"W-who are you?" Zephora stammered, her voice trembling with fear.
The grip around her wrist loosened and Cecilia's eyes rolled back as she collapsed onto the bed, unconscious once more.
"What just happened?" she thought as she stood up from the ground. "I must report this to His Lordship immediately," she whispered.
Border of Kouzlo Duchy
"We're finally here..."Rue exhaled, his breath ragged as he surveyed the vast terrain ahead.
He looked back at his men, only three are left including Sir Condrad and they were mostly injured.
He didn't expect that there are a lot of monsters near the border of Kouzlo and Labyrinthine forest which was strange as if they are gathered to enter the duchy. If not for the strong current in the river, the monsters would've crossed to Kouzlo.
"We must seek shelter and a healer," he said as they proceed to their journey.
Dahab
Capital of Kouzlo Duchy
The garden glistened with morning dew as the Duke of Kouzlo calmly snipped away at a row of crimson roses, seemingly unbothered by the presence of his kneeling mage.
"My Lord," the mage said, head bowed, "there are intruders on the western border."
The Duke didn't look up. "Monsters?"
"No, my Lord. I sensed four men and a child."
The Duke paused, shears resting lightly in his gloved hand.
"They are either criminals or they're on the ran if they passed through the forest."
He stood straight and turned to the mage. "Where are they now?"
"They've entered a border town. Judging from their path, they seem to be headed here in the capital."
A moment of silence. The Duke's eyes narrowed, calculating.
"Close all the gates. Let them in and trap them. I want them questioned."
"Understood, my Lord."
In the Moonlit Chamber, Duke Avaris stared at the body of the Emperor on the catafalque, decorated with mana stones to prevent it from decaying.
"It's good to see you again, father," the Empress from behind.
Duke Avaris didn't turn around. He stood still, gazing at the emperor's preserved body. "After all these years, why do it now?"
"He knew about Caleb's birth."
That made him turn. He walked slowly toward her, his eyes unreadable. "If you had only listened to me back then, you wouldn't be in this situation."
Her voice cracked. "I'm sorry. I truly am. What else must I do for you to forgive me?"
"You made mistake after another," he said, his tone unforgiving.
"Now, you must live with them."
"How about Caleb? He's your grandson. His Imperial Majesty's bastard son and that wench is still alive."
His gaze hardened.
"Caleb will rise to the throne," he said with conviction. "I'll see to it myself. And I will help you deal with the Marquess."
Relief washed over her features, "Thank you, father."
At that moment, Duke Vane entered the chamber. He bowed deeply.
"Your Imperial Majesty," he said, his voice crisp. "I've come to report on the task you assigned me."
Duke Avaris cast a sharp glance at Duke Vane, eyes narrowing in quiet judgment.
"You still don't have eyes on people, Adina." he said to the Empress, his voice laced with disappointment. Without waiting for a response, he turned and exited the chamber.
Duke Vane stepped forward, "The council seems to have accepted the story, after hearing it directly from Sir Garran."
The Empress didn't look at him. Her voice was clipped, unimpressed. "It's fortunate his wife's ring worked as bait. But your mages failed to deliver what I asked for."
"I shall see to their discipline personally, Your Imperial Majesty," he said with a bow, then quietly left the room.
Firavan
Capital of Dostani Kingdom
"You left with Princess Elery and yet you came back alone," Queen Thalora said in a cold tone.
Sir Lucian knelt before her, head bowed low.
"My deepest apologies, Your Majesty. I didn't expect her to escape."
"I allowed her to leave the palace because you swore to protect her." She paused as a coughing fit took over, her fragile form trembling.
Sir Lucian looked at the Queen with concern.
"Where is she now?" *cough*
"I believe she went to Arcane Lyceum."
"Arcane Lyceum..." She coughed again, harsher this time.
Lucian stepped forward slightly.
"Your Majesty, I think you have to rest. You do not look well," Sir Lucian suggested in concern.
The Queen raised her hand signaling him to stop.
"There's no time to rest. With how things are going on now. I guess it is fate that she was there." She stood up from her seat. "I have a new task for you, follow me."
Without another word, she turned and exited the chamber, her footsteps echoing softly along the stone corridor. Lucian followed in silence.
They arrived at the Ancestral Hall, a grand chamber lined with towering portraits of the queens who had ruled before her. At the far end, they stopped before the portrait of the first queen, a woman painted in a regal stance, her gaze both serene and fierce.
The Queen made a small cut on her thumb and pressed it against the bottom left corner of the frame. A soft click echoed in the quiet hall, and the painting began to shift, opening like a hidden door.
Sir Lucian was surprised to see a hidden room in the hall. They descended the spiral staircase leading to a basement. A hidden study room with artifacts and books were found as they reached the bottom. Everything was clean and undisturbed, as if someone had been using it regularly.
"Your Majesty, may I ask what is this place?" Sir Lucian asked in curiosity.
"This is a room used by the first queen and where she stored most of her things," she moved to a desk and opened one of its drawers, retrieving two leather-bound books. She handed them to Lucian.
"Go to Arcane Lyceum and give these to Elery. I would've taught her myself however circumstances have changed."
Sir Lucian took the books. There were no titles on the books, only the names "Agatha" and "Nysarra" were written at the bottom corners.
After leaving the hidden chamber, they made their way to Princess Liora's room. On the bed lies Princess Liora's body. She looked as if she was just sleeping. There were no traces that she's been dead for years.
The Queen's face that always looked serious softened and filled with sadness as she looked at her daughter.
"Elery has begged me for years to let her go so that Liora can be at peace. It must've also hurt her to always look at her sister in this state," the Queen said emotionally.
She turned towards Sir Lucian, "I wasn't a good mother to you," she said, voice low and honest.
