Chapter 212
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Elysia didn't quite know what to make of this strange new boy.
She'd been alone with her father for so long that the only form of human interaction she remembered clearly was *with* her dad, but even so, she didn't feel shy at all after her initial nervousness.
Alec was very nice so far, though she was a bit sceptical how much of it was real.
He didn't shoot her disapproving looks, nor did he verbally flay her whenever she made a mistake, be it socially or otherwise. All she had left to go on was her spotty memories from when she was roughly four years old or so, which wasn't a lot.
Her bad memories associated when she was young was all but disproven because of how Alec was reacting.
She was positively chipper whenever they interacted, because she could feel that his eyes were sincere when he listened to her, and he never shrugged off whatever she was saying, nor did his attention waver.
Her dad was right.
Not all humans were bad, just as not all of them were good either. Two sides of a coin. Cause and effect.
It was something that he'd been telling her over the years, and how she had to interact with a wider range of people to see more in order to be able to judge.
Elysia had made up her mind when she talked with Alec.
She was going to the human world!
Honestly, she'd been getting a little bit bored with the unchanging flow of things in this dimension. It was nice, that was for sure, and their daily routine gave Elysia and her dad stability, but she knew that it couldn't last forever.
She saw the way her dad looked off into the distance some days, as if reminiscing about things that he never told her.
Alec, on the surface, seemed like a genuinely nice person, and she felt so happy she was practically bouncing to get going already.
Now that she'd finally let go of her mental baggage, she felt like she was a lot lighter and freer.
Dad had been hinting to get her to leave this place and go back to Incantix, but Elysia always felt like he had some hidden worry about her being in a place or getting into things that he couldn't do anything about.
Alec had no idea how he was keeping his roiling emotions in check that he was able to fool both Elysia and Haphira at all.
And they really were roiling emotions.
It looked like his daily workout of keeping his emotions in check under the smile was a lifesaver.
For once, Alec even wanted to thank the Mainframe for the damn 'gentle' persona type. It had never come in handy so much before.
In his mindscape, Ye Sha was still snickering away whenever Alec couldn't help but smile indulgently, then curse in his mindscape how he was acting like an idiot, but Alec couldn't even muster up the annoyance that he would normally have felt under the heavy dose of endorphins that was flooding his veins.
He felt rather complicated when he realized that she indeed was *not* a Cher, or, if she was, she was just as good at hiding it like he was.
However, the more he interacted with her, the more he felt that possibility decrease.
Elysia – how did he say it – while she appeared to wear her heart on a sleeve in the way most people didn't, didn't actually. There were flashes of things that he couldn't discern under her radiant smile, but that just caused him to feel more intrigued.
When she was happy, she would smile so radiantly that Alec felt like she stole his breath away. When her father teased her, the pout that formed on her face made Alec want to pinch her puffy cheeks.
Alec was experiencing a multitude of emotions in such a short period of time – emotions that he'd never experienced personally, nor did he ever think he would experience.
The warmth of her gold eyes that appeared like spun gold under the moonlight. Her pupils were slightly oval, but not completely slits like Haphira's. They were more rounded, giving her eyes a softer set.
When she smiled, Alec felt as if the entire place looked brighter than before, and her eyes sparkled and danced. Alec slapped himself in his mindscape. Her eyes were just so limpid and clear – like Alec could see his own reflection staring back at him if he looked hard enough.
Alec had truly fallen hard, and in such a short timespan as well.
He had never so clearly felt how Societypes affected those on this planet, but nothing could have been clearer to him than this, and he wasn't sure if he liked it.
Nothing could have prepared him for what he was feeling right now. Nothing.
Alec felt like a stranded boat out in the middle of a heavy storm, guided by the sole light from the lighthouse, shining through the rain, fog and storm.
Haphira eventually came back from doing whatever he was doing outside, and Alec carefully reined in his emotions. It was rather tiresome having to regulate his emotions so much, but the more he did it, the more he was getting used to it.
Alec mentally shook himself. He couldn't act like this. In the first place, Alec wasn't the type that was ruled by his own emotions. He steadily regained control over himself, feeling a strange sense of satisfaction and pride.
