CDS: 6

Human World

Philippines

La Union Ilocos Sur

Somewhere in a beach resort

Annelia is sitting comfortably inside her brother’s car. She is setting next to her sister Dervylyn who is checking her bag for something. The other car behind them is driven by her brother-in-law Christ and sitting beside him is his wife who is by the way Annelia’s sister Lizzy who seems to be fixing Crysta’s hair, their second daughter. Like them they are also packed in that car so they are going to the beach with 2 cars. Having a big family is too much of a cost but the happiness it brings is much more. She is back from her constant thinking when her sister taps her shoulder telling her that they had arrived and that they had to help in bringing their things inside their rented bungalow.

“Okay girls let us be ready for us to cook dinner so that we can rest and tomorrow we will start enjoying this vacation. Remember no swimming yet, we had just arrived so we should rest first.” Annelia hears her mother said. After they fix their dishes they all went to sleep wherein Annelia dreamed something odd about the sea and mermaids.

Annelia is enjoying sitting to the sand and playing with it when suddenly she feels the necklace’s pendant that is hanging on her cleavage feel so hot like a burning metal is placed on her chest. She immediately holds it up to see what is happening, the pendant is glowing so brightly red and Annelia do not know what to do to stop the burning feeling in her chest that she is feeling. Frightened and shaky she uses her hand to draw some sea water and splash into in her neck and chest until the pain slowly decreases. She gives off a sigh of relief and look at the necklace she is wearing.

“W-what i-is happening.” she said as she raises the pendant that is touching her left breast when she saw that the pendant made a mark on her white skin right to her left breast and the word LUMNIR is now glowing red in it like a tattoo.

She is now beyond frightened. She can’t let her mother see her with a tattoo or she will be in big trouble. With that thought she shoves water and sand to get it off but it is still there, glowing brightly red as she feels that the heat even though she keep on splashing water to it is still painful and hot. She gives up and pulls the neck line of her t-shirt to cover it.

“Aunt Anne, look what I found.” Annelia turned to see her niece Crysta holding a bottle with a little sea water, inside is a beautiful fish that is colored green like Luthan’s eyes.

Annelia shake her head when she remembers THAT stranger who has invaded her thoughts with just that silly stupid kiss ever since.

“Where did you get that?” she asks as she takes the bottle and examines the fish inside.

“Uncle Nemzie caught it while they were swimming towards there. (Pointing towards the deep part of the sea) Auntie, can you hold it for me.” Crysta runs towards their bungalow leaving her still sitting on the sand while the water keep on climbing up and down to her body every time the wave passes.

Annelia looks at the fish on the bottle then look into the horizon. It seems to be getting late and the sun is setting from the sea, Annelia sighs as she look at the beautiful orange on the horizon. It is as if it is telling her that something is about to happen... good or bad? Turning around she sees that there are only few people swimming in the beach and that her family are all in their bungalow.

“Okay so it’s getting late now.”

Annelia is enjoying the raising water that is now in her chest level. She looks at the fish in the bottle and she slowly opens it and pours the water in her palms. When the fish is now in her palms she slowly deep her hands in the water.

“Sorry about the bottle, go back home, your family might be worried about you. Don’t come in this part of the sea or someone might catch you again.” she said as she watches the fish slowly swim around her hands and then disappears.

“I might be INSANE, talking to a fish…… and letting it go, REALLY! It’s that entire STUPID book’s fault!” she sighs as she stands and slowly walks in the sandy beach while kicking the water as she wonders right at the seashore.

Annelia is walking on the seashore hugging her self; since she is still wet and the wind is blowing she can feel the coldness of the night. Somehow her mind is still thinking about that man, Mr. Benamine and the book about mermaids.

“D-Do I believe or...” she stops when she see something floating in the water few meters from her in the shore and the waves keep on pushing it then pulling it again and again.

Since being the curious person she is she slowly approach it. She is shock to see that it is a person floating in the water; she can’t see the face since the person is facing the water. She turns to see anyone for help but it appears that she is the only one in that part of the seashore.

“What am I to do?” she said with a sigh then look at the figure of a man floating in the water with his back on her.

She slowly turns the person to face her and she gasps when she see that it really is a man around his 20’s and he has a black hair that is covering half of his face. She slowly raises his head until it is in her stomach level; she is now in a sitting position sitting on the sand while the water is currently in her waist level as she pulls the man’s head in her lap.

“H-hey are you okay, hey!” she doesn’t know what to do, does she have to shake him or if he drowned she must do CPR.

The problem is… can she still perfectly performs the CPR she learned in her High School days. Actual performing it is a lot different to the performance they do in school. She immediately checks if he is breathing and upon seeing that he is breathing slow, she takes a deep breath. When she can finally see his face she nearly drop his head to the water again, she see the face of the man who is destroying her concentration in class that pass few days. What the hell is he doing here and what have happened to him? Is this him……Luthan?

“H-hey w-wake up.” she said in worry as she slightly shake his shoulder and when she is about to touch his face he suddenly grabs her hand that is nearly touching his face, Annelia’s jaw drops.

