The Chimera (Legends of the Dark Creatures Book 2)
Chapter Twenty-Two: If Only We'd Never Met

The little mermaid did not disappoint, Ethan thought, walking over the short grass. Without being noticed, Ethan followed Ashley just after she took off. She did manage to reach the manor within the required time limit. There was no stench of charred flesh so Robert was probably still alive, and Azreel had done her job of protecting him perfectly.

Harsh winds were blowing, whipping his hair across his face. The sky was dark and the storm was near. Ethan walked into his house and closed the door that led to the backyard. He was about to turn to the corridor on his right when someone bumped into him and grasped him tightly; preventing herself from falling.

“Ethan,” Samantha said, quickly letting go of his arms.

Ethan felt a grin appear across his face as the ebony-skinned girl with black hair retreated backward

“Interesting,” he said. The sun was up and yet this human still lived. “You’re a never-ending reservoir of surprises, aren’t you?”

There were loud bursts of lightning outside and seconds later heavy rains started pouring. Samantha’s lips kept trying to move but no words would come out. Ethan moved closer and she automatically kept stepping backward. Samantha’s legs slipped and she would have fallen if Ethan hadn’t dashed behind her. Like a little bird caught in a trap, Samantha’s body trembled in Ethan’s arms. She tightly shut her eyes and her head rested on his chest, slightly facing the ground as if preparing to be hit by a fatal blow.

“Please don’t hurt me,” she cried softly.

“Do you think am ruthless enough to hurt a defenseless girl?” he asked, helping her to stand.

Ethan could still hear her heart pounding but for some reason, her breathing calmed down. She looked at him; her brown eyes narrowing as she studied him. She was about to say something when Ethan sensed a familiar presence enter the house.

“Get away from her, Ethan!” shouted the voice.

Both Ethan and Samantha turned towards the manor’s entrance. Never had Ethan seen the little mermaid look fiercer. Ashley’s claws and fangs had lengthened. Her clothes were drenched, sticking to her skin, and her chest rose and fell rapidly. Water tendrils with pointed sharp ends surrounded her; each aiming at Ethan. The blue glow in her narrowed, tear-filled, eyes showed both rage and relief. She was probably relieved that her friend wasn’t incinerated when the sun had risen.

Ethan slowly unhanded Samantha and gestured his hand toward Ashley. Reluctantly, Samantha walked away from him. Ashley moved in front of the girl.

“Sam it’s alright... you’re safe,” Ashley said.

“She wasn’t in any danger, to begin with,” Ethan pointed out. Ashley’s body remained tense even after he said that. Ethan could see the fear and disgust in her eyes. He expected this kind of reaction when he told her about what he did to Lenora.

“Please be so kind as to close the door on your way out,” he said, his hands entering the pockets of his coat.

Ashley gestured for Samantha to leave and she steadily followed her while keeping an eye on Ethan. After the two girls had left and closed the door, Ethan walked through the corridor Samantha had come from. He entered the room at the end and saw that the hidden door in one of the wardrobes had been discovered.

Closing the door behind him, Ethan marched down the stairs to the basement. As he descended upon the stairs a warm electric sensation coursed through his body. Ethan reached for the right pocket of his knee-length leather coat and pulled out the piece of fine paper that had materialized in it.

After carefully unfolding it, Ethan found that it read;

Thought I should let you know in case you are unaware. Your brother is here in Lideth. Accompanying him is Talya, and though I couldn’t get the full details, it appears they are in search of an old acquaintance of yours. Here is a hint; she’s the only one to have ever managed to steal from the Chimera and live. Though if you think about it, you did kind of condemn her to a fate worse than death.

In any case, just wondering if you want me to do something about this latest development.

Kyla.

Ethan could picture Kyla’s red lips curving into an annoying grin even as he finished reading the letter she’d magically sent. When he reached the basement, Ethan walked over to a table and sat on a wooden chair. On top of the table were some old grimoires and scrolls. Ethan pushed them aside and reached for an old blank book with brown pages. He neatly tore off a page from the book and got a quill that had its tip dipped in dark red ink.

