Everlasting dream (18+)

Chapter 89 — No mercy

[Nivalis Silverfrost]

A morning filled with chirping birds, the soft rustling of leaves, and the gentle sound of water lapping against rocks and sand surrounded Nivalis as she sat upon a smooth boulder by the shore; a gentle breeze played with her silver locks that stuck out of the loose bun on top of her head. Her blue eyes remained fixed on the crystal-clear water beneath her feet, scanning for any swimming by fish—so far, none had appeared yet. But it was nothing unusual, as catching even one usually takes some time.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Her thoughts were elsewhere, though... She couldn't shake the shame and guilt that gnawed at her insides from a few days ago. Nivalis still felt that golden gaze of her daughter upon her when she held the boy's throbbing shaft in between her fingers, how she just gently stroked it—such a disaster. But not the worst one, for sure.

An image of Silvia... pleasuring... him with her mouth flashed through her mind again; Nivalis cringed and shook her head slightly to clear that thought away. She didn't want to think about this ever again. Last but not least, an awkward conversation they had, where Nivalis found out that the girl knew about what she did with the boy during nighttime. A hot wave of shame washed over her at those memories once more, making her want to scream. Just to let it all out and forget about it...

It was such a mess, one she had no idea how to deal with or even talk about. 'Ugh... don't think about it. It helped him. All you did was help him. It's all that matters. Just... don't think about it,' Nivalis kept repeating while her blue eyes darted from side to side, waiting for a fish to swim nearby. Every little rippling of water didn't go unnoticed by her; most of the time, however, it turned out to be nothing but an insect or a leaf falling into the lake.

As if that sea of embarrassment weren't enough, her heart was also filled with worry about her boy. His wounds were hard to look at without tears; even though he tried to act strong, she could see the pain he was going through in his golden eyes... And the damn fever didn't seem to go away either. 'He will be alright. He is a strong kid,' Nivalis told herself, her blue eyes squinting at the water below in concentration, not moving even for a second. She was determined to provide plenty of food for the boy, hoping it would help him heal. 'Maybe I could even try to make him a bit chubby...' A gentle laughter escaped her puffy lips at the thought.

This little stop near the lake was a great opportunity for them to replenish their food supply. Even though they were nowhere near starving—they still had about two weeks of dried fish in their backpacks—it is always better to be safe than sorry. Who knows when they might get another chance like this?

Nivalis let out another long sigh just the moment before her long ears twitched slightly, catching the faint footsteps behind her. A soft smile appeared on her lips as she called without looking back, "You're not very stealthy, dear," she chuckled softly, her blue eyes still focused on the water. "I told you to be with your brother, sweetie... How is he? Has he fallen asleep?"

A second passed, then two, but there was no reaction from behind the woman. Confusion crossed Nivalis' face as she glanced over her shoulder, only to find four humans staring at her with wide, fearful eyes as if they were looking at something horrifying, a monster about to devour them whole. Weapons in their hands began trembling when they stopped in their tracks.

It didn't take long for Nivalis to understand they were not some friendly adventurers, judging by how they looked at her—more like hunters than anything else. Her instincts kicked in immediately, turning around and drawing the string of her bow back, but she was too slow. Just then, one of them—the woman with long auburn hair tied back—finished mumbling strange words under her breath, her palm raised high.

A blinding light erupted right in front of Nivalis' eyes. "Ahh!" a pained cry tore from her lips as she clutched at her face with both hands. The intense brightness burned like nothing else had ever done before, an agony unlike any other, making her lose her balance and fall into the water with a loud splash. Just before she fell, she heard one of them yell, "NOW!"

Nivalis desperately gasped for air but inhaled only more water instead; panic gripped her body as she flailed helplessly under the surface, her arms and legs trying to find purchase on anything solid. When she finally managed to find the ground and push herself upward, a fist connected with her cheek right when her silver hair emerged above the waves. Then again, and again... until everything turned black once more.

The last thing Nivalis heard before losing consciousness was how they dragged her to the shore by the wrists as someone muttered under their breath, "Linnea, check if she's alive. Wayne, stay with her and guard; don't you fucking dare move your eyes off this beast. Hela and I are going after the kids before they...." Then, silence enveloped her mind, even though she wanted to scream at them, stop them, somehow... But nothing came out of her mouth except some blood that trickled from her lips as she went limp in their grasp.

...

