Chapter 15: The Prince and the Cliff's Edge

Princess Cecelia stormed out of the Duke's mansion, her mind spinning from her intense argument with Duchess Betty. She walked blindly down the corridor until she slammed directly into someone.

"Ah! Can't you see where you're going? Are you blind?!" Cecelia snapped, flashing her usual royal arrogance.

The young boy looked up at her, blinking. "Oh, I am so sorry, Miss. I wasn't looking."

The moment Cecelia took in his face, her harsh demeanor instantly melted into pure, elegant politeness. "Oh... I am sorry. It is my fault as well. I was lost in my own thoughts."

The boy offered a warm, charming smile. "By the way... have we met before?"

Cecelia tilted her head, trying to place his familiar features. "Mmm, I think I have seen you somewhere, but I can't quite remember..."

"Can I ask for your name, Milady?" he asked smoothly.

Cecelia curtsied gracefully. "I am Princess Cecelia."

The boy's eyes lit up, and he let out a soft chuckle. "Oh! Cece! Now I remember. You are the King's daughter."

Cecelia blinked, her cheeks flushing slightly. "Yes, I am. But... how do you know my nickname?"

The boy bowed deeply, a mischievous glint in his eye. "I am the First Prince, Advard."

Cecelia's face instantly brightened with recognition. "So, you really are Prince Advard! Wow, it is really nice to meet you again."

"The last time we met at the royal ball, you seemed so incredibly tense," Advard said, his voice laced with genuine concern. "I was actually quite worried about you."

"That ball was two months ago," Cecelia said, a bit embarrassed. "You remember that?"

"You may have forgotten, but I actually saw you fighting with someone," Advard teased gently.

Cecelia's face turned completely red. "No! I—well, I was actually just waiting for my father, but a random girl came up and started the fight first!"

Advard smiled warmly, stepping a bit closer. "Don't worry about it. Aside from your fiery personality, I don't deny that I really like honest people."

Cecelia arched an eyebrow, trying to sound offended. "So, do you think I am a liar, Your Highness?"

"Please, don't take it that way, Your Highness," Advard laughed, holding his hands up in mock surrender.

"Alright, fine," Cecelia smiled, looking down. "I have to be going now; please excuse me."

She turned to leave, but before she could take a step, Advard's hand shot out, gently catching her by the wrist to stop her. Cecelia froze, her heart skipping a beat as she stared at his hand on her wrist. "Where are you rushing off to, Your Highness?" he asked.

"To the palace, obviously," she murmured.

"Can you wait for a little while?" Advard asked, his gaze turning serious and tender. "It has been so long since we last spoke. I've wanted to talk to you for a very long time, but the timing was never right."

Cecelia stayed perfectly quiet, listening to him intently.

"If it's alright with you, please wait for me," Advard continued, a charming smile breaking across his face. "I'll go have a quick word with the Duke, and then you can come over to my estate. We can have a private tea party together."

Cecelia looked down, a deep blush warming her face, before looking back up into his eyes. "Of course. I'll wait for you."

"Then I'll be right back. Bye, Cece."

Advard released her wrist and walked away toward the Duke's office. Cecelia watched him go, a soft smile lingering on her lips.

---

Meanwhile, deep in the dense green forest, Ethan and Iris were wandering through the trees, their stomachs still rumbling violently. Up ahead, they came across a small clearing with three massive trees.

"Ethan, look!" Iris pointed excitedly. "There are three fruit trees over there!"

Ethan looked up, squinting at the high branches. One tree was overflowing with wild strawberries, and the other two were towering coconut and grape trees. Ethan groaned, rubbing his sore back. "They're way too high. How are we supposed to climb up there?"

"Don't you worry, Ethi!" Iris said proudly, stepping past him. "I can climb these easily."

Ethan looked at her skeptically. "Can you really?"

"Yep! Just watch me."

