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PHYSIENTS WILL ALWAYS OFFER BEST STORIES AND LIVE STREAMING ALL TIME
Chapter 461 The Long Lost Tale Part VII
The young Abigail led the young man towards the foot of the Dark Hills. They climbed to the rocky edges until they reached a cave-like entrance.
Young Alex could only follow the girl. He was a little hesitant but he couldn’t help but feel intrigued. He had always wanted to see this legendary last dragon with his own two eyes.
The path was made of crystalized black stones, almost as if it was coated with black diamonds. But the path wasn’t as dark as he expected it to be. It was pretty bright as there seemed to be a light source coming from the inside, reflecting the lights through the crystalized stones. He didn’t expect that the place would actually look like a fairy’s lair rather than a monster den.
Once they were nearing the end of the tunnel, the girl turned to him as she smiled, offering her hand for him to take.
"Lexus might think you’re an enemy so hold my hand Alexander," she said. The young man stared at her hand for a while before he finally reached out. "This way, Lexus will think of you as my friend," she added, grinning at him as she squeezed his hand.
The young man couldn’t help but stare at their hands entwined together that he stumbled. The girl immediately looked back but the young man was quick to correct himself, pretending that he didn’t just stumble.
She smiled at him and finally, they stepped out of the tunnel into a bigger open area inside the mountain.
Young Alex’s eyes widened with what he saw. It seemed the inside of the Black Hill was a large empty space, almost like a huge crater filled with cloud-like white mist. He had expected a dark, dangerous looking place with melted walls and burn marks everywhere, but he could see nothing that matched his expectations. This was totally unexpected.
"Lexus!!!" the girl called out, not letting go of young Alex’s hand.
The next moment, a dark figure emerged from the white mist, its large wings spreading out causing the white mists to rise and then fall from its body like a silky white waterfall. The vision was breathtaking and the young man found himself holding his breath. In his eyes, the creature was simply magnificent and terrifyingly beautiful. He found himself being mesmerised by this gigantic, graceful creature before him and he couldn’t take his eyes off it. He felt like if he blinked, the creature might disappear.
It stood still, with only half of its body emerging from the sea of mists. When the dragon’s eyes opened, the young Alex subconsciously squeezed the girl’s hand. The dragon’s eyes were like a pair of bright suns, blazing like an eternal inferno inside a crystal ball.
"Lexus! I’ve found a new friend! His name is Alexander!" young Abigail yelled. Her sweet voice echoed inside the cavernous room, filling it with a .
The dragon’s eyeballs moved slightly, as if it shifted his gaze to the young man next to his human. Young Alex froze as he looked into the beast’s eyes. He couldn’t move or say a word. He was simply overwhelmed and paralyzed.
However, the dragon seemed to be uninterested. It closed its eyes and then it silently disappeared back into the mist.
"Geez, Lexus..." Young Abi puffed her cheeks at the seemingly unfriendly dragon but when she faced Alex, she smiled at him. "Lexus is not so friendly today it seems. If I’m alone, he usually stretches out his tail over to this ledge and lets me climb on him. But don’t worry, he might be more friendly with you next time."
"You... you play with him? Do you ride on him too as he flies?!" the young man suddenly looked thrilled, his eyes filled with sparkling interest. He just couldn’t believe that in the space of one day, he went from a dying vampire and in the next, he actually ended up here and got to see the last living dragon!
"Yes. But we only fly at night and only above these hills. I don’t want Lexus to go to the nearby villages."
"Why?"
"I don’t want other people to see him. Besides, everybody is scared of him. It is best that he stays here so that he doesn’t get attacked by those who may want to harm him. Fear does funny things to people."
"I see... So does it- I mean, does he listen to all your commands?"
"Yes. He’s a very good boy," she said proudly, sounding like a proud and protective mother.
Young Alex could only watch her expressions. He knew this girl was indeed the new dragon keeper, and it seemed that she was the last one of her family line. If and when she died, this dragon would be left without a human master. And when she was gone, what would happen? Will this dragon create havoc on earth? Or will he stay in this place forever?
"Okay, let’s go back for now. We will come back again tomorrow. Maybe Lexus will be in a more hospitable mood and if you’re very lucky, you might get to ride on him, too."
"Yeah, well, I have never been on the good side of luck..." he mumbled softly to himself.
Luckily Abigail distracted him from his solemn thoughts as she dragged him back towards the exit. Shaking his head from his commiserations, he found himself asking more questions, more curious now than ever about this girl and her dragon friend.
"How many people have you brought here to see him?" the young man asked.
"Just you."
Young Alex halted, halting her progress as well. "What about that half-witch friend of yours?"
"He didn’t want to see Lexus. Zeres is a scaredy cat, you see?" She chuckled before her face became serious. "But I think there must be a reason why he refused to see Lexus. He knows that I know something is up but he didn’t spill the beans," she added with a pout.
But her face brightened up again, almost too quickly, as she faced him. "That’s why I am so happy you’re brave enough to meet Lexus. You’re not scared of him, right?"
"I’m... not."
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Chapter 462 The Long Lost Tale Part VIII
By the time the two climbed down the Black Hill, the silver-haired young man was already by the house, waiting for them. His expression was sour as he glared at the young Alex.
"Zeres! You’re here!" young Abigail exclaimed, completely missing the half-witch’s displeased face. "Ah!" Abigail pulled young Alex with her and made the two halflings face each other.
"Zeres, this is Alexander. Alexander, this is Zeres," The young woman introduced them to each other. But contrary to what she was expecting, the two young men didn’t seem to want anything to do with one another. Zeres glared at Alex and Alex was quick to give it back to Zeres.
"Alright, shall we go look for food?" she said to try and break the ice. Her eyes glanced back and forth between them. When no one budged from staring at each other, Abigail could only sigh with disappointment. She felt like knocking their heads together to put some sense into their brains but she didn’t. Instead, she turned around to leave them to their staring contest. Eventually, the two followed her.
"Abigail, why is this vampire still not leaving?" Zeres asked Abigail. But before Abigail could respond to him, the young Alex piped in.
"She asked me to stay here until I find the place that I belong," he muttered, causing Zeres to glare at him again.
"Did you seriously tell him that?" Zeres continued speaking to Abigail, trying his best to ignore the young Alex.