It never occurred to him that The One would not be another human, but he didn't see anything wrong with it. Vivian was a magical beast who'd overcome her limits, and he didn't feel anything when she revealed that fact.
Actually, Alec kind of wanted to see Dominique with fox ears and a tail. There was no doubt that it would be hilarious.
Haphira, seeing that his daughter got along well with the other child, felt reassured. He had indeed been right to try and push his daughter towards interacting with other humans.
Elysia's bad experiences when she was young – with what, humans sacrificing her as dragon food – had left a mental scar on her heart. Though it had healed, that didn't mean that the experiences she'd gone through were forgotten.
Even though she'd left behind those memories and didn't cry at them anymore, Haphira knew that she was still apprehensive towards the human species, however subconsciously it might be, which was not something that he wanted.
One day, she would have to live on her own. Haphira could not be with her forever.
It was only right that she lived amongst her own kind, instead of seeking his company alone.
"Alec, can you take care of Elysia for me? Show her around the human world?" Haphira asked, having listened in to the conversation that the two had while he 'left them alone'.
Both Elysia and Alec turned to look at the dragon, one in surprise, the other with unhappiness.
"Dad!" Elysia said, frowning. While she did like Alec so far, and she felt drawn to him, the way he said it gave her a feeling that he was saying his goodbyes with a sense of finality.
Alec felt a bit of a prick at the unhappiness in her words, but he didn't take it to heart because he knew it wasn't because of him.
If he read between the words Elysia had exchanged with him, she had terrible experiences with humans in the past, but her father was entrusting her to him?
Not to mention, he was feeling a bit complicated. After all, Haphira didn't know that he'd fallen in love with Elysia, right?
Regardless, he would not be doing anything to her. Alec had every intention of placing himself at a distance, where she'd be allowed to develop herself.
…Wait. Maybe that was for the better?
Alec imagined a dragon father's protective rage over his darling daughter, and almost shivered.
In his mindscape, Ye Sha shivered as well. "Don't tell him yet," Ye Sha whispered, finally feeling some sort of pressure. He seemed to forget that the dragon would not be able to hear him from inside Alec's mindscape. "I still want to live! If you die, I die too!"
"I'd be happy to, but you should talk to your daughter first," Alec said, acting as the middleman.
He stepped away so that the father and daughter duo could exchange words without his input.
Elysia crossed her arms and frowned at her dad. While she didn't mind going to the human world, she felt like her dad was going off to do something dangerous, which was why he was 'entrusting' her to someone, as if he didn't trust her to look after herself.
She always thought that he would be bringing her with him whenever he went off to do whatever he was going to do, which was why he'd trained her strictly, but that didn't appear to be the case.
"What are you doing? You're going to do something dangerous, aren't you?" Elysia said with a frown on her face.
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Elysia didn't quite know what to make of this strange new boy.
She'd been alone with her father for so long that the only form of human interaction she remembered clearly was *with* her dad, but even so, she didn't feel shy at all after her initial nervousness.
Alec was very nice so far, though she was a bit sceptical how much of it was real.
He didn't shoot her disapproving looks, nor did he verbally flay her whenever she made a mistake, be it socially or otherwise. All she had left to go on was her spotty memories from when she was roughly four years old or so, which wasn't a lot.
Her bad memories associated when she was young was all but disproven because of how Alec was reacting.
She was positively chipper whenever they interacted, because she could feel that his eyes were sincere when he listened to her, and he never shrugged off whatever she was saying, nor did his attention waver.
Her dad was right.
Not all humans were bad, just as not all of them were good either. Two sides of a coin. Cause and effect.
It was something that he'd been telling her over the years, and how she had to interact with a wider range of people to see more in order to be able to judge.
Elysia had made up her mind when she talked with Alec.
She was going to the human world!
Honestly, she'd been getting a little bit bored with the unchanging flow of things in this dimension. It was nice, that was for sure, and their daily routine gave Elysia and her dad stability, but she knew that it couldn't last forever.
She saw the way her dad looked off into the distance some days, as if reminiscing about things that he never told her.
