The Winter's Vow (I)

Emeline Kualasis didn't just look like she'd been scrimming through the garbage. She smelled like it too.

Wisps of her Ash-blonde hair-normally a straight, silken sheet-curled from her tight, long braid, streaks of gold, diamond and rose splattered with some dark, oily substance that reeked of metal and ammonia.

"We need to talk," Emeline groused, and swaggered into the room, the sword strapped at her back bobbing with each step. Her braid had become tangled in its worn leather hilt, and as she stopped before his wooden bed, Aiden took the liberty of prying the plait free.

He'd barely untangled it before Emeline's slim fingers were unbuckling the straps that kept the sword sheathed across her worn leather brown armour corset. "I need to dump it here for a few minutes," she said pulling the sword off her back and aiming for Aiden's blanket-covered lap.

Aiden leaned against the bed's wooden frame and crossed his arms, fingers brushing against the loose grey fabric of his shirt. "Hey, my lap is not a table for your use! And also you stink would you kindly take a bath and then come back to talk."

Rolling her eyes, Emeline yanked her sword oh his lap and sat beside him on the bed her dirty corset touching his shoulders.

"Hey! You are stinking!" Aiden complained. He couldn't help it, she was literally smelling like horse shit and her clothes were not exactly what one would call clean. He was going to complain more but was quickly silenced when Emeline suddenly grabbed his hand and squeezed it. Her fingers were calloused-in all the spots where the hilt of a sword or dagger might rest.

Aiden's eyes met with those of his elder sister, her warm sapphire blue eyes shone with concern as she let go of his hand.

"I was there yesterday," she began, bringing up the events of what had happened after he had lost consciousness. " You were lying on the ground with a puddle of blood surrounding you. Kudelia was weeping you know, she tried to heal you but your body wouldn't respond. It was only for a second but your heart did stop beating…"

"I-i-i was-was REALLY SCARED AIDEN!" All her anger, sadness and frustration that she had been holding for the past twelve hours finally broke. She was breathing heavily, her eyes were filled with anger and concern as she yet again squeezed Aiden's hand-tighter than last time.

Silence dawned over Aiden. He didn't have the guts to look at her eyes anymore, so he did what he did best counting the cracks in the wall. He was expecting this, he knew this was coming even if his mom did spare him, he was damn sure his sister wouldn't, he knew this was going to happen and yet he couldn't think of a way to tell her everything.

For starters, he wasn't sure, if she even knew what exactly occurred yesterday-

'Does Kudelia remembers the Enigma? Or did she just discarded it as some wild spirit that broke through the city barrier.'

"Aiden," she murmured. " I am really proud of you for what you did yesterday like I am really really proud. With my three years of experience, I know that any amateur Guardian Infront of a full-fledged orc would be overwhelmed with nervousness and won't be able to take rational decision b-b-but you fought it and slain it. And you even protected Kudelia. All of that is amazing b-b-but…"

Her voice faltered as she pondered upon to find the right words. Her slim fingers gripped Aiden's shoulders as she forced him to look at her, understand her worries and how much she was scared when she thought she had lost him. When Aiden saw her face, her eyes filled with concern, her hands were shaking as she held him.

'I did it again didn't I. I always make you worried Sis don't I. It was the same even back then…'

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Ever since Aiden woke up in this world twelve years ago, he has always been showered with the love of a family he didn't deserve. He was a coward who couldn't protect his real family back in his world and committed suicide only to be reborn in a world where he was gifted with everything he lost.

It was hard, really really hard for him to wake up each day and look at the loving faces of his real family. Living with them, laughing with them and to be loved by them, all of it killed him from the inside.

'Why am I the only one who was gifted with this happiness? I am the person who is a coward, I am that person who couldn't cope up with his own failure and committed suicide. I am that person who couldn't protect them! I don't deserve this'

This life, this another chance in life that he had been gifted was not a gift it was a curse for him. For three years he had to live under the guilt of leaving his real family, the guilt of committing suicide without thinking of all the consequences and biggest if all the guilt of not being able to save his family back then.

He hated it, he hated when Milia-his new mom-smiled at him, her warm smile that he always yearned for, the smile that he thought he would never be able to see. He hated when his father would take him for fishing trying to act like he was his real dad and whenever his sister would spend time with him trying to act as if she cared about him which she did. He hated it.

But it wasn't them that he hated, the one he hated the most was himself. He didn't deserve any of this; all this love! He wanted all this to end! He wanted to end it all. And finally, on the midnight of his third winter in this world, his sanity broke, he couldn't take it anymore and he did something he will always regret.

Year 902

The twenty-fourth day of Twelfth month

Crimson Arc Eve

Midnight

"Emeline can you please bring Aiden for the prayers, We need to leave for the Chapel soon," Milia said, as she opened the front door, getting a face full of snow so cold that it threatened to freeze her. And winter had only just begun.

She was wearing a woollen sweater, with warm millets covering her hands.

"I am leaving now," she said, without turning back. Her fingers gripping the doorknob as she shut the from door."Make sure to reach the chapel in an hour"

"Yes," a twelve year Emeline yawned. It was midnight and she was tired, even though it was a holiday season the Guardian School didn't leave their students. If there are no classes then you need to help everyone in the city. That was the standard procedure.

And thanks to that, Emeline had to help to decorate the Central Demitri Square. She had been working there for the past week, it wasn't an easy job. It took everything in her to complete all the decoration by this evening so that the city folks could enjoy it tomorrow on the Big day.

