443 Goodbye

He placed her sitting down on the snow, knowing that her legs were injured.

"Where are you going?" she held onto his arm before he could move to rise.

Zeke sighed, closing his eyes.

"I didn't know that the witch queen-to-be would actually be defeated by falling rocks," he said, avoiding the question and causing Alicia to frown at him.

"I got drained from trying to keep your men alive!!!" she retorted. She couldn't believe that those were the first words this man would say to her.

"Well, you did do a good job keeping them alive," he nonchalantly answered. "Now let go. I have to go."

"Wait… where are you going?" She clasped onto him even harder. "Are you going to that woman? Please, explain all this! Why? Why are you doing this?"

Zeke looked up for a while, watching the rare white aurora dancing above them. Alicia looked up as well. The sky was truly beautiful. It almost looked like Alicia's silken silver-hair being spread over the night sky.

When she looked at him again, Zeke was touching some strands of her silver hair, playing them with his thumb before he lifted his face and looked at her.

"Why?" he echoed before the corner of his lips curved up. "Because I'm the bad guy here, witch princess."

Alicia almost held her breath because of the intensity he exuded as he said those words. But she didn't flinch and she narrowed her eyes.

"Bad guy?" she shook her head. "Why would the bad guy save me then? Who are you trying to fool, vampire prince?"

Zeke smirked at her answer. But his smirk soon faded as she blinked. He let go of her hair and pinched her chin.

"Listen..." he replied, serious. He was looking into her eyes with extreme pressure. "All you need to know is that I'm the bad guy, Alicia. Understand?" he pressed, before he held her hand. "Now it's time for you to let go."

Alicia bit her lips. She looked back at him, returning his intense gaze.

"Do you really expect me to believe that after saving me?" She shook her head. "But I understand. I knew there must be a reason why you're doing this," she added as she hesitantly let go of him.

Zeke averted his gaze and he immediately rose and walked away. Alicia watched him silently until he halted. Thinking that he was going to leap away, Alicia diverted her attention to her injuries. She looked down, lifted her skirt and saw the huge gash that started from her thigh down to her ankle. She wouldn't be able to walk if she didn't heal it.

She took a deep breath and tried to heal herself. A weak green glow appeared from her hand as she placed her trembling hands over her wound. But the wound wasn't healing. She was too weak. She felt like something was wrong with her. Her powers weren't as strong as they were since her queen broke out from her cocoon.

But then she remembered what her queen told her; that her power would momentarily disappear before the complete transfer of the queen's power to her would start. She could only tear up because she could already tell that her queen was now leaving this world. She really wanted to go to her queen to be with her during her last moments on Earth. She was trying to heal herself so she could at least walk but… it wasn't working.

She clenched her fist and hit the snow hard from frustration. But then she froze, realizing that someone was standing before her. It seemed that Zeke hadn't leapt away yet. Alicia was quick to wipe her tears. She was a witch and the next witch queen. She couldn't be seen crying before anyone, especially not in front of this man.

"I thought you were in a hurry to leave," she told him as she looked up, acting all tough again.

Zeke stared down at her and then his gaze went to her wounded leg. The next moment, Zeke sighed, put on his mask and bent over to gather her in his arms, not saying another word.

Alicia was surprised. She truly thought he was long gone. She looked at him with millions of questions in her eyes, but she knew this man would not give her any answers.

He landed on one of the tree branches. When Alicia looked down, she saw the vampire reinforcement, Riev and the others, including her queen. The vampires were watching the collapsing structure silently. Nobody noticed their presence. It seemed he had concealed his presence.

"Will you not appear before them?" Alicia asked him, expecting him not to answer.

But Zeke spoke. "Not yet," he said and he jumped down. He landed as swift and silent as a cat and put her down, carefully.

Before she could look back to thank him, he was already gone.

The vampires then noticed her on the ground just a few meters away from them and they quickly approached her.

"H-how… did you…" Riev was shocked.

"Please bring me to my queen," Alicia asked, avoiding the question that was on everyone's mind. Riev bent down to pick her up and Alicia looked back into the dark forest one last time as she was brought to her queen.

"My queen," Alicia called out as she gathered her queen into her arms.

"Alicia," the queen uttered, smiling sweetly at her. The witch queen lifted her hand to touch Alicia's face.

To Alicia, this woman wasn't just her queen, she was her family. A beloved mother figure to her.

"I am glad I was able to see you one the last time. You did well, little one," The witch queen said as she rubbed Alicia's cheek weakly, still smiling. "I am now leaving everything to you, Alicia. Goodbye, dearest..."

As those words came out of the witch queen's lips, her hand slowly slid down and her eyes slowly closed. A tear fell from Alicia's eyes and she embrace her queen. A second later, a silver light began to cloak them both.

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