“I hope this cage already gave you the lesson for disobeying me, Sapphire.”
I didn’t look at him. I just stare blankly in front of me where his black shiny shoes are. I feel so empty. How many days have I been here since he restrained me in this place? Two? Three? I cannot actually remember. What I remember is what they did to Hazel. The way that that bald guy violated and forced himself on her. I will never forget that face. I will kill him.
The filth of the cage smudges my skin, making me feel so sticky with grime all over. My hair is a mess and I haven’t eaten or drink anything since yesterday because I refused all the food his men brought to me.
My ankles are still bound with the metal chain that holds on to the cold rocky wall of the cage.
I find myself sitting beside Phillius in front of every person of the Clarkson Clan and some of their Allied Clans including the family of the Alpha that visit his office, the night Xeno and I attempt to escape. Looking at the floor, I still don’t believe it when Phillius said he ordered his men to execute Xeno and Hazel by burning them alive. But he let me confirm it myself when we both went to the wide space of their garden and saw two bodies charred to crisp, still tied on the stake. The black smoke billowed above the sky and the smell of burned flesh rancid on the nose, making my stomach tighten in grief. I couldn’t help but retch as I saw the corpses in front of me. I still think Phillius wasn’t telling the truth until I saw the corpse’s eye that was not burnt too much by the fire. The pupils of those eyes are yellow gold and I never saw any person besides him who has gold eyes like Xeno…After that horrible sight, I completely lost hope and went b
I threw the ridiculous crown of branches and flowers on the bed and tear the dress from the hem out of frustration and grief, screaming in anger. My new maids got so scared that all of them ran outside the room with fear in their eyes, not wanting me to vent these feelings on them.I look at the wide mirror in front of me, the black pigment on my eyes had already melted down my cheeks because of the incessant tears that keep on flowing from my swelling eyes. But even before I break down into another scream again, the door opened and Phillius stormed inside the room, his eyes are darkened by the deep furrow of his eyebrows his lips stretched into a straight line. My heart suddenly froze in fear but I didn’t flinch from him when he walk towards me in heavy steps and grab me by my neck to look closely at my anguished face.“ENOUGH OF THIS, SAPPHIRE! There is no one to save you from here, anymore. You are all mine now! Remember that! MINE !!!” he growled at me, baring his teeth, and then
“Please ma’am you need to eat something! You’re starving yourself to death!”My stomach grumbles but I refuse to eat the breakfast that my new maid named Camila, an old woman, brought into my room. I have no track of what day today is, already. I am just glad that Phillius didn’t go back here last night because I wouldn’t know what will he do to me again if he did. He’s getting worse and worse every day and I couldn’t take it… I regret the day I came here to this mansion and just wished that I have just died with the Faeries in that caves than suffering in this place being food to Phillius’ strange craving for mana.Mana is a life force that exists in every living being on this planet. That is what Xeno had told me when he used to train me with his team but he always makes sure I also have my own kind of training that he said suits me best. It’s to use the magicules of life forces in my surroundings to replenish my own. I have no idea how he knew about it but there is a hunch in me th
I tried to look my best to let Phillius think I am not affected by what he had done to me last night and the food and the warm bath helped to lift my mood to do what he wants me to do today. Wearing a light blue dress with flowers embroidered on the hem, I chose to wear a sunglass with it today to hide the emotion in my eyes from Phillius. The brightness of the sun made a good excuse for me to use it so no matter how many times he raises his eyebrow at me every time he gazes at my face, he just lets me have it just so as not to start our day with another argument.“You look wonderful today, love. I wish I had come back with you last night but I had an emergency meeting with the Vegas Clan and I had to stay the whole night to solve that problem.” He whispered to me after we get inside his limousine and the chauffeur started driving the car to wherever Phillius wanted to take me.He gave me a teasing smile and took my hand to kiss it. The shackles that bound my hand clang at each other
My brows met at once.I feel like I have heard that voice before but I can't tell when. My mind is distracted by the eerie atmosphere in this dungeon where several prison cells are empty with bones inside them. I can’t tell if they’re either human or some kind of creatures because it seems like Phillius has this kind of strange fondness for collecting species to imprison in his dungeons.The sound of chains echoed in the cold bricked walls of this place and even though it’s dark. I know that man is also bound by a chain just like mine. Specifically, the kind that suppresses the mana inside the body just like mine.My eyes widened could it be…“Sapphire!”I ignored Phillius’s warning and walked hastily towards the man who's hidden behind the shadows of his cell. I grabbed a torch to look at him better but I almost gagged when the light reached him. Even through the dim light of the torch, I could tell he's been suffering so much because he's so thin to the bones and the tunic he's wea
