Bloodred Kora"She doesn't have much time," the nurse informed them as they entered her bedroom. Demytrix hung back while his parents approached her bed. He wasn't ready yet. He watched his mother say goodbye to her own, her body racked with silent sobs as his father's comforting hand wrapped around her waist. After a few minutes they parted to make room for him.
"Dem, come... come here," the old woman whispered, holding a shaky hand out to him.
"Oh Gran," he choked as he strode to her, tears blurring his vision. He took her hand in his; he was surprised at the strength of her grip. Her pale green eyes peered desperately into the emerald of his own, as if searching for something. It was almost too much to bear.
"Leave us." She directed her piercing gaze to the others. Dem's parents looked uncertainly at the nurse, who nodded and gestured to the door. The three of them left without a word.
"Dem, will you... will you promise me something?" she asked, a pleading tone that matched her stare.
"Of course, anything," he replied, finding it hard to speak.
"Fetch me that box." She pointed to an old shoebox on the floor in a corner of the room. He did so, and she slowly opened it. "Dem, I want you to have this..." she breathed, pulling out an intricate glass vial with a bluish liquid inside. There was a flower on one side of it. "You have to keep it safe for me."
"What is it?" he asked, taking the vial from her hand. He was startled to find that the flower was real. It was living, growing on the vial.
"This elixir... it will give he who drinks it 'life eternal'," she answered. "It will make one live forever."
"No way," he mumbled to himself. Then, "But Gran, why don't you drink it? Then you wouldn't... you wouldn't die," he finished in a choked whisper.
"I mustn't do that," she snapped, clearly appalled at the thought. "And neither shall you, or anyone else," she added sternly. "An immortal life... is a cursed life, watching everything around you grow and change... wither and die... No, nobody will drink it."
"But..." Dem was at a loss for words. "Well, then, why do you have it?"
"When I was... much younger, I was assigned to keep... keep it hidden. To keep it safe. And now I am passing it on to you... You must protect it."
"Protect it? From who?"
"Dem, there are people out there... they know of the elixir, and they will stop at nothing to get it," she paused, watching him. "They are bad people; you do not want to meet them. I have been lucky these many years, and they have not found me. You must... must not let them find you. Do you understand?"
Dem hesitated, but her gaze was too much. "Yes, I understand," he whispered. This was so much to process. "How did you get it? Where did it come from?" he asked after a while.
She took his hand in hers again. "That... is not important..." she replied. "Demytrix. I think... I think it's time," she said.
"What? Time?" Dem replied, alarm creeping into his voice. "Gran, no, you can't go..." he trailed off, as if she could change her mind, stop dying.
"You know... You know I love you, right?" she asked, a smile spreading across her deeply lined face. Her brilliant eyes no longer held that pleading look; instead, there was something else. Peace.
"Oh, Gran, please..." he cried. "I don't want you to go, I will miss you too much..." She closed her eyes, and after a moment her hand went limp in his, a smile still on her lips. "I love you too," he whispered before the sobs took over.
-x-
Demytrix woke up very early; he was excited. How could he not be? It was his big day, after all. He strode to his bedside window and gazed at the first pink and orange rays of sunlight peeking over the horizon. Soon he would be very busy; for now he would enjoy the last sunrise before his wedding.
When the sun was completely visible, slowly crawling into the sky, he went to his dresser for a shirt. Something under it glinted in the morning sunlight, and he picked it up. It was the elixir his grandmother had asked him to protect. He sighed, recalling their last moments. In the seven years since she passed he hadn't encountered anyone who looked like they wanted it, much less knew he had it. Though he wouldn't admit it to anyone, he had begun to feel as though his gran just wasn't right when she gave it to him. Still, there was the weird flower that grew on it, even now, after so long in the dark of his dresser. He put it back and pushed it out of his mind; nothing was going to bother him today.
By the time Dem left for the beach resort where his wedding would take place, the sun was high in the sky, its warmth spilling over everything it touched. When he arrived he changed into his tuxedo and fixed a flower to his lapel. He wondered what his bride-to-be looked like. Dazzling, no doubt. Chandlyn was beautiful. He couldn't help but feel like the luckiest guy in the world.
In front of the small crowd of family and friends, he was beaming. Soon he would be officially married, to the most amazing girl in the world. And every one of these people were here to see it happen. The music started to play just as the back doors opened and everyone turned to watch the bride. She strode proudly, magnificently up the isle, grinning at everyone she made eye contact with. Finally she turned her attention to Dem, and the familiar butterflies returned. It seemed they always followed her. They stood arm in arm and faced the officiant.
"Everyone, we are gathered here today to unite these two loving people in marriage," he began. Dem tried to pay attention, but his excitement was getting the better of him, and he mostly just wished the man would hurry up. He seemed to be talking entirely too slowly.
