Chapter 37: Chapter 37

Shia led Mage Silas on her secret plan. “There won’t be any killings. If all goes well, the Ancient Evil will kill himself.”

“What? Is that the wild plan you have wanted me to take part of all along, child?” the mage said, looking at her incredulously as if all the screws and hinges in her head had been set loose.

“Indeed. I know it sounds ridiculous, but please hear me out. If we could only succeed into tricking the Ancient Evil to kill himself, then the Demon King’s prophecy can’t take place at all; or if I get to kill the Ancient Evil before the Demon King rises, then the prophecy won’t come true –”

“You are one remarkable child! I never knew you can be quite crazy!” He narrowed his eyes towards her, peering closely as if trying to discover what her exact thoughts were. “Tell me? Do you not know the exact prophecy about the rise of the Demon King? Don’t you know what will happen if he is not killed.”

“I know,” Shia replied. “That is why I intend to stop the Ancient Evil himself. The Demon King is just his pawn – a means to an end, but behind all of that is the Devil himself, is he not? He was supposed to be the one who made these curses, and the Demon King is a cursed one from his own bloodline – I knew all of these things.”

Shia continued, “however, I also know that those who suffer from curses are not evil themselves. Growing up in the Ancient Evil’s bloodline does not necessarily make the Demon King a bad person too, right? If that is the case, how can we muster the courage to slay him and any cursed one all together?”

“Hah,” the mage said in exasperation, “I understand why you’d defend cursed ones. They were only victims of circumstances that the Devil made to ensure his return, but how can you even defend the would-be Demon King? Do you perhaps -”

Shia started to nod her head as if reading Mage Silas’ thoughts. She started to mentally instruct a vine to grow forth from the sleeves of her dress. “I do. As you can see, I am the best person to understand the plight of cursed ones, Mage Silas. And I know something about the Demon King too... You see, I might be engaged to him.”

“Impossible!” The mage was positively wide-eyed when he spoke, “Do you mean to say that -”

“That’s right... Prince Langrion might be the prophesized Demon King, so I cannot allow any killings to take place. I wouldn’t allow him to succumb to the Ancient One and become the Demon King in the first place...”

Several hours after Shia’s long discourse with the mage, she was, more than ever, determined to set in action the series of steps she needed to fulfil her plan.

“First,” she told the mage earlier. “You must tell me more about Freya. Even if you do say we are presently occupying the same body, I don’t really feel her within me.”

He nodded, listening silently to her.

“Second, I need to confirm who the real Demon King is.”

“What do you mean ‘confirm’? I thought you already knew that Prince Langrion was the supposed Demon King.”

“Exactly, Mage Silas. He is still just a ‘supposed’ Demon King. I have seen him bear the Mark of the Beast once, but I have seen it upon another person too.”

“You mean to say there might be another one?”

“I’m afraid so... And if my guess is right, the Ancient Evil has already taken a firmer hold of him than he had with Prince Langrion.”

After Shia and the mage had called it a day, Shia decided that it was also time to finally tell the people in her newly found family about her secret.

Shia took a deep breath before she knocked at her grandmother’s room.

“Come in,” the baroness chirped.

As Shia opened the door, she found Duchess Tristal sitting on her bed while the baroness arranged some fresh flowers on the side table opposite her.

“This particular rose bush is my treasure,” the duchess said as the baroness put in the single, newly-picked silver rose she had gathered from the estate’s garden. “Did you know that silver roses only bloom once every five years? I’m so happy I got to see them with you this year, sweetheart,” the duchess said, positively beaming at Shia.

“Grandma... Would you like me to show you a magic trick?”

“Sure, sweetheart. Do you know of any children’s trick?”

“I do, but the trick must involve this rose.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“Alright...” Shia said as she touched the rose with the tip of her hand, “If you loved them so much, grandma, I’ll make sure to grow them for you everyday...”

******************

Upon his immediate arrival at the Rubiyah Manor, Langrion heard the mage’s voice speak inside his head as he does when he wants to communicate with him.

“See me this instant!” he hissed.

Langrion could understand the mage’s disappointment about what transpired during the morning meeting, but he knew Shia was just as shocked as they were after finding out what her tattoo had meant, and what the fates that lie ahead of them were. He needed to clear things away with the mage and probably tell him the truth despite Shia’s request earlier.

As soon as Langrion opened the door of his bed chambers, he was swiftly pinned to the ground in surprise by an attacker.

The man who attacked him held a dagger over Langrion’s neck. As he tried to plunge it into his flesh, Langrion came face to face with the person he never dreamed would attack him.

“Mage Silas?” he said while trying to fend off his attack. The mage tried to put more strength into stabbing him, but something seemed to crackle over at his wrist.

“Ah, blast it!” The mage exclaimed, letting go of his grip towards the dagger and against Langrion’s throat. By now, a thick smoke had risen from the mage’s arm, and it seemed that part of his skin had already burned severely, but it had instantly healed itself the moment that the mage had let him go.

