1Chapter 1: A path some may call Hate
There Manidel stood, upright as always, with a disgruntled expression drawn lightly athwart her face. Her eyes focused on the tally marks that were engraved into the prison cell's brick walls. "Naught…" She counted. "One, two and three..." She whispered quietly to herself.
One could only occupy their time in a penitentiary by playing simple games with themselves or manipulating others with games. It was satisfying to mess around with others. If one played their cards right with a poker face, one could gain much reverence.
"You!" shouted the guard who stood a few feet from Manidel's cell. He called out her name in an incensed tone, staring her down as if he already held a grudge against the woman.
She completely ignored the ineffectual fool mostly because of his immediate vast rudeness towards her. He was a squander of existence and she shouldn't have to dissipate her breath to communicate with such a miniscule entity. A singular moment passed and he called out again. But, this time he pointed at Manidel exclaiming, "You woman!"
Manidel was hesitant to respond to this, for she reacted callously to those who thought they were superior to her. She hastily brushed off the people that had the consistent kind of personality as her.
"What do you want, fool?" hissed Manidel as she cringed at the verity that she chatted to the measly guard.
"Call me that one more time and you'll be seeing decades in this prison."
"I shall be out by the end of the day. Do not dwell on." She whispered and flung out her wrist in a taunting way.
"Not on my account." The guard snickered. He squinted while looking at Manidel, thinking that he could view her more visibly or maybe goad.
It was all a simple game between the two. Which of the two could bear up a straightforward intellect competition? The dispute raged on promptly, as each utilized each other's lack of complaint.
"Then let's settle your 'account'." Manidel simpered with abstract pleasure. She squinted right back at the guard .She knew exactly what she had in offing this illogical being, tightly jostling it into the corner of her mind.
"…What?" retorted the guard. He felt an awkward presence while saying this.
"Pfft. Just like an average human would act in response."
"Excuse me?" queried the guard with an apparent grimace.
Manidel shrugged and crossed both of her arms with a huff.
"I just don't feel like repeating myself countless times. If one cannot grasp something the first time, nothing will change if I repeat it incessantly. All that will occur is that you would remember what I said for future references. Though, I do not know why one would want to remember something that one could not comprehend."
"What is this? Are you explaining a grammar lesson in a children's school? I'll be keeping you company for the next four years, so make a wee dwelling in a corner and fasten up your trap."
The guard chuckled slightly to himself, coming across comedy at his so-called malevolent verbal attack. Manidel did not find this humorous, therefore she decided to act untypical for the moment, drifting away the guard's mind.
"How long have I been enclosed in this cell?" she solicited for a reply, yet not staring at the guard's face. She found it rather revolting and tremendously hard to look at.
He placed his sword, which was still in the sheath, vertically against his chest and answered Manidel, "Prince Vanguard brought you in here just this morning. Of course I do not know the exact time-sundials don't work inside."
"I want to leave immediately." She changed the subject, for a second time, hastily.
"You were creating havoc for one year. I and many think that you deserve this punishment by confided in this prison."
"I do not concur." She shook her head and walked closer to the guard, poking out a few of her fingers through the bars.
"Oh, be quiet!" The guard shouted. "The Royal family would like to converse with you this evening. This will most likely be the only time you will be let out." The hefty man joined the taunting, and sauntered over to the bars. He stopped a foot from the cell.
"Rest room facilities and hygiene will not be available? I abhor this inferior behavior." Manidel's emotionless expression turned into a grin. It was awkward, Manidel showed her emotions unusually. Maybe they weren't the right emotions, so that she could throw people off guard. Was she trying this hard to mystify others as with the poker face previously mentioned?
"You are allowed those amenities. But, all of the other prisoners who aren't allowed out usually kill themselves before the service is later initiated."
"So, I am automatically sited into this category?"
"Well, Yes. Like I said, don't expect going out to day light soon."
The guard showed an anomalous look towards Manidel. Of course, she knew how to counter his frail attacks easily.
"I anticipate the same for you, guard." Another grin popped out of Manidel's mouth.
"How do you foresee that I won't see day light?" questioned the Guard.
"You're job. It's worthless. Anyone and anything could do it. A bat could do it."
The guard looked puzzled, yet again, at Manidel's words, "A bat? Don't make me laugh. I would pay a thousand Filzé to see a bat doing the job of a faithful knight, like myself. A complete outrage, this is!"
"You are a derisory guard. Do not go on and say whatever you want to declare!" Manidel shouted, while waving a finger rapidly.
