''Snap, Snap...''
''Crackle, Crackle....''
''Pop, Pop....''
The fire snapped and crackled, its mes licking eagerly at the logs, apanied by the asional pop as sap bubbled and burst.
Eli watched the fire with a contemtive gaze, his eyes reflecting the warm glow of the ember in front of him. He shifted his position slightly, feeling the weight of two useless children lying in hisp.
Eli''s heart softened as he observed them, knowing that despite their antics, they were still children at heart.
He resisted the urge to scold them, recognizing that within every mature adulty a dormant child.... yearning for release.
With a gentle touch, Eli reached out and softly ruffled their hair, his fingers trailing through the strands.
"How long are you guys going to keep up this act?" Eli''s voice was soft,ced with amusement as he addressed the seemingly sleeping children.
"zzzzzzzzz!!"
"zzzzzzzzz!!!"
Their faux snores filled the air, aical attempt at feigning slumber. Eli couldn''t help but suppress a smile at their transparent charade.
''THUNDER!!!"
"BOOMM!!"
Outside, the Thunderstorm raged on, the sound of thunder reverberating through the walls.
Arlyne and Pearl clutched Eli''s thighs tightly, their small frames trembling with fear.
"Grrrr," Eli gritted his teeth as he felt the pressure of their grip, a twinge of difort shooting through him. He couldn''t help but entertain a fleeting thought, ''If you guys held on any tighter... I might have actually died!!''
Despite the tension, Eli remainedposed.
"E-Eli," Pearl called out, her voice trembling as her eyes fixated on the lifeless ground that seemed to still suck away lives.
"Hmm?" Eli tilted his head, a silent inquiry forming in his mind, ''So, you''re not pretending anymore?''
"W-What are y-you?" Pearl stammered, her voice trembling with fear and uncertainty, her gaze darting nervously between Eli and the strange, reddish-ck substance that seemed to cling to him like a sinister shroud.
Arlyne''s grip tightened around Eli''s thigh, her body trembling with a mixture of fear and curiosity, her breathsing in shallow, uneven gasps. She, too, was desperate for answers, her mind racing with unspoken questions.
If they asked what they feared more... then it would be Eli.
They had avoided asking, respecting each other''s secrets. However, confined with Eli in this closed space, their curiosity and fear bubbled to the surface.
"''What are you?'' you ask... hmm?" Eli pondered, his gaze lingering on the lifeless floor.
"I don''t know" Eli simply shrugged.
"H-Huh?"
"W-What?"
Both Arlyne and Pearl exchanged bewildered nces, their eyes wide with disbelief, as they struggled toprehend Eli''s enigmatic response.
Observing their genuine reactions, Eli couldn''t suppress a chuckle, the sound echoing softly in the dimly lit cave, as he teased, "Not going to pretend anymore?"
At his words, both girls immediately copsed back against him, their cheeks flushing crimson with embarrassment, their breathsing in short, embarrassed bursts as they buried their faces against his leg.
Amused by their reaction, Eli couldn''t help butugh heartily,
"Hahahahahaha..."
Their ears turned bright red as they simultaneously pinched Eli''s thighs, eliciting a sharp cry of pain from him.
"OUCH!!" Eli eximed, his voice a mixture of irritation and amusement,
"THAT HURTS, IDIOTS!!!"
Hearing his reaction, both girls burst into giggles, theirughter filling the air with infectious joy.
Taking a deep breath topose himself, Eli posed a question that hung heavily in the air, his tone serious yet tinged with uncertainty.
"Have you ever seen a human that is able to consume the life force of others?"
At his words, both Arlyne and Pearl turned their heads with perplexed expressions, their brows furrowing in confusion as they struggled toprehend the implications of his question.
"Do you?" Eli pressed, his gaze unwavering as he awaited their response.
".... No, I-I don''t know" Arlyne replied, as she never heard of any human being or even any bloodline able to suck away life essence.
"..." Pearl shook her head in agreement, her expression mirroring Arlyne''s uncertainty.
"Then I don''t know what I am," Eli confessed with a small, resigned smile, his eyes betraying a hint of sadness beneath his calm facade.
"B-But, I heard your father was a Frost Phoenix while your mother was just a normal mortal human..." Pearl interjected, her voice trailing off as she frowned in thought, her words echoing with uncertainty.
Both Eli and Arlyne exchanged questioning nces, silently conveying their confusion and disbelief at Pearl''s unexpected revtion.
"W-Wait, let me exin!!" Pearl hurriedly interjected, her face flushing crimson with embarrassment as she sought to rify her earlier statement.
"Go on," Eli encouraged with a dismissive wave of his hand, his expression unreadable as he listened intently to Pearl''s exnation.
"Y-You see, it was like... Ever since the Vampire Queen took you, I-I was curious about your background, so I, um, checked into it..." Pearl stumbled over her words, her cheeks burning with embarrassment as she struggled to exin her actions.
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"Oh? I see..." Eli nodded in apparent understanding, though his sceptical gaze said he did not believe her single word.
With a red face, Pearl turned away, her embarrassment evident in the crimson flush that stained her cheeks, as she avoided Eli''s probing gaze.
"And Let me tell you, this is my secret that not even my wives know, so..." Eli said with an awkward face.
''Ba-Dump, Ba-Dump''
''Ba-Dump, Ba-Dump''
""Hmm""
Both Arlyne''s and Pearl''s hearts skipped a beat before they nced at Asher Eli and a small voice released as they nodded with slightly red checks.
Then,
"Why don''t you ask Vampire Queen?" Arlyne suggested, her voiceced with curiosity and a hint of apprehension. She believed that if anyone had answers, it would be the Vampire Queen herself. However, a nagging thought lingered in her mind, ''Could this be why she sponsored him in the first ce?''
"Well..." Eli''s gaze met Arlyne''s sky-blue eyes, his expression troubled as he muttered softly, "I don''t want them to look at me like I''m some kind of monster... and fear me," sadness evident in his tone and inwardly added, ''She also my wife now...!!''
Arlyne and Pearl flinched involuntarily, a shiver running down their spines... They nodded in understanding... The Fear still lingered in their hearts.
But Arlyne, seeing the sadness etched on his face, acted on impulse, her hand reaching out to gently touch his cheek.
"Nothing will be solved if you keep everything bottled up inside...." she said softly, her voice filled with empathy.
Eli and Arlyne locked eyes, a silent exchange of emotions passing between them, until...
''Cough, Cough!''
Arlyne snapped out of the moment, her face flushing bright red as she quickly withdrew her hand, burying her embarrassment by lying back on Eli''sp.
Eli''s lips curved into a light smile as he observed Arlyne''s reaction before turning his attention to Pearl, who was shooting him a re.
"What?" Eli asked, amusement evident in his tone as his gaze trailed down to her neck.
"Hmph, nothing!" Pearl huffed, unable to understand the sudden surge of annoyance she felt.
Eli couldn''t help but smile at her reaction, recognizing the signs of difort and uncertainty in the face of unfamiliar emotions.
They say that when isted with strangers..... The only way to open their hearts is by opening your own.
Though he debated internally whether to reveal the truth, seeing the trust reflected in their eyes, Eli knew that he craved their trust just as much as they craved his.
And now, it was his turn to uncover the information he needed to know.
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