>>Yohan
Ruda yelling Maya’s name scared the hell out of me and I ran into the kitchen only to find her collapsed in his arms. Her nose was bleeding heavily while the glasses had shattered on the floor.
“What happened?” I asked Ruda while I picked her up bridal style.
“I don’t know.” He answered with a worried expression, “I was talking to her and then noticed she wasn’t listening. She seemed lost in her own thoughts so I called her name quite many times but she didn’t respond.” He shook his head in denial, “When she did look at me her nose started bleeding out of nowhere and then suddenly she collapsed.” He pursed his lips, “Just like that!”
“I’ll take her to the hospital. Stay here with Nena.”
“I want to come too.”
“We can’t leave Nena alone.”
“Let’s just bring her along.”
“We-”
“What happened to Ma?” I looked behind me and saw she was standing right next to us.
Ruda and I both were at a loss of words. What should we tell her? We ourselves didn’t know anything.
“Umm,” Ruda started and then looked at me.
“Nena… Maya is sick so, um, “I glanced at Ruda, “I’m taking her to the hospital.”
“Is it bad?”
“Um, No.” I answered on impulse, not wanting to scare her.
“Then why are you taking her to the hospital? You’re even holding her.” Clever girl
“Just for a checkup.”
“Why is she asleep?” She walked over, “I wanna go too.”
Ruda looked at me and I wasn’t sure what to do. I don’t think it’s wise to take her with us but then again she is her sister.
“Fine,” I answered, “Ruda get the car keys.”
***
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I looked at the doctor who wasn’t sure himself.
“I-I’m really sorry. From the test results we got, there’s nothing wrong.” He scratched the back of his head, “But her health is declining continuously.”
“That’s what I’m saying! How is that possible?!” I was so anxious and nervous, my heartbeat was spiking like crazy, “How can her health be declining when there’s nothing wrong?”
“Yohan…” Ruda put his hands on mine, “The doctor didn’t do anything, let him go.” Only when Ruda said those words I realized that I had gripped the doctor’s lab coat collars like I was going to beat the shit out of him.
“Ah…” I let him go, “I’m sorry. I-”
“It’s okay.” He straightened his coat, “Some results are left, maybe we’ll find something in them.” He told me and I nodded.
I got myself some hope to hang on to and constantly deceived myself with that, deluded myself by thinking it will be alright.
But deep down I knew it wasn’t.
And that thin barrier I was creating for myself shattered the moment the remaining reports didn’t show anything either.
“I’m sorry.” The doctor said and as soon as I heard the words I staggered my way to the benches and sat down with a heavy head and an even heavier heart.
“Yohan…” Ruda came and sat down besides me, “What now?” I couldn’t look at him. My eyes were glued to the floor for some reason.
“I don’t know.”
Maya was in the VIP room while Quincy took Nena home last night.
Ruda and I stayed up all night while the doctors tried figuring out what was wrong with her. Now that even they have stated they don’t know we were both completely at a loss.
Just when everything felt like it was falling apart something came to my mind.
“Wait!” I shot my head up.
“What?” Ruda asked.
“The magic realm.” I looked at him and noticed his weary expressions, “The water nymphs might be able to help.”
“You’re right.” A smile of hope appeared on his face as well as mine, “They were able to help before.”
“Yeah!” I stood up,“So why not now?”
I felt a little better thinking we finally had a solution. But deep down, once again, there was something I was fearing. Something someone had already told me but I pushed the thoughts way back and locked them out.
***
I asked the Dryad to open the portal while I carried Maya in my arms. Mist rose from the ground and the portal opened up.
I entered the magic realm and my forgein appearance altered the Queens. In a matter of a few minutes they both arrived where I stood waiting for them.
Two ravens, a black and a white one flew side by side, changing to their original form as they got near. They both landed and Aunt came over faster.
“Yohan?” Aunt looked at me with a worried expression but as soon as she noticed Maya in my arms her eyes went wide and she quieted down, then stepped back, letting her sister into the spotlight.
“Yohan.” A very soothing voice entered my ears as the other woman, the true Queen of the forest, my real mother spoke, “My son.” She gave me a sad smile. One that looked quite delicate, just like her, “So you have come.” She spoke as if she knew the reason why I was here.
