EZEKIEL arrived the next day. Eleand’s youngest brother was doing well. They talked nonstop when he reached home. Ezekiel couldn’t believe he survived the accident, plus the fact that he was comatose for two years.
“I should come with you back in California,” he informed his younger brother. They were currently eating dinner with other family members.
“Are you sure? I’ll just stay here for a week. I’ll be back after three months for my art exhibit in Manila.” Ezekiel paused to chew his food and added, “And to attend Erone’s wedding.”
“Just a week, I see. Why don’t you extend it?” he suggested.
“Believe me. I want to. But you know the aircraft crashed recently in Florida, we’ll cover the insurance of the victims.” Ezekiel sounded problematic.
“Sorry to hear that, but I want to ask a favor from you.&
AFTER a few days, Eleand was extremely bored than normal. Staying at home made him feel worthless. Ezekiel went back to California, and Erone was busy at work. And also, his father would visit their farm most of the time.Only playing archery would suit his pastime. Sometimes he would read books in the library. For the last two weeks, this had been his routine, hoping to forget everything. But he couldn’t make it, that Erganiv shit still torturing his mind.Then he suddenly decided to indulge himself in his imaginations. Perhaps, he should stop controlling it. What if he gave way? He would try the magic spells that kept on haunting him. He knew he could manipulate the fire. There was no harm in trying after all.Let’s begin.Eleand immediately got three medium-sized candles and put them on top of the glass table in the library. For a long moment, he stared at the candles while chanting the simplest spell to
ELEAND scanned the documents in the cabinet one by one. It contained several scrolls and old books. When he checked one of those books, there were hand-drawn portraits of his ancestors.He carefully studied everything. Some dated a hundred years, way back to the Spanish Era. But the only familiar face for him was his grandparents.The Altierras originally came from Spain, he learned. From the time when they colonized the Philippines, his great ancestors migrated because of business until they bred with the locals and other foreigners.It was late in the afternoon when Eleand finished his readings. He took notes for every possibility of his faerie origin. Who could it be? All of them perfectly looked human—normal ears and features. The eye colors vary depending on their foreign DNA. Perhaps, he had to look for other data inside the master’s bedroom.Eleand sought at one cabinet where books were stacked, and a family
THE old man continued to tell the story, everything he had to know. And his father repeatedly apologized. “Dad, do not feel guilty about this matter. There are things I need to settle that’s why I’m asking about my birth parents. You’re forgiven. I care about our family a lot. That is why I’m doing this.” His father remained quiet as if he was controlling his emotions. Eleand reached out for him and held his shoulder. “Don’t overthink. It’s not good for your health.” “I knew we raised an understanding and lovable son.” Eleand smiled. In the next few days, Eleand spent most of his time researching his origin. Although he was certain about his humanity, however, a part of him might be a faerie with regards to his strong magic attribute. Probably a half-breed, a Demifae—half-human and half-faerie. Eleand also thought of the possibility that he might be from Erganiv by the time his human paren
ELEAND hurriedly cast his transportation magic. The Vanire was quick when Eleand made it along with Ezekiel, who appeared startled by what was going on. They hurriedly went to Erone and their father. But one Shadow emerged from behind.He hastened his move to make his family safe outside the building. However, it didn’t go according to Eleand’s plan. He was a few seconds late because the Shadow was quick to grab the old man and teleported with his family. Thankfully, Eleand managed to touch his father’s legs, and he disappeared along with them.Ekeziel couldn’t talk when they materialized at a place full of trees. He knelt and vomited.Eleand wanted to comfort him, but the Shadow doubled itself, and it made Erone and the old man hostage.Eleand noticed that the forest around looked familiar. For a moment, he thought they might be in Erganiv, but the treehouse near them made him rea
“NO! No!” Eleand weakly knelt and vomited blood. Kharyn gently caressed his back while he punched the ground full of ash. The trees within the perimeter were burned as well, and there were no traces of Muhlerian Shadows.“Tell me this is not real!” He was still in denial. Eleand unbelievably stared at his hands, and his eyes moistened.“I-I killed Dad…and Erone, too.” His voice cracked.“Stop it, Eleand,” Kharyn said.Zanti let out a sigh from a distance looking at Eleand. Then he continued tending Ezekiel, who was still motionless.“We temporarily locked the portal,” Kharyn whispered, and she looked down.“I killed my family,” Eleand murmured, still in a state of shock. He was a monster and a murderer. How could he become so ungrateful to the persons who loved and raised him?“Don’t blame yourself. Everything has a p
