Vida
Vida’s Apartment, New York City
She stared at Colter, there was confusion and sorrow in her eyes as she realized the intonation of his voice. It was filled with dread and sadness, upon hearing those words, Vida’s heart filled with sadness. It was as if the man she had shared and spent the night with was going to tell her something that she would not be able to take. His eyes betrayed no emotion, other than guilt and melancholy. She had wanted answers for what was happening recently, and in her darkest moment, in her paranoia she was going to receive them.
Pulling up the covers to cover the rest of her body, she sat up and nodded at Colter to continue, who only stared at her with bewildered eyes. The couple stared into each other’s eyes; amber meeting emerald but there was no hint of giving in.
Colter then took a deep breath and Vida braced herself for the worse, many scenarios ran through her head but what she was going to be told surpassed all of that.
“I never wanted to hide anything from anyone” Colter said in a whisper, as Vida stared at him with round eyes, she only motioned for him to continue as he had stopped and stared at her worriedly.
“I am not from this world” Colter said now, Vida listened intently, her mind slightly shifting to stereotypical alien worlds that took people away to be probed, “Do you remember the day when you first saw me?”
Vida nodded, remembering it perfectly, he was lying prone in the middle of a sidewalk unconscious, he was wearing a garb that was not normal in any standard.
As if reading her mind, Colter continued, “I was not wearing normal clothes for your standards back then, I was wearing an outfit that was meant for royalty. I am a prince of the Kingdom of Howard…”
Vida’s mind then flickered to all the countries in the world, trying desperately to think of a place called ‘The Kingdom of Howard’ but none came to mind, and so she continued to stare blankly at the man who she had just made love with.
“I was lying prone in the middle of this city, stepped on and abused by other people, but I did not come from a party that time. Tessa seemed to say that I came from one of these ‘cosplay’ events that she keeps teasing me with…”
Vida remembered how Tessa had called him a cosplayer, a medieval one. Vida, still in shock and wanting to know more, beckoned and nodded for Colter to continue:
“I am Prince Colter Howard, Second Prince of the Kingdom of Ecanus, also known as Colter the Roaring Inferno”
Vida’s mind focused on the words ‘roaring inferno’ thinking that she was dreaming, she slapped her face absentmindedly which made Colter reach out and stop her.
“Jesus.” Vida whispered, “This is not a dream huh?”
“No, it’s not a dream” Colter assured her, still staring at her intently, “I am not from your world. I crossed a portal that led me here, weak and broken, I am not a ‘human’ but an Ecanus.”
“What the hell is an Ecanus” Vida thought absently, still shook from the fact that she was not talking to a human right now, for a few seconds she had wondered if she had hooked up with someone who was not in his mental capabilities, but decided to give Colter the benefit of the doubt.
“Again, I am not human. The portal I had crossed was forbidden for us to cross as it would lead us to your kind, I am not like you, Tessa, Pete and everybody else. I am a different creature, a different being. I am not normal”
“Yes you aren’t” Vida thought hungrily, remembering how he had performed in bed moments ago, but stifled it down and muttered “What the fuck is going on…?”
“There is nothing going on” Colter told her calmly, “I am simply telling you what I am, and what I am about to do. Our kind is a simple one, we are creatures of a different age from you, we do not have the technological advantages you have, our lives vastly differ, while you toil day in and day out in this world, I had the luxury of wealth and power.”
Vida grimaced at his slight arrogance, suddenly realizing and putting it altogether. When Colter had arrived he had an air of royalty, as what everyone else told her. He had the same stature as Harry Fletcher. He was someone who had been born into wealth, he was someone who had everything handed to him. He was someone who was on a different level than everyone else around him. Royalty indeed.
“I am saying this now because I may be needed back home” Colter said quietly, the dread in his voice was obvious, “Yet as per the rules of our kind, I cannot because I had sexual relations with you. To consort with a human being is one of our greatest taboos. It has always been this way since the beginning of our species.”
“It’s a like a fantasy novel come to life…” Vida whispered and Colter heard this, his eyes widened in fear and worry.
“Vida, this is not like the works of fiction you are so fond of. This is a matter of life and death, yours to be specific. To have relations with humans such as yourself means that I have to kill you and bring your heart back.”
Vida, now looking back at everything that had happened, it was quite a short time but she thought that being around Colter was the purest bliss she had ever experienced. Instinctively, she pulled the covers down that hid her chest, “Then go ahead.”
Colter hissed in annoyance at how willing this human was to die, “I cannot do that! If it were that easy for you to give your life up to me, it’s harder for me to take it. I cannot even dare to think of it, Vida Vance” Colter said exasperatedly, “Because I already love you too much.”
Vida flinched away from him, pulling the covers back up, “I don’t understand. Why are you telling me these? Did you have something to drink? Are you even speaking the truth?” There was fear in her voice as she spoke these words, to Colter’s ears it was a mixture of belief and disbelief put together in a chaotic mess that she does not understand what is going on.
Colter sighed and asked her to look closely.
---
Colter
Vida’s Apartment, New York City
“I understand the terror and uncertainty” Colter assured her and decided that in order to prove himself further, he had to show this human the extent of his abilities.
He put one hand on her shoulder in reassurance, and Vida smiled blandly at this, still afraid and uncertain. With his free hand, he pointed his index finger upward towards the ceiling and focused all his energies in it.
Flames suddenly erupted from his hand and accumulated on the tip of his finger, it was a swirling blue fireball that emanated heat. He glanced at Vida who was staring at it with saucer like eyes. It was as if a child was shown how magic tricks worked for the first time, yet he still felt her uncertainty. He felt that she still did not fully believe in what was happening at the moment.
“I am an Ecanus of the Fotia species, Fotia being able to control the aspects and avatar of fire.” Slowly, he grabbed her hand and traced it against the mark on his chest, “This mark, which differs from Ecanus to Ecanus shows that I am a part of the Fotia-Ecanus, I am not human. See how it glows from any other usual scar”
He felt Vida stare at it intently, and he decided to let out the power that he was holding back all this time, the mark in his chest suddenly glowed which made the woman in bed gasp.
“It is not any normal scar; this is a symbol of what I am and what I am capable of.”
Vida was now shaking her head violently, “Look, I don’t know what’s going on. It could be the fact that I am high from getting laid that good but you do not need to lie to me, Colter. If you just want to dump me and leave me her all by myself, you need not make up stories. You can leave if you-“
With those words, Colter reached out and kissed her intently on the lips. It was a kiss that seemed to last a lifetime as their mouths collided without defense, Colter even felt Vida open herself even more as they locked themselves in this one scenic moment in time.
Vida was still gasping for breath when Colter pulled himself out and smiled at her calmly, “Put some clothes on. Let me show you. Let’s fly.”