Chapter 124: The Bridge Between The Gap
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The next morning, Vladstin felt a heavy feeling around his body, tight and suffocating.
He realized that he was tied up by ropes. It reminded him of when the Noble Huntsmen tried to kill him of a thousand cuts, and somehow, he felt fond of the nostalgia.
It was already noon when he woke up. Very strange. For a creature like who does not need sleep to oversleep, all because of his own lullaby.
He realized he was tied up to a wooden pole, which was connected to a wooden plank, and has four wooden feels. At the sides were two horizontal bars, which seems to be a handle.
The sun's glare blinded him a bit, and he was still feeling tired and sleepy to notice the footsteps heading towards him. As his vision was having large black spots and was still blurry from morningstars that made his eyes feel sticky, he saw a silhouette of a large figure before him.
He blinked for a while, just dumbly doing so.
The figure did not speak to him. But a teeny high-pitched voice on his back did.
"Daddy Vladstin...." Ofelia said behind him, peering out and ruffling his head. "Wake up now, you have to tell Daddy Leron to wake up too."
Sangfroid's face was clear now. He was wearing a scowl on his face, but still giving Vladstin the silent treatment.
Instead, he went out of his vision and picked up something. It was a well-dressed but dead Leron.
"Oh." Vladstin stared at those hollow eyes, and found the situation a little hilarious But he did not dare laugh in front of the hunter and incur his wrath.
As he called forth the blood of Leron within him, which is now his, the corpse began to grunt and move. It gently got out of Sangfroid's grasp, placing a hand on his cheeks.....
And placing a cold kiss on his cheeks.
"Guuur muuwninnggg waabbe." He made it 'speak', but it only came out as nonsensical groaning due to the no longer function vocal cords.
Sangfroid was a little moved by the gesture, but just glared at Vladstin while hugging Leron. "Hmph."
"Heh." Vladstin awkwardly chuckled. But this eventually had the effect of a peace offering, and so he asked. "Why am I tied up?"
"So you won't go anywhere, like before." Sangfroid took hold of the handle on both sides, dragging both Vladstin and Ofelia. They are truly heavy, but the wheels helped a bit. He reminded Vladstin of a horse or a bull, carrying a wagon.
Vladstin controlled Leron's body to move with them, and they continue their travel like that. He could easily escape from being tied up, but he was too lazy to do so. And he wants to let Sanngfroid let go of his rage towards him, so escaping this arrangement he made would definitely make things worse.
Vladstin knows that this sense of control, this sudden turn into a purely authoritative figure, where even Ofelia could not make any loud noise, is just his coping mechanism for his grief. He wants a sense of control over a situation he definitely has no control of.
But at the expense of himself too. He was a strong man, but all this carrying can even make oxes sweat their ears off. Sangfroid did not care even when it trickled into his eyelashes, stinging his eyes a bit. He tried to blink them off as they fell to the ground.
Thus, Vladstin decided to have the undead Leron take a handkerchief from the pouch, and go over to Sangfroid's side to wipe his sweat for him.
Sangfroid turned to the corpse and smiled, then pretended he did not do so, and turned back to his vampire captive with another displeased. "Hmph."
Vladstin could only sigh. But this gesture...
It feels like his chance to bridge the gap between the two of them.
He whistled an off-tune melody as they slowed down and rest in another meadow. Sangfroid set down the cart, and untied Ofelia, but not Vladstin. He conjured another pool for her to move in as he prepared lunch.
Vladstin noticed that Ofelia's eyes were wider than usual, and she was looking around and turning her head like a curious owlet, looking for something.
"Hm, what could our little fish-girl be looking for?" He muttered to himself.
And so, while Sangfroid was busy preparing their meals, he ordered his new corpse puppet Leron to move his cart for him right beside Ofelia. Ofelia jolted in surprise when she saw that they were approaching her, and pretended to act normal. She gave a queasy smile to Vladstin. "Daddy Vladstin, why are you here? Wanna play a game of pebble toss again?"