Without another word, Iris grabbed the trunk and began to scramble up the towering tree with unbelievable agility. She quickly scaled to a massive height.

Ethan watched from below, panic gripping his chest as he looked at how small she seemed up there. "Iri! You should get down from there!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. "What if you fall and get hurt?!"

"I'll be totally fine!" Iris's voice echoed back down from the high branches. "Get ready to catch these fruits!"

She began plucking the heavy coconuts and bunches of grapes, tossing them down through the leaves. Ethan ran around frantically, catching them one by one until he had a massive pile.

When Iris finally slid back down to the grass, completely breathless and smiling, Ethan stared at her with his jaw dropped. "I didn't know you could do that too..."

"I just don't brag about all my abilities," Iris boasted, puffing her chest out playfully.

Ethan gathered the heavy coconuts into his arms, adjusting his grip. "Let's get back to the cave. We'll eat them where it's safe."

"Great idea!" Iris smiled.

But as they began to walk back along the dirt path, a sharp swoosh sliced through the quiet air. Suddenly, a barrage of sharp arrows rained down from the canopy, thudding brutally into the dirt right at their feet.

"Get down, quickly!" Ethan roared, dropping the fruits.

He grabbed Iris by the arm and pulled her down, both of them diving headfirst into a thick patch of bushes.

Iris trembled, her eyes wide with fear. "Now what are we going to do, Ethi?"

"How would I know?!" Ethan hissed back, trying to peer through the leaves. "I think we should try to sneak back to our rocky cage, but only if the coast is clear..."

While they were whispering, a heavily armored royal soldier suddenly halted right in front of their hiding spot. His eyes locked onto the shifting leaves.

"Hey, everyone! Attack that bush right there!" the soldier roared, drawing his sword.

"Oh no..." Ethan gasped.

"Run!" Iris shrieked.

They bolted out of the bushes, running as fast as their young legs could carry them. Driven by pure survival adrenaline, the intense strain instantly triggered their supernatural bloodlines. Iris's hair bleached into a striking, vivid blonde, while Ethan's hair turned pitch black. Their eyes bled into a piercing crimson, and their sharp fangs tore past their lips.

"Ethi! You can use your teleportation magic! Use it now!" Iris screamed as arrows whizzed past their ears.

"Good idea!" Ethan shouted.

Holding her hand tight, Ethan focused on their imprint bond and channeled his remaining energy into a teleportation spell. A dark flash of energy consumed them, and they vanished from the forest path.

A second later, they materialized with a heavy thud. But as Ethan looked around, his heart sank into his stomach. They hadn't made it to the cave. They were trapped on a jagged, open mountain cliff—and there were waves of royal soldiers everywhere, completely surrounding them.

"Fire!" the captain shouted.

A hail of arrows erupted toward them. Ethan's vision tunneled. "Now we're completely trapped..." he muttered, his energy entirely spent.

"Don't lose hope, Ethi! Get up!" Iris urged, trying to pull him to his feet.

"How am I supposed to—everything is busted!" Ethan wheezed.

Before Iris could reply, a stray arrow shot through the air, flying at a lethal speed straight toward her exposed back. Ethan saw it just in time. His protective instincts completely overrode his mind.

"Iris, watch out!" Ethan roared.

He lunged forward, throwing his entire body over hers and hugging her tight against his chest.

THWACK.

The heavy arrow drove deep into Ethan's lower back. He stiffened, a gasp of pure agony ripping from his throat as they both crashed to the rocky ground. To make matters worse, a dark, toxic liquid began to seep into his bloodstream from the arrowhead. It was coated in lethal vampire-hunter poison.

Iris looked up from his chest, her eyes widening in absolute horror. "Haaa... Ethan! You're bleeding!"

Ethan gritted his fangs, trying to reach behind himself to pull it out. "I won't... I won't die," he choked out, his vision blurring. "I am a hybrid. I can take it."

"But it's poisoned!" Iris cried, tears spilling over her cheeks.

