Chapter 75: Guilty x Creatures : Mothers and Daughters Arc : Chapter 11

Chapter 11 : Late Afternoon

“Wait... Are you serious!?” questioned Kianna as she followed Anton up the stairs.

“Of course I am.” chuckled Anton as he reached the landing and turned down the second floor hallway “Why wouldn't I be?”

“...You, you really wanna go on a date with me? ...Like, for real?” asked Kianna.

“Yes, I do!” laughed Anton “And I don't know why that would be such a surprise to you!”

With her ears pointed straight upwards as her mind processed what was happening, Kianna was silent for a moment as she followed Anton into her old room.

The dark elf came back to her senses as she looked around at the familiar, and yet suddenly alien sights, of what was technically her own room. Ever since Anton had arrived in her life, and she had begun to share the master bedroom with him, she had spent very little time in here. Looking around, she found the room was still filled with the odd, childish assortments that worked together to chronicle her growth from a young girl and into a grown woman. And as she gazed at the shelves of treasured stuffed animals, favored items of memorabilia and precious keepsakes that she had collected over her life, she couldn't help but to feel a small but unexpected wave of nostalgia. This was immediately overtaken by embarrassment as she quickly realized that Anton was still standing next to her and was silently gazing at what was essentially a museum that was dedicated to her past.

“You know, I always liked this room... Even before I knew it was yours... From the first moment I saw it...” said Anton as his eyes slowly roved about “Even with how simple it is in here, I could tell right away that the person who lived here must have been a kind, happy and innocent soul... It really wasn't a surprise when I found out it was your room. Only a someone like you could live here, after all... And who would have ever thought that you'd turn out to be both a sweetheart, and such a naughty little thing too!”

Staring up at him, Kianna said nothing as a faint blush spread across her cheeks.

Chuckling at the sight of the flustered dark elf, Anton moved deeper into the room and made his way over to the closet.

“...W-wait, Master. Are you really sure about this?” asked Kianna in a nervous tone as she followed along right behind him.

Thinking that Kianna was likely being hesitant due to her past experiences of becoming the focus of peoples attention, Anton decided to continue in a playful but still understanding manner.

“Hm, oh yes, I am.” he said around a soft smile “Are you sure about this though?”

“...I, I don't know.” mumbled Kianna as her ears twitched nervously.
“Oh? So do you not want to go on a date with me then?” asked Anton as his smile became teasing.

“What!? No! I do! Of course I do! I definitely do...” said Kianna as she looked off to the side and laid her ears back submissively “I just... I don't know about this...”

Stopping at the door to Kianna's closet, Anton turned around and faced her. Though he was technically standing over her, his expression was still friendly and his demeanor gave the impression that he was just waiting for the dark elf to continue.

Glancing up at him and then looking away again, Kianna tightened her ears together behind her head as she spoke.

“I... I just don't want people to think... That you're weird...” she said nervously as she wrapped her arms around her middle.

“...Wait? That I'm weird?” repeated Anton as he tilted his head to the side “Now why would people think that I'm weird?”

“...Because.” mumbled Kianna “...You're, on a date, with me.”

“...What?” questioned Anton in genuine misunderstanding “Hold on, Kianna, what are you talking about?”

The dark elf hesitated a bit before continuing.

“It's just, this is gonna be our first official date... And... I don't want people to look at you, the same way they look at me...” said Kianna in sorrowful manner “I don't want us to go out with a lot of people, and have all of them looking at you, while thinking, that's there's something wrong with you... I don't want that to happen... I'm sorry, I just really want everything to go just right for you... And I'm worried that it won't... I don't want to you to-!”

The dark elf was cut short as Anton pulled her in close and hugged her to his chest.

“Oh, Kianna... My sweet Kianna...” he breathed as he held her “It's just like you to be worried about such things... My poor little dark elf...”

“I'm sorry...” whined Kianna “I just don't want people to think bad things about you, ever... But especially not on our first date... I want everything to be perfect for you...”

Easing back a bit, Anton placed his hand under Kianna's jaw and gently tilted her chin back so as to make her look up at him.

“If you're there, it will already be perfect...” he said softly “All I need is for my favorite little dark elf to be there with me, and nothing else will matter...”