"I can't, my hands are tied." He gestured to her.
Ofelia understood the gesture, and pointed to the corpse puppet. "Then you can have Daddy Leron play it for you."
He nodded. "Alright then."
He is going to ease up the girl's nerves a bit by a game of pebble toss, then ask the question.
As Ofelia and the corpse played a few rounds, he overheard her muttering something in Gargen. He could not understand much, only "Poor Daddy....."
Vladstin wished there was a way to understand the siren girl better.
The wind blew and brought along auburn leaves with it, that was caught in Vladstin's hair. Suddenly, he was hearing Ofelia in a different way. He was hearing her in his own language, in the Crescentian language.
"Daddy Leron..... I am so sad when you died. I wish I could have prevented it. But Ofelia promised Eis..... No matter what, I should only give you the hibiscus flower when it's full moon. I can't find it yet..."
(Hibiscus flower, huh?) Vladstin thought.
Using his sharp eyes, he scanned the area for that flower. He knows what it looks like, but it seems improbable for this meadow to have it. Ofelia could have easily asked Sangfroid to conjure one for her, but it seems that that certain hibiscus flower that must only be given during the full moon only exists here. There is only one of its kind.
Then, he caught something glowing sapphire by a few meters from where they are, hidden by a bunch of bushes.
He narrowed his eyes. Hibiscus flowers are usually red, so that can't be it. But then again, if it is a special hibiscus flower, it could have been blue.
He turned to Sangfroid, who was cooking gloomily by the fire, brooding while thinking of something. He seemed to be too focused on the pot. Vladstin resolved that he will just quickly check, then go back to the cart before the hunter could see it. He has inhuman speed anyway, he will be back in merely a second.
As he zoomed quickly out of his bounds, he looked for the blue hibiscus flower. It had an eerie glow, its roots purple while its pistil is bright yellow. It stood lonely behind that shrub, the only flower nearby, but it's not completely alone.....
There was an epitaph beside it, made of carved stone.
And above that epitaph was a small jar. Vladstin opened and sniffed. It was dried blood.
The epitaph read.
'I had a vision for the Mothers that I must let the seed grow here, and leave a bit of my blood. To whoever will receive it, be reminded that I do not know what it is for, but that I am simply following the vision. But I wish, deep in my heart, that it will be helpful to you. This is one of the last few visions I will have before I die.'
A name was signed.
'Uriel'.
-----------------------------------
Uriel was born a very quiet child.
Even so, he had managed to be a friend of the King's twin sons, Vinsen and Casserome.
These two are mostly enemies, yet he seems to be the bridge between the gap between them. Prince Vinsen is friendly and gentle-mannered, while Prince Casserome is headstrong and rebellious. They could not be as any more different as night and day. And yet through Uriel, they managed to be a trio, to be friends that play on fields chasing storks in the spring, and hitting snowballs in the winter.
So, despite his introversion, you could say that Uriel is a happy child.
He especially likes playing with Prince Vinsen out of the two. Yet secretly, he have a strong pull towards, Prince Casserome too, despite his brash behavior. He was often the savior of the latter, and cleans his mess before he could get caught by his father or his people.
"Uriel, you better not tell anyone I was the one who took the scarecrow's head. You understand!?" Prince Casserome, age 8 in this memory, giggled as he dragged Uriel with him, running far from the farm he just terrorized.
It's actually not the scarecrow that is his biggest crime towards the family he terrorized. He also killed all the chickens.
But Uriel knows that promising not to tell about the scarecrows also includes not telling about the chickens. He nodded, and merely said, "Yes, Your Highness. Not a word."
Casserome grinned, as they run into the sunset. Uriel just kept on protecting and tolerating the bratty prince like this.
So besides the king and queen, he is also at fault.
It is partly his fault why Casserome grew into the tyrant he is today.
But can you blame him? His greatest flaw...
