Chapter 181: What Transpired 18 Years Ago (Part 1)

18 years ago

Location: Sachile, Treskilaya (Aselia’s hometown)

"Here, all done," Silah’s mother had just made two ponytails of her daughter’s long golden hair. She decorated them with red ribbons.

"Mom, do I look pretty?" Silah asked with a twinkle in her eyes, flicking her ponytails.

"You look like a princess, so very beautiful. Now go wash your hands and help me set up the table, your father will be home any second," her mother kissed her forehead and ushered her forward.

Once the table was set, the door opened and her father entered. His turquoise eyes, which Silah had inherited from him lit up seeing his daughter rush towards him.

"My princess," he spread his arms and she ran straight into them.

"Father, did you bring paints for me," she asked kissing him on his cheek.

"Of course, I did," he replied with a kind smile and handed her a small box with paints in it.

"Thank you. You are the best father in the world," she hugged him again before running off to her room to see the new paints her father had brought.

Later they sat down for dinner. Mrs. Harwaghes scooped out pasta for them while Mr. Harwaghes told them about his day at work. When they heard a commotion outside.

Silah’s father got up to check what was happening in their peaceful neighborhood when the door to their house banged open and Phantom entered with a sinister smile and cold eyes. His dark aura sucked out the warmth of their home.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Mr. Harwaghes glared at him and Phantom grabbed him by the neck and whispered:

"Your blood," he then plunged a syringe deep into his neck knocking him out.

Seeing the sinister scene unfold in front of them, six years old Silah screamed, her mother knew she would be next.

"Go, Silah, run away. Seek help, use the back door. Go go," she pushed Silah forward before she was dragged by the Phantom.

Silah was horrified, her tiny body trembled and she found it difficult to breathe. Screams of her mother echoed behind her, filling her ears, filling her head as tears spilled from her eyes.

She took the back door and kept running as far as her feet could take her. Some houses in her neighborhood were on fire and she could hear screams. Vampires were rampaging in the streets, killing and capturing peaceful elven people she had known throughout her life.

She kept running and crossed the street on her tiny feet when a vampire spotted her. He bared his fangs at her and gave her a sinister smile. Stepping forward he tried to grab her, Silah screamed in horror and took a step back.

Before he could reach her, his head was decapitated and rolled onto one side and a fountain of blood erupted and tainted the ground below in red.

Silah kept on screaming but stared ahead with wide eyes, as the body of the vampire fell an angel appeared in front of her with milky white wings and silvery flowing hair, he had a pleasant smile on his face.

"Hey! Little one, it’s alright. No bad man will hurt you," he kneeled before her and offered her his hand. She peeked at him with susceptible eyes and a teary face.

"A...are you an a...angel?" she stutteringly questioned him.

"I am and have been sent here to protect you, come. I won’t harm you, I promise," he smiled reassuringly and waited for her to trust him and take his hand.

She finally took a tiny step forward and placed her little hand on his large one. They both felt a tiny spark where their hands touched but she didn’t recoil from him, he guided her forward and softly asked:

"Would you like to fly?"

"I can’t, bad man is hurting my parents. You have to help them, please," she pleaded with teary eyes pointing towards her house in the distance with her other hand. He glanced in the direction of her house which was up in flames. Phantom stood outside watching the flames go high up as he held the dead body of a female elf.

Silah screamed in horror seeing her mother looking so lifeless in that bad man’s arms. She tried to run toward her: "Mother," she cried out, her whole body convulsed, and her screams wouldn’t stop.

But the silver-haired vampire picked her up, she tried to hit him too so he would let her go but he gently caught her tiny hands in his sturdy one.

"Sorry little one but we have to go."

Phantom had diverted his attention toward them and before he could catch them, the white wings fluttered in the world of chaos and the angelic being pressed Silah to his chest and flew away with her.

Her screams echoed under the night sky, disrupting its peace. She clung to him for dear life.

"You will be alright, please don’t cry," he tried to calm the little girl in his arms, stroking her hair.

"My parents, he hurt my parents. I want to go back to them," she whimpered as he wiped her tears, his heart broke seeing a child like that. How could his father be so cruel? So callous?

"I will leave you in a safe place and will return for your parents, you are a brave girl," he gave her false hope, knowing exactly that her parents were long dead.

"Yes, my mother said I am a princess, and princesses are brave. They fight monsters," she replied while wiping her face, a new determination settled in her turquoise eyes. This made him smile as he softly answered her:

"Your mother seems like a wise lady who is raising a brave princess," she nodded and asked.

"Do you live in the sky?" She asked with such innocence, her tears had stopped. He smiled some more and confided in her:

"I do, but it’s a secret. I rescue brave princesses, you know sometimes they need a little bit of help," he had slowed down his flight so as not to scare her, now that they were out of the danger zone.

"Are you an angel and a prince? My mother read me a story where a prince was fighting side by side with a princess and helped her," she asked rather curiously, staring at his smiling face.

"You bet I am," he replied suppressing a smile that lingered on the sides of his lips.

"Where is your crown? A prince must have a crown," she asked with sad eyes, peeking at his head, leaving him speechless.