Going still for a second, Kianna said nothing as her blush began to deepen in flustered embarrassment.

“...R-really? Why do you always have to say things like that!” she whimpered as her eyes tightened and became tearful “You always make me feel embarrassed and... Hey! Don't smile like that! You ass! Argh! You're always so mean to me!”

Laughing softly, Anton pulled the now teary eyed but pouting dark elf back into a tight embrace.

“I know, and I'm sorry...” he smiled as he felt Kianna press her forehead into his chest in annoyance “But it is true, all I need is to be with you and it'll be a perfect date... Though, I do understand why you're nervous about it... So why don't we do this instead...”

Loosening his hold a bit so he could look back down at the dark elf, Anton tilted his head in a thoughtful manner.

“Rather than this being our first, official first date, let's just call this a test run instead.” he said as he gently ran his thumb across Kianna's cheek “And we'll just use this test run as practice for a real, official date that we'll have later, okay?”

“Practice?” questioned Kianna as she kept her face hidden against Anton's chest “...How do you practice a date?”

“Well... We can start by keeping things simple.” said Anton as he let his arms hang relaxed around the dark elf and began to slowly sway them both from side to side “Tonight we'll just go out to one place. A nice restaurant, where we'll spend some time together, and eat a nice meal... And then we'll come home, and we'll spend some more time together... And if everything goes good, we'll plan to do more on our next, actual date... How does that sound?”

“...That, sounds pretty good.” mumbled Kianna “I like the idea of keeping things simple... But what happens if everything doesn't go good?”

“Hm, well...” said Anton “If everything doesn't go good, then we'll just try again and do another practice run, until we get it all right... Okay?”

Kianna was quiet for a moment as she seemed to be thinking things over.

“...So, this won't be our first official date, just a test run.” she reasoned in a soft tone “And it won't matter if anything messes up, cause it's not official yet... It's just practice...”

“Mm hm, that's right...” hummed Anton.

“...Okay. I like this idea.” said Kianna softly.

“Okay, good.” chuckled Anton “Let's start practicing then, shall we?”

“Uh, okay? What do we do first?” asked Kianna.

“Well...” said Anton as he eased out of their embrace and turned back to the closet door “First let's figure out what you're going to wear tonight, shall we?”

“Um, okay.” said Kianna as she watched him step into her walk-in closet “Shouldn't I do that alone though? So it's a surprise?”

“Nah, not this time.” said Anton as he stood in the middle of the closet and looked around at Kianna's surprisingly sparse collection of clothing “I like the idea of dressing you up myself...”

Kianna blinked in surprise as she suddenly found herself enthralled by this idea as well.

“Hm... It's looking like I'm going to need to take you shopping at some point...” said Anton in an absent tone as he began to go through Kianna's available dresses “We need to find you some more nice things that you can wear for me...”

With visions of herself as the hapless slave girl who was forced to wear cute and sexy clothes by her master own hand, Kianna began to blush again.

“Alrighty.” said Anton as he stepped out of the closet with three dresses in his hands “I think we'll go with one of these... I just need to decide which one first...”

“...How are you going to decide which one?” asked Kianna as she watched him lay out the dresses across her bed and then sit down in her desk chair.

“Oh, that's simple...” said Anton as he leaned back in the chair, folded his arms behind his head and smiled playfully “You're going to model them for me of course...”

-

That night, everything went perfectly.

The evening began with Kianna dressed in a formfitting, dark red to nearly black-colored, shoulder-less evening gown that was held aloft by a pair of soft, fabric straps that were wrapped elegantly around her neck. These straps helped to accentuate both the jeweled collar that rested at the base of her neck, as well as her supple bust.

Clad in a dark blue, button down collared shirt and seamless black pants, Anton was dressed both handsomely and as a perfect match to Kianna's outfit.

After being told she looked absolutely beautiful, the nervously excited dark elf took her master's offered hand and eagerly followed him through a portal.

Kianna had no idea where the portal led them to, though she knew that they had to have gone far away from home as it was already fully dark in this part of the world.

