"And finally, once you have accomplished your goal, you must return back to Ersta immediately," the Head Elder, the middle, looked at me intently. "Failure to follow these conditions will result in consequences which I am sure that you do not want to stumble upon, do you agree?"
I had seconds to decide. I was miffed already with the fact that Edmund had to tag along with me. I managed to look at Edmund whose face was smug. I sighed. "Yes, I agree," I bowed my head in respect to the Head. I stood up and bowed at the White Elder, the one on the left and another bow at the Red Elder, the one on the right. With my answer of agreement, the Head hit his long silvery scepter on the cold stone floor. The deep red ruby on the top of the scepter glowed and emitted red light. He pointed the scepter to me and a silver-chained necklace with glowing oval-shaped pendant with intricate carvings formed from thin air. The pendant felt hot; as if it could sear my cold skin. The pendant dimmed and lost its glow, leaving behind a deep red colour that sparkled like a diamond.
"Edmund Sylvern," the White Elder called. Edmund quickly approached the high table, his head bowed in respect when he reached them. "As a guardian, you already know your duties and what is to expect and to protect," He took a small silver box from the thin air. He handed it to Edmund who accepted it as he bowed. "Open the box," Edmund opened the box and took out a simple silver ring with symbols engraved in the inside band. It glowed for a moment. Without a word, he put it on his index finger; it felt strangely warm and the silvery colour seemed to combine with a hint of crimson, it was as if the ring was drawing blood from his finger. Indeed it was. The ring starved for blood continued to become more crimson; he grimaced as the ring put a seemingly permanent hold onto his finger. "Keep this ring safe," he said to Edmund with a knowing look. Edmund nodded wordlessly, he knew that the ring would act as a vital part of their identification as well as to help enhance his abilities. He looked at me with deep thoughts; I knew that he didn't like my decision – my abrupt immature decision, as he would call it to my face should he ever had the opporturnity to expel his feelings regarding this matter. I ignored his glances.
"Do not let your excitement of going to the mortal world blind you, Amelee," the Head warned suddenly, "For hundreds of centuries, we have kept ourselves hidden from the mortal beings, our stories have been reduced nothing but a figment of imaginations, so let it be this way, Amelee, I have warned you, do not take things for granted,"
I knew that the Head meant well although I was feeling kind of miffed. What did he think of me? A little lowly child?
"Indeed you are nothing but a young stubborn child, Amelee," the Head added. Drat, I forgot. He could read my thoughts. "I wish you a well journey and do not forget, your home is here, in Ersta,"
"How could I forget, Your Grace?" I replied back, my head bowed, I didn't want to look up into his cold reddish eyes; I knew I would feel intimidated right into my core.
"I am pleased that you honoured your father's last wish but hear me, your quest may be futile, so do not let your hopes rise up high, else you would find yourself falling and broken," the Red Elder said, he had deep admiration to my father. "It's a shame that he didn't make it back home,"
I felt a twinge of sadness brewing inside me. It was a dark time for me. Father was leading his army back home to Ersta when an enemy clan had ambushed my father's army; they were unguarded, unaware – oh, what an absurd mistake to make – but they had just won a battle with another clan, their adrenaline rushed, their happiness on finally being able to go home and see their family after so many months had left them unaware. I gulped at the mere thought. I was only 12 years old when that happened. Barely old enough, barely even know how to handle a sword let alone an emotional blow; I remembered seeing them carrying my dad's practically lifeless body back to the Palace so that the Mershka – a group of special high-ranks monks assigned to purification of warriors' bodies and crimination. My father had called for me; he knew his time was almost up. One of the monks had taken me to see him for the final time.
I remembered seeing him looking so weak, so pale. There were gashes and cuts here and there, an array of injuries on his body. I was crying. I knew I cried. How could I not? He was practically my only family member. I loved him dearly. How will I face the world without his guidance and love?
"Amie my daughter, oh do not cry," he still wanted me to be strong, he hated seeing tears for it reminded him of our weaknesses in love, "When you are old enough, you need to go and find your mother, she is not one of us, you remember the stories I've told you? Yes, I believe so..." it seemed like he was both talking to me and to himself, the pain was starting to make him delusional. "Your mother...I love her so..." his hand limped in my arms. Tears flooded in my eyes as I held his cold hand to my face. I was alone, very much alone in a world I barely knew. I knew what he wanted me to do. He wanted me to go and find my mother.
