Chapter 2: 02: Rowan Lacarus Clevario
Kalliste stared at her reflection, speechless.
"How was this even possible? I should be dead." She immediately pinched her face, but the pain guaranteed that this was indeed reality.
She tried to rack her brain for an answer; however, nothing worked. All she got was a splitting headache.
"I don't care anymore!" After a few more attempts, she ultimately chose to embrace the current situation. If all of this was another form of her damnation, then she would have to deal with it. She exhaled.
"I have to get out of here first." Looking around, she saw a narrow entrance on the far corner of the cave, enough for her to pass through.
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It took an hour before Kalliste finally managed to find her way out. She arrived at a small glade surrounded by countless trees that stood proudly, barely revealing the dark firmament above. Each of them was almost several houses tall and clothed in verdant hues of nature. The titans' roots hugged the earth, weaving the ground.
"Damn! I looked like an ant in front of giants."
Kalliste scanned her surroundings. It reeked of ancient souls that stretched through every living thing. The foliage would dance to an unfamiliar beat and whisper their songs to the gentle wind.
With the help of the moon that hung quietly in the distance, Kalliste decided to venture into the dark forest. With every step she took, she heard the snapping of small branches and crushed dried leaves beneath her feet. Every tree she passed seemed like a watchful guardian. The quiet sentinels from Mother Nature. As she went deeper into the tangled core of this ancient place, she could not help but be amazed. How could she resist such a lush jungle? The deep, haunting melody was like an elixir to her soul. Its enchanting symphony called out to her.
"Where in the world am I?" Kalliste wrapped her arms around herself as she continued to observe the area.
The massive roots were twisted. They looked like mazes that spread all over the ground. The foliage was also thicker and verdant, forming an arch of magical emerald above her head. The splendour of the sun's rays had yet to appear on the horizon. Because of this, coils of vaporous mist caressed the barks while the hoods of black shadows wrapped the treetops. They writhed around them like phantasmal gases, adding to the forest's deadly intent.
"Where was this place?" With everything that she had seen and experienced, only one thing was for sure. She had not yet kicked the bucket. Her current location was the problem.
A chilly breeze interrupted her thoughts.
Her small body trembled. Though she was mentally ancient, she had regressed in her child form. Her young body could not handle the extreme temperatures. Moreover, her clothes were not yet dried from being submerged in the water.
Flap.
'What was that?'
Kalliste's head snapped up to the sky, scanning the horizon with sharp eyes. Her stance is ready for combat.
Flap.
'Again!'
She slowly backed away toward a giant trunk, her eyes narrowing in every corner of the dark sky. She noticed that the place appeared to have stood still in time. A sepulchral silence overtook the hallowed ground, where even wild grasses dared not grow. Nothing stirred, nothing moved. A hollow echo, like the hushed tones of a closed tunnel, entombed the woods.
She could no longer hear the small, furry legs of wild animals moving around her.
They were completely gone. Even the icy wind that had been ravaging moments ago with extraordinary velocity disappeared. The mist became denser, too. From where she stood, she saw the formation of thin, silvery layers that looked like curtains over the leaves. Kalliste felt a chill run down her spine as she looked at the eerie scene. It seemed like the forest was hesitant to breathe or whisper.
"I had a bad feeling about this." Something definitely was amiss.
Years of experience, Kalliste knew that the most dangerous places were always quiet and still. Her instincts told her so, and she trusted her guts. It was one of the main reasons she repeatedly survived bloody carnage.
Flap.
She struggled to hide her presence. The sound was even closer than before. She could only ask herself.
'Was it an eagle? An owl? But it sounded far too big. Every flap of its wings resonated like thunder. A lot of air must have been propelled downwards to keep whatever was up there.'
It took awhile before the thing that haunted the horizon finally disappeared. She sighed a breath of relief. Hiding was not in her vocabulary at all; however, she was only a child at the moment. Her small body could not handle the consequences of this caliber. As such, she stayed hidden and waited for the right time to go out.
As she sat on the cold ground, thoughts about this second chance crossed her mind. Despite her past life as a savage beast, the prospect of a fresh start weighed heavily on her chest. Her fingertips were tingling, and her breath was faster than before.
"Punishment or not, I would not let this second chance go to waste. I would live my life the way I wanted."
Thinking about all the possibilities and opportunities, Kalliste smiled. It was even more charming than blooming flowers; it put them all to shame.
With a newfound light and goals, she walked forward without looking back. Toward a new page of her story.
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"Why?" Kalliste frowned. Her simple gesture was enchanting and could cause countless souls to sway.
"Why am I back in the cave?" She facepalmed. Because of her excitement, she forgot an important detail.
Ever since she knew it, Kalliste was directionally challenged. This was a trait she occasionally detested about herself.
She once lost her way on the road, which led to the deaths of several of her subordinates during the ambush. It was already too late when she arrived at the scene.
As soon as she saw the familiar cavern, her shoulders slumped. She had no strength left to even stand. Her young body could not handle the fatigue and excessive movements.
"I'm so tired." Left with no choice, Kalliste went back inside the cave for shelter. The dawn was still a few hours away, and she needed to rest.
She was about to lie down when heavy footsteps suddenly echoed within. With a speed invisible to the naked eye, she hid herself in the dark and waited.
Soon enough, Kalliste saw a silhouette coming closer. She readied herself. A child, she may be, but her experience and skills remained the same, enough to protect herself from any danger.
She narrowed her eyes but was quickly taken aback when a young boy who was barely nine years old entered.
"What was a kid doing here?" She surveyed the area. This could potentially be a planned attack. Adults may wait for the right opportunity to attack.
For a few minutes, Kalliste continued to observe him from the dark. The kid had a fair complexion. The clothes he wore reminded her of what the nobilities wore during the medieval era. The boy might be the offspring of a wealthy family. Black hair covered his face as he held his head low. His shoulders trembled slightly.
