"Why are you looking at me like that, Zoren? You are slightly making me feel uncomfortable, you know.""Rena, I don't think he's trying to stare, but the glow around you is just too difficult to ignore.""Yeah," Zoren agreed. "I think you should slow down with the training; you are growing so powerful that you are literally glowing. Were you able to get these specs of magical dust to disappear when you wanted to?""Of course I can," she responded, swiping her hand in the air. "See, they are gone," she said. "But I just find it so pretty when they are out and glowing all around me. I feel extra cute and magical, you know. There's no way that you'd prefer them gone.""Well, if you were to come out of the palace, I think that it would be better when they were gone," Zoren said. "But it is up to you. It looks the same to me.""Huh?" Verena raised her brows to question him, almost offended that he was not able to appreciate the beauty of the sparkles."You look glowing to me all the time."
Verena walked in her periwinkle dress with long, lace bell sleeves that made her look extra ethereal. She had two clips in her long hair that she intentionally used to show a moon and a star. It was a gift from Galen; he said that when he saw it the other day, it reminded him of Verena. She liked it. To her, it felt like her own little way of acknowledging who she really is. And now she used it to flaunt She wanted to take her life back and show those who were targeting her that she was not afraid. That she is finally able to walk out and show herself that she can do something.Earlier, as she was about to train, she received a message from an unknown number. Although there was no name attached to it and she doesn't know who sent it, she has an idea. Who else would message her and ask if she had finally made up her mind aside from Leonardo? It took him a while, and Verena had a moment, thinking about the reasons why he would wait for such a long time. The only answer she got was bad.
Verena's POVI knew that it was a bad idea when I walked into the church and saw a bunch of men staring back at me. They were all wearing white, looking like good citizens, waiting for their father to touch their foreheads and cleanse their sins all at once. All these young men can't be hunters like them, right? I wouldn't be surprised if he targeted young and strong men to join the cult and turned them into his own group of soldiers. Galen and Zoren already talked to me about this, but seeing it in real life like this is too weird. I don't know if I am supposed to feel bad about these human beings who are being used and abused for Leonardo's own gain or if I should be angry about how they can't see what really is happening. They might be so deep into it that they can't even realize that they're digging deeper and getting more into this fake family. That is actually sad. What the hell? If I were still alone and in the middle of the darkest times, I bet I would also join this cult. If
"What the hell are you doing, Galen?" Zoren walked inside the palace and saw Galen frantically shaking a book on the table. "What are you trying to do—is that the cursed book?""No, this one is the witch's book one," he replied, and then looked down at the book on the table. "Oh, that one, yeah! This one is the cursed book.""Why do you have them out here, and why are you shaking that one?""I just thought that I should," he responded, a bit worried. The sour smile on his face was good enough for Zoren to have questions."Tell me, what is going on?""Well, I just wanted to check if Rena was inside," he said, smiling widely. "You know, if she's in there, I would love it if she could come out and show herself to us right now!""Why are you yelling?"Galen shrugged. He can't admit that he was trying to call Verena directly; it sounds like a dumb idea to him, and for Zoren to catch him doing that somehow made him doubt his own brain."What's going on, really?""Did you get out of the gate
It was really hard for Verena to walk inside the palace, knowing that half of her was slowly doubting what was really right and wrong. Hearing how Leonardo knew her mother and him telling her how she once fought with him was very troubling information. She knew nothing about her. All she had was a picture of her mother and very few stories that would come out of her uncle's mouth every time that he was so drunk. Most of it was too negative to remember. Why would she let herself remember that her mother was the reason her aunt died? Nelo would often say that her mother is a curse and that her whole existence is the main cause of their family's demise. Those did not hurt her; what ached more were the beatings that she'd get as she heard him say them. However, hearing Leonardo say that her mother was once a member of Bulan, back when it did not have a name yet, scarred her a bit.What if her mother really was part of the hunters? She was a witch who chose to side with the hunters in figh
Verena felt trapped. As she tried to take a deep breath, she felt a sharp pain in her chest, as if she were being crushed. Everything was dark, and she couldn't see anything around her. She raised her arms up and tried to feel her neck, but she was not able to lift them up."What the hell is going on?" she murmured to herself. She was constricted. Her knees are at her chest, in the fetal position."Oh, you are finally awake. Verena had chills run down her spine as she heard Mira's voice.Mira walked over to her; she could hear her heels clicking and clacking. And once she was beside Verena, she lifted up a thick duvet covering Verena as she was wrapped up in thick, black rope. As her eyes adjusted to the sudden shift in lighting, Verena knew that she was doomed. Mira's smirk says it all."Are you ready to read now?" Mira asked. "Why are you looking at me like that? I gave you such a great space. Look, you are inside my own little cage."It was a dog cage, just big enough for Verena to