I forgot how she looked like. I knew that I sounded like an ungrateful daughter but I didn't know why we had to leave her in the mortal world. I remembered telling my father how convenient it would be if we had brought her with us here but he always shook his head, saying how this world wasn't meant for humans.
I had demanded more explanations from him but he shook his head, telling me how the timing wasn't right. He believed that I was still too young to know the truth.
Edmund had told me the truth on my eighteenth birthday last week. He told me that our dimensions were different. Oh we could crossover and come back to our dimension easily but there was a price to pay.
Demons couldn't stay in mortal dimension for too long, the longest they could stay was a year but even then, the consequences were dire. My Dad was apparently the only one who had stayed for two years in the mortal dimension because of his forbidden love for my mother.
My father was a very curious man. He wanted to explore the dimensions that were splayed in front of him and with the Elders' blessings, he went to the mortal dimension but he had never expected to fall in love with the vivacious human girl. He went behind the Elders and asked them if he could stay longer in the mortal world after his time in the mortal dimension had come to an end. He didn't tell them the truth but the Elders knew about it anyway just by looking inside his soul. My father went down on his knees and pleaded to the Elders to let him stay in the mortal dimension longer since he was expecting a child with his human lover.
Shocked with the discovery, the Elders were furious and if it weren't for Edmund's father who had convinced them to let things be, I would probably had never seen the light of the world.
The Elders had agreed that my father could stay in the mortal dimension as long as his body could withstand the pain.
Oh the pain. I could still remember the stabbing pain that hit on my spine when I was a little girl. The pain worsened when I reached the age of two and I was only a half demon! I remembered seeing my father looking so pale and weak. I knew that he tried to put a brave and strong face when my mother pleaded to him to just go back to the demon dimension but his love for her was just too strong.
It wasn't until the fateful day when I fell down on my knees and vomited blood that my father had to choose between the love of his life and the love he had for his only daughter – the proof of my parents' undying love together. My mother cried to him, begging for him to just go and save himself and their daughter.
That was the last time I had ever seen her. My poor mother, 16 years had past just like that. The Elders didn't allow us to go back to the mortal dimension because of our dire situation, we had become so weak and fragile that it was a miracle that the Elders could save us in the first place.
Edmund knew all of this because he was already a young lad of 11 years old that time. He understood what was happening around him and when he had seen me looking so weak and fragile that time. He promised to himself that he would look after and protect me.
"Amie?" Edmund's voice broke my thoughts away. I looked at him, his hand stretched out to me. "The Elders are going to open the portal, come now."
I accepted his hand and stood up by his side. I felt nervous. I didn't remember where my mother lived but Edmund had checked with the Elders and found out that she was still living in Grave Hill – the town where she had met my father eighteen years ago.
The Elders descended down and grouped in front of us. They chanted a very quiet incantation, their eyes closed tight. A glowing ember appeared in the centre and it continued to grow gradually. I could see the cackles of fire around the edges of the newly open portal. I took a deep breath as Edmund stepped forward and entered the portal first. He vanished into thin air but I knew that he had arrived safely in the mortal dimension. The Elders had removed their head robes and I could see the scaly sand-papery skin and how their eyes burnt red. The Elders had reverted to their true demon forms whenever they had to use powerful incantations. I could feel the other demons watching me as I took off my robe and let it pooled under my feet, I stood with my skimpy black dress and took a step forward.
This is it, I thought to myself as I closed my eyes and stepped into the portal.
I couldn't see anything. It felt cold. I flailed my arms but I couldn't reach anything. I tried to speak, I wanted to call Edmund but I found that I had apparently lost my voice. Panic overwhelmed my senses as I kicked and twisted and suddenly, something grabbed my arms, pulling me to stand up but I continued to kick and found purchase to a flesh.
"AMIE!! OPEN YOUR EYES! IT'S ME!!" Edmund snapped angrily, groaning in pain when he let go of my arms.
I blinked at my new surrounding. My eyes adjusted to the bright sunny day of Grave Hill. We were surrounded with thick trees and I wondered how would we ever get out? I bent down and helped Edmund up to his feet. "I'm sorry," I said, trying to apologize to him, "I forgot how it feels like going from one portal to another."