Sand shifted slightly beneath Nivalis as she regained consciousness, her ears ringing from the punch to her face. Blood and dirt covered most of her pale cheeks; long silver locks were tangled, wet, and full of sand, lying all over the ground. She quickly found out that her hands and feet were bound tightly with a rough rope that almost cut into her delicate pale skin. The taste of the old rope in her mouth, mixed with blood from her busted lip, made her wince in disgust.

Her blue eyes struggled to blink away the blurriness, tears falling down her dirty cheeks uncontrollably. Everything spun, causing her head to hurt even more. The moment she noticed two figures standing nearby, she went utterly still, not daring to move or make a sound, hoping whoever tied her up hadn't noticed her awakening. Noticing that one of them was about to turn around, Nivalis quickly shut her eyes and pretended to be asleep again.

Voices reached her long ears, but they sounded muffled and distorted as if she was underwater, making it incredibly hard for Nivalis to discern what they were saying. The only thing she could hear without trouble was the rapid pounding of her heart echoing inside her head. But she tried listening as best as possible, straining her ears.

"They... approaching the camp... bushes... See?" a male voice said, his words barely audible. "...other side... sun making... hard... they would be alright?"

"I think so," a female voice standing closer to Nivalis replied. "Valther is... I believe they would surrender... we have their mother."

'Silvia... Asty... No...' Nivalis thought, blinking away her tears as she tried to focus on the two figures nearby: one smaller and one larger. Both watched intently at whatever was happening on the other side of the lake where her children rested. She bit down hard on the rope that gagged her, her jaw tightening as motherly anger bubbled within her chest. 'I can't let this happen… No one will take them away from me...'

"Oh, man. Take it slow... don't rush," the man mumbled, cheering for those across the lake. "Check those bushes before you head into the clearing. That's it, just like that..."

After a few more blinks, Nivalis' blue eyes landed on the dagger peeking out from the woman's leather boot, its handle shimmering in the sunlight. It was her only chance to get free and protect her children from whatever these humans had planned for them. Life had taught Nivalis one harsh lesson: humans are worse than any monster...

'I-I need to get there before it's too late... my sweet babies...' Nivalis thought desperately, shifting herself ever so slowly on the sand, trying to be silent and stealthy as much as she could; her blue eyes locked onto that dagger poking out of the woman's boot.

Every little sound made by grains of sand beneath her body echoed in her ears like thunder, but somehow they didn't notice anything... too focused on watching whatever those bastards tried to do with her children on the other side of the lake from where the sun shone, making them squint and shield their eyes. Little by little, Nivalis moved closer until she could almost touch that damn blade.

"Hey, what the fu-!?" the man suddenly yelled in surprise when he noticed movement with his peripheral vision. Knowing it was her only chance, Nivalis threw herself toward the dagger with her arms and legs tied together. The girl yelped in surprise, instinctively trying to get away but was too slow—Nivalis' fingers closed around the wooden handle. A moment later, the man's foot slammed into the side of silver her head, causing her vision to darken for a split second.

But that wouldn't stop Nivalis from saving her children from these people. She dug the dagger deep into the woman's calf, twisting it before yanking it out again with a wet sound as blood began flowing down her leg. The girl screamed in pain, her hands grasping at the injury, trying to stop the bleeding.

As the sound of steel sliding from its sheath rang in her ears, Nivalis realized she was running out of time. A single sweep of that blade could mean her end, leaving her children to face the terror of the world alone. Acting on instinct, Nivalis grabbed the girl's clothing and yanked her towards herself with all her strength, causing her to tumble down to the ground, right on top of her. The girl screamed and tried to fight back, but Nivalis was quick enough to wrap her tied hands around that delicate neck of hers, pressing the dagger against the gulping throat.

Then, her blue eyes darted toward the man, furious flames dancing within them. His sword shook like a leaf in the wind as he stood there, unsure what to do with it raised high. His gaze darted around, hoping someone would come and help him deal with this mess. No one did. "One m-ove and I sli-ce her th-l-oat!" Nivalis threatened through the rope in her mouth; her tongue lapped against it as she forced those words out.

After those words, the auburn-haired girl started whispering something under her breath again, clearly attempting another spell. Nivalis pressed the dagger even harder against that delicate throat of hers in response, making a small cut and drawing blood. "Nuh-uh," she growled through the gag. She wanted to tell her more but couldn't say anything complex with the rope digging into the corners of her mouth.