They had landed outside of a large, European style, stone building that had been lit up with hundreds of small torches that showcased both the rough architecture of the building itself as well as the beautifully landscaped flower gardens that had been planted around it. Vast networks of climbing vines had draped themselves across the building's walls, and from these grew countless tiny blue, night blooming flowers that shone beautifully in the moonlight.

Mesmerized by the sights around her, Kianna offered no resistance as Anton placed his hand at the small of her back and guided her through the large, gated archway that led to the buildings entrance.

Once inside, they were greeted by a tall, jackal-headed, male anubian who wore a black tuxedo with a white shirt and vest over his trim frame.

The gentleman anubian introduced himself as Omaro and bid the couple to follow him upstairs to their reserved table.

Struck by this beings confident manners, sharp black-colored canid features and his height, as he was taller than Anton by nearly his whole head, Kianna couldn't help but to be fascinated by the anubian and began to wonder if the females of his species were just as refined and impressive as the males apparently were.

Letting her nature get away from her for a bit, the dark elf shook her head to banish her train of thoughts as she soon started to consider how difficult it might be for her to tame such a creature, and if they would make good guard dogs or not.

Upon leading them to a table for two that was situated outside on a private balcony, Omaro bid the couple farewell.

Taking her seat, Kianna's sensitive ears immediately sharpened and became alert as a melodious and hauntingly beautiful harmony filled her ears and left her with the impression that the night itself had begun to sing.

Though she didn't know it, what she was hearing was actually a combination of the singing voices of the tiny, winged, fae beings who were tending to the gardens around the building and the grateful response of the flowers that were being cared for. Enchanted by the fae magic that was being poured into them through song, the awakened flowers answered their caretakers invitation to join in the singing by adding their ringing, bell-like voices to the fae melody.

Enamored by this otherworldly music, Kianna was still for a moment before she glanced at Anton. Finding him staring back at her with a knowing smile on his face, the dark elf knew right away that he too could hear the music as well. And this was confirmed when he rose up from the table and reached out to her in invitation. Taking his hand, Kianna followed his lead as they began to dance in a twirling rhythm to the magical music that filled the night air around them.

After a time, the couple found their way back to the table.

Still enthralled by the delightful magic that surrounded her, the next hour was a happy blur for Kianna as she spoke giddily with Anton and then eagerly devoured the food he had ordered for them.

Their meal consisted of dark colored salads that were covered with olives and a sweet red dressing, soft, flavorful meats that were easily torn away from the large bones that they were attached to, the grilled stalks of some unfamiliar white vegetable and a creamy pasta that was bathed in a bright orange sauce.

Kianna had no idea what any of these dishes were called as Anton had been speaking in a language she didn't understand when he had ordered them. Be that as it may though, she had still enjoyed every bit of them and made a mental note to ask Anton what their names were so she could look up their recipes at a later date, and attempt to make them herself.

With their meals finished, the two beings enjoyed a bit of small talk amid several glasses of wine. This casual togetherness went on until before they had even realized it, they had both scooted their chairs close enough together that they could lightly kiss each other over their small table.

Not looking to suppress their desires for each other any longer, they left their table, made their way downstairs to pay their bill and then ventured back outside where Anton quickly formed a portal that would take them home.

-

Once back in their shared master bedroom, Kianna immediately reached behind her neck and began to unclasp the straps that held her dress in place.

Pausing as he watched her from behind, Anton let loose a low, rumbling, hungry sounding growl from deep in his chest as the dark elf made a show of sashaying towards the bed all while slowly shimmying her dress down over her hips.

Once the thin layer of crumpled fabric was passed her curves, Kianna then let the whole ensemble fall to pool at her feet, which left her wearing nothing but a thin black thong.

Glancing back over her shoulder, the now nearly naked dark elf smiled demurely as she teasingly pressed her thighs together and wrapped her arms around her bosom.

From one instant to the next, Anton was upon her.

Kianna moaned softly and longingly as Anton wrapped his arms around her and began to ravish the side of her neck with his lips.

Feeling his hot breath on her skin, the dark elf moaned louder and, pointing her long ears down and away from her head, she leaned herself into him and gripped his arms needfully. Needing no other invitation, Anton immediately lifted her up in his arms and carried her over to the bed.