"I'll say what I want to say!" The guard moved his face closer to the cell door bars. Manidel moved farther away as he drew nearer; she couldn't take his face this close to hers. It made her uneasy.
"I could break out of here in no time." Manidel whispered with her eyes squinted.
"Then why have you not broke out already?"
"I have my secure reasons. Don't hold it against me."
Manidel brought her arm to her chest and clenched her palm, while breathing heavily. A slow silence until she snapped her fingers and Manidel's body disappeared from sight, only leaving a puff of smoke in the shape of two black wings. An astonishing enchantment that Manidel formed, only snapping her fingers to form an incantation and vanishing.
"Oh damn!" frustrated, the guard shook his head and staggered on over to the counter top which the keys lay upon it. Cussing several times, the guard found his way back by the entrance of Manidel's cell and opened it up. He marched in, looking left to right, and looked for Manidel which was missing from guise.
"Come out Demon." He relentlessly called out to her. A chilly current of air flew past him, creating a draft in the room. The cell door slammed closed and clicked, causing the guard to flinch at the fact that he was trapped in side. Manidel finally appeared on the other side of the cell holding a faint smile on her face. No matter how long you looked at her, you could not see her eyes because they were covered with her thick bangs. Only her expression could you rely on, though it was not easy with her poker face and twisted emotions.
"Oh Mrs. Manidel, you amuse me with your tactics!" said a cheerful voice in the shadows.
"I do not work for amusement. I am also not married. Now, show yourself, fiend!" Manidel was angry at man who yelled. She lost all her patience with the guard and wasn't yet ready to deal with someone else so quickly.
"I hold my dearest apologies. Ms. Shasarazade excuse me behavior." The laughing voice's speaker came into clear view as he looked at Manidel with a smile.
"Nice to meet you, I am Prince Vanguard." He bowed.
Manidel's mouth couldn't have shown how much of a shock she was in at the precise moment that Vanguard introduced himself. She shook her head to the other way, viewing him in the slight corner of her eye. Some could interpret Manidel's actions comparable to acting 'hard to get', though in all veracity she detested all entities.
"I would most rather never see you, again, sir." Manidel shuddered with her head in disgust.
"Why must you revolt someone whom you have never met before?" Vanguard asked. He winked at Manidel at the same time flicking his wrist.
Without delay did Manidel deduced that she loathed this so-called pristine man.
"…Weren't you the one who threw me in jail?" queried Manidel.
Vanguard opened a wide smile, "It must have been my brother. Oh, is he a suck up to father with fetching out criminals like it is no tomorrow." He laughed. "The Atesthil brothers, including myself, have countless correspondences. Very perplexing, isn't it, Ms. Manidel?"
"Of course it's baffling!" Manidel bellowed and crossed her arms, she was about to snap her fingers to exit but Vanguard seized her arm before she could. She retorted with a fiercely look, discounting painful tinkle.
"I am sorry, Manidel, you cannot take off so hastily." Vanguard loosened the clasp on Manidel's hand, although she was still uneasy.
As a reaction she whined, "I absolutely do not want to be here."
"Oh and I want to be trapped inside this cell!" The guard sarcastically bawled and knocked on the cell's door with his corrugated fist.
"Let him out, Manny."
"Never call me 'Manny'." she hissed in a blood boiling tone. Manidel continued to stand vertical without repositioning herself towards the door. Fundamentally, Manidel did not follow orders from anyone, no matter how higher their regal class was. She classified herself as a Noble because of her rich fortune she would soon inherit from her ancestors. That certainly was a clandestine secret that she refused to tell anyone. Of course Vanguard had ten times the amount. She did not know too much about the prince that was fond by so many. She had not cared too much
"All right, then." Vanguard took the duty upon him and strolled over to the cell. With a flip of his finger, he unlocked the cell and glanced at Manidel with his usual grin. "What do you say we jet on out of here..?"
Manidel positioned a palm on her cheek and glared "I am outright appalled by this 'Prince Charming' behavior." She hissed. "It is and never will be delighted in my presence. I benevolently ask you to cease."
"Miss Manidel…" Vanguard sighed, yet kept his smile upon his face and glanced toward the stairs which were incredibly aged and worn. The buttress was tearing apart each time a foot stepped upon it.
"Make sure you don't tread on the first step." He noted.
Manidel strolled towards the steps and stopped, "Is it shabby?"
"I sprained my ankle from stepping upon it weeks prior. I would not want a youthful lady like yourself injuring your placid body."
