REJECTION PART 2: THE CURSED ONES

23

"Help you?" I thought I'm the one who needs help here.

"Aw. Master overdo welcomes." Alos said. "Guardian is not goblin."

"Right." The room turned back to normal. "I... apologize."

"Master never goes out." Alos whispered to me.

"Alos."

"Yes, master?"

"Leave."

"Yes. Master."

I am confused. "How can I help you?"

"You break the curse."

"The curse? Then, you are a guardian?"

"Yes, You can call me Lumos. Guardian of the goblins." That explains the goblins. But why the fairies? "Goblins are not likeable like any other. Not everytime do goblins any good. Still you will help, right?"

"I..." Is that why I am here?

"Help us.. No. Help her."

"Her?"

He did not answer but continued to walk towards a wall. He waved his hand and it vanished, another room appeared behind it. The roots are potruding with fairies all around it. And in my dream, there should be someone lying there. An open pod connects with the roots and as I walk near it, I froze. What in the world?

"Dela." I muttered. Her youthful appearance. Blond hair, little lady, the guardian of fairies. Now that explains the fairies, but then... who was that Dela? Who did we talk to up there? "This is not right. That can't be her."

"It is my Adelaide. My Dela. My Fairy."

"No. then, who is..."

"Met her sister, did you?"

"Si---sister?"

"Her sister, Lena. Elena of the Sirens. A water nymph."

"Elena? Wh-- what? I think I need to sit down. I found a chair and sat on it. What... is happening?

"Dela has been here for... 20 years in human time. Guardians may live as long as time, but we..." He put away his mask revealing his disfigured face. "we decay, erode." He put it back.

"But.. Elena.. she was Dela.. I talked to her."

"After Lena found that Dela is weakening, she vowed to end this curse."

Then, we were playing at her hands all this time? She.. she was protecting her. She was... "returning a favor." I repeated her words.

"That guardian saved Dela once. But that is all. Dela thinks she (Laine) is good. But no.. she is not. She may not remember but she did this. She did this to all of us. That's why Lena did what she did. Lena is shapeshifting. Power of water to mirror, but not copy everything."

That's why she appears to be Dela who has grown a bit. But I've seen Dela and Elena, I would have recognized them. Their scent is...

"Lena is also guardian. More powerful. More hatred. More love. Lean loves Dela more than anything. But Dela is weak as a guardian. Guardians are weak. We are not weak."

"What do you mean?"

"Guardians are never guardians, we are free spirits, able to take the form of anything. Able to roam the earth wherever, whenever. No one to protect. No one to save. We were free, we were powerful. But... she... she did this. She is the reason why we are here. Why you are here. She cursed us. That vengeful spirit, she cursed us all."

"Wh-- what?"

"You have to help us. You will decay like her," She turned to Dela. She appears to be in deep sleep. Unable to wake up, unable to die. "You also bears the curse. You suffer because of her. You have to make her break the curse." His voice pleads. "You have to, even if kills her."

"NO." My voice trembled. "I. WILL. PROTECT. HER." That is my promise. No matter what. No matter who I will face. I will protect her.

"You don't. please." He knelt in front of me, begging. "you will protect her, but Dela I promised to protect her, too. Lena just did those things because Dela's sick. Because that spirit cursed us. She is using you. Please."

I shook my head. This is not true. Lucy... she's not using me. Her face flashes in memory. I know I have to save her. But... why is there a sliver of doubt. All of this... I managed to get her away of the threat. I... saved her. Didn't I? She was my... She is my love, right? Right?

"She won't do this to me. You are lying. You just said that so I'll turn on her, so I'll break the curse. No. You are not... you will not hurt her. No." I stepped back. Still seeing Dela in my peripheral. Lucy will not like to hurt others. Lucy will...

"Then," He stood. "you will suffer." His tone changed. "If the curse won't end, and so you will see, your curse is to love and lose. What do you think will happen to her?"

No.

I don't know what he said next as I rushed out. My head is spinning and I... I want to explode. I want to.... I... I don't know what I want to. I collapsed on the ground, my palms on the earth. What should I do? I thought love is enough but what if that love hurts? Promises break sometimes. But... can I... betray her?

-------

(Sorry if there are typos. I am not sleeping until I am contented /(o_0)\