But when Abigail nodded, Zeres halted, utterly speechless. He bit his lips, obviously displeased. "Why would you ask him to stay at your place? He’s a vampire, Abigail. This guy will get hungry sooner or later and you could end us as his meal," Zeres said, not bothering to attempt to keep his voice down.
Young Abigail simply smiled at Zeres as she patted his shoulder. "Don’t worry, Zeres. He knows not to do that because Lexus will roast him alive if he ever attempts it," she answered playfully as she glanced at the young Alexander.
Zeres could only sigh, knowing that his words didn’t have the power to change this woman’s mind. He would have better luck trying to persuade a waterfall to run up the mountain cliff instead of falling to the ground.
That day, the trio went to the small river to find food for the young girl. The half-witch and half-vampire acted like a cat and a dog, determined not to get along. But the young Abigail was simply enjoying their company and to her, these two halflings were her newfound treasures.
"Okay, let’s head to the forest this time," Young Abigail then declared and the trio was quick to head to the thick forest.
Young Alex and Zeres parted ways to find food for themselves, leaving the young girl in their rendezvous spot as per her instruction.
The two were gone for a long while while Abi stayed in the meadow, looking for anything edible.
Young Abigail was busy picking up berries and herbs as she hummed when suddenly, a figure grabbed her from the side, as fast as lightning, just as she saw an arrow flying fast towards her.
They fell on the ground and she looked to see who had saved her. It was Alexander. He had saved her from being hit with that arrow.
The young man was quick to cover her body with his as he pulled her up and led her towards a large tree trunk where they hid behind.
"Humans are here," he whispered to her.
"Yes, I know... but why are they targeting me?" she asked, confused. She had heard a few people’s footsteps but young Abigail ignored it, thinking that they were just hunters passing by in the forest. She also knew that they were humans so she didn’t expect that they would suddenly attack her!
"I don’t know," Young Alex responded. "Maybe they want something from you or maybe they want to capture you. Anyway, go back to your house. I will deal with them," Alex quickly said as he looked back at where the humans were coming from.
"Wai-" Abi started but he was already gone.
The next thing she heard was the sound of clashing swords.
Zeres had also appeared and started fighting with the humans. The two fought against the humans using the same weapons – swords.
Young Abigail knew Zeres wasn’t that powerful yet as a witch, but he was exceptionally good when it came to swordsmanship. She peeked around the tree trunk to watch them and she was awed at their seemingly blended dynamic. They were both so damn good at fighting using their swords. As she looked at Alexander, young Abigail realized that just like Zeres, he didn’t have the strength that normal vampires had. All the two of them had was their exceptional skill with the sword, a human skill.
But for some reason, young Abigail found it hard to believe that they didn’t have more power than this. She could just sense that these two had dormant powers lying within them that just needed to be awakened.
"What’s wrong with you, little vampire? Aren’t you supposed to be using your fangs and claws to fight?" Zeres taunted as the two continued fighting.
"And what’s wrong with you, little witch? Aren’t you supposed to be using your spells and curses?" Young Alex retorted and they both attacked again, finally taking down the last of the group.
The two were about to leave to check on Abigail but to their surprise, another set of enemies appeared. It seemed there was an army of humans after them.
"Damn, where did these humans come from? Why are they here?" Zeres cursed when suddenly, arrows with fire burning on their tips began to rain on them. Zeres and Alex slashed the first batch of arrows but some arrows still got through their defenses. Zeres was shot in the thigh while an arrow grazed Alex’s sword arm.
"This is bad. We need to leave!" Young Alex said but then, another set of arrows fell like rain over them.
The two, who stood back to back, facing their enemies, could only grit their teeth. They were surrounded and there was no way they could escape these number of arrows.
Were they going to die here? Shit!
But before the arrows could land on them, a thick mist suddenly appeared.
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Chapter 463 The Long Lost Tale Part IX
As the sea of arrows were about to rain on Zeres and Alex, a thick mist suddenly appeared like smoke being fanned at them out of nowhere. The fast-moving mist enveloped the two halflings before they realized what was happening and within a second, they were lost inside it. Even though the two of them stood so close to each other, the fog was that thick that they couldn’t see each other anymore.
The sound of arrows flying above them drew their attention but it was futile to try and dodge the arrows as they could see nothing. Without thinking, they both immediately raised their arms over their head, shut their eyes and crouched down in a defensive position, expecting the volley of arrows to cut through the thick fog and pierce into them at any moment.
But... nothing came. The sound of the arrows disappeared and the world became very still and very quiet.
Young Alex and Zeres opened their eyes in shocked surprise before confusion set in. What just happened? Where did all those arrows go? Wait! They could see each other again! Their eyes were the only part of them that moved as they carefully looked up to find that the mist had formed a small bubble around them. They could see each other again, but they could see nothing of the world outside their bubble. They both sighed in relief because they really thought that that was it for them.
They moved to put their arms down and the mist seemed to move along with them, as if it was avoiding them this time. A frown crossed Zeres’ face and Alex’s expression was one of curiosity. They slowly stood up from their crouched positions and that was when they felt something warm wrapped around their waists. Alex was the first to notice and look down and he saw that it was someone’s arm.
The moment Alex turned around, his heart almost stopped beating from the shock.
"A-abigail?" Alex uttered in disbelief but then a second later, relief flooded his body. Thank goodness she was safe!
Zeres was also just as shocked. The two of them didn’t sense her presence at all! What, how? Didn’t Alex tell her to run back towards the house? Why didn’t she go? What was she still doing here? How did she slip close to them unnoticed? When did she even get close enough to them to be able to hug them like this? So many questions passed through their minds.
Did they not notice because they were too distracted by the thought that they were about to die? Or was it because the mist covered up her movements? Both theories seemed plausible.
They both looked at Abigail and saw that she had her eyes closed but it wasn’t because she was taking a nap, obviously. They could tell she was concentrating... concentrating on what? What was she doing?
The two looked at each other and then back at Abigail but then they noticed that the thick mist was slowly thinning out, exposing the forest around them slowly. Their gaze immediately flew towards the horde of attackers but what appeared before their eyes shocked them once more.
