Grimoires & Masters - Chapter 2. (Patreon)

The emotion of not being good enough is the deadliest poison to a young heart. It acted slowly, and bitterly. The poison had aged his mind. His aloofness to the world saddened the hearts of the people who had seen him grow up under their eyes.

Aoun was not an ungrateful man. He knew how to show respect in return for respect. He loved his family just as much as they loved him. And love came with expectations. Expectations which he could not fulfill.

He walked down the long corridor to his room. The maids and butlers greeted him with respect. The atmosphere inside the Palace was still the same as ever. The familiarity of the place he was born in was warming to his heart, but he was about to bid farewell to this atmosphere today. He had made up his mind, and he was going to leave tonight in the darkness of the night.

“Uncle!”

He heard a pretty voice call him out, and he turned around to see one of his favorite people in life running to him. She was wearing a dress fit for a princess of her age. It was colored pink and made her look even more adorable. She was only 8 years old, but her features were now presenting themselves. She was bound to become a heavenly beauty in the future.

“Slow down, girl,” 

He caught her in his arms and tossed her in the air, before holding her in his embrace. 

The little girl laughed happily, and her eyes were dancing in excitement. 

“Has something good happened?” He asked as he planted a kiss on her head. 

“I saw your fight with Father!” She nearly screamed. “You looked so cool!” 

“Well, thank you, lady Erica,” He laughed at her enthusiasm and nodded to her. 

Erica seemed pleased at him addressing her as a lady. She liked it when people called her a lady. 

“Will you teach me?” She asked.

“What?”

“Sword art. I want you to teach me!” She pleaded. 

“Since when do you have an interest in swordplay?” He was really shocked. 

“Since today!” She laughed and clapped her hands. “I want to dance with a sword like that as well.” 

“Umm… You could ask Saul to teach you that, or your Mother or Grandmothers. They are all quite skilled with swords. Your Father is a little busy, I guess.”

“But I want you to teach me! You are the best!” She looked sad at seeing him not agreeing to her and recommending other people.

Aoun was not refusing her for he didn’t want to teach her. He refused her for he would be gone tonight. He didn’t know when he would return again. 

“Erica,” He gently called out her name, and put her down on her feet. He got down on his knee and smiled at her. “For some reason, your Uncle is unable to teach you.”

She was on the verge of tears after hearing his words. 

His heart ached, and he sighed. 

“Here,” He took a sword out of his Space-Ring. “This is one of my prized and precious swords. It has been with me since I was only three years old.” He presented it to her. 

Erica refused to take it, as her eyes still looked in his and she waited for him to accept to teach her. She was stubborn. 

Aoun pulled the sword out of its sheat. It was not a big sword. It had a slender blade, and its length was nearly ¾th of a meter, together with the hilt it reached the length of a meter. The shiny silver blade finally caught the attention of the little girl. Her eyes shined bright in its shine.

“You don’t want a gift from your Uncle?” He asked her.

“I do! Why would I not want a gift from you?” She smiled and drew her hand to him. 

Aoun passed her the sword, and her hand fell under its weight. She tried her best to raise it with one hand, but she couldn’t raise it above her waist.

“Easy there.” He knew that the little girl wanted to wield swords one-handedly as he displayed earlier. “You still have a long and hard way to travel.”

He got up and walked behind her. He guided her vacant hand to the hilt of the sword and helped her get the right grip with both her hands. 

“Basics first,” He gave her the first lesson. “A person who wants to learn swords must always start with a sword he finds heavy. And he needs to learn to wield it with both his hands.” 

Erica nodded to him, and she felt much better holding the sword. She could raise it above her waist now. 

“The moves that one needs to learn next are simple, but their perfection is hard to achieve.” He whispered near her ear. “First is the hack,” He told her and guided her hands to raise above her head. He helped her movements and guided her to hit the sword forward with the intent of breaking the skull of an imaginary opponent. He stopped her hands before the sword could hit the floor. 

