Chapter 73

"WHAT?! I was away for two days and this happened!" Steven said after Ray told him about the match

"I couldn't believe it at first. Azora is not a person who would even think of giving up, which means that that man is really on a whole different level", Ray said calmly

"EEEHHH, I missed a really interesting match", Steven said grumblingly

"How about your mission?" Ray asked

"I brought everything I could find, yet I still believe it's less than needed. Aren't you going to take the family's help? I mean.. you have got three of the most dangerous Leo's and a horror assistant, they can be a great help to us", Steven said

"Not now, Steven. I don't have time for sharing the plan with them, and I still don't have the nerves to tell my mother, god, she would be super angry and she would start crying", Ray said

"Are her tears really that important", Steven said, yet before he could even finish his sentence, a pistol was pointed towards his head

"Say that again, and you would be dead. You know I'm doing it all for her sake", Ray said angrily

"I know I know, I would die for her too so there is no need to point a pistol towards your master, you still can't defeat me", Steven said boastingly.

On the other room, Azora was walking around a chair were Ice was sitting, hiding hundreds of thoughts and complains, while he was so calm and cold

"Is there anything you want?" he said

"Seriously, I can't understand you at all", she said

"I'm not as complicated as you think, I'm just doing what I was told to do", he said

"Tell me about yourself then", she said, crossing her arms and looking straight into his black eyes bravely

"As you wish, Azora. I was born during the period your father and mine were dead. my biological mother didn't want me so she threw me here, however, Josephine was more than enough to replace her. All these years, I lived peacefully with my father and my loving step mother, and they trained me to be strong and fearless. Whether it was sports, languages, science, and even history, they trained me so well to be ready for everything. That's it", Ice said calmly

"What do you mean that's it? You are strong, brave, and handsome as hell, you are, way more perfect for being an assistant to a mare young lady like me, and I'm not humiliating myself by saying that", she said

"I'm thankful that you see me as handsome and strong, yet I would never agree with the last part as you, my master, are not a mare young lady", Ice said calmly, making her blush as it was her first time complementing any one like that, however, she didn't know he was serious about her being not a mare young lady

Two days after that, Azora went with her uncle to the amusement park as a gift for her high marks at school. She was having a lot of fun, while he was as cold and calm as ever. Azora kept running here and there, dragging her uncle to every thing that seemed funny to her, and enjoying her time to the utmost just like her mother when she was her age. On the other hand, Ve kept his steady cold face all the time even though he was actually happy and delighted to spend some time with the person who means the most for him, wearing his sunglasses that gave him a more serious look than he already had

"That was AMAZING", she said

"The roller coaster! Of course it would be amazing for someone who has never rode a helicopter. I really can't understand your mother sometimes, it's ok for you to take poisons, yet it's forbidden to take a helicopter as it's too dangerous", Ve said calmly

"She is just worried about Ray and me. I can understand her, you know, I would have never wished for my kids to be born in a family as messy as ours, yet she chose father even after knowing about that. I really wish to have a love as pure as theirs", she said softly

"Acting again, ha!" Ve said

"You got me this time! your skills are improving", she said, lying, as she never wanted to show an emotional self in front of the person who has high expectations for her. "Oh, uncle uncle, let's try the horror house", she said, dragging him with her and running again

They entered the house together, still holding hands. It wasn't creepy at all for her, yet she felt a heavy feeling in her chest, as if every corner was hiding something dangerous. Silence was covering the place, allowing Azora to hear her breath clearly, and with a sudden move her uncle made, pushing her towards the wall and covering her small body with his own, she could finally realize the reason behind that heavy feeling. They were under attack, or that's what she thought at first as the place got quiet again after a single shot was heard.

"Un.. uncle?" her shaky voice said, feeling his heavy body getting closer and closer to her

"Sorry, Ora", he said with the steady voice that she got used to, then he fell to the ground.

"NO, NO NO NO NO NOOOOO. UNCLE PLEASE DON'T CLOSE YOUR EYES, STAY WITH ME, please", she said, pressing on his wound trying to stop the bleeding, yet it wasn't helping at all. His body got colder even though she was shaking it. His eyes remained closed, regardless of her shouting voice calling him and regardless of her tears getting down his face, and after that, she felt his last breath getting out.

Azora stopped shouting, letting the place fall into silence once again, no sound was heard other than a single bumping heart, not even the sound of her breath that she forgot to take. She ran her shaky fingers in his black soft hair, then she moved them down his face, feeling her warm tears over his cold skin, and suddenly, she gasped with a dripping sound, the sound of her own tear getting into his blood that was covering them both.

She hugged him for the last time, crying her heart out, and feeling it shattering into a million pieces. She murmured an apology and other words, then she loosened her fist that was holding him, and went out of the horror house alone.