Chapter 53: Early Morning

Stretching out his legs as his waking mind found its way back to full consciousness, Anton cracked open his eyes as he felt Kianna begin to stir next to him.

Tucking herself in underneath their blanket, the dark elf wiggled back and forth as she wrapped her arms around Anton’s torso and snuggled herself in against him.

Having lost all of their clothing via an evening of playful sex, the two had spent the night sleeping naked in each other’s arms. Despite this, Anton was more than happy to still indulge in a bit more skin on skin contact with the sleepy headed dark elf.

“Hmm, well hello there. Is somebody feeling cuddly this morning?” teased Anton as he let his arm drape over the dark elf’s slender frame.

Kianna said nothing as she breathed out a heavy sigh and went still as Anton ran his hand up her back and began to gently massage the smooth, bare skin of her shoulder.

Grinning to himself as the warmth of Kianna’s soft, supple breasts seeped into his being from where she was pressing herself up against him, Anton was in the process of dozing off again when he suddenly blinked his eyes back open.

By this point the soothing, pleasant warmth of Kianna’s body had become quite the familiar sensation to him, but at the moment however, the heat that was currently radiating off of her was far more intense than he had ever felt before and he couldn’t help but to glance down at her in surprise.

“Kianna?” he called softly as he gave her shoulder a squeeze.

Hidden beneath the blanket, the dark elf quietly groaned in answer as her twitching ear disturbed the fabric that covered her in only the slightest of ways.

“ ... You’re really warm this morning?” observed Anton as he realized that even her shoulder had begun to smolder in his hand “ ... Are you feeling okay?”

“ ... No.” whined Kianna.

Raising himself up onto his elbow, Anton lifted the edge of the blanket up just enough to peer under it at the hiding dark elf.

Clinging to Anton as she was, Kianna’s face remained hidden for a moment before she slowly peeked up at him.

“What’s wrong, Kianna?” asked Anton as their eyes met.

“ ... I don’t feel good.” whimpered Kianna as her face scrunched up in sorrow “ ... My throat really hurts ... And my stomach too.”

“Aw, you poor thing...” soothed Anton as he gave her a light squeeze “My poor little dark elf...”

Whimpering softly, Kianna hid her face away again as Anton began to rub her back. After a few minutes of comforting her, he slid to the edge of the bed and got to his feet.

“C’mere, let me look at you...” he said as he beckoned her over.

Keeping the blanket wrapped around herself, Kianna grudgingly rose up to her knees and made her way over to the edge of the bed. Plopping herself down right in front of Anton with a huff, she sat on her folded legs and leaned forward to rest her forehead against his chest.

Chuckling, Anton gave her shoulders a reassuring squeeze before gently wrapping his hands around her neck. Grumbling softly, Kianna offered no resistance as he gently examined her and then tilted her head back so as to make her look up at him.

Anton couldn’t help but to frown as he took in the sight of Kianna miserable looking state. Her long ears were hanging listlessly from the sides of her head and her normally bright eyes had a dull cast to them that seemed to take the very shine out of her ruby-colored irises.

“Hm ... You’re really burning up ... And there’s definitely some swelling here...” said Anton as he pressed his fingertips in lightly against the sides of her throat “ ... Open your mouth for me, please.”

Letting her jaw fall slack, Kianna stuck out her tongue and held her breath as Anton leaned down and peered into her open mouth. Tilting her head this way and that as he used what little ambient light he had to look over her swollen throat, he frowned thinly and shook his head before standing back up right.

“No cough, but a definite fever and plenty of swelling...” mused Anton as he worked to comfort the dark elf by slowly running his fingers through her hair “Guess we’ll just take this as a sign that it’s time to make that doctor’s appointment.”

Grumbling softly, Kianna hugged the blanket to herself and rested the side of her head against Anton’s chest as she looked up at him.

“You don’t have any potions, or something you could just give me instead?” she whimpered as she tried to blink the fatigue out of her eyes.

“Possibly, I don’t know exactly what’s wrong with you though...” smiled Anton “Now chances are this is something that only needs a day or two of rest to fix. But we might as well make sure, and we can also get yours and your sisters health checks out of the way as well.”