They thought that the mist was disappearing but that wasn’t the case at all! It was as if the tiny, tiny particles drew together into tiny droplets which then stretched out into long, thin needles suspended in the air. These crystal-like needles were floating in the air around them, forming a protective shield. But these weren’t just a protective barrier, these were weapons, too. The duo’s eyes fell on the ground before them and the sea of arrows that were aimed at them finally came into view. These were lying on the ground, broken into fragments, as if they had been cut into a thousand pieces.
And these needles were now pointing at their human attackers, who all looked terrified. They dropped their weapons as they backed away slowly, as if they couldn’t believe what they were seeing.
"Retreat!!" a deep voice echoed and they finally heard the humans footsteps running away as if they had seen a monster.
Young Alex and Zeres were in total awe. Was this Abigail’s doing? Was this her power?
They glanced at Abigail again to see that her eyes were still closed and the two halflings didn’t dare move as they glanced at each other with questioning eyes, as if asking the other what they should do.
Gladly, the young woman sucked in a deep breath and finally opened her eyes. The needles hanging in the air seemed to have dissolved and turned into a thick mist once again. The mist fell downwards, enveloping the ground before it slowly disappeared.
"Are you guys okay?" Abigail asked, checking on both of them. When she saw that they were wounded, a worried look immediately appeared on her face. "Let’s go back to my house. We need to treat your wounds," she said to both of them. She then knelt in front of Zeres as she studied his wound. An arrow had pierced through his leg. "Can you walk?" she asked as she looked up at him.
"Of course I can walk," Zeres said indignantly. He straightened up and the moment he tried to put his weight on the wounded leg, it gave out from under him.
Alex went over to him and held his hand out, offering his help but Zeres swatted it away, determined to show Abigail that he wasn’t a weakling. However, from that short show to pride, he knew he wouldn’t be able to walk with it.
"Look," Alex said. "Just let me help you. I don’t like owing anybody. We can call it even after this, alright?"
Zeres looked at Alex with some resentment. Unfortunately, Zeres had no choice. It was either accept this vampire’s help or be a burden to Abigail, so Zeres pushed his pride down and took Alex’s hand. He stood up and leaned on Alex, putting all his weight on his good leg, and Alex acted as a crutch.
Thus, the trio headed home.
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Chapter 464 The Long Lost Tale Part X
Inside the house, while Abi was treating Zeres’ wound, Alex was staring at Abigail with curiosity and wonder in his eyes.
"Abigail..." he called to get her attention. "May I ask you something?"
"Hmm? Of course."
Alex hesitated. "Are you really just... just a human?"
Zeres looked up at Alex at his question while Abi paused, as if she was thinking about how to respond.
"I mean... I know you are the Keeper of the black dragon but..." Alex tried to explain but he couldn’t continue what he wanted to say because he was worried that his words might hurt her.
But Abigail just smiled and her kind eyes told him she didn’t mind his words.
"Are you talking about the mist?" she asked and Alex nodded.
Zeres sat up in his chair, suddenly alert and paying close attention. He was just as equally curious as Alex was about it.
"Hmm... how should I explain it. Firstly... yes, I am just a human, Alexander," she started, grinning at them. "I am not a fairy or a witch or a vampire or a halfling like you guys. The mist is Lexus’ power. Actually, I don’t really know how or why but since I became the new keeper of dragons, the mist always appears every time I am in danger," she continued.
Her face then turned sad and regretful. "Back when my family and I were travelling to a different city, a day into our journey, we were attacked by assassins. I really didn’t know what was happening but when I saw my family getting attacked, I closed my eyes and yelled at the assassins to stop. I don’t know what happened but once I opened my eyes again, the assassins were dead. Ever since then, whenever I was in danger, the mist came to save me. I had no control over it but over time, since I have been living here with Lexus, I have learned to control it by commanding it the way I command Lexus."
Young Alex and Zeres were speechless. They didn’t know that this young human girl also had this kind of deadly power. That was pretty darn impressive! Being able to command an element like that was just incredible to them, especially because they, as a half witch and a half vampire, were lacking in many aspects that their full blooded counterparts were naturally blessed with.
"Do..." Alex peered at Abigail, "all dragon keepers have this power?"
Abigail shook her head.
The two halflings glanced at each other again because they found this extremely unbelievable. This was definitely new information to them. They had heard many tales of the former dragon keepers and people boasted about how strong they were but they were only strong because they had a dragon to protect them. They themselves were only human and had human capabilities. None of the former dragon keepers had ever had power like this because if they did, they would certainly have heard about it. Another solid proof was the fact that the last dragon keeper was murdered. If he had had this kind of power, he wouldn’t have been able to be killed so easily like that. He would have died of old age.
"No, I don’t think so. My mother said she had never seen or heard anything like it before. What was happening to me was very strange. They had no idea what was happening and why it seemed to happen to me. Not long after, I was brought here by my family. They told me that I needed to learn how to survive on my own and that was how I would become a great dragon keeper. So I stayed here and learned to live on my own."
Alex creased his brows. For some reason, he felt sad for Abigail. From her story, he thought that the reason why she was left to fend for herself in these mountains alone was because her family must have feared her powers. They must have been frightened for their lives especially because Abigail had no control over her power. It seemed this girl wasn’t cast out because she was weak and useless and hated like him, she might have been cast out because her family felt she was dangerous.
"But since I have met and come to know Lexus, I believe this is his power. The mist in his home is exactly the same as the mist that appears when I’m in danger. The mist in his home also listens to me," Abigail continued, unaware of Alex’s thoughts about her past.
"Could it be that the bl-, uhm, Lexus adores you and that’s why he gave you such a powerful tool..." Alex mumbled and Abigail’s face brightened.
"You think so, too? That’s what I like to think. Lexus has been a very great companion to me over the last few years. I would have been very lonely without him."
A small silence fell among the group as they all processed her words. She must have been very lonely being here all by herself. Luckily, she had Lexus here to keep her company.
The silence didn’t last long as Zeres’ curiosity got the better of him. "But does that mist really appear just when your life is in danger? Does it not appear beforehand?" Zeres asked.
Abigail shook her head. "Nope. I tried it to summon it before. I thought I could use it to catch some fish in the river but the mist just won’t appear, sadly." Abigail sounded so dejected, as if someone had taken her favourite toy away from her.
