Chapter 3: 3. Ganta
"Ow you're hurting me." A soft masculine voice says from the dark cramped room. Had she been sitting on someone this entire time, she thought to herself.
"I'm sorry I didn't see anybody in here because it's so dark."
"It's alright, but could you move towards your left you're kinda on both my hands." The voice whispers. She obliges and moves over.
"What are you doing anyway? If you're here for confession you're a little early today. This morning is reserved for the town's relics cleansing." The voice asks. She fears revealing to the voice that running from guards will only cause more trouble; she quickly concoct a lie.
"I.. uhh just love magic and uhh.. holy... uh.. cleansing." She barely manage to say. She was glad it was dark as she had the worst tell from lying and instinctively covered her face in embarrassment. She reached for her cloak to wipe her face but noticed it was missing. Panic immediately flooded her mind and she started to hyperventilate.
"Hey! Hey are you alright? What's wrong!?" The voice asks, now worried and somewhat frighten.
"My..clo..my....my cloak. It's....it's gone." She explains, her voice extremely shaky.
"Maybe you dropped it outside, after all you did barge in here quite quickly." The voice deliberates. She slowly opens the door giving herself just enough room to peek out into the chapel hall. Her hands are still slightly shaking at the thought of losing her cloak but she hold steadfast and scans the room. Many clerics and priest are carrying relics across the chapel with some drowsing them in spells and liquids. Other are praying among the pews while one in particular is barking orders to the others from the podium. Then she spots it, her cloak, on the other end of the hall among some outerwear the clerics were wearing as they entered the chapel. They must of moved it when they entered she thought. Satisfied she closed the small door as cautiously as she had opened it only to hear a frighten gasp from behind. The light produced from the lit hall had shined in through the ajar door on her white hair, revealing her small horns.
"You're.. you're a... a... an elf. Please don't drink my blood! I'm not delicious I swear!" The voice practically cried.
"Drink your what? What are you talking about?" Shiro questioned the voice. The voice didn't answer and instead started to whisper a series of words almost like an incantation. A faint yellow light slowly appeared in the small room, revealing the hidden voice. It was a boy, young with a set of white cleric robes with a small cord along his waist. He had bright short red hair that drooped along his green eyes, he couldn't have been older then her. The light was then absorbed into his body which made a metallic chime.
"Was that magic? Are you a spell caster!?" She asked, her excitement from the spell showing.
"You can't hurt me now, I've been told demon elves hate sacred light!" The boy exclaims.
"Hey, hey what other magic can you do? Can you shoot fire? Ice? Ooooh lighting!" She asks, completely dismissing what he said. Confused, the boy cast the spell again and light begins to emanate from his hands. He reaches out to illuminate her face in order to get a closer look at her. The boy blushes furiously when he notices how beautiful she looks. Her deep red crimson eyes swallowing his fear and doubts.
"I thought elves would look a lot more umm how do I say this. Savage?" The boy says with a puzzled look.
"I wouldn't know, my parents were humans. Now tell me; how do you do that with your hands? She grabs his glowing hands and pulls them towards her face causing the boy to reel in embarrassment. Her hands are soft and cold to the touch, he thinks as she runs her fingers all around his glowing palms.
"It's a simple miracle charm that allows me to conjure light from my hands." The boy barely finished saying before being assaulted with more questions.
"But how do you do it? Can I do it? Will you teach me? Hey!" Retracting his hands back the boy thinks for a moment before he responds.
"How about this, I'll answer a question but in response you answer one of mine."
"Fine, fine, just tell me how you did it." She demanded with such excitement in her voice.
"Well it's kinda hard to explain but I'll try. First I close my eyes and just picture something bright like the sun for example. Then I imagine it's warm embrace and convert those thoughts into light by opening my hands. Now for my question. How do you have human parents if you're an elf?" She pouts as his explanation didn't really answer her question but replies nevertheless.