“ ... I don’t want to go anywhere though.” whined Kianna as she looked back down and hunched in on herself.

“Oh, no?” chuckled Anton “So you don’t want to go get some medicine that’ll make you feel better?”

“ ... Yes, I guess.” mumbled Kianna “But not right now ... Right now I want you to lay with me...”

“Aw, my poor little dark elf ... I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I can’t do that...” soothed Anton “I’ve got to get moving, so I can set up your appointment and then get ready to go.”

“No, just stay here...” grumbled Kianna as she pouted up at him “Please...”

Anton laughed softly as he eased away from her.

“Tell you what. You stay here, lay back down for a little bit. And I’ll go get my laptop, grab you something to drink and once I’m done setting up your appointment. I’ll help you take a shower ... How does that sound?” asked Anton as he caressed the dark elf’s very warm cheek.

“ ... Okay, fine.” mumbled Kianna as she laid her ears back behind her head and leaned into his touch “But hurry back, okay...”

“Alright, I will.” reassured Anton as he stepped away from her, put on a pair of shorts and made his way out of the room.

As he descended the stairs, Anton began to hear Molly’s sharp sporadic barks coming from the kitchen. And upon entering the room, he found the little dog scampering back and forth while barking at Mica. Sitting on her haunches near the backdoor, the kiochi had her hand stretched out and was clearly trying to coax the small dog into sniffing her palm.

“Making friends?” chuckled Anton.

“Trying to...” mumbled Mica as she stood up.

Dressed in a set of sleepwear that was once again borrowed from Kianna, Mica clutched a small backpack to herself as she gave Anton an apprehensive look.

“Hey, so, I went and grabbed my backpack...” she explained as she indicated the bag “That’s okay, right?”

“Sure, that’s fine.” said Anton as he bent down to rub Molly’s face “What do you have in there anyways?”

“Not much...” grumbled Mica “Just the clothes I was wearing yesterday, and my shoes ... I do got this too though. Figured you want to see it...”

Glancing up at her, Anton’s eyes narrowed as he squinted at the small disc she was holding up.

“Oh, right.” he said as stood up and took the offered disc “So this will open a portal back to your family’s house?”

“Yeah...” mumbled Mica “It opens the portal inside the house too.”

“Oh? So you tried it already?” questioned Anton.

“Yeah. I tested it when they gave it to me.” answered Mica as she stared at the disc “I wanted to make sure it worked...”

“I see.” nodded Anton “Hm, well, chances are it’ll come in handy at some point ... For the time being though, I think it’s best if I hold on to this for you.”

Mica said nothing as she slowly nodded her head.

“We’re going to be taking a trip to see a doctor today. And afterwards we can make a stop to pick you up some clothes and a bedroom set.” said Anton as he went to prepare a pot of coffee “So go ahead and start getting ready.”

“A doctor?” questioned Mica “But I feel fine. I don’t need to see a doctor.”

“That’s good to hear, though you’ll still need to have a health check done.” said Anton as he took a small pot from a bottom cabinet and began to boil some water “The reason we’re going today though is because Kianna woke up feeling sick this morning, and I want to make sure it’s nothing serious.”

“Oh, okay.” said Mica “Is she alright?”

“She seems to be, for the most part.” answered Anton “She’s just not feeling well is all.”

“I see...” nodded Mica as she went to leave the room “Guess I’ll go get ready then.”

Nodding, Anton went over to the table where he had left his laptop and divided his attention between finding a suitable doctor that would be available for an appointment on that same day and making both a mug of coffee for himself as well as some honeyed tea for Kianna. Once finished with his tasks he made his way back upstairs.

“Fiona!” he called as he reached the landing on the second floor.

“What!?” answered an unseen voice from down the hall.

“We’re going to get your health check out of the way today.” said Anton “And afterwards we’re going shopping for Mica. So get ready, we’ll be leaving in about 2 hours.”

“ ... Alright.” grumbled Fiona.

Entering back into their bedroom, Anton found Kianna curled up on his side of the bed and dozing in the warm spot he had left behind. After coaxing her back to full consciousness, he had her drink her tea and then, while carrying her in his arms to the shower, got them both cleaned up and ready to go.