It took a while before Kalliste realised that he was crying. There was already a small pool of tears from where he stood. Kalliste bit her lower lip. She felt an invisible force grip her heart tightly, making it challenging to breathe. A tear flowed down her face, followed by another, until a steady stream of salty water rushed down her face. She did not know who he was, but she undoubtedly saw the sadness, anger, and confusion that he tried to conceal. The scene in front of her reminded her of herself once upon a time. The helplessness that she went through when she witnessed the Cyborgs slaughtered her siblings in the orphanage. How her mother figure made the ultimate sacrifice to provide her with an opportunity to escape.
All of a sudden, Kalliste found herself hugging the boy tightly.
"Just let everything out, darling. Everything's going to be alright."
Kalliste patted his back and whispered soothing words as a parent would to her child. At that moment, she forgot she was also one herself. The sudden action clearly startled the boy, but he eventually let out a loud cry as he gripped her clothes tightly.
That night, Kalliste lulled the kid to sleep.
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The next morning, the aroma of roasted meat awoke Rowan. His stomach growled instantly, and he almost drooled at the sight. He had eaten nothing since yesterday. He was about to grab the food when the sweetest voice suddenly rang in his ears. The intoxicating tone instantly nailed his body to the spot. It felt like it was melting. Even a cold glacier or a heart of steel would surely soften.
"Good morning, darling. Are you feeling better now?"
He was still frozen from where he stood. Memories of last night rushed through his mind like a tsunami. His face turned hot when he remembered how he cried his eyes out in the embrace of a stranger, much less a girl.
"Hey, are you alright?"
"My name is not…"
He did not get to finish his sentence when he came face to face with a pair of bewitching crimson eyes. It felt like every part of his body went on a pause while his thoughts caught up. He felt his face become even hotter.
'Stunningly gorgeous!'
He stared at the girl in front of him. She wore a simple, cheap-looking white dress, already smeared with some dirt. However, it did not diminish her charisma and absolute divine beauty. She looked as if she had just gotten out of a painting, with untouched flaws, like an immortal goddess. Each of her gestures was enchanting and stirring, certainly not from this world.
"Here, darling. You're hungry, right?"
Though she looked younger than him, she spoke in a manner like his mother would. He quickly gathered his thoughts and wanted to reprimand the child for the blatant endearment; however, his stomach growled like there was no tomorrow.
In the end, Rowan reluctantly took the food and sat in a corner.
"The name's Kalliste, by the way, but you could call me Kally. What's yours?"
Rowan glanced at her. He was not used to the way she spoke. 'Was she a commoner?' he thought. It was not important, though. He slowly chewed the meat. It was tender and tasty.
"Rowan."
"Rowan?"
Kally held her chin, as though she were in deep thoughts.
"If I am not mistaken, does your name refer to a king or emperor? So cool!"
Rowan was startled. His brain stuttered for a moment, and his eyes took in more light than he expected. He stopped eating and looked at the girl with mixed emotions.
She was the first person to compliment his name. Others said that it was girly. A small smile adorned his face. It was not so bad.
"You're very handsome when you smile. You should smile more!"
As his mind processed her words, he felt as though all of his blood went up on his face. In the past, anyone who spoke with no manners in front of him would be instantly killed. Nevertheless, for some reason, he could not bring himself to inflict even the slightest injury on this small girl. Though this was their first meeting, Rowan felt he had known her for a long time.
"You also looked divine," he whispered. Being careful enough to ensure the words remained silent.
"By the way, what are you doing here? Are you lost?"
Rowan remained silent. This place was his secret hideout. Whenever he got sad, stressed, or angry, he would always come to this cave, but yesterday was different. He ran here to save his life. The events from earlier suddenly replayed in his mind. It all began when the Imperial Knights took his mother away. He did not know that it would be the last time that he would see her.
Later that night, he found himself on a horse with his nanny, who cried her eyes out as she sacrificed her life for him to escape.
"Please, you must stay alive, Your Highness!"
Her words rang in his mind for the next couple of hours as he journeyed through the dark forest with a blank face. He did not know whether to cry or laugh at his situation. He did not know what was going on.
He was smart, though. At that point, he already knew that something terrible happened to his mother. If not, then she was already dead. However, a part of him held on to the slight belief that his mother was still alive. That she could only be imprisoned somewhere.
"Rowan? Hush now, darling. Don't cry. You're safe now."
The girl's warmth brought him back to reality. He did not even realise that tears flew down his face. Looking down, Rowan saw the small girl who barely reached his shoulders, struggling to hug him tightly.
Kalliste stared at him, and their eyes met for the second time.
Her long, golden hair, which fluttered in the chilly breeze, accentuated her exposed bare neck, causing Rowan to gulp. A sweet and elegant fragrance instantly bombarded his nose and made his heart beat faster.
"Uhm…" Before the intoxicating scent got the better of him, he nudged Kally to the side and reminded himself that she was only trying to calm him down.
A forced smile was etched on his face. Even if he cried an ocean of tears, it would not solve his current situation.
"I'm okay n…"
He did not finish his sentence when he felt the small hands that suddenly caressed his face. They were silky smooth, devoid of any unpleasant hardships.
"What are you doing?" He slightly shifted his head to one side. The sudden action was new to him. Even his mother had never done something like this before.
"Making sure that you don't have a fever? Your face was like a ripe apple." As soon as the words escaped her lips, Kalliste quickly turned around.
"If you're finished, then we should get moving."
Rowan's brows twitched in annoyance. He was clearly discontented, as he actually enjoyed such bold actions.
"To where?"
"Well, darling. Do you intend to stay here for the rest of your life?"
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone