A day passed after William had gone inside Baba Yaga’s house to have a serious talk with Celine.
Just as Baba Yaga started to chat with Zhu, Sha, Kira, and Athrun, beside the campfire, the door of the wooden house opened, revealing a smug-faced Half-Elf.
Even in the darkness, they were able to see that William’s skin was glossy. It was as if he had just had a Swedish Massage, and the presence he radiated was filled with confidence.
A minute later, a beautiful Elf with long purple hair, wearing gold-rimmed glasses appeared behind him. Kira and Athrun weren’t able to keep their eyes off of her because of how stunning she looked.
Baba Yaga chuckled like a witch when she saw the two of them. She then gave Celine the “did you manage to squeeze him dry?” gaze, which made the latter avert her gaze in embarrassment.
William smiled because he noticed this subtle exchange between Baba Yaga and Celine. In order to help his woman deal with her embarrassment, the Half-Elf cupped her cheeks and kissed her in front of everyone.
Kira and Athrun who saw this gave William the middle finger in their hearts, while Zhu, Sha, and Baba Yaga only chuckled and gave the Half-Elf a thumbs up for his boldness.
When the kiss ended, Celine pinched William’s waist, and whispered that he shouldn’t act lovey-dovey with her in public.
The Half-Elf was feeling good at the moment, so he endured Celine’s pinching. When the beautiful Elf noticed that her attack wasn’t working, she sighed internally and removed her hand from his waist.
She then floated in the air, and flew towards her Master, who seemed to have formed a good relationship with William’s travel companions.
William smiled as he looked at his proud Master in the distance. The two of them had spent twenty four days inside Eternity, which was equivalent to twenty four hours. During that time, both of them had talked about many things, and yet, Celine would always change the topic, or just go silent, whenever he asked her to marry him.
The Half-Elf understood that his Master liked him also, but something was preventing her from nodding her head, and saying yes to his proposal. Of course, William knew the reason, and because of it, he no longer insisted on the matter.
He only did what he could do and that was to let her know how much he loved her. There were times when Celine would reciprocate his feelings with simple gestures, like a kiss, a hug, or taking the initiative to invite him to drink her blood.
No words were spoken about her feelings for him, but her gestures were enough to tell him what he needed to know. Now that they were together, they would face this prophecy head on. If that was the only way to free her from her fate then William would be more than willing to fight an uphill battle for her.
‘It seems that I am always fighting against Fate regardless of what lifetime I am living,’ William thought as he jumped off the wooden house, and flew towards the campfire to join the others. ‘I lost in my two previous lifetimes, but the third time’s the charm. This time, I will not lose. I will definitely win.’
William was only a few meters away from the campfire when his surroundings were suddenly covered in darkness.
He scanned his surroundings, but he couldn’t see anything in front of him. There was no campfire, no stars in the sky, and no companions waiting for him. It was only him and the absolute darkness, which seemed to have trapped him completely.
Suddenly, he saw two golden balls of light in the distance. Slowly but surely, they moved towards him.
“Looks like you had a lot of fun with my Disciple, boy,” Baba Yaga’s witchy voice reached William’s ears. “But, are you planning to take responsibility for her?”
The two golden balls stopped a meter away from William and turned into a pair of eyes before the wrinkled face of the strongest Demigod in the Demon Continent appeared in his vision.
“Master is my woman,” William replied. “I will take full responsibility and ensure that I make her happy.”
“Bold words, but can you really do it?”
“I will.”
Baba Yaga’s witchy chuckle reached William’s ears as she stared down at him.
“I will, doesn’t mean that you can back it up,” Baba Yaga. “Words are merely words, after all. When the sky truly falls, and this world is shrouded in darkness, the words ‘I will’, may not be enough to ensure her safety.”
William faced Baba Yaga’s stare head-on. “I will do everything in my power to keep her away from harm. I have the ability to do that.”
“Do you?” A contemptuous chuckle escaped Baba Yaga’s lips. “Believe me boy, fighting against a Demigod will be the least of your worries. You will be fighting against a prophecy that is already set in stone. Even with all of your trump cards combined, I’m afraid that it won’t be enough, once the Heir of Darkness is born.”
William frowned because he didn’t believe Baba Yaga’s words. He had already fought against Demigods, Pseudo-Gods and, to a certain extent, against a God. With the experience, and the powers he had gained along the way, he was sure that he would be able to overcome whatever the future could throw at him using the powers he possessed.
“I can see that you do not believe my words,” Baba Yaga said softly. “That’s fine. I will not force you to believe me. However, if and when that time comes, you will understand that even with everything you have, there are some things that you can’t overcome with just feelings alone.”
William shook his head. “I fully understand that feeling of helplessness that comes even if you’ve given it everything you’ve got. I know that feeling of despair when you watch everything you love die in front of you, and the world you were trying to protect is engulfed in a fiery blaze.
“I know of promises that were broken due to unforeseen circumstances, and the tears that followed behind them. This is why, I understand, more than anyone else, what it is like to fight against Fate.
“But, what of it? Even if this prophecy is already set in stone, what of it? As long as I draw breath, I will protect the people that are important to me even if…”
“Even if you sacrifice things that are very important to you?” Baba Yaga interjected and finished William’s statement. “How noble of you, but what if it’s still not enough? What if after you have sacrificed everything? Your memories, your love, and those who loved you. What if after sacrificing them all, you still fail to protect those that are important to you? What then?”
William lowered his head as he seriously pondered the answer to Baba Yaga’s question. The Old Hag didn’t disturb him and simply waited for him to organize his thoughts.
Several minutes passed, and the pin-drop silence rang within the world of darkness, where no light could be seen, no hope could be found, and no warmth could soothe a heart that was slowly turning cold with each passing second.
“If… if after sacrificing everything, and I still fail to protect those that are important to me then I will struggle until the bitter end,” William said with his eyes closed. Memories of his life in Asgard flashed across his mind.
In his dying moments, in a world that was surrounded by a blazing inferno, he had felt the warmth of someone holding him dearly. It was the only consolation he got before he drew his last breath in that world whose fate had been set in stone.
Perhaps, Baba Yaga saw the pain in William’s expression, so she no longer forced the issue and rested her wrinkled hand on his shoulder.
“I walk in the darkness, so that others may see the light,” Baba Yaga said softly. “You choose your own path, Will. Just make sure that when you have made your choice, you will not regret it no matter what.”
Baba Yaga patted his shoulder twice before waving her hand, chasing all the darkness away. She had wanted to know how far William was willing to go in order to protect the ones he loved. Although what she did was quite high-handed, the answer that the boy gave her made her feel that all hope was not lost.
“Time will tell, Young Will,” Baba Yaga sighed as she watched the Half-Elf fly towards the campfire where her Disciple Celine was waiting for him. “It might take a year, it might take a day. But, what’s meant to be will always find its way.”