He first wrote a letter in an ancient and forgotten language.

After that, Ethan ripped off another page from the blank book and wrote:

Kyla,

I am sure my little brother will attempt to infiltrate the grand castle of Lideth. The only thing I would like you to do is slip the other letter I’ve sent into anything he will be carrying before he embarks on his escapade.

I know I can count on you always.

Ethan.

Ethan cast a spell on the first letter he sent, knowing that its recipient would understand where it came from. He placed both letters in an envelope, closed it with red sealing wax, and engraved on the wax a seal Kyla would recognize.

After chanting a few words, the envelope vanished from Ethan’s hand in a cloud of grey smoke. Five minutes passed without any reply from Kyla which meant she understood everything that needed to be done.

Ethan stood from his chair and began looking around the basement. Not surprisingly, Ethan found that someone had hacked into a room that held some of Kyla’s most prized collection of books, DVDs, or cassettes. Ethan had started this collection for her knowing just how much she loved entertainment of this kind. Fortunately for whoever had entered there, nothing had been taken. Ethan let out a sigh, left the room, and closed the metal door. He had a good idea of who could have managed to hack the electronic lock.

The corner of his eye suddenly caught the sight of a small bright glow. Ethan realized that the red chest that lay on the wooden cabinet was open. There were three vials in the chest and now only two remained. Each vial was filled with a golden-yellow liquid that glowed in the dark. Ethan bent down quickly and checked the floor to see if maybe the vial had just fallen. He worried less that someone had stolen a vial and more about the fact that someone was able to open this chest. The spell that was placed on this chest couldn’t be broken unless...

Now that he thought about it, Ethan realized that he had sensed neither Robert’s nor Samantha’s aura during the time he was with Ashley. When the sun rose, Robert would have died if he hadn’t been saved but the magic circle had no effect on Samantha. Apart from Ethan, only one other person could have opened the chest.

Samantha couldn’t be...

Ethan was denying it in his mind but the facts were telling him otherwise. Samantha was able to shield her aura from Ethan despite being human. She wasn’t affected by the spell around the Pocket Dimension and most of all, she was probably the one who opened the chest that Ethan himself had spelled.

After millennia... could she be? Ethan thought, a rush of excitement surging through his body. He took in a deep breath and calmed himself. First, he had to confirm if Samantha was who he thought she was.

He walked out of the basement and headed for his room upstairs. When he was inside, he walked over to the wooden chest near his bed. Reaching inside with his hand, Ethan took out the painting of Lenora. His heart ached as the joyous sounds of her laughter echoed in his mind. If there was ever a time Ethan truly felt alive, it was when he was with her. In her warm caress, Ethan never felt alone or despised. He never felt like a monster.

Thinking about her, Ethan was taken back to the first day they met.

...

Maybe this is it, Ethan thought as his wounded body floated over the ocean. Maybe today, I finally die. Ethan could neither feel nor move any part of his body. Like the blood that flowed out of the wounds, his consciousness slowly slipped away into darkness. Two sharp swords had been pierced through his chest and arrows were sticking out of his back. The salt of the ocean stung as the waters scratched his wounds. He was in a battle. Another senseless battle where only he was the victor. His enemy, the Gilltharians, were formidable. Why did he have to fight them again?

Oh, Ethan remembered. It was because Emperor Magnus wanted them out of his way.

Will I forever be a tool... a weapon of war?

Ethan could feel his thoughts slowly fading and his vision blurred. All he wanted was to die. He was tired of killing, tired of being hated and he just wanted it to end.

The darkness closed in on him.

Please don’t wake up, he thought to himself and he closed his eyes.

“I found him by the beach”

That voice...

“Lenora, look at him. He needs to be given a burial.”

Not that one...

“Look at these weapons. I have seen any like them before...”

No, not this one...

“Of course, you haven’t brother. You spend more time in your imagination than in the real world.”

Yes, that’s the voice Ethan wanted to hear. It was soothing, warm, and moved his heart. It was a light in the darkness that surrounded him and he found himself opening his eyes, wanting to see where this light was coming from.

