A little walk. [Nayda]

[Nayda Vandom]

She could have passed out right and there. She could have ran off and hide, go back home and lock herself away from everyone. She could have done a lot of stuff. But she didn't. At this moment she was in a daze, lost in her own thoughts, and too scared to do anything. An empty gaze was placed in the distance, far away...

...until she felt a hand in hers and let out a slight gasp. She then turned to Errol, eyes slightly wide. Her expression relaxed after a minute, and she was finally able to breathe again. She managed a nervous smile, and shook her head lightly.

He was nice. Very. But there were things that she would never be able to tell him, or anyone for the matter.

Some things were really better left unsaid. Some things....were really hard to explain.

"...I'd tell you, but I really can't. I'm not allowed..."

It wasn't exactly a lie. Nayda wasn't allowed to say anything about Kyura, but it was something she had prohibited herself. After what had happened before...she doubted she could forgive herself if she let Kyura out. She knew she wouldn't be able to forgive herself...it would be just impossible.

She sighed and sat down on the ground, hugging her knees and letting her head rest upon them, staring at the rain that had now started to fall; like tears falling from heaven.She couldn't help but smile at the memories it brought back, at the laughter and smiles she remembered from the broken pieces of her childhood.

"The rain...is so nice..."she mumbled to herself, a slight nostalgic edge in her voice. Her eyes were still set in the distance, and they took on a look that reflected her...two centuries of life and experience.

[Errol Grey]

Errol couldn't really believe his ears. He was let down a little, and his face showed it, she had denied to talk about her problems with him, but it wasn't all bad, at least she was still around and wasn't taking her leave. He managed to smile still as he watched her let go of his hand and take a seat by the tree. She pulled her legs up and hugged them, resting her head on her knees. Errol couldn't help but stand up and take a seat beside her. He sat cross legged, leaning back on the tree as he heard her say

"The rain... is so nice..."

Errol nodded, leaning back and watching the rain that had begun to fall. The droplets falling around the edge of the canopy of the tree, they were dry for the time being, and it was good to at least be beside a pretty girl during a rainstorm. The rumble of thunder through the air made him shudder. He looked over at Nayda, she looked so peaceful, he didn't want to interrupt her, as if she were deep in her thoughts. Errol looked away for a moment before throwing his cloak over his legs and letting out a sigh.

"It is..."

Errol agreed, not because he enjoyed the rain, in fact, cold rain was something he didn't really like, it made him get sick and weak. Warm rain was a different story, he would love it if it were warmer out and the rain fell. Errol looked back to Nayda and took a hand, brushing her bangs out of her face and smiling at her.

"... Just like you. You should learn to open up... But all in due time... You've got a lot longer on this world than I do."

Errol stated with a smile, taking his hand away from her and bringing it back under his cloak. He hoped she would at least take this compliment, she was pretty, and she needed to know, she needed quite a bit from the looks of her, much more than Errol could ever offer, but he would try his best to help her any way he could, sitting by her until this rain ceased.

[Nayda Vandom]

The rain falling was warm and it's sound was soothing. A nice change, all the recent thunderstorms were unnerving. Those were sure scary, but this rain was more of a message...

...a message that things were fine. Things would be fine eventually. That was the way she was reading it right now. But for how long? Things had to change at some point.

And so she should. Errol pointed out that she should open up, and she sighed faintly. That was right, she should. But it was harder than that.

"I know I should....but it's not that simple...."she answered, sitting up straight. It was far more complicated than just...telling everything to someone whom she'd just met. Damn, she hid things from her best friend before, she'd kept things from the people she loved the most, and in the end that just eneded up hurting them.

It pained her so much knowing so, it knotted up a lump in her throat, painfully making her breathing harder and gave her a half choked sensation. Her eyes pricked painfully as though they were dry, making her blink several times.

She needed to cry. She just had to.

"I'm...sorry..."she mumbled, suddenly breaking to silent tears and recklessly hugging her new friend. She wasn't even sure of why she was doing it. It felt like something she needed to do, something she hadn't done in a long time. She hadn't allowed anyone to see how weak she felt...how much it all hurt her. She sobbed restlessly, and in doing so a sharp pain vanished from her heart, making it lighter and...oddly peaceful. She went on crying, letting years of pain and resentment fall along with her tears. And all the tears she hadn't spilled in ages flowed like a waterfall.

