《Until Hope Dies》


 Chapter One: Under the Summoning Spell

    Thancred, her bodyguard since they were teenagers, already slumbers by her door as the woman pulls her door. After she checks her locks for the final time, a young woman turns behind her. She hopes the ritual was set.


    A forbidden ritual was set on the floor: red paint against the hard wooden floors she was sure her family stole from a true noble family in the markings of death and life. A ceremonial blade ¨C she believes it¡¯s called an athame as Thancred would correct her ¨C ready to cut into her skin on top of an opened book.


    Once she was fully confident the man outside wouldn¡¯t disturb the ritual, the woman moves back into her room as she walks as lightly as possible against the floorboards. Life in a cage taught her well to protect her body and worse yet, she had to hurry.


    The full moon, according to her charts, would pass quickly and even wane the more she hesitates.


    The woman bends down and her long white hair brushes against the book. She moves it aside and her light-grey eyes flutter over the ritual¡¯s words. She mutters it as she reads it then repeats it. Words she shouldn¡¯t ¨C or any witch ¨C should repeat, especially one who doesn¡¯t even specialize as a summoner. But desperation pushes her to do such an act. The woman had no choice as memories of two dead bodies cloud her words. Tears stream down her face and she couldn¡¯t stop or she¡¯d break concentration.


    For a crime family, there was supposed to be a code of honor.


    The woman is an adult, but she hates herself for crying like a child.


    She couldn¡¯t even blink her tears away as she knows the moon moves quicker than it should at this time of night. However, there was a window and she had to take it.


    Bodies of old and young lie on the ground, bleeding and dead, and the person who caused that stared at her with a threat to keep his secret.


    Thancred was unaware of what happened ¨C he didn¡¯t care as long as he gets a check ¨C but suddenly, the bodyguard is pulled from his duties from the Conclave of Harmony to watch her closer. The woman objected heavily but at least she manages to steal the forbidden books she was reading out of.


    She breathes heavily as she repeats the ritual¡¯s words, now committed to her memory. Now she can close her eyes and shakes the terrifying image away. The final rotation appears in her memory of the ritual as she takes the athame and, at first, lands the sharp tip on the palm of her hand. At the last minute, she changes her mind ¨C she needs the palm of her hand. It¡¯d be unwise to cut that so she cuts tips of her fingers instead.


    She winces and more when she hovers it over the center of the red paint. Her mutterings and chants only repeat as she squeezes her bleeding ends over it.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Would it be enough?


    The woman decides it wasn¡¯t so she squeezes it more. She trembles with pain and grits her teeth as the repeated words reverberate in her mind.


    A breath in and out as the final words met their end.


    She opens her eye to better judge her work.


    Suddenly, the woman was surrounded by darkness. She breathes more and looks around and hopes she didn¡¯t summon a demon instead.


    Finally, a light appears in the middle of the ritual circle and she reaches over to touch it ¨C against her better judgment, she knew better.


    But if she truly knew better, this ritual wouldn¡¯t happen in the first place.


    She made sure the finger she touched the light with was still bleeding so she winces again when she pinches for more blood. A jolt of pain goes through her and she reaches out to touch it.


    ¡°Please, bring me your strongest warrior!¡± She whispers to it as she reaches over.


    The moment she touches it with her plea attached to it, the light expands and she recoils back ¨C even bringing her wounded hand to cover her face.


    The light expands as it lowers with a ¡®weight¡¯ the woman couldn¡¯t see immediately.


    There was still a lot of darkness and the light continues to expand until she sees a pair of a man¡¯s feet and then his hands. He¡¯s paler than she is but she remains quiet and watchful as the light becomes a man on the ground.


    Her face does redden when she realizes the man was naked and though she turns to grab the clothes she¡¯d stolen from Thancred weeks ago, she still becomes anxious about what this man looked like. She hopes once again she didn¡¯t accidentally summon a demon ¨C witches were already accused of such a sordid history in this world and she knew she would have to explain everything to this newcomer eventually.


