“Six pods of funungus, three leaves of hetrotia, nine seeds of jixum, four petals of morarentha, dried roots of wild venus…” I recited the complete process of creating the prescribed concoction for TTA. Everyone peered at me blankly in a silence interrupted only by the High lady’s deteriorating con
[Xanthea] I watched the Aile castle become clearer and clearer in the side-view mirror of Nesryn’s car the farther we drove away from it. Yet its sprawling grandness couldn’t be captured in one frame. The royal castle was the perfection of Baroque architecture, rising majestically to the extreme
We entered the precinct of the Pheles palace, which was named after Raven’s demon wolf’s name — Pheles. It was yet another wonder of architecture standing in the middle of blooming gardens, glowing greenhouses and dark woods. A dense mist hung heavily around the palace and the woods. Flora and faun
[Xanthea] Nesryn called someone while I stayed in the foyer. Standing by the intricately designed arched window, I peered outside. My brain identified as many plants and herbs as it could, matching the details and sketches I had seen in my mother’s books and diaries. But there were still a lot mor
I had left behind all the impossible dreams like being free in the Earthly realm. I no longer had a dream I yearned to pursue, not even freedom. Maybe there was only one thing I looked forward to and feared at the same time — death. He stepped closer. “I can help you get out—” “Beta Draknor!” Nesr
[Raven] I looked at my phone screen as I drove into the private driveway to my palace. Through a spare guardian butterfly, I had been monitoring the omega while she interacted with Draknor and Nesryn. I knew Nesryn had a history with Draknor, but she had just met the omega. Why the hell was she b
She reached out to snap the vines off her ankles that had started sprawling up her legs like dendritic veins. There you go. My months of hard work going down the drain just like that! I swear this omega is going to pay for every damage she does to my X23. The blueness crept up her legs with the vi
[Xanthea] An icy sensation crawled up my leg. The din of my breaths and my heartbeats faltered in my ears as the sound of rustling grass, as if a serpent hastily slithered through them. I stood barefoot on the dewy grass, aware of every stir in the surrounding underbrush. Cold fog condensed on my
The controllers frequently singled out groups of weak bloods, forcing them into perilous situations before kidnapping the survivors under the cover of night. These survivors were subjected to experiments, injected with various drugs, and then sent back within the walls.Most died, but those who surv
[Xanthea]Asher’s tone grew heavier and I could see why through my mother’s memories.“The weak bloods were promised a permanent secure shelter within these walls…”All the giant gates and smaller exits of the walls were closed, trapping all the weak bloods while they were fast asleep.For the first
Waiting, uncertain if someone would show up, was the worst feeling. I knew because I’d felt it when I called Ezra for help with the kids and waited. Those few minutes shattered me. I couldn’t even imagine what six-year-old Ezra endured, waiting for years.“A girl had been observing Ezra all this tim
The soft flutter in my chest instantly turned into electrifying goosebumps as he wrapped his fingers around mine, his grip tightening, holding my hand with an intensity that sent a shiver through me.We stood at the same distance as before, yet somehow, we had come closer.There were no words betwee
[Xanthea]‘… to cure the curse your mother put upon us because only you can.’Asher’s words hit me like a blow to the chest, leaving me breathless and blank. I stared at him as thousands of thoughts rammed into my mind. I was scared like I had never been before.Although I couldn’t decipher who I wa
There were glimpses and unfinished sentences. Lifeless body of a child, probably a weak blood.‘Another disappointm—’Peeled skin. Severed muscles.‘Burn him, prepare the other—’Eyeballs leaking from the eye sockets. People struggling as her helpers stuffed clothes in their mouth to muffle their gr
Experimenting on living subjects thrilled her. It was all fun for her. It was astonishing how she remained utterly undisturbed by it all. She justified every action with the belief that it was for the advancement of healing and immortality.‘Thank you for your contribution,’ she would say to each te
‘And that is why they will be punished as well,’ Alpha Caelum replied coldly. ‘As for you, you are hereby expelled from the Solvaris pack — and the Celestial realm.’My mother looked devastated, but she didn’t plead for mercy.‘I accept,’ she said brazenly as she strutted out of the court.With a sl
[Xanthea]I stared at Asher, my chest tightening as his words echoed in the air, heavy and inescapable. My mind scrambled to process what he had just said.“No.” The word slipped out, trembling and frail. “That’s not… It’s not possible.”Asher’s gaze remained distant. There was a cruel pity in the w