Lana
I was still sitting on the floor, gasping for air, my chest rising and falling rapidly. My stomach throbbed with pain, my legs felt weak, and my hands trembled.
I had almost died.
I REALLY almost died.
And now that the danger was over, everything hit me at once.
I clenched my fists, trying to keep myself together. I was fine. I was alive. But no matter how hard I tried, the lump in my throat only grew bigger.
Tears welled up in my eyes again before I could stop them.
No. Please no. Not in front of them. Dammit
"I-I almost died just now!" I choked out. "I thought that was it... I wasn't ready! I haven't paid my debts! I haven't even had… I…!"
I buried my face in my hands, sobs finally breaking free.
Kaelith stared at me blankly, as if my breakdown was nothing more than an inconvenience.
Sylas, on the other hand, looked amused at first—but then his smirk slowly faded.
Like a child who had just been asked to hold a newborn baby.
Kaelith sighed. "Human… stop crying."
"I CAN'T!" I wailed, glaring at him. "You don't know what it feels like to almost die! I'm just a regular human. No matter how hard I try to protect myself, I still fail. I'm a loser. My spirit and my heart are not as strong as yours."
Sylas glanced at Kaelith, then back at me, looking completely lost. "Uhh… I think we should do something?"
"Like what?" Kaelith's tone was as emotionless as ever.
Sylas exhaled through his nose, then—with great hesitation—crouched beside me and patted my head. Twice.
"There, there… don't cry…"
I froze.
And then I snapped my head up, staring at him like he had lost his mind.
"DON'T PITY ME LIKE A STRAY CAT!" I smacked his hand away, frustration bubbling over.
Sylas immediately withdrew his hand. "Hey! I was trying to be nice, you know!"
Kaelith let out an exhausted sigh before kneeling in front of me. With an awkward motion, he patted my shoulder once.
"You're still alive." He said, as if that alone should be enough to calm me down.
I gawked at him. "That's it?!"
Kaelith shrugged. "We already killed him. There's nothing to worry about."
I stared at him in disbelief. Were these two serious?!
"NO! OH MY GOD! IS THAT REALLY ALL YOU TWO CAN THINK ABOUT?!"
I wanted to cry even harder. These two stupid elves had no idea how to comfort someone!
I wiped my tears roughly. "I'm so done with both of you…"
Sylas chuckled, arms crossed. "But you're not leaving, are you?"
I scoffed. "Of course not! I'm stuck here, you two idiots!"
The moment the words left my mouth, I regretted them.
Kaelith's sharp gaze snapped to me, his brown eyes narrowing dangerously. "Who are you calling an idiot?" His voice was low, calm… but somehow more terrifying than when he was fighting that masked man earlier.
I froze.
Oh. Oh no. Damn, my mouth.
Sylas grinned, clearly entertained. "Ooh, now you've done it."
I swallowed hard. "Uh… I meant Sylas. Just Sylas… not you."
Sylas gasped in mock betrayal. "Wow. Ouch, you hurt my feelings."
Kaelith kept his piercing gaze on me. I let out a nervous laugh. "B-But you're both very… uh… intelligent! Yes! Highly intelligent elves!"
Kaelith stared for a few more seconds before exhaling, as if deciding I wasn't worth the effort. He looked away. "Tch. Foolish human."
I let out the breath I was holding. Holy crap, I almost died again.
Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm myself before finally looking at them seriously.
"By the way… what was that thing? Why did it attack me?"
Kaelith and Sylas exchanged glances. For the first time, their expressions turned slightly more serious.
"He wasn't just some ordinary creature," Kaelith finally said. "He was a hunter. A shadow butcher, and he was after you."
My stomach dropped.
I knew he said I was already marked, but…
"After me? Why?!" I shook my head, my voice rising. "I'm a nobody in this world!"
Sylas sighed, leaning against the wall. "That's exactly the problem. You're something foreign to this world. You're not part of its fate. Your existence disrupts the balance, and some creatures will see you as a threat… or prey."
I fell silent, trying to process his words.
So… just because I wasn't from this world, I automatically became a target?
That was ridiculously unfair!
I puffed up my cheeks, glaring at them. "Then you have to protect me!"
Sylas smirked. "And why should I?"
I narrowed my eyes, jabbing a finger at his chest. "Because I'm your wife! That's your job!"
Sylas blinked, then threw his head back with a laugh. "Oh? So now you're finally accepting the role?"
I huffed. "I'm not accepting anything! But if I'm going to be stuck here, I at least deserve some security!"
Kaelith sighed. "We just did."
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, but I need more than that! I don't want to suddenly get murdered in my sleep!"
Sylas grinned. "Then sleep between us."
I shot him a sharp look and nearly choked on my own spit. "I'd rather sleep in a chicken coop."
Kaelith sighed, rubbing his temple. "We can discuss this tomorrow. For now, you need to rest. We'll keep watch."
I pouted, crossing my arms. "That's it? No comforting words? No 'Don't worry, Lana, we'll protect you with our lives'? Nothing?"
Sylas smirked, then stood up "You need that? Fine. Don't worry, Lana. We'll protect you with our lives… unless we get bored."
I gawked at him. "WHAT?!"
Kaelith shot him a glare. "Sylas."
Sylas chuckled, raising his hands in surrender. "Fine, fine. I was just kidding... mostly...or not"
I groaned, dragging my hands down my face. "You two are the worst at reassuring someone."
Kaelith's gaze remained impassive. "You're alive. That's all that matters."
"Wow. So inspiring," I deadpanned.
Sylas snickered. "Hey, if it helps, I think you handled yourself pretty well."
I blinked, suspicious. "Really?"
He shrugged. "Well, considering you almost peed yourself but still had the guts to grab a pan and hit him with it, I'd say that's impressive."
My face burned. "I did not—!"
"Sure, sure," he teased. "Keep telling yourself that."
Kaelith exhaled sharply. "Enough. Go to sleep."
I muttered under my breath as I stomped toward my room. "Stupid elves… terrible at comforting people… insensitive jerks…"
As I pulled the blanket over myself, I heard Sylas whisper,
"I thought she'd pass out from fear. Turns out, she still has the energy to complain and tantrums"
Kaelith merely huffed.
I gritted my teeth.
These two elves were really…
To be continued…