Manidel assumed that Vanguard was just trying her patience. She compressed her sturdy fist again in fury.
"I inquired you to discontinue your actions."
"I cannot help but flatter someone as charming as you, Miss Manidel."
"Absolutely, I cannot see myself in a picturesque vista with Prince Vanguard of the Atesthil Empire."
After that statement was alleged, there was silence. Prince Vanguard couldn't find the vigor to oppose her statement, which highly unruffled her emotions. Manidel had an uncanny personality, with finding amusement in other's less fortunate comebacks. But, the intensity of her consternation toward others was outrageous and for now it was left at that and youthful Manidel was perfectly pleased. The guard gave one last heated glimpse at Manidel before the two found their egress. She responded with a wink of her eye and a gesture with her hand.
The detainee Noble and the Royal promenaded out of the quaint cell area. She leisurely lifted her feet higher at the step that was tattered. Vanguard unhurriedly trailed behind her with no words but inhalation. The invalid guard stood at his post as if it actually meant anything notable. As time elapsed, the two past the colossal multihued stain glass windows which reflected tint in the sunlight. Despite the fact that it was nightfall, the transom was striking. This spectacle attracted Manidel's attention. A magnificent and gaudy display it was, though she walked on. Dozens of quarters-they seemed to stroll right by and pass.
An old man greeted them with a bow, but they continued on avoiding him.
Vanguard stopped walking for a moment and opened his mouth, the old man feet away. Manidel ceased walking as well, clinging her arms together. "Manidel," Vanguard mumbled almost unarticulated. "I am sorry."
"Apologies accepted." Retorted Manidel and gradually smirked her face.
The two walked unhurriedly through the corridors, passing more people who seemed to bow at the precise time that Vanguard had they passed them.
The women, especially, had a glimmer in their eyes whenever their blissful prince would pass. It was just a daydream that the noiseless maidens would receive anything more than a mere sight from the youthful Prince.
"It appears that we have arrived, Ms. Manidel." Vanguard pointed at the elongated doors that were significant. Out of the blue was a servant who was hurriedly scampering to release the door from its regular closed position.
Surprisingly, Manidel was the first to express gratitude towards the woman dressed in elegant taut garments.
"Thank you," She said and reflected at the last statement she spoke. This was absolutely not like her toffee-nosed attitude. "But, to an extent I would much rather appreciate doing my own labor."
"Well, Manidel. You've held your character together pleasantly." Vanguard hissed to Manidel and he scowled at her with a disappointed look.
"Shall we be going in, then?" she enunciated in a tranquil light voice, avoiding the maid's face at entire circumstances.
"I would not want to keep father waiting any longer…" Vanguard plunged his arm at Manidel's wrist and snatched it into his grasp.
Manidel countered his abrupt movement by screaming, "Please NEVER lay a hand on me!"
"Excuse me." The maid insisted on prying into the argument and fixing it. "Sir Vanguard, I give surety to you that a Prince should not touch her in such a sadistic method, customarily because she is the-"
"We will be going, now. I have no interest in your babbling." Manidel raised emphasis on every other word. She then was dragged into the room in which the outsized doors held behind it.
An exultant middle aged man greeted Manidel with an immediate smile.
"I thought you were older, then this." She shrugged and looked a little disappointed that the gentleman was young-looking.
The sovereign's smile turned into a peculiar expression; evidently he was surprised at Manidel's first words to a high ruler.
"Father…" Vanguard rushed swiftly over to the King of Atesthil, letting go of Manidel's arm and bowed. After bowing, Vanguard glanced at Manidel expecting her to do that same as he did. Unenthusiastically she smiled at the King, amusingly expecting a frown. Manidel held her right palms on the spot where Vanguard held her tightly, a twinge pain emitted from it.
"The reason why I have asked you to attend a meeting with The King, myself, is because we have come to discuss to behavior and most importantly where you stand."
"I am all ears." Manidel replied to the king. Subsequently, her pointy ears twitched. Vanguard immediately noticed this and commented.
"May I ask what species you are?"
"No you may not." She retorted immediately, followed by a laugh.
King Atesthil shook his head in revulsion.
"We definitely have to work on your attitude, Manidel. Firstly, we must discuss about your heritage."
"Why would you like to converse about my ancestry?" Manidel clutched the adornment hanging from her neck with a flimsy silver chain.
"I might have deducted that you previously knew this already…" The king said and took a long breath.