THE three disappeared from the hospital and emerged to the Altierra’s farm in Caramoan. Kharyn held the key—a medium-sized gold triangle with inscriptions written in the faerie alphabet. She chanted the spell and motioned the key in her hand. Suddenly, a blinding light appeared and formed a magic circle, and they got in. Now it made clear on Eleand’s mind why his parents found him on their private farm. There was a portal there connecting the two worlds. His hunch was more precise this time about him being a demifae. Maybe one of his birth parents was a faerie and bred with a human. He was a step closer to find out the truth. Eleand lost count of the Vanire they had made upon entering the portal. He expected to emerge at the Golden Palace, but they materialized to an unfamiliar place. The environment was completely different compared to the four regions of Noyuh. He observed the palace was made of rare stones that glimmered under the sun
“ARE you… really Brandy?”“Does it bother you so much? Aren’t you happy to see your wife?” She stood at a close distance and moved her face closer to him.Eleand couldn’t find the right reaction. All this time, the faerie queen made him her favorite pastime. She made him fall in love with her. Maybe she knew about his origin and planned everything from the start. This evil wench manipulated his life!“Why did you do this to me?”She had no right to ruin his life! He sharply sighed to control himself.“I did nothing. All these things are meant to happen because of your faerie blood,” Rieska appeared serious this time. She scrutinized him again from head to toe, and she added, “Have some rest. We’ll talk later.”She turned and slowly walked to the throne when a male faerie arrived. Eleand remembered he was the same
THERE were no faeries around the palace when Eleand went down from his room. Kharyn and Zanti were not there. He only found Rieska inside the throne room playing with the black wolf.“Your dog is quite huge,” he said. He suddenly remembered Brandy being a dog lover. She adopted one dog in California and named him Eclipse. It was a black Labrador.“It’s a wolf,” she rolled her eyes, “I found him in the desert when he was a pup. He was heavily wounded, and I healed him.”The massive wolf suddenly jumped at him, and he was almost lost his balance. The darn wolf wagged its tail again.“Hey, stop that!” He was annoyed. Its size was no joke. If it attacked him unprepared, he might lose his limbs.Rieska giggled. “Stop it, darling.”The wolf stopped jumping at him. It just sniffed him, still wagging its tail.“Even here, you&r
AIROH deeply inhaled while staring behind Winzi. She was sobbing, and he let her mourn. They were the special room he prepared for Wallace inside the palace. Winzi stared at her brother lying inside the ice coffin. It took her some time to finally accept that Wallace was indeed sealed into that ice coffin. The king was not expecting that Harewyn would come back with Winzi a few days ago. The princess knew the bad news. She didn’t hesitate to go with Harewyn, even if it would be an act of treason against the Golden Palace. “Brother…” Her hands trembled while touching the thick ice covering her brother. Airoh pitied the Princess of Alsache. But she had to understand that her brother’s life wouldn’t be the only collateral once Esdras retaliated in full force. All of them lost a loved one, and he understood her misery. He raised his hand and gently tapped her shoulder. “I’m sorry for your loss….”
AIROH gasped for air. After he filled his lungs with oxygen, he shuddered because of pulsating sensation of power moving inside his body. He was submerged in a blinding light, and the force inside him was waiting to be unleashed.He screamed when his body trembled again. He levitated on the air, and the blinding light surrounding his body thickened in a circular motion. His body continued to quiver, and he knew his body underwent changes that he didn’t think he was capable of. He was shifting into his higher form!Airoh was never aware that he possessed this kind of ability. His raven black hair slowly turned platinum white, and it grew longer to his waist.He held his temple because he felt the pressure was too painful to bear. He was startled when he felt something in his head, a crown! A royal headband, a gold diadem with a sun emblem.His golden eyes were more vibrant than before, and he couldn’t fathom his raw
THE KING’S vision went blurry while trying to catch his breath. He witnessed his companions fall one by one. The chaos went still. Even the blazing giant targeted Zuaine’s winged warriors.Four among the eight High Sentinels were defeated. Their bloody bodies fell to the ground as well, regressing.Yerie… please let my companions live…and my queen… His eyes were dark with desolation as he tightly embraced Rieska. They were both lying on the surface. The Ebryaeans warriors surrounded them, fighting the enemies and holding the line.Sorath…give me enough power to fight. Airoh called for his deity again. He trusted his great ancestor that he wouldn’t let him down.But Sorath failed to help him this time. He didn’t feel his presence despite calling him many times. His heart was beating low. Then slower until his body felt numb.