Was that he was too loyal.
One night, that loyalty was stretched to its limits.
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The next morning, Vladstin felt a heavy feeling around his body, tight and suffocating.
He realized that he was tied up by ropes. It reminded him of when the Noble Huntsmen tried to kill him of a thousand cuts, and somehow, he felt fond of the nostalgia.
It was already noon when he woke up. Very strange. For a creature like who does not need sleep to oversleep, all because of his own lullaby.
He realized he was tied up to a wooden pole, which was connected to a wooden plank, and has four wooden feels. At the sides were two horizontal bars, which seems to be a handle.
The sun's glare blinded him a bit, and he was still feeling tired and sleepy to notice the footsteps heading towards him. As his vision was having large black spots and was still blurry from morningstars that made his eyes feel sticky, he saw a silhouette of a large figure before him.
He blinked for a while, just dumbly doing so.
The figure did not speak to him. But a teeny high-pitched voice on his back did.
"Daddy Vladstin...." Ofelia said behind him, peering out and ruffling his head. "Wake up now, you have to tell Daddy Leron to wake up too."
Sangfroid's face was clear now. He was wearing a scowl on his face, but still giving Vladstin the silent treatment.
Instead, he went out of his vision and picked up something. It was a well-dressed but dead Leron.
"Oh." Vladstin stared at those hollow eyes, and found the situation a little hilarious But he did not dare laugh in front of the hunter and incur his wrath.
As he called forth the blood of Leron within him, which is now his, the corpse began to grunt and move. It gently got out of Sangfroid's grasp, placing a hand on his cheeks.....
And placing a cold kiss on his cheeks.
"Guuur muuwninnggg waabbe." He made it 'speak', but it only came out as nonsensical groaning due to the no longer function vocal cords.
Sangfroid was a little moved by the gesture, but just glared at Vladstin while hugging Leron. "Hmph."
"Heh." Vladstin awkwardly chuckled. But this eventually had the effect of a peace offering, and so he asked. "Why am I tied up?"
"So you won't go anywhere, like before." Sangfroid took hold of the handle on both sides, dragging both Vladstin and Ofelia. They are truly heavy, but the wheels helped a bit. He reminded Vladstin of a horse or a bull, carrying a wagon.
Vladstin controlled Leron's body to move with them, and they continue their travel like that. He could easily escape from being tied up, but he was too lazy to do so. And he wants to let Sanngfroid let go of his rage towards him, so escaping this arrangement he made would definitely make things worse.
Vladstin knows that this sense of control, this sudden turn into a purely authoritative figure, where even Ofelia could not make any loud noise, is just his coping mechanism for his grief. He wants a sense of control over a situation he definitely has no control of.
But at the expense of himself too. He was a strong man, but all this carrying can even make oxes sweat their ears off. Sangfroid did not care even when it trickled into his eyelashes, stinging his eyes a bit. He tried to blink them off as they fell to the ground.
Thus, Vladstin decided to have the undead Leron take a handkerchief from the pouch, and go over to Sangfroid's side to wipe his sweat for him.
Sangfroid turned to the corpse and smiled, then pretended he did not do so, and turned back to his vampire captive with another displeased. "Hmph."
Vladstin could only sigh. But this gesture...
It feels like his chance to bridge the gap between the two of them.
He whistled an off-tune melody as they slowed down and rest in another meadow. Sangfroid set down the cart, and untied Ofelia, but not Vladstin. He conjured another pool for her to move in as he prepared lunch.
Vladstin noticed that Ofelia's eyes were wider than usual, and she was looking around and turning her head like a curious owlet, looking for something.
"Hm, what could our little fish-girl be looking for?" He muttered to himself.
And so, while Sangfroid was busy preparing their meals, he ordered his new corpse puppet Leron to move his cart for him right beside Ofelia. Ofelia jolted in surprise when she saw that they were approaching her, and pretended to act normal. She gave a queasy smile to Vladstin. "Daddy Vladstin, why are you here? Wanna play a game of pebble toss again?"