Several hours later the four of them found themselves stepping out of a portal and entering through the sliding glass doors of a clinic situated on the other side of the country, far from both where they lived, as well as from where Mica’s family lived.

Once past the main reception area, they made their way to the “General Practice” branch of the clinic and upon entering a rather spacious waiting room, were greeted with another smaller reception desk that was manned by a pair of female Astrals, a banshee and a psychai.

Nestled in the very center of reality was the world of Terra. And circling above this world, far beyond the point in which any mortal being could ever hope to survive, was the source of the worlds life giving light, the Astral plane.

Here within the Astral plane hung the sun and moon, which both sailed across the skies of the world below in an endless cycle of days and nights. And filling the open space surrounding these two heavenly bodies was a swirling, luminescent sea made up of trillions upon trillions of shimmering, multi-hued miniature stars.

Floating freely within the expanse of the plane, these tiny points of light would be pulled along in the wakes made by the passing sun and moon. And when gathered together in such a fashion they would create a dazzling display that was reminiscent of a diffuse nebula or an aurora borealis.

For eons immortal now, the peoples of Terra would be mesmerized night after night by the lights of the ever shifting stars in the sky above them. And over time, they came to recognize that these stars were far more than mere points of light. As whenever an age of peace would grace the world, or a shift in season would bring an abundance of new life, the stars in the sky would lessen until the nights would be darkened by the loss of their light. Likewise, as the cold and dark seasons took their hold upon the world, or war, famine, disease and calamity each took their toll in ended lives, the stars above would swell in number, and fill the night sky with their light.

Through these observations the realization was made that the stars were actually the souls of all those who lived and died in the world below them, and that all the life in the world could be measured with their light. Times of dark nights were in fact reason for celebration, as this meant that life existed in abundance. And any sudden growth of light in the sky was in reality, a hauntingly beautiful signal of great tragedy and mass death.

In this way, the sea of ever changing light in the sky, became known as the Life Stream.

The light of the Life Stream was life itself, and from this light came the Astrals.

Also known as “living spirits”, “cosmic beings” or “elementals” by various scholars. The many Astral races were each originally born through a process in which a soul slips free of the Astral plane, and arrives on Terra by riding a beam of light from either the sun or the moon.

These beings can be divided into two main categories, and are referred to as either “Dayborns” or “Nightborns” depending on whether it is the sun or moon that spawns their given race.

Though the multitude of their races were often vastly different in appearance from each other, as beings literally born from light, all Astrals did have one trait in common, which was that they all have some type of luminescence built into the structure of their bodies. This luminescence can come in many forms but usually takes the appearance of a unearthly glow, ethereal light or living fire.

As animated souls it is not at all surprising that many Astral races do have an undead like appearance. This is merely cosmetic in its nature though, as none of them have any true relation to the undead, nor do they possess any memories of a time in which their souls were previously alive.

Like the voidlings, all Astrals are capable of propagating their race by producing children. Unlike the voidlings however, they do not require any assistance to cross over into Reality, and as such their population numbers can be bolstered as more individuals are naturally spawned.

As Anton approached the desk the lady on the left, who was the banshee, looked up at him first and offered a soft smile in greeting. As he got close enough to see all the way over the desk, he noticed that although both women appeared to be sitting down, there were no actual chairs beneath them. Instead both women were just in sitting positions as they floated in midair.

“Good morning ... Matilda.” said Anton as he glanced at the banshee’s name tag “My name is Anton North, and I should have several appointments for my slaves today.”

“Mmm, North ... Yes. 3 health checks...” mused the banshee as she glanced at her computer screen “I’ll just need you and your charges to fill out a bit of information real quick. And we’ll call you as soon as the doctors are ready to begin.”

“Sounds good, thank you.” said Anton as he picked up a waiting clipboard with patient data sheets attached to it and stepped away from the desk.

The banshee nodded as she eyed the dark elves and Mica.

