Thethia: Royal Palace, Throne Room

• Elizabeth •

"I knew you would not let me down," Wynston laughed proudly.

"Elizabeth is glad that Father is happy," she replied, bowing slightly.

"The world will be yours, my child," Wynston smile, but it was in a way that made Elizabeth shift uncomfortably from where she stood.

You really don't know what's Wynston trying to do, do you?

Sister's words flashed through her mind and honestly, she really had no idea what Father intended to do. All she wanted was to get out of his constant torment. However, instead of opening the cage door, he seemed to trap her in even more. With an unnoticeable nervous crack in her tone, she asked, "What will happen to her?"

"Soon," Wynston talked in riddles, confusing her even further. "But not now."

"Elizabeth does not understand," she inquired further into it.

"You would," Wynston replied, glancing out of the tall window behind his throne. "Time isn't right, yet."

"Father—"

"You are dismissed, my child," he interrupted, refusing to continue his conversation with her.

Elizabeth knew at this immediate moment that there was no point arguing any further. The amount of dread within her grew as she took a step back and held her head down in utter disappointment. Pursing her lips and setting it into a thin line, she held her fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white as she trembled in anger. Anger that she had never learned to cope with.

"Elizabeth will take her leave now," she said, voice hard.

"You deserve rest, my child," he said, returning back to his indifferent demeanour. "I will seek for General Ivanenko to select potential elites as your knights."

And you think that everyone's easily replaceable and at your disposal. Despite all the exasperation, she faced her palms towards the sky with white light shining in her hold and recited, "Blessings and glory upon the King of Thethia."

Then, she turned and marched down the almost neverending passageway. Maybe it was time to stop listening to Father and find her way out of the damned cage. When she exited through the door and left the throne room, disquietude seized upon her as the Priest from the Temple brushed past her. He looked at her with his usual, off-putting and crafty smile which she had wished so eagerly to rip it off his heinous face.

Growing up in the Royal Grounds, she understood that wherever the Priest went, misfortune was bound to follow.

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Iftia: Lyx Palace, Study

• Rowan •

"How's Tristan?" Rowan asked.

"He's recovering," Kaylon replied.

"That's good," Rowan heaved a slight sigh of relief and directed his attention back to the documents on his desk. He was simply staring blankly with nothing running through his head.

"Ro, why aren't we heading towards Thethia yet?" Alec's tone was impatient.

"For now, we wait," he remained calm, though he was already experiencing a turbulence of dark emotions coursing through every single vein in his body.

"I don't understand! What exactly are we waiting for?" Alec shot forward, frustrated. He slammed his palms on Rowan's desk, demanding an explanation.

"Alec!" Ilias had shot from his seat and pulled him back.

Rowan allowed his rudeness to slide, knowing that everyone was also feeling on the edge. The only thing he didn't comprehend was that they actually thought he hadn't wanted to save her. To him, he cared about her more than anything in this world and he would do anything to get her back into the warmth of his embrace. The only thing that was stopping him was what happened the night before.

※

"Who are you?"

"Make a guess?" the unfamiliar man asked in a lazy tone.

Rowan looked at him sharply and sensed a feline familiarity in the way he moved. Feline? He thought. That could only be one person.

"Thunder?"

"You're right," the man replied. "The ice had been broken, and I don't have time to waste. I came here to warn you all to not do anything reckless. Elianna is currently hidden in the depths of the underground cell in Thethia. It's near impossible to reach her without getting caught."

"What do you suggest?"

"Even I don't know," Thunder laughed bitterly, feeling as helpless as him right now. "Just wait for now and I really need to go."

"Where to?"

"I can't tell you much but you need to trust me."

With that, Thunder turned and left his study.

※

"Informant from Thethia said that Elianna's hidden," Rowan explained curtly, trying to get the idea through Alec. "We can't move recklessly, this may cause dispute between the two Kingdoms and the last thing we want is a war waged due to our stupidity."

"Rowan is right." For once, someone as impulsive as Kaylon had also quietened down and processed the situation.

"Damned it!" Alec cursed and backed down, burying his face in his hands to calm himself down.

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Thethia: Royal Grounds, Underground Cell

• Elianna •

This is definitely not going to end well for me.

It has exactly been one day since she was locked her and they had deprived her of any food or even a single drop of water. She felt her body trembling, and her conscious was floating, unable to focus.

No one had visited her since her last exchange with Thunder and she began to wonder why they had her held under captive. Moreover, she's unable to use her gift in this cell. The chain locked to her wrists and ankles would absorb all her magic energy but return it to her immediately. They magic placed in these chains couldn't harm her, but simply just lock her down in place.

Initially, she had thought that Wynston had wanted her life. Yet, now that she thought about it, it didn't seem to be the case. But just why was he holding her captive without doing anything to her?

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Thethia: Royal Palace, Throne Room

• Thunder •

"Theron, how's the girl?" Wynston asked, calling him by his alias. Elianna had chosen that name for him to conceal his identity while working undercover beneath Wynston. He actually loved the name, because just like Jason, Elianna put a lot of thought behind the name. Yet, it sounded extremely unpleasant when Wynston called his name so mindlessly.

"Your Majesty, she had been obedient," Thunder replied.

"Take me to her," he ordered.

The order came way too suddenly that Thunder couldn't react to it. Not knowing what the King would do to Elianna scared him. It was too sudden and definitely impossible to run to Rowan and the rest for help now.

"What's with the pause, Theron?" Impatience filled the King's tone.

Thunder clenched his fists tightly against his sides in an attempt to contain himself. Running out of options, he could only follow orders for now.

Even if I had to die tonight, I'd keep Eli safe.

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Thethia: Royal Grounds, Underground Cell

• King of Thethia, Wynston •

Wynston walked behind Theron as they moved along the narrow the path in the dungeon towards the underground cell. Clearly, he hadn't moved down to the dungeon for long enough because he had almost forgotten how uninviting the pungent smell of this place was. The filthy stagnant water that pooled within the holes from the uneven ground splashed onto his expensive leather shoes with each step he took. Definitely off-putting. He thought to himself about this place.

He stood at the door of the underground cell as he waited for the barred door to be opened. The shuffling clinks of the keys and the creaking door must've alarmed the girl inside because a sudden jerk of her wrists had caused a loud clank of the chains that locked her in place.

"Elianna Everson, or Evarix?" Wynston mocked, walking into visibility.

"Never knew my name would sound so distasteful from your mouth," she replied weakly, her tone filled with disgust.

Then, she lifted her head to stared towards him and he flinched. A mix of every emotion stirred within him.

I had forgotten how much this wench looks like Nadia.

The girl in front of him looked exactly like his wife when he first met her in her youth. Warm brown hair that fell off her shoulder in gentle motions like the flowing streams along the banks of rivers and those eyes sparkled in the exact same brilliance against the pale skin. Seeing her was as though Nadia had left her grave to haunt him. And it must be a joke played on him when the Goddess decided to make this wench into an exact replica of his wife.

Yet, before he's a husband or a father, he's the King of Thethia and he would do anything to ensure the power and glory of his Kingdom.

Even if it meant to kill 'Nadia'.

※

behind the name: 'theron' means hunter.