3. Lie vs Truth

"The Royal Blood has arrived," the man with piercing features and curly hair declared, his voice shining with an eerie glow. My gaze was instantly drawn to the details of his appearance, and I couldn't help but wonder if his sharp features extended to his fangs.

I found myself trapped in this dark fort, yet I couldn't bring myself to panic. Instead, I held onto the hope that this was all just a nightmare and I would soon wake up at the front desk with my mother scolding me.

But then, the man spoke to me, snapping me back to reality. "How did you find your way here?"

"I didn't. I was running away from someone," I whispered, my hand fidgeting nervously in my lap.

The man hummed as he began to pour a crimson liquid into a golden chalice. "Tea?" he offered with a sinister smile, revealing his fangs.

I shivered at the thought of drinking human blood and desperately hoped that it was animal-based, but I knew all too well that creatures like him preferred their blood freshly drawn from their host.

Vampire.

The man chuckled at my obvious fear. "It seems like you've been under someone's dark magic. This tea will help clear that away. It's not what you think it is. An Azolla tea will bring back your senses."

I didn't know whether to trust him or not, but something inside me urged me to drink the tea. I fake a smile and reluctantly reached for the cup.

As I drank the tea, I felt a strange sensation in my tongue, as if it was going numb. I thought for sure I was going to die from some sort of explosion, but to my surprise, I was still alive.

"That wasn't so bad─" I didn't get to finish my sentence before I was suddenly gasping for air, as if something was trying to escape from me.

"Let it out, Aria," the man instructed, as I collapsed to the ground, suffocating. I clawed at my throat, feeling like I was being controlled.

And then, a familiar voice yelled, "Kai." The sound of the door slamming shut made me jump, even as I struggled to catch my breath.

"Oh, Jax? Do you perhaps want to donate your alpha blood to me?" the man taunted, as the arguing in the background became a faint murmur. I was too busy retching to care about their petty squabbles.

"Help," I croaked, my head splitting and my eyes bulging with pain. I gagged repeatedly, but nothing came out. I could only find relief by emptying my stomach.

"What are you doing to her?" the same man from before demanded, his tone calm but menacing.

"She is my other half," the man with curly hair replied, as the arguing resumed in the background. I continued to retch, the echoes of their voices growing louder and more irritated.

And then, finally, I was free.

Everything stopped when I heard the same voice appearing out of nowhere. I immediately gasp for air as I let my body fall to the ground. My head is spinning from what felt like an eternity of hell in just seconds. As I let my mind take control, the ceiling appeared to be moving, then suddenly, something made me focus on not dying instead of dying.

Ugh.

A searing grip on both of my shoulders jolts me awake. I look up to see Jax, his voice trembling with concern. "Aria, I'm sorry. What did he make you drink? Tell me so I can kill him." He slowly lifts me back onto the sofa, but his intention remains unclear.

Before I can utter a word, I feel a sharp force piercing my chest.

"I'm not alone," echoes a voice in my mind.

In terror, I catch a glimpse of what appears to be a silver blade. "S-Stop!" I scream out.

"What is it?!" Jax exclaims.

"She has a silver dagger buried in her heart," Kai, the vampire, reveals with his eyes fixed on the dagger.

"I can't see it. You're lying!" Jax panics, frantically searching my body for the dagger.

"I'm not alone," the voice in my head repeats.

The stinging pain intensifies as Jax's aggressive movements shift the position of the dagger. "Please stop moving," I plead.

"How come I can't see it?!" Jax demands.

"Only a vampire can see the dagger," Kai explains.

"Why can I see it?" I grunt in pain, staring at the silver blade. I try to move, but something is pushing the dagger deeper. Jax looks at me as if I'm crazy for screaming while something is lodged in my heart.

"Precious, it seems like you know nothing about yourself," Kai sneers, locking his eyes with mine and showing no mercy.

"Stop calling her precious," Jax growls.

Kai walks away, his heavy footsteps the only sound in the room. "She's your mate? I heard you rejected most of your mates. Playing with mine won't help ease our relationship," he taunts.

The pain subsides as I watch Jax, his fists and jaw clenched in anger, veins popping out of his neck. "Don't start with me, Kai," he warns.

"The one who can remove the dagger is worthy of being her mate. One cannot be tied to two creatures at once. If we're both her mate, then..." Kai pauses, turning his head to us with a smirk on his lips.

"One of us is lying."

ARIA

"The Royal blood is here."

The pale man with interesting sharp features and curly hair said in a luminous tone. My attention immediately fell focused on the details of his face. Fangs?

Instead of wailing my way out of here, my consciousness finds comfort in this dark fort. I know he isn't human based on his flawless body structure, dead eyes, and dark place.

To all the things I encountered today, the only thing I wish right now is for everything to be a dream. I hope I'll wake up at the front desk with my mother fuming in anger by my side.

"How did you find your way here?" The man asked me, which helped kick some life back to my senses.