Galen and Zoren are tensed. They were just in the palace, and they noticed three very alarming things. One, the doors were wide open; second, Verena was not there; and third, they couldn't find the cursed book. Galen was quick this time around. He checked all the cameras in the house only to find out a clip of how Verena was taken by unknown men. They even took the book with them. At that moment, Galen changed. Instead of trying to make it sound lighter and keep Zoren calm, it was difficult for him. He instantly prepared himself for the worst. Driving to the church, he kept making sure that Zoren knew what was going on."They took her in to bring me out as well," Zoren whispered. He wiped his palms all over his face, still unable to process everything. His head was hurting so bad from stress. He wanted to do something, but right now, all he can do is wait."They must be prepared to face you right now, Zoren," Galen said. "So, I will go inside alone. I will use my astral projection to
Verena could see it clearly: he’s being stabbed in the back. Blood—so much of it—had painted his white shirt red. He hugged her tightly, using his own body to protect her, and she hated every second of it. "Zoren, untie me," she whispered. "I can't do anything with this wrapped around me. She knows that she is too weak, but she believes that even if she let out the softest whispers, Zoren’s ears would be there to listen to her. "Rena, they have guns!" Verena could see Galen frantically yelling, not too far from them. Only she can hear and see him. They know how terrible this is for Zoren, but he did not seem to care. "Guns, Zoren, they have guns! she cried. He tapped her back and kissed her forehead. "Let me go, leave!" Verena yelled. "Oh, no, cut these ropes!" He seemed to understand how frantic her voice sounded, so he nodded. "It’s going to hurt a bit," he whispered. She closed her eyes and bit her lips. "Here I go." "No! Stop that!" Mira screamed into their ears as she tried
The sun appeared again, shining brightly, proudly showing off the light that gave the dancing flowers in the breeze more life. They swayed and played together with the colorful butterflies that kept swirling around them. The birds chirped as they rested on tree branches. The leaves joining in the fun were beautiful. It was peaceful; it was another good morning."Miss Barbara, do they really have tall houses that reach the sky?" one kid named Justin asked as he pulled on Barbara's skirt a bit. He has a flushed face, and his eyes are glowing, big, and bright while listening to the tales of their teacher about the other realm."They have it," Barbara answered, tapping Justin's head. He turned around to his classmates and gasped with them. "They call them buildings, tall buildings, but most of those buildings are used as a place where they work, not their houses.""Do you think we would be able to see one?" One girl around the age of eight to ten asked Justin. She sighed and looked down.
"You already used your power too much to alter the world," Zoren whispered as he held onto Verena's wrist tightly. "You can't summon the moon; it might be your last wish.""I'll do it," she responded, not looking into his eyes. "Even if it is, I would still do it.""Verena, do you not care about yourself? We can fight; don't use your powers again!""One bullet directly to my heart and I'll be dead," Verena said coldly. "We are outnumbered; this won't work. We have to change it up a bit.""Dont go."Verena gave Zoren's hand a tight squeeze before making him let go. She walked out with her head held high. She knew that she was nearing the edge, but that did not matter. She wanted to protect Zoren, and she has one last thing to try. Luckily for her, they followed through with their side of the trade, and all the guns were on the floor. Nobody dared to move as she stood there, looking at Leo, waving the book as if he were teasing her to come closer. She hated him with all her heart, but s
Bulan was in total chaos when Zoren got in. He knew that it was bad when everyone was running out of the compound without even realizing that he was there. Because of the strong earthquake that only happened inside their compound, everyone wanted to leave and save themselves. He rushed to where Verena was. It was easy enough for him to track her since her scent was powerful, especially at that moment. It was too intense, like her aura was engulfing the entire land.His feet led him to the bottom of the tallest building they have, and as he looked up, he felt chills running down his spine. He could clearly see a commotion on top, and the only thing that was clear to him right now was that Verena was fully absorbed by her powers. She was glowing and levitating as her hands were extended, focusing on the two other people there, Mira and Leo.The werewolf prince used his speed to rush up and stop Verena from whatever she was doing. Just by the feeling that he is getting, he is a hundred p