[Errol Grey]

He kept his eyes on her face as she sat there, knees still up against her chest, resting her chin on her knees. Nayda's faint sigh over the tapping of raindrops against leaves and the ground made it difficult to hear, but it was there, and it made Errol feel like he hadn't done anything, like his efforts were fruitless. "I know I should....but its not that simple...." Her pretty voice answered solemnly, as she sat up straight and seemed to look out into space, thinking. Errol watched her, leaning a little closer to her, hoping to catch everything she said in her soft voice over the pitter-patter of raindrops. There was silence for a moment, as Errol kept his eyes on her, a soft expression on his face, hoping for something, anything for her to say anything and get it off her chest. She looked like she needed it, someone to talk to, someone to be there, and Errol, well he was there, and he wanted to be there. Even though he had just met her, she seemed like an extremely nice girl, far nicer than any of the human girls he had met. Errol's eyes watched her intently, and was surprised when he saw her blink many times. She murmured "I'm...sorry..." Before tears began to stream down her cheeks before pulling him into a hug. Errol blushed a little, but he kept a solemn look on his face, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her back. Sorry for what? Poor Nayda, she must've been through alot, Elves were long-lived, and she had probably many secrets that he couldn't possibly comprehend. He would try his best if she did open up to him, but he didn't think that would happen any time soon. She sobbed into his shoulder and he smiled, bringing a hand up to the top of her back and holding her a little closer.

"Its okay... Just let it out..."

Errol said simply, holding her close to him as the rain poured around them. At least she found it appropriate to hug him, he wouldn't hurt her, and if anything, would offer her comfort in her time of need. Errol just sat there holding her in his arms, and comforting her as best he could. She was too pretty to be crying, it didn't suit her at all, and Errol hung his head over her, looking down at her blonde hair as she sobbed into him. There wasn't anything else in this world at this point in time that mattered more to him than caring for his new friend now.

[Nayda Vandom]

She hadn’t expected to break down like that.

It had been far too easy, and she hadn’t expected that. Then again, Nayda had bottled things up too much. It hadn’t been a wise choice; but she thought it was the only one. She didn’t want anyone seeing her pain; she refused to give the impression that she was weak.

It had been a terrible choice. It was much more painful than she had imagined at first.

So she went on crying for a while, shaking lightly and taking in short, deep breaths. Until she calmed down and was finally able to sigh her relief and wipe her eyes. Her face was paler than usual and her purple irises were bright and glassy; a few wet trails still tracked down her cheeks. But she was better. If not completely fine, she was better. But she needed to talk. She needed to let go of the past, and spilling it all out seemed to be the way to go.

Don’t you dare… was the warning that sounded in the back of her mind. The voice…that dreaded voice; it had been the start of everything and she was going to say it. She knew she had to.

Shut up.

She pulled away, just enough so that she was leaning on the tree and looking up to the darkened sky. ”In days like this…I miss my family, and a lot…”she mumbled. Her eyes lowered to the ground and a smile etched upon her face. ”My father married my mom despite she was human and…they were very happy. I always wanted to have a love story like theirs when I was little…She then sighed. That was when things started to get complicated. Her smile faded.

”My father was always away, so my best friends were my mom and…an imaginary friend. Her name was Kyura. I used to hear her voice in my mind, and I answered her. It was fun…until she started talking about darkness, war and…death. I was always scared of that…and tried to ignore her, but she wouldn’t leave me alone. That’s when I realized that she wasn’t really an imaginary friend, that she was real and wanted me to help her to get revenge on someone…” she bit her lip again. Hard, but not as much as to draw blood this time. She had to take a deep breath before continuing.

”I got tired of it and told my mother. She believed me, but Kyura didn’t like that. I remember that I yelled a lot and fainted…and when I woke up, my mother was dead…”she then started to feel like she was choking. It took her a whole minute to relax.
”…and I had been forced to kill her…I was so scared that I left the house and went to find my father, and he decided to take me away with him so that he could raise me. I stayed with him for a few months and I never asked if he knew what had happened because I was far too scared. I didn’t want to know if he thought I was a bad person or not, but that’s what I considered myself. One day…”she stopped. Now, there came the hard part. It was the part she couldn’t tell. Kyura was going to kill her….no, that didn’t matter. She needed to talk, now.