Young Alex and Zeres were speechless once again. She wanted to use that deadly power to catch fish?! They were at a loss for words.
But then, as they looked at her, they couldn’t believe that this little rabbit who looked so harmless was actually the most dangerous creature they had ever met in their lives. She was someone more fearsome than the vampire king or the dragon itself! She was someone nobody could kill!
"Done," she exclaimed when she was finally finished treating Zeres’ wound. She then moved towards Alex. "Your turn, Alexander."
Abi treated Alex’s arm while Zeres sat there, watching them.
"At least I no longer need to worry about this vampire being a threat," he suddenly said, raising a brow as he looked at Alex. "And by the way, I think you need to go back home, vampire prince. I heard your king is looking for you."
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Chapter 465 The Long Lost Tale Part XI
Alex’s gaze flew to Zeres’ face, eyes narrowed with suspicion as his heart thudded in his chest. Alex clenched his fists but kept his face and tone neutral, as if those words bore no weight.
"Don’t fabricate things, witch. The king would never look for me," Alex replied, seemingly unbothered. Alex knew that there was no way his father would ever look for him. He was the black sheep of the family, a waste of space and time. But even so, a small light of hope flickered inside of him. Even though his brain knew for a fact that he was nothing in his father’s eyes, Alex still wasn’t able to crush that hope that maybe his father did care, that maybe his father was actually looking for him. And he hated himself for it. He hated the fact that he couldn’t seem to stop himself from hoping. He loathed himself for giving his father this kind of control over him, hated the fact that even after what his family had put him through, he still wanted their acceptance.
Silence enveloped the small room. It was obvious that young Alex wasn’t pleased with what Zeres said.
"Well, it’s not my problem if you don’t believe me," Zeres simply shrugged.
But, young Abigail looked like she didn’t like the news Zeres had brought, causing Alex to feel surprised when he saw that look on Abigail’s face.
Young Alex stared at her, with the thought that he was probably just reading too much into her expression, but the longer he observed her sad face, the more he wanted to see her smile.
"I am not going back even if that’s true," he mumbled, his eyes never leaving her face, waiting for the reaction she would show upon hearing him.
The girl’s eyes slightly widened as she looked up at him. Her bright eyes glimmered and he could tell that what he said made her happy. A small smile was about to form on young Alex’s face when suddenly, a ball of silver light passed by between them in a whoosh!
Young Alex immediately looked at Zeres and the two halflings continued their glaring competition.
"Okay. You two stay here for a bit and let your wounds heal. I’ll go make some food for us," Young Abigail said and she left the room, leaving the two wounded halflings by themselves.
The two were quiet for a long while until Zeres spoke. "Are you here to befriend Abigail so that you can use her? Is that what you’re after, bloodsucker?"
Young Alex simply glanced at him. He didn’t say anything and just leaned against the wall, closing his eyes and completely ignoring the silver-haired young man next to him.
Zeres’ veins popped in annoyance. How could this little half-vampire ignore him like this?!
"I am warning you. Don’t even think about betraying her. Hmmm, on second thought, if you want to turn into ash, please be my guest and do so," Zeres continued, giving Alex a smug smirk.
Even then, young Alex just remained quiet, seemingly not paying Zeres any attention at all.
"Tch! What a boring bloodsucker!" the half-witch mumbled, obviously displeased.
Time was quick to pass by. Abigail had come back with three bowls of soup and everyone ate in silence. The rest of the day was spent inside the house with Abigail cleaning and prepping the food that they gathered, and the two wounded halflings resting in the room. There was no further conversation between the two.
Zeres’ wound eventually healed by the time the sun dropped below the horizon to be replaced by the moon. Unfortunately for Zeres, he needed to leave again. He was visibly upset that he had to leave, but he had no choice.
"Once everything settles down at my end. I am going to stay here, too, Abigail," he suddenly declared, glaring at Alex with obvious jealousy, before he finally left.
Young Abi sighed and sat on the bench outside the wooden house, her eyes looking out into the forest where Zeres had disappeared into.
"I wish I could help Zeres," Abi said, causing the young man next to her to crease his brows.
"Is he in big trouble?"
"Mm. Zeres said he had to stay with his queen mother to protect her from the witch hunters. It seems that even the witch queen is being targeted. It must be hard for him."
Alex didn’t say a word. He knew about the witches’ situation. He knew that Zeres had to go at night because nighttime was the vampires’ favorite time to attack because they were stronger at night than during the day.
In the palace, young Alex had seen many of the witches become slaves. In fact, he knew about the vampire royal family’s plan to catch the witch queen or any of the rare silver-haired witches. They had been trying for years and they still hadn’t managed to catch a single silver-haired witch, which made Alex think that the witches were equally powerful to be able to evade the grasp of his ruthless father, who didn’t care for anything or anyone but himself.
"I’m certain he can manage, especially since he’s the witch queen’s son. I’m sure they will be just fine," Alex could only say and his words were enough to make the girl smile.
"Mm, that’s right. Zeres is strong in his own way, too," she replied.
She stretched her arms out and looked up at the starry night sky. Young Alex followed her gaze and the two of them just sat in comfortable silence, just staring at the sky.
"The sky is really beautiful tonight," young Abi mumbled as she looked at Alex.
"Yeah. I never thought the sky could be this beautiful."
Young Abigail smiled at him. "You just need to gaze up at the sky sometimes when you’re alone, Alexander. You will see that the sky is always beautiful."
He averted his gaze from her and a slight smile curved on his lips. "I have been doing that often Abigail, gazing up at the stars every time I’m alone, wondering if there is a place out there for me. It has never looked this beautiful to me, though... it used to look dark, empty and even the stars looked dull..." His smile faded. "I think the sky became beautiful because I’m gazing at it next to you."
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Chapter 466 The Long Lost Tale Part XII
His words surprised the girl and her lips parted slightly. Their gaze deepened with their faces being reflected in each other’s eyes so clearly. The next moment, his hand moved and before he knew it, his hand was on her cheek, caressing it with the back of his fingers.
The mood became solemn and intense and in the next second, young Abigail turned to face the Dark Dragon Hills as she cleared her throat. Young Alex realized what he was doing and he was quick to retract his hand.
"W-what’s wrong?" he asked as he too followed her line of sight.