“Second is the Slash,” He whispered and helped her diagonally cut the air without retracting her blade. “And then comes the hard part. Thurst,” He whispered as he helped her retract the sword to her right side before showing her how to thrust it in the heart of someone.

“What’s next?” Erica asked. 

“Nothing…” He chuckled. “Next would come after you have learned these three moves to your maximum ability. Focus on them.”

She seemed displeased at the prospect of hard work. 

“Nothing comes for free, girl. You have to work hard if you want to achieve something.” He chuckled at her grumpy face. “And now remember my words carefully,” He told her with seriousness. “The elegance is important, the moves are important, your instincts are important, but what the most important thing in your Art is your familiarity with the weapon in your hand. Wield it as if it is your arm, yes, it’s sharp and sturdy, but care for it, and understand its limit and your limit as well.” 

Erica nodded her head, and her eye shined in determination. 

“You will remember my words, right?” He asked her. 

“I will.” She nodded to him and then looked him in the eyes. 

“What?”

“Why do I feel sad right now? I don’t understand it.” 

Her question made his heart thump hard. She had very keen senses, and she hadn’t realized it yet. He understood that her sixth sense was telling her that he wouldn’t be here tomorrow. 

“You are a beautiful girl. You know that?” Aoun lovingly patted her head.

Erica’s lips bloomed in a bright smile. And she happily giggled. Her innocent heart called out to him, the wish she was keeping inside it. She wanted to grow up to be a beautiful woman, who her Uncle would love and adore. She wanted to marry him and be his queen. 

Aoun sighed at the affection the little girl held for him in her heart. He knew that she would cry when she would find him absent tomorrow, but he had to do it now, or he would never be able to leave them. And his presence would make them weak and halt their success.

He grabbed the blade from her hand and sheathed it back. 

“It’s yours now. Keep it safe, and use it, when you have to use it. Safety first!” He reminded her. 

“Of course,” She nodded and happily accepted it. 

“You have a name for it?” He asked her. 

“What do you call it?” She asked back.

“It’s yours now, girl,” He told her. “Name it as you see fit.” 

“But I don’t want to change its name. I will keep its name. It’s a gift from you to me.” She shook her head and spoke. 

Aoun smiled at her words. They were innocent and pure. 

“I named it Venom. It’s a Poison-Sword. When you become a Master, you will be able to utilize the poison inside it.

“I will always cherish it.” Erica happily nodded to his words and hugged the sword that was nearly as tall as her.

The little girl did not realize how precious a treasure he had gifted her. It was a treasure that could make anyone desire it. 

“Go back to your room now,” He told her. “I have to get some rest.” 

Erica seemed unwilling but then nodded. She didn’t leave and expectantly looked up to him. 

Aoun smiled brightly and leaned in to plant a kiss on her forehead, and the little girl giggled before running off to her room with her sword. 

“Seven” He called out after Erica had left the corridor.

“Yes, my Lord!” A figure in black cloak appeared from the wall. 

“I have an order for you.” He said and smiled at his loyal servant.

“Speak, my Lord. I will comply with everything you say.” Seven sincerely answered.

Aoun stayed silent for a while and then sighed. Seven was his Shadow Guard that his grandfather had given him when he was only 3-years-old. He was one of the best assassins in the Empire and was only answerable to him. Seven was his Guardian Angel.

“Protect her from now on,” He ordered him. “Stay by her side, and try not to let her know that you are there.” 

Seven looked at him from under his cloak and didn’t answer. 

“You said you would comply with anything I say.” He smiled and asked. 

“Your safety is my Life, my Lord. I cannot leave your side.” Seven apologetically lowered his head. 

“I won’t be the Prince of White Winter tomorrow. I wouldn’t need you by my side.” Aoun told him with grave seriousness. “I am not asking you to bind your loyalty to her. I am not abandoning you. This is my order, and you will comply with it.”