    Eventually, she realizes the light has finally dimmed away and her room has its normal lighting back. The man who lies on his back opens his eyes only for her to recoil immediately.


    The man¡¯s face was handsome ¨C still paler than her ¨C with black bangs that cover mostly his eyes and lay on unkempt wavy hair. On his chin, there was a growing beard and on his ears had piercings much like the men in her world. His nose was as pointed as the red eyes on his face.


    Between the stars, the woman should be happy the gods gave her a man to protect her ¨C a handsome man. But the look on his face could only be described as the look of a demon. Anger boiled in the red and in the irises of a murderer.


    Who had she summoned?


    ¡°Aiden Earthrun!¡± said an unknown voice. This causes the woman to jump and forces her heart to slam against her chest as she stands up and looks around for the source of the voice. ¡°He has been summoned by such a forbidden act! Witch, do you not understand what you have just done?!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s my savior!¡±


    But the presence is gone and the man groans as he sits up. A lovely tenor voice echoes out of him and he grabs his head in pain. He winces and rubs it; soon, he looks towards the woman¡¯s direction as he didn¡¯t seem to hear the unknown voice. He finally speaks.


    ¡°Who are you? And why are you in the death chamber with me? Are you the executioner?¡±

 Chapter Two: A Skeleton Boy Meets a Skeleton Girl

    Before she could answer, she throws the clothes at the man¡¯s head. Confused, but with no cruel response, the man puts on the clothes, and the woman relaxes.


    ¡°My name is Honey Dewless¡­ Did you not hear that voice earlier?¡± Honey decides to ignore that question for the moment. She looks around and does her best to feel for another presence.


    Only she, this man, and Thancred exist in this area.


    The man¡¯s cold stare is quiet but full of something Honey is unsure of. She doesn¡¯t want to press him and keep him waiting too much longer.


    ¡°No, never mind¡­ This might be a second chance for you.¡± She looks at him, bravely though terror controls her movement. Her fingertips still hurt but the bleeding already ended. ¡°I do not know where you came from but welcome to the world of Lopki, Summoned Spirited! I have clothes for you to wear so feel free to put them on! It¡¯s a bit chilly tonight.¡± Honey stands tall even as this demon disguised as a man continues to silently stare at her and she avoids looking at his naked body. ¡°They may be a bit big on you ¨C I apologize. I wasn¡¯t sure who I was summoning.¡±


    The man doesn¡¯t respond but silently puts on the clothes before him. He remains on the ground and continues to stare at her with his devilish red eyes ¨C ready to kill, ready to devour.


    ¡°Are you sure about that? I¡¯m a criminal, after all.¡± He finally says.


    ¡°I¡¯m the daughter of a crime lord.¡± Sheltered, she could hear Thancred say in his usual joking tone. ¡°Your types don¡¯t scare me one bit.¡± Honey crosses her arms and does her best imitation of her older brother¡¯s ¨C Eraldo ¨C whenever he questions an underling.


    The man continues to stare at her and slowly blinks at her. Watching her every moment, Honey does her best not to move. Though she¡¯s a woman in her early twenties, she hates it when her childish side comes out under duress. However, she was the first member of her family ¨C living or not ¨C to summon a Spirited and successfully at that.


    ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± he repeats himself. But the next words out of his mouth are what stops Honey cold. ¡°I¡¯m a murderer, after all. I was set to die after killing my family.¡±


    She shouldn¡¯t be shocked; she¡¯s the daughter of a crime lord after all. The underworld should have always been her playground and she hates it when Thancred was right. Her mother did her very best to keep both her and her younger sister out of that world but failed with Eraldo at her cruel father¡¯s insistence. Though, what shocks her the most is what comes out of her own mouth.


