The Conversation
A few days later in a dimly lit stone cell...
A Human woman awakens to a young man's voice...
"Wake up," He orders, his tone sharp but his aggression milder; he's nonchalant...
Ryn slowly comes to consciousness, her enchanted eyes gradually absorbing the dim light of her surroundings until it all sharpened into perfect clarity; she's in a dimly lit cell that smells like a wet dog, and is oddly warm. The prison is spaciously square with a large set of cell bars facing across from her and behind a young man with messy, yet well-cared-for silver-colored hair. Ryn's groggy mind focuses at the same pace as her twisting features; she's looking at this pale-skinned pretty boy leaning forward in his wooden chair with interlocked hands resting on his knees; he's less than a foot or two from her bed. There's something about his eyes; they're so lovely to her in this dim light. The mysterious man speaks to her again, his voice is as attractive as his face as her eyes finally and fully awaken: it's that Lycan...
"You awake?" Aerin asks in a chill and rather casual tone, as if he's talking to a friend instead of a Human slumped in her raggedy bed. As Ryn sits up and caresses her head, Aerin keeps his eyes fixated on every movement she does, down to her breathing. He gives Ryn several more seconds to realize where she is before speaking, only when her eyes meet his again.
"I'm sure that you're aware of the situation you're in, right?" Aerin leans back in his chair now, his lean and muscular form accentuated by the sleeveless back shirt he wore. Ryn briefly takes in the sight without knowing; she's looking at the vague scars of history painting Aerin's toned, pale arms and even his neck. She then looks at his hair, mesmerized by its color in conjunction with its styling and how it all contrasted with his all-black outfit. Finally, she takes it all in when she looks at Aerin's face. Her heart skips a beat as she finally goes...
"Lycans are far less hairy than I thought they'd be! Holy shit!" Ryn says out loud before realizing it and quickly freezes in fear of retaliation, her eyes locked onto Aerin's as she covers her mouth. Aerin vaguely raises a brow in response but otherwise remains as nonchalant with her as ever. Though, it's clear he's not the only one that's curious about the other person in the room. That makes this easier on him. Aerin speaks in a rather serious but still disarming tone; he's not planning to hurt Ryn.
"We aren't. No," Aerin agrees with the Human before getting on with it. "I'll get right to the point, so take everything I'm about to say seriously, because if I so much as think you're trying to deceive me..." Aerin suddenly leans forward again until he's at eye level with the woman, his face mere inches from hers so that she can see the sincerity in his eyes when he finishes his sentence.
"I will kill you."
Ryn didn't notice how she trembled at his words at that moment. Aerin witnesses all of Ryn's spunk vanish, though...
Good. He continues talking...
"There are two reasons that you're still alive," Aerin pauses and looks aside in a quick moment of thought before correcting himself as he looks Ryn's way again. "Three. The first is because you took down a Vampire and helped us. The second is because two of us vouched for you; one of them is dead because of you," Aerin pauses and lets the weight of his words hit Ryn like a bull; she's stunned. She doesn't remember killing any...
Ryn finally realizes what happened...
Aerin keeps talking...
"The third and most important reason for you still being alive, though..." Aerin trails and quietly stands up, turning his back to Ryn and walking toward the cell bars. Despite having a clear shot of escape, Ryn remains frozen at the realization of her actions as Aerin keeps talking. "Is because of me," the young man pivots on his boot with his hands in his pockets, now facing Ryn again with an expression of fatigue. When was the last time he slept?
"I am what you might call the King of the Lycans. My name is Aerin."
An even greater rush of adrenaline courses through Ryn's veins as Aerin introduces himself while casually strolling toward her. She can't believe it. This man barely looks older than her, but he's a King!? Ryn can't help but feel a weird sensation in her heart when she grasps the scale of this interaction: she's talking to the King of a nearly extinct race of warlike killers. A race that once dominated Apocrypha...
And he tells Ryn she's killed one of Them...
How does she respond to this?
... ... ...
Ryn feels a chill down her neck; she doesn't know...
"This is where you tell me your na-" Aerin nearly fails to finish the sentence because Ryn answers him on reflex out of fear.
"Mona!" she answers, her messy black hair bangs brushing over those intense eyes of hers. She's nearly twisted with tension, her back is pressed against the cold and dark stone wall. Her legs are tucked close to her person, and her arms stay in full view of Aerin, yet clutched close to her sides. Aerin quickly reads Mona's body language and realizes what's going on. He closes his eyes and takes a breath, calming his tone and softening his expression when he looks at the woman again.
"I'm not going to harm you in any way, shape, or form unless I deem you a threat to the rest of us," Aerin assures and even pulls his hands from his pockets, holding them open, palms out in full view for her. "See?" he says and waits. Mona stares at Aerin for several long seconds as a torrent of thoughts rushes through her mind. Eventually, she slowly relaxes, lowering her long and toned legs covered by black, form-fitting pants off the bed till her bare feet touched the rather warm floor. Then she straightens her posture and moves her hands to rest on her thighs, perking up the slightest bit as she looks into Aerin's eyes, searching for sincerity when she asks...
"What about the rest of them?" Mona inquires, her voice cautious.