Alec, on the surface, seemed like a genuinely nice person, and she felt so happy she was practically bouncing to get going already.
Now that she'd finally let go of her mental baggage, she felt like she was a lot lighter and freer.
Dad had been hinting to get her to leave this place and go back to Incantix, but Elysia always felt like he had some hidden worry about her being in a place or getting into things that he couldn't do anything about.
Alec had no idea how he was keeping his roiling emotions in check that he was able to fool both Elysia and Haphira at all.
And they really were roiling emotions.
It looked like his daily workout of keeping his emotions in check under the smile was a lifesaver.
For once, Alec even wanted to thank the Mainframe for the damn 'gentle' persona type. It had never come in handy so much before.
In his mindscape, Ye Sha was still snickering away whenever Alec couldn't help but smile indulgently, then curse in his mindscape how he was acting like an idiot, but Alec couldn't even muster up the annoyance that he would normally have felt under the heavy dose of endorphins that was flooding his veins.
He felt rather complicated when he realized that she indeed was *not* a Cher, or, if she was, she was just as good at hiding it like he was.
However, the more he interacted with her, the more he felt that possibility decrease.
Elysia – how did he say it – while she appeared to wear her heart on a sleeve in the way most people didn't, didn't actually. There were flashes of things that he couldn't discern under her radiant smile, but that just caused him to feel more intrigued.
When she was happy, she would smile so radiantly that Alec felt like she stole his breath away. When her father teased her, the pout that formed on her face made Alec want to pinch her puffy cheeks.
Alec was experiencing a multitude of emotions in such a short period of time – emotions that he'd never experienced personally, nor did he ever think he would experience.
The warmth of her gold eyes that appeared like spun gold under the moonlight. Her pupils were slightly oval, but not completely slits like Haphira's. They were more rounded, giving her eyes a softer set.
When she smiled, Alec felt as if the entire place looked brighter than before, and her eyes sparkled and danced. Alec slapped himself in his mindscape. Her eyes were just so limpid and clear – like Alec could see his own reflection staring back at him if he looked hard enough.
Alec had truly fallen hard, and in such a short timespan as well.
He had never so clearly felt how Societypes affected those on this planet, but nothing could have been clearer to him than this, and he wasn't sure if he liked it.
Nothing could have prepared him for what he was feeling right now. Nothing.
Alec felt like a stranded boat out in the middle of a heavy storm, guided by the sole light from the lighthouse, shining through the rain, fog and storm.
Haphira eventually came back from doing whatever he was doing outside, and Alec carefully reined in his emotions. It was rather tiresome having to regulate his emotions so much, but the more he did it, the more he was getting used to it.
Alec mentally shook himself. He couldn't act like this. In the first place, Alec wasn't the type that was ruled by his own emotions. He steadily regained control over himself, feeling a strange sense of satisfaction and pride.
It never occurred to him that The One would not be another human, but he didn't see anything wrong with it. Vivian was a magical beast who'd overcome her limits, and he didn't feel anything when she revealed that fact.
Actually, Alec kind of wanted to see Dominique with fox ears and a tail. There was no doubt that it would be hilarious.
Haphira, seeing that his daughter got along well with the other child, felt reassured. He had indeed been right to try and push his daughter towards interacting with other humans.
Elysia's bad experiences when she was young – with what, humans sacrificing her as dragon food – had left a mental scar on her heart. Though it had healed, that didn't mean that the experiences she'd gone through were forgotten.
Even though she'd left behind those memories and didn't cry at them anymore, Haphira knew that she was still apprehensive towards the human species, however subconsciously it might be, which was not something that he wanted.
One day, she would have to live on her own. Haphira could not be with her forever.
It was only right that she lived amongst her own kind, instead of seeking his company alone.
"Alec, can you take care of Elysia for me? Show her around the human world?" Haphira asked, having listened in to the conversation that the two had while he 'left them alone'.
Both Elysia and Alec turned to look at the dragon, one in surprise, the other with unhappiness.
"Dad!" Elysia said, frowning. While she did like Alec so far, and she felt drawn to him, the way he said it gave her a feeling that he was saying his goodbyes with a sense of finality.