    ¡°That¡¯s perfectly fine. You may need to murder people to protect me.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    The man chuckles and though it was nice to hear, Honey still shivers from hold cold it was. She knows that¡¯s the cold laugh of a murderer and she even feels the ice-cold wind of her magic heating up in protection.


    If this man attacks her and attempts to murder her, while Thancred could have trouble getting in, she always had her magic to protect herself. And she would freeze a man if she had to.


    However, he hadn¡¯t gotten up and instead stares at her with his red eyes.


    Every time she looks into that man¡¯s eyes, she shivers so she does her best to avoid eye contact.


    Just until she becomes braver.


    ¡°Why do you need me then? I could murder you, you know. Whatever a Summoned Spirited is, how can you be ensured your safety from turning my tools against you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s precisely why, actually! Because I summoned you, you have to listen to me and no harm will come to me as long as I¡¯m retaining control of you!¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re controlling me?¡±


    Honey picks up the book from the ground and points to it with a healing finger.


    ¡°You have free will but you cannot harm me or allow harm to come to me. Because I summoned you with my blood, you have to listen to me so I¡¯m ordering you to protect me.¡± She breathes and hopes he couldn¡¯t read the Common Language yet. She had heard Summoned Spirited people could either take time to adjust to this world or they could never read it at all.


    ¡°The rules sound very skewed. But if I have no choice to not harm you, then so be it.¡± He doesn¡¯t look around and continues to stare perfectly into Honey¡¯s light-grey eyes. Honey sighs as she motions to silence him. Aiden didn¡¯t need to be told twice about it as he watches her.


    On cue, knocks echo on the other side of the door and Aiden understands he¡¯s to stay silent as the voice echoes following the knocks.


    ¡°Honey, are you okay? I heard another man¡¯s voice.¡±


    Soon, it dawns on Honey how loud the couple had been and how could she have forgotten about Thancred¡¯s sensitive ears.


    ¡°What? Are you dreaming about your ex-boyfriends again, Thancred?¡± She responds as ¡®normal¡¯ as she could. Desperately, she hides the nervousness in her tone. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re such a romantic!¡±


    ¡°None of my exes murdered their entire family.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a very specific dream¡­¡±


    The man sighs behind the door.


    ¡°Whatever. Never mind. Like your father would allow you to meet a man without meeting his expectations. Carry on. I¡¯ll see you in the morning, Honey.¡±


    Heavy footsteps pause but soon tread down the wooden, stolen hallway and Honey makes Aiden stay silent until she was sure he was gone. Years of having him next to her door taught her well to recognize how many steps it takes until he makes a left. Years of listening to determine whose footsteps think they¡¯re sly and sneaky and angry and brash. Once Thancred makes it to the usual left, Honey releases the silence and sighs with relief.


    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t you use that guy to help you leave if it¡¯s so dire? Why bring me to this world?¡±


    ¡°Because that guy is loyal to my father more than he ever will to me.¡±

 Chapter Three: Bend the Rules

    Even though she knows that a Summoned Spirit should be given more time to adjust to this world, she couldn¡¯t wait. Honey had every intention to leave that night. She wanted to leave the ritual items behind ¨C it didn¡¯t matter if Thancred found her grandmother¡¯s forbidden book. The old woman had every intention of passing it down the family line so all it would do is show Thancred she could read something advanced like that.


    Perhaps the Siciliano family should have never pilfered from dead necromancers in the first place as part of a proud family tradition.


    Intentionally, she had stolen only one set of clothes; even if she could smell Thancred¡¯s scent along with Aiden¡¯s strange musk, Honey was razor-focused on escaping with the precious items she chose before the ritual. Aiden hardly questions her as the two leave the huge family home. To Aiden, this world must have appeared strange to him. Witches exist, including Honey herself, so at the first bout of magic, the man would only stare with his deadly red eyes. He¡¯d never ask but merely accepts the strangeness.