"I think I should go say goodnight to Lexus. Want to come with me?"
Alex didn’t even hesitate and he immediately stood up, ready to accompany her.
"You like Lexus, don’t you?" she giggled.
"He’s cool," he replied and the two of them climbed the mountain again, hand in hand.
"Lexus?" The young woman’s voice wasn’t as loud as this morning but the dragon immediately came out, as if he had been waiting for them. The black dragon was so close to them, so close that Alex found himself frozen on the spot. He didn’t dare move a muscle.
The magnificent black dragon lowered its head and young Abigail excitedly reached out to touch it while her other hand held Alex’s hand.
"What’s wrong? Were you lonely? How about we go and fly around for a bit tonight?" she kindly asked the dragon, like a sweet mother.
The dragon blinked slowly. His sun-like eyes burned calmly as he gazed at her, at them. His every move was graceful, almost making no sound at all. He was like a tamed domestic pet, contrary to an aggressive and ruthless monster he had heard many stories about.
"My friend wants to fly with you, Lexus. Will you allow it?" she asked again, pulling Alex to stand closer to Lexus.
The dragon’s magnificent eyeballs moved and looked at him for what seemed like a long time. The next moment, the dragon turned, stretching out his tail for them.
Young Abigail smiled so widely as she faced Alex. "He agreed! I think Lexus likes you!" she said excitedly and before Alex could reveal a reaction, Abi pulled him and they both climbed on the black dragon. They sat on his back, Abi holding onto a spike on the dragon’s neck while Alex sat right behind her.
"Are you ready?" Abi asked Alex and once Alex nodded, she happily yelled, "Let’s go, Lexus!"
The dragon’s wings spread out wide with a whoosh and then, without much warning, took off with such incredibly graceful power. Young Alex was utterly awed and before he knew it they were soaring in the night sky. The flight wasn’t rough or scary. It was incredibly calm.
"Lexus learned to fly gently like this because back then, I was so scared and nearly fell so I ordered him to be more gentle. Hahaha. He’s so amazing, right?" she boasted and Alex could only agree. This was just incredible. He never thought he would ever experience anything like this.
"Yeah, he’s amazing. And you’re incredible, too," he said. The dragon was no doubt cool but this girl who could tame this monster into this kind of gentle creature was the most amazing thing.
As he looked down, the young man could no longer contain the thrill and he spread his arms out wide. "This is just so amazing, Abigail!" he exclaimed.
The dragon flew for many rounds until it finally landed back in the crater of mist.
Young Abigail and Alex climbed down. She gently bumped her forehead on the dragon’s cheek and uttered lovingly, "Goodnight, Lexus."
Just after hearing that, the dragon disappeared into the mist again.
...
After dinner, Alex was busy sharpening and cleaning his sword when he finally noticed that Abigail was not inside the house. He was still buzzing from the electrifying experience. He couldn’t believe that he had actually ridden a dragon! The adrenaline rush he felt was indescribable and he had been replaying the scene over and over in his head that he didn’t notice that Abigail left.
Alexander didn’t have the superb hearing of normal vampires so he could only go out to look for her. When he couldn’t see her outside the house, he started to feel worried, but he was quick to tell himself that no one could hurt Abigail. But... what if she didn’t encounter an enemy... what if she fell in a hole or slipped down the mountain or tripped over and hit her head on the ground or something? Could the mist save her from these things?
That thought made Alex move in haste.
Alex walked further away from the house and was walking along the river when he froze.
Abigail was in the river, bathing in the water.
Abi didn’t hear him coming. Her hearing was very exceptional but it wasn’t something that was pleasant for her to use all the time. She would often get headaches from it and so she had learned to shut that power off whenever she didn’t need it.
Alex saw her figure as she bathed under the moonlight. He was utterly mesmerized as he stood there, unable to look away from this goddess before him.
But Abigail soon noticed his presence and the moment she turned, their eyes met. Abi froze as her blood shot up to her cheeks.
"Ahh!" she yelled, her arms covered her upper body as crouched down, hiding her body under the water.
Alex woke up from his reverie and quickly turned around, clearing his throat.
"I’m sorry," he said, covering his mouth with the back of his hand. "I’m going to go back inside now," he added and he hastily walked back to the house.
Alex was already lying down on the bed, trying to force himself to sleep, but Abigail’s image floated in his mind, hindering his efforts. The image of her was like a tease, not letting him turn his brain off and instead consumed his mind.
He felt her enter the house but he pretended to be asleep, not daring to open his eyes. The night was already deep so Abi went straight to bed, sighing gratefully when she saw that Alex had already fallen asleep.
Time passed, yet Alex remained awake. It was past midnight when he rose and grabbed his sword.
Like a careful and swift cat, Alex walked over to Abigail’s bed. He stood there silently as he gazed down at her sleeping face. He reached out and was about to touch her face but he quickly retracted his hand. His eyes glimmering in the dark.
He stepped out of the house, his eyes turned red as he stared at the black mountain and then he leapt away and landed on top of a tree. He looked back once again to the small wooden house and the black mountain before he finally disappeared into forest.
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Chapter 467 The Long Lost Tale Part XIII
Young Abigail was late to wake up the next morning. It seemed that the activities from the day before had taken its toll on her. The moment she got out of bed, she immediately went in search of the young Alex. Her heart felt a little bit panicked because she had dreamt that he had left her last night. She really hoped it was only a dream.
She rushed towards the bed and was instantly dismayed when she saw that he was no longer there. Did he really leave? But he said that he wouldn’t go back.
Young Abigail couldn’t believe how her heart behaved just from the thought of him not being around anymore. Her shoulders fell and she felt sad and hurt.
She walked dejectedly towards the door with a sullen expression on her face. She couldn’t.
However, when she lifted her face, she saw him standing before her. His presence shocked her in a good way and her sullen expression immediately disappeared and her face brightened like a shining star.
"Where did you go?!" she asked, approaching him as she puffed her cheeks.
The young man lifted his hand, showing her a big fish that he had just caught. "I went to catch some fish for you," he replied, causing the young Abigail to just blink as her gaze fell on the small basket filled with fish that he had caught.
She looked up again and stared at him. "Sorry... I thought, I thought that you left," she confessed.