”…One day he got visits from his old master and I eavesdropped on them while they were talking…by accident, of course. I didn’t mean too, but I was young…I heard them talking, and that was when I learned…that my imaginary friend was an ancient spirit that had chained itself to my soul because I was young, and my bloodline just made it easier. My father had known it all along, and he never told me…I felt…terrible…and ran away…”Nayda could have stopped, and started to cry again, but she didn’t. She was getting a weight of her chest, and it felt good. At least the tough part was over and she could move on a bit.

”I escaped and went to the Elven City. I made it there and got really sick…a boy took pity on me and decided to take me in as his little sister. His name was Aiden. He became my best friend…and I think I liked him…but I was young, so it could have been just a silly crush,”she shook her head a bit and laughed at her own innocence. It was so utterly impossible that she had hoped for such a love story after the drama that had been her life. It was so silly that the idea made her laugh a bit. ”So I lived with Aiden during the rest of my childhood and until I was about…twenty or something like that…that’s when he left to become a Knight. I ended up being alone and left too, because I was bored…and I wanted to see the world. So I left and started travelling, and that’s how it goes until today. I haven’t seen my best friend, or my father in ages...and…I still miss them a lot…”she finished her story. Nayda tucked a lock of blonde hair behind her ear and sighed a bit.

There was one more thing, though…

”As for Kyura…I can’t get rid of her…so she’s still there…I still hear her, but not very often. I wear a charm to keep her away…” she pulled at the purple crystal around her neck and showed it to Errol, her gaze a bit blank and much calmer than before. She sighed and leaned further into the tree, waiting…

…waiting for his reaction. To see if he had changed his mind about her. The possibilities scared her.

[Errol Grey]

Errol held her as she cried, Nayda shook a little, taking in short deep breaths as she sobbed. Before long though, she seemed to have cried herself out, sighing with relief and wiped her eyes, looking down at her Errol noticed her pretty purple eyes had turned glassy and her face had gotten a little paler. Poor girl, Errol thought, seeing a few streaks of tears still down her face, and wiping them off with his hand, giving her a light smile. It almost seemed like things would be getting better, at least he hoped they would, but sadly she pulled away from Errol, leaning against the tree and up at the darkened sky from which rain still fell.

"In days like this...I miss my family, and a lot..." She began, and Errol knew his hopes had finally been granted, she was going to talk. At last, he would be able to know what was ailing this poor girl, to understand at least a little of what she was going through. Errol leaned toward her, a look of curiosity as he nodded to her statement, it was only natural one would miss their family, even though the only real family Errol ever had was the Sage, he missed him too. Errol listened intently to the rest of her story.

”My father married my mom despite she was human and…they were very happy. I always wanted to have a love story like theirs when I was little…"

Errol nodded, listening closely, it seemed like a nice thing, a human and an Elf in love, like a picture book romance that couldn't possibly end badly. He even saw Nayda smile, and smiled lightly too, but her sigh at the end of the sentence was a little troubling. Errol braced himself for sadness, leaning against the tree as she was and looking at her as she continued.

”My father was always away, so my best friends were my mom and…an imaginary friend. Her name was Kyura. I used to hear her voice in my mind, and I answered her. It was fun…until she started talking about darkness, war and…death. I was always scared of that…and tried to ignore her, but she wouldn’t leave me alone. That’s when I realized that she wasn’t really an imaginary friend, that she was real and wanted me to help her to get revenge on someone…”

Errol was a little blown away, an imaginary friend that was not-so-imaginary... It troubled Errol a little to think of the possibilities of such an evil spirit that could do something like that to such an innocent child. Errol continued to listen, nodding where appropriate.

”I got tired of it and told my mother. She believed me, but Kyura didn’t like that. I remember that I yelled a lot and fainted…and when I woke up, my mother was dead…”

A little aghast, Errol understood why she took a moment to recuperate her thoughts, that was horrible! Errol couldn't believe that it was sweet Nayda herself that did that under her own will, no, but his face showed no sign of dislike toward her, because that wasn't what he was feeling. He felt sorry for her, for the fact that she blamed herself more than likely for her mother's death, even though it wasn't really her fault.

…and I had been forced to kill her…I was so scared that I left the house and went to find my father, and he decided to take me away with him so that he could raise me. I stayed with him for a few months and I never asked if he knew what had happened because I was far too scared. I didn’t want to know if he thought I was a bad person or not, but that’s what I considered myself. One day…"

Telling him what he had already suspected had his heart lighten a little, he knew for a fact that sweet Nayda wouldn't do something like that, from what he had learned about her from the short time they had been together, she was far too kind and sweet to do anything like that. Errol nodded and continued to listen.