"You are the reincarnation of a princess that my ancestor, Argente, was engaged to. The two were forced to be wed the immediate moment they were born. This was the only was to seal the deal to reconcile after the War of All Centuries. This Proclamation was signed as an agreement for Argente and Modaline to be wed, also for the element to be returned to Hyellë Rossë, The Vampire Realm." The king inhaled an extensive breath, which seemed exaggerated mostly. Manidel's eyes rolled from left to right until he continued with the anecdote.
"The insurgent vampire princess was enraged because if she was to kiss the man, whom she was required to marry, her powers of a vampire would be lost. With that said, she did end up kissing the man and her female successors would never be able to have vampire strength. The strength that her successors lost was the power to turn into a bat and drink blood. In fact, Manidel is allergic to blood!" The king ceased speaking for a moment and signaled a maid to report by his side. He whispered to her and she rushed off without delay. Once again did the King created a scene.
"Manidel is a vampire?!" Vanguard screamed and pointed at her, shaking his finger.
"I do not suppose he is finished with the chronicle…" murmured Manidel.
"Oh, I am just flippant. I am not terrified of you." Vanguard lifted his palm over Manidel's head to pat her playfully, but terminated this action when he received a defiant stare.
The maid returned with a mug of water and handed it to King Atesthil carefully. After that she disappeared to the corners wherein she came from. He took a large sip of the mug, and gulped it down. "Ahh…" he took a stretched breath, again, and positioned the mug down on the small counter alongside his throne. He then commenced talking once more, since the tale was not yet completed.
"On the day of their marriage, an attack from the Elwë Míriel was established. The Elwë Míriel Ninjas were irate at the fact that they were not included in the Declaration that settled the two lands. Since their nation lies right next to Hyellë Rossë, the homeland of Elwë Míriel's Elemental resources was disappearing. The attack left the Prince assassinated and the Princess' suicide because of her lover's death."
Manidel said no words, just waited for another unforeseen happening to occur or maybe the King just wasn't finished and discontinued the majority of the miniscule niceties. Existence went by with alacrity. The world just could not take it's time. "It's all up to me." Manidel thought. "Unless I act, nothing will change…"
"So," Vanguard said to break the awkward stillness. "The War of All Centuries was initiated by the Atesthil Empire because of the Elements? Are there elemental temples or something like that?" Vanguard asked his father.
"Yes, it was. As for the elements, there are shrines. "
"It occurred in the Antediluvian Epoch, as well?"
"Yes."
The peaceful silence lingered yet again. The three of them gave each other fleeting looks, until Manidel was going to detonate with anger and tedium.
"In fact, I did not know the ending of these records." Manidel despondently said, coming to a decision to speak.
The king frowned, and changed the sub category of the matter.
"Quite a fortune you possess, isn't it?" chatted the king.
"My brother is accountable for the opulence, King Atesthil." Manidel spoke in a monotone voice.
"Oh, I see, I see."
Manidel scuttled nearer to the seat of the king saying,
"May I ask you one query?"
"Of course you can." He replied, holding a cheerful smile.
"Who killed my people of Hyellë Rossë?" Manidel eloquently spoke, as Vanguard and King Atesthil exchanged awkward glances. Standing upright, Manidel crossed her arms awaiting an answer.
The monotonous silence sustained yet again. Manidel could tell an enigmatic secret was being kept from her. She was angry at the fact that she had to be in the castle, but this definitely was the last straw. If she was not told imperative news, something appalling could occur. Manidel had a plan already that she considered.
"Who killed my people of Hyellë Rossë years ago?" Manidel repeated, more exasperated then before.
"Manidel, we're not definite…" Vanguard sighed.
"You're lying, you mendacious brute." Manidel whispered quietly under her breath, yet she purposely made it clear enough to hear for the King.
"Do not insult the royal-"The king shouted, but stopped speaking.
"Ms. Shasarazade, I shall now be escorting you to your accommodations, now. I give my word that I will tell you the knowledge that I know about this, while we pace ourselves to the quarters." Vanguard nodded his head. While receiving a tentative look Manidel, he strides over to her and grasps her hand gently.
"Would you mind playing along?" He whispers softly into her head, while leaning close to her.
Manidel shrugs and takes a deep sigh, "As long as you tell me the information I desire. But, I swear if you backstab me…I will slaughter you."
"Our ancestors go back to antiquate times, my legacy could not allow this."
"Manidel, we shall converse in the morning…" King Atesthil situated to his feet and sauntered the opposite direction of the immense elongated doors.