"I'll be alright... I will fight them off with my magic," Ethan commanded fiercely, his red eyes burning through the pain. "In the meantime, Iris, run! Find a safe cage to hide in!"

"I will never leave you behind!" she sobbed, gripping his torn shirt.

"We will both be safe, so just go!" Ethan ordered, his voice dropping to a demonic pitch. "Promise me, you idiot... don't die."

"I won't..." Iris wept. She forced herself to let go and ran toward the rocky tree roots to find cover.

Left alone to face the advancing army, the poison began to drive Ethan completely out of his mind. The raw, predatory instinct of the monster took over. He bared his fangs, his jaw unhinging as a savage smirk crossed his face.

He lunged at the nearest soldier like a beast. "AAAAAA!"

He bit deep into the soldier's neck, brutally tearing the flesh and drinking the blood to fight off the poison. The soldier screamed, dropping his weapon as he collapsed. Ethan wiped the blood from his mouth, laughing hysterically in his unhinged state. "Your blood... it tastes so good! What do you guys even eat? Hahaha! Today is a spectacular meal!"

"Catch him! Use the nets!" the soldiers' captain screamed in terror. "Surround the monster! Yes, sir!"

Ethan fought like a demon, but the heavy poison running through his veins finally took its toll. A massive wave of dizziness hit his brain. His legs buckled, and he collapsed heavily onto the cold stone floor of the cliff.

Through his blurry, spinning vision, Ethan desperately forced his eyes open. A few yards away, a heavy soldier was brutally grabbing Iris by her bright blonde hair, dragging her backward.

Their eyes met across the battlefield.

"Ethan!" Iris screamed, thrashing wildly. She tried to scramble toward him, but the soldier yanked her hair harder, laughing mockingly. "What do you think you're doing, heroine?"

"Leave me alone, you wolves!" Iris shrieked.

Losing total control, she whipped her head around and bit the soldier's wrist so deep that her fangs drew pure black blood. The soldier roared in pain, releasing her.

Seeing her break free, Ethan used the absolute last drop of his strength to whisper, "Iris... run away... go..."

But Iris didn't run. She bolted straight toward him, dropping to her knees in the dirt and cradling his face in her hands. "Open your eyes, Ethi! Open your eyes, please! You said you would stay with me... you're my best friend! We're family!"

Before Ethan could answer, another soldier rushed forward from the shadows, violently pushing Iris away. She tumbled backward, losing her balance.

THWACK.

A stray arrow shot through the air, plunging straight into Iris's back. The force of the blow blasted her right over the edge of the jagged mountain cliff.

"IRIS!" Ethan roared.

The sheer terror of losing her completely neutralized the poison for a split second. Ethan threw his body forward, sliding across the dirt, and thrust his hand over the cliff edge. Just as Iris was about to plummet into the rocky abyss below, Ethan's hand caught hers in a death grip.

He hung over the edge, his muscles straining to the breaking point. "Iris... hold on! I'll pull you up!"

Iris looked up at him through her tears, dangling over the massive drop, the arrow sticking out of her back. "Leave me, Ethi... just let go and run..."

"Are you stupid?!" Ethan yelled, his grip tightening.

"I won't let you die because of me!" she pleaded.

"And I won't let you die either!" Ethan countered fiercely, his crimson eyes locking onto hers. "Dying alone... would be way too lonely."

Behind them on the cliff, the captain and the remaining soldiers were advancing, their heavy swords and spears raised to impale them. Ethan looked over his shoulder at the weapons, and then looked back down at Iris. A calm, peaceful smile touched his lips.

"Then... let's end this mystery together," Ethan whispered.

Without a shred of fear, Ethan let go of the cliffside and jumped straight down into the deep, foggy abyss, holding Iris tightly against his chest.

Up on the mountain, the soldiers rushed to the edge, staring down into the endless, foggy drop in absolute silence.

---

[Chapter Ended - To Be Continued]