Regrets and Hate

‘I don’t know when this cycle of hatred will end, whether humans and demon kind can be together as one.’

“I’M SORRY! I REALLY, REALLY AM SORRY!”

Estra stood atop a platform at the city centre bowing her head down profusely apologising to everyone in the market.

“Get out of here, demon!”

“You’ve caused enough trouble!”

“Kill her!”

“Pay for your crimes!”

Estra grit her teeth together as she pleaded to the audience.

“I know my words sound hollow after all that I've done. I know I have besmirched the name of demon kind and confirmed your greatest fears but I want to show you that I am different.”

Estra looked up to see the sea of anger that immersed the crowds below. How can she even persuade them after all that she has done?

“GET OUT!”

*Smack*

Estra was hit by a tomato to her face as the crowd began to hurl food at her.

“ENOUGH!”

A little girl stood in front of Estra shielding her from the projectiles. The crowd paused as they gossiped amongst themselves confused as to what's happening.

The girl's mother screamed out.

“Iya! What are you doing! Get down from there!”

“NO! Miss is a good person! I know it!”

“IYA!”

“If Miss was bad then why is she here? I know that she’s scary, but what may seem scary can actually be nice. I know Miss is nice and caring so I trust her. Please give her a chance!”

Iya smiled back at Estra as they both silently chuckled.

“Little one aren't you brave.”

***

‘Maybe little by little we can make the change. Show them that it is different. I am a bit more optimistic on this part.’

People’s minds were not going to change overnight but Estra and Lim went about the arduous task of repairing relations with the city folks. They went from door to door apologising to everyone they met profusely bowing and offering to help repair the damage that they caused.

Lim assisted with tasks such as picking up and carrying equipment around, but his hard work only made Estra look at him weird.

“What?”

“M.A.G.I.C… use magic or we’ll be here all day.”

“Huh? How? You want me to do something that complex, like reconstructing a whole damaged building just like that?”

“Yes exactly, you reconstructed goddamn space and time idiot, so it shouldn’t be too hard. I’m heading to the west side to repair so good luck. Tata.”

Estra walked away making sure to blow Lim a kiss before she left. Lim slumped his shoulders with a grim look at the task ahead.

Lim breathed in slowly cupping his hands together to create floating runes of hollow symbols that spun around.

“Ok it shouldn’t be too hard. Just like sculpting.”

Lim closed his eyes trying to picture the building’s structure. This was relatively easy for him thanks to his studies as a prince in the past. If he wasn’t the heir to the throne he could have been a very skilled architect.

However, he noticed that something was missing from his formula. He from this point on had been using the container as a base for his spells but remembered that Estra did something different.

He remembered the clap.

‘Cycle 1!’

What did Estra do? Why was the clap important? Then it clicked in him. Estra had created the container and then rapidly changed the location of it. Instead of the container being at one point it was absorbed into the entire body allowing for more complex magic.

“If I create a container within myself then this would be easier.”

*Clap*

A thud of thunder echoed as Lim clasped his hands together tightly with fingers interlocking. His hands were made to look as if he was praying.

“Cycle 1!”

“Reconstruction.”

The earth around rumbled as rocks appeared from thin air. The building was slowly being rebuilt with the damage reversed as if time was rewinding.

*BAM*

A pulse of energy erupted as the cracks in the building formed into a solid piece. Lim opened his eyes and marveled at his work.

The construction workers next to him dropped their tools and their mouths.

“You did all that?”

Lim turned around smiling.

“It's cool right?”

***

Estra sat down wiping the sweat from her forehead as she felt the calm cool breeze on her face. She looked towards the setting sun with a tired smile as she admired her work. Three quarters of the city had been reconstructed alone and to think she did it all in a single day.

“That magic sure is something alright.”

Estra sharply turned her head around to see Edman in plain clothes with a cast on his arm.

“You!”

“Edman is fine. Mind if I sit?”

“Sure.”

The two of them sat down looking ahead towards the grand city lit orange by the sun.

“Isn’t she beautiful? Kaimhuyt? As a kid I could not even fathom the scale of this place. The people and everything that makes this place breathe I vowed to protect it all.”

“What is it that you want? Get it out already!”

“I know we’ve clearly gotten on the wrong foot and like you I want to make amends for my past crimes. I know the damage has already been done but I at least want to change.”

Estra didn’t know what to say. She wanted to feel anger against him but felt the compassion in his words. Edman was telling the truth.

“Fine, but tell me the truth! What happened to the Alda Prince?”

“Lyse Ir Mira Alda was as you know the last true heir to the Aliissia throne. He may have hinted this himself but a long tied tradition and treaty amongst elves was that only someone of elven descent can rule. There were some that felt this rule to be archaic and wrong and I was a part of that faction. We felt that a human ruler should only be human.”

“So you killed him just for that? Some petty royal feud? He ran away, he was no threat to you anymore!”

“We were not too sure. There were many fears that he would return and if he did the legitimacy of the kingdom would be thrown into disarray. So we tracked him down and killed him.”

“Tsk. Cowards! You call yourselves heroes?”

Edman got up turning towards Estra and bowing down.

“I got time to reflect. Although I wanted to confide in my anger towards your kind and the many wrongs they dealt upon me I realised it was wrong to lay that sin onto you. It was wrong to cast the entire weight of the kingdom onto the Prince. I pray that you can see that I am not a terrible person. Just a poor withered man wrought from anger. I wish things could change, that I could change so please! Give me this chance!”

Estra looked down with her mood changing and softening. She gave herself a long sigh.

“Oooh Okay. Get up human. There’s no need to grovel. I too was consumed by anger… maybe it's finally time for us all to stop.”