    They avoid her family¡¯s underlings ¨C thankfully, Honey knew where most of the routes. She expertly hides in adequate blind spots and leads easily. Aiden wonders how many failed attempts the young woman had before she could have been such an expert but he¡¯d wait until they were free.


    The questions only come when they reach the forest.


    True, Honey and many families enjoy what Aiden considers ¡®modern¡¯ technology and dress but he still finds it strange to see pre-made pathways in forests next to such an elaborate home. However, he holds his tongue until Honey deems it safe; after all, she would know better about this world than he would and it was wise to stay quiet.


    Once they reach the forest, Honey tells him to remain silent as they went in deeper. Neither of them knew what time it was but darkness still covers their half of the world.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Aches and pains from his previous world bother Aiden but Honey doesn¡¯t stop for anything. There wasn¡¯t time and it wasn¡¯t safe; she didn¡¯t want to put either of them in danger and more so since Aiden had no idea on how this world works. She imagines that there may be a lot of similarities between the two but she wouldn¡¯t know until they stop long enough to talk.


    Granted, with the darkness, it¡¯s hard to see and navigate but she notices herself making more minuscule mistakes ¨C being bolder and even using her magic ¨C so she inhales. And exhales. Her body becomes sweaty and tired but her eyes are wide awake. She couldn¡¯t falter so soon ¨C she was so close to getting to the nearest village.


    Though, not completely ¨C many of the family¡¯s underlings and even the captains would migrate to that town on their days off and the villagers are taught to obey and fear them. Honey remembers visiting the village before but ever since her family¡¯s deaths, she had been on lockdown. Luckily, she was a good enough actress to sneak to her grandmother¡¯s library, but¡­


    She wipes sweat off her hand. Luckily, she was wearing something tight ¨C even if it shows her body a little more than she¡¯s comfortable with ¨C so she could move around better and more effectively. Aiden doesn¡¯t look at her but looks over for his safety as well. If she ends up catching his eye, it¡¯s to direct him ¨C he had to trust her. There was no other choice but to trust her.


    After all, she summoned him and her rules are clear: he has to follow and protect her.


    In truth, a Summoned Spirited could very much harm and not protect the person they summon; they had complete free will. They could do whatever they wanted and especially with all of their memories intact. She had to do a lot of secret studying from her grandmother¡¯s library just to learn how to pronounce the ritual¡¯s words but she couldn¡¯t mention any of that. However, she hopes she survives long enough to hold on to that secret where she¡¯s safe from her family¡¯s harm.


    Perhaps she¡¯ll acquire more magic by then to even get rid of him if she needs to in the future.


    She bites her lips as her beating heart rams against her chest as the weight of her secrets becomes heavy for her to handle. The man had only arrived an hour or so ago but she needs to bury any urge to tell him everything. He didn¡¯t need to know; he just needs to know his job is to protect her from her family.


    Just as how she doesn¡¯t need to know why he murdered his entire family.

 Chapter Four: The Fireflies of Gilramore

    For the entire time they were in the forest, no words were exchanged; Honey ensures they remain silent in case any of her family¡¯s underlings decide to hide in the bushes to sober up from the alcohol or to even take a forbidden nap. The night lingers on and though the couple sees fireflies ¨C Honey could even sense Aiden widen his eyes in surprise ¨C they keep moving along.


    She narrows her light-grey eyes as she reminds herself of the plan:


    Once they enter Gilramore, they would go to a small inn ¨C one of the newer ones that recently started she had once heard from an underling ¨C and check in. It didn¡¯t matter who it was ¨C she would have pretended to be their lover for the night and they wouldn¡¯t recognize her. After a few nights of staying in the inn, they would escape to the famous city of Milriu. They would do something to earn enough money to buy a boat to leave the country. In the meantime, she¡¯d have to forge documents ¨C or at least hire someone to do so ¨C especially for her Summoned Spirited. She thinks about what she¡¯d need to do after that. Murder was something she couldn¡¯t do ¨C but Aiden could.


    But if she leaves this country, she¡¯d have to abandon her little sister.


