A few days have passed since I spoke with Léa about my departure; although she acts as if everything is fine, I can feel the sadness in her eyes. No matter how sad the farewell is, it is something that is part of our journey, and if fate allows, maybe, just maybe we will meet again.
A few days later
The day of my departure arrived, Léa and Gabrielle approach me, sad but with a smile, even if forced.
-"It seems the day has come." says Kael in a calm but sad tone.
-"Yes, I… I wish you could stay with us, but I know this journey is important for you." says Léa while looking at the ground. "Gabrielle and I made this for you, so you never forget that in this world you were once someone's light!"
They give me a bracelet made of various types of stones. By its rough appearance, it is clearly handmade. Although it is nothing valuable to most people's eyes, the feeling of wearing it warms my frozen heart.
As soon as I put on the bracelet, both of them come close and hug me tightly while tears fall from both of them.
For a moment I stop to look at the mansion that holds my best memories, and then I continue on my way towards the unknown, this time with the hope that the past does not abandon me and becomes part of me.
When I move away from the mansion, I feel a familiar presence, I look back and smile as I watch Joan emerge from the forest.
-"It looks like you were leaving without saying goodbye," Joan says with a small smile.
-"I wasn't sure if you wanted to talk to me, I can see how uncomfortable you feel around me." Kael says.
-"HAHA, maybe a little, but that doesn't make us strangers, I still see you as a friend." Joan says. - -"The Kael I know will always be a friend!"
She approaches me and takes something from her neck, the same necklace she has worn for most of her life.
-"I don't…" Kael says before being interrupted.
-"I know, you don't believe it, but I think you will need it more than I will!" Joan says as she begins to walk away.
A few years later
The years no longer pass as quickly as before, time now means something, something I lost, something I never reached. Perhaps this is what immortality means, the senseless search for what we lack.
During these years, the earth continues to be devastated by war, fields of death spread across the horizon where women and children cry for those who have gone with their hopes still unfulfilled. I feel some familiarity with this feeling, the feeling of death and chaos as if it were part of me, or perhaps it always has been.
Perhaps out of curiosity or just to understand something about myself, I decided to participate in the war; I wanted to understand where this rage inside me comes from, this beast that struggles to come out into the world. Death became a part of daily life, unlike when I was with Léa and Gabrielle, where life and light were what they radiated. To my own surprise, my hands drenched in blood and the smell of death surround me and whisper like intimate family members who have finally found their way home. This is our home, they say.
Sometimes I feel that I will lose myself, that perhaps I will never find the way back; in those moments, I look at the stars, they shine and illuminate the sky even at night. From my wrist and chest, I feel the warmth, the warmth that proves that I still exist, even though I am more than what I know.
I arrived in a country called England; in fact, it is the opponent of the war in which I participated for a few years. The language is different, but I learned it easily.
In a city whose name I do not know, as I walk through the streets, I feel that someone like me is nearby. Now I do not feel as curious, so I just ignore it. Even though I ignore it, the stranger seems increasingly close until he appears in front of me, with long dark hair and a characteristic smile, surrounded by some ladies.
-"Pleasure, sir… ?" asks the stranger.
-"Kael," Kael says calmly.
-"Well, pleasure, Sir Kael. May I ask if you need anything? By the way, I am Count Dracula, or just Vlad for friends," says Vlad with a smile.
-"I don't need anything, but thank you," says Kael.
As I prepare to leave, Vlad interrupts me again.
-"Well, if you need anything, I'll be staying in town for a few more days," says Vlad.
I was about to leave but decided to ask about the creature; maybe he knows something.
I describe the creature appearance to Vlad, but he seems unfamiliar with anyone like that; however, he says he might know someone who could know and that after a ball he will be attending, he could tell me more about this person.
Vlad invites me to go to the ball with him. I just sit while Vlad dances with several ladies; some invite me to dance, but I decline, perhaps because I have actually never danced before.
As soon as the ball ends, I follow Vlad to a mansion on the outskirts of town, calm and out of sight but purposefully so. When we arrive at a room with two chairs near a fireplace, we both sit, and Vlad offers me a glass of blood.
-"Before I give you the information, tell me a little about yourself. I hope you don't mind this old man's curiosity," says Vlad.
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I will soon release the second chapter, today.
Yesterday I didn't go to work but I had friends over at my house. Normally, when it's just me, I do quick things and don't spend much time cooking. However, yesterday I spent almost the whole day in the kitchen. (At least they said the food was very good, if what they said wasn't a lie, then in case I ever have trouble at work I could become a cook hahah) We also played some board games, Uno, ... it was a good day that I hadn't had in some time, but very tiring.
If I have time I will also release the third one later today.
In case someone is interested, I will release a chapter about the world of my original novel, and if I am happy with the result, I will also release it today. It will be about the world's lore.