a/n: there'll be mentions of edric's locket that the previous readers who read it before the editing will find it confusing so i would suggest you to take a lil peak in chapter 13 (only the first few parts where the locket is mentioned)

Ember Elliot Elysian

When I noticed Erin was in no condition of waking up from her deep slumber, I tried to carry her all the way from the grand entrance of the palace to her room — only to realise that the eyes of the gossipers would be glued to us and it wouldn't take a day to spread nasty rumour about me and her.

People were already doubting Erin and her intentions of suddenly sprouting out of nowhere a few weeks prior to my amalgamation, and her being carried by me in an intoxicated state would mean nothing but more innuendos remarks towards her.

Therefore, I called the head maid and told her Erin was too tired to wake up and when she inquired about the unpleasant odour, I simply glared at her — causing her to bow and apologise while helping Erin to dismount the horse.

I impetuously grabbed her waist when she was about to slip away from the stirrup, letting my guard down, forgetting the people around me, causing us to have only a few inches of distance from each other.

She stared at me, intoxicated, her eyes sleepy and then she giggled.

I retreated my hand, sighing while also dismounting the horse, holding her hand as I no longer trusted the head maid to be of use, not caring about the bewildered looks she was offering me, or the looks that I was already sensing from the workers behind the windows of the palace, none of it mattered now.

"I want her to be well and fine by tomorrow," I said firmly, letting her hand go and handing her to the head maid. "Also, a new pendant has to be prepared — bring the jeweller." I added when my eyes landed on Erin's empty neck.

The head maid knotted her eyebrows but it rose when she also noticed Erin's pendant was missing.

"Good Lord! her pendant!"

I didn't want to clear her confusion but chances were she might make something up so I decided to go with the lie that spewed out of my mouth.

"She was robbed when she was running errands for me," I sighed, faking guilt and regret. "It's my fault."

The head maid gasped again, this time more shocked. "My my, this poor soul! come along with me." She mumbled, trudging her along with her, while I raised my eyebrow, not believing I didn't have to act anymore and the problem was solved by itself.

While being dragged by the head maid, Erin made sure to turn her head around, passing me a goofy smile and waving at me.

With a sigh, I waved back with a forced smile and she giggled again.

When Erin was out of sight, I started following Ira as we entered the palace, the guards instantly alerted and greeting us and although I was expecting to meet father first, I was proved wrong when my step-mother had stepped out of her room frantically with Ace following behind her.

"Mother—" I began, but couldn't utter any word when I saw her face which was bathed by her never-ending tears and the tears were still streaming down, not stopping.

What have I done?

She walked towards me, her movements unbalanced, her hair in a mess and her renèi possession released. Her crimson wings were smaller than Ira's but it was still mesmerising to look at.

As she stepped closer to me, her wings flapped, the harsh and continuous use of her wings causing dark red feathers to fall and flow in the air, but she didn't pay any attention to the waste of her renèi possession, she was too busy in studying my face, looking for any injuries, cuts, bruises -- anything.

When she found nothing wrong with me, her quivering lips curled into a relieved smile, her tears still streaming down her puffy cheeks but this time, the tears were for me returning home safe and sound and not dead -- like how her own children did.

Without wasting another second, she pulled me in for an embrace, her trembling hands holding me like as if I was too fragile to hold, and will break if given too much force. I hugged her back as I felt her wings engulfing us, creating a giant shadow, covering us.

"You're safe," she whispered. "The Ezèrian didn't take you." She held me tight, her hands still trembling in fear.

I was too ashamed to say anything but still, I mumbled the words that I really meant. "I'm sorry, mother." I wasn't sure if she'd heard me or not, as she was too busy with mumbling Elysian prayers that was related to thankfulness.

She pulled us apart as I no longer felt the shadow of her wings hovering around us. I took her trembling hands in mine, rubbing the back of her palms in an assuring way, trying to sooth away her worries and fear.

I could feel Ira's burning glare from the side, and I didn't have to look at him to realise he was beyond angry with me for hurting mother.

"Don't leave like that again," she said, holding my hands firmly. She didn't even ask me where I was, where I went, why did I go — all she wanted was to see me alive, that's all.

I nodded, swallowing, smiling as I wondered if she'd love me if she realises that the very Ezèrian she is scared of is her step son who's in front of her.

She'd be scared of you. After all, it was the Ezèrian who took her children's lives.

I sighed as I let go of her hands and smiled. "You should terminate your renèi," I reminded her as her eyes went wide in realisation and then within a second, the wings slowly disappeared, letting some crimson feathers fly in the air.

"Take some rest, I have to meet father," I told her, gesturing the maids to escort her to to her room. I took a quick glance at Ace and noticed how tired he was — probably because he was the one taking care of our step-mother the whole time.