    She bites her lips as she recalls that aspect of her plan ¨C she would have to do it all on her own. This was something she had to accept; she had to escape first before she¡¯d come back to the lion¡¯s den for her.


    Ever since their deaths, her father kept everyone under lock and key with their respective bodyguards and she didn¡¯t know if Eraldo or Camila even thought of escaping or if they listened to their father. Eraldo would be more likely to stay as he believes he¡¯s owed the position of leader. Camila might only listen because of her young age and uncertainty of who killed Mother and their grandparents.


    But Honey knows everything her father said about what happened was a lie and the true gruesome side her father truly adopted in the criminal underworld they¡¯re in.


    ¡°Are we there yet?¡± Aiden whispers against her ear, bringing her back to the present.


    Though she appreciates the whispers, her body still reacts to the cool breath against her hot body. She nearly jumps out of her skin as she rapidly turns her head. Once again, she motions for him to stay quiet.


    Again, she¡¯s proud that she¡¯s made it this far but she didn¡¯t want to take any chances. But she becomes hyper-aware that he had a hold on her body ¨C gently.


    For a murderer freshly executed, he had very gentle and soft hands.


    She ignores her body¡¯s reaction and moves his hand off her shoulder; even if they are to pretend to be lovers, she¡¯d have to not be distracted at this moment. Every few steps, she notices the streetlights still magically glowing from a closing distance. Though, she worries about how she¡¯s going to react when they reach the inn if she was going to react like this.


    But she¡¯ll cross that bridge when she gets to it.


    The rest of the way was as quiet as Honey hoped for and soon, the couple arrives at the sleepy town of Gilramore. Sleepy was a word Honey always thinks of when she hears the underlings¡¯ gossip about the town. Sometimes they¡¯d meet someone to have a good time with and comment on how bland some of the festivals can be. Her memories serve against those statements but a lot of the underlings are able to attend to them more frequently than she did.


    She frowns at the memory of those words and herself; she hates how easily distracted she could be when she should be paying attention to the sights, sounds ¨C and especially Aiden.


    Honey knew he had to be starving if she was only feeling slightly hungry. However, he doesn¡¯t say anything and he continues to follow her nearly blindly. Aiden had to have seen the lights ahead and, instead, she assumes it¡¯s because he sees the light. Deep down, it wasn¡¯t fair to the Summoned Spirit to be pulled into this world ¨C perhaps very shortly after death ¨C and expect so much. She knows this and still, she expects him to protect the daughter of a crime lord for reasons she wasn¡¯t comfortable sharing just yet. No, even if she shares it, once he learns the Common Language, he¡¯d find out the truth about being a Summoned Spirit and she might end up dead for it.


    But it was a risk worth taking ¨C as long as she¡¯s not inside her family¡¯s home, the stolen home of a nobleman. Whether or not the nobleman¡¯s descendants survived time ¨C certainly not their wealth ¨C they would one day lay claim to that old home. Modified to suit modern needs and the needs of her greedy family after a truly unknown amount of generations squatting there. Honey only regrets never realizing sooner the truth.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    Although, she wonders why this particular thing bothers her the most. In retrospect, she had always known in the back of her head her family are criminals. After all, they lived in the biggest house outside of Gilramore, including her brother and sister, they had tutors and didn¡¯t attend even the most expensive private schools. Her father, and maybe her mother at times, encourage them to walk with their heads and to look down on the denizens. And, from a distance, everyone just dealt with the family.


    But when she recalls her time as a child ¨C she shakes her head.


    ¡°Come on.¡± She finally says as she motions to Aiden and he obediently follows. Even from her limited view, she couldn¡¯t see any of her family¡¯s underlings and she was becoming desperate. If she had missed any, she¡¯d have to take that chance. She bites her lips as the couple continues getting closer to the village. But, she becomes scared ¨C for a split moment ¨C she turns around and sticks out her hand. Even the slow surprise etches on Aiden¡¯s face as her hand appears in front of his face, her bag tight against her body but her light gray hair flowing against the wind.