"They're not going to undermine what I say," Aerin calmly and confidently assures, but there's a slight sting of something in his heart when Ryn asks her follow-up...
"Do you promise me?" Mona asks. Her eyes stay on Aerin's; he takes in the vulnerability emanating from her expression and only then realizes the scope of her feelings. He closes his eyes and breaks eye contact and exhales. When he opens them at the end of his breath, he meets her gaze again and says with confidence.
"I promise on my life," Aerin assures, and to his surprise, Mona instantly relaxes.
"Okay..." Mona breathes while resting a hand across her chest; she's a little too nervous. "I can't get any greater security than a King's word. Otherwise, you'd be a shitty King, yeah?" she tries to break the tension with a reflex quip, only realizing what she just said after the fact. Mona falls quiet and meets Aerin's gaze again, but Aerin brushes it off with a tired and somewhat solemn huff. He's thinking about his dead comrades...
"There's more than one way to be a shitty King..." Aerin mutters under his breath before changing the subject; Mona heard him, though. She keeps quiet about it as Aerin speaks. "A few of us, if not most want me to kill you because you killed Kraven, which ironically was the man that saved your life from my Brother," Aerin informs Mona, who blinks in horror. Her heart sinks in her chest, and her eyes suddenly water, much to Aerin's surprise; he's shocked as Mona buries her face in her hands and starts crying. She's crying for a Lycan. A Lycan she killed. Aerin is in outright astonishment to the point all he can do is stare at Mona with a nearly shell-shocked expression.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
"I'm so, so sorry, Aerin..." Mona breaks down in tears in front of the Lycan, who still doesn't know how to respond. He keeps listening as Mona cries her eyes out. "I never wanted to hurt any of you. I just wanted to meet one of you and learn about your culture. I never wanted to kill the man that saved my life! I--"
Aerin suddenly approaches and rests his hands on Mona's shoulders.
"Hey..." Aerin softly says while gently shaking the woman's shoulders. "I know that, okay? That's why I'm protecting you. However, you have to listen to me if you want to get out of this unharmed," Aerin keeps talking without thinking; why is he comforting Kraven's killer!? Why is this Human's crying hurting him!? Mona doesn't stop crying, though; she's outright ignoring Aerin's comfort attempts. The young man can't take it anymore; the guilt is killing him...
"IT'S MY FAULT THEY DIED!" Aerin crumbles to his knees in front of Mona, falling into her lap in tears without realizing it. Mona freezes again as the Lycan cries, too. Aerin's words triggering something painfully familiar...
"My family is dead because I was too fucking weak to protect them..." Aerin doesn't care that he's invading Mona's personal space while crying in her lap; he's too distraught to give a damn; he's fought this as long as he could. Mona stares at the back of Aerin's head as he sobs into her lap, his face buried in his arms atop her thighs. "Anesthesia, Ymir, Kraven... if I was His Chosen, then FENRIR WOULD'VE GIVEN ME THE STRENGTH TO SAVE THEM!! BUT HE DIDN'T! AND I WASN'T STRONG ENOUGH TO DO ANYTHING! THEY'RE ALL DEAD BECAUSE OF ME!" Aerin screams and shakes as he cries.
Mona stays still, paralyzed with shock, awe, and most of all, empathy. She tentatively moves her hand to the back of Aerin's head as he cries, noting both his social ignorance, or indifference, and his eerily Human emotions. This entire experience is such a fever dream to her in some ways and a strange fulfilling thrill in others. She has a Lycan crying in her lap, and he's a King, too. She reaches closer, inching her slender, well-taken-care-of fingers toward his pretty silver hair. Then, in the softest and kindest voice she can muster, Mona speaks...
"Hey, hey..." she gently whispers, still keeping cautious while advancing her hand until she finally graces the back of Aerin's head with her palm. Aerin freezes and pulls away like a startled animal. Mona's hands shoot up in submission at the same time Aerin's bewildered eyes meet hers; what was she doing? Mona feels both a sudden awkwardness inside and a humor. She fights not to laugh as she speaks her defense.
"... Sorry?" she tentatively apologizes, awkwardly keeping eye contact while flashing an innocent smile. "I thought we were bonding there and figured..." She pauses and sees Aerin still staring at her like some stranger out in the street at night; she looks away and closes off her body language. "... figured I was wrong. Alrighty then..." she says, and now Aerin retrospectively realizes what he did, and now shares an awkward look as well.
"Ah... shit..." Aerin suddenly stands and walks away from Mona while running a hand through his hair; he's embarrassed, too. But, Aerin hides it better than Mona by facing away from her as he talks. "As I was saying, I know that you didn't mean to kill Kraven. Or well..." he turns and faces Mona again with his usual nonchalance and relaxed expression; he's back to normal as if it never happened. A part of Mona feels offended by how quickly he disregarded their moment, for some reason. Aerin's next sentence erases that feeling, though.
