Colin's posts

"Still in New Zealand." the man responded.

"This just happens to be a cabin of mine for when I drift to this country." he told her.

"We're about 6 miles from where you were." he went on.

"It's very well-hidden." he then said.

"Regardless, you should have a drink." he suggested, bringing a mug of cold liquid over towards her.

"Help clear your head a little more quickly."

All of a sudden, she felt the wind start to whip up around her.

And it wasn't a breeze, or a strong gust... it seemed like the wind was whirling around her, and was closing in on her. It was also picking up the pollen and whirling it around her, but before she could really process this, things went black for her.

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself on a bed, in a cabin-like building.

"Hello." she heard a male voice say from across the room. It belonged to a man with his back towards her, as he seemed to be preparing a drink.

"Lucky I happened to come along when I did." he told her. "You were almost dead."

"All right." Jaden replied.

"That sounds good." he said.

"I look forward to it." he told her.

"Maybe being able to use a blade will help my survival in the world." he commented.

"I hope so, anyway."

"I suppose so." Jaden responded.

"Anyway..." he muttered, looking at the food.

"Right, so... my training." he said, changing the subject.

"I assume it's going to change now?" he asked.

"I mean, I did come to terms with the blade, and it seems willing to let me use it." he told her.

"Does this mean my training moves onto the next level?"

Jaden shook his head.

"No. She's not." he replied.

"She had red eyes, VERY pale skin, and... well... no real hair colour." he told her.

"Yeah, I know it sounds weird." he muttered.

"But she could only give herself colour with special glamour mana spells."

"....yeah." Jaden replied.

"I don't even know if there are any other dhampirs in this world." he admitted.

"Well... any living ones, anyway." he clarified.

"I... just... yeah..." he mumbled.

"Mom was a vampire, Dad was a mage... whoever he is... or was..." he went on.

"He's where I got my hair." he finished, gesturing to the blonde atop his head.

"If you wish." Jaden replied.

"I guess she was right, though." he said.

"The world IS pretty cruel and violent to those like me." he sighed.

"But if you hear anything, sure." he told her.

"I..." he then said, before pausing.

"I... actually... don't think I've told you my last name." he realized.

"It's Sherwood."

".....sort of, and not really." Jaden replied.

"Mother was... very overprotective of me." he told her.

"She didn't want me leaving the house much, always wanted to know where I was, insisted that I never leave when she left to do whatever..." he listed off.

"It was stifling." he said.

"So I decided that, when she was gone, I would run away. I left her a goodbye note, and left the house... just to see a group of hunters approaching." he went on.

"Most chased after me, while I saw some stay behind to demolish the house." he then sighed.

"I haven't seen her since she left that one time." he went on.

"No idea where she is, what she's doing, or if she was caught by those hunters." he then finished.

"Oh..." Jaden replied.

"I... kind of understand." he said.

"I don't know who my father is." he told her.

"Just... yeah. Never knew." he said.

"And Mother never really talked about him, for whatever reason."

"....I see." Jaden responded.

"Wait." he then said.

"Your father?" he asked.

"You know who your father is?" he asked her.

"Does he not live here? Or even come here?"

Jaden was silent as he saw the 'fireball'.

"Oh..." he said.

"Oh, I... I see." he muttered.

"I... never thought I would see a Fyrane without flames." he commented.

"Or... a mage whose mana underwent any sort of shift like this." he said further.

"Do you know WHY it's happening?" he asked her.

Jaden smiled.

"Thank you." he replied.

"....what did you have to do?" he asked. "If I may ask." he said further.

"You don't seem like the kind of person the blade would task with something like that." he commented.

"If you'd rather not say, then I apologize for asking."

Jaden sighed.

"I..." he stammered.

"It seemed like it was able to materialize both sides of me." he said.

"Looking back on it, it was an illusion, but it seemed real. And the human side and vampire side demanded I pick a side. Demanded I pick one, and slay the other." he went on.

"The sword then allowed me to use it, to kill the side I denied." he told her further.

"I then asked them to stand close together, which they did, and used the blade to decapitate the both of them at ones." he then said.

"Because I am not a human. I am not a vampire. I needed to stop thinking like that. I am a Dhampir. I am my own entity, separate to both humans and vampires."

"....a lot." Jaden replied.

"I had a nightmare again, about being torn in half and the two halves consuming each other endlessly." he said.

"When I woke up, I know what I had to do." he went on.

"I went to the pond, where my reflection was half-human, half-monster, and I needed to show the blade that I could accept who I was." he continued.

"It knew I meant it when it stopped cutting me."