“But…”

“No buts…” Aoun refused to allow him to talk. “You will protect Erica from now on. You will stay by her side until I order you to return to me.”

Seven went down on his knee and kneeled to him. He stayed there as his body shivered. He had seen Aoun grow under his eyes, and he cared for his Lord from the bottom of his heart. He knew the secrets about his Lord that no one else knew. He knew that his Lord was planning to leave the Palace in the coming days, but he had never thought that Aoun wouldn’t take him on his journey.

Aoun felt bad leaving Seven in this state. Shadow Guards were trained and conditioned to comply with every order of their Lords, even if it was to give their lives. There was no room for emotions, and Seven had already failed in that. 

“Uncle Seven,” He addressed him with the name he used to address him with when he was a child. “Erica is important to me, even more than my life. I dearly love her. And I know how mischievous and troublesome she is. She will try to escape from the Palace and come after me, and I can’t just let her be in danger.” He gently explained his fear to him. “Protect her, please.” He requested. 

Seven’s body shuddered when he heard his plea. It was a shame for a Shadow Guard that his Lord had to plea to him. He let the shame wash over him, and then he stiffened his heart. He stood up and disappeared. He would comply with his Lord's order and wish, and he wouldn’t allow any harm to come to the little Princess Erica.

Seeing that Seven was gone, the loneliness whispered in his heart. He felt unsafe for the first time in his life. It was his decision, and he had to own it. 

Aoun entered his room and found a figure sitting there on the couch waiting for him. Her Silver hair was set loose, and she was studying her grimoire. Her beauty was ethereal. She had thin lips, an elegant and sleek nose, and skin fairer than the Fairies of the West. She looked to be in her early twenties, and her elegance and presence were effortless and yet so overbearing. 

He closed the door behind him and walked over to the bed. He didn’t mind her presence in the room, and silently took off his cloak and placed it in his Space-Ring. He got out of his shoes, and then changed his shirt in a lighter one. He needed to get some sleep. Tonight was going to be a long night. And as he closed his eyes after getting into the bed, he heard the words that suffocated his heart. 

“You want to leave me?” She asked in an emotionless voice, but he knew her heart was hurting.

He remained silent and shut his eyes tightly.

She got up from the couch, and then he heard the rustling of the clothes. The blood inside of him shivered in excitement, despite all attempts to keep it in control. And when she entered the bed and wrapped her arms around him, pressing his back in her soft body, he felt the devil inside his pants come to life. That was all it took her to arouse him. Just a touch of her was his bane. 

“Answer me.” She asked in a callous voice. “Do you want to leave me?”

His heart ached at her question. How could he ever want to leave her? She was perhaps the most important person in his life. He loved her, and he wanted to be by her side all his life. 

“I don’t want to, Mel. I have to go away for a while…” He summoned his courage and answered her.

“And do you think I will allow you to leave me?” She smiled and asked in a chilling tone. 

Her words made him sad, and his resolve shook. He knew how much she loved him, and that was the reason why he had to leave now. 

Aoun sat up on the bed and turned to look at her. 

“You always know what I am thinking… You know me better than anyone else.” He brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers. “You are my love, Mellisa. And I could never fall out of love with you.” 

“Liar…” She smirked at him. “If you loved me, you wouldn’t have decided to leave me.” 

A tear slipped out of Aoun’s eyes as his heart ached at her words. His chest hurt, and he found it hard to breathe. 

“Do you know how much it hurts me?” He nearly screamed. “Every day I feel that I am not good enough for you! It hurts me!”

Mellisa wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. 

“I love you. And I can do anything for you.” She said her words with the warmth of her heart. 

“Mellisa!” He shouted at her. “Listen to me!”

“Why?!” She screamed back at him. “So you can try to make me understand that you have to leave me?! Do you know that you are hurting me right now?!” 

She couldn’t hold it anymore, and her tears streamed down her face. She had been aware of the fears in his heart, and she knew this day would come. Every day she hoped and wished that she would never have to face this moment, but it had come, and it was painful.