Young Alex just froze and stared at her without blinking. It was as if he had forgotten how to respond until the fish in his hand moved, jolting him awake. He cleared his throat.
"Would you be sad if I left?" was the first thing that came out of his lips.
It was the young woman’s turn to fall silent for a while. She glanced down at the fish again before she looked at him and smiled. "Yes," she answered. "When I saw that you weren’t in the house, I felt sad. I know it has only been a couple of days since we met but... I think that having you around makes me happy."
Once again, the young man froze. Her words were so straightforward and honest, hiding nothing from him, that he didn’t know how to respond. Her honest words shook him to his very core. That was so unexpected and he was utterly affected. He didn’t even notice that he had let go of the big fish until young Abigail yelled "ah!" as she crouched down to pick up the still wriggling fish from the ground.
Young Alex subconsciously stepped back, covering his lips with the back of his hand as he looked down at her.
"I’ll bring these inside. We are going to have a very yummy breakfast," she said, flashing him a sweet smile before she walked back inside the house.
The young man just stood there, watching her retreating back, with his ears flushed red.
---
Later that day, Zeres arrived again and the three of them spent the day together. Young Alex and Zeres ended up sparring while Abigail watched them, trying to learn from their exceptional skills.
After that, Abigail cooked dinner for them and then Zeres would head back home again.
This was a sort of routine that the three of them developed over the next few weeks. Young Alex and Zeres continued their cat and dog relationship while Abigail watched over them.
These were the happiest days of young Abigail’s life since she had moved to this secluded area because she finally had people whom she could talk, laugh, eat and share her time with. Even though she had Lexus before the two halflings came into her life, she didn’t quite feel the same kind of happiness as what she was feeling now. This was a different kind of bliss and she wished that things would stay like that forever.
However, the peaceful days that went by only drew them closer to its ending.
About a month after Abigail found the wounded young Alex, an army of vampires arrived in the forest while the three of them were hunting for food.
The forest near the Black Dragon Hill was dense. The thick leaves from the tall trees blocked the sunlight so it was an ideal place for vampires to make their move.
Young Abigail and the two halflings were surrounded.
Zeres and young Alexander weren’t quite strong enough to fight these vampires, especially because these vampires were the vampire king’s personal elite men.
Young Alex was surprised when he saw these mighty vampires in this place. There was no reason for them to be here so why were they here?
"What are you guys doing here?!" Alexander asked, standing tall and proud like the prince that he was. He tried to sound commanding, talking to them as if he was their superior - technically, he was but of course, no one cared about that because he was a weak half-blood.
He and Zeres were standing right next to Abigail, protecting her as they pointed their swords at them alertly.
One of the vampires stepped forward and stared at Alex. Alex knew his face. This elite vampire was one of his father’s most trusted men.
"Prince Alexander, His majesty sent us to survey this place to look for you. We are glad that we finally found you," the elite vampire said.
However, his words weren’t convincing at all and just made Alex frown darkly at them all.
Then, a cold smirk flashed on Alex’s face. "Look for me? Really?" he shook his head. "Why would my almighty father send you, his most important soldier, to look for someone like me?"
"The king truly wants you back your highness. He is ill."
The soldier’s last sentence made Alex’s eyes narrow but his gaze eventually turned cold again.
"Please come with us your highness. We’ve been looking for you for a long time. The king wants to see you."
Alex’s grip on his sword tightened, ready to fight if he needed to. "And if I refuse to go with you?"
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Chapter 468 The Long Lost Tale Part XIV
"Then we won’t have a choice but to take you by force."
"Tch!" Alex twitched his lips. He looked around and he knew there was no way he and Zeres could win against them. They were able to fight those humans but these were vampires and not ordinary vampires at that! What should he do?
"Do you want to go?" young Abigail suddenly asked, causing Alex’s head to snap towards her.
Their eyes met. Alex didn’t want to go. He didn’t want to leave this place. He didn’t know why but he felt like he had found that one place where he belonged and that place was next to her. Now that he had finally found his place in the world, why would he still want to leave?
Remembering what she told him that day, that staying with her made her happy, Alex flashed a slight smile at her. "No," he told her.
His answer was, of course, loud enough to be heard by the vampire army and the man who stepped forward sighed. He lifted his hand and pointed at Alex. "Take him," he ordered and the next second, the horde of vampires jumped at them.
The young Abigail closed her eyes, waiting for mist to come. The fight had started. She heard steel clash against claws and flesh but the mist didn’t come. She was confused but when she opened her eyes, she realized why the mist didn’t appear. She wasn’t in danger because no one was attacking her.
Shock filled her eyes. Why were they not attacking her at all?
She looked at Alex, he was already losing and so was Zeres. Their human skills could not stand against these vampires. She could only watch as Alex swung his sword against the vampires coming at him, struggling to hold them off. Then she saw Zeres being kicked in the stomach, causing him to fall backwards by her feet. She immediately crouched down and held him.
"Zeres! Are you okay?"
"Damn. They are way too strong!" Zeres cursed. His body was already covered with wounds. These vampires were a lot stronger than the vampires he used to fight against every night.
"Ugh!!!"
Their attention was pulled to Alex as he groaned. Abi’s eyes flew towards him and she saw that he was completely surrounded.
"Give it up, your highness. Please drop your sword and come with us now. You and I both know your efforts are wasted here," the elite vampire coaxed.
But Alex just straightened up and glanced at Abigail. He looked at her desperate expression and he could see it in her eyes; that if this didn’t end soon, she would call for Lexus. Alex didn’t want that to happen because he knew that these vampires were not here because of him. They were definitely here for a bigger purpose. He wouldn’t let himself believe that his father sent his strongest force just to bring him back. It was just too absurd. Who was his father trying to fool? Alexander knew exactly what his father was like because he had been around long enough to know that the vampire king only wanted one thing; more power.
The fact that they never approached Abigail was enough for him to doubt their real purpose. If Abigail were to call Lexus out to deal with these men, they would know that a dragon master still lived and that it was her. That knowledge would put Abigail’s life in danger and that was something he would never let happen. Even though she had Lexus’ protection, Alex had observed that she wasn’t invincible. She had her very own Achilles heel that the enemies will soon exploit, especially the vampire king.
But what should he do? He couldn’t tell Abigail not to summon Lexus! That would just as equally give it away.
