...Morning came slowly
The sun was high up in the sky, birds chirping waking up the town members from their slumber, the forest seemed warm and welcoming unlike yesterday when it felt like everything wanted to kill Ashley
The two strangers sat under the tree close together, if you didn't know better you'd think they were a couple sitting under a tree. Enjoying their time together and admiring nature with all its beauty. Ashley's head rested on Kyle's shoulder still asleep, without a care in the world. Like she didn't feel threatened by him last night
Her eyes opened slowly, raising her head she yawned loudly stretching out her hands. She hadn't registered that she was still in the forest...not until the voice of a man rang her back to reality
"Did you sleep well?" Kyle asked
Making Ashley jolt back, she really did forget she was stuck in the forest with a stranger
"W...who are you?"she said, staring at the handsome young man, she was mesmerized. she hadn't seen such a well sculpted face all her life... literally, his skin was pale in a good way and his midnight hair fell on his face nonchalantly slightly covering his eyes. His sitting position made him look more like he was basking in the sunlight not sleeping, his back rested on the tree with one leg raised to support one of his hand and the other flat on the ground, his other hand where Ashley laid her head, sat beside him slightly raised to support Ashley's head
"Your gaze is more scorching than the sun" Kyle said, turning to her... Ashley's eyes widened seeing his silver eyes, and like an ocean wave the memories of yesterday came rushing back in
"Y... you're the crazy mage who saved me yesterday" she said, backing up and pointing at him
"And you're the girl who has no life preservation skills...again I am no mage" he replied, sitting up
Ashley watched him closely, she realized that all this while he had hidden his face from her. Why exactly did he reveal it now?, watching him get up from his sitting position, walking towards her with his hand stretched out
Stretching out her hands to him she stared at him dazed "Can I have my cloak?" he requested, looking at her confused. Blinking multiple times his voice brought her out of her daze
"Oh..."
Ashley's face turned bright red, noticing the cloak covering her shoulder. She removed it and handed it over to him.
Seeing her shiver from cold last night made him uncomfortable, so he used his cloak to cover her after much contemplation. Shaking his head slightly, he wandered why the primordials made such fragile creatures...so easy to die, how exactly were they useful to them.
"Are you going to keep sitting on the ground" Kyle asked as he put his cloak over his shoulder and covered his head with the hood. His face disappeared into the dark again
"Oh...sorry" Ashley muttered even more embarrassed. She quickly got up from the floor dusting her skirt.
"Thank you for saving my life...huh..."
"Kyle"
"Kyle" she laughed nervously "I will be on my way now" she continued, bowing slightly and turning around to leave, she was grateful that he was kind enough to save her life but he also threatened her life...so it was best to get away from him now and hope they never meet again
"Aren't you curious about the mark on your chest" Kyle said, his words making Ashley stop on her tracks. She had forgotten about the mark that appeared on her chest, but she didn't tell him she had a mark on her chest
It dawned on her, she clutched her chest 'did this man open her cloth...'
"I did not touch you" Kyle defended, he could obviously hear her thoughts, it was part of the bond they shared but currently only he could hear her thoughts. She couldn't hear his cause his mental barrier was up...after millennials of having different brides he learned to keep the barrier up.
Ashley slowly turned around with a suspicious look on her face "then how did you know where the mark was..." She replied
Kyle paused for a bit "because every bride chosen has a mark on the same place" he said, walking past her expecting her to follow
"Every bride?" Curious Ashley followed closely behind him
"You're not the first Bride the mark has chosen..." Pausing a bit he continued "probably the first mortal bride"
Ashley was more confused "And who is the Bride?" She asked, hastening her steps trying to catch up to him.
"The Bride of the reaper keeps the balance between the human realm and the underrealm" Kyle said, he really didn't want to delve in deeper, that was basically what she had to do
"Just that...isn't it the reaper's job to keep the balance" Ashley replied, she knew he was keeping the rest of the information from her
Kyle stayed silent, walking further. The sounds of their feet crunching into the soil was the only thing that could be heard between them. He didn't want to explain in detail the bride's duty not because he didn't want to but he didn't exactly know how.
All the brides chosen by Ananke were prepared for him, knowing their duties before they were chosen. Now he had to train his bride?. His face darkened under his hood, when he got his hands on that old primordial.
'this was going to be a long walk' he thought
"The Bride exists to anchor death to creation...." He started