Eternal Undying Chronicles

Alicarde gritted his teeth beneath the hood, his chest tightening as he watched Malefica. Seeing her like this made him feel regretful, realizing how much his careless words had hurt her. His mind swirled with guilt.

'How many times have I made her feel this way with my thoughtless comments?'

He lowered his head, but a thought suddenly struck him.

'If her curse was so dangerous, why hadn't anything happened to me yet?'

He glanced at her, confused but curious.

"Ahhm... what about me? I've been around you this whole time, and nothing's happened."

Malefica's weary, red-rimmed eyes softened as she replied.

"Something did. The night you first met Zagarath... you were supposed to meet me, remember? You ended up fighting for your life in a den of Strigoi. You survived because of your immortality, but you've never been the same since."

Alicarde blinked, recalling that night. She was right—he had been on his way to meet her when he got pulled into that deadly struggle. But he could accept it as nothing more than coincidence.

Sure he had met with some misfortune, but it had nothing to do with Malefica, in fact she had even come to his aid.

'Is she blaming herself for something completely unrelated to herself, is that why she put up with my antics for so long'

"I'm still alive, though. And as you said, I'm immortal. I'm not gonna die."

Malefica brushed a few strands of hair from her face, her expression unreadable.

"I know, but that doesn't mean you're invincible. You can still be destroyed."

He bit his lip, acknowledging the truth in her words, but he refused to let it end there.

"So what? If I get destroyed, I get destroyed. It has nothing to do with your curse, your dead grandmother's magic doesn't affect me. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine—today, tomorrow, even after a thousand years."

Malefica remained quiet, her eyes piercing through the darkness of his hood, as if searching for the emotion he was hiding.

"That doesn't make much of a difference," she finally said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Alicarde moved closer, placing his hands on her shoulders and staring directly into her eyes.

"It does. It makes all the difference. You've been through a lot this past thousand years, but you ar—"

A rustling sound in the woods interrupted his words. A low growl followed as a creature slowly emerged from the underbrush. It was far larger than Alicarde had imagined, its aggression unmistakable. It was a wolf—not a dire wolf, just an ordinary one.

"Geez, did you have to interfere?"

Alicarde waved his hand dismissively.

"I've only seen dead wolves before, never a living one. If you leave now, I'll let you live."

Despite his dismissive tone, this was indeed the first living wolf he'd seen. The others had been slain by Carrisa and Amena during their battle with Beowulf.

Malefica, still standing behind him, didn't seem concerned. A mundane wolf was hardly a threat.

"Don't kill it. And don't use magic—we might be detected."

"Yeah, sure. Leave it to me," Alicarde muttered.

This time, he refrained from making a snarky comment. He wasn't in the mood to trample on Malefica's feelings.

Stepping towards the wolf, Alicarde released a subtle aura of fear. The air grew colder, and the wolf's growls turned into fearful whimpers. The creature lowered its head, too terrified to even consider running.

With a grin, Alicarde turned to Malefica.

"It's done. No need to worry, I handled it."

She nodded and approached the wolf, crouching down gently in front of it.

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"You poor creature. You must've lost your pack... a solitary one, just like me. Fear not, no harm will come to you."

'Solitary one... did she forget we came here together'

Malefica stroked its fur gently, her voice soft and calming.

"If I may... I need your help. Can you show me how to enter the barrier? A resident of the forest like you must know where the barrier is thinnest."

Alicarde raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't know you spoke wolf... This is something I'd expect from Argint, not you."

Still stroking the wolf, Malefica replied.

"Witches are priestesses of the forest. We get along with all its residents."

Alicarde rolled his eyes.

"Right, then ask your friend to show us the way."

The wolf, its whimpers easing, slowly raised its head. It licked Malefica's face, causing her to smile.

'This stupid mutt actually managed to make her smile before I did. My competition's everywhere these days.'

Alicarde thought bitterly, though he was glad to see her smile again.

Wrath, still lurking in the shadows, jumped from one dark patch to the next. Alicarde waved his hand, summoning the bicorn beside him. The wolf immediately bolted, hiding behind Malefica in fear of the ominous creature.

"You're quite the cowardly wolf, aren't you?" Alicarde smirked.

The wolf wasn't offended by his cold words—it just wanted to be far away from Wrath. Amused, Alicarde reversed the summoning, sending the bicorn back to his shadow. The wolf cautiously peeked out from behind Malefica, ensuring the coast was clear.

Malefica chuckled and patted the wolf's head.

"Fear not, the evil bicorn is gone now."

The wolf sniffed the air, satisfied that the threat had passed.

"Now, lead the way. We don't have much time," Malefica said softly.

The wolf padded forward, leading them deeper into the forest. Alicarde took Malefica's hand as they followed the creature through the dark, cold woods. This was the wolf's home, and it moved effortlessly through the terrain. After half an hour, Alicarde began to wonder if the wolf was leading them astray. Was he really trusting the intelligence of an animal?

'If this thing's leading us on a wild goose chase, I'm making myself a fancy fur coat.'

But he continued following Malefica, trusting her judgment. Eventually, the wolf stopped by a large river flowing from the distant mountains.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Malefica smiled. "Thank you. This should be it."

Alicarde frowned, confused.

"What is? I don't even sense any magic."

"Naturally, you wouldn't," Malefica explained. "This is the flaw in the barrier—where it's thinnest. We can sneak in from here."