“Yes…” It was a bit overwhelming, to finally get to meet her after twenty six years and even though I had been wanting to meet her, have a proper conversation with her and get to know her, right now, there was a more important matter at hand. My mate, “Um, somethings wrong with Maya…” I spoke softly even though I was so worried, perhaps it was because I was so nervous I couldn't muster the strength in my voice, “She collapsed suddenly and the doctor said they don’t know what’s wrong.” I looked at her with so much desperation and plea that it couldn’t be defined in words, “So I thought maybe the nymphs can help.”
She looked back with a defeated expression and it was scaring me.
My heart was pounding in my chest. Fear was consuming me as I waited for her answer and it felt like an endless void wanted to swallow me up.
I felt looking at her and her expression just turned to an even more pained one. “I’m so sorry Yohan. The nymphs can’t help. No one can.” Her voice was soft, but the words they carried were like daggers.
They plunged into my heart and tore it apart. So badly, I felt the pain in every part of my body.
“Why?” I asked the question with staggering breaths, “Why not?” I still wanted to deny it. I wanted to reject even the notion of it.
But alas, I couldn’t.
“It’s not something that can be healed.” My mother answered, “Because it is not an injury or a wound. It’s what befell upon you two.”
Her words were crumbling my feelings, shattering up the hopes I came here with.
All of me, everything in me, till the last atom felt like it was breaking.
A feeling of utmost despair was consuming me, taking me in as I was losing everything.
“But…” I had no idea what to say. All along I knew it was because of the curse. I knew it, yet I didn’t want to acknowledge it. I gulped, “Wasn’t the curse supposed to be on me?” I felt so empty and weak I ended up on my knees, “Why is it happening to Maya?”
The expressions I wore must be gut wrenching because I clearly felt that way and as my mother continued to stare at me she couldn’t help but feel guilty and dejected.
“That was not the whole curse. The point you all are aware of is only a part of it. The curse states that the person who is affected will never find his happiness. Because Adam left me for another woman. The curse was put into place that the two lovers will never be able to find happiness together.”
“But why is it that the curse I knew of is different?” I laid Maya down on the ground. There were still no signs of her waking up, her expressions were pained and by each passing second the light in me, the light of hope, was just getting smaller and smaller.
“No, it’s not different. Adam just didn’t hear it all, he was in a hurry to leave after all.” She looked hurt, very very hurt, “ I said, “You’ll never find happiness with your destined lover. She will never love you back and her rejection will kill you. If not, the curse shall be contrariwise. You will have no escape from it in this life.” Tears slipped down her cheeks and I was well aware that she felt very guilty for her actions.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I had such a bad feeling from it yet I couldn't help but ask.
“It meant that if by any miracle you do unite. She will die. The fast half of the curse states that You’ll never find happiness, not in this life.That part is the absolute truth. If she rejects you, you die. If she doesn’t reject you and accepts you, she dies.” Esra sighed, “ From the beginning you were never meant to have your happy ending.” She gulped, “You mate already knew about it, the moment she saw my memories she found out…”
That was it.
In that moment, my eyes brimmed up with tears. I looked at Maya and just seeing her made my heart wrench. So that was what she was lying about all along.
“What about the Holy Elk?” I asked the question in a dead tone.
The Holy Elk is said to grant any wish of the person it takes a liking to and there’s no limit to the kind of wish.
“The Elk still sleeps.” She answered, “The Elk may have been your last hope but the Elk is the holy creature that has walked among us since the beginning of time. It roams around whenever it wants and grants wishes to whoever it wants but then when it exhausts its energy it sleeps for centuries.” My heart cracked at the news, “And the time for his awakening has not come yet.”
All of my hope, my prayers, my wishes, everything shattered with that last time. There was no hope left.
The flickering spark that was trying to catch onto some hope died completely and now that area was filled with darkness.
There was nothing left.
“How much time does she have?”
“A few days.”
A few days…
It should come to me as a shock but it didn’t, maybe because I had given up, now nothing would shock me.
I looked at my mate as I felt like vanishing into thin air
I guess not everyone has their happy ending.
Note : Holy elk is one of the greatest magical beings of all time.. It has white skin and fur with silver symbolic patterns on it with silver horns that glow as the night falls.