Chapter 454 - 454

"I'm done with deliveries." Alex said as he walked back into Naila's cottage, throwing the little bag he carried around on the wooden floor. The girl was on her desk, reading an old book, its pages ready to fall off at any moment. "Here" he told her, letting go of the coins the customers had given him on the table. She simply hummed, not paying much attention nor showing any kind of excitement for the caramels that the little elf had brought her. She seemed to be immersed in that old book. "Hello?" He told her and shook his hand in front of her glasses.

"What?" Naila asked, kind of irritated. "Oh, sorry. I was too focused on the book." She said. Alex drew the chair opposite of her, sitting down and eyed the book. It was upside down so he couldn't read much, the letters were also a bit faded.

"What book is it? It looks really old" he commented and the fairy nodded, turning it around for Alex to see.

"It's an old elf book. The truth is I can't read the elf language that well so I have been looking at it for a while. A merchant passed by and it caught my eye, so I had to buy it." She explained.

"Did he not tell you what it is about?" 

"No, actually I didn't ask" she said with an embarrassed giggle following her words. 

"I am an elf, let me see." Alex said, rolling his eyes at how absentminded she could be. The girl gasped and her eyes were excited.

"Of course you are. Take a look! There is the word gold quite a few times in there" she mumbled.

"It could be an accounting log" Alex assumed before he laid eyes on the delicate scripture. At the thought of that Naila frowned, hoping she would get to see something better. The best option would be it it was a medicine book but her hopes were not that high.

Alex's eyes were a very beautiful green, vibrant that shone under the pure moonlight. When he cried his eyes would glisten as if they were gems. They were truly enchanting, a sight to behold and Naila was sure that those eyes and the perfect smile, the wild brown lock would have charmed many people in the past. 

Alex began reading. First there was a date, it was from three years ago and as it seemed this was not an accounting log, it was actually a diary. He turned to the first page, there weren't that many there, some of them had been ripped by the writer or the carrier of the books.

"It's a diary" Alex said.

"Oh my! That's quite intriguing don't you think? Come on. What is it saying? Let's start from the first page." She urged him. Alex was reading at loud, translating the words in his mind.

"It's a wish." He informed Naila.

"A wish? That's weird." She mumbled but she didn't keep talking, she let Alex read. "I hope someday this finds you. I hope it finds you even if I'm unable to. I've been writing and writing, scribbling useless words in pieces of paper hoping that one day you might get to see it. Wishing that it would reach you and you'd want to come home. I hope you're alive and I hope you still love me. I hope you know how much I love you. I hope I can find you. That's why I am starting this journey, away from everyone. I've pleaded to the gods, I've raged on the fates just so these useless pieces of paper find you just so I can find you because I am tired and I am in love and I keep having nightmares of seeing your dead body all over again. I wish this finds you and while you read it you come find me." Alex read. He suddenly felt uncomfortable. He cleared his throat, not turning to the next page. 

"What are you doing? Keep reading!" Naila said excited.

"I don't think this is something we should…"

"Read little elf. I love a good romance. It's probably a book anyways. I doubt it's someone's story. So come on" she said.

Alex turned the page, the paper feeling like a sharp knife on his skin, the handwriting moving and acting as a chain that tightened around him. Nonetheless, since Naila wanted to, he kept reading.

"It's snowing again. Every day and every night. This has always been a bad sign, it always shows that you're far away, out of reach and no matter what I do, no matter how loud I shout your name you won't come. I miss your eyes, the ones that showed me the colors of the beautiful spring, I miss your smile and the softness of your hair. I miss those stray locks that fell on your face as you slept peacefully by my side. I miss all of you, your golden smile and the way my heart used to beat when I was with you. I miss you, I miss you, oh I miss you and I can't stop crying. You're the only person that made me cry this much. Made me feel this much and hurt this much. You're selfish, disappearing like that, leaving me alone again. I want to hate you, I want to punch you when I see you and I want to kiss you. How I want to kiss you, it's ridiculous. I am a mess but still...I miss you."

"Naila…"

"Next page, this author is pretty good" she said and Alex flipped another page. His heart was rushing, his body turning hot and a pain spread on his chest.

"I could burn the world. I've told you that so many times before. I could burn every house and every tree if you'd asked me to. So why didn't you ask me to? Why didn't you tell me to kill your enemies? Why did you have to be this kind? This is what kindness got you. Us being apart, me being torn into thousands of pieces that desperately look for you. I would kill for you, I would do it all just to see you smile. The son of the golden sun, the golden king. The one who was pure and innocent. I can bury my hands in their flesh, I can paint my palms with their blood but still you didn't want that. You were too kind and that kindness ruined me. You shine so bright and I try to hide, remain in the shadows, aching for you to look at me. Are you thinking of me? Where are you? Do you still love me?"

"I think we will be reading this all night" the girl said excitedly. Alex couldn't read more though he felt like he would cry. He closed the book loudly meeting her eyes. 

"Enough"

"What? Why?" She asked, confused. It's such a lovely read.

"It's heart tearing."

"It's fiction." 

"Come on, just a little bit more, please." She pushed him and opened the book to the next page. What Alex saw though was not another heartbreaking confession. It was one word, written all over again and again. His eyes widened. "This doesn't look right."

"It's just one word again and again" Alex mumbled.

"What word?"

"Allias." He said, the word coming out like a whisper.

"What the hell is an Allias?" She asked.

"We need to find that merchant.. Where is he?" Alex asked Naila as he shot up from his chair.