantly stood up and jumped. "Really, mother, you will bring me with you? Wow, that is so wonderful! Oh, don't worry mother, Vladimir promises that he will not be a burden to you. The bad people from where I came from trained me to wield dark magic since I was three." He raised his hand to prove that he was telling the truth and even enumerated all his abilities to convince her. "I am skilled with all kinds of dark arts and I can control my blood to form different kinds of weapons. I can protect you, just like what father said. You can trust me, mother!"

Haru giggled and kissed his forehead. "All right, all right! No need to convince me too much. I already decided to bring you with me even before I came here. Since mother is pressed for time, we must make haste towards the Atlantis woods."

"Yehey!" Vladimir squealed and jumped as though he won a jackpot in the lottery.

"Hey, hey! In case you have forgotten, I still exist!" Mr. Bear yelled out to get their attention. "Hey, brat, you can't leave me here. I thought we are partners-in-crime. I can fight too, remember?"

Haru and Vladimir laughed out loud when they remembered the grumpy stuffed toy.

"Don't worry Mr. Bear, I never thought of leaving you behind." The boy tightened his hold on his precious toy as he reassured him.

"I already talked to the administrator of the orphanage. We shall leave at once." Haru held his hand and started to move out.

The three odd musketeers were busy singing a song as they walked towards the snowy field and into the dangerous ground of Atlantis Woods, simply oblivious of the shadows that were skillfully trailing them from behind.