"According to my dad he found me in the woods in a hallow tree trunk while gathering firewood for his forge. My mother is a lieutenant in the queen's royal guard. While I know they aren't my parents by birth they raised me as one of their own so to me they're my real parents. On that note, can you teach me that charm or whatever!" The boy was clearly taken by surprise from her answer that he didn't even answer her question.
"Why would those people take in an elf? Don't they know they're bloodthirsty monsters like the ones from the chasms. I've been told elves kidnap human children and eat them for sustenance. Have you ki-" Before he could finish the accusation, he felt a sudden force knock the wind out of him. It was her fist.
"Why is everyone I meet so rude and quick to judge without knowing me! Everyone either wants to hurts me or cage me in like an animal! I have emotions, desires, and dreams just like humans! I'm not a monster, I'm an elf dammit!" She screamed followed by silence which filled the small dark room. She wiped the small tears that had formed around her eyes before he spoke.
"I'm...sorry, I didn't know. Everything I've been told was the opposite. I'm an orphan like you, my parents didn't want me. They left me here on the steps of this chapel. The priests here raised me, taught me magic, educated me but I guess they messed up that last part huh." He explained, sitting himself up to lean closer to her. "If you don't mind can I, umm..touch your horns? Err..I don't mean like in a weird way..uhh but like umm." He starts to fidget while stumbling with his words for a few more seconds before she lets out a small laugh. She takes one of his hands and gently places it on her left horn.
"Now stop rambling you doofus." she jests and puts on a friendly smile. His hand, now close to her face, illuminates her brilliant white hair and fills the room with white light causing the patrons outside to take notice. The boy opens his mouth to speak but is immediately cut off by a voice from the outside.
"Son Ganta, is that you in there practicing miracles?"
Before he can reply the door to the small room is opened by the outside voice. Quickly Ganta pulls his robe over Shiro and cancels his miracle, eliminating the light it had been producing.
"My goodness child! What are you doing to that person?" The priest yells, causing the others in the chapel to become concerned.
"Father Protus! I was..ummm taking her confession!" Ganta exclaims nervously. "She doesn't want anyone to know her identity, hence my robes." He lets out a weak laugh. "She dropped her cloak on her way in. Have you seen it?" Ganta starts to blush as he can feel her breath along his chest.
"Oh, is it that red cloth over by the racks?"
"Yes! Can you bring it here quickly?" The priest leaves for a few seconds before returning with her cloak in hand.
"Thanks." Ganta says as he takes the door and closes it allowing her to get dressed in the dark.
"Why didn't you tell them who I was?" She asks, her hair all messy from the sudden grasp.
"They were wrong. Elves aren't monsters like they said. They're so stuck in their ways, they wouldn't understand. You're no demon and I'm sorry about earlier. I hope you can forgive me and not think of me as a enemy but instead, a friend." While dark, she lets out a big smile and softy repeats the same word over and over again to herself as if hoping to never lose it. She had never had a real friend before and the thought of it filled her with so much excitement, she nods before hiding her face beneath the red fabric.
"Come on, lets get you out of here." He gestured towards the door and begins to open it. Shiro steps out first drawing her gaze towards the floor and away from the priest eyes. Ganta takes her shoulder and makes his way towards the exit when her stomach emits a loud gurgle throughout the hall, turning everyone towards the source. The priest, who identified as Protus, approach her and politely asked.
"Would you care for something to eat, young lady?" At this point she didn't care if her life was on the line, she just wanted something to eat.
"She's fine father Protus I was.." Ganta was immediately cut short by the priest
"Nonsense, we never turn down a hungry soul in our community. Come child eat something." He wrapped one of his arms assertively around her shoulder, stealing her from Ganta and away from the exit.
"Please help yourself we have plenty to offer. Miss?" Ganta discreetly shook his head in her direction and nudged towards the door, but she only shot him a skeptical look. These people were kind, offering food and hospitality. Maybe they were taught wrong about elves like her new friend she thought to herself. Perhaps she could convince them to understand elves and maybe make some more friends in the process. She tilted her head up and smiled.