”…One day he got visits from his old master and I eavesdropped on them while they were talking…by accident, of course. I didn’t mean too, but I was young…I heard them talking, and that was when I learned…that my imaginary friend was an ancient spirit that had chained itself to my soul because I was young, and my bloodline just made it easier. My father had known it all along, and he never told me…I felt…terrible…and ran away…”

Errol was a taken aback a little by the fact that her father, who had taken her in, knew about Kyura, and the fact that it was a sentient, evil spirit that had chained itself to poor Nayda's soul. He understood completely why should would run away, Errol even felt a little anger well up inside him, at the injustice this poor girl suffered. Errol kept cool, though, he wanted to hear more of her story, he kept quiet and listened to Nayda continue.

”I escaped and went to the Elven City. I made it there and got really sick…a boy took pity on me and decided to take me in as his little sister. His name was Aiden. He became my best friend…and I think I liked him…but I was young, so it could have been just a silly crush,”

A little jealous that she had interests in a man other than himself, Errol looked away, and nearly cursed the fact that he heard this story, but it was a long time ago, Errol had a chance, maybe, to get a spot in her heart. Besides, this Aiden fellow probably thought of her as a sister anyhow. Hearing her laugh about it made things seem a little worse, that she was pitying herself. He didn't want that, she was obviously a strong girl, and she didn't need any of that.

”So I lived with Aiden during the rest of my childhood and until I was about…twenty or something like that…that’s when he left to become a Knight. I ended up being alone and left too, because I was bored…and I wanted to see the world. So I left and started travelling, and that’s how it goes until today. I haven’t seen my best friend, or my father in ages...and…I still miss them a lot…”

Errol nodded as he listened to the remainder of her story, enthralled by both her voice, and the many hardships this poor girl had withstood over the years. He watched her sigh a little and tuck some of the beautiful blonde hair behind her ear. She didn't look at him with those pretty purple eyes though, not since she began the story, and it troubled Errol a little.

”As for Kyura…I can’t get rid of her…so she’s still there…I still hear her, but not very often. I wear a charm to keep her away…”

She continued, answering a question that Errol was just about to ask, he saw her reach at the base of her neck and tug at a purple crystal which emanated magical energies. Errol only now just noticed the powers he felt from it, there could be any reason behind why he just noticed the energies, but it was mostly the fault of Errol himself going numb to everything else aside from his feelings for Nayda.

She sighed again, leaning further into the tree, and Errol couldn't bear it any longer. He shuffled a little closer to Nayda and pulled her close to him, hugging her tightly and shaking his head.

"You've been through so much... I understand why you didn't want to talk about this earlier... I'm glad you did though... and it helped, didn't it? I just hope this Kyura spirit doesn't cause you any harm. If you're scared I'd think differently of you because of this, you would be wrong, I think you're a beautiful young lady, who has been through alot, and needs to relax more, but that all. You're not evil, you're not a bad person. You are who you are."

Errol nodded, pulling away from her slightly before doing the most bold thing he thought he would ever do. Looking away for a moment and blushing, he quickly turned and kissed her forehead before turning away and letting her go from his hug. He probably scared her off by doing that, made her think he was some kind of weirdo, but it was worth it. Errol blushed madly and hid his face under the high collar of his cloak, the rain still falling around them.

[Nayda Vandom]

Now that she'd talked she felt better. Lighter, more relaxed. She had been keeping it locked away for two long. The tension hadn't entirely left her eyes, but it was fading -slowly, but that was something. She felt relieved, but she was still scared.

Eyes lowered on the ground, she waited and went on waiting. She was scared...of him, his reaction...that he would hate her after hearing the story... She had hurt people and felt terrible about it...she felt a need to run away...

...Until Errol pulled her into a tight hug. A small gasp escaped her lips, eyes widening in surprise, as he hugged her and assured that she wasn't a bad person. The kiss on her forehead was unexpected too; but it relieved her completely. He didn't hate her; and he believed in her actually. Not many people did, despite that she never trusted anyone enough to tell them her story. It could have brought another fit of tears, but all it did was make her smile faintly. She felt happy...

...so she pulled a bit closer to Errol and leaned her head on his shoulder, with a tiny smile and a small sigh. "Thank you. For listening to me..."she mumbled and looked out at the rain. It had gotten a bit harder, so much that it was hard to actually make out any other sound other than the drops hitting the ground. But it was relaxing. The air smelled like humid grass, it was nice and familiar, and it made her happy.

