- Where have you been? - Raphael croaked icily. - Who are you to come here now and say anything to me?

He turned around and grabbed him by his snow-white clothes with one hand, while striking him hard in the face with the other.

Taken aback, not immediately, Ivrim suddenly disappeared from his place, appearing behind the vampire and shackled his hands with invisible fetters. He wiped the blood from his lower lip and shook his head disapprovingly.

- As always irascible.

- Fuck you! - Raphael spat.

- I’m not going to fight with you. - He gestured around him.

The elves, with all their numerous people, fought side by side with other races, finishing off the remnants of the enemy’s resistance, taking many prisoners. It seemed that now the war was definitely on the verge of ending.

- It’s so easy and simple to show up at the very end and take all the laurels for yourself. - Raphael said sarcastically. - But you’re not going to do shit. Now everyone will know that elves are nothing more than cowards hiding behind the backs of others.

- If you’ve said everything...

Raphael immediately interrupted him, continuing to bombard him with insults and curses. He wanted to rush at the elf, breaking the magical bonds, but realized that all his magic was blocked and it was a shocking discovery for him that made his eyebrows fly up.

- I’ve been living much longer than you have, Raphael. I have more experience, more knowledge, more wisdom. Therefore, do not judge by what you see superficially. - Ivrim replied without malice and quite calmly.

– So, what do you say about lending your beloved a drop of your own blood?

Raphael thought he had nowhere to be surprised and frown, but that was only the beginning when Ivrim said that Thea had every chance to come back to life again.

- How is this possible?

Ivrim approached the bird, which still hadn’t left its perch. - Phoenix. The magic bird. The most amazing consciousness I have ever encountered. They are creatures of fire, capable of rising from the ashes, conquering the flame and giving life.

He ran his hand over the bird’s back and it immediately started up and flapped its massive wings, moved to Ivrim’s hand.

- Thea,– Raphael and Horel whispered at the same time in one breath.

Where Artemis’s burned body had lain until recently, now lay the completely intact, untouched body of Princess Thea. Her snow-white hair was as soft, clean and smooth as when she was alive, her skin shone with health, as if it had not been burned. The only thing she didn’t have right now was life. She was still lying breathless, as if immersed in a deep sleep, but there was something strange that Raphael could not explain.

- When you continued to be angry at Artemis during your stay in Eriad, she made a truly courageous decision to sacrifice her life to save Thea from destruction. We discussed a lot of options with her, no one could know what would happen at one time or another, because this is a war. But the only thing we both knew was that your blood would be able to let her keep her alive, keeping her on the brink of death.

At some point, Raphael’s anger let go and he listened attentively to the elf. Everyone was listening attentively. They were waiting for a wonderful pill that would save the princess, that would bring her back to life.

- Artemis drank your blood when it all started...

- How do you know that?

The Elf King chuckled.

- If you didn’t see me, it doesn’t mean that I wasn’t there. I’ve been by Thea’s side since she was born, from the moment I personally blocked her powers. And I was by Artemis’s side when her moment came to step into the game.

- Do you think this is all a game? - He shouted, throwing threatening glances at the elf.

- It’s a metaphor, Raphael. If you know the word, of course. - Ivrim besieged him. – So, your blood is still mixed in her veins, which protects her heart, does not allow it to cool completely. And you can still give her a chance at life if you give her more of your blood.

Raphael couldn’t believe his ears, as if all this time he had desperately and needlessly thought that she had died when his own blood kept her body in an incorruptible state.

- It’s so simple, it turns out. - He chuckled.

- Not really. -The elf stopped him. – In fact, she died after all. As a human being.

- Are you saying that my daughter will become a vampire? - Horel Rivaldi, who had been listening to the elf with bated breath all this time, but was now horrified by these words, broke in.

- There is no other choice. Either that, or you’ll have to say goodbye to her. -The deathly silence hung like a menacing cloud.

- She never wanted to be a vampire. - Raphael said in a barely audible voice, doubting what decision he should make.

- Then make a choice and accept the consequences of that choice. - Ivrim finished.

- So you’re suggesting that I behave selfishly? - He chuckled, catching the hint.

- I suggest you CONTINUE to be selfish. -The elf corrected him and immediately looked at Thea’s father. - What do you think, Horel?

- I want to see my daughter alive again and it doesn’t matter to me if she is no longer human. I just love her and will accept any of her. She should have a chance to live a happy life.

- Then let’s leave these two alone so that Raphael can weigh the pros and cons. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

- I don’t need to weigh anything. - Raphael replied immediately. - Like you said, I’m too selfish to let her go.

The elven bonds on Raphael’s arms immediately loosened, and he approached Thea’s body on shaky legs, fell to his knees. He felt so stiff all over his body, as if one awkward movement and he could crumble to dust, afraid to just touch her.

Every breath was painful in his chest, every look that he tried not to take away from her peaceful face was riddled with hellish torments, leaving images of her dead body in his brain.

- No. She’s not dead. She’s just sleeping. - His mind told him. - She’s just waiting for him to finally condescend to come to her, help her, and finally save her, to wake her up and kiss her like he’s never kissed before.

He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, deep wrinkles forming at the base of the bridge of his nose as he gently pushed his hands under her limp body and pulled her to him. He hugged her gently, but tightly enough to finally feel her in his arms, to understand that he was not an illusion, that she was here with him and he would never let anyone separate them again, even if she could never open her eyes again.

He bent down and left a soft, chaste, but full of promise, kiss on her temple.