    Aiden doesn¡¯t react initially ¨C because he was focused more on running ¨C but, just as slowly, he takes her hand. His cold hand warms her body more somehow and she clasps his hands together. Aiden trips forward but he was surprised at how strong her grip was.


    Magic ¨C it had to be magic that kept them together. Magic exists in this world and he still couldn¡¯t believe it any more than he believes himself to be alive again.


    He clasps her grip wrist tighter.


    By the time the couple arrives in Gilramore finally, the couple ¨C still holding on to each other¡¯s hand ¨C breathes in and out with relief. Aiden only had Honey to guide him and though the streets of this seemingly quiet village had ghosts roaming the streets, he couldn¡¯t remain comfortable yet. He was hungry and he was tired; most of all, he was scared. He couldn¡¯t stop the trembling of his body as he took in the new sights and smells.


    An ocean breeze from the north comes into his nostrils and into his brain. His eyes pick up buildings that had their lights on still and very faintly, he could hear people laugh and squeal with ignorant delight. He bites his tongue as he turns to his only partner in this world thus far.


    Honey was still catching her breath and even kneels over to help with that. Aiden¡¯s own breathing had become more steadied the more he inhales the ocean breeze, something he¡¯d never thought to smell again. The breeze chills him but never to death. And he clenches his clasped hand a bit tighter as he thinks about how a few hours ago, he¡¯d just died once before.


    Soon enough, Honey recovers and remains quiet. Aiden doesn¡¯t mind so he nods once again and the couple walks toward one of the many buildings. He takes the time to look around and tried to find something familiar about the buildings before him; he couldn¡¯t. But on one hand, he was happy about it. He didn¡¯t want to remember the place he came from or where he belonged for the deed he¡¯d done.


    In the other world, they were buried by his deeds and he was outed by a so-called friend.


    And he¡¯d bury them before he was cuffed.


    Once they finally arrived at an inn with a sign that seemed to say Obsidian Atoll Inn, Honey suddenly starts to act differently. She acts girlish and flirty towards him. Behind her grey eyes, Aiden thinks he understands her meaning and smiles a smile he thinks other people would find handsome. A half-smile he¡¯d remember his mother would tease him about and he begins to struggle to keep it there.


    ¡°Come on! Don¡¯t look so constipated!¡± Honey¡¯s words tickle his ears, still sensitive as it was back there. ¡°At least pretend you¡¯re happy to be with me!¡± She continues to tickle his ear and he jerks back as he glares at her. She giggles, obviously fake, and Aiden sighs.


    When he inspects the area around them, he realizes how close they are to the receptionist¡¯s desk. Back in his world, he remembers movies with similar premises and decides to go with the flow with her. After all, he¡¯s bound by the strange rules to protect her though he found no true motive for it. But he had to try ¨C for whatever reason, he was given a second chance.


    He had to at least try.


    Honey giggles for no reason as she clings to his body more; a warm body against his originally cold one and he holds on to her tight. He tightens his grip and they were somehow able to walk to the receptionist¡®s desk. The girl didn¡¯t seem to act any different ¨C possibly used to this behavior ¨C as she gives the couple a professional smile as Aiden blinks his red eyes.


    The girl had yellow hair ¨C not a dull blonde or a ¡®bottled¡¯ blonde he¡¯d see frequently, but pure yellow hair and she had red eyes as well. However, she looked as kind as she was professional, still wearing a smile while Honey checked the both of them in. The young man stays quiet and nodded appropriately as he signed his name ¨C assuming it to be a ledger for the inn ¨C and then Honey clings to him more.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go eat next door, dear!¡± She says brightly.


    Aiden turns to her, blinks, and nods ¨C nearly forgetting that he is still a human and still had to eat.


    But everything around him was so strange and fascinating.