Lying together now and letting their passion for each other run its natural course, it wasn't long before the two beings found themselves completely devoid of all their clothing. And as their furious kissing reached a fever pitch, it was Kianna who finally broke away to gather a much needed breath.

As she collected what little of her wits that she could, the dark elf swung her leg over Anton's prone body and quickly clambered atop him. Gripping his shoulders as she rose up to straddle him, she rested her bottom just over his hips and smiled gleefully as she felt his thick, hardened mass rising up to greet her as it wedged itself in between her butt cheeks.

Smiling broadly enough to showcase her sharpened fangs, Kianna lifted her bottom just high enough to angle herself over Anton's waiting member and cooing happily as she felt him slip inside her, she immediately began to rock her hips in tune with his deep, needful groans.

Having positioned herself in such a way that the head of Anton's penis was aimed right at her spot, it did not take Kianna's already aroused body very long at all to reach a state of pleasured bliss, nor did it take Anton long to follow along right behind her.

Feeling his shuddering release literally exploding inside her, Kianna threw her head back and moaned through her clenched teeth before deflating a bit and slumping forwards to let her head hang limp. Still gripping onto Anton's shoulders, the now quivering dark elf held herself up on her outstretched arms as she gazed down at his heaving form.

Watching as Anton's strained expression slowly shifted to one of clear satisfaction, Kianna couldn't help but to feel a rising sense of accomplishment.

She had done this to him, she had put him into this state. That happy, slightly goofy looking smirk on his face was there because of her. She did this. She made him happy... And she wanted to do it again...

She wanted him to be happy, in the same way that he made her happy, she wanted him to be happy as well. She wanted him to always feel happiness, and nothing but happiness... Yes, she wanted to make him happy, and she needed to know how... She needed to know more about him...

She needed to know everything about him...

Still in a state of blissful recovery, Anton's only response to the growing warmth of what he rightfully assumed was Kianna's aura seeping into his body from wherever she touched him, was a broadening smile and a soft hum of gratitude for what he thought was merely her attempt at giving him a soothing, comforting balm.

Unfortunately, he was wrong about this.

Not quite back to a fully cognizant state of mind just yet, he suddenly felt an urging compulsion to open his eyes, and thinking nothing of this, he did.

The moment Anton opened his eyes his entire field of view was immediately encompassed by a pair of glowing red irises.

Mesmerized by the sight of these simmering, ruby-colored orbs, he did nothing as he felt his conscious mind go blank... No, not go blank, he was still fully aware of himself, but he had been quieted, as if he had been made to sit down and wait... Wait, as a presence that was suddenly filling his head with a soothing comfort made itself known... This presence, that was undeniably friendly and caring, wanted him to know that everything would be okay... That they were there to help... That they just wanted to know more...

In the silence that followed, Kianna's eyes slowly widened.

It was as if the sun itself had formed right in front of her.

The vastness that was Anton laid bare before her minds eye, all his power, all that he was, all that he had ever been, his knowledge and overwhelming life experience... It was all there, waiting to be explored... And yet, all of it was overshadowed, as within the vastness that made up this being, there lay a single, central point... A point which existed as an endless, bottomless well... A well of darkness. A feature, that Kianna simply couldn't ignore. And one that she approached without hesitation. The very moment that she reached this well however, she immediately reeled with a gasp, as through her minds eye she had taken a tiny peek into its depths and her mind instantly became flooded with wave after wave of horrible, maddening, soul crushing... Pain...

“No!” roared Anton as he suddenly came to his senses and shot up to a sitting position before gripping Kianna by the shoulders “Stop!”

Dazed by her minuscule glimpse into Anton's being, Kianna, rocked as she was by Anton grabbing her shoulders, merely let her head roll back and stared upwards with eyes wide and unfocused as she said nothing.

“Stop! Stop, stop stop!” cried Anton before his voice started to crack in panic “Kianna! You have to stop!”

“I... God's, alive...” breathed Kianna as her own, still unfocused eyes began to well with tears “How... How can you possibly... All that... It's so much...”

“Oh, no... No, no...” groaned Anton as he slumped in on himself and clamped his eyes shut “Kianna, please, stop... Don't, ever do that again... Just please, just stop...”

Remaining still for a moment, Kianna slowly blinked several times before raising her head back into place and gazing down at Anton.