'It can't be helped, let's wake Aiden up and leave for the Chapel' She thought, her sapphire blue eyes gazing out of the snowflakes stained glass window. The entire place was blanketed with the white snow, even the roads that were unsheathed until a week ago was now swimming with snow that kept on pouring like glitters from the grey clouds, that had invaded the night sky.

A warm smile spread across Emeline's face, her sapphire blue eyes sparkled with childish innocence. 'Mom did say that we need to reach the Chapel in an hour, which means we have enough time to play in the snow!'

Her minds started simulating all kinds of fun stuff she could do along with Aiden. '

Maybe we could build a snowman or even have a snowball fight, Holy Sepira that would so fun, and then when I will win the snowball fight I will tell Aiden that the Loser needs to listen to Winner's every wish for a week. And then afterwards the two of us together will lie down on the snow-covered ground and create a snow angel!'

In a heartbeat she was Infront of his room, her slim fingers gripped the cold doorknob and pushed the wooden door open.

She expected him to be sleeping but he wasn't, eight-year-old Aiden Kualasis was sitting on the window silt, gazing out. He was wearing a wolf furred jacket that Emeline had gifted him last week, a brown muffler was wrapped around his neck as his dull black eyes simply stared at the snowflakes falling down slowly. It seemed as if he was counting them.

"Beautiful isn't it?" Emeline asked cheerfully, she wasn't expecting him to be awake. According to their mother, Aiden had retired to bed soon after dinner so she thought he might be in a deep slumber inside his warm and cosy blanket-which she had planned to throw away in order to wake him up.

Aiden was startled by her sudden announcement, he wasn't expecting her. He wasn't expecting anybody, after all, it was midnight and he had made it totally clear that he was going to sleep right after dinner.

"Hmm…" he hummed in reply. "I have always loved to gaze at the snowfall."

Emeline looked at him confused, "Umm Aiden we see snowfall every year."

Aiden simply waved his hand and replied, "Oh yes. Sorry I forgot"

'You forgot!! That's not something you are supposed to forget. What's with your memory? Are you seventy or what?!' Emeline mind lit up with a barrage of questions, at this point she was more concerned about her brother's future rather than dragging him to play with her.

"Anyways? What happened? Why are you here?"

"Why? Can't your elder sister visit you sometimes" She replied, her hands on her hips as she leaned forward glaring at him playfully.

'You are not my sister. We aren't family, please go away!'

"So mom wanted us to reach the Cathedral in an hour for the prayers but since I am a really awesome sister, I thought why not play in the snow before leaving for the chapel-" Emeline said, her childish grin not leaving her face as her sapphire blue eyes sparkled with warmth as she continued.

'Stop it!'

"Let's make a snowman…"

'Go away!'

"Or maybe we can have a snowball fight you know but don't think I would go easy on you just because we are siblings…"

'Go Away! Go away! Don't come near me!' Aiden couldn't bear it anymore, he couldn't see anything the colours were draining away from his eyes as the scenery Infront of the home was stained with darkness and in this darkness stood Emeline, smiling and laughing but he couldn't see her, for him she was no longer his sister. At that moment the only thing he could see was a tunnel covered with darkness and at the end of it a pair of red eyes smiling innocently with love.

He stepped forward not being able to contain it anymore, all these years of pain, guilt and despair leaking out of him at that moment. His fingers stretched preparing itself to hit the red eyes Infront of him.

'Go Away-Go Away-Go Away!!!!'

Emeline Kualasis was stunned when he looked at her brother, his eyes weren't the warm black eyes she had known all her life, they were lifeless, broken and lonely. She never thought that there would be a day when her brother would actually hit her.

Aiden was no longer in control of what he was doing. His mind was filled with rage, his body was moving faster than his mind and yet only one command passed through his brain 'make those red eyes disappear'.

And then he did it. Aiden's arm smacked his sister with enough force to sway her aside towards the wooden wall, Emeline could have blocked his blow but she was too shocked too even move.

"Aiden?!" She called out, she felt dizzy since her head had crashed directly into the stone floor. It was her luck that no blood was spilt and she only got a swelling.

Until she called him, Aiden couldn't see anything his vision was consumed by darkness. He was angry, he wanted to destroy everything and anything that came in his path. It was on that day Aiden almost succumbed to his inner demons. If it wasn't for his sister he would have lost himself in the dark abyss of rage forever.

Emeline Kualasis didn't understand what was happening with Aiden but she knew what she had to do. In a heartbeat, she pushed herself up and took Aiden in her arms holding him firmly so as to not let him escape her. And whispered softly into his ears.

"It's all right Aiden. I am here for you..."

The darkness around him slowly dissipated as the world was dyed in colour once again. Her words-his sister's word had dragged him back from his demise-but was that enough.

As soon as he registered what he had done a few minutes ago, guilt took control of him. His eyes widened in terror as he remembered how he had hit his sister just because he didn't want to be loved.

Murderer-no where you go you will always hurt the ones who love you-You will never be free from your sins-Always remember this you were the one who murdered her that day-You are the one who ran away like a coward-You…

The demonic voice roared through his mind.

'STOP IT!!'

"Aiden?" Emeline whispered, never letting go of the younger boy.

Aiden couldn't take it anymore, the guilt and this demonic voice were seizing control of him, his head felt as if it was going to spilt into two if he stayed here any longer. Without further ado, Aiden pushed Emeline away and ran. Without thinking where he would end up he ran away into the cold night.

A/N I am so sorry for the late update guys!! I have been facing a bit if writer's block and also my editor aka my lil sister didn't get much time to edit all the chapters but now it's finally here. So please forgive this author and read this new chapter.

And like always happy reading guys!!