All three stared at each other for a long, quiet moment, and neither was sure what to do next. "Let her go," the man in leather armor nervously mumbled, making one hesitant step closer to them, to which Nivalis narrowed her eyes even more at him, keeping that dagger dangerously close to her captive's throat. "I-I'm warning you!" he stammered, raising his sword higher as if about to swing it. But the way that blade trembled in his unsteady hands told otherwise, his wide, terrified eyes darting between Nivalis and the girl.

— "I'll just... tie her up... if you go away..." Nivalis mumbled through her gag, struggling with each word. "Ten seconds... she's dead..."

"Don't listen to her, Wayne!" the girl cried desperately before Nivalis could finish speaking. Her hands gripped Nivalis' arms tightly, attempting to pry herself free. But an elven mother held firm, refusing to let go. "Just stand there and buy time for Valther—" she tried to whisper, but another cut from the dagger against her throat stopped her cold.

The man looked like he was about to piss himself at Nivalis' words, his face paler with each passing second as sweat flowed down his forehead. "I... I..." he hesitated, unsure of what to do next, fear clearly visible in his wide eyes.

— "Six... five..." Nivalis started counting down slowly through her gag. Her blue gaze bore into the man's soul, daring him to make a wrong move.

A tense, silent moment passed before Wayne finally lowered his sword. He ran his hand through his dark brown hair before mumbling nervously, "Alright... alright! Anything you want. Just don't kill her, please. I beg you." Then, he turned around and sprinted into the woods without another word.

The girl, still feeling hands around her neck, started sobbing, letting out a barely audible whimper, "W-Wayne... Come back..."

Nivalis' blue eyes watched the man disappear between the pine trees, leaving only herself and the auburn-haired woman on that sandy shore. Silence engulfed them both except for those quiet sobs and the gentle lapping of waves nearby that filled her long ears. Without uttering a single word, Nivalis pressed the pointy end of the dagger deep into the girl's soft skin, eliciting a pained whimper. Gargle sounds followed right after; the blood started to fill the girl's mouth and throat, her fingers trying to scratch at those hands around it while she choked on her blood.

With a grunt of effort, Nivalis pushed the dying woman away and started to cut the ropes that tied her ankles; her gaze quickly looked around in search of her bow and arrows, but both were nowhere to be found. "Damn it," she cursed under her breath. 'I need to get there fast...' she thought frantically, not even glancing at that convulsing body lying on the shore as she rose onto her feet and sprinted, desperate to reach her children before it was too late.

...

[Aster]

"Did you hear something?" Silvia asked in a whisper, looking out from the bushes where they had stopped. Her golden eyes narrowed as she scanned the surrounding forest. "Maybe it was just a squirrel or something," she added quietly.

"Huh? No, I didn't hear anything," Aster replied just as quietly before lifting the hem of his cloak even higher, exposing his little pale bottom even more to the cool morning air; he tried to relax enough for his bladder to do its thing, but nothing came out of his limp, hairless shaft.

Silvia sighed softly, shaking her head as she turned back to him. "Come on, Asty. We don't have all day. What if Mom starts worrying if she doesn't see us anywhere?"

"I'm trying, okay?" Aster replied, closing his eyes tightly and willing himself to pee. After another few moments of straining, he felt a sudden rush of warmth in his member. "Ahh..." a sigh escaped his lips as urine streamed out of him, making a small puddle on the forest floor below; it just kept coming and coming without stopping. Ten seconds... twenty... thirty. It seemed endless. "Oh, this is nice... I didn't even know I was holding this much," he muttered quietly.

When it finally stopped nearly a minute later, Aster sighed in relief, trying to shake off the excess from his shaft, but his hands hurt too much from the slightest of touches. Instead, he started jumping up and down on that spot, shaking his little boy parts to get rid of the last few drops. His head spun with each jump, though; it was harder than he thought. 'Come on... come on,' Aster willed the urine away.

"Stop, stop," Silvia chuckled, grabbing onto him by his shoulder and stopping him from jumping around. "You're going to hurt yourself. Don't jump around like that..." Her golden eyes glanced over at his groin, watching as a tiny bead of urine still clung stubbornly to the tip of his member, refusing to let go. She stared at it for a few long seconds before sighing tiredly and muttering, "Ugh... Let me help you with this..." Her tiny fingers grabbed a leaf from a nearby bush.