"I can't, my hands are tied." He gestured to her.
Ofelia understood the gesture, and pointed to the corpse puppet. "Then you can have Daddy Leron play it for you."
He nodded. "Alright then."
He is going to ease up the girl's nerves a bit by a game of pebble toss, then ask the question.
As Ofelia and the corpse played a few rounds, he overheard her muttering something in Gargen. He could not understand much, only "Poor Daddy....."
Vladstin wished there was a way to understand the siren girl better.
The wind blew and brought along auburn leaves with it, that was caught in Vladstin's hair. Suddenly, he was hearing Ofelia in a different way. He was hearing her in his own language, in the Crescentian language.
"Daddy Leron..... I am so sad when you died. I wish I could have prevented it. But Ofelia promised Eis..... No matter what, I should only give you the hibiscus flower when it's full moon. I can't find it yet..."
(Hibiscus flower, huh?) Vladstin thought.
Using his sharp eyes, he scanned the area for that flower. He knows what it looks like, but it seems improbable for this meadow to have it. Ofelia could have easily asked Sangfroid to conjure one for her, but it seems that that certain hibiscus flower that must only be given during the full moon only exists here. There is only one of its kind.
Then, he caught something glowing sapphire by a few meters from where they are, hidden by a bunch of bushes.
He narrowed his eyes. Hibiscus flowers are usually red, so that can't be it. But then again, if it is a special hibiscus flower, it could have been blue.
He turned to Sangfroid, who was cooking gloomily by the fire, brooding while thinking of something. He seemed to be too focused on the pot. Vladstin resolved that he will just quickly check, then go back to the cart before the hunter could see it. He has inhuman speed anyway, he will be back in merely a second.
As he zoomed quickly out of his bounds, he looked for the blue hibiscus flower. It had an eerie glow, its roots purple while its pistil is bright yellow. It stood lonely behind that shrub, the only flower nearby, but it's not completely alone.....
There was an epitaph beside it, made of carved stone.
And above that epitaph was a small jar. Vladstin opened and sniffed. It was dried blood.
The epitaph read.
'I had a vision for the Mothers that I must let the seed grow here, and leave a bit of my blood. To whoever will receive it, be reminded that I do not know what it is for, but that I am simply following the vision. But I wish, deep in my heart, that it will be helpful to you. This is one of the last few visions I will have before I die.'
A name was signed.
'Uriel'.
-----------------------------------
Uriel was born a very quiet child.
Even so, he had managed to be a friend of the King's twin sons, Vinsen and Casserome.
These two are mostly enemies, yet he seems to be the bridge between the gap between them. Prince Vinsen is friendly and gentle-mannered, while Prince Casserome is headstrong and rebellious. They could not be as any more different as night and day. And yet through Uriel, they managed to be a trio, to be friends that play on fields chasing storks in the spring, and hitting snowballs in the winter.
So, despite his introversion, you could say that Uriel is a happy child.
He especially likes playing with Prince Vinsen out of the two. Yet secretly, he have a strong pull towards, Prince Casserome too, despite his brash behavior. He was often the savior of the latter, and cleans his mess before he could get caught by his father or his people.
"Uriel, you better not tell anyone I was the one who took the scarecrow's head. You understand!?" Prince Casserome, age 8 in this memory, giggled as he dragged Uriel with him, running far from the farm he just terrorized.
It's actually not the scarecrow that is his biggest crime towards the family he terrorized. He also killed all the chickens.
But Uriel knows that promising not to tell about the scarecrows also includes not telling about the chickens. He nodded, and merely said, "Yes, Your Highness. Not a word."
Casserome grinned, as they run into the sunset. Uriel just kept on protecting and tolerating the bratty prince like this.
So besides the king and queen, he is also at fault.
It is partly his fault why Casserome grew into the tyrant he is today.