“I’m so sorry for what happened to you…”I wiped Fae’s face with a wet towel washed with soap and I feel bad that I have been feeling scared to look at his eyes. He is just so thin his skin just sticks on his bones and his lips are stretched back from his protruding teeth.After begging Phillius to let me take care of the Fae, I brought all the stuff I need and food and drinks for the poor prisoner and feed him early in the morning. The sky is clear above the sky and maybe I would appreciate it more, only if there are no shackles around my hands and neck.When I got into the dungeon, I won’t lie but I still feel the dread in my chest, remembering the horrible things I experienced and witnessed here. When I step my foot on the stair, the dread came back to me, and the cries and screams of Hazel made me hesitate to enter this awful place. But I have to. The Fae needs me and I have to take care of him because he’s the key for me to remembering everything from my past.“I could do this… I
I feel so stunned by the things that I am seeing.There, not too far from me, is a woman carrying a basket in her hand with a smile on her lips the second she saw me and the strange man that is in front of me. I feel like my heart’s going to explode from this overwhelming feeling of happiness and an indescribable ache, the thought that I have a mother. That there is a place where I used to call home with a family that I belong to. The void in my heart suddenly filled with warmth that I have never felt ever since I got out of the cave. The feeling that there is a place I could call my own with a mother waiting until I return.Tears run down my face as sobs emerge from my throat, the swelling almost makes me gag. My hands automatically covered my mouth and my wrenching stomach. What is this feeling? I never thought I could be happy and heartbroken at the same time.“Eodelle?” Benny’s brows furrowed but raised upward the second he saw me trembling and immediately put his hands on both of
The thought never leaves my mind.It’s like a hundred needles pinning my brain, making me restless as I curl myself in the middle of the bed, wishing that it is Xeno they are talking about. I saw how Phillius reacted when the man whispered that news to him and I know he’s more threatened now that Xeno survived whatever he did to him. I knew he’ll come back. I knew he won’t let Phillius do these vile things and take over to spread more dread in their Clan.I could see that Kelly knows what happened to him and I wish I could use my powers to create a barrier where no one would ever hear whatever the two of us talk about Xeno’s situation. But I don’t think she would have the dare to tell me though. I saw the fear in her eyes when she was behind Phillius at that moment and I understand because she doesn’t want to get her family involved in any of this fight between Xeno and him. She won’t risk their safety especially when she’s the only one who could protect them.Despite my desperation f
“Darn it, Sapphire. Stop ruining your make-up. Please hold your tears back until the end of the ceremony,” Kelly scolded me. It was a bit funny though because when she was the one whose tears flowed incessantly down her cheeks as she watched the problematic makeup artist reapply the foundation on my cheeks.“Oh Kelly…” I helplessly looked at her as she wiped her face with a white handkerchief on the mirror, “Please don’t make me too nervous. I feel like I am already sick in my stomach thinking about the expectations of the people outside,”“You don’t have to think about any of them, Sapphire,” Ava uttered as she arranged the beautiful bouquet of white roses in her hands, “You just have to look straight in the aisle and just focus on Xeno. Just focus on him and breathe slowly and calmly. You will be alright,” she advised and held both hers and Kelly’s hand to ease the nervous feeling in my chest. They both gave me an encouraging smile as they helped me with my gown after the makeup art
Everyone was busy preparing for the wedding and volunteered to decorate the whole garden with white roses because they all knew it was always my favorite. Kelly has been busy managing the event with Ava because they want it to be perfect for me. Although they never wanted me in the venue, I still insisted on helping With the decorating because there are not many things to do in this place for me and I never want to go shopping just like Kelly suggested. I would rather stay here and be with them after Felrim gave me the very good news that he will bring my parents and my brother on the day of my wedding.And Xeno has been very busy with other stuff but he decided to delay all his meetings and stay with me the whole day today, organizing and arranging things to my liking. Kelly has been a great organizer though. I guess it was a talent she has been hiding from everyone and I believe it will open a great opportunity for her in the future. She’s a reliable person when you plan parties and
“I have never seen you blooming like this before, Sapphire. What happened?” Kelly asked me teasingly while giggling after she wrapped her arm around my arm and we both walked inside the Clarkson Mansion's garden. After the long trip from the villa back to this place, Xeno became too busy from all the meetings he arranged with all the advisors and staff of their family business and the people of his Clan. He finally embraced his destiny as the new Alpha and many are pleased that he is back, believing that peace will be eventually restored for all the people of the Clan. The ones who were not happy, the people who were loyal to Phillius had already made their exit and that was much better because Xeno believes that opposition in this pack will not be tolerated, especially since those people rely on Phillius’s greed after receiving so many gifts from Phillius just to gain all their support against Xeno.But now that my fiance is in charge, there is no way Xeno would let them continue t