Without delay, Vanguard pulled Manidel towards the extended towards and swiftly exited the chambers of the two thrones.
"I do not believe this is the direction of the quarters." Manidel huffed, as she let go of Vanguard's grasp. "We passed by them quite some time ago in the opposite course…"
"Oh that's just asinine! We're leaving Atesthil!" loudly, Vanguard whispered.
"I would like my question to be responded!" Manidel hissed and crossed her arms again.
"We're going to Rácina Andúnë, The industrial wing Capital, in search of more information for your quest. Father refuses to mention anything of this kind! This is the only way!"
Manidel scowled at this statement. "So, you are telling me that you know nothing of what I seek?"
"Well," Vanguard gulped. "Not precisely."
"I then have no use to be lingering around the castle, then."
Just then Vanguard pulled Manidel off to the side and embraced his arms around her so that she couldn't pull away. Manidel's body quavered with agitation. For some reason, she could not pull away. The warmth of their bodies so close together frightened Manidel. She could not possibly
"Why can't you just stay with me?" spoke Vanguard in an undertone voice.
"Vanguard…" Manidel murmured.
"What?" he asked.
"You have just met me a few hours ago and yet you have imperative sentiments for me. This is surreal! Don't you see it?"
"This does seem like a reverie."
"Think harder!" Manidel shouted and pulled away from Vanguard.
"What do you want me to do, woman?"
"You're in a trance, dim-wit! What I am saying is that your ludicrous emotions for me are flawed! Our ancestry has taken part in this!"
"But, if this is factual, then why does it have to be us?!" Vanguard exclaimed yet queried.
Manidel let out an exhausted huff, "If you did not know, Hyellë Rossë and Atesthil haven't been on the utmost terms in the past decades."
"Well, I was familiar with that information." Vanguard laughed. "But, I am under a trance, right?"
Manidel couldn't help but beam at Vanguard. He was so dense that it entertained her exceedingly.
"I am certainly glad I got a smile out of you. This whole act paid off…"
"You were pulling an act?" Manidel gawked with her eyes broad open.
"I am by no means completely in love with you. But, I do have a fancy toward a dignified individual as you."
"A droll hoax…" hesitated Manidel and crossed her arms, walking away from Vanguard.
"Are you distressed, lass?" Vanguard called out.
"Stop nattering!" Manidel howled and stampeded off into the dusk hallway, in which she has concealed herself for so many years.
Vanguard sighed loudly to himself; he could never possibly make an aristocrat like her jovial and ecstatic. That's why he momentously thought of this plan to not have a weakness for her. How could Vanguard let the girl factually from his dreams flee? He deemed it was the only way for him to salvage his mislaid memories that disappeared two years ago.
"I did not know you could make a girl sadden, brother." A silhouette of a man vaguely stood out from behind of Vanguard. The figure placed a chilly hand on his brother's shoulder and compressed.
"You were observing, Vanguard?" questioned Vanguard. He then thrusted off the hand that was virtually drilled into his shoulder.
Vanguard's full name was Vanguard Atesthil 19.5th. He and his brother share the same name. It wasn't planned for his mother having twins, because of the limited technology, so only one name was set for the child. Immediately, they had to name both of the children and register them as heirs to the Atesthil fortune. They named the two brothers both the 19.5th.
"I informed you that I go by the name of Leér, now!" shouted Leér. The radiance of his bright face showed when Leér waved his hands in a frenzy.
"Don't get too worked up about it, 'Leér' " laughed Vanguard as he looked behind his brother in the bearing that Manidel went passed. Leér huffed crossly back at Vanguard, expecting a quarrel to take place.
"Brother, I must admit that we are unquestionably divergent brothers." He chuckled with a simper drawn across his face. A strange look, Leér ussually had. A devious trickster smile. But, Leér was correct about this statement. The two brothers allocating an identicle name were wholly dissimilar.
"I think I have to leave." He alleged, starting to saunter away.
"Hang about here, ol' buddy ol' boy!" Leér slapped his brother's back playfully. Vanguard was definitly not in the mood for this diversion created by Leér.
"I have to depart." Retorted Vanguard. He jetted off into the same inclusive darkness that Manidel diminished into.
"Oh well, oh well. I might just have to tell father about this." Smirked Leér, and held up his hand towards the dim ceiling, which ejected a faint shadow on the upper limit.
"But, primarily I must find her first." He turned around, back to the way he came from, and was gone.
