Ejwaxy

Hey guys, Ejwaxy here. Sorry for the delay in chapter releasing, some stuff came up in my life recently that's been getting in the way of my writing. Some of it is college applications stuff, other aspects are mental health, and some of it is just the holidays. As such, my output is going to be inconsistent for a while.

A door loomed in front of me as I stood there, the harsh wind causing my cloak to billow in the wind. It was the door to the staff house, the door to Elena and Amber.

Behind me stood the elf, and in my arms was the girl who still cowered with her face buried in my chest. Her small blue horns poked at me as her hot breath tickled my skin. Her small hands gripped my shirt tightly, as though she never wanted to let go.

No, that wasn't entirely correct. It was more like she was scared of me letting go. Like she was desperate not to be abandoned.

The elf, on the other hand, seemed to barely even register that the situation was dangerous. As his white cloak billowed in contrast to my black one, the rainbow street lights shone on his excited grin. Rather than the regal air normally associated with elves, this elf seemed almost like a wild animal. It seemed like, unlike the fear I felt when confronting [Reaper], he was just looking forward to whatever came next.

Not wanting to let the girl who was clinging to me so desperately go, I knocked on the door with my elbow. After silence followed, I knocked once more. 

The longer it took, the less time we had. As I counted the seconds passing by, the door opened to reveal Amber.

She had her arms crossed to avoid the chill of the colder air from outside, and as her emerald eyes made contact with mine she gave a slight smile.

"What took so long, dummy?"

However, her eyes soon drifted to the girl in my arms. An instant later, they caught on the grinning elf behind me. Her smiling face quickly changed to a mixture of confusion and surprise.

"What's going on here?"

Amber rubbed her eyes as Elena looked at the girl and the elf silently. All of us were sitting around a table in a living room if sorts, the elf beside me as we faced Elena and Amber. The younger girl was asleep on my lap, her head against my chest. It seemed as though she was tired, though whether it was from prolonged fear or something else I didn't know.

Though I'd expected to have been interrupted by either of the two at some point, everybody simply listened quietly as I told my story.

"...So you got us all involved with a gang?"

In contrast to Elena's silence, Amber seemed annoyed. There were no stutters or blushing, and as she removed her hand from her face her emerald eyes seemed to bore into me. Since I honestly couldn't refute it, I could feel the sweat trailing down my back.

"Y-yes, but it was more or less unavoidable, right? I mean, only a monster could've let those guys go with her, right?"

"..."

I glanced to the side when confronted with Amber's narrowed eyes, and looked desperately to Elena for help. However, the princess didn't seem able to take her eyes off of the elf. In all honesty, seeing that made me feel an odd worry inside.

"..."

Amber's eyes narrowed at me further, and the girl on my lap stirred slightly. I could feel the volume of my sweat increasing as I tried to think of a way out of this. However, in the end, Amber just sighed.

"Well, I suppose it's fine. You're right that it would've been hard not to try the same thing if it were me instead."

I breathed a sigh of relief, only to be faced with a question from the other side.

"Who... What are they?"

Elena gaze was fixed on the elf as she spoke, though her question was directed at me. Part of me didn't feel like answering, but I brushed it aside.

"The one who was with us on the carriage here, right?"

"Right. Name's Alexander Graybolt, in the language of the humans at least. You can call me Alex. Why're you asking? If either of you two beauties are interested, I certainly wouldn't be opposed..."

The elf, Alex, winked at Elena and Amber, however the two quickly shut him down.

"W-what? No way! I'm not going to be interested like that in some guy I just met!"

"Sorry, I already have someone I like..."

I had to hold back from laughing as Elena and Amber shot Alex down without hesitation. I simultaneously felt the urge to sigh in relief. However, I did find it a bit odd that Amber used that specific reasoning, all things considered.

"In any case, what's with the interest, Elena?"

I held back a smug smirk as I turned my head towards Elena. Alex, on the other hand, simply shrugged while seeming unfazed.

"I... the both of them, there's something different about them. The girl, mana seems to be seeping out of her, emanating. As for you, Alex, those colored lights that float around you. What are they?"

Alex tilted his head curiously, as if surprised either that Elena could see them or didn't know what they were.

"You mean the [Elementals]? They've always followed me around. In fact, the reason I knew to 'drop in' on you little incident was because they told me about the commotion."

As he spoke, a handful of multicolored lights shined in the air. They looked like fireflies, but brighter and larger.

"[Elementals]?"

Amber repeated the word, as if uncertain of its meaning. More than likely, that was exactly the situation.

"You mean the spirits in control of the elements, that kind of thing?"

Alex nodded, and the lights in the air faded away. With the lights suddenly brightening and dimming again, it was no surprise that the girl stirred. She squirmed slightly against my chest, her small blue horns poking at me as her long eyelashes fluttered slightly to reveal her violet eyes.

"And the girl? I'm pretty sure I know what she is. Didn't think they existed outside of the legends, though."

Alex's words caused me to jump up slightly despite the fact that they brought up more questions than they answered.

"And what's that?"

Alex's grin widened as he looked at me.

"She's a [Blue Oni]."