Gnashing his teeth, Alex closed his eyes as he looked up at the sky. He felt so powerless and he hated it. He was sick of this. He would rather die than be the reason for the end of Abigail’s peaceful, happy life. He didn’t want her smile to fade. He would do anything to keep her world peaceful like it was before he stumbled into it.
The vampires glanced at each other. Seeing Alex just standing there, immobile like stone, made them think that he had finally given up, so that man signaled for them to capture him.
However, out of the blue, his sword swung like lightning, slashing the vampires who were in midair with one strike. They fell to the ground, dead.
Everyone was stunned. When Alex opened his eyes, his eyes were bloody red, but his fangs and nails didn’t lengthen.
The next moment, Alex attacked them all. Everyone was caught off guard. They all knew that this prince didn’t have the strength and power of a vampire but how come he was so fast? And the way he used his sword was almost insane. His skill was beyond human.
The vampires were angered. It seemed they couldn’t accept that a half human was suddenly putting up a fight against them.
A big elite vampire with fiery eyes, obviously the strongest one in the bunch, stepped in. He threw a strong uppercut and it landed on Alex’s jaw, throwing Alex back from its force.
However, Alex’s feet landed on the ground with knees bent and he used his sword to slow himself down by piercing it through the ground. When he stopped, he was kneeling on one knee as he peered at the enemies through his hair. His eyes were still blazing red. His aura changed making him seem like he wasn’t the weakest vampire in the kingdom anymore.
Alexander himself was surprised. He didn’t know why or how but he suddenly felt tremendous power surging inside him. Where did this come from?
He felt like a gate was forced open inside him. He couldn’t tell what was happening to him. All he knew was that he needed to fight with his life on the line to protect Abigail.
With his mind filled with nothing but that, Alex rose and flew towards the vampires again. That man jumped to meet Alex’s attack midair but this time, Alex didn’t swing his sword at him. He didn’t face him head on; that would have been a foolish move. He knew that this vampire’s strength was his brute strength and powerful fists, thus, Alex swerved to the right, evading the vampire’s fist rather than attacking. He had seen this vampire fight many times and he knew what this man’s weaknesses were. All he needed to do was wait for that opening he knew would eventually come.
He watched him like an eagle, swiftly focusing his senses to evade the strong attacks. Once he saw that most awaited opening, Alex purposely let his guard down and the man saw that as his opportunity. Alex knew he would use a few moments to gather all his strength to strike because this man liked the glory of taking down an opponent with a single hit.
But Alex was going to use that against him. Those few milliseconds that the vampire took to gather all his strength was enough for Alex to launch his attack.
Before the vampire knew it, Alex disappeared before him and appeared crouched down by his side with Alex’s sword already dripping with his blood.
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Chapter 469 The Long Lost Tale Part XV
Everyone couldn’t believe their eyes. That vampire had fallen to the ground with one swift attack. He didn’t die but the gash that Alex inflicted on his neck was too deep for it to immediately heal. It was obvious to everyone that Alexander had held back at the very last second and didn’t kill the man.
Young Alex had decided not to kill him because the situation might just end up turning into another chaotic scene. The worst case scenario was that his father would certainly send more armies to this place. And that was not something he would allow.
Standing in the middle of them, Alexander looked at the wounded man who was still struggling to heal himself.
"Go back and don’t come here again. I will go back to the palace on my own to see the king," young Alex told them.
The wounded man looked up. The way he looked at Alex seemed to have changed and it seemed that it was for the better. What he showed them just now may have changed their original view that he was nothing but a weak half-blood. He wasn’t weak at all.
"The king wants you to come as soon as possible. Please know that he will send more men if you don’t appear before him within three days," the man responded. "We will go back and tell him you will arrive soon."
And just like that, everyone disappeared from their sight and left.
Young Alex was surprised that the elite vampire seemed to have changed his mind about forcing him to leave with them but he didn’t take too long to ponder over it. What mattered was that he had managed to protect Abigail’s secret and her peaceful life.
However, after the relief, doubt started to creep inside him again. Was he really all that those vampires wanted? If not, then why did they leave just like that? Did his father really want to see him? Why?
"Alexander!" young Abi’s voice pulled his attention back to her and Zeres.
She had already attended to Zeres’ wounds. Luckily, he only suffered minor wounds from those vampires.
Abigail ran towards Alex, checking his body to make sure he was alright. He had few wounds as well but they were slowly healing on their own. "Are you okay?" she asked.
"Mm." Alex just nodded.
Alex looked back out into the thick forest, his eyes returning to its normal color before his gaze went to Abigail and Zeres again.
"Let’s go back," he said and the other two just nodded.
The three returned to Abigail’s house in silence, their thoughts full of images of what they had just gone through.
When they arrived home, Zeres was quick to head off to the witch queen knowing that there were elite vampires in the area. He had been living with them for the last few days but this may have put a spanner in the works around that.
Young Abigail and Alex were left alone again and they sat on the bench outside the house, looking up at the stars again. Her thoughts were about how amazing Alex had been in the forest. It seemed that she was right, after all. This man wasn’t weak at all and she felt like he could still grow stronger. In fact, the domineering and powerful aura that he had exuded in the forest still coated him, as if he was now unable to hide it away. She felt that a permanent change had happened out there with Alex and that this was only the beginning.
"When will you go?" she asked, her voice soft.
"I think I better go tomorrow. I don’t want them coming out here again."
"I see..." she averted her eyes from the sky and looked at him. "You will come back, right?"
Young Alex faced her as well. Their eyes met and his heart began to thud. These past days he spent with her had made Alex’s feelings for her deepen to a depth he could never imagine. Only the devil knew how much he had held himself back in these last few days. In fact, he was glad that Zeres came to live with them. Had he not been there always getting in his way, Alex didn’t know if he would have survived living in the same house with her alone.
"Abigail..." he uttered her name, his gaze becoming intense. "I believe I already found the place where I belong."
Abigail blinked, waiting for what he would say next.
"That place is here," he continued. "Right next to you. That’s why there’s no way I will not come back. You are my home now."
His words rendered Abigail speechless as her face turned red. Her eyes became blurry as tears threatened to fall. The last few weeks had been bliss and almost too good to be true. She couldn’t explain what she was feeling and she just didn’t know how to react. All she did was stare at him, completely stupefied.
