51. The Vampire Who Danced With Him

Once Nimera came out of the fire, she wasted no time and lunged at Yumino, not giving him the chance to use his favorite weapon even once.

Fortunately for the elf, Erolith was already screaming instructions in his head.

"Overhead! Slash at the ankles! No, wait... That wouldn't be too nice... Wow, that's a new move! Ah, sorry!"

With an attitude much too laid back for the scale of the fight, the spirit dictated Yumino's every move, having the elf bend in ways he thought impossible as he dodged fierce strikes from the clearly annoyed vampire.

"Damn it, Erolith! Can you at least focus?"

The words slipped out of his mouth and reached Nimera pretty soon, yet no reaction came from the vampire. This hurt the spirit, but it also eased both of their hearts, as it once again confirmed they weren't fighting against the Nima they cared about.

The scaled of the fight stood un unmoved since all they did was repeat the same fighting pattern. At this pace, it would become a battle of attrition. The only problem was the uninvited guests who kept attacking the elf, making him wonder whether Velmira received his signal arrow.

"Gauntmere! Ready?"

"Just give me the word, my avenger!"

"You should really tone it down with the possessiveness."

As Nimera slowly gained ground, Yumino took one more look at the sorceress and winked. He knew he had no more power to spare, so this would be his last try at getting her attention.

It was right after his wink that a green light started shining from behind him.

"We're going, boss!" the voices in his head said, and they left his mind one by one.

"Erolith? You're not going?"

"Me? That scary hero made a laughingstock out of my vampire. I have nowhere left to go!"

"I see. Even so, leave this to me alone!"

Erolith wanted to protest, but a quick peek inside Yumino's mind made him understand—this was transforming into a moment between just the two of them.

Free of the weight he had been carrying, Yumino dropped his weapons, and in the green light meant to turn the tides, he bowed and offered his hand to the lady in front of him.

"I couldn't find your spirit, so I guess this won't go the way I hoped, Nima," he said, accepting the fact that his trick wouldn't work on the girl he wanted to get back the most.

As vampires regained their soul and fought against their own kin, a confused Nimera grinned and followed the elf's lead, throwing away her weapons and balling her fists, ready for a hand-to-hand exchange.

That's when Yumino grabbed her hand and pulled her body closer to his.

"Yumino!?" screamed Erolith, Gauntmere, and even the vampire he was holding close.

With both a smile on his face and tears welling up in his eyes, the elf led with a step forward, having Nimera back up as to not get stepped on.

"Wait! What are you doing?" Nimera asked, flustered and confused.

Instead of giving her an answer, the elf leaned back, dodging the strike of a random vampire who was soon taken out by one of his peers.

In an attempt to free herself, Nimera stomped on the hilt of one of her daggers and lifted the weapon, but instead of catching it, it was Yumino who clamped it with his teeth, cutting another incoming enemy before spitting it back on the ground.

It may be that the vampires who'd regained their elven spirits caught on to Yumino's wish, or it may have been chance, but for every step Yumino took and for every time he spun the confused vampire lady, a way opened for them. As such, he danced with her in the green light in the middle of a warzone, missing fangs and weapons by millimeters as they both moved in sync for their final show.

It was as the green light started to fade that Yumino accepted the sad truth and spoke.

"Truth be told, I hoped Nima would come back for even a second and accompany me. Since that isn't an option, at least indulge me until the end, Nimera!"

Staring back at him with big, amazed eyes, the vampire seemed to have something else on her mind.

A stray arrow flew their way, making both of them lean back while holding one another by the waist as they made way for it. Or that was what Yumino thought would happen, but before the arrow passed them, he felt Nimera's hand run up from his back to his head, pulling him towards the sharp object.

With no time to react, all Yumino could do was close his eyes and hope for the hit not to hurt. Yet when Nimera stopped pulling on his head, he felt not only an arrow as it scratched his mouth but also something soft holding it.

Confused, the elf opened his eyes to a sight he never expected to see. Holding the arrow in place, right next to its metal tip, were two pairs of lips, and the owner of the other pair looked at him, her eyes smiling gently.

Yumino's eyes widened even more when he saw the situation he was in, and in a fit of panic, he flinched and cut himself even harder on the sharp, triangular tip of the arrow. His clumsiness made the vampire's eyes shine even more, giving away how amused she felt seeing him startled.

As they parted their lips, the arrow fell to the ground, and all that was left on the lady's lips was a drop of Yumino's blood, which she licked in vampire fashion, making the elf wonder for the first time since he woke up in the forest if vampires in this world actually liked blood.

"You hoped I would be here, you were saying?" the voice of the lady resounded.

"Then show me what moves you've prepared for me, dear Avenger of the Elves~"

With a wink and a flirtatious smile that let her long fangs show, Nimera—no, Nima—bowed in front of the elf, grabbed the hem of her red dress with one hand, and offered her other hand to the one in front of her.

Confused, shy, hurt, happy, depressed, ecstatic, angry, hopeful, sad, joyful, and teary-eyed, Yumino looked at the woman in front of him to see not the enemy of minutes ago, but the elven lady who had once welcomed him to her house. Her paler-than-usual skin and long canines gave away her current situation, but it was clear who stood in front of him.

"Nima! It... it worked! Gauntmere brought you back!"

"What are you saying?" Nima stopped the elf. "No way that witch could have coerced a spirit like mine to do anything! Do you have any idea how hard it was to pull this off by myself?"

With a pout, Nima shook her hand, reminding the last elf that he was supposed to grab it.

"So don't waste what little time we have, and give me the best you have as a reward!" she ordered with a wink as Yumnino reached for her palm.

Together, they danced once again. They danced for the last time, and they made out of it a show that made the one at the tavern seem like child's play.

Moves that seemed impossible to many—moves that couldn't be pulled off without the utmost trust—flowed between fighting vampires. Throws, pirouettes, and turns were used to avoid the fights, but also because they felt like it.

In a matter of seconds, even the fight around them slowed down, completely ceasing in favor of watching the encore of the show.

Even if it were to end, it kept going for now. If it couldn't last forever, then they would make every moment feel like a new forever.

With flirtatious glances and allure in her moves, Nima shone in the snow as her red dress fluttered in sync with Yumino's moves, hiding his face from hungry eyes.

With teary eyes yet a gaze full of conviction and with strength in every move, Yumino flaunted his dance skills as he caught, spun, and presented his lady to everyone around for the whole world to see the one his green robe was protecting.

Had the situation allowed it, every vampire surrounding them would have applauded. In fact, the heroes were already on it, ovating and screaming the names of the two stars on display.

In the whole crowd, there was only one displeased voice. The same one who looked at them from the tavern's window, now looked at them again with anger written all over his face.

"No!" Lucien screamed towards the never-ending dance. "Stop it!"

And the only one to give the vampire the attention was the hero next to him, who stopped Lucien right as he was about to step in.

"It's surprises like this you have to enjoy!" Gavin said.

"But since you are so eager, I'll let you show me your third mistake!"