Twisting the Rules

Chapter 8

Erin opened her eyes, and upon remembering what happened she almost jumped out of bed and saw Ysmael staring at her figure. He had this worried yet adoration in his eyes, Erin can understand his worried expression but where's this adoration coming from?

"You.." Erin choked on her own. "Ajax.."

"I know. I'm sorry for not telling you." she heard him say.

"Tell me what?" she whispered, head spinning.

Erin can't still process what Ajax told him, what she saw, what is that scene she'd witnessed all about.

Why did Ajax look like a monster last night?

Ysmael sat on the edge of the bed she's lying on. She grips the comforter tightly, whatever Ysmael is gonna say will blow up her mind eventually.

"Remember when Damian said he's ten decades older than you? Miss Erin, he's telling the truth." he slowly spoke while maintaining eye contact with Erin.

Like he wants to watch every bit of expression he can elicit from her.

"W-What..?"

"Erin, we're not humans. We don't and never consider ourselves human. Some of them even despise us." Ysmael continued.

"W-What are you then?" Erin ask, she is clueless on what Ysmael is talking about or was it just a prank to get a good reaction from her.

But the seriousness of his voice told her that he's being true to what he says.

"Do you really wanna know?" Ysmael asks, asking for assurance."I don't want you to get involved with this. The more information you know, the harder it is for you to forget them." he added.

Erin dwells on her mind whether to say yes or she should decline the offer.

"I-I'm sure.." Erin answered, almost whispering.

Ysmael is also dwelling on his mind, there's no way he'll get Erin with this, but he knows how it feels to be clueless in anything. He will just give a piece of information, Ajax may be the one to finish telling the story. It can't be left unread forever.

"Come here then." Ysmael gently asked, asking Erin to be on his side, which the latter obeyed silently. Erin settled on his side.

He cupped both her cheeks and foreheads touching each other. It was still a moment of realization to Erin, taken aback of his bold actions.

"Close your eyes." he ordered.

Ysmael closed his eyes so Erin did. Trusting his words as soon as she can't see anything in the darkness.

Once Ysmael makes sure that Erin is under his control, he starts flashing the memories of the past and shows it to her.

___

Decades ago..

"I have something for you."

Erin saw Ysmael pull out a necklace and place it on a girl’s neck. She’s… beautiful.

"It's beautiful, what's the occasion?" She then looked at Ysmael lovingly.

"Can't I give you a gift randomly?" Ysmael asks sweetly and kisses her temple before engulfing her in a hug.

Erin saw Ajax on the side, looking at them with his usual bored look and disgust expression.

"Get a room." he said, glaring at them.

"This is my room, little bro." the girl said, teasing little Ajax who growled at them and walking out the room.

Erin stands there, watching them. The couple continue smooching, totally unaware of Erin’s presence. Then, belatedly remember that she's just seeing Ysmael's memories.

It was a sudden darkness that embraced Erin before she found herself in a hallway. It was cozy yet scary. There are torches on both sides, the fire is undeniably making the place look in an old mansion, a scary mansion.

"What's happening!?"

Erin heard a shout in the room, the one in the middle with two big doors that were probably four floors tall.

She almost ran when a group of people opened the doors abruptly, scaring her in place. They all look mortified and scared. He saw some of their clothes were covered in blood.

Erin rushed inside, seeing the most shocking scene.

"N-No! Ela!" Ysmael is across the hall where the corpse of the girl is coldly laying on the floor.

Beside her is Ajax, who's mouth had remnants of blood. Erin is sure he saw regret fleeting across his eyes but it faded quickly.

"L-Love! Ajax! No!" Ysmael is wailing like a child, Damian and another man are holding him in place.

Ysmael can't help but to drop to his knees, crying while his eyes are pinned to the cold corpse of his love.

"El.." he sobs

Then Erin saw another dead body beside her, she didn't know who the other girl was lying. But Erin figured out she's one of them when she saw his fangs and two holes on her neck, where the blood is flowing.

"I.. Killed them.." he heard Ajax murmured before laughing, an insane yet regretful laugh Erin had ever heard in his life.

------

Someone pulled her out of the scene.

Erin opened her eyes, tears were flowing. She set her eyes to Ysmael who had his eyes closed. Erin knew the moment he opened his eyes, he'll cry.

"Ysmael.."

She reaches for Ysmael's face before slowly guiding the guy on her shoulders.

She felt how his body got stiff for a moment before relaxing and started sobbing.

"Hush.." Erin runs her hands on his back, soothing him that it's okay to cry.

It must be so bad to lose the girl you love, Erin experienced the same, to her mother. She can somehow see herself suffering with Ysmael with two different pain but with the same way of feeling them.

They both lose the important person in their lives and it's like tearing their other half.

They both stayed in that position til Ysmael had enough. A sad smile is visible on his lips.

Ysmael never cried like this in front of anyone, especially in front of someone he barely knows. But there's a feeling inside him that ignited that it's okay to be weak for a while.

Erin added in the emotional pain he's feeling, the way Erin looks at him with sympathy. The way she stared at him like Erin understood his frustrations.

"Hey, it's okay to be weak. Especially if you've been strong for so long." Erin said.

"I'm sorry for crying.." he then mumbled, wiping the unnecessary tears away on his handsome face.

"It's okay."

There was a long silence between them before Ysmael broke it.

"I know you want to ask me. Go on." he said but Erin hesitated.

Yes, Erin had so many questions right now in her mind, but considering Ysmael's state, she can't just set aside how he feels just for the sake of her curiosity.

"You're not okay, Ysmael. It's alright, I can ask you some—"

"Erin, I don't know if I can still talk about this again. So, ask me right now." he cutted her off.

Erin sighs, fine.

"That girl, I mean the one named Ela. She's your lover, then what is Ajax to her?"

"Her little brother. They're siblings." Ysmael answered and it shocked her for a while.

He killed his sister!?

"Then.. how about the other one laying beside her?"

Ysmael stops for a moment, discussing whether to tell Erin or not. It's not his story to tell, it's Ela he's interested in.

Ajax should be the one to answer that certain question he's been ignoring for so long.

"I think Ajax had all the rights to answer that, I'm sorry it's not my story. But, she was one of the most important people in his life as well."

A lover perhaps? He killed his own lover?!

"W-Why.. Why did he killed.. them?"

Ysmael smiles, it's a genuine one. Erin was confused, she couldn't see any hatred towards Ajax.

"He had to, Erin."

"A-Aren't you mad at him?"

"I did. When I begged him to stop killing them, he did not. I'm mad at him at that time, but when it started to sink in my mind, I just realized that Ajax is the one who had the right to be mad at all." Ysmael said calmly.

"Why?"

"I just lost one person in my life. Ajax lost everything. His sister and her is all he has and yet he had to kill them." he said. "I just lost one but Ajax lost himself and I think that's the worst."

Erin admires Ysmael for the way he thinks. How he analyzed everything and put it out with the right actions. His maturity is what makes him a great person.

"W-What are you then?"

"Seriously, you don't know?"

Erin isn't a fan of reading mythological stories so she's not familiar with any possible creatures that exist. She only knew a few of them, like mermaids probably, and Erin is sure she had read at least a book about them.

"Yes. We are what you think."

A sudden guilt hit his chest. She called Ajax a monster not knowing who he is..

"I'm guilty." she let out a sigh.

"Why?"

"I called him a monster. I just cared how Ajax did it but I never paid attention to why he did that. I suck."

All she had in mind right now is to apologize.