Her eyes fixed on the distance again, and she stared out toward the mountains far away, just thinking of the past, and how hard it had been...

...but she could also think of the good things. All of a sudden she smiled and shook her head lightly. "When I was little I used to stay out in the rain all the time. I had some horrible colds,"she commented, laughing. Her smile was wider, and her laughter was louder also. More lively. It was odd, how much she had managed to lighten up after talking about the past. It was odd, but she felt happy. And she wanted to go on feeling like that.

[Errol Grey]

Unsure of her reaction to him actually being caring toward her, Errol kept his hands on his collar, pulling it up as high as he could over his face so she couldn't see him blush. He waited for a moment, unsure of anything anymore, just knowing one thing, he liked this girl and didn't want to see her sad. When he felt her head rest on his shoulder, though, Errol dropped his hands from his collar and looked down at her, almost astonished. She seemed to let out a relieved sigh, which made Errol smile underneath his collar, looking down at her blonde hair resting on his shoulder. Managing to sneak an arm behind Nayda and wrapping it around her. "Thank you. For listening to me..." She said softly, looking out to the rain. Errol glanced out to the rain too, it started to pour down a little harder, but it didn't matter too much, the smell of the rain and humid grass was almost as nice as feeling this beautiful girl's embrace. The sounds of rain nearly drowned out her soft, pretty voice, but it was a good thing she was so close to him, otherwise he probably wouldn't have heard what she said. Errol's glance away from her was for a short time, though, he just couldn't get his eyes off of her. He wondered what she was thinking about now, if she was going to be sad again, and if he would have to help again. Errol was ready, but for now, he was content with savoring the moment, the time that he was spending with her.

Suddenly, she shook her head, Errol couldn't help but lean forward and try to get a look at her face, but from what he could see, she was smiling. With nothing to worry about, Errol smiled too and leaned back against the tree, his arm still wrapped around Nayda, his hand resting above her hip. "When I was little I used to stay out in the rain all the time. I had some horrible colds," She said, almost out of nowhere, it made Errol smile though, that she was sharing happier times about her past rather than all the bad times. It was a good thing to hear that her hardships were met with good times too. She laughed, too, which obviously meant she was in a good mood, it made Errol chuckle a little too, her laughter was a little infectious.

"It was probably a lot of fun, though, being out in the rain as a child... At least the colds were worth it, in a sense."

Errol smiled, looking down at Nayda, and hoping this moment they shared would last forever.

[Nayda Vandom]

She was far too peaceful at the moment. So much that it could have thundered and she wouldn't have noticed at all. And she felt lighter, too. It was relieving to find herself in such a mood after such a long time.

...it was as though she was a whole different person. She felt so relaxed that it almost felt odd. But it was a good change. A great one, even.

The arm that wrapped around her was welcomed, too. It was so nice to have company other than an annoying voice in her head. "Oh, the colds were definitely worth it....a bit annoying, but worth it,"she answered with a light sigh. She closed her eyes briefly and smiled to herself.

Some things should be eternal, and this moment should be ne of them.

The headache she was developing at the moment couldn't be a good sign, though, and the fact that her crystal was shining fiercely only scared her. Kyura's voice started snapping at her.

You're so pathetic, girl. I will feel very sorry for you the day you let me out, she snapped, and Nayda had to flinch at the comment. She couldn't...she wasn't going to let Kyura take over anymore, if it happened then...things would take a horrible turn.

That's not going to happen....so....leave me alone. The moment she thought this words was the moment the headache became worse. She had to pull away from Errol and hold a hand to her head in what was almost agony. Immediately, tears fell from her eyes due to the splitting headache.

How can you keep your hopes so high? You're not strong enough to keep me away, and you know that. If you were, you wouldn't have your dear mother's blood on your hands, would you? Kyura muttered darkly, and Nayda's first thought was that it was very, very low of her to remind her that.

That's not fair, I was five! I'm stronger now, I can fight you off if I want to! was her desperate, angry response. At that moment the light from the crystal faded. Nayda had to pass out. Her body couldn't take the pain anymore. So she sank into unconsciousness.