Langrion did not hesitate to pick up the dagger that the mage had discarded on the floor. He aimed it straight at his attacker.

“Why did you try to kill me?”

The mage smiled wryly. “I thought the oath won’t work if I do it quickly, but it seems I was wrong. It was stronger than I thought.” He eyed Langrion’s hand. “Go ahead, plunge that dagger into my chest. You deserve that much justice after what I’ve just done.”

“What?” Langrion said, utterly confused.

“Go ahead and plunge that dagger into me. That’ll make us even.”

Langrion aimed the dagger higher, but when he did not take a step further, the mage suddenly lunged himself towards him, charging himself straight at the dagger, which pierced him right in the middle of his chest.

“Mage!” Langrion roared. He arched his arm to support Mage Silas’ falling body, but he held it away.

“Now, we are even, my boy.”

Langrion stared wide-eyed towards him as the mage plucked the knife away from his own body, and almost immediately, the blood stain had disappeared and the gaping wound closed itself as if nothing happened.

“What the hell!” Langrion yelled. “You didn’t die?”

“Yes, boy. It’s the nuisance I had to live with,” he said. “ah, but that does not mean I can’t feel pain. Will you help me up?”

Langrion did not stir. He hesitated for a moment whether or not to help him. It could be another trick to attack him.

“I won’t kill you, for heaven’s sake! Actually, it’s not that I won’t, but I can’t. Ah, help me please!”

Langrion let out a sigh before standing up and propping the mage’s body in his bed.

“If you can’t kill me, what was that all about? Why did you attack me?”

“To be honest, I really wanted to kill you. But like I said, I can’t. I made an oath to abide to Freya’s wishes and that includes never to harm you.”

“Freya? You mean you spoke with Shia already?”

“Yes. She made me swear a promise before telling me she has a plan, and that includes not harming you in any way, even though you are the future Demon King!”

Langrion fell silent. The mage cupped his chest, as if nursing an invisible wound. He struggled to say his next sentences as well.

“You do realize what might happen in we do not kill you, and the prophecy of the Demon King is fulfilled?”

“I do,” Langrion said. “But I have to honor my own promise to the one who’d sacrifice so much of herself to save me.”

“Then, let’s make a pack together,” the mage said, “I’ll help you break away from the curse, but you must not, in anyway, put Freya’s life in danger. You must never, in anyway, try to hurt her. Do you understand that?”

Langrion glanced at the mage, and began to think, ‘why is he so concerned about Shia?’

“Freya and I go a long way together, a much, much longer way than you can even imagine, my boy. So you have to promise me never to put her in harm’s way. Understood?”

“I won’t,” Langrion said.

******************

Evening time came, and as Shia had expected, she heard a soft rustling at her bedroom window at the usual hour.

She peeked outside, and Langrion was perched atop the tree that overlooked Shia’s bedroom.

“Don’t climb out,” he said. “It’s much riskier to go in the woods now, so let’s just talk here.”

“Alright,” Shia agreed, “but do come inside. You’ll catch a draft if you stay there.”

“But what if some servant hears us?”

“It’s okay. I got Nana’s permission. You can go in,” Shia replied as she beckoned the tree to extend his branches towards the window so that Langrey can come in comfortably.

“You got Nana’s permission? Does she know I come to see you each night?” he said in a stunned voice after he came in her bedroom.

“She does. I also got her permission to live with you at the Rubiyah Manor once our engagement is announced.”

Langrion looked at her with silent amazement. “How did you convince her? What did you say?”

“I... I told her the truth...”

Shia was taken back by her memory at the exact time she confessed about her curse. As Shia touched the silver rose in the flower vase that morning, several buds and stems started to grow out of it. In an instant, the solitary rose multiplied itself into five, eight, and finally into a dozen.

The duchess and the baroness’ eyes turned wide with surprise.

“Shia... This... This isn’t a child’s magic trick!”

Shia could only nod and look at the ground. “I am sorry, grandma, baroness... I did not tell you beforehand because I am not sure how you’d feel about me...”

“Child... is this the reason why you are marrying Langrion?”

It was Shia’s turn to grow pale.

“Grandma... did you know about his condition?”

“Sweetheart, I was bosom friends with his mother. When she grew sick, it became my task to take care of the twins. He practically grew up in my arms. He is as dear to me as you are.”

“Then, you must allow me to wed him, grandma. You must allow him to see me every day too, even before the wedding. He needs to be near me at all times. It’s the only way we could protect everyone from his curse.” Shia said. She then proceeded to tell her grandma and the baroness the real reason behind their hurried engagement.

“I understand your reasons, sweetheart,” the baroness began after hearing out her story, “but why are you doing this for him? As my only grandchild and successor, the House of Andry can serve as enough protect for you. The decree cannot touch you, I assure you of that; but marrying Langrion will put you in a much graver situation, especially if the prophecy holds true... Perhaps, are you?...”

Shia fell silent, her eyes looking down at the ground.

“Are you in love with him, Shia?...”