He slowly became aware of his surroundings. He was in some kind of hut; the kind humans built. He was sleeping on a soft, furry surface, and to his right three people stood, talking. They were humans. Two of them were male and the other was a girl. She was wearing a short white dress made from animal skin and her divine face was focused on the two males.

One of the males, the younger one, looked at Ethan and exclaimed in a language Ethan didn’t understand. The older male was also thrown into a state of panic but the girl’s eyes widened, showing both relief and excitement.

She ran over to Ethan. It was then that he realized that two swords were still pierced inside his chest. Ethan slowly raised his arms and the girl stopped and watched in amazement as he pulled out the swords. The wounds they left on his chest began to heal.

Seeing this, the older male human exclaimed a word in his native language.

The girl approached and extended her right hand to him.

“Lenora!” the younger male shouted when Ethan grabbed the girl’s hand with his left hand and curled the fingers of his right one around her neck.

The boy picked up one of the swords on the ground. The girl raised her hand, stopping the boy from attacking.

She faced Ethan with a smile and calmly said, “It’s okay.”

Ethan’s eyes narrowed and he felt confused expressions forming across his face.

He slowly let go of her neck and withdrew his arm.

“I am Lenora,” the girl said, using an intonation foreign to Ethan. “What’s your name?”

This was his first time speaking to a human and Ethan wondered if all of them were as inquisitive as her.

“Lenora, don’t you know what he is?” the man behind her said.

No... not every human is like her, Ethan thought. He pulled out the arrows in his thighs and got out of bed.

Lenora helped support him when he almost fell.

“You are not ready to move yet,” she said, trying to get him to sit.

Despite the genuine worry and concern in her eyes, Ethan ignored her protests. The man and boy with a sword stepped aside.

“No, wait!” Lenora shouted as Ethan stepped out of the hut.

When Ethan was outside, Lenora walked up to him and eyed him from head to toe.

“How... how are you not burning in the sun?” she asked, holding his hand. “Are you a Vithrir... Vampire, in the common tongue.”

Vampires. Ethan had heard of them. Creatures of the night that preyed on the blood of humans. It was said that Vampires, like many other dark creatures, burnt to ashes when exposed to sunlight. Unfortunately for Ethan, that wasn’t the case. He was a far worse monster.

All of the people in the small village kept staring at him. Ethan pulled away from Lenora and left the village. After hours of walking through a thick forest, Ethan found himself standing in front of a beautiful bed of white flowers. The flowers stretched out as far as the eye could see and at a distance away from him, near a cliff, grew a large tree with mesmerizing purple leaves.

Ethan walked towards the cliff. A sigh of frustration came out of his mouth and he turned, notifying Lenora that he knew she’d been following him.

Lenora was hiding behind the tree he’d passed earlier and she popped out her head to look at him. A all humans this annoying? Ethan thought. Ethan turned towards the ocean. He looked at the waves crashing below him, took in a deep breath, and was about to jump when suddenly two arms firmly wrapped themselves around his waist.

“Life is too precious to be wasted!” Lenora cried.

If she thought he was a Vampire then why would she think he would die from falling off a cliff like this one?

Ethan held her hands and gently unwrapped them from his chest. He turned to face her. Something was stirred in Ethan when he saw the compassion in her golden brown eyes. Her light skin was almost turning red and he could hear her heart racing.

“Ethan,” he finally said.

“What?”

For the first time in a very long time, Ethan felt his lips curve into a smile. Without warning, he dashed away from Lenora at a speed her eyes couldn’t have followed. He launched himself into the air and dived into the ocean.

As he swam further down, Ethan wondered how long he’d been away from the ocean; from Rathzoria. However, Lenora’s image kept appearing in his mind, greatly distorting his chain of thoughts to the extent that he almost bumped into a whale that swam passed him.

After swimming for hours, Ethan made it to Rathzoria. Like many of the underwater kingdoms, Rathzoria was shielded by a barrier. Ethan swam through the barrier and propelled himself near the silver gates. Five guards were on patrol near the gate and more of them above the wall that surrounded the kingdom.

