Chapter four

His hair was long to his waist and as white as snow. His skin was smooth and fair and his eyes were black, but Mariah knew it was because of the darkness in the cave. His robe was still tattered and dirty, but Mairah didn’t notice it, her eyes were stuck on the peerless face of the man in front of her. For so long she had imagined meeting him in reality but never did she imagine it to be like this.

Asher was too stunned to speak. By his sister’s description, he already knew that standing before him was the man they have been looking for and the reason they came to the mountain. Never in a million years would he have imagined the mystery man to be buried in a cave in the Eastwood Mountain.

The man stared at his fingers now coated in flesh and he glanced around him, a soft smile playing on his lips. After admiring himself, he finally looked at the two people in front of him. His eyes seemed to see through Asher as his gaze was only on Mariah. “You came,” he said. His voice was hoarse, almost a whisper but they had him alright. “I am glad.”

“Okay, what the fuck just happened?” Asher asked.

The man’s gaze finally landed on him and a light frown appeared on his face. “And you are?”

“You answer me first.” Asher demanded.

“I cannot remember summoning you here, so why are you? Rest assured, I have not forgotten the hit you gave me, I shall come back to that later.”

“Excuse you, you were sucking her blood!”

“And you saw what it did.” He raised his now fleshed hand. “However, you stopped me. I have not fully recovered.”

“Which means you still want her blood?”

“Aye.”

“Ha,” Asher scoffed. “Like hell I will let that happen. Listen, if you leave these woods, you would come upon human settlement, you can have as much blood as you want there.”

“Humans? Why by Almighty shall I want their blood?” The man looked genuinely puzzled.

“Excuse you,” Asher stared at him like he had gone coocoo. “You talked about needing blood now, didn’t you?”

“Aye, but I do not want anybody’s blood. It’s hers, only hers.”

“Then, I am afraid, that will never happen. You took me by surprise before, it won’t happen again.”

The man smiled, although his smile was breathtaking, it was eerie too. “I may not have recovered all my strength, but you are no match for me.”

Asher smiled, “you don’t know me.”

The man said nothing and with a wave of his hand, he smacked Asher on the cave wall, creating a hole instantly.

Mariah was too shocked to react at what happened but before she could even move, the man was already by her side and she turned to him fearfully.

“Mariah,” the man smiled. His voice wasn’t hoarse anymore and it was now as velvety as it was in her dream. “I thank you for coming. By Almighty, know that I shall not forget your sacrifice.”

“S-s-sacrifice?” Mariah was stunned. No one said anything about sacrifice before, so what was he saying?

“Aye,” the man caressed her face. His fingers were cold against her warm skin. “Do know that you are beautiful. On a normal circumstance, I would have accepted you.”

“Accepted me?”

However, before the man could reply, Asher came flying from the hole. He threw a punch at the man but to his shock, he caught his punch. Asher heard Mariah’s shocked gasp, even he too was stunned. The man was holding his punch like he was squatting a fly. With a snap of the man’s fingers, Asher was thrown back and then he was being lifted off the ground by an unforeseen force. Asher could feel a hand strangling him but try as he may, he cannot escape.

The man spat out blood with a cough and wiped his mouth. “I am still weak and you are exhausting the little strength I have.” He looked at Asher. “Perhaps, I should just end you.” And with that, he sprinted to Asher, grabbed him on the neck and flung him away towards the entrance of the cave.

Mariah screamed but the man didn’t turn to her as he followed Asher in an inhuman speed. Mariah had no choice but to follow as well. When she got outside, she saw the man smacking Asher on the ground continuously. “What are you doing?!”

Asher tried to fight back but the man was so strong that he could not even land a single blow on him. What the hell is he? How could he be so strong despite just waking up? And he claims to be weak, then what monster is he when he is strong?

The man grabbed Asher on the neck and Asher stared at him in wonder, blood tricking from the side of his mouth. “W-what are you?” Asher croaked.

“Still alive? I am impressed.” The man said and then flung Asher up and jumped up to meet him midair and then smacked him on the chest that Asher fell heavily and landed on the ground, creating a big hole that the whole mountain trembled.