“...No.” she whispered softly “I won't stop, I can't... I love you...”

Bringing his eyes up to meet with hers, Anton's argument died in his throat as he registered what she had just said.

Staring back at him, and seeing him, the real him, as if for the first time... She knew it was true... She now knew more about him than she had ever known before... And without question... She knew she loved him...

“I love you...” she repeated softly as she gazed into his eyes “I do... I love you...”

“No...” breathed Anton in an anguished tone “No, Kianna... You can't say that...”

“Yes, yes I can...” said the dark elf “I love you... I really do...”

“No, Kianna, you don't understand...” groaned Anton as he shook his head “You can't say that... You can't love me...”

“Yes I can... And yes I do...” breathed Kianna as her eyes tightened in sympathy “And yes, I can understand... I do understand...”

“No... No, no...” sobbed Anton “Stop, Kianna... Just stop this...”

“No, I won't...” soothed Kianna as she cupped her hands around Anton's cheeks and again, looked him right in the eyes “I can't... I love you...”

“No... No, just stop this...” groaned Anton as the weight of the world suddenly seemed to be upon him “Just stop... Please, just stop...”

“I can't... Because...” whispered Kianna as she gently pressed their foreheads together “You need me...”

A tight, burning pain filled Anton's chest as the truth of Kianna's words hit him far harder than he could ever have thought possible.

“You're hurting... I can feel it...” breathed Kianna “You hide it... You bury it... So deep... You carry the pain... But it's there... All the same... Please, let me help you...”

His own eyes locked onto the dark elf's bright rubies, Anton began to tremble.

“Please... Please, just let me help you... Let me be here for you... Let me ease your pain...” soothed Kianna as she tenderly wrapped her arms around his shoulders “Please... Please, just let me hold you...”

Unsure of what to think, but filled with longing nonetheless, Anton remained silent as with thin tears now forming in his eyes, he slowly lifted his arms and feebly hugged the dark elf to his chest.

Aching at the sight of Anton's tears, Kianna's own eyes began to glow again as she worked to strengthened the influence of her aura.

“Please, let me back in...” she whispered “Let me help you... Let me love you...”

Backed by the nature of her species, there was a commanding power behind the dark elf's words, and both feeling this power and allowing himself to trust in Kianna, a tiny, relieved breath escaped from between Anton's lips, as he dropped all his resistances and let her back in.

Her chest swelling in a grateful burn, Kianna steeled her resolve and gazed back into the boundless void that was the essence of Anton's being.

Weeks, months, years, decades, centuries... Millennia...

It all came crashing against her at once.

And with it, came the pain...

Lifetimes upon lifetimes of it...

Grief, anger, sadness, hatred, loss, regret... Madness...

All of it welled against her in an instant, and in another instant, it all flowed away.

Pausing in confusion, Kianna's mind's eye metaphorically blinked before she realized that unlike with her first foray into this sphere of existence, she was not alone this time.

Existing as nothing more than a silent, unassuming presence, Anton's consciousness lingered near her.

Kianna's irritation was immediately made clear as she regarded this presence. She needed neither a guide nor a guardian in this place. And she would not have him curating his own pain for her. She was here to understand this pain, and she would do so by facing it herself, and by herself. Whether he liked this or not.

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Acknowledging her intentions, Anton's presence eased away from the dark elf, but did not disappear completely as he seemed to now be watching from afar.

Satisfied with this compromise, Kianna resumed her journey, and now unhindered, she ventured deeper and deeper into what was essentially the outer layers of Anton's soul.

Anton was not an undead, of that Kianna was certain, and yet... He was not normal either... There was definitely something different about Anton... Something that was... Off, about him... Something that gave him a strange, otherworldly feeling... She felt it now, stronger than ever... In fact, this was the same feeling she had felt when she had first met him, but had since come to ignore... It almost felt as though there was more to Anton than there should be, as if he was somehow bigger than he was supposed to be... And yet, it also felt as though an important part of him... Was missing...

He was alive, and yet, he almost seemed dead inside... As though he had all but forgotten what it felt like to be alive...

As she analyzed these discoveries, Kianna began to slowly understand Anton's pain and where it came from...