Leér frowned when Vanguard sauntered off looking for the Vampire, for he was eager to speak with Vanguard longer.
"Pfft. Those two can go to the Industrial Capital, but I have a suprise instore for them." Cackled Leér while walking away from the corridor that he and Vanguard were previously in. He muttered a cuss under his breath, and reflected on what to do subsequently. Leér walked unaccompanied in a circle in the hallway.
"Suzu!" he then shouted aloud, breaking the silence which seemed louder then words at times.
An almost silent rumble was heard when a figure rushed passed Leér like a bolt of blue. Then came scuttling backwards to the setting where Leér was situated.
"Do you need Suzu or are you just calling Suzu to talk?" the short girl asked Leér, gesticulating her petite hands about. She was dressed in out of the ordinary apparel. A tiny red and pointed hat, indicating she was some sort of a mage, was so loose-fitting that it glide right off of her head. Certainly, no one could not distinguish the ginger tipped cat-ears popping out from beneath the hat, aswell.
"Suzu Aishin...a mysterious girl possessed by a feline fire spirit, who also communicates in third person." He narrates.
"Neh! Suzu controlling herself, now!" she hissed, and pawed at Leér with a playful catlike finesse.
"Say what you please." He mumbled while pointing at her minature pink nose and lightly flicking it. Suzu swatted at Leér because of his actions.
"Suzu is assuming you need her for a business, mm?"
"This job is nothing a fourteen year old girl like you can not organize easily." He smiled, revealing a soft spot for the youngster. Leér placed a palm on Suzu's head and messed up her poofy blonde hair.
"Will you mind doing me a favor, Mizu zu?"
"Yay! Leér finally called Suzu, Mizu zu!" she cheered and wrapped her tiny arms around Leér.
"I am still wondering why you want to be called that. Suzu is a suitable name for you." He tried brushed the girl off, but she didn't seem to let go.
"I have numerous nicknames, but I like Mizu zu the best!" she squeezed him harder.
"Eh, heh, heh." Leér snickered, finally getting Suzu off of him by shaking.
Suzu pulled out her broom,"So what do you want Suzu to do?"
"Pursue Vanguard and his new vampire maiden, Manidel, who are heading to Rácina Andúnë." Leér snickered while saying their names.
"All Suzu has to do is chase them?" She put a finger to her lips and stared with a dazed look.
"Gather information, as well." Leér murmured. "Take this communicator, also. It is the most modern technology that I have obtained through my father. It's called The Raconteur 2.0 "
"Ooh! Awe-inspiring!" Suzu clinged to Leér once again, squealing into the speaker.
"Would you mind not doing that?"
Suzu huffed, "Does Leér not want Suzu to do what he wants?"
Leér rolled his eyes and hesitantly seized Suzu with his arms. Reluctantly he held her tightly, embracing warmth.
"Suzu loves it when you are nice to her."
"I am glad..." Leér beamed.
"Suzu will do anything that Leér says!" she tapped Leér with her magicial broom, murmuring quiet words, and a puff of smoke emerged. Leér stared at Suzu with livid look.
"What did you do?!" he screamed.
"You have a mustache, now!" she smirked.
Leér's eyes beamed with fury, "What the hell can that magic broom do?"
"It can change what people are wearing!" Suzu laughed nervously and swung around her broom with one hand. She twirled it about, left to right until Leér ceased it's movement by clutching it's handle. Both Suzu and Leér's grips were on it. She eventually discontinued trying to move the broom because Leér's strength surpassed hers.
"But, how did you give me a mustache?" he asked her, while dangling the broom. "You didn't change what I was wearing..."
"The top of your lips were bare, Leér!" She whispered and then laughed because of her rhyming. A sharp twinkle moved around her eyes.
"Witty, witty." He rubbed the spot where the mustache was, still holding a shocked and thwarted expression.
"Suzu will withdraw the mustache if Leér swears to stay on Suzu's side!" hollered Suzu, as Leér started to remember the information about the people that have deserted Suzu in the past.
Suzu Aishin was a loud person, or should one say half of a person and half of a feline. The only one that seems to know and be concerned with Suzu's existance is Leér, he was the first person to care for her with open arms. Suzu was exiled from her village because she was attacked by a cat demon while striding on a local path. Suzu ferociously defeated the demon with her fire magic, causing the town to believe that a young girl like her had spontaneous potential. On the night of festivity for Suzu's extraordinay victory, the annihilated demon returned with retribution and took over Suzu's body. The quiet and not detrimental Suzu was now known as the Toxic Demon, that would destroy the small town named Saeth. Not too many know of this town, due to the fact that it is imperceptible to everyone but to the natives. Suzu was forever banished by the elder, who was Suzu's grand father and also an exorcist. He scorned his granddaughter for not listening to him when told her to gather fruit and not to wander off. Was this the best chastisement to use against Suzu?