“Asher!” Mariah rushed into the hole to check on him but Asher was already so weak and he was almost slipping out of consciousness. Mariah glanced up at the man who landed on the ground gracefully. She growled and charged at him but before she could cast a blow, he vanished and appeared behind her. She turned sharply to claw at his face but he vanished again.

Appearing in front of her, he snapped his hand and Mariah was rendered immobile. Her condition feared her, Asher was still wounded and haven’t even crawled out of the hole. She stared at the man watching her with interest and wondered if this was it for her, is this how she will end? She didn’t even get to say goodbye to her family. And Asher, even though they haven’t told them, she knows Naomi is pregnant, she had noticed it during dinner and knew Asher was waiting for Aunt Irene and Uncle Rasmus to come back so as to announce the news to the family. So, will Asher die here for her, will Naomi become a widow and because of her? Did she bring her brother here to kill them both?

The man started approaching her and the resentment she felt showed in her eyes. For years she had gradually developed a crush for him, despite never having met him in reality. She had actually lost interest in men because of him and now that she eventually meets him, she would be dying at his hand. Why, just why?

“I told you, Mariah, I shall never forget your sacrifice. You have to hold me to my word; I do not lie.”

Mariah scoffed. “Really, then why didn’t you tell me that you were summoning me here to kill me?”

“If I did, would you have come?” He raised an eyebrow.

“So, you are really planning on killing me.”

“I need your blood, every last drop of it. Unless if there is a way you can survive without blood, then you will not die.”

Mariah scoffed at her foolishness. She did this, she was foolish enough to trust a man she met in her dream. And now, she is not the only one to die, her poor brother would be joining her too. “Why?” She looked at him with her tearful eyes, “why do you want to kill me? You asked me to save you!”

“Because only you could.”

“Then why do you want to kill me, like I don’t understand. Why will you kill your savior?”

“Because I need your blood to replenish.” He was in front of her now and caressed her face gently. “Only your blood can save me, Mariah. I do not want to do this but I do not have another choice. If I wait to recover naturally, I shall run out of time. He shall come for me once he knows I am awake and if I have not rejuvenated, he shall end me.”

“Wh-what are you talking about? Who will end you? You actually promised to give me answers!”

“Mariah, I…” he stopped and turned sharply. Asher was standing not far from him, his eyes were black and black lines were on his hands and up to his neck. The man gasped in shock, “Aspa…”

Asher rushed him sharply, his strength renewed, his movement faster than before and he was able to punch the man this time. The man’s now golden eyes were full of shock but Asher didn’t give him time to process things as he started dealing blows on him. Mariah was shocked, it was like her brother was a whole new person and she doesn’t know him.

The man spat out a mouthful of blood. His shocked eyes never leaving Asher for once and neither did Asher give him a breathing space. Asher picked him up and flung him away and he landed on a tree, breaking it off immediately. The man tried to get up but he couldn’t and Asher grabbed him by his leg and flung him up and then he jumped and met him on air, giving him the same blow he gave him. The man crashed heavily on the ground, right inside the hole Asher had created earlier, deepening it.

He could feel his bones breaking and his healing speed was too slow because he was still weak. He turned weakly when he sensed Asher behind him. “A-are you Aspa’s o-offspring?” He asked. He wanted to know. The boy was reeking of Aspa’s power and he could even see it swarming around him. He knew that at his current state, he can never win against Aspa’s offspring and so, before Asher could hit him again, he used the last remaining of his strength and teleported out of there.

Asher groaned in frustration that he couldn’t finish him there but there was nothing he could. He teleported to Mariah who can now move her body and she hugged him on seeing him.

“Goddess, I am so happy you are okay,” she cried.

“It’s alright,” Asher said in a slightly distorted voice but now that he could see that his sister was okay, his eyes slowly turned to midnight blue and the black lines disappeared. “Let’s go home.”

Mariah nodded immediately and without another word, they vanished from there. From behind the mountain, the man climbed out from his hiding place, blood tricked from his mouth and he wiped it away, breathing from his mouth. His hand clutched onto his stomach, his ribs had broken and with his healing speed, it will take a while for him to heal fully. Knowing that he has Aspa’s offspring protecting Mariah, he was at lost on what to do. Mariah was his ticket to recovering his strength and now that she has Aspa’s offspring as protector, he needs to find another way to recover, at least, enough to deal with the boy and then get Mariah’s blood.