"I believe you at least didn't come looking for us with intentions to kill us like..." Aerin suddenly creases his features into a brief scowl, but regains his composure; he'll worry about them another time. "But, it's up to you to prove to the rest of the Lycans that'll be deciding if I kill you or not, that you aren't a threat. If you can convince them enough, I can likely banish you from the Boreal Forest as a verdict; you'll be killed on sight if we catch you out here again, but you'll be alive. That's the best-case scenario; you already know the worst-case one," he says with a huff. Mona glances around the dimly lit cell for a few seconds before stretching, her arms reaching toward the stone ceiling. Aerin takes a glance over her, but his eyes remain indifferent as she speaks.
"And, I assume that the reason I'm not bound by chains or have my magic suppressed is because...?" Mona finally wonders, but Aerin's answer is exactly what she knew it'd be.
"I'm more than capable of handling you by myself," Aerin assures her with casual confidence, and Mona quietly nods in agreement; the look on her face implying she's aware she asked a dumb question before it twists into something more devious. She brushes away bangs of hair from her vibrant features as she responds in a much more casual tone than earlier. She can't help but take her shot.
"Are you the rough type?" she says with a subtle grin when Aerin lofts his brow at her; why's she eyeing him like that? Mona notes Aerin's reaction and instead of backing off, she tests her luck. "You said you'd handle me, yeah? I want to know if you'll be gentle, or rough when you do it?" she nearly chuckles, her teasing grin clear as day. Aerin scrunches his face in confusion; what the hell is she talking about?
"I'd kill you. Duh?" Aerin snorts at her while looking at her like she's weird. Mona's grin vanishes, and she's now shaking her head in both disappointment and exasperation. Whatever.
"Right. Right..." Mona lets out a defeated sigh; she'll try again if things turn out more favorable. She fixes her hair from her shoulders, exposing most of her shoulders and sternum as she does it, which Aerin's eyes unknowingly fall on for the slightest moment before they meet Mona's again when she talks. "So, mister King..." she says, and Aerin quickly corrects her.
"Aerin," the Lycan says, and Mona fixes herself.
"Okay, Aerin..." Mona pauses and tilts her head, she can't help but speak on it. "Your name is really pretty. Actually, I'll be honest..." She slowly stands up, watching Aerin as she does in case he disagrees with her attempt; he doesn't, and she fully stands. She stands a few feet from him and is slightly shorter than he is, her eyes looking up into his as she smiles. "I never expected Lycans to look like you," she vaguely compliments, but Aerin misreads it and quickly responds with an insulted tone.
"...Meaning?" Aerin asks, awaiting a response with a rather sharp look in his eyes. Mona stares at him. Dumbfounded. All she can do is laugh and shake her head in disbelief. This experience wasn't anything like the stories she's read.
"It's a compliment, Aerin," Mona assures, leaving the subject behind as she waves her hand at him. "Anyway, since you've gone through the trouble of protecting me, I assume that you want something in exchange?" she says in a more serious and to-the-point tone. Aerin keeps pace with her energy and nods, slipping his hands into the pockets of his baggy pants again while responding. Mona's entire spirit shakes when Aerin speaks...
"I want to know about Adam and Eve..."
"You're their Descendant, aren't you?"
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Meanwhile in the village center...
Cyrus prepares for war...
"LYCANS!" Cyrus screams into the cold midday air of the frozen forest to the survivors gathered around his wooden stage; a stage where his family once stood. He's alone now. "We have suffered a most TRAGIC blow to our survival. For three of the Inner Circle have perished in battle at the hands of our SWORN ENEMIES! Which we will deal with in due time! But, first!" the muscular man stands shirtless in the cold before all of them: his battle-scarred physique is a testament to his devotion to his people. He's a prime male Lycan. His words are fiery amidst the sea of silence surrounding him as he keeps going...
"While my Brother deals with Kraven's killer, you will respect his wishes and show the Human no animosity! For even though we have lost a comrade loved by all of us, we must respect the will of Fenrir's Chosen unless His choices directly threaten our survival! But, my brother would never threaten our home! Thus! I will enforce his decision!" he pauses to breathe, his form standing proud and tall atop the stage as he paces, his hot breath blowing like dragon flames from his mouth. Snowflakes sprinkle his thick mane of a beard and head of black hair, and those grey-hued eyes keep confidence in them when he challenges...
"However, I am not your enforcer..."
"If you manage to defeat me in one one-on-one combat!" Cyrus yells at the sea of silent Lycans. He knows of how they reacted when Aerin pleaded with them while he was unconscious; their hesitance back then has weighed on his mind since. It's irritated him. He keeps going...
"If you can make me kneel, you will be proven STRONGER than my Brother! Then you will have the power to overrule him! We are all family, but never forget that the Inner Circle is not only chosen by you the people because of our leadership potential, or special qualities, but also because of our strength!" Cyrus opens his arms toward the audience of men, women, and even children watching him: his challenge is open to all. Aerin has enough on his mind as is, so Cyrus is taking control of the retaliation against them. But that doesn't start until he finally sees that nobody is challenging him; he's restored order just like that. Now, it's time for what he wants...
"Alright, then!" Cyrus relaxes his intimidating posture, his tone ice cold now...
"Let's get ready to finish a war that's needed a conclusion for the last several generations..."
"We will wipe them all out..."
Cyrus will make sure of it...
Next Chapter: Missing Persons...