"Had I known how poorly the Baron treated you, I would have taken you away much earlier. I'm sorry."
Lucian's eyes softened. "Mother, it is not your fault. I was treated poorly but you and my sisters have filled me with joy."
The Queen reached out and embraced him. It was the first time in many years he felt the warmth of her arms around him, not as a kight but as a son.
Pulling back gently, she gave a faint smile. "There's something I must give to you and your sister."
She moved to the table beside Liora's bed. With a wave of her hand, the drawer opened revealing a secret compartment. From it, she retrieved a small ornate box, opening it to reveal several glowing shards.
She carefully selected the two largest green shards and placed them in Lucian's hand, enclosing his fingers around them.
"It is up to you and Elery how you will use these."
Sir Lucian looked at the shards, he's reminded of the purple shard they took from the enemy before.
The queen coughed again and this time there was blood stain on her handkerchief.
"Mother! We need a healer!" Sir Lucian shouted, panic rising in his chest.
The Queen put her hand on Lucian's shoulder to calm him down.
"It's alright, Lucian," the Queen said, not looking well. "This is only expected as I've been using my powers."
"What do you mean, mother?" Lucian asked, his brow furrowed in concern.
The Queen glanced at Princess Liora. That's when Sir Lucian has finally get it. The Queen has been using her powers to prevent Princess Liora's body from decaying.
"Is this why Elery asked you to let Princess Liora go?" he asked knowing the answer.
"Our power comes from our life force," the Queen explained. "The stronger we use a spell, the more it takes from us. That is the curse passed down to every woman in our family and that is the reason why I want you to stay by Elery's side to prevent her from using her ability."
Sir Lucian was stunned. If he had known, he would've prevented Elery from fighting with the dark mages. He had thought the curse only meant dying young.
"Is there a way to break the curse?" he asked.
"Yes," the Queen said as if remembering something. "But it's impossible."
"How?" he pressed.
The Queen just shooked of her head.
"Nothing will change even if you find the answer you seek. Elery will also make the same choice as I did and just as our ancestors did. She will also decide to keep the curse."
"How can you be so sure?" Sir Lucian asked desperately, realizing that his mother knew how to lift the curse, yet chose to remain silent.
"Sir Lucian, you must go now," the Queen said, her voice regaining its commanding tone.
Sir Lucian hesitated. He could see that his mother had no intention of revealing anything more.
"Yes, Your Majesty," he said, bowing his head. With a heavy heart, he left the room.
The Queen sat on her daughter's bed and gently caressed her head.
"It's happening just as she said," the Queen murmured. "It's better that your sister and brother aren't here to witness it."
Her gaze shifted to the box filled with shards. She called for her attendant.
"Summon all the nobles," she ordered.
Clenching the box tightly, she whispered, "I will not let them get what they want so easily."
Arcane Lyceum
In a private chamber, Princess Elery is having her first class.
"Starting today, we will hold our classes here," the Headmaster began. "This room is enchanted, so you're free to use your powers within it."
"Are you a dark mage?" Elery asked directly.
The Headmaster paused mid-step. "Is that what you think? Because of what happened in the hall?"
Elery met her gaze, unflinching.
"Dark mages can only use dark magic. As for me…" A flame ignited in the Headmaster's left hand. From it, a fiery phoenix took shape and soared gracefully around the room. It landed on Elery's table, staring at her with glowing red eyes.
"Witch"
The phoenix had spoken to her telepathically before flying back to its master.
"Just as I thought. It's a familiar," Princess Elery said in surprise.
"That's right. This is my familiar, Feyra," the Headmaster confirmed.
"But how is that possible? And such a powerful familiar at that. I've never seen anyone with one, not even among the high ranking mages. For some reason, even the witches in our family can't summon a familiar."
"Witches have a stronger natural affinity with familiars compared to mages," the Headmaster replied. "But the balance is shifting. That's why summoning one has become extremely difficult." The Headmaster raised her hand once more, and the phoenix vanished in a flicker of flame.
"What do you mean?" Princess Elery asked, confused.
"Everything around us contains energy," the Headmaster said, waving her hand through the air. A shimmer of blue light danced with the wind. "Even a small pebble holds some."
With her other hand, she made an upward motion, and glittering green light rose from the ground.
"We use this energy around and within us to cast spells and perform magic." She brought the two lights together, and in her palm, they formed an image of a swirling sandstorm.
"But when someone takes more energy than they can handle, or uses magic that doesn't belong to this world…" The Headmaster crushed the sandstorm in her hand. The image shattered, and the energy vanished into the air. "...they disrupt the balance of this world. Spirits that are drawn to our realm's energy can no longer remain here."
"The dark mages," Princess Elery murmured.
"Exactly. They are the ones breaking the balance, bringing in foreign magic. That's why monsters have been appearing more frequently."
"Is there a way to restore the balance?"
"The goddesses of this world will attempt to correct it," the Headmaster said. "They do this by gifting a child with immense energy, one who can tip the scales back."
She paused before continuing, her voice calm but firm.
"But the goddesses cannot directly interfere with the affairs of mortals. It is humanity that caused the imbalance so it must be humanity that fixes it."
Elery had more questions, but the bell rang, signaling the start of her next lesson.
"You should go now," the Headmaster said, her voice calm yet firm.
"Learn how to wield the energy around you without incantation."
With a reluctant nod, Elery stood and left the chamber.
Dahab
Capital of Kouzlo Duchy"
We've caught the trespassers, my Lord," a knight reported, bowing before the Duke of Kouzlo as the captives were brought in, their hands bound.
"Well, this is unexpected," the Duke said, eyeing the prisoners from his throne. His gaze settled on one in particular. "If it isn't Marquess Rue Mallory, the one that slayed the emperor."