"Suzu wants you to answer her sometime this day, Leér!" She pouts. "But, if you can't promise..." she lowers the tone of her voice, making it sound like a trivial squeak.
"Suzu, I..." Leér whispered, but was interupted by the faint foot steps of a stranger. The two exchanged uneasy glances and gasped.
"Don't worry." Suzu alleged. "Suzu will do the job entirely with no flaws." She smiles and speedily taps Leér with the broom, then runs in the opposite course of the footsteps. Calmness returned when Suzu was absent. But, the footsteps did not come to an end. Leér's
In the interim, Vanguard was looking around for Manidel, countlessly calling her name. "Manidel!" called Vanguard, drifting passed the coridors aimlessly searching for Manidel.
"Where are you?" he bellowed in frustration and let out a breath, while leaning his arm against the wall. He closed his eyes for a moment, but immediately opened them when he herd voices in the next room. Vanguard decided to investigate further, hoping to repossess Manidel during throughout the way.
"Hmpf. Those children should not be sprinting in the castle, without permission. Especially since their parents are not nobles." A woman dressed in a priestess attire muttered to herself.
"Gait?" Leér scrambled to hide behind a statue, and peered looking at the woman with long blonde hair. He inaudibly kneeled down at the reer of the statue, closing his eyes in fear. Gait Lendella was Vanguard and Leér's discipline school teacher since he was thirteen-years-old. Given that they were never allowed outside the castle unaccompanied by a royal family member, the two were homeschooled by a twenty-year-old priestess, named Gait. Gait was seven years older then the two Atesthil brothers, making her twenty-eight somewhere around this date.
"Yes?" Gait said with a grin, astonishingly appearing behind Leér.
"Um..." Leér said, at the same time thinking of what to say.
"What are you doing, roaming the vestibules during the hours of darkness?" Gait waited for an instantaneous answer.
"Vanguard!" Leér barked. "I was rummaging around to find him. He ran off somewhere looking for that Shasarazade girl!"
"Go back to your housing by the quartyard and get some rest, child. I will look for your brother." Gait said, then tapped Leér's shoulder reassuringly.
"All right." Leér said. He stood erect gazing at Gait in the corner of his eye, making sure not to make a false mistake.
"Stand perpendicular and move!" she strictly directed him to follow.
"Yes, ma'am!" He marched out of the room, with his hands fastened down against his pants. Gait stared at him, making sure he fullfilled his proper etiquette, until he was no longer visible at her distance.
"That son of a gun had better go to his room." Gait rolled her eyes and smiled.
Vanguard was clandestinely inspecting the conversation, behind a corner, watching it from behind. Little did he know that Gait could literally see everything.
"Spying, Vanguard?" chuckled Gait, turning around to see Vanguard stealing a quick glance.
"Get over here, mischief maker." Gait laughed. "Don't act like your brother. I think you have things going for you."
Gait and Vanguard had a sibling type relationship. It seemed more than what Vanguard and Leér had.
"How come you are so strict with Leér?" said Vanguard, stepping closer to Gait.
"He still needs the discipline. From what Mother Carilee says, your father was just like that. So, I am assuming you get your good nature from your dear mother, Milie Atesthil."
"I can hardly recall her, Gait." Vanguard looked at his feet, embarressed.
"Well, she died when you were four. I was eleven at the time."
"You lived in the castle since, then?" Vanguard's mouth dropped.
"I was born in Atesthil City, then became a servant due to my father's early death. He was a servant for the Castle. I hardly ever saw him, but was obliged to take over his orders. My mum left for Fána Aelin, the Harbor Capital, in search that my younger almost sibling would live a better life and not be turned into be a servant like myself. She took a long travel while she was expecting a child, but she had arrived safety to the town." Gait took a short breath and continued speaking quickly.
"Soon, I went off to Isilmë Ilcalassë because of King Atesthil's orders. At a young age, I was superlatively brilliant. Your father knew since day one, that he wanted me to school you. The training in school and Holy Magic took ten years, and I returned when I was twenty-one to educate you."
