'Haah.'
Standing at the highest balcony of the Davana Kingdom's palace, I let out a sigh.
Blankly, I stared at the fog that left my mouth.
The dance had already ended a few hours ago.
Most of the people had already moved back to their rooms as the Asura wedding would be tomorrow.
'....'
My gaze shifted to my side as I wasn't alone here.
Four more boys sat a few metres apart from each other.
Carson stood at the side with Aimar, a cigarette in his hand.
But—.
The main two who stood farthest from each other were Elijah and Amaury.
And the way Amaury repeatedly tapped on the ground with his foot....
'.....Am I going to see a scene straight from the game?'
I wondered, staring down at the city that was lit up with decorations.
What a beautiful city.
....It's really nice—.
[<Are you alright?>]
'.....'
I don't know.
Should I be alright knowing a genocidal killer was my foster mother?
'How could Niressa even be in the right state of mind to take care—.'
[<She wasn't always like this, was she?>]
'....'
....Yeah.
She did change after her son died.
'....How did Liam even die?'
Was he really killed by Ragnar or was there more to it?
And—.
They took care of me until I turned almost five.
'....The exact time Liam died.'
A sudden sense of uneasiness crept down my throat.
I gulped, considering the possibility.
'Yenna did say that I was only supposed to lose all the bad memories.'
But—.
What are those bad memories?
I let out a tired sigh as I closed my eyes, and the world around me shifted.
As I willed, a red door appeared right in front of me.
I hesitated.
Staring at the handle of the door.
Extending my hand, I grabbed onto it before slowly twisting it.
'....'
At the last second, I let go.
Sighing, I opened my eyes.
[<Why did you stop?>]
'....Would I get my feelings back for them if I see the past?'
[<You will remember everything of the first five years of your life... most probably, yes.>]
'.....'
Would that be a good decision?
She is going to die either way.... would it be good to know what she was to me?
'....I don't know.'
I truly feel lost here.
Ding!
In the tense silence of the place, a sudden notification jolted us all to reality.
We all turned to look at Elijah, who hastily took out his phone.
"Who is it?" Aimar asked, looking at him curiously.
"Heather." Elijah replied, half focusing on the text. "She is asking to come meet in her roo...."
His words halted abruptly as he noticed what he was speaking.
A stunned silence lingered between us as we shifted our gaze from Amaury to Elijah.
Amaury's tapping stopped.
Finally, he turned to look at Elijah.
"....Why?" he asked, his voice felt strained as if he was hiding his pain. "Why did she call you?"
"...I just received the text." Elijah replied, lowering his phone down. "She didn't specify the reason."
Amaury chuckled.
"Funny I know the reason." he murmured. "Not from her, but her parents."
An uneasiness crept onto Elijah's face.
Maybe he remembered what he did today... asking her for a dance when her parents were against it.
Elijah finally mumbled, "What happened?"
Amaury looked at him as he replied, "She is dropping out of the academy."
The news took everyone by surprise, including me.
Elijah frowned. "What, why?"
Amaury didn't hide the sarcasm in his voice. "She is supposed to look after the family now."
Elijah turned on his heels. "I should go talk with—"
Before he could even take a step, Amaury grabbed his shoulder, yanking him back.
"Don't go anywhere near her!?" he yelled, his voice echoing in the balcony. "It was because of you she's going to leave!!"
Elijah couldn't even get angry at his sudden assault as he heard his words.
He tilted his head in utter confusion. "What?"
"You heard me." Amaury spat, glaring at him. "It was because you tried to step out of your boundaries and tried to get something you don't deserve!"
"...."
Elijah just stood there, unable to even move, his chest moved as he took in shallow breaths.
"What did I do?" he whispered softly.
"You don't get it, do you?" Amaury hissed.
"Her parents were already looking for a reason. A reason to control her again. And you—your little rebellion gave it to them wrapped in a bow."
Grabbing onto his collar, he made Elijah look into his eyes.
"You know what?" he whispered, his voice venomous. "It wouldn't have happened if she never liked you."
"...."
Elijah blanked out as I stepped forward.
"Why don't you get this." Amaury hissed, glaring at him with his bloodshot eyes. "A bastard like you doesn't deserve her."
"Oye."
Amaury turned to look back—.
But immediately fell on the ground as my right hook connected to his jaw.
Amaury growled, pushing himself up on his elbow. "You son of a—"
A kick to his face made his words halt.
"Shut up," I snapped, my voice low but sharp. "You think you're the only one hurting?"
A little bit of reasoning flashed in his eyes.
Slowly, he turned to look at Elijah, who was barely holding himself while using the railing as support.
"Stop acting like a crybaby." I said, clicking my tongue in annoyance. "You are a bastard, then why are you acting like this?"
Still having that pained expression, he looked at me.
"What do you know?" he snapped, glaring at me. "Do you even understand—?"
I clicked my tongue in annoyance.
"I don't, nor will I pretend I do." I interrupted his words.
