Asher emerged from the regal confines of the study hall, his heart pounding a discordant rhythm against his ribcage after learning that Rowena was the demon responsible for his mother's death!
He struggled to suppress the grimace pulling at his lips as he felt his mind spinning and his vision blurring from the realization.
For once again, he had allowed his scarred heart to seek the solace of love. He berated himself internally for almost repeating his past mistake.
But now, the chilling revelation about Rowena was a wake-up call. A harsh reminder of the peril that lay hidden in the guise of affection. He resolved to annihilate that part of him which still harbored human feelings from his past life. The part that sought the warmth of love.
Even as a human he thought love would soothe the pain left behind by his sufferings. But now he was determined to not let this part make him vulnerable again.
However, the resolution did nothing to assuage the throbbing pain in his heart. His mother's final words echoed hauntingly in his mind, the expression she made in her last moment etched into his memory.
All his life as a Hunter, he had been driven by a single mission, a singular goal – to find and eliminate the demon who took his mother away from him. That had been the only driving force that led him into the perilous world of Hunters and Demons.
He always knew that his mission was near impossible. His mother was an ordinary woman, and any demon capable of killing her would have been weak. The likelihood of such a demon still being alive was slim to none. It was a bitter truth he had grappled with for years.
Yet the cruel irony was that the demon he had been seeking all his life had been beside him all along, hiding behind the face of the woman he was married to.
The devastating revelation left his heart grinding against his chest.
He had found who he was looking for after all these years, but all he could do was walk away.
He had never felt so pathetic and angry that he let down his mother and himself.
The searing pain was almost unbearable, he wanted nothing more than to sit down somewhere and clear his chaotic mind.
But he couldn't risk it. Not here, not now. Not when Rowena could be watching him. He could no longer trust his own judgment about her after realizing he was foolish to think he got to know her completely. He couldn't afford to presume what she might or might not do.
And so, without wasting another moment, he decided to leave for the Naiadon Tribe. He needed distance. He needed to be away from here for a while. And most importantly, he needed to regain control over his heart that was now teetering on the precipice of chaos.
—
Asher finally descended upon the Naiadon village, a place that was the farthest from the castle.
Of course, as usual, Eradicator was the one accompanying him and dropping him off here. After what happened recently, he became wary of Eradicator too since she was under Rowena's command.
Paranoia curled in his stomach like a coiled serpent, making him hyper-aware of everything going on around him and second-guessing the motives of everyone. And he knew he mostly had himself to blame for this.
Still, he reminded himself to wear his usual demeanor like an armor, lest his inner turmoil cause anyone else to be suspicious.
Thanks to a secret message he sent to Caelum, he was able to make Caelum send him a message through his Whisperstone to make it seem like the meeting was postponed so that Eradicator would buy into it and he can spend some time alone.
Stepping down from Eradicator's mount, Asher scanned the scene, his lips curling into a customary smile as the villagers rushed forward to greet him.
Each joyous cheer, every wide-eyed look of admiration, felt like a needle to his frayed heart that was pounding against the confines of his chest.
He questioned his choice of coming to this bustling village when he could have sought the solitude of some far-off place to clear his chaos-riddled mind. Yet, before his thoughts could spiral further, a thunderous crash echoed through the vicinity.
In the distance, the tranquil waves of the sea had transformed into raging swirls. As if being beckoned by some unseen force, the waves parted, giving way to a formidable sight.
Callisa, his monstrous yet affectionate beast companion, emerged from the depths of the ocean.
The big baby Kraken, a colossal being enveloped in a shell blacker than the deepest abyss, made her way towards the shore, her excitement palpable even from this distance.
Her enormous crustacean form crashed against the water, her every movement causing the sea to thrash in response.
One of the Umbralfiends was clinging on to one of her legs after she suddenly rushed out of the waters when some of them were trying to play with it.
But Callisa shook him off effortlessly as she hurried forward, making him fly back into the waters with a surprised cry.
As she barreled towards Asher, the villagers and the Umbralfiends scurried to clear a path, their awe-struck faces painted a picture of both fear and admiration.
For a brief moment, amidst the chaos of his turmoil, Asher couldn't help but feel his heart slow down slowly upon seeing Callisa rushing towards him like he was the only one she could see right now.
And immediately he knew what he should do now.
In an agile leap, he hoisted himself onto the back of the massive baby, his grip secure against the rugged, black shell. He bent low, his lips brushing against the cool carapace as he whispered his commands, "Callisa, let's go. Swim away as far as you can."
"Krooo…."
The humongous baby let out a low rumble, a gesture of acknowledgement, as her pincers snapped together in what seemed like giddy anticipation.
In a swift motion, Callisa turned around, her massive body effortlessly slicing through the water, causing waves to crash onto the shore. The villagers could only watch in awe while the Umbralfiends watched in dismay as their baby guardian beast responded to his commands and retreated into the endless stretch of the ocean.