[Errol Grey]

Errol felt like this moment would last forever. It should have, it needed to, his feelings for this girl; Nayda, made him want it to be around her forever. Holding her close and listening to the heavy sound of lots of rain falling was soothing. Even though he didn't like too much the rain, with her at his side, nothing bothered him. It was strange, how this girl affected him, like everything would be just fine if he stayed by her side, and her at his. Smiling gently as he held her, leaning a little and resting just above Nayda's. He couldn't really believe that such an amazing person such as herself had such a troubled past. In light of the situation, though, he wanted to make her feel like that could all wash away, with him at her side, he hope she would be able to get through her problems, and move on to the future as he did. When she spoke again, he smiled, he loved hearing her voice, and even more so when she talked about herself. "Oh, the colds were definitely worth it....a bit annoying, but worth it," Errol couldn't help but smile too, she was feeling better, and he could tell. Feeling good was just the first step, though, in a long road she had ahead of her if she wanted to continue to feel good. She had to let go of the past, but he wasn't about to just tell her that, she wouldn't understand after all, she'd probably think he was trying to change her or something absurd, and run off. He didn't want that, not one bit, he wanted to be by her side, and help her work through anything that would come up. Oh, if only Errol knew what was coming up, though, sadly he was no seer, he could not predict the future.

The moment she pulled away from him, he knew something was wrong, and his face showed it. His carefree facial expression replaced with one that showed he was genuinely concerned, a serious look for serious business. She held a hand to her head, as if her head hurt, the rain still falling around them. Errol wanted to call out to her, and shout, asking what was wrong, but no, he felt if he did yell, it would only make the pain in her head worse. He would hold out a hand, dumbfounded and awestruck as she began to tear up again. Streaks of water coming from her eyes wrenched shut, it made Errol's heart sink to see her cry again. He wanted to hug her, hold her, tell her it would be okay, but he could only watch as she seemed to tremble from the pain. What was wrong? What was going on? Then, Errol looked down to see the pendant she wore glowing. Emanating magic, as if warding something evil away. If only Errol knew... It would not be long before Nayda would lose consciousness, and slump over, the light from the crystal around her neck fading with her consciousness. Errol took the chance he was given, and swooped in, catching her as she slumped and holding her in his arms. With a staggered breath, rain still dropping heavily around the tree they were under, he shook a little himself. He didn't know what to do, what was wrong, all he knew was that the girl he was falling for was unconscious in his arms. With a solemn look, he held her and propped her head up so that she rested on his shoulder again. He felt he could only offer her comfort now, it was all he could do, and the least he could do. Poor girl probably went through quite a bit, and he would not try to pry into it too much, but he knew if he was going to help her in any way, he would have to ask.

"Hang in there, Nayda..."

He said softly into her ear, hoping that in her unconsciousness, she would at least hear him, and make her way back into the real world. Where he would be waiting patiently for her.

[Nayda Vandom]

So dark...and so cold...

It was a nightmare, a nightmare she couldn't get rid of. There, wherever it was, engulfed by darkness, she was incapable of breathing and moving, she felt numb and weak and she couldn't fight it. She had the impression of being falling slowly. Falling through dark water and being unable to see the surface; as the waves forced her further into the depths of that dark ocean.

As she slept her breathing became shallower and weaker, and she struggled in her sleep. It was like facing her worst fear and having no way to fight it back. Everything had faded away, there was no way to find anything. Not the sun, the sky, or anything, everything was black. The dark water had blocked everything away.

She was almost completely sure that she was dying.

Nayda had the impression that she was trapped and confined into a corner of her own mind and in such a state she couldn't get away from the pain. It was the fear and the pain itself what were keeping her trapped and she couldn't fight it. It hurt too much, it was too overwhelming.

No, no, no...

And yet, somehow she knew she was going to live. All of a sudden, a sole star started to glow somewhere far, far away.

"Hang in there, Nayda..."

The voice brought back some hope to her, hope on the fact that she wasn't dead yet. The thought made her heart feel lighter, and she was able to breathe. It was like flying -flying toward the surface at a great speed.

I'm not gonna die, not yet. I can't...

The star's light became brighter.

I won't fade.

The moment she broke through the surface in her nightmare was the same moment her purple eyes opened slowly, blinking blearily under the shadow of the tree she was sitting at with Errol. He was holding her in his arms patiently. Nayda had to let out a small sigh as she leaned her head on his shoulder slowly. She felt....cold. Her cheeks were a bit red, actually.