“Y-you are not L-Luthan, y-you must be...it can’t be t-this is i-insane y-you to e-exists. Impossible!” she said when she see the difference, Luthan is black haired but he has emotionless face and eyes that is dark green like the deep sea when he is mad and then turns light green when he is somewhat composed or amused.

Looking at this man she can tell their difference, this man also has black hair but his eyes are blue as the sea and he have a soft feature. The usual features of a happy go lucky spoiled guy who thinks everything in life is easy. He slowly gets up in a sitting position.

“W-who are you? (His face changed into anger) Are you one of the evil king’s servants? Are you sent to check if I am dead? Death is NOT mine it is HIS.” he said as he angrily looks at her.

What a proud jerk this guy is… wait did he just call her a servant? Annelia feel her face redden in anger; this man is attacking her with words that are hurtful especially when it’s not true. No denying it, this jerk is not Luthan. Luthan appears to be a cold scary man but he is a gentleman and quite an attitude that draws female attention yet... this one is purely proud and arrogant. Annelia takes a deep breath trying to calm herself so she won’t erupt into anger.

“I advise you not to talk too much, you’ve just regain your consciousness so try to relax and calm down. I’m no one’s SLAVE and I saw you drowning for Christ sake, so I tried to help you and if I only know you’re going to accuse me of something I don’t know then…… I should have left you here to die alone.” she took a deep breath to calm herself for her not to become a woman without ethics but this guy is making her mad in any second specially when his face reminds him of Luthan...they are so identical.

He just looks at her doubtfully as Annelia see shadows rising on the waters waking towards them. When they raises she look at them wide eyed. Soldiers in their armors and are inside the water covering half of their body.

“Your Highness we finally found you. Our troops withdrawn back to the 2nd head quarter and we came straight away upon hearing that you and your companions were ambushed.” a man wearing a silver gold armor curtsy as he laid his sword on the water, his companions who are also wearing a silver armor did the same.

“So the evil king won again! Darrrrn it he is becoming more powerful each day while WE are falling. (His face redden in anger) Johan do you have any news about the coming of Princess Marahayara?” the man who Annelia is holding is now struggling to stand but he is so weak that he nearly fall if Annelia didn’t catch him by his back and help him to sit straight by pushing his back.

Annelia holds the stranger tightly for she saw how helpless he is when she feels some hot liquid flowing in her hand coming from his body she is holding to. She let go of what she is touching/holding (whatever part of him that is) to see what it is. When the moonlight (which she never noticed that was already out) lights her hand she froze upon seeing what it is…blood, too much blood. She looks at the man who is still talking and she peek which part of him is bleeding to see that it is his right side hip and the wound is too deep and wide visible from hid torn robe.

“What?!” the man looks at her when he notice that she turned pale.

“W-wahhhhhh! Y-y-your b-b-b-bleeding for heaven’s sake!” she screams as she immediately uses both of her hand to cover the flowing bloods from the wound.

He slowly looks at his wound as Annelia still presses the wound to stop the blood from flowing.

“Y-your Highness you are badly wounded and it is deep. (The one the man called as Johan walks towards him and look at Annelia) Thank you Milady but...you can let go. I will take it from here.” Johan said to her with a smile.

Annelia couldn’t help herself but to observe the man’s action, Johan (as the stranger calls him) is rather cute and handsome not to mention that he is a knight in a shining armor type of man in fairytales, he is a gentleman to, a complete contrary to this arrogant guy who is leaning helplessly at her. Johan has this lovely brownish hair with some tint of bluish color, his eyes are bluish to, lips are perfect mold and his body is to die for. In short...why these strange men she is meet are are so divinely perfect...just like Luthan.

“Your Highness, I’m going to use the healing tonic given by the mage master Shetama so please bear with me.” Johan said as he slowly raises the stranger’s clothes to see his wound.

Annelia watch how the wound suddenly heals upon Johan’s pour of the red liquid that look like a perfume but to her amazement the liquid suck into the wound healing the wounded flesh. The stranger rises and looks at Annelia who is now gotten over her astonishment.

“Y-you must be...Drestjan...his b-brother? This is so freaky…. You two look really alike will except that your eyes are different in color.” Annelia said with a slight of her usual joking tone making the stranger look at her as if she committed an unforgivable sin.

“How did you know my name? WHO are you?” he asks in a demanding but scary tone.

“W-will I-I m-meet your brother L-Luthan--” she didn’t finish her words when the stranger she just identifies as Drestjan suddenly drags her up as he stand and clutches her t-shirt pulling her closer to him, face burning in anger. Annelia is beyond shock as he looks at her in pure rage.

“Who on earth are you?” he said as Annelia tries to push him away since his face is too close to hers and she is unable to breath in his grip.

“H-hey! Take it easy, in case you have forgotten if it’s not because of me you could’ve died in this water. Don’t forget, I’m a girl AND you’re being so rude.” she said as she looks at him seriously taking up her courage to stand against his bad attitude, she feels his grip loosen.

Realizing that what she said is completely true, Drestjan let her go and step back as he looks at her to observe her.

“Anne where are you! Anne, answer us!” Annelia turns to the direction of the persons calling her name. Her family must be worried since it is already getting dark.

She looks at the direction of their bungalow just to look again at the man in front of her when she heard a loud explosion on the water.