"I can't believe it's almost over, Xeno. That I can finally sleep at night peacefully, without being scared someone would take me away from you again.""I will never let that happen again, baby. Never again, I swear," he whispered to me as he brushed away the strands of hair straying on my face. The party was a blast and I am happy that everyone finally got to enjoy their night even after Phillius suddenly appeared and surrendered himself to the Faes. And despite that Kelly declined Xeno’s offer to take over the Clan, I guess Xeno has no choice but to stay in that Mansion and manage everything until his father returns. I just can’t tell him that it’s ok for me if he would become the Alpha of his Clan but I know that he still has this trauma from his ancestors that he wants to run away from. But that pack was his legacy and so many of his people are counting on him for the changes that their pack needs. And I believe that Xeno is the kind of Alpha their Clan needs. He has more compass
“What is happening?”I didn’t notice that Xeno was already behind me when the three Faes came for Phillius. The confusion was etched all over his face as he looked at the three guards and then at his twin brother who batted an eye at the concerned expression on his face.“Don’t be too flustered, Xeno. I finally dare to face all the things that I did. You are right. Death is not the end of everything so I am hoping we could still see each other if I ever still have the chance to see both of you in the Realm of the Immortal,” Phillius smiled at his twin brother, his eyes full of peacefulness where I never saw any heavy or dark malice in them anymore. It was as if the antidote gave him a rebirth into a person that is now far from the evil’s grasp.“No Phillius… wait—”“No. Xeno,” Phillius furiously yelled at him, but there is no anger in his eyes but pain. I can see clearly that Phillius still doesn’t want to go and that he is scared that he will really be able to see Xeno once he enters
“Phillius—”Xeno’s hands quickly pulled me against him as if he had seen a monster from his nightmare. But I cannot blame him. Phillius indeed came back to his immaculate beauty. His hair was back to its golden color and shone under the lights of the chandelier, his body bulked and grew muscular once again, and his eyes were bright blue as if he had never experienced suffering from the curse all his life. He stood straight in his regal suit with all his focus on me while setting down the spoon and the glass of wine on the table. I never expected it but he smiled at both Xeno and me like he was a different person. All of us in the dining hall froze and even the musicians stopped playing music when all of them saw the terror on all of our faces.“I am sorry to interrupt the party but there is something I need to discuss with Sapphire,” he looked at Xeno with a humble smile which surprised both of us, “If that is okay with you, my twin brother.”Phillius' eyes were steady as he stared a
“Xeno.”“Kelly. I am glad you have already decided. Whatever it is, I want to let you know I respect it.” Xeno pat Kelly and William’s shoulder, “I support you guys whatever it is you want with your life. I am just happy that you’re here for Sapphire and me.”“You know we have been with you since the very start, Master Xeno,” Frix smiled at him and looked at me as he pursed his lips with a smile, “You have no idea how happy I am now that you’re both finally together again. You both have already gone through a lot, and we all witnessed your faith in each other.”“Wow, Frix, that was really touchy!” I chuckled at him and he just winked at me and pat Xeno on the shoulder. Kelly and I’s eyes caught each other and I knew right away that she was nervous to the core. She kept on pulling her fingers and puffing her cheeks as she blew out air, trying to ease the perturbation she felt in her chest. We all decided to make this night a formal theme to celebrate Kelly’s birthday. I didn’t know it
I can’t stay in the hallway and listen to what Xeno and the Fae talk about. I am too scared of what I might learn about Xeno’s past or maybe I just don’t want to hear the pain in his voice every time he has to explain it to the Fae to clear his name. I know this will not be easy for all of us now that the Immortal Realm is working on the matter after Felrim spilled everything to the authorities in that place. I cannot blame him though. He has to explain to them the things that happened to him and the reason why he was gone for so many centuries. I know that time was not too long for Faes who have eternity to live. But that must still be suspicious to them since they went here to check on me and make Phillius pay for all the horrible things that he had done to me and the other Faes that became his victim.Feeling lost in my thoughts, I found myself stepping inside the room where Phillius was sleeping. At first, I didn't know why my feet brought me here. It’s like my head was full of c
I can’t believe what Frix has just said.With a frantic heart, I quickly ran towards the house's main hall, expecting to see Felrim again. But why am I feeling too scared this time? Is it the fact that maybe they might not allow Xeno to go with me if they ever force that I have to go back to the Immortal Lands because I no longer should be in the mortal realm?My silver hair danced behind me as Kelly and I rushed to where the Faes that Frix was wheezing about. At first, I thought it was Felrim who was standing tall and straight in the middle of the hallway because he also had long silver hair as I have. But when the Fae turned to look in our direction, it was a different Fae and my heart suddenly shrank because there must be two reasons they are here. It is either about Phillius, or me. I didn’t realize there are two of them until I scanned the whole area.“Sapphire—”Another silver-haired Fae appeared from the other side of the hallways and was talking with Xeno, whose eyes automatic