"It's Shiro kind sir."
"Oh It's Shiro is it? What an unusual name, but who am I to judge." He let out a small laugh before holding a plate with meat up to her. Her jaw dropped at the sight and smell of the roast. It was ambrass meat, her favorite. Without consideration or utensils she grabbed it and took a massive bite followed by another and another.
"I see you have quite the appetite little lady." The priest chuckled and said.
"Can't say I blame you though. No one can resist brother Alistair's garlic ambrass roast." She stopped eating and turned towards his face after he had spoke.
"Garric?" she asked, her mouth still full of roast.
"Why yes. Picked fresh from our gardens I might add."
"Achoo!" She was allergic. She cleared her nose before looking up towards him.
"I'm sorry I'm allergic to garlic but the roast was really good." She says to the priest who just stood looking at her with a stone like face, his warm smile now gone.
"What's wrong? Is there something on my face?" She moves a hand on her face and starts to feel around for leftover food but what she doesn't feel startles her. Her hood from her cloak was blown back from the sneeze, exposing her snowy hair and horns.
"Please don't freak out. I'm-"
"ELF!" She's cut off by the extremely loud cry from the priest. All the other clerics and priest stop what they're doing and lock their eyes on her. Before she can react Protus grabs her by the throat and lift her off the floor.
"Foolish demon you dare trample our sacred home and try to steal our food."
"Father please stop! We were wrong, elves aren't what we think they are!" Ganta yells over the uproar of the others.
"Worst so, you dare manipulate our children, our very life blood! You shall not leave this place alive demon." Protus slams her down to the floor then begins an incantation. Beams of light protruded from his fingers and wrap around her body, shackling her to the ground.
"Free yourself of this demon's hold on your mind child! Smite it! Eradicate it! Destroy it!" The priest demands, his eyes glowing with yellow fury. Ganta slowly approaches her ands kneels to her level before speaking.
"I...I...I can't!" He shouts, barely able to compose himself.
"I knew you weren't ready to join us! Observe, for this is what is expected of you child!" The priest tightens the shackles made of light around her body causing her to scream in anguish.
"Stop it! Stop it, you're killing her!"
"Do not show this pathetic demon mercy! It would show you none if given the chance." A nearby cleric shouts. Ganta falls on his back paralyzed with fear at atrocity that the people that raised him were committing. Everything he was taught about elves was a lie. They didn't eat people, they didn't attack for no reason nor did they look like the demons they described. His breathing started to become shallow with every breath he took. This wasn't right he thought. This wasn't the life he wanted to live. He wanted to help people not butcher them. He didn't want people who were abandon by others to suffer like he did. That's why be wanted to hunt elves with the priests, to protect those who needed saving, but this was the opposite. He was lied to and wanted out of this cult and he knew exactly how to escape. Shiro's screams echoed throughout the chapel and brought him back to reality.
"STOP! Let me finish her!" He shouts towards the priest.
"Ahh child Ganta how you broke free of this demon's grasp?" A wicked smile emerging from Protus's mouth.
"I've never had clearer thoughts father, now please allow me this sacrifice." The priest obliges and retracts his shackles made of light.
"Prove your devotion my child." Ganta looks at her once more before moving his face inches from hers.
"Trust me friend." He whisper to her before placing his glowing hand on her head.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Crimson_Shiro
Crimson_Shiro I Hope you all enjoyed this chapter I’ll probably try to release two a week and see if I can keep this pace.
I have big plans for these two just stay tuned.
*Ambrass-A large creature resembling a honey badger the size of an adult bear.
Just a reminder not only am I terrible with pronunciation but with names too. “Ganta” and “Shiro” are their own characters in this story and only share there name with their counterparts.
Sorry for the nagging and again, enjoy.
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