One moment they were attempting to get familiar with their young guardian, the next, they watched as she was led away by the royal consort into the unknown.
Confusion laced the faces of the Naiadon people as they saw their beloved consort disappear into the vast sea with Callisa.
An air of confusion hung over the crowd, their eyes gleaming with speculation and surprise since this was the first time he was going into the oceans.
Where is he going? Maybe he just wanted to train with her in the waters?
Whispers rippled through the crowd, their murmurs intertwining with the fading echoes of the receding waves.
The ocean's expanse stretched before them, an endless abyss of glittering red. Asher sat cross-legged atop Callisa's shell, his fingers gently skimming the water's surface, the splashes punctuating the silence.
He was feeling so broken, angry and resentful earlier and now those emotions had surprisingly calmed down a bit as he came here yet still churned within him. He knew he can't go back to the castle like this for Rowena would surely notice it. She was far more perceptive than he thought.
And so, here he was. Eradicator also can't follow him this far since her mount can't stay in the skies for too long.
He didn't tell Callisa to go too deep since he didn't want to get anywhere near the Forbidden Waters and could already spot the chaotic seas in the horizon.
And so Callisa bobbed rhythmically with the waves, her murky green eyes swiveling to watch Asher with an endearing curiosity, the waves reflecting in her gaze. It was an innocent fascination, a striking contrast to the troubles weighing down Asher's mind.
His heart was still heavy with a whirlwind of emotions, yet the calming serenity of the ocean offered a strange comfort.
His lips parted as she suddenly began, "Why can't I ever learn?" he began, his voice barely audible over the music of the sea. His gaze was fixed on the horizon where the sea met the sky, as if searching for answers in the vast expanse.
Callisa let out a low rumble, a sound that Asher had come to recognize as her listening intently. He lightly patted her shell, the cold, hard surface beneath his palm grounding him.
"I thought it wouldn't happen again. I thought I was wiser this time," he admitted, a trace of bitterness lining his words.
His grip on her shell tightened, the firm, unyielding texture of it reminding him of the harsh realities he was grappling with, "But I was wrong, Callisa. I was terribly wrong. I have always been surrounded by the wrong people…people who hurt my soul," Asher didn't know why he was saying all this to Callisa, but the heaviness in his chest made him feel like he had to get it out and he indeed was feeling better the more he talked to her.
All this time he had been bottling it all up and eating away at him.
Since Callisa can't tell anyone and was bonded to him, he felt she was the only one he can share these things with. He was glad he had a beast companion like her. He didn't need anybody else.
He paused, taking a deep breath as he gathered his thoughts. He gazed down Callisa's beady eyes, his expression softening. "You...you're my companion, Callisa. And I want you to remember something," he said, his voice commanding.
"Trust and love. They are dangerous things. And it can hurt you when you least expect it," His words hung in the air, a mirror to his raw vulnerability.
He caressed her shell as he added with a cold, determined look in his eyes, "That is why you can never trust anyone else but me, Callisa. I wouldn't want you getting tricked or getting hurt by someone else."
"Kooo…" Callisa let out a sound, a strange, soft purr that seemed to reverberate through the silent expanse of the ocean.
Asher shook his head as he rubbed his forehead, "Sigh, forget it. You might not even understand what I am saying."
Maybe upon feeling the heaviness of his aura of hearing his words, Callisa became restless beneath him.
Her large, bulbous eyes looked up towards Asher, a sense of worry embedded deep within their dark depths.
She clumsily began to move one of her gigantic pincers over her shell, trying to reach out to Asher. But, alas, it was too far to reach. Despite her massive size and formidable strength, her pincers couldn't reach the top of her shell where Asher sat.
Asher noticed Callisa's innocent attempt at trying to comfort him out of the corner of his eyes, making his stone cold expression soften as he leaned forward to pat her pincer, "Aren't you a good girl…"
Asher began to realize in this unlikely companionship, there was an unexpected sense of comfort and understanding even if Callisa was a beast.
Maybe it was all that he needed to move on and do whatever was necessary.
He realized he had let Rowena unknowingly influence his heart and distracted him from focusing on what he should have after being with her all this time and seeing all those memories of her with him.
And so he was now more than determined than ever to focus on avenging his own death and then deal with everything else later.
Yet it clawed at his mind when he wondered why after learning it was her, the first thought in his mind-
*Kooo! Kooo!*
Suddenly, he furrowed his brows as Callisa began to snap her pincers while letting out loud mewls, making him wonder why she was doing that now unless….
But his eyes caught the faint disturbance in the rhythm of the ocean, the minute alteration in the pattern of waves colliding against Callisa's colossal body.
He immediately turned around his head to see who was sneaking up behind him.