“I know that I am hurting you,” He softened his voice. "But listen to me. I am a Mortal. I am not worthy of being by your side. I am someone who cannot stand at the same stage as you. I cannot stand by your side and help you face your problems. I cannot protect you if such a day arrives, and I know that I am your weakness.” 

Mellisa bore the pain his words brought her. She never thought of it that way. She always thought that her love for him would win against his fears, but she failed. 

“You are the Queen the World fears. You are someone the World reveres. You know it, and I know it, I can never be as great as you. And I am a failure, Melissa. Despite all your efforts, love, and care, I failed to live up to your expectations. Do you know how much pain my heart bears when such thoughts arise in my mind? And they never leave my mind.”

She cried in his bosom silently. Her body was shivering, and her heart had never ached as much in her life as it did today. The thought of losing him scared her, and she was helpless at the moment. 

“I believe in you. And I love you. It doesn’t matter to me if you fail the last time as well. It doesn’t matter to me if you are a Mortal!” She voiced her conviction with the strength that remained in her heart. “I love you, and I will always love you. I didn’t fall in love with your strength and power. I fell in love with you for who you are, for the care you held for me in your heart. I love you, and I never wished for anything more from you than your love for me.”

“You didn’t wish for anything from me other than Love for that is what you lacked in your life, my Love.” He whispered his words ruthlessly. “But I have nothing in life other than the Love of people who care for me. And I am not capable of standing on the same ground as them. Do you say that it doesn’t matter to you if I am a Mortal? Huh… Tell me, Love, what will you do when my Motal life runs out in a few decades? You will be all alone again in this world.” 

His last words were his real fear. He loved her, and if there was a chance, he would never leave. But if he continued with their relationship like this, then the hurt she would feel later in her life would be far greater than what she was going through right now. And he feared ever seeing the disappointment in her eyes. And he knew a day would come when disappointment would show in her eyes when she would look at him. He would age and grow older, unlike her who would stay young for centuries.

“You don’t have to worry about that… I will get the Elixer of Life for you.” Mellisa whispered. 

Her words made him turn pale with fear. He felt a chill run up his spine. The rage in his heart burst forth and he roughly pushed her in the bed as he got on top of her and glared in her eyes.

“Listen to me, girl.” He warned her. “If you ever think of that again, believe me, I will take my life myself. I forbid you to ever go after the Elixer of Life. I forbid you to die for me.”

“Try to leave me, and I promise you… I will kill myself as well.” She threatened him.

His eyes softened when he saw the madness in her eyes. She was the woman who kept her words. She was the Ice Witch of the land of White Winter. She was the Queen of Ice-Coffins. 

“You will not leave me. You will go and take part in tomorrow’s ceremony together with Elena.” She said her words with seriousness. She was in her Master mode now. 

“Huh… So that’s your intention. You want me to give it one last shot as well… You do know what I fear even more than staying a Mortal? I fear to be an Ordinary Master.”

Mellisa remained silent and stared him in the eyes. 

“I am pregnant, Aoun.” 

It was a whisper, but his mind went blank. He dumbfoundedly looked back in her eyes, and the mistiness in her eyes told him that he had heard it right. 

“How long has it been?” He asked as he regained some composure. 

“A year…” She answered and shied her eyes away. “I used an ancient spell and sealed it. I wanted to give you some time to be ready for it.” 

“Damn you…” He really felt like giving her a spanking, but he couldn’t bring himself to do that. His heart was bursting with a warmth that he couldn’t contain anymore, and he leaned in to plant a kiss on her forehead. “I love you…” He whispered. 

A sweet smile adorned her lips and she hugged him in her arms before nestling his head in her bosom. She knew her nakedness was his bane, and sure enough, his lips moved and planted a kiss in her bosom. 

“You are not allowed to leave me… And you are going to take part in the ceremony.”

Aoun remained silent when he heard her words. He was conflicted, and his mind was in chaos now.