She began to understand... Just how truly lonely, he really was...

That was the core of his pain, he was alone. And he had been alone for a very, very long time.

So long in fact, that he had completely forgotten what it even felt like to actually care about other people...

Or at least he had, until just recently.

A wide smile suddenly spread across Kianna's nonexistent face as for the first time since she had begun to explore this man's essence, she found a glimmer of happiness, true happiness.

The time that Anton had been spending with her and the others had been doing him a far greater service than she could have ever had imagined... He had begun to feel again...

He felt alive again, truly alive.

He felt excitement again, he felt joy and anger and fear and lust and zest and laughter and pride and frustration and...

And...

And...

And he cared... He cared about them... All of them...

He cared again... After so long of feeling nothing... After ages of having closed himself off from the world... He finally remembered what it felt like, to feel... To truly feel... And to care...

Kianna's heart swelled with an aching joy as this wonderful realization hit her.

She had been helping him, all this time...

They had all been helping him, all of them, herself, Fiona, Mica and even Tessa...

They had all only been together now for such a short amount of time and yet...

He cared again.

It had already made such a huge difference in him...

He truly cared.

They had all been helping him...

He cared about them. All of them.

They had all been helping him to feel alive again...

And now, he... He...

He loved them...

He didn't even know it, but he did, he loved them all...

Tears of pure happiness welling within her nonexistent eyes, Kianna's heart began to soar.

He needed them, Anton needed them, just as much as they needed him, he needed them all the same...

They had saved him... They had brought him back to life...

Her heart afire with this knowledge, Kianna's happy mood suddenly came to a screeching halt as she registered that while Anton was now feeling alive again, there was still an undeniable undercurrent of sadness and fear throughout his entire essence.

Something was wrong, something had Anton worried, and it wasn't until she stopped and actually thought about it that Kianna suddenly realized that an unusual truth about Anton had been staring at her in the face this entire time.

His age was all wrong.

Anton was old, but not only was he old, he was far, far older than a living human should ever be... In fact, he was down right ancient... And something told her that he wasn't necessarily happy about this...

Spreading out her awareness so as to better analyze Anton's being, Kianna's mind began to race as she frantically tried to take in as much of the information around her as she could. But finding nothing on this surface level, she steeled her resolve, and slowly approached the solemn, dark well that held the greatest bulk of Anton's pain, and tentatively gazed down into its abyss...

Silence, a deathly silence was all that stared back at her from the well's dark depth.

Something was wrong with Anton, and no matter how difficult her search may be, or how long it took her, she was going to find out what it was that was plaguing him, and she would help him defeat it.

Determined to be the savior that Anton needed her to be, the dark elf pointed her nonexistent ears straight back in challenge and dived headlong right into the blackness.

Something was wrong with Anton...

She would find out what it was.

Something happened to make him this way...

She would help him, she would save him.

Something must have happened to him...

Right, something happened, she had to keep searching.

Something bad happened to him...

Right, right, something bad happened, it was something bad.

Something...

There, that has to be it.

No...

Yes, finally, there it is.

Not something...

Almost there.

It was...

Just a little closer.

Someone...

Kianna stopped.

Someone did this to him...

Frozen, with her mind completely blank, Kianna's heart went cold as the truth slowly took shape before her.

Something didn't just happen to Anton... Someone did this to him... Someone had made him this way...

Someone took away a part of him...

She had to know more.

Plunging even deeper into Anton's very core, Kianna searched frantically through what seemed to be an endless stream of lifetimes before she finally found it, the truth.

A truth that had been buried deep beneath mountains of mental fortitude, yet still she found it, Anton's greatest pain... The pain that started it all...

Digging into the metaphorical rock pile that lay before her, Kianna was suddenly stunned by the very force that she had been desperately trying to unearth.

Not at all realizing what she had found, the dark elf reeled back as an unrelenting sense of evil began to surround and suffocate her minds eye.

Panicking now, she tried to backpedal as best she could but it was far too late, this force was upon her, and while not a real threat to her, the fear and sense of hopelessness that was now engulfing her was nearly too much for her mind to bare. Whatever this horror was, it was going to, without hesitation, try its best to destroy her.