“The hero of Gillthar,” one of the guards wearing golden armor mockingly said. “We thought for sure you had died this time.”

“You mean, we hoped he had died this time,” another one said.

The names of these two guards were Finith and Razmire. As far as Ethan was concerned they were neither friend nor foe.

“Oh and look,” Finith exclaimed, pointing at Ethan’s legs. “Seems like the gods haven’t yet deemed him worthy of having a tail.”

“A merman with no tail,” Razmire added, scratching his large beard. “Sounds like just a man to me.”

Gales of laughter from all the mermen and mermaids near the gate.

Ethan was about to swim past the guards when Razmire pointed his golden spear in front of him.

“The Emperor may applaud all your achievements in battle,” he said, his long dark green hair covering part of his face. “But everyone knows that you’re nothing more than a murderer. We saw what you did to the Gilltharian army seven days ago. We saw why you choose to fight your battles alone. You don’t anyone seeing what kind of monster you are.”

“So, I have been away for seven days,” Ethan said to himself.

Razmire gritted his teeth and held Ethan by the collar of his coat.

“Only a demon like you can take twenty thousand lives and not be affected by it,” he said through his teeth.

“Unhand me please,” Ethan said. He grabbed both of Razmire’s hands and squeezed.

Razmire tried his best to resist the pain but eventually, he let go of Ethan. The red marks on his arms slowly began to heal and Finith swam to him. If it wasn’t for Finith, Razmire would have surely attacked Ethan; the bloodlust in his glowing yellow eyes said so.

“Come down, Neezan,” Finith said.

Neezan. It was a word only comrades-in-arms called each other and a word Ethan had never uttered or heard someone call him by.

He looked at the guards above the wall. Each one of them had pointed their weapon at him and was ready to attack. The hatred and fear in their eyes were justified, Ethan thought.

“Ethan!”

The voice came from above the wall. Ethan saw Prince Richard coming at him. Of all the merfolk in Rathzoria, Richard was the only one Ethan couldn’t understand. Perhaps that’s the reason Ethan decided to be Richard’s Guide. Richard’s never looked at him the way the other merfolk did and he was also the only one in the kingdom who never ridiculed him for not being able to fully manifest his merform. Ethan had spent the past twenty years training Richard and the young Prince had developed into an amazing merman. Now he even looked older than Ethan.

Richard flapped his majestic orange tail and swam down to Ethan. The rest of the merfolk bowed their heads and pressed the thumb, index, and middle finger of their right hand on their chest.

“I thought you would never return!” Richard exclaimed, his eyes red with joy and his long blonde hair swaying gently with the waters. He wrapped his arms around Ethan. Everyone around made angry faces when they saw how close the prince was to Ethan.

“I need to see the Emperor,” Ethan said, slowly pulling away from Richard.

“Of course” Richard replied. “But first...”

Even Ethan was amazed when Richard change into his human form. He was wearing nicely fashioned leather boots, trousers, and a tight golden sleeveless shirt made from Visso; a rare high-strength fabric that very few could afford.

“What do think?” he asked, his eyes glowing yellow in excitement.

Ethan swam past him and through the gate.

“Ethan!” Richard frowned.

Swimming over the city, Richard asked Ethan where he had been these past seven days.

“Your silence means another secret mission,” Richard said in a low voice. He knew what it meant whenever Ethan was sent out into battle.

“At least tell me if you made any new friends on your way back,” he asked again.

Lenora’s face suddenly appeared in Ethan’s mind. He felt his heart racing and didn’t realize that his lips had unconsciously curled into a smile.

Richard’s eyes widened in amazement.

“Ethan did... did you just smile?”

Ethan quickly gained control of his body and made his smile disappear.

“You’re imagining things,” he said.

Richard clapped his hands. “Oh, I can’t wait to hear what tales fate has written for you this time.”

I too can’t wait, Ethan thought.

Three months passed and throughout that time, Ethan never left Rathzoria. Also, he never stopped thinking about Lenora. Every day she would appear in his mind, his thoughts, and sometimes in his dreams. He had thought of using a Memory Orb to just remove her memory from his mind but he always found that he couldn’t go through with it.