“YOU’RE a fool, Airoh. Even if you find a way to snatch away your queen, she will not wake up unless she is freed under my power. You know my gift. I’m the only one who can wield the magic of unhealing.” Esdras proudly said. “Bring her back to me!” the king’s voice echoed. But it was toned down by the clashing weapons and magic around. Esdras laughed hysterically. He widely spread his arms, and suddenly they were all surrounded by the red smoke. “I’m tired of playing around. Any last words from you?” Esdras looked at each face of the king’s companions. Esdras was surprised when a blue and yellow light appeared coming from the sky. Zuaine just transformed into her other form. Her wings were like the Phoenix—blue, orange, and yellow. She let out a loud whistle in the air. Then a group of winged faeries suddenly came. Esdras shook his head. But he couldn’t hide his surprise when the stars in the sky moved. Ev
THERE was a complete disorder when Airoh released his black fire. Even Zenus did not hesitate to unleash his hellfire coming from his twin swords. Both of them were on Rieska’s side to get her and attempted to run, but they couldn’t make her move even an inch. The magic inside Rieska’s body was stronger than they expected.Furcas attacked them. He released his dark wind magic, which they quickly blocked. Airoh was not new to his sorcery. Any living being in contact with his dark air would suffer extreme torture from the mind.Shax and Lahash helped Furcas to attack them. But Airoh and Zenus dodged their magic aggression.On the other side, Esdras just stood like a spectator. He looked unbothered by what was happening.Everyone on Airoh’s team finally appeared from their hiding place. Some fought on the ground, and others, above, a few gathered around the queen.Although they were severely ou
EVERYONE strolled up at their fastest pace carefully. The higher the elevation, the way went harder, especially the temperature became hotter, and they could only use minimal magic to protect themselves without activating the runes. They couldn’t count the numbers of Shadows killed going up.When they reached the last part of the labyrinth a few kilometers away from the fortress, they had encountered stronger Shadows.The fight was risky. Two of the enemies almost escaped calling for reinforcements. But Zenus acted fast. His two swords had hit the necks of the Shadows then Airoh quickly burned their dead bodies to ash.They swiftly strolled up until they arrived at the foot of the two colossal watchtowers. The place was full of debris, large rocks, and other materials. Rieska had done these terrible damages. Airoh found himself smiling lightly. He knew his queen would never give up without a fight.In the
ALONG with Branigan and Enkille, the king went to Penrith—the town near the border of Cerrathien and Eriraseth. Two days of searching were done, and they couldn’t find a single trace where the queen was taken. There were no clues left in Cerrathien, the Capital City of Muhler seemed deserted.Airoh asked a handful of peasants during his search. They were in hiding, and their body trembled to see him, thinking he was an enemy. But found a ray of hope the moment he introduced himself. However, they didn’t know the whereabouts of the new Emperor. One thing was sure; the war had begun in Muhler when Esdras forcibly took the throne.Harewyn greeted them when they reached an abandoned building. “Thanks to Yerie, we are all safe!”Everyone around acknowledged the king. He checked his subordinates one by one. Thankfully, they all looked good. On the right side, Blythe’s team stood, still had snow traces on
MUHLER lived in tranquility in the past. The night here was spectacular, full of life. There were never-ending festivals in every corner in honor of their different deities. Faeries danced and laughed under the music. But now, the place seemed to weep. Esdras turned this part of the Empire into hell. Almost every corner blazed a fire, and the ashes scattered in the air.He remembered there was a thick forest nearby but gone now. All that was left were the barren land where trees and plants were dried. The small community near the Southern Gate looked like a ghost town. The residential dwellings were all abandoned and destroyed.They had seen other groups of warriors under the possession of the Kaluwahs. They were not considered faeries now, but demons. The price must be really high when Esdras sold himself to Luxus because the demon lord could only take over into the body and mind of a faerie if one bore extreme hatred. The reason why Luxus
THE KING gathered everyone in the war room, the special command center inside the palace. The various maps of Alegerio, Erganiv, and Muhler were set up, and the miniatures of warriors neatly placed on the map rested on the huge rectangular table. Each group of replicas represented their flag color. Even the aerial armies were visible on the map, floating few centimeters above. They looked real, holding their weapons, but only on a small scale.Everybody was seated beside the table, aside from Elida, which the king ordered to rest in her room. He knew she had a lot of questions in mind, but he couldn’t waste more time. The clock was ticking, and the more he slacked off, the queen’s life would be threatened in the hands of Esdras.Airoh calmed himself when his heart beat faster than usual. He couldn’t be impatient; one wrong move would lead everyone to a trap.The strategies were carefully formed. Zenus helped him expl