And while this may not have been possible, in their current states, for Kianna, it still certainly felt as though she was being destroyed. In fact, the dark elf was nearly to the point of losing control of her focus and would have been expelled from Anton's essence completely if it had not been for the assistance of an unexpected ally.

Pausing as a sudden calmness took shape around her, Kianna gave out a nonexistent sigh of relief as when her vision cleared, she found that what now stood between her and the monster buried deep within Anton's essence, was Anton himself.

Standing silent and motionless, Anton's consciousness paid no heed to Kianna's presence as it set to work containing the monstrosity that she had been trying to unleash.

Shifting forward to stand with him in solidarity, the dark elf watched as the metaphorical rocks she had been removing were slowly returned to their original places.

Sensing the immense pain he was feeling as he literally buried his past, Kianna eased herself closer and closer to Anton until finally, she was able to fully embrace his essence with her own and offer him as much comfort as she could give.

And in that instant, she realized that this was what he needed most...

Though Kianna still didn't truly know all that there was to know about Anton yet, or even a fraction of all there was to know about him. Nor did she know what had been done to him... She did understand him better now. Or at least she understood where his pain came from. And for the moment, that would be enough...

She needed to go now, Anton needed her to go...

Filling him with the warmth of her love and promising that she would be there for him from here on out, Kianna's consciousness reluctantly began to fade as she sought to end this foray and return to where she belonged.

It was time for her to leave this place, as she needed to go give Anton a hug.

-

For some time now, the two beings had been laying together in silence. Wrapped in each others arms, there had been no reason for them to speak, as they had both found all the comfort that they needed with just having each others presence at hand.

It was Anton who finally broke this truce as he spoke in a musing tone.

“So that's how that ability works huh... Fascinating...” he whispered softly.

Glancing up at him with her faintly glowing eyes, Kianna grinned.

Her grin quickly faded however, as she thought back to what she had seen, hidden deep within Anton's essence...

There hadn't been much that she could discern about the monster that she had found, and bits and pieces were all that she dared to remember.

She knew that there had been long, bright, golden colored hair, pale skin and most prominently, a smiling mouth... A smiling mouth that was framed with long fangs...

Fangs that were dripping with blood...

Shuddering, the dark elf put these thoughts away. She wouldn't bring this up to Anton now, not yet...

It just, wasn't time yet...

“So I'm guessing that you don't have much in the way of questions...” whispered Anton as he stared off into space “You know everything there is to know about me now...”

Kianna hesitated for a moment before she spoke.

“Not, everything... Not yet...” she said as she shifted uncomfortably “There's still a few things that I don't understand yet...”

“Oh, really? What don't you understand?” questioned Anton.

Unsure of just how much she wanted to say, Kianna took a moment to gather her thoughts.

“Well, I know, that you're a human... But I also know that you've been alive for a very long time...” she said as she lowered her ears a bit “Longer than a human... Should normally be alive...”

“Hm... Yes, that is true...” mumbled Anton “I have been around for awhile now...”

“Right...” continued Kianna “So, how old are you? Exactly?”

“I don't know...” said Anton.

“...You? You don't know? Really?” questioned Kianna as she looked up at him.

While still resting on his pillow, Anton shook his head.

“No, I'm sorry, but I couldn't even begin to give you an exact number. The years have been just a blur for quite a while now... And also, back then when I was born, record keeping wasn't as sophisticated as it is nowadays. And birthdays weren't something that were always recorded.” explained Anton “So I only have a vague idea of how old I might be...”

Blinking as she pointed her ears straight upwards, Kianna's eyes widened.

“Wait, so you don't even know what day your birthday is!?” she asked.

Again, Anton shook his head.

“No, I don't. All I know is that I was born sometime during the summer months. But I have no idea what day exactly.” he said.

“Oh no! My poor Master!” groaned Kianna in sadness as she tightened her arms around him “You don't even know your own birthday! You poor thing...”

Taken aback, Anton chuckled as he returned her embrace with his own.

“Aw, my sweet little dark elf...” he teased as grinned down at the unhappy looking dark elf “She's so upset...”

“I am!” whined Kianna “This is awful! We can't even celebrate your birthday now! No! There has to be a way we can fix this! There has to be some kind of spell that can tell us how old you are, and even what your birthday is! ...Right? There's a spell like that, isn't there?”

