Chapter 99: KINDRED

Elba's POV

The sound of Alda clearing her throat behind Mike told me my attention was needed. I had been deliberately talking with Mike because I just needed a momentary break—or more like, I wanted to be selfish, desperate to cling to a second of peace.

“Just a moment,” I called to Alda. She gently nodded and stepped away, while Siofra’s annoyed gaze rested on mine, her arms still folded across her chest. I immediately avoided her eyes and looked back at the guy sitting close to me.

At first, when I saw him after waking up, I was scared. But even then, the unmistakable pull was there. I couldn't believe how everything had turned out. I went from sitting and talking to sea monsters to having my powers as Almaruda stripped away from me.

All this while, all I wanted was to get back those powers and return to the sea, which had become my safe zone. My own sanctuary.

But never had I thought I would find myself in a different realm—a human realm—only to find my Kindred.

My Kindred was actually sitting right in front of me, and it left me with a million agonizing questions. Did it mean that even if I hadn't sought Almaruda’s power and taken on the curse of my actions, I still would have met him as an elf in Álfheimr? Or was he always a realm away from me? Because even without Almaruda's power, even without being rejected by the gemstone of light, I was still a princess who was destined to be married off anyway.

I was still a princess, and no one cared if you had found your Kindred or not. It had always been about the duty that needed to be fulfilled, and nothing more.

Or maybe this heartbreak was still part of the curse for anyone who dared to seek Almaruda's power—or worse, for someone like me, who literally consumed all the power and became Almaruda myself.

She wasn't just a goddess of the sea; she was also the beauty of the sea. She had the perfect body, the perfect shape, and unmatched powers, but her true curse was absolute loneliness.

Maybe this pain was part of the price I had to pay.

“It seems your attention is needed, so I will excuse myself,” he said, finally breaking away from my gaze. A deep sadness washed over me as I watched him. I put the last chocolate in my hand into my mouth, loving the way the sweet flavor hit my tongue, a tiny comfort against the ache in my chest.

“You said you were going to take me to the top floor of the building,” I called after him, just before he could pull the door open.

He turned to face me, a little smile playing on his lips.

“If you're still around, then I'm sure that could be arranged,” he said before he left.

Once he was gone, I pulled myself out of the bed, yanking out the weird-looking vine still connected to my hand as Alda and Siofra approached me.

“Wow, look who decided to acknowledge our presence. And what happened to smiling from ear to ear?” Siofra began, but I didn't have the emotional energy to banter with her.

“Siofra,” I heard Alda call out her name in a warning tone before I looked up at her.

“Could you give me a moment of silence here? I'm trying to heal myself, since it seems someone can't even connect back to her elf powers, let alone bond with any of her stones,” I said, my voice dropping to a completely cold, sharp edge as we glared at each other.

Anger immediately flashed in her eyes as her hands clenched into fists.

“Well, at least I don't have my Kindred stuck in a realm where I can't even be with him!” she fired back. But instead of letting that get to me, I only gave her a bitter smirk.

“At least I met mine. You, on the other hand, are going to be the queen of Álfheimr, and trust me, we never end up with our Kindred. I mean, I don't need to tell you, since you already have a pending wedding with Eldarion of Baernarta. Your mother somehow ended up with hers, but it cost her a relationship with her mother, and that also led to the reason why she didn't listen when the warnings of Alma came early.”

I watched the fierce anger in her eyes instantly melt away.

“I'm sorry. I never should have said what I said. I just don't really know what to do anymore. I just wish my grandmother was here. She always knows the right words,” she said with a heavy, broken sigh.

But I didn't blame her. She was just too young and too weak-minded for the weight of this.

“About your elderly elf,” I said, my gaze once again locking onto hers, a heavy guilt making me unsure if I should even say what I was about to say.

“Just before the wind came, Alma found our hideout location after we successfully recovered your body.”

“Wait, what? Are you saying the others were captured by Alma?” Alda asked, panic instantly setting off in her voice.

“Not as of the time when I was still in Álfheimr. The elderly elf had us escape while she distracted Alma.” I watched as Siofra’s face went completely pale.

“Please tell me that she's okay,” she pleaded.

I shook my head in heavy disappointment.

“I don't know. I went back for her just in time before Alma could kill her, but she had already knocked her unconscious. That was when the windstorm tornado appeared. One minute she was beside that tree, the next I couldn't find her, while Alma made a run for it. I don't know if she's still alive, but I'm sure that the windstorm might have picked her up.”

I said, gently dragging my gaze away in burning shame.

“Then that makes it two elves we need to find in the windstorm. First Siofra’s body, and second her grandmother,” Alda said, gently resting her hand on Siofra's.

“She's alive. And we will find her. Let's make this our last battle. We have to put a stop to this.”

I nodded in grim agreement to Alda's words. “Alda is right. We need to get back to Álfheimr. I have this terrible feeling in my gut that we are about to get another surprise from your sister. She has already gone completely nuts.”

“The current of the wind, how strong was it?” Siofra asked, finally forcing herself to get her head back in the game.

“It is very strong on the inside. The current comes from the inside, so we have to make our way into it before it can find its way out to cause any damage. But just to be cautious, we need an open space.”

“Like a desert?” Alda asked, and I shook my head.

“No. Just an open field should do,” I replied.

“An open field, an open field. Where are we going to find an open field that is away from human eyes? We can't afford to get spotted by a CCTV,” Alda said, pacing back and forth around my bed in pure anxiety.

“I know someone who has an open field that is away from eyes and any CCTV,” Mike's voice called from the door, as our gazes all rested on him.

He wasn't alone.

There was yet another breathtaking human standing beside him.

Okay, I am seriously loving this realm.

“I heard you need an open field,” he spoke as he walked into the room alongside Mike. My gaze went from him to the new guy, completely curious.

“Oh, Xender, meet Elba. Elba, this is Xender, my best friend,” Mike said, and I immediately flashed a smile before giving a little wave.

I saw as his gaze traveled from mine to Alda, and I immediately noticed it—the sudden, intense way he stared at her.

“I'm glad you're okay. So you guys said something about an open field?” he asked.

“Yes,” Siofra replied, as I watched Xender’s gaze travel to her before he gave a firm nod.

Wait a minute. He could see her? Then why can't Mike see Siofra?

That's incredibly strange.

“Okay, so we have everything we need. When are we leaving?” Alda asked.

“We leave tomorrow before dawn. Siofra, that means you have a few hours to reach out to any of your spirit goddesses and understand what is going on with you. We need you on track if we are going to win this fight,” I said to Siofra, who nodded, and with one last lingering look at Alda, she left.

“What about me? What should I do?” Alda asked, her shoulders slumping.

“How about you take a rest?” I suggested, and watched as her tension dropped.

“Mike, ring me up once it's time and I will share the location with you,” Xender said to Mike before leaving with Alda.

And I was once again left completely alone with Mike.

“I can't believe you're leaving soon. I have a few more foods I would have loved for you to taste,” he said, his hands slid into the white coat he had on.

“It's almost sunset. I still have enough time to taste it before I go,” I offered, trying hard to mask the heavy sadness threatening to cloud my eyes.

“Well, I have a patient I need to attend to in the next four hours. Do you think you can wait?” he asked, and I nodded.

With that, he smiled and immediately left.

And for the very first time, a quiet ache bloomed inside me, and I wished I could just be me. Just Elba. No goddess nor princess attached to it.