"I didn't. I was running away from someone..." I whisper the last part. My hand keeps on fidgeting as it lays uncontrollably on my lap.

He hums as he begins to pour what appears to be blood—a scarlet liquid—onto a golden chalice.

"Tea?" He offers. His slight smile sent vast waves of shivers down my spine. I was right. He has fangs.

I shiver and bite my lip at the idea of unintentionally ingesting human blood. It might be animal-derived, yet I am aware that creatures like him prepare freshly drawn blood from the host.

A vampire.

The man quietly laughed as he poured more tea into a cup and gently shook his head. "It felt like you were under someone's black magic; this tea would help you clear that evil energy away. This is not what you believe it is. An Azolla tea will help you regain your senses."

I do not know whether to trust him or not. We barely know each other. The last time I tried to talk or run away from someone, I fell into different places.

I fake a smile, feeling the tension rise, "I'll have to pass on this." His grin gradually turns into a melancholy gaze.

"If you are in my place, you need to cleanse the dark magic placed upon you." He pointed above my head, which made me look up, and saw nothing.

"Only I can see it, precious." He gave out a small laugh.

Without any choice, I reach for the tea with a heavy heart. He is not forcing me, but something inside me is pushing hard to make me drink the tea. "Drink..."

I stole a glance at him before I gulped the tea. My tongue went numb as the tea I consumed danced around my stomach. Death. I'll die by some explosion anytime now, but I am still in one piece.

"Gosh, that was not that ba─" I couldn't finish my sentence when I suddenly started gasping for air as if something was coming out of me, which affected my breathing.

"Let it out, Aria."

I collapsed to the ground and began to suffocate. My hands slink into my throat and begin to scratch at it. It feels like someone is controlling me.

"Kai." A familiar voice yells loud enough that his growl even comes in a second after he screams. The sound of the door slamming shut made me flinch even if I was already busy sufficient to puke my soul out of my mouth.

"Oh, Jax? Do you perhaps want to donate your alpha blood to me?"

The sound of ramblings was faint. How can they argue when I am here puking my soul out over that Azolla tea.

"H-help─" I croaked out. My head felt like splitting, and my eyes almost popped out of their socket. I gagged repeatedly, but nothing came out. I will only feel relief when I successfully throw up my whole guts.

"What are you doing to her?" The same guy I ran away from said calmly, but his tone seemed threatening. Their lame markups and fights are starting to get irritated me even more.

"She is my other half."

The ramblings start again. Every echo and faint sound is heard, the harder I retch. I can feel water dripping from my mouth as I feel a big wave of retching coming.

I am free!

Everything stopped when I heard the same voice appearing out of nowhere. I immediately gasp for air as I let my body fall to the ground. My head is spinning from what felt like an eternity of hell in just seconds. As I let my mind take control, the ceiling appeared to be moving, then suddenly, something made me focus on not dying instead of dying.

Ugh.

I suddenly feel a grip on both of my shoulders. "Aria, I'm so sorry. What did he force you to drink? Tell me so I can kill him." Jax's voice was trembling in concern. He slowly lifts me back to the sofa. I couldn't pinpoint his intention because he is tough to read.

Before I could say a single word, I felt a strong force between my chest.

Aria, I'm not alone.

When I caught a sight of what I assume to be a silver blade, I cried out, "S-Stop!"

"What is it?!"

"She has a Silver Dagger buried in her heart." Based on what Jax screamed earlier, the vampire, Kai, began with his eyes stuck on the dagger.

"I cannot see it. You're lying!" Jax panicked. His eyes travel around my body to search for the dagger. Now, I believe Kai that Jax cannot see the dagger stabbed into my chest.

Aria, I am not alone!

I ignored the same voice lingering between my thoughts. Since this voice came, nothing good happened to me.

I wince in pain as his aggressive movements changed the position of the dagger. "Stop moving, please."

"How come I cannot see it?!"

"Only a vampire can see the dagger."

"W-Why can I see it?" I let out a grunt as I stared into the silver dagger, I tried moving, but something was pushing the dagger deeper. Jax stares at me as if I am crazy for screaming while something is stabbed into my heart.

"Precious, it seems like you know nothing about yourself," Kai said, which made me turn my head and shoot glares at him. He only locks his eyes with mine to show me that he is clearly unaffected.

"Stop calling her precious." Jax hissed.

Kai rolls his eyes and starts to walk teasingly, wherein only his heavy footsteps are heard. "She's your mate? I heard you rejected most of your mates. Playing with mine won't help ease our relationship."

The stinging sensation in my chest burns out as I look at Jax, who is now clenching his fist and jaw in anger. Veins start to pop out of his neck.

"Do not start with me, Kai."

"Whoever can remove the dagger is worthy of being her mate. A person is not to be tied with two different creatures at once. If both of us are her mate, then..." Kai pauses before cocking his head to us with a smug grin lingering on the edge of his lips.

"One of us is lying."