Alec felt a bit of a prick at the unhappiness in her words, but he didn't take it to heart because he knew it wasn't because of him.
If he read between the words Elysia had exchanged with him, she had terrible experiences with humans in the past, but her father was entrusting her to him?
Not to mention, he was feeling a bit complicated. After all, Haphira didn't know that he'd fallen in love with Elysia, right?
Regardless, he would not be doing anything to her. Alec had every intention of placing himself at a distance, where she'd be allowed to develop herself.
…Wait. Maybe that was for the better?
Alec imagined a dragon father's protective rage over his darling daughter, and almost shivered.
In his mindscape, Ye Sha shivered as well. "Don't tell him yet," Ye Sha whispered, finally feeling some sort of pressure. He seemed to forget that the dragon would not be able to hear him from inside Alec's mindscape. "I still want to live! If you die, I die too!"
"I'd be happy to, but you should talk to your daughter first," Alec said, acting as the middleman.
He stepped away so that the father and daughter duo could exchange words without his input.
Elysia crossed her arms and frowned at her dad. While she didn't mind going to the human world, she felt like her dad was going off to do something dangerous, which was why he was 'entrusting' her to someone, as if he didn't trust her to look after herself.
She always thought that he would be bringing her with him whenever he went off to do whatever he was going to do, which was why he'd trained her strictly, but that didn't appear to be the case.
"What are you doing? You're going to do something dangerous, aren't you?" Elysia said with a frown on her face.
Elysia didn't quite know what to make of this strange new boy.She'd been alone with her father for so long that the only form of human interaction she remembered clearly was *with* her dad, but even so, she didn't feel shy at all after her initial nervousness.Alec was very nice so far, though she was a bit sceptical how much of it was real.He didn't shoot her disapproving looks, nor did he verbally flay her whenever she made a mistake, be it socially or otherwise. All she had left to go on was her spotty memories from when she was roughly four years old or so, which wasn't a lot.Her bad memories associated when she was young was all but disproven because of how Alec was reacting.She was positively chipper whenever they interacted, because she could feel that his eyes were sincere when he listened to her, and he never shrugged off whatever she was saying, nor did his attention waver.Her dad was right.Not all humans were bad, just as not all of them were good either. Two sides of a coin. Cause and effect.It was something that he'd been telling her over the years, and how she had to interact with a wider range of people to see more in order to be able to judge.Elysia had made up her mind when she talked with Alec.She was going to the human world!Honestly, she'd been getting a little bit bored with the unchanging flow of things in this dimension. It was nice, that was for sure, and their daily routine gave Elysia and her dad stability, but she knew that it couldn't last forever.She saw the way her dad looked off into the distance some days, as if reminiscing about things that he never told her.Alec, on the surface, seemed like a genuinely nice person, and she felt so happy she was practically bouncing to get going already.Now that she'd finally let go of her mental baggage, she felt like she was a lot lighter and freer.Dad had been hinting to get her to leave this place and go back to Incantix, but Elysia always felt like he had some hidden worry about her being in a place or getting into things that he couldn't do anything about.Alec had no idea how he was keeping his roiling emotions in check that he was able to fool both Elysia and Haphira at all.And they really were roiling emotions.It looked like his daily workout of keeping his emotions in check under the smile was a lifesaver.For once, Alec even wanted to thank the Mainframe for the damn 'gentle' persona type. It had never come in handy so much before.In his mindscape, Ye Sha was still snickering away whenever Alec couldn't help but smile indulgently, then curse in his mindscape how he was acting like an idiot, but Alec couldn't even muster up the annoyance that he would normally have felt under the heavy dose of endorphins that was flooding his veins.He felt rather complicated when he realized that she indeed was *not* a Cher, or, if she was, she was just as good at hiding it like he was.However, the more he interacted with her, the more he felt that possibility decrease.Elysia how did he say it while she appeared to wear her heart on a sleeve in the way most people didn't, didn't actually. There were flashes of things that he couldn't discern under her radiant smile, but that just caused him to feel more intrigued.When she was happy, she would smile so radiantly that Alec