Valencia gasped, holding her breath as she stared at Kael’s eyes. Kael suddenly burst into laughter as he pecked a kiss on her forehead. She squeaked, slapping her forehead.
“What’s wrong? I wouldn’t mind if you need stabilizing, too…” Kael stated. Valencia’s jaw tightened. “I would prefer you initiating the intimacy anyway.”
His eyes softened as he pulled her head to his chest and hugged her warmly. She stiffened as her eyes dazed. Kael chuckled faintly as he tightened his jaw.
“Lord…?”
“My apologies… I just want to make sure you understand that I want to protect you. My chest felt uneasy at the moment.”
Valencia’s gaze moved to the dagger that she had used. A void that would have swallowed her soon was enlightened by the warmth of Kael’s uneasiness. The heaviness that had held her null for many years soon vanished. She closed her eyes peacefully before she slumbered in his arms.
Soon, Kael carried her out of the Magic Tower. Eldrich watched them as he flicked his finger, making them disappear magically into Kael’s dukedom. Kael placed her down gently on the bed and stared at her.
“You’re always on guard… what is it that you’re afraid of? Will you be able to tell me when you finally trust me?” Kael whispered. Then he pecked a kiss on her forehead. A goodnight kiss. He walked to his study room.
“Lord Kael…” Detri entered.
“Did you alert them to return?”
“Yes, they will bring the carriage back.”
Kael took a deep breath, staring at the papers on his desk.
“What is Father up to?” he wondered.
Detri lowered his head, tightening his fist.
“Dealing with His Majesty…”
Kael chuckled as he tilted his head.
“Why? Because of the Prince?”
“Yes… he requested a chance to bind with Lady Elyane.”
Kael slammed his hand onto the table abruptly. Then he stood as his chin raised, adjusting his blazer.
“Let him continue all he wants…” Kael stated. Detri froze, his eyes darting to Kael’s face. Kael looked at Detri coldly, unreadable. He smirked. “Our little lady was already one step ahead and requested a binding link.”
Detri’s hand slipped from his knee.
“Requested? You agreed to it?” Detri asked, shocked.
Kael furrowed his brows and frowned.
“What’s so shocking about it?”
“Everything. You refused to return to be our commander… now you’re binding yourself with a lady you never met—”
“Detri…” Kael called coldly. Detri straightened his back and looked at Kael. “I need her. In fact, I haven’t felt at peace for over eight years until I met her.”
“Lord Kael…”
“Her touch stabilizes me, and it’s more stabilizing than… the guide that died eight years ago for me.”
Detri bit his lower lip and bowed.
“She did her best…”
“She did… at least, she managed to get rid of the headaches…” Kael smiled faintly, tears covering his eyes.
“What happened to her wasn’t your fault, Lord Kael. If only—”
“We can never blame the royal family… or else our lives will be dealt heavily. If only I hadn’t offered her solace in the name of Izekiah… would she have lived peacefully like any other guides?”
Detri sighed in frustration, lowering his gaze until—
A shadow.
Detri turned his head sharply to the door. He ran to open the door and looked both sides of the hallway. Kael stared at Detri and observed the hallway.
“Is everything alright?” Kael asked.
Detri shook his head.
“I thought I felt… a presence here a moment ago…” Detri answered.
Kael looked at both sides. He raised his hand. A small bright light flickered at the tip of his fingernail. He tossed one to each side of the hallway to seek any presence—
Nothing.
“There’s nothing… get back inside before you wake her up,” Kael ordered.
As Detri nodded and closed the door after, their voices muffled. A presence by the end of the hallway, where Valencia stayed.
She covered her mouth as her Void powers shielded her. She panted as she waited for another minute before she slumped to the ground.
“Did that mean… the Guide was never compatible with you in the end?” Valencia wondered. Her brows creased. “What is going on? The more I know, the less I understand…”
Two dark hands slowly appeared behind her, yanking her into a portal… a path to nothingness.
Valencia shrieked as she fell to her knees.
The shadow.
“Vrastos?” Valencia called.
The shadow cackled as it leaned closer to her face.
“So you heard him calling my name, isn’t that right?” Vrastos asked.
Valencia gulped, gritting her teeth.
“What do you want?”
Vrastos took a deep breath as the air around her chilled her skin.
“What do I want?” it wondered. It paced back and forth in front of Valencia. “I want freedom… I want a way out of this shackle that bound me to this kingdom…”
Valencia sharply gasped.
“Shackle? What are you talking about? You’re—”
“Someone bound me to you… Rare,” Vrastos said. Valencia paused. “I have never been bound by a vessel, then a descendant of his own vessel.”
She shook her head.
“Can’t you just leave if I leave?”
Vrastos laughed as it vanished—reappearing behind Valencia. It grabbed her head and forced her to look up.
“Leave? The moment you try to step out of the border, you will start feeling like your entire body is burning…” Vrastos explained. Valencia whimpered, imagining it. “Just like your mother, who tried to escape with you inside of her…”
Valencia held her breath as her chest tightened.
“W-What?” Her muscles tensed. “Wait… my chest started feeling like burning after you disappeared in that Magic Tower—”
“I see… then they must have marked it in case I do appear there. I have come recklessly,” it muttered.
“Reckless?”
“Something or someone is preventing me from leaving without permission… and because I am inside of you, I need you to find out.”
Valencia shoved its hand out of her cheeks. Her head fell, but she floated instead of hitting the ground.
“And why would I trust you?”
“You don’t need to… if you want another way out, that boy with Light is also another way out. Apparently, absorbing his aura also helped us touch the border,” Vrastos claimed. Then it giggled.
“How?” Valencia asked. She shook her head in confusion. “Does that mean… whatever is preventing us from leaving is ineffective against the Light Esper?”
Vrastos paused and pondered.
“What a sharp mind… that could be the answer.”
“Wait… wouldn’t you know if you were here longer than me?!” Valencia questioned harshly.
Vrastos froze, staring at her. A silence stretched between them as the dimension soon flickered with purple stars. Valencia looked around, mesmerized by the night that surrounded her.
“Heh… you’re quite a bold child. Speaking with a Cosmic entity like me, you’re unafraid now. What gives you the courage, vessel?”
Valencia bit her lower lip, glaring at it. Although the shadow covered its face, a faint greyness showed on the skin. Her eyes widened. A face?
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