"Father, don't you see? She is just pretending! She wanted to make you believe that she is someone that you can trust! Don't listen to what she is saying!""Mira, use your brain!" the old man said, while tapping his fingertips on the thick book in front of him. He sat down beside Mira as they were talking. "She gave us the cursed book. We have it; she gave it to us; do you understand that? She is using this book as her bargaining chip, and she only wanted to keep that stupid prince safe. Do you not realize how big of a deal this is?" the man laughed with his whole chest. "I did not think that she would be this weak, though. For a man, she is willing to risk everything, but for one guy, she gave up. How dumb.""It was a dumb decision; you are right," said Mira. "And that is what's making me think that she is only doing this for a different reason. I don't know, maybe this is all part of her plan to lure us into a trap or something!""She was able to go into the book, Mira; do you not u
Verena's POVI knew exactly what everyone's thoughts were the moment that I walked to the gates of Bulan. When the guards saw me, I could almost hear his brain register who I was. Crazy, it looks like I've become famous within their community since the last time we've all hung out. I am pretty sure that everyone knows who I am; perhaps they know a lot more than I do because I heard my name being said by a bunch of people who were coming out to catch a glimpse of me. There are at least two dozen girls and some guys who were watching, waiting for what I am up to, as some of the guards are still holding the gates closed before they get their leader's final decision. He ran inside, and I assume that he was asking someone higher up in the ranks to give him an order.In my vision earlier, I saw Leo and Mira rushing to us and getting to Zoren. I don't know when that was supposed to happen, but I am sure that I can change it. I was able to change the vision that I had when I dealt with Barbar
"I couldn't see him anywhere!" Zoren yelled as soon as he got inside the house. He brushed his hair up and stressed that no matter where he went, he would not be able to see Galen anywhere. "I swear, he was never here. If he was here, when I came back, I was sure that he would jump onto me as soon as he saw me. But ever since I came back, I never saw him. Are you sure that he is here?""I am a hundred percent positive," Verena said, wearing her thick, long black coat. "I was just with him while the eclipse showed up. I even accidentally gave him a fright when I connected with him while I was experiencing that surge of energy. I don't know where he went, but because I was not able to control my body earlier, I was not able to see him again." She bit her lower lip. Her palms felt a little hot and sweaty, and she tried to wipe them on her coat, but she knew that they'd still be damp. "I don't know if I was the one who did this to him, but do you think because of what was going on at that
"Thank goodness, you are finally awake. I was worried that you were too drained because of what happened," Said Zoren as he patted Verena's head. He was holding her hand while the woman looked up at him, slowly blinking as if she couldn't believe her own eyes. She lifted her arm and brushed his hair with his fingertips, making her smile a little."This is the best dream ever," she whispered to herself. "I think I might have used my brain power so much that it granted me this escape," she said. She bit her lower lips and sighed. "Still, I am very grateful.""What are you talking about?" Zoren asked. Based on what he is hearing, it does not seem that Verena was the one who summoned him back, and it does not make any sense to him. Who else would have done that if it was not her? He could literally not think of a single being that would have the ability to do so. "Darling, did you not summon me?"Verena shook her head, her eyes slowly growing big, realizing that this hallucination is not
Another day of watching the sun come out after witnessing the entire reign of the moon last night was added to Verena's list. At this rate, she won't be surprised if her body begins to cope and she suddenly turns nocturnal. Even though last night all she wanted was to sleep and get at least twelve hours of rest from her loud brain, she couldn't do it. There came a point where she wanted to use her own magic on herself, but she knew that if she started doing that, she wouldn't be able to stop herself when she wanted to escape for a much longer time. Everything that was revealed to her by Galen last night was too much for her to handle, and she won't lie; it caused a lot of doubts and worries in her heart. It was not easy for her to believe that Leo was her father. The thing is, her expectations and her dreams made it a lot more difficult.Because Verena grew up without any knowledge about her family, she was the one who filled her curiosity with her made-up stories, and although she kn
It's been three days since Verena stayed in a different home that Galen had prepared for her, but she was still unable to do anything. Aside from practicing what Old Fool had taught her before, there was really nothing else. She had made a few wishes here and there just to make sure that she'd be able to at least hinder Leo's movements. But aside from asking for him to stop harming innocent humans, there is nothing that she can do.Galen is not giving her anything. Whenever they meet, he always has so many reasons as to why he can't hang out with her. Even when she moved, he did not go with her. He followed later on and then left again when night came. Since she was back, all she wanted to do was sit and eat a warm meal with Galen to at least help her lessen the sadness and heaviness that she is feeling right now, but she still can't have that. Galen had told her a couple of times already that he had to be out, finding clues and figuring out another way to bring down the hunters. Some