4. Mark of Ownership 2

Ravi knocked on the storage room door, not expecting it to be unlocked since he believed Daniel would have locked it if Raymond had been confined inside. There was no response from inside, just silence when he slowly cracked the door open, revealing the dim yellow light from an old bulb that provided enough illumination for him to spot Raymond's presence. Ravi took a few steps further inside, leaving the door open behind him.

In the corner of the empty room, Raymond was huddled, his arms wrapped around his knees, oblivious to Ravi's presence. He was now wearing one of Daniel's loose-fitting shirts.

Ravi felt sympathy for him; he couldn't deny that seeing Raymond without any clothes clinging to his body exposed many scars crisscrossing his half-thin form, and Ravi couldn't simply ignore it.

Not knowing Raymond's age, he might have had some 'issues,' and Ravi winced at his earlier unkind thoughts. For some reason, it hadn't crossed Ravi's mind to kick him out from the beginning when he first saw Raymond.

Ravi chose to sit next to Raymond without saying anything. When Raymond became aware of Ravi's presence, he raised his head and turned to look, quickly forming a smile on his lips.

"Ravi?" he called weakly, his voice sounding hoarse.

As Ravi gazed into Raymond's differently colored eyes, he fell silent instantly. Raymond's left eye was golden and glowed softly in the dimly lit room. It radiated a soft golden light on the surface of his cheek. Raymond's gaze was filled with questions, with his thick eyebrows hidden beneath his unruly bangs.

He was not a human, everything about Raymond was otherworldly, including his inhuman appearance. Ravi's cheeks felt flushed, and he had to avert his gaze from Raymond who was staring at him so intensely. He rubbed his nose and asked, "Why are you in my room?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Ravi noticed Raymond's long fingers drawing an imaginary shape on the dusty floor. "At that time, Ravi made a request, and I was so happy to finally meet Ravi after waiting and hoping for so long," he said, although as time passed, his voice didn't provide a clearer answer to Ravi's question. Raymond's fingers gently rubbed his wrist, which Ravi now noticed was a deep shade of red, as if it were from tight bindings.

"What happened to your hand?" Raymond looked embarrassed and did his best to shield it from Ravi's view. "In the place I was before. I was unwanted; they called me a failed Elf. A few months ago, I made a mistake that got me locked in an underground prison."

Ravi's throat went dry after hearing Raymond's answer, and shadows formed in his mind. "What? What was your mistake?"

"I refused a girl."

Ravi fell silent for a moment, not sure how to respond until he realized his earlier words. "You're an elf?"

Raymond nodded slightly, still looking at the floor as if it held his full attention. Ravi sighed; he had read briefly about elves in a fantasy fiction book before but had never known they existed with concrete evidence, like the man beside him. At first glance, Raymond appeared to be a regular human because he didn't have the pointed ears characteristic of elves, as far as Ravi knew. "So why do you call yourself a failed elf?"

"I don't know, Ravi, maybe because I'm not a pure elf. I'm half-human," he said, sounding desperate and burying his face in his hands.

"How old are you?" Ravi knew his question might sound impolite, but when someone was going to stay in his house, he had to know.

"Only fifty years, Ravi. I'm still very young."

Ravi choked on his saliva, tucking his long bangs behind his ear. "Fifty years is not young."

Raymond's head jerked toward Ravi. "Is that true, Ravi? They said I was still young, so they didn't talk in front of me."

Ravi returned his gaze to Raymond, trying to process his words. He realized that Raymond was not human, and his age might differ from that of a regular human. "Perhaps they discussed a secret they didn't want you to know."

Raymond fell silent, and his eyes blinked. Ravi saw a flicker of sadness and disappointment on Raymond's face.

What did that expression mean?

Ravi changed the subject and regretted his earlier words. "Raymond, can your wings make you fly?"

Raymond hadn't even answered yet when Ravi was hit by the strong, intense scent of chocolate, even stronger than before, and his throat became dry. It was as if the scent enveloped Ravi tightly, and he had to remind himself to breathe.

"Ravi said my name?" he asked enthusiastically, with a gleam in his eyes and his thick eyebrows raised. He seemed to be instantly happier as if someone had flipped a switch inside him.

Ravi was taken aback, looking at Raymond, who appeared to glow in a different sense next to him. He didn't realize that the joy Raymond felt when he was called by his name had created a new feeling within Ravi, like many butterflies flying out of his chest.

"Ravi?" Ravi woke up from his reverie, seeing Raymond tilting his head in confusion, one of his eyes shining brightly. 

Ravi licked his dry lips and shifted his body away from Raymond. The intense scent of chocolate still filled Ravi's lungs. "Yes. So, can your wings make you fly?"

Raymond's smile faded, and he shook his head slowly. "No, they're just decoration. I'm the only one like this. If I were a full elf, I could use them to fly, but these wings aren't strong enough to lift my body."

Ravi took a deep breath as the scent gradually faded. He changed the subject upon realizing that Raymond didn't like it. "I was wondering if you came here to protect me?"

Raymond turned his body to face Ravi, his eyes locked onto Ravi's without blinking. "Yes, Ravi. That was my purpose even before you were born, although I arrived at an unexpected time. But I'm glad and very grateful when you requested at the last minute before I was executed," he explained, leaving Ravi speechless and tensed in his seat. Executed? Would he be executed because of a girl he mentioned earlier? And Ravi was harboring a death row convict in his house.

Raymond touched his chest, covered by a layer of a T-shirt, and continued, "This is the mark of ownership that has been there since I was born. Because I'm half-human, my owner can possess me and do anything they want with me, but I can't own them back."

The golden glint in Raymond's multicolored eyes faded slowly, leaving only the dark orbs visible to Ravi. He didn't understand the meaning of "ownership" and the mark; everything was new to him. However, he was sure that the owner Raymond referred to was himself.

Raymond remained a stranger, even though he hadn't been in his home for a full day. Ravi questioned himself whether Daniel's words were accurate. However, in the end, Ravi believed in his instincts.

"What if I don't want to own you and I reject you?" Ravi asked seriously.

Raymond stared at him in disbelief, shaking his head slightly, and his lips drooped. He averted his gaze from Ravi and spoke with a heavy tone, "I will die."