“Hm... I'm sure there is, since there are plenty of spells that can tell you how old a given item is. It would be surprising if there wasn't at least one that would work on living things as well.” mused Anton “I wouldn't know any spells like that myself though.”

“I'll research it.” said Kianna in a determined tone “We gotta fix this. You not knowing your own birthday is just wrong.”

Registering the seriousness in Kianna's voice, Anton couldn't help but to laugh softly.

“This is important to you, isn't it?” he said as he smiled “You really want to know how old I am, don't you?”

“It's...! It's not that... I mean that is important, very important! But, what's more important is... Well, it's helping you...” said Kianna as her voice trailed down to a faint whisper.

“...I'm sorry? What was that last part?” asked Anton.

“...I said, helping you, was what was more important.” said Kianna “I wanna help you, and I wanna fix you! ...But fixing you is gonna take time. And that's okay, we can take our time. This though! While I work on fixing the rest of you, we can fix this! This is something we can do right now!”

“Fixing the rest of me?” repeated Anton “Wait, what do you mean by fixing me?”

“Oh, I! ...Um, w-well?” stammered Kianna “Look, it's not like you're broken or anything... Well, it kinda is like that. But that doesn't matter! Cause it's gonna be okay! Everything is gonna be okay! ...You're gonna be okay. ...I promise. ...Cause I'm here for you now.”

“...Kianna, what are you talking about?” questioned Anton “And what do you mean that you're here for me? What are you going to do?”

Kianna went to speak but stopped short as she met Anton's eyes with her own. Staring at him for a moment, she smiled softly before ducking her head down and nuzzling herself up against him.

“I'm gonna stay right here... That's what I'm gonna do...” she sighed as she made herself comfortable, closed her eyes and let her ears hang limp “I saw you... But you know that. I saw what you were like. How you were before, and how you were for a long time... I know you hated it. Being that way... Being, cold... It hurt... And you hated it so much, that you even started hating yourself... And I'm not gonna let that happen again. No, I have a purpose now, a real reason to live. This is something that I can dedicate my life to, and I will... I'm gonna stay right here, and I'm gonna make sure that you never ever become like that ever again...”

“...You, wha? ...By the Gods, Kianna. No, you, you can't do that.” started Anton in a hushed but urgent tone “You can't just dedicate your whole life to, to... To something like me... Kianna, you're an elf. You have so much life ahead of you. You can't just waste it all on me... Not when, I'm... I can't. I can't just let you do that. I'm not going to just watch you-”

“Yes, you are.” interrupted Kianna as she spoke with the same commanding power that she had shown off before “And yes, I am an elf. I'm a dark elf. And that means that I'm gonna be around for a very, very long time.”

“...Not long enough.” croaked Anton as his voice lightly cracked with emotion “Listen, Kianna, you-”

“No. Not tonight. We need to stop. We will not think about this anymore tonight. Tonight has been perfect. And it will end perfectly.” said Kianna as she began to fill her aura with a warm, calming essence “Look... We will cross that bridge when we get to it... But that bridge is too far away to worry about now. So instead, tonight, I want you to just focus on holding me... And letting me hold you back...”

Sensing the dark elf's efforts to comfort him for what they were, Anton closed his eyes and sighed through his nose.

He was just about to speak again, when Kianna's next words froze him in his tracks.

“Goodnight, Master...” whispered the dark elf “I love you...”

Locked in stillness, Anton's eyes widened in surprise as a new layer of warmth began to flow through Kianna's aura and into his being.

This warmth was no calming essence, but was instead born from a much deeper and far more powerful emotion... One that for Anton, began to slowly reawaken buried memories...

It had been so long... So long ago... That he had forgotten what it felt like... So very many ages had passed... Since he had last let himself feel this way... Since he had last let himself feel... Loved...

With thick tears welling in his eyes and a deep, grateful ache swelling within his chest, Anton curled in on himself, tightened his arms around Kianna's slender frame and held her longingly against his chest.

His heart skipped a beat as he felt her hug him back just as tightly.

“I... I...” he whispered softly as heavy tears rolled down his cheeks “I love you too...”

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