"H-Hello...."she mumbled tiredly, holding her hand to her forehead. It felt pretty normal, but she wasn't sure. She had to close her eyes for a moment; she was far too tired.

[Errol Grey]

As he held her close to him, the sound of rain falling all around, Errol couldn't help but notice the slight twitches and movements of Nayda in her unconsciousness. It was as if she was struggling against some kind of unknown force. Something he could only guess was Kyura, her not-so-imaginary 'friend'. Errol cursed the demonic powers that bestowed such a curse on this lovely flower of a girl. He held her there in his arms, a solemn look on his face, feeling her struggle and noticing... Her breath, it was getting shallower, slower, as if it was constricting her. His heart raced as he thought of ways he could help her, all of which would be considered unbelievably perverted should she wake up just as he was to apply them. Errol chose not to be thought of as a pervert in Nadya's eyes, and hoped for the best, though if she stopped breathing completely, he would have to apply measures to make sure she lived, no matter her thoughts about him afterward. It wasn't long after, though, that she started to breath normally again, after he whispered into her ear and prayed to gods he didn't even believe in for her safety. Errol kept his eyes on her face, waiting for any sign or stirring of her, any possible inkling that she was going to come back to consciousness. When she opened her eyes, and he was once again able to see those pretty purple orbs, he was relieved to the point that he himself could have fainted. He smiled gently and looked down at her, blinking with her eyes half-closed as she slowly regained composure. When she let out a light sigh and leaned her head on his shoulder, he knew everything was going to be alright, at least, for now.

Smiling down at her, he saw she cheeks were red, and her face was a little pale. She mumbled hello, stuttering a little, but he still smiled gently. Moving a hand up to move some of her locks out of her face and tuck them behind her ear, he nodded looking into her eyes. Errol changed the way he sat a little so he could pull his cloak out a bit and throw it over her as he held her against him. He felt warm, even though he was feeling a little sick, and he hoped she felt his warmth and didn't get too cold either. Wind blew and rustled the leaves of the tree as the weather had yet to let up, though the rain softened a little. Errol swallowed hard, thinking back to when she was breathing slowly, it startled him, he thought he was going to lose her. He wanted her to know his feelings, but at the same time, he didn't want to scare her off.

"You're... You're going to be okay, Nayda... Just rest. I've got you."

Errol wrapped an arm around her body as he held her under his cloak, smiling and blushing a little. He liked this girl alot, he couldn't deny it any longer, and he didn't know how much longer he could keep it a secret from her.

[Nayda Vandom]

This was so relieving. Being back to reality, listening to the rain and just lying there, safe. Nayda shook her head a bit when Errol told her to rest, she was too scared. Scared of closing her eyes, of getting lost in the dark again, scared of dying...because she was almost sure that she had been too close to death. It made sense, otherwise why else had everything been so dark and cold?

It was that thought precisely what scared her. She wasn't all that sure of what would happen to a soul like hers after dying. Would she find peace and happiness, or fade away into the dark, like in her nightmare? She didn't know and never wanted to find out at all. The thought made her flinch.

"I'm sorry for all this..."she mumbled in a whisper. "...I...shouldn't have told you about her...this wouldn't have happened..."she said closing her eyes, letting her head rest on Errol's shoulder. His presence there comforted her, made her feel better. She tried to fall asleep for a while, but her reflections wouldn't let her. She sat there, in Errol's arms, with her eyes closed as her mind nibbled at the questions that kept coming.

It was strange. Nayda had been far away from people for too long. Maybe she'd stayed a day or two in villages and everything, but not for enough time as to actually grow close to anyone. She wasn't used to feel loved, she wasn't used to feel that someone actually cared. It was a nice, warm feeling that put everything away from her mind. The past, all the suffering, everything was temporarily forgotten. It was a strange sensation, though. New, even. She had caused her mother's death, had ran away from her father, Aiden had left... everyone she had loved... eventually they had left. She wasn't sure if she wanted to take that risk again. The risk of losing another loved one.

She opened her eyes after a while, after unsuccessfully attempting to fall asleep, and tried to sit up straight. She couldn't though; she was still too tired and her strenght failed her miserably. "I'm exhausted...."she mused softly, sighing lightly.