"Please, exchange rings," the man continued. Dem took Chandlyn's hand and slipped the elegant diamond ring he had purchased onto her finger; it was just the right size. She slid a plain gold band onto his own finger, and they turned to the officiant again.
"Chandlyn," he addressed Dem's wife-to-be. "Do you take this man to be your husband, for rich or poor, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"
"I do," Chandlyn replied in that perfect voice.
"And do you, Demytrix, take this woman to be your--"
"I do," Dem interrupted. He tried to let the man finish, but he just couldn't wait any longer. "Til death do we part."
The man chuckled. "Well then, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride," he said. Dem turned to Chandlyn, cupped her face in one hand, and kissed her. He didn't understand it, but every kiss they shared felt like the first kiss all over again. He knew he would never tire of it, never tire of her. She was everything.
-x-
"Oh Dem, this one's perfect!" Chandlyn cried, delighted. They had been looking at new homes for weeks. After they married she had moved in with Demytrix and his parents, but she was now pregnant, and the baby would be coming soon. They needed more room. They weren't having much luck, however. This was the first place they had found, and it was hours away, in a small town in the middle of nowhere. A huge forest loomed over its outskirts, encroaching on the yard of the "perfect" house.
"You like this one?" Dem asked, not liking it himself. "It's kinda... small."
"I think it's cozy!" she said cheerfully. "It's just what we need, after all. I don't want the baby growing up in the city, it's not good for him."
"But it's so close to the woods. What if there are... bears! Or coyotes?" he asked, false alarm slipping into his voice. "Think about the baby!"
"Oh, that's nonsense," she laughed. "I think he would love it. Children enjoy playing in the woods."
"Oh, if you insist," Dem groaned. "You're sure this is the one you want, then?"
"Yes, I'm sure. We're going to be so great here..." she trailed off, throwing her arms around his neck. After purchasing the house, they made the long journey home.
While packing the next day, Demytrix stumbled upon the vial again. He picked it up, swirling around the blue liquid inside. He still didn't understand how the flower could possibly be alive, unless what his grandmother had said about it was true. Thinking of his gran brought back other memories of the old woman and he allowed himself to reminisce, smiling as he remembered the good times they had together.
He didn't hear his wife walk into the room, and he jumped when she laid a hand on his shoulder. "Dem, what is that?" Chandlyn asked curiously.
"Oh, it's... it's nothing," Dem lied. "Just something my gran wanted me to have before she died, that's all." He no longer believed that anyone was actually after it, and there was no point in worrying her. If she would even believe him, that is. She took it from his hands and inspected the fluid inside. If she noticed that the flower was real, she didn't show it.
"You miss her, don't you?" she asked, squeezing his shoulder lightly.
"Of course," he replied. "Every single day." They were silent then. Dem enjoyed the way they could sit together and not have to talk; just being with each other was enough to satisfy him.
"Well," she started shortly, "I had better get back to packing my stuff. I was hoping we could be out of here today!" she said cheerfully. Dem grinned and got up, putting the elixir in a box with his other stuff. A few hours later they had finished packing their belongings and headed to bed, ready to move into the new home they called their own. The vial was the last thing on his mind. He had an amazing wife, a home that made her happy, and soon he would be the father of a baby boy. Life was good. No, great.
-x-
"Chan, they... they found it. We have to... leave for a while," Dem panted as soon as he found his wife. He had run all the way home after overhearing a few men in town discussing the elixir. They knew he had it. They knew he had a wife, a child, and a house in this town. One of them, the largest, had a gun.
"What? They? What are you talking about?" she asked, confused. "Are you all right, dear? Did you run home?"
"Listen to me. That vial my gran gave me, it's... special. She wanted me to keep it safe, because there are people out there who would do anything to find it," he tried to explain.
"Special?"
"It..." he hesitated. They did not have time for this. "It makes you immortal," he whispered.
Chandlyn was silent for a minute, before bursting into laughter. "Oh Dem, that's a good one. For a minute you actually had me worried there," she said, wiping a tear from her eye.
"I'm being serious!" he shouted, anger slipping into his tone. "They're coming, and one of them has a gun."
"A... a gun?" she breathed, now concerned.
"We have to go. If anything... if anything happened to you or the baby I could never forgive myself," he admitted. "Get some things together for you and Vayden; I'm going to go out for a few things we'll need. Be ready to leave when I get back, okay?" She nodded, eyes wide and worried. He hugged her tightly before adding, "I love you." With that he turned, running back to town and the group of men who wanted to find him.
He soon spotted them and stopped to observe. They didn't seem to know exactly what house they were looking for yet. Maybe they didn't even know what he looked like. If he could get around them and get what he needed, they could be safely out of here before they found his home. He took a deep breath and started to walk closer, around the group. None of them seemed to pay any attention to him, and he relaxed a bit. He walked into the shop at the end of the street and got what he needed.