But can you blame him? His greatest flaw...
Was that he was too loyal.
One night, that loyalty was stretched to its limits.
The next morning, Vladstin felt a heavy feeling around his body, tight and suffocating.He realized that he was tied up by ropes. It reminded him of when the Noble Huntsmen tried to kill him of a thousand cuts, and somehow, he felt fond of the nostalgia.It was already noon when he woke up. Very strange. For a creature like who does not need sleep to oversleep, all because of his own lullaby.He realized he was tied up to a wooden pole, which was connected to a wooden plank, and has four wooden feels. At the sides were two horizontal bars, which seems to be a handle.The sun's glare blinded him a bit, and he was still feeling tired and sleepy to notice the footsteps heading towards him. As his vision was having large black spots and was still blurry from morningstars that made his eyes feel sticky, he saw a silhouette of a large figure before him. He blinked for a while, just dumbly doing so.The figure did not speak to him. But a teeny high-pitched voice on his back did."Daddy Vladstin...." Ofelia said behind him, peering out and ruffling his head. "Wake up now, you have to tell Daddy Leron to wake up too."Sangfroid's face was clear now. He was wearing a scowl on his face, but still giving Vladstin the silent treatment.Instead, he went out of his vision and picked up something. It was a well-dressed but dead Leron."Oh." Vladstin stared at those hollow eyes, and found the situation a little hilarious But he did not dare laugh in front of the hunter and incur his wrath.As he called forth the blood of Leron within him, which is now his, the corpse began to grunt and move. It gently got out of Sangfroid's grasp, placing a hand on his cheeks.....And placing a cold kiss on his cheeks."Guuur muuwninnggg waabbe." He made it 'speak', but it only came out as nonsensical groaning due to the no longer function vocal cords. Sangfroid was a little moved by the gesture, but just glared at Vladstin while hugging Leron. "Hmph.""Heh." Vladstin awkwardly chuckled. But this eventually had the effect of a peace offering, and so he asked. "Why am I tied up?""So you won't go anywhere, like before." Sangfroid took hold of the handle on both sides, dragging both Vladstin and Ofelia. They are truly heavy, but the wheels helped a bit. He reminded Vladstin of a horse or a bull, carrying a wagon.Vladstin controlled Leron's body to move with them, and they continue their travel like that. He could easily escape from being tied up, but he was too lazy to do so. And he wants to let Sanngfroid let go of his rage towards him, so escaping this arrangement he made would definitely make things worse.Vladstin knows that this sense of control, this sudden turn into a purely authoritative figure, where even Ofelia could not make any loud noise, is just his coping mechanism for his grief. He wants a sense of control over a situation he definitely has no control of.But at the expense of himself too. He was a strong man, but all this carrying can even make oxes sweat their ears off. Sangfroid did not care even when it trickled into his eyelashes, stinging his eyes a bit. He tried to blink them off as they fell to the ground.Thus, Vladstin decided to have the undead Leron take a handkerchief from the pouch, and go over to Sangfroid's side to wipe his sweat for him.Sangfroid turned to the corpse and smiled, then pretended he did not do so, and turned back to his vampire captive with another displeased. "Hmph."Vladstin could only sigh. But this gesture...It feels like his chance to bridge the gap between the two of them.He whistled an off-tune melody as they slowed down and rest in another meadow. Sangfroid set down the cart, and untied Ofelia, but not Vladstin. He conjured another pool for her to move in as he prepared lunch.Vladstin noticed that Ofelia's eyes were wider than usual, and she was looking around and turning her head like a curious owlet, looking for something."Hm, what could our little fish-girl be looking for?" He muttered to himself.And so, while Sangfroid was busy preparing their meals, he ordered his new corpse puppet Leron to move his cart for him right beside Ofelia. Ofelia jolted in surprise when she saw that they were approaching her, and pretended to act normal. She gave a queasy smile to Vladstin. "Daddy Vladstin, why are you here? Wanna play a game of pebble