The next moment, she felt his lips land on hers. She was jolted, shocked but Alex’s hand was already cupping her cheek, pulling her closer.
"I like you..." he confessed, gently bumping his head on hers. "No... I... love you, Abigail."
The mixture of those words, his warm lips, and his touch made Abi’s world spin around. Her heartbeat became incredibly fast and loud. These foreign feelings made her body heat up and she couldn’t make him stop kissing her. She liked it, these feelings and the warmth of his lips. She didn’t know what she felt towards him before. She knew she liked him a lot, much more than Zeres. He made her heart flutter but she didn’t know if what she felt was the so-called love.
However, what happened today made her realize the extent of her feeling towards him. Just the thought of him leaving her devastated and broke her heart. She was so scared when they were in the forest, so scared that she was willing to summon Lexus to stop them from taking Alexander away. She never felt that kind of fear before. She wanted to tie him to her and keep him by her side forever. And now, he was telling her that he loved her and it made her heart swell in an indescribable way. The feeling of riding on Lexus in the sky couldn’t compare to this emotion that she was feeling.
When their lips parted, Abi felt like she wanted to kiss him more.
"W-w-hat about you? How do you feel about me?" he asked her, his voice hoarse as he whispered and his eyes filled with intense emotions.
Abi looked at him, returning his intense gaze back. "I... like you," she answered.
Alex tilted his head. "Just like?" he asked, probing.
But before Abi could speak, he simply smiled and lay his head on the nook of her neck. "I’m sorry. I am being too forceful and greedy. I am truly happy that you like me too, Abigail. I will wait for the day when you tell me you love me more than anyone and anything."
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Chapter 470 The Long Lost Tale Part XVI
The next day, Alex left the Dark Dragon Hills.
He knew that it would be hard for him to go. He looked back so many times before he was able to finally leave. In just a month, he had grown so attached to this place. No, it wasn’t this place that he couldn’t leave, it was her. It fascinated him how quickly his world had changed. He hadn’t even gone that far from her yet and he already wanted to go back.
He looked back at the Dark Dragon Hills from afar once again, pressing his lips tight.
"I’ll be back as soon as possible, Abigail. Wait for me," he mumbled to himself before he leapt away, moving fast. The quicker he finished this, the quicker he would be back.
The sun was setting when he finally arrived in front of an enormous and gothic-looking palace. This was the great palace where he grew up. The place that he was supposed to call home, the place he was supposed to belong.
As he stood there, he realized just how distant this place was to him. There were no pleasant memories that he could remember from being in this place. Nothing at all.
The young man remembered what the soldiers told him - that the king was ill - so he went straight to the king’s chamber. Vampires didn’t fall ill like humans. To them, the word ’ill’ meant finally getting weaker because of reaching the age limit. The king was already 900 years old and it seemed that this was his personal limit. Once a vampire started to weaken, he would start to grow old and eventually die like a human.
When he entered his father’s chamber, he was surprised to see that the news was true. The almighty, ice cold demon king that he had left nearly a month ago was now lying on the bed looking frail and weak, but the coldness and heartlessness in his eyes didn’t change, not even a little. There was just no warmth in them and Alexander wondered if there ever had been.
He was surrounded by his loyal men, looking as if they were really waiting for him.
"You’re finally here, my son," the vampire king said. His words made young Alex halt in shocked surprise.
Alex couldn’t help but clench his fists because this was the first time this man had ever called him ’my son’. How dare his father call him that when he had ignored his existence since the day he was born?
"I am back, your majesty," he simply greeted.
"Call me ’father’, Alexander."
Those words once again shocked young Alex. Father? Was this man serious? Ha!
Young Alex was speechless. He stared into the king’s eyes and then at the other vampires inside the room. When Alex realized that the oldest vampire was present in the room, his eyes narrowed. This old woman was the vampire’s prophetess. Whoever had lived the longest among the vampires somehow received this strange power and they were able to prophesize.
"Your highness, his majesty summoned you here because he wants you to be the next king," the prophetess stated.
The young man’s eyes widened. He was unable to keep up and couldn’t speak because of all these crazy things they were saying. What? Him? The next King? He was the youngest prince and the weakest one of them all. Not only that, he was also only a half-blood vampire. Everyone knew only pure blooded vampires were able to succeed to the throne! So what the hell were they saying?
"We know it’s hard for you to believe but the king has chosen you," the old woman continued.
Young Alex looked at the king with disbelieving eyes. "Why? Why would you choose me? I am the weakest of all your sons. I am not even pure-blooded," Alex challenged.
The king rose and walked slowly towards him. His hand landed on Alex’s shoulder - this was the very first time his father had ever touched him with seeming care.
"Listen, son. You are not weak. You are special," the king said, causing the lines on Alex’s forehead to deepen even more. "You are the man destined to kill the last dragon."
Alex felt as if time suddenly stood still. He couldn’t believe this man just spouted out.
He... was destined to kill Lexus?! He shook his head, refusing to believe it.
"You are the one in the prophecy, Your Highness. The last dragon will fall by your hands. Whether you accept it or not, you can never escape your fate."
Confusion, disbelief and denial were drowning Alex. If he had heard all these things before he met Abigail, he would have been feeling ecstatic by now. All his life he had dreamt for something like this to happen.He wanted to be special and powerful so that his father would finally take notice of him. He had also yearned to become the next king, even though the likelihood of that happening was almost zero, because once that happened, no one would ever treat him like an insignificant extra - he wasn’t even a side character in this story. It would mean that no one would cast him away anymore.
However, things were different now. He was different. All those things didn’t matter to him anymore. He no longer desired to be noticed and worshipped by anyone else. He didn’t care about those useless things anymore. All he wanted now was to leave this place and go back to his Abigail.
So why? Why did it all end up like this?
He wanted to tug his hair in despair. He didn’t want any of this anymore but he knew that this prophetess would never tell lies like this and he also knew that all prophecies that the vampire’s prophets said out loud always came to pass. None of the prophecies ever told by them has failed to happen.
Alex wanted to scream. He didn’t want to kill Lexus. How could he kill Lexus knowing that Abigail loved it so much? How the hell could he do that to Abigail’s dragon?
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