Spirit-like in her general appearance, though solid in form. The banshee’s wispy, seemingly weightless qualities coupled with her ghostly white complexion and long silver colored hair left her with an eerie, otherworldly presence. Her size and body type were humanoid in their likeness, though her facial features were more fae-like in quality and seemed to be sharper than what would be normal among humans. With pointed ears and a cast to her face that gave the impression that she was of Asian decent, her almond shaped eyes were devoid of pupils, which left her pale, tea green colored irises to appear as large discs that encompassed the majority of her discernible eyes.

Even within the brightly lit room, a faint, bluish, moonlight-like glow could still be seen surrounding her. And although this glow appeared to radiate out from her entire being, it was strongest around both her eyes and hair.

Taking seats in a row of interconnected chairs that had no armrests and were facing the reception desk, Anton, Mica and the dark elves each filled out a page of paperwork on the clipboard before Anton went back to speak with the two ladies at the desk.

As she watched him go, Kianna noticed that several people seated along the far wall were all looking her way. When she turned to face them, they all quickly averted their gazes from her and tried to act as nonchalantly as possible. Creasing her brow, she let her eyes wander across the room and discovered that everyone present was distinctly staring at either Mica, Fiona or herself.

Feeling self conscious now, she sheepishly lowered her ears as she turned back to Anton and waited longingly for him to return to her side.

As Anton stepped away from the desk, the psychai leaned over from where she had been observing Mica and the dark elves and began to whisper to the banshee.

“Are those girls, what I think they are?” she asked as she glanced at the computer screen and watched as the banshee began to input the information from the clipboard.

“If you’re thinking that they’re dark elves, then yes. That is apparently what they are...” said Matilda “And apparently that guy does own them ... At least according to what he wrote down...”

“Huh ... Do you think this is like, some kind of role-playing thing for them?” questioned the psychai.

“Possibly...” muttered Matilda “That makes about as much sense as anything else...”

“Hm, weirdos.” mumbled the psychai as the banshee merely nodded in agreement.

Snagging a magazine from a nearby end table while making his way back to his chair, Anton sat down and went to open the magazine but stopped short as Kianna leaned over and hid her face by laying herself against him.

“Well, hello there.” chuckled Anton as he draped an arm around the dark elf “Is somebody still looking for a warm spot?”

Kianna made a quiet grumbling sound as she lowered her ears even further and squirmed in her seat a bit.

“ ... Hey now, what’s going on?” questioned Anton as he registered that Kianna had clearly become timid all of a sudden.

“ ... It’s, the people.” whispered Kianna.

“Hm? What was that?” asked Anton as he leaned his head down towards her.

“ ... It’s the people.” repeated Kianna “ ... They’re all looking at us.”

“People?” said Anton as he raised his head and glanced around “ ... Ah, I see.”

“Ugh, I hate it when this happens...” said Kianna.

“ ... Right.” said Anton as he tightened his arm around her and gave her a gentle squeeze.

“I just wish they’d all stop looking at me...” whimpered the dark elf.

Shifting in his seat, Anton leaned to the side in an effort to block Kianna form the view of as many people as possible. Holding her for a few moments, his chest tightened a bit as he felt her silently sob.

“ ... You know, Kianna.” he soothed softly “Right now, none of these people are looking at you ... They can’t even see you ... They can only see me...”

“ ... Yeah, but that’s only because you’re helping me stay hidden.” whined the dark elf “They would be looking at me if they could...”

“Maybe...” breathed Anton as he bent over her, rested his chin against the top of her head and spoke into her hair “But that doesn’t change the fact that right now, they’re not looking at you ... Only I’m looking at you...”

Kianna stiffened and then sighed softly in relief as she felt Anton’s aura begin to slowly seep into her being.

“I’m the only one who’s looking at you now, Kianna ... It’s just me here now...” soothed Anton “So, what is it that you want to show me, hm? ... What is it that you want me to see? ... Do you want to show me your sadness? Or how scared you are? ... Do you want to show me your misery?”

Laying her ears down flat behind her head, Kianna remained silent as Anton began to massage her shoulder with his hand.

“Or do you want to show me ... How strong you are ... How brave you are ... And how beautiful you are...” continued Anton “What do you want to show me, Kianna? What do you want me to see? Your tears ... Or your smile?”

Kianna was still for a moment before mumbling incomprehensibly.

“ ... What was that?” asked Anton around his own thin grin.