I mouthed him a thank you as he smiled in return and turned on his heels, following our step-mother. After they left, I waited for Ira to say something — he didn't — instead, he began walking towards father's while I followed him, confused by the fact that he didn't rebuke me.

***

"You're being quite reckless lately, Elliot," my father was surprisingly calm about me trespassing into the imperial palace and going against him.

Maybe this is the calm before storm?

My head hung low as with the corner of my eyes, just like I used to in my childhood, I saw my father leaning against the chair, his head tilted in a side and his arched eyebrows raised.

Ira, being the slave of father that he was, stood beside him, his face so straight and expressionless, I doubted if the muscle of his face would even twitch an inch if there was a massacre.

"I've been always like this father," I replied, slowly raising my head and meeting his cold gaze that could pierce through your soul. "Is there anything else you want to talk about?" I cut to the chase.

He chuckled lightly but I could just sense the anger radiating off of him. "How was the negotiation with the empress? hope it went well?"

The moment he talked about the empress, my eyes instinctively wanted to land on Ira, but I resisted as knowing my father, he would've know what was going on between me and Ira and it would have been only a matter of time before he finds out the truth.

So, I smiled at him and asked, "Will you believe me if I say the truth? you will still ask Ira about it,"

Now was Ira's turn.

"The negotiation failed, father," Ira finally spoke and I was surprised he deciphered my hint to speak now. "I found him before he could reach the palace."

"That's quite unfortunate for you, isn't it, Elliot?" I could see the amusement dancing in his eyes as he said the next words. "The only chance of cancelling this amalgamation has slipped off your hands,"

I remained quiet, happy that he didn't suspect anything and let him continue. "I feel bad for your previous amalgamator, though. Your Ezèrian power had to be transmitted to her body, against her will, just so you could have the Protection spell," he shook his head, sighing and carried on.

"Your mother even killed her just so you can't have your powers back and your spell will remain!" he expressed, his eyebrows raised just like his voice.

She's very much alive and lives under the very roof as you.

"At least Miranda did one thing right." He finished, turning on his heels and reaching his desk and for a brief moment, my eyes landed on his neck where I could see the tarnished, stale, discoloured locket loose on his neck, dangling.

I always noticed it whenever he took mother's name, maybe it was simply because that was the only sole thing that he still had of hers — only thing that he couldn't let go, only thing that he didn't burn to ashes. Maybe because he just couldn't force himself anymore — or maybe he just wanted keep something as a symbol that mother wasn't forgotten — not by him and their tragic story wasn't forgotten.

She didn't kill her, she made someone open a portal, made someone erase her memories and sent her to another universe.

"Why are we talking about something as unnecessary as my previous amalgamator? she's dead, my Ezèrian power was within her — it was all done and gone years ago," I pointed out, not quite liking how I just announced Erin was dead.

"You've accepted your defeat quite early, that's not like you," father said warily, and I mentally cursed, curling up my toes, not being able to come up with another farce statement that will satisfy him.

"I have not accepted my defeat, father. I have only lost one chance of breaking my amalgamation. Surely, I can try again, just like you've been trying to break my curse for thirteen years," I somehow managed as I heaved a sigh of relief and lifted my chin.

"The same determination as her," he mumbled but I heard it and I also knew who he was talking about.

"She'd told me I got that from you." I said as the corners of his eyes twitched.

"Then you wouldn't be one of those."

One of those.

It'd been a long time since I heard that word from him and it was if the scars that I was trying so hard to stitch up all these years, just slit opened, so abruptly I feared if I could stitch them up again.

I swallowed, not being able to form any word as I already felt tears forming in my eyes and I swallowed again, pressing my toes against the ground hard, not being able to think of anything that I could use to speak back.

Pathetic. He barely said anything and you already feel like crying?

All this time I had thought that I'd moved on from father, that I no longer needed his love or attention but the current situation proved me completely wrong.

I still wanted him to acknowledge me, to see me the way he saw Ira — with pride. Deep down my heart, a tiny place was still craving for his acknowledgement and it was getting bigger.

It was always his words that stung me the most — the whole world could reprimand me for being an Ezèrian but father's one word was enough to make me regret for even being born.

It was always the harsh tone in his voice that he'd only use on me, the frown, the expression of disgust, the eyes filled with abhor that'd make me want to not exist anymore.

And I was foolish to think I had moved on from that.

Because I clearly didn't and all this time I'd been fooling myself and my mask had finally fallen.

I could already imagine the fallen mask staring back at me, telling me how witless it was of me to think I could move on from something as inescapable as this, laughing at me for being so weak and vulnerable that I can't even tolerate hearing a word from Father without tears in my eyes, mocking me for not being able to speak.

I clenched my fist and glared at father, finally coming to the reality and after mustering some courage, I finally said something.

"I'm an Ezèrian, father. The strongest Power Holder."

With that being said, I left his chamber, having enough of this exhausting day.

I had run away.