"Do you see your mother any more?" said Vanguard, eager to hear the unheard story.
"I wish that I could see her again, but sadly I haven't had enough time to venture out of the castle." Gait shrugged.
"Let me speak to my father about this. This is unacceptable."
"I haven't had a real talk with you like this, ever." Gait opened a wide smile.
He returned the beam and turned his head to both sides. He was perceptibly peeking for Manidel.
"Yeah…" Vanguard muttered.
"Thank you for listening…and you'd better go off and find Manidel." Gait gently pushed Vanguard away from her.
"You have been an unsurpassed teacher! Seven years later and I couldn't know more!" Vanguard grinned and started to take off, dropping a small card with red text inscribed. His shoes began formulating a squeaking resonance, causing him to not hear what he had dropped.
"Wait, Vanguard!" Gait yelled, but it was too late for him to hear it.
"I'll keep my eyes peeled." She murmured, taking a glance at the card.
While he was dashing through the hallways, it finally came to him that Gait would stay a loyal ally to him. There were in fact trustworthy people in this world. But, what in the world did he drop?
In the intervening time, Manidel was walking in obscurity near the quartyard. She sighed continously to herself and held a clenched fist at her side, fuming more then ever.
"All I have to do now, is locate my brother Mandolin. I must not dissipate the minor amount of the time I comprise."
She crossed her arms in satisfaction. Manidel finally escaped away from Vanguard, for hopefully more than a moment. He appeared to be on her
Manidel still had her arms crossed. She gazed in both directions. "If suppose that my brother is going to be at Rácina Andúnë, if so, then I desire to travel to this destination."
She always conversed with herself quietly, since it bothered her to converse with others. Being uncomfortable by standing, Manidel walked around the pillar aimlessly, only to find Leér on the opposite side.
"Well, hello, darling." Leér simpered.
"I can tell that you're one of Vanguard's relatives with that kind of dialogue." Sulked Manidel.
Leér shrugged, keeping a casual posture for his motive. "Could be." He replied smoothly.
"Very well, then." She said, looking directly into Leér's eyes. She still had her arms crossed apprehensively.
"I wish I could view your eyes..." he reached out to move away her bangs that hung over past her eyes. Manidel struck his hand with hers, and stirred away.
"No one except my brother can look into my eyes." Manidel hissed, scrunching up her face and then her fist with irritation.
"Don't be madden." He alleged.
"You Atesthils are all alike, trying to seduce me in murky areas!" Manidel angrily yelled with exasperation.
"Don't categorize me with my brothers and my father. We are poles apart, milady."
"I will say as I please!"
"Most of the royal family is sleeping, dearest. I ask you to lower the tone of your voice."
Manidel was yet again enraged, for probably the twentieth time this evening. Her patience level decreased every time someone had antagonized her. It was becoming extremely unbearable.
"I don't follow orders from arrogant fools."
"If you truly did follow your advice, then your wits would not function at all."
"You are calling me conceited?" Manidel moved her face closer to Leér.
"Of course I am, darling." Leér moved more rapidly then ever before to pilfer a kiss from the Vampire Maiden. He suceeded when their lips touched for a split five seconds. He grabbed her, yearning for a longer sensation. She punched Leér in the chin and started coughing incessantly after she shifted away from Leér's grasp.
"I stole your first kiss." Leér said, as he held up his fist, acting proud at his behavior.
"N-no..." Manidel breathed incredibly heavy and started to wobble around, pacing around on the tiles of the floor while holding her head.
"If a successor of Modaline were to kiss a successor of Argente, her powers would diminish unless she could collect the ancient Elemental shards. But, those Elements destroyed your home, did they not? Or do you think the Elwë Míriel Ninjas had something to do with it?" cackle Leér.
Manidel kneeled to the ground with exhaustion. Her blood was pumping with fury and pain
"…Mandolin…" she called out her brother's name before she collapsed.
With that and the world closing in on her, her pliable skin pressed touching the marble floor and her eyelids fastened tightly. All veracity sluggishly locked up within the nightmare dream world she was somewhat fenced into.
How does everyone like the story so far? Many thanks to my thesaurus for aiding me with these 'big words', LoL. Eventually I'll add more description to everything when I'm more organized. This is just a start, I'll write more on Chapter 2, soon. The new chapter will be called "Little Emissary"…
My friends want to make characters in this, so I guess I'll stick them in somewhere throughout the story. Thanks for Megan (aka Dogchow46 elsewhere) for complimenting me so much on this, sankies! XD