When Demytrix exited the building, they were waiting for him. The barrel of a pistol jabbed him in the chest as the huge man holding it grinned at him. "'Ello, sir."
"What do you want from me?" Dem asked defiantly.
"Oh, I'm sure you know. I believe when you were a bit younger, your grandmother passed something on to you, no?" the man asked. Dem's eyes widened. "Yes, that's what I thought. You see, that elixir, well, it belongs to us. Your grandmother stole it from us," the man frowned innocently. "We want it back."
"How dare you accuse my gran of thievery!" Dem cried. She wouldn't do such a thing; they were surely lying to him. "What do you know about her?"
"Oh, not much, surprisingly," the man replied. "Your grandmother, she was excellent at sticking to the shadows. We knew that she had the elixir, but that's about it. We recently learned - quite late, if you ask me - of her death, and that the vial had been passed down to her only grandchild. We found out that was you, and from there it wasn't too hard. You see, while your grandmother was very hard to trace, you were quite obvious. Getting married, buying a house, having a child... you've been busy lately, haven't you?" The man chuckled. "Now, all you have to do is give me the vial, and we can all be on our merry way. How does that sound?"
"You'll never get it," Dem spat.
"No? Well, that's a pity. Boys, find the vial. Get rid of the family, if you have to," he commanded, and the two men with him took off down the street.
"No!" Dem cried, taking a step after them before the gun stopped him.
"Take another step and I'll put a hole through your chest," the man threatened.
"Please, don't hurt them," Dem begged. The man ignored him, and continued to hold the gun to his chest.
After what felt like hours, the man spoke again. "Well, I think it's time we joined the party, don't you agree?" Suddenly Dem took a few quick steps away from the man. "And where do you think you're going?" he asked, his voice rising. The gun still pointed threateningly at Dem.
"If you shoot me you will never find the elixir," Dem warned. He took a few more steps, and after a moment the man lowered the gun, fury burning in his eyes. "That's what I thought," Dem grinned. He turned and ran for the forest. He would have go home from the back unless he wanted to risk running into the other two.
Peering out from behind a tree hidden within the forest's shadow, he spotted his home. The back door was wide open, and Dem started to fear the worst. He ran to the house and through the door. Everything was a mess, their belongings strewn all over the floor. The two men who had searched it were nowhere to be found. Neither was Chandlyn or Vayden, or the vial. "No... no!" he cried, dropping to his knees. Tears blurred his vision as he gazed at the wreckage of his home. But the tears wouldn't fall. No, instead, they dried up. He wasn't sad, not yet. That could wait. Right now, something else flowed through his veins, blooming in his chest. It was rage, stronger than he had ever felt before. He wanted revenge. And he would be sure to have it. He pulled a knife from a drawer in the kitchen - Chandlyn's favorite - and left without looking back.
He found the men inside a small, run down pub at the other end of town just as the sun was setting. They noticed him as soon as he walked in; one of them called out to him. "Well, look who showed up," he shouted, beer sloshing from the mug in his hand. He was obviously drunk. Good. That would make things easier. Dem didn't hesitate as he approached the man, didn't think twice as he lodged the knife up to its hilt in his stomach. His eyes widened as Dem pulled the knife from him, and then he collapsed, the mug falling from his hand.
"What do you think you're doing?" the huge man cried, pulling his gun out as the other lunged for him. The man was uncoordinated, just as drunk as the first, and crashed into him before toppling to the floor himself. He didn't even get a word in before Dem buried the knife in his chest. He quickly pulled it out of the second man and turned to the one in charge.
"What did you do with my family?" Dem shouted at the man, unconcerned about the gun pointed at his head."Where are they?"
"Now, why would I go and tell you something like that?" the man grinned as he backed slowly toward the door. "Put that knife away before you hurt yourself," he mocked.
"You put one foot out that door and I will slit your throat," Dem threatened, drawing all the venom he could into his voice.
"Ahh, but if you do that you won't ever see your family again, will you?" he chuckled. "And you forget, I have a gun. Now, drop the knife." Dem hesitated before letting it fall, fresh rage washing over him as it clattered to the floor. "Good boy," the man teased. "Follow me and I will shoot you," he warned. With that he left, laughing darkly into the twilight.
Now came the tears. They welled up in his eyes as he wiped his bloody hands on his pants and sat down at the bar. "I need a shot," he said hopelessly to the bartender.
The man eyed him cautiously, but said nothing as he slid a shot of vodka to Dem.
"Thanks," Dem said flatly, downing it in one gulp. He requested another, and another, until he was as drunk as the men he killed. He had lost everything, so what did it matter?
Story and coding by me
Part Two
Part Two