Kianna squirmed a bit and tightened her ears together behind her head as she mumbled again.

“I’m sorry.” chuckled Anton as he lifted his head and reached down to her face “But I can’t hear you...”

Pouting while keeping her eyes lowered, Kianna didn’t put up any fight as Anton took hold of her chin and tilted her head back just enough to see her face.

“So then...” said Anton as he let his forehead rest against hers “What were you trying to tell me?”

“ ... I said.” grumbled Kianna as a light blush spread across her cheeks “That I wanted to...”

“ ... Yes?” encouraged Anton after a moment of silence.

“ ... That I wanted to show you, my smile...” whimpered the dark elf.

Chuckling softly at her embarrassed expression, Anton gave her chin a light squeeze.

“Well, whenever you’re ready, I’ll be waiting to see it...” he said.

Hesitating for a second, Kianna clamped her eyes shut as a lopsided smile took shape across her face and revealed her dazzlingly white teeth.

“Oh! And there it is...” breathed Anton “There’s my brave little dark elf, and her beautiful smile ... Look at her, she’s so cute...”

“Shut up!” whined Kianna as her smile widened to its fullest.

Giving Anton’s chest a light punch, the flustered dark elf pulled her chin out of his hand and hid her face back against him.

“Oh no you don’t.” teased Anton as he playfully retook hold of her chin and lifting upwards, made her look up at him “You’re not gonna hide that smile away from me now!”

Giggling softly in her throat, Kianna kept her lips pressed together in defiance.

“Oh, you little...” smiled Anton as he moved their faces in close “C’mon now ... Let me see that smile!”

Still giggling, Kianna’s lips began to tremble as Anton leaned in closer and made as if to kiss her. Just as their lips met a wide, happy smile spread itself back across her face.

With both of them now laughing mirthfully, they gave each other one light kiss after another whilst playfully rubbing their noses together.

“Oh for the love of the Gods...” grumbled Fiona as she crossed her arms over her chest and sulked “Somebody better get a hose out here quick, before it’s too late...”

Ignoring her, Kianna kept smiling brightly up at Anton as they continued to nuzzle their faces together.

“Aw! Well isn’t that sweet!” sang out a voice from the desk in front of them.

Turning in the direction the voice was coming from, Kianna was just in time to see the psychai rise up from were she had been “sitting” and shrink down in size as she zipped over the desk and headed straight towards her and Anton.

As an almost complete opposite to her more subdued coworker, the psychai was a vibrant, colorful being whose bright smile not only radiated a lighthearted and friendly personality, but literal light as well.

Her skin was pink in color and would shift in hue in response to her emotions, becoming brighter and brighter the more lively she became. Her hair was a stark chestnut red and was done up in a long, braided ponytail that bounced along behind her as she moved about.

From her shoulders were spread a pair of shimmering, semi-transparent, crystal blue colored, gossamer wings that at first glance appeared similar to those of a dragonfly, but upon closer inspection were actually made up of thousands of closely packed, tiny feathers.

The base of these wings were not actually connected to her body in any way, but instead seemed to float in the air just behind her. And although she was capable of moving them, she didn’t seem to necessarily require her wings to stay airborne, as she never flapped them. Despite this though, she did use them to help direct her path as she moved through the air.

Though she had appeared human sized only moments before, as the psychai came to a stop in midair just in front of Kianna, she had shrunk down to only about a foot tall. Smiling brightly, the now diminutive pixie-like being showcased her human-like teeth as she eased closer to the dark elf.

“Well aren’t you just a little sweetheart!” cooed the psychai as she gleefully clasped her hands together “ ... Heh, never thought I’d ever say that about a dark elf!”

Pressing herself into Anton and gripping his arm in uncertainty, Kianna’s ears were pointed straight upwards and her eyes were at their widest as she stared mesmerized at the radiant little being before her. Now that she was so close, Kianna could see that the psychai had tiny little freckles across her cheeks and arms that shined with their own internal light and made it so that her skin appeared to be covered in glitter.

Catching movement in his peripherals, Anton glanced back above Kianna’s head and found that Mica’s bladed spade now hung over them with its sharpened tip pointed straight down at the psychai. Shifting his gaze past Fiona to make eye contact with the shinoccubus, Anton smiled softly and shook his head.