"Just don't forget what you are, the rest of the world will not. Wear your lineage like an armour so it never hurts you."
I stepped towards him, gently removing his arms from the railing. "Heather is still waiting."
Elijah looked at me for a long second—eyes rimmed red, voice caught in his throat—but eventually, he nodded.
Then he walked off.
No one stopped him.
The moment he disappeared, I let out a long, quiet breath and crouched beside Amaury.
"I get it," I muttered. "You loved her first. You thought that meant something. But she isn't a prize to fight over, Amaury."
And it's not like you have any chance now.
You lost her, buddy, and the faster you accept it, the better.
I patted his shoulder as he remained unresponsive.
"Don't worry." I said, smiling. "I will kill you the moment I find you trying something funny."
The threat seemed to work as Amaury looked at me in surprise.
'So he was thinking of something bad, huh?'
I should keep an eye on him from now on.
Patting his shoulder again, I stood.
Just as I turned, my gaze landed on the two fuckers standing on the side enjoying the show.
Smiling, I showed them my middle finger.
They both looked away.
[<You handled it well.>]
'Did I?'
[<Yes. Do you want mommy to hug you as a reward?>]
'.... You know what, maybe I should go ask Yenna for one.'
[<Aye.>]
'What?'
—Father.
Before she could reply, Olivia's voice echoed in my head.
'Yes?'
—The drink at the party was poisoned.
'Huh?'
—The Dark Trinity did it.
'Wait, what?'
*****
On the other side of Davana Palace, two women sat inside a lavishly decorated room.
One of them had long, pristine white hair.
Her face was lined with soft wrinkles, and her pale, near-blind eyes stared at the drink in her hand.
Coretta Kurai Uzume.
Head of the Uzume Highbloods.
The longer she stared at the glass, the blurrier it became.
A faint smile played on her lips as she recognized the signs of complete blindness creeping in.
"Are you going to be alright?"
The voice pulled her gaze across the room.
Smooth skin, vibrant purple eyes, and long lilac hair cascading down her back.
Orelena Noah Aljanah.
Matriarch of the Aljanah family.
Coretta narrowed her eyes slightly. "Weren't you not supposed to be here?"
Orelena hesitated, considering whether or not to tell the truth.
After a brief pause, she sighed.
"My daughter asked me to come."
Coretta frowned. "Esmeray? Why?"
"I don't know." Orelena shook her head. "She didn't tell me."
"And you came here without thinking?" Coretta asked, looking at her.
"She is my daughter." She replied, her voice firm. "No matter what, she won't do anything that would hurt me."
Coretta shrugged. "True."
She leaned back on her sofa as she took a sip of her drink.
"You didn't answer." Orelena pressed further. "Is your eye alright?"
Coretta smiled. "Do you remember why us Uzume Highbloods have such eyes?"
"....I do."
Back when humans were treated as nothing but slaves, there was one clan among them.
A clan who worshipped Goddess Amatrasu.
"Our family was the most rebellious of them all." Coretta whispered, twirling her glass. "So to control us they made us eat a poisonous herb that made everyone blind."
Uzume family would have been wiped out long ago had He not been born among them.
The fourth child of mana.
Moshel.
The one who led humans to freedom.
"It's funny." Coretta chuckled softly. "Despite being the descendants of their messiah, we are still hated by humans."
"It was because Moshel wasn't supposed to have any children." Orelena replied, looking at her.
The gods forbade him to do so.
Yet he had a child.
And—.
The reason why Uzume had to sacrifice one of their children as Sword Maiden to protect the gate of hell.
"Anyway, I think my second awakening is going to be soon." Coretta announced, taking her by surprise.
"Wasn't it supposed to be a legend?" Orelena asked, clearly skeptical. "Only Moshel was able to have one."
"That's the thing." Coretta replied with a small smile. "I might be the second in our bloodline to have one."
Orelena looked at her. "Won't you turn blind because of it?"
"Yes."
She raised her glass high in the air.
"But in exchange nothing will go unnoticed by me."
As if to mock her dreams—
An arrow pierced through her glass, shattering the pieces around.
Coretta's expression turned cold as her body blurred.
Orelena, on the other hand, noticed a small note attached to the arrow.
She moved, taking the note and opened it.
"No one suspicious is around the palace."
Coretta's voice echoed as she re-emerged.
"There was an arrow in both Mariam and the king's room."
Orelena silently nodded as she read the note aloud.
"Surrender the divine weapons if you don't want to turn the wedding into a....bloodbath." S~eaʀᴄh the NovelZone.fun website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Both of their expressions hardened for different reasons.
Coretta's body blurred as she vanished.
"I will try finding the culprit."
Orelena couldn't reply.
She stood there blankly staring at the note.
Because—.
She recognized the handwriting.
"....No."
Orelena whimpered as she sat back down.
The entire palace fell into chaos as they tried to find the culprit.
But—.
No one could find anything.
The first ray of sun shone over the palace.
The day of the wedding—.
—has arrived.