~~~

Eial read about bonded mates in a book several years ago. When making eye contact with a bonded mate, one would know by instinct that they were the one. Their bodies would be filled with fiery emotion for an overwhelming moment until it had become accustomed to the new sensation. Not everyone would get a chance to meet their bonded mates, and if they did, their bond would last a lifetime.

The thought of a lifetime bond spoke to the little elf who had silently crept into the library in the middle of the night. Since then, his mind was filled with dreams. He’d bond with a beautiful elf who would gently reach out his hand and stroke his blushed cheeks. They would sit on the sturdy branch of a tall tree and share the scenery of a sunlit horizon. They would laugh and talk meaninglessly about a funny encounter at the market or how they spotted a woodland creature for a brief moment. Finally, there could be someone walking beside him on the solitary strolls he would take. And finally, there could be someone he could trust his secrets with. These thoughts kept him moving forward.

That is, until today.

It was definitely unexpected to say the least that his bond was with a demon. But the flutter he felt from locking eyes overtook any care of his race. His fantasies overwhelmed his mind and the thrill was hard to contain. At last, he could finally...!

Eial’s mind came back to the present, where the stormy skies cried the heavy tears he hid.

“What now?” he questioned to the world, letting out a breath he had held. It felt like a boulder was resting in his chest. Years of meaning had become sand that blew away in strong wind. “I suppose it is my fault for assuming more from any bond of mine.”

The tree he was under did little shelter from the rain pouring from above. He sat upright, soaking in with his surroundings while absorbed in his thoughts. Though, a few minutes was all it took for him to be too bothered by the droplets that prevented him from opening his eyes with ease.

“Blah!” he furrowed his brows in annoyance, and the water on and around him pushed away to create a small dome surrounding him. The now-dry elf tilted his head up at the rain blending with water on the roof of his dome.

“E ro elv krevi ko sheh n te ‘evi de kain te sin du brawn,” he began to sing a foreign lullaby. The baby elf cried with tears in his eyes for love he did not know.

“Ju kain fuh a’kah...,” he continued in a soft whisper. But love said hello...

Thrusting his eyes wide, he gasped in defeat, “Oh nooooo! I forgot to introduce myself! Oh, he probably thought I was so rude. A horrible first impression.” He let his body fall backwards with a light thud. Burrowing his hands in his straight hair, he howled, “Aaaaagh! I messed up real bad. What should I do?” In that moment, a sudden feeling of dread and panic washed over him.

The demon?

Without second thought, Eial closed his eyes to focus. Northwest. With one hand above him, he created a layer of air to shield him from the falling rain. With his other hand, he used the rainwater to create a sphere of water below him. Maintaining upward balance, he let the water propel him forward in haste.

As he reached closer to where his instinct led him, he found himself to feel calmer, as if the danger had passed. He no longer had a trace of where to go. Right then, he noticed a green light flash three times in the sky of a town a couple miles away from where he was. Light signals were used as a subtle way to assist the guards in times of danger without worrying the public. And green meant safety.

“Oh no,” the elf whispered and decided to visit the town.

When he reached closer to the familiar elven town, he let the spherical ball splash down and covered his head with the hood of the cape he was wearing. Then, finally letting go of his shield of air, he rushed forward, strategically hiding behind corners of buildings and glancing at every inch of the town. Unusual to this town, there were more guards wandering than he was used to seeing.

A couple buildings down, he spotted a familiar black cape, tucked and unruly at the base of a bush in an alleyway. In cautious, soundless movement, he walked over while imitating the sound of falling rain with water magic to hide his presence. Once he successfully made it to the bush, he reached his hand over and brought the cape closer to him inch by inch, without causing suspicion. Smelling the cape, he instinctively knew it was the demon’s.

Gently, he placed his hand and ear to the ground, attempting to absorb the vibrations of the conversation from the guards, which was hindered by the vibrations from the rain. In a muffled tone, he barely made out, “in… cell…”

Cell, huh?

Immediately, one of the guards heard a suspicious shift in noise and darted to the source, an orb of water in hand. Looking at a bush, however, she found nothing else there.