[Errol Grey]

Errol listened to both the rain, and her hushed whisper, just barely audible over the pattering of the rain on the now soaked ground. "I'm sorry for all this..." She began, keeping her voice quiet, timid, making him feel bad, as if he had let her down somehow by allowing her to feel this way. "...I...shouldn't have told you about her...this wouldn't have happened..." Errol felt like saying something to the contrary, that whether or not telling him about Kyura probably would have changed nothing. The feeling of her resting her head on his shoulder, though, changed his mood, he felt as if that providing even this little bit of comfort for Nayda would at least bring her some peace. Looking down at her and noticing she had finally closed her eyes, he breathed a little sigh of relief, at least she was trying to rest. It must have taken quite the toll on her, being so weakened by the powers of this demonic presence in her mind. Errol didn't let the thought stay on his mind too long, though, he tried his best to keep a positive demeanor. Just enjoying Nayda's presence in his arms. He let his mind wander, looking up at the darkened sky from under the tree, thinking about whatever it was he could think about. Anything to keep his mind off of the terrible ordeal that Nayda had probably gone through. Keeping a faint and welcoming smile on his face as he watched the sky. He knew she would be okay, as long as he was around to keep her safe, be her ward, she would be safe. Errol wouldn't allow anything to harm Nayda, within or outside of her, all of these he would do anything within his power to stop. This drove him, made him want to make his powers become greater, learn more about magic, learn more about the creatures that inhabit this world. It wasn't long before he felt Nayda push up on him gently, weakly, trying to sit up. He could tell, her push felt weak, and when he looked down he saw that she tried and failed miserably when she tried to sit up, feeling her give up and just lay in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder. Errol couldn't help but smile down at her, hearing her muse softly "I'm exhausted...." deciding then, that he would move her into a little more of a comfortable position in his arms, he imagined it wasn't exactly a sofa in his arms, but he did his best to accommodate her.

"Its alright, don't worry... You're going to be fine, as long as I'm here. I promise I won't let anything bad happen to you."

Errol said softly to her, leaning back against the tree and resting the back of his head up on the bark. He wanted to close his eyes too, just for a little bit, after all he was feeling a bit under the weather and he knew rest would make him feel better, but he stopped himself. He didn't want to drift off to sleep and leave Nayda there, alone in a sense. Errol cradled her, glancing back down at her again, thinking about what to say.

"... I hope you don't regret meeting me... Because I know I don't regret meeting you."

He thought that would be kind of a romantic things to say, he tried to be charming after all, and wanted her to feel some kind of warmth other than his body heat. It was true what he said, as well, even after all she had told him, if it were anybody else, he probably would have been a bit more opinionated about it, but with her, she was different. Like a rose in the middle of a tundra, she was that shining ray of hope, of perseverance. She had gone through so much and hadn't broken down yet, Errol was impressed. He liked this girl, Nayda, alot, and would give even his magical powers to keep her from experiencing what she had probably experienced in her short bout of unconsciousness.

[Nayda Vandom]

Nayda didn't feel strong enough yet. She doubted she could even keep her head up in this state; and it scared her. Shee felt too weak...did that mean Kyura was getting stronger? She didn't know, and certainly didn't want to know. If she was, though....were, there were certain rules concerning possession. If Kyura started growing stronger...then at some point she'd end up taking over completely, and Nayda would die. That was something she didn't want to think about.

It was impossible to contemplate such possibility though. Not now that she was so tired and...peaceful. Lying here, under the tree,in Errol's arms, she couldn't see ay dark perspectives. She could only focus on this moment, and how relieving it was to find herself in such a peaceful state after the hell that had been her nightmare/unconsciousness. For now she was just tired, needing sleep. She let her eyes close once more, despite the fact that she knew she'd be unable to sleep for now. A faint smile stretched on her lips as she listened to her new friend.

What was the possibility of meeting someone and liking them so much after such a short amount of time? Nayda had always thought it was only mean to happen in those love stories her mother used to tell her when before tucking her into bed when she was little. And after Aiden had left she had felt that love wasn't meant for her. She had lived thinking that she was a bad person, a murderer, and she had been too scared, too sad to think about love. She had thought it was so beautiful, so surreal to be true. Now? Now she didn't know. She didn't know why she was so warm inside, so dazed...wait, maybe that was the fever. No, she felt happy, at peace, though the exhaustion made it all very confusing.

"I don't regret meeting you,"she whispered tiredly, opening her eyes and locking her gaze with his. "You...you have been the only man that has cared enough to actually listen to me, you're very kind, and sweet...and...and you're a great friend...Errol..."she whispered, her voice cracking lightly. Tears didn't come this time though. The words came from her heart.