— "You don't need to... do this..." Aster tried to protest quietly, but she ignored him, kneeling before her brother's hairless groin. With delicate movements of those small digits of hers, she gently pulled his foreskin back, sliding along his shaft to expose more of the sensitive pink tip. It greeted her with a barely noticeable twitch. She ignored that; instead, she pressed the leaf against the delicate surface of her brother's penis and began wiping away that last stubborn drop.

Aster's hips trembled under his sister's touch against his most sensitive spot, trying to pull away, but her grip on him was firm. "Ow, ow... careful! That hurts..." The boy begged, wincing as the leaf kept rubbing the delicate surface of his member.

"Don't be such a baby," Silvia muttered without looking up at him, trying to ensure he was completely dry. Strangely, when she lifted those small balls slightly, more urine trickled out onto the leaf she held. "Ugh... being a girl so much simpler..." she complained, blowing away a strand of silver hair from her face.

When he opened his golden eyes to say that it wasn't necessary and they could just leave already, Aster, from the corner of his eye, noticed their mother's silver hair through the dense foliage, a color he couldn't miss even if he wanted. "Wait... is that Mom?" He suddenly asked, pushing branches of the bush aside to wave at her. "Mom!" he yelled.

As if seeing a ghost, she turned her head towards him, stopping in her tracks. It made the blood freeze in Aster's veins, his eyes growing wide; terror and fear replaced the usual loving expression on his mother's beautiful face. Covered in blood, she rushed toward them as if someone was chasing after her, almost stumbling over roots and rocks before pushing aside the bushes to reach them. "Mom?" Aster asked hesitantly, seeing the terrible state she was in. Her face was all puffed up with bruises, and her lower lip was bleeding. Her hair was messy and wet, sticking to her face; the sand was all over her body like she rolled around on the beach or something.

With a gasp, Silvia quickly covered Aster's member by pulling down his cloak before turning around. "Mom... it's not what it looks like! I swear!" the girl blurted out, but her voice died in her throat when she finally saw her mother. Just like him, she couldn't help but stare at Nivalis in shock. "W-wait, what happened?" she stuttered.

Once close enough, their mother dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around them, pulling them tightly into her chest. "Oh... thank gods... thank you..." Nivalis whispered in relief, tears streaming down her face as she held her babies against her. "You are okay... you are both okay... thank the gods..." she repeated, kissing their foreheads over and over, leaving bloody imprints on their pale skin. Not letting them say anything, she continued, "Listen to me carefully. We need to leave now." She pulled Aster into her arms while grabbing Silvia's tiny hand and pulling her along. "Quickly."

Silvia's voice went even more high-pitched than it naturally was. "W-what happened? Why are you covered in blood? Where did this knife come from? What about our stuff?" she asked as the three ran through the forest. Her tiny hand clutched tightly onto her mother's, looking back at where they came from. Her eyes were filled with worry and fear for whatever could have frightened her mother so much.

With his arms around their mother's neck and feeling her palm on his butt, Aster, before Nivalis even had a chance to say anything, whispered a simple yet confident, "I'm igniting my mana now, Mom. Whatever it was, don't worry."

Nivalis immediately stopped in her tracks, her blue eyes darting toward his face. She clearly wanted to tell him not to do so but did not dare a single word out. It might be their only chance. "Be careful," she whispered, putting that bloody knife into her boot before turning towards Silvia and grabbing the girl's petite body into her arms as well. "Both of you, ignite all you have. It was humans... they know magic, too..." Nivalis said, her voice trembling at those words.

With that, she began running, sprinting as fast as she could through the dense pine forest. The sound of her heavy breathing and pounding footsteps echoed in Aster's ears, her grip tightening almost painfully around him and Silvia as if fearing they would disappear if she let them go for even a moment.

Aster closed his eyes tightly and did as told; it didn't take long for the familiar heat to fill his chest. He immediately used some of it to strengthen his body, making his blood boil and throb inside his veins and muscles tense and twitch. When he opened them again, they shone weakly with a golden light. Surprisingly, it also helped a bit with the pain. However, the dizziness was still there.

At the same time as him, Silvia did her part. The girl's tiny body began to shiver in their mother's tight embrace visibly, goosebumps spreading all over her pale skin as a chill filled her small frame. But she didn't complain; her arms wrapped around Nivalis' neck as tightly as possible.

"I found their tracks! On me!" a barely audible but incredibly angry yell suddenly came from somewhere behind them, making Nivalis run even faster. A panicking whimper escaped her lips.

---