felt like she stole his breath away. When her father teased her, the pout that formed on her face made Alec want to pinch her puffy cheeks.Alec was experiencing a multitude of emotions in such a short period of time emotions that he'd never experienced personally, nor did he ever think he would experience.The warmth of her gold eyes that appeared like spun gold under the moonlight. Her pupils were slightly oval, but not completely slits like Haphira's. They were more rounded, giving her eyes a softer set.When she smiled, Alec felt as if the entire place looked brighter than before, and her eyes sparkled and danced. Alec slapped himself in his mindscape. Her eyes were just so limpid and clear like Alec could see his own reflection staring back at him if he looked hard enough.Alec had truly fallen hard, and in such a short timespan as well.He had never so clearly felt how Societypes affected those on this planet, but nothing could have been clearer to him than this, and he wasn't sure if he liked it.Nothing could have prepared him for what he was feeling right now. Nothing.Alec felt like a stranded boat out in the middle of a heavy storm, guided by the sole light from the lighthouse, shining through the rain, fog and storm.Haphira eventually came back from doing whatever he was doing outside, and Alec carefully reined in his emotions. It was rather tiresome having to regulate his emotions so much, but the more he did it, the more he was getting used to it.Alec mentally shook himself. He couldn't act like this. In the first place, Alec wasn't the type that was ruled by his own emotions. He steadily regained control over himself, feeling a strange sense of satisfaction and pride.It never occurred to him that The One would not be another human, but he didn't see anything wrong with it. Vivian was a magical beast who'd overcome her limits, and he didn't feel anything when she revealed that fact.Actually, Alec kind of wanted to see Dominique with fox ears and a tail. There was no doubt that it would be hilarious.Haphira, seeing that his daughter got along well with the other child, felt reassured. He had indeed been right to try and push his daughter towards interacting with other humans.Elysia's bad experiences when she was young with what, humans sacrificing her as dragon food had left a mental scar on her heart. Though it had healed, that didn't mean that the experiences she'd gone through were forgotten.Even though she'd left behind those memories and didn't cry at them anymore, Haphira knew that she was still apprehensive towards the human species, however subconsciously it might be, which was not something that he wanted.One day, she would have to live on her own. Haphira could not be with her forever.It was only right that she lived amongst her own kind, instead of seeking his company alone."Alec, can you take care of Elysia for me? Show her around the human world?" Haphira asked, having listened in to the conversation that the two had while he 'left them alone'.Both Elysia and Alec turned to look at the dragon, one in surprise, the other with unhappiness."Dad!" Elysia said, frowning. While she did like Alec so far, and she felt drawn to him, the way he said it gave her a feeling that he was saying his goodbyes with a sense of finality.Alec felt a bit of a prick at the unhappiness in her words, but he didn't take it to heart because he knew it wasn't because of him.If he read between the words Elysia had exchanged with him, she had terrible experiences with humans in the past, but her father was entrusting her to him?Not to mention, he was feeling a bit complicated. After all, Haphira didn't know that he'd fallen in love with Elysia, right?Regardless, he would not be doing anything to her. Alec had every intention of placing himself at a distance, where she'd be allowed to develop herself.Wait. Maybe that was for the better?Alec imagined a dragon father's protective rage over his darling daughter, and almost shivered.In his mindscape, Ye Sha shivered as well. "Don't tell him yet," Ye Sha whispered, finally feeling some sort of pressure. He seemed to forget that the dragon would not be able to hear him from inside Alec's mindscape. "I still want to live! If you die, I die too!""I'd be happy to, but you should talk to your daughter first," Alec said, acting as the middleman.He stepped away so that the father and daughter duo could exchange words without his input.Elysia crossed her arms and frowned at her dad. While she didn't mind going to the human world, she felt like her dad was going off to do something dangerous, which was why he was 'entrusting' her to someone, as if he didn't trust her to look after herself.She always thought that he would be bringing her with him whenever he went off to do whatever he was going to do, which was why he'd trained her strictly, but that didn't appear to be the case."What are you doing? You're going to do something dangerous, aren't you?" Elysia said with a frown on her face.
