Both Drokn's and Eial's eyes slid wide and a cold sweat crawled the back of Eial's neck. A knowing expression of familiarity from the two fortunately looked just like the surprise of unraveled realities to the braided demoness. While Vrona's head was still turned away from Mon, she subtly mouthed a shhh, bringing concerned tension to the demon's brows, but masking it with grave curiosity.
"How much do they know?" Mon said with a steady, unconcerned face.
"Nothing on the subject." Vrona faced back around with a roguish smile.
"How much can we trust them to know?"
The mother's joyless smile deepened, and only silence lifted from her lips.
Mon sat and stared into her friend's eyes for a moment. One of her elbows rested on the wooden chair's back and her back arched into a slouch. "So this is your son and..." The braided demoness waved to point. "Honestly, I thought you said you were only bringing your son," she stated, paying no mind that the subject of her conversation was listening.
"I wasn't lying. Drokn is my son. And Eial is like my son."
"...Ever the same, Vrona."
"Are you telling me you aren't?"
A long, defeated exhale from the braided demoness passed through. "I assume they're bonded. Explains why you were suddenly curious about the data."
"You know me so well."
If the braided demon's face could smile, it would have. However, the robotic face remained the same and sighed again, long, preparing for the amount of talking that to her, seemed like a chore. "So, as I'd informed you in your prior visit, there indeed was more data about AE001 and its reaction to bonding." Mon reached behind her to the table, grabbing a thick stack of binded papers.
Vrona grabbed the stack when they were handed, her mouth cinching with displeasure. "There's so much fucking data. Just how much did they stalk them?"
"If it makes you feel better, that stack's with the stuff about other demon and elf bonds, too."
Skimming through the material, Vrona groaned, "Oh joy, there's more?"
"Alright." Drokn's odd patience finally met its end. "What the fuck is going on? First with the bullshit about AE-whatever, and now what? Other demon and elf bonds? Data? Nothing you're saying makes any fucking sense!"
The air blew not a creak until Mon's eyebrows lifted in slight amusement, the most emotion she had shown so far in their meeting. "Wow, he really takes after you," she said, addressing her friend.
And at that, the familiar demoness roared in laughter, the enclosed space boomed her sound even further.
Flinching, Mon closed her eyes, hoping that would stop her ears from hearing. "Demons, ever the loud one."
"Unapologetically," Vrona smirked.
Drokn did not find the situation amusing at all. His eyes glared at the two and the unspoken knowledge they had still not yet explained.
Thankfully, the laughter eased fairly quickly, relieving all others in the room except for Eial, who was too caught up in this strange situation to care.
Mon made note of her friend whose attention drew back to the papers in front, understanding that she was now given charge of explaining. Looking to Drokn in her uninterested way, she started, "As odd as it may seem to you, there are other bonded demons and elves. We just don't see them often because demons and elves rarely have a chance to meet. AE001 was our first evidence they existed. And probably the only one Vrona knows about."
The demoness kept her gaze focused on the papers despite the mention.
Mon continued, "So we have data from—"
"Who's 'we'?" interrupted the demon.
Glancing to Vrona and back, Mon said, "We are a former group of underground scientists who were in charge of non-public research and experiments. Anyway, long story short, I can tell you a little about the data that's been gathered about your—" she loosely pointed back and forth between the demon and the elf, "—unique bond."
A scratching feeling scraped the pits of the demon. Knowing there were more like them, knowing there was information about them. Something felt oddly discomforting. Unwavering eyes maintained their connection to the informat.
"Vrona had sent me a message spell some days ago. That you, Drokn, can amplify the elf's magic. Does it work the other way for you?" Calculating, the braided demoness inquired. However, she was met with no response.
Choosing not to press further, Mon's husky voice verbally printed out the observations from their data as stiff as a robot. "In demon elf bonds, the two partners are able to amplify each other's magic. Demon magic and elven magic are compatible like two ends of a magnet, and the bond lets the flow of their magic pass through. If one of the two do not have magical energies, there is no amplification.
"The only other case of no amplification is AE001. It was able to be amplified, but it could not amplify the other. Perhaps it was nature's way of protecting the other from an overload of magic.
"Rather, another strange phenomenon happened. The bonded demon's magic level increased. It seemed that the excess magic from AE001 would pour into the bond's, almost as if evening out the magic levels between the two."
Staring hard into the demon's eyes, expression unmoved, the air froze around them. "Sound familiar?"
YOU ARE READING
The Demon and the Elf (Book 1)
Fantasy[mlm] The lonely Elf had waited many years to meet his bonded mate, but reality was harsher than he would have liked when he finds out his mate is not only a Demon, but the Demon wants nothing to do with him. [Part 1/Book 1 complete. Follow the stor...