toss again?""I can't, my hands are tied." He gestured to her. Ofelia understood the gesture, and pointed to the corpse puppet. "Then you can have Daddy Leron play it for you."He nodded. "Alright then."He is going to ease up the girl's nerves a bit by a game of pebble toss, then ask the question.As Ofelia and the corpse played a few rounds, he overheard her muttering something in Gargen. He could not understand much, only "Poor Daddy....."Vladstin wished there was a way to understand the siren girl better. The wind blew and brought along auburn leaves with it, that was caught in Vladstin's hair. Suddenly, he was hearing Ofelia in a different way. He was hearing her in his own language, in the Crescentian language."Daddy Leron..... I am so sad when you died. I wish I could have prevented it. But Ofelia promised Eis..... No matter what, I should only give you the hibiscus flower when it's full moon. I can't find it yet..."Hibiscus flower, huh? Vladstin thought.Using his sharp eyes, he scanned the area for that flower. He knows what it looks like, but it seems improbable for this meadow to have it. Ofelia could have easily asked Sangfroid to conjure one for her, but it seems that that certain hibiscus flower that must only be given during the full moon only exists here. There is only one of its kind.Then, he caught something glowing sapphire by a few meters from where they are, hidden by a bunch of bushes.He narrowed his eyes. Hibiscus flowers are usually red, so that can't be it. But then again, if it is a special hibiscus flower, it could have been blue.He turned to Sangfroid, who was cooking gloomily by the fire, brooding while thinking of something. He seemed to be too focused on the pot. Vladstin resolved that he will just quickly check, then go back to the cart before the hunter could see it. He has inhuman speed anyway, he will be back in merely a second.As he zoomed quickly out of his bounds, he looked for the blue hibiscus flower. It had an eerie glow, its roots purple while its pistil is bright yellow. It stood lonely behind that shrub, the only flower nearby, but it's not completely alone.....There was an epitaph beside it, made of carved stone.And above that epitaph was a small jar. Vladstin opened and sniffed. It was dried blood.The epitaph read. 'I had a vision for the Mothers that I must let the seed grow here, and leave a bit of my blood. To whoever will receive it, be reminded that I do not know what it is for, but that I am simply following the vision. But I wish, deep in my heart, that it will be helpful to you. This is one of the last few visions I will have before I die.'A name was signed. 'Uriel'.-----------------------------------Uriel was born a very quiet child.Even so, he had managed to be a friend of the King's twin sons, Vinsen and Casserome.These two are mostly enemies, yet he seems to be the bridge between the gap between them. Prince Vinsen is friendly and gentle-mannered, while Prince Casserome is headstrong and rebellious. They could not be as any more different as night and day. And yet through Uriel, they managed to be a trio, to be friends that play on fields chasing storks in the spring, and hitting snowballs in the winter.So, despite his introversion, you could say that Uriel is a happy child.He especially likes playing with Prince Vinsen out of the two. Yet secretly, he have a strong pull towards, Prince Casserome too, despite his brash behavior. He was often the savior of the latter, and cleans his mess before he could get caught by his father or his people."Uriel, you better not tell anyone I was the one who took the scarecrow's head. You understand!?" Prince Casserome, age 8 in this memory, giggled as he dragged Uriel with him, running far from the farm he just terrorized.It's actually not the scarecrow that is his biggest crime towards the family he terrorized. He also killed all the chickens.But Uriel knows that promising not to tell about the scarecrows also includes not telling about the chickens. He nodded, and merely said, "Yes, Your Highness. Not a word."Casserome grinned, as they run into the sunset. Uriel just kept on protecting and tolerating the bratty prince like this.So besides the king and queen, he is also at fault.It is partly his fault why Casserome grew into the tyrant he is today.But can you blame him? His greatest flaw...Was that he was too loyal.One night, that loyalty was stretched to its limits.