Frowning as she looked from him to the psychai, Mica tightened her eyes as she eased her tail down and out of sight behind the chairs.

Although the psychai appeared oblivious to what had just happened, the banshee had been watching everything with rapt attention.

“Aw, don’t be nervous sweetheart...” soothed the psychai as she planted her hands on her knees and leaned over Kianna “I would never harm you. I just wanted to get a closer look at you is all...”

Still clearly unsure, Kianna sheepishly lowered her ears. She went to say something but stopped short as Anton tightened his arm around her in a comforting embrace.

Watching as the tension faded from Kianna’s eyes, the psychai stared at her for a moment before her own eyes fell to Anton’s arm and followed it back to its source.

“ ... He comforts you. He’s good to you.” whispered the psychai “That’s good.”

Kianna said nothing as the psychai’s eyes came back to stare directly at her own. As she watched, the psychai’s pupils tightened as her golden colored irises began to slowly spin back and forth. Although the dark elf herself had no idea what was happening, Anton could tell that the small, glittering woman was subtly aligning her own light to Kianna’s aura so that she could get a read on the dark elf’s condition and emotional state.

“ ... Oh, you poor thing. You’re not feeling very well, are you?” said the psychai in a sympathetic tone as the color seemed to fade a bit from her being “ ... And you really don’t like all this attention, do you?”

Creasing her brow in unhappiness, Kianna lowered her eyes as she softly shook her head.

“Such a sweetheart...” cooed the psychai as she floated close enough to place her hand atop Kianna’s head “Don’t you worry, sweety. We’re going to make sure you feel better, I promise...”

Kianna tensed a bit as she felt the warm, soothing light from the psychai begin to seep into her being and blend with Anton’s aura. Though this sensation was a little unsettling at first, she could tell right away that she wasn’t in any danger as it was clear the psychai was just making an effort to comfort her.

“ ... Th-thank you.” whispered Kianna as she nervously bowed her head.

“Of course, sweety.” said the psychai as her wings shifted to a lighter, somber blue color “That’s what we’re here for after all...”

Feeling that she had imposed enough, the psychai dimmed the light radiating out her being as she slowly moved away from Kianna.

“ ... You know, this is the first time I’ve ever felt a dark elf like this before.” said the psychai as she reluctantly eased back a bit more “They aren’t normally so ... friendly...”

“No, they’re not. But my little dark elf is very different.” said Anton as he gave Kianna a gentle squeeze “She isn’t like other dark elves, she’s special.”

Grumbling in embarrassment, Kianna huffed in indignity as she nested herself in against Anton’s side.

“Yes, she is.” nodded the psychai as she turned her eyes on Anton “And you better take care of her.”

“Oh, I will. I promise.” smiled Anton.

“Good.” said the psychai as she lowered herself down so as to look at Kianna again “Sweety, my name is Solassi. And I’ll be here all day. So if you need anything, just let me know, okay?”

“Okay. Thank you.” said Kianna “I’m Kianna, by the way.”

“Kianna.” repeated Solassi “That’s cute, it suits you.”

Giving the blushing dark elf a soft smile, the psychai moved backwards as she rose up into the air.

“I’m going to go give the doctors a heads up real quick.” said Solassi as she shifted her eyes to Fiona and Mica “I think it might be a good idea for them to know what’s coming their way...”

“That does sound like a good idea.” smiled Anton as he followed her gaze and found that both Fiona and Mica were staring up at the psychai with less than friendly expressions on their faces “A very good idea.”

Nodding, Solassi floated backwards back over her desk before enlarging herself back to human size and then quickly darting down a hallway.

Watching her go, Fiona stared at the point where the psychai disappeared for a moment before noticing that the banshee was looking straight at her. Though her face was more or less devoid of expression, the dark elf couldn’t help but to feel a bit unnerved as she gazed right back at the banshee’s seemingly lifeless green eyes.

“Yo, what’s the deal with little miss moonlight bitch over here?” grumbled Fiona as she leaned over Kianna and spoke softly to Anton “Why is she staring at me?”