That’s it, he thought, making up his mind.

Ethan left the kingdom without anyone noticing. He swam to the surface of the ocean. It was noon and the sun was directly above him. Most Merfolk possessed an extraordinary sense of direction; Prince Richard being the exception... Ethan couldn’t count how many times the boy had found himself lost during their training and adventures.

Eventually, Ethan began to see some green trees and mountains in the distance. There was the island. He swam near the cliff he had dived from and felt his heart almost rise to his throat when he saw Lenora seated at the edge.

When she saw him, her eyes gleamed with happiness.

Wait, what’s she doing? Ethan thought when she saw her stand by the edge and raise her hands.

His jaw dropped when she suddenly jumped off the cliff. Ethan quickly went into the water and swam back up. He launched himself out of the water, caught Lenora in midair, and both of them splashed into the ocean.

Lenora laughed and wrapped her hands tightly around Ethan’s neck. Ethan held her waist and both of them moved their legs, keeping their upper bodies afloat.

“I knew you would catch me,” she said, her hair and clothes soaked and her chest, which was pressed against Ethan’s, rose and fell rapidly.

“On the cliff were you...”

Lenora nodded. “Three full moons have passed since you left and every day, from noon to sunset, I have been coming here; waiting for you.”

Lenora’s body was shaking. The water wasn’t that cold and there was no fear in her eyes. So why?

Ethan realized that his body too was trembling.

“Tell me,” Ethan said. “Are all humans like you?”

Lenora smiled widely. “Are there any other creatures like you?”

“Not that I know of,” Ethan replied.

“Then you could say we make the perfect match. Now it’s my turn to ask a question. Why did you come back?”

“I came to thank you.”

“For what? All I did was carry you to my home, on my back... alone, with no help from anyone.”

Ethan couldn’t help but chuckle.

“So, is that the only reason you came?” Lenora asked. “To thank me?”

“Just one of them,” he said.

“Well, since you came to thank me, I suppose you brought me a gift.”

Ethan shook his head.

“A gesture of gratitude then?” Lenora asked with a frown.

“What do you want?” Ethan asked.

“You”

Lenora’s face turned red after she said that.

“I mean... I want to know more about who are. The rest of the villagers still don’t believe in Vampires, Werewolves, or anything supernatural.”

“And you wish to prove them wrong?”

“What they think doesn’t concern me,” she replied. “All I want is to know if there is more to this world. So, I want you to tell me everything.”

“And is that all you want from me?” Ethan asked.

Lenora swallowed, cleared her throat, and looked away from him. She kept murmuring words in her native language.

When her face turned towards his bare chest, Lenora’s eyes narrowed and she slowly slid her hands down to touch the scars she saw. She was the one who carried him from the shore that day but she looked like she was seeing these scars for the first time.

There was indeed no one like her.

“I have to warn you though. After knowing about me you might end up fearing me,” he said.

Lenora looked at him. “Well, if that ever happens,” she said, now shaking from the cold. “I will just remember that I was the girl who jumped over a cliff knowing I could trust you to catch me.”

And that’s how an unexpected and rare friendship between merman and human was born. Emperor Magnus prohibited human-merfolk interaction, so Ethan never told anyone about Lenora. The only person in Lenora’s village who knew about her rendezvous with Ethan was her brother; Louis and over the next three years, an unusual but powerful bond developed between the three of them.

***

Looking back, those moments Ethan spent with Lenora and her brother would forever remain amongst the happiest Ethan ever experienced.

Eventually, the friendship that existed between Ethan and Lenora blossomed into something more. And later, Ethan made a decision that he regretted even to this day.

Ethan slowly felt his eyelids getting heavier as he lay down on the soft mattress of his bed. His eyes would close but he would never sleep; for Ethan had never known any true rest since that day.

If only we’d never met, Ethan thought as his eyes closed and later his consciousness lost itself into the darkness that surrounded it; ready for the nightmares and voices that had been tormenting him for the past fifty thousand years.

...

Thank you for reading this far guys.