Chapter 44: Chapter 44

Shia’s face turned deadly white as she called the name of the Ancient Evil.

“Si-Sirion?...”

As if by cue, the sounds of the debutant waltz began, and Prince Danterion - no, Sirion de Luca, the arch nemesis of the gods of Teotroly and the love of Freya’s life – started to twirl her around on the dance floor. She called his name once more as she landed in his arms and moved her closer towards his left side, embracing her tightly.

“Sirion!”

“Who is Sirion?” the prince began to ask.

Shia peered at Danterion’s face, only to be greeted back by the sight of his worried-looking ocean-blue irises. She began to look back at her left wrist, and nothing was there; there were no tattoos, no swirling marks, and no burning sensation of any kind. Did she just imagine all of those things?

“I-It’s nothing...” Shia replied back, faking a smile in her lips. Her heart raced. What did that vision mean?

“Are you sure, Lady Shia? Are you sure you are alright?” Danterion asked again.

“Yes... I just thought I saw someone I knew,” she lied.

“I see. Pray, tell me, who is this Sirion that you spoke of? Is he perhaps your first love?”

“He is nothing... Why? Are you curios?” Shia said, trying to recover from the shock of her disillusionment.

“It’s just that his name sounded a bit familiar...”

“It did? Tell me about him. Where did you hear his name?”

Danterion started to look deep into Shia’s eyes. She tried to read was on his mind, but he was as impassive as a slab of stone.

“Has anyone ever told you that you looked so much like Nana?” the prince remarked nonchalantly.

Shia smiled faintly. “Everyone did. Even your own brother thought so when he first met me.”

As the prince swayed her around into one side, Shia caught sight of her grandmother in her purple dress, walking away from her place at the seat of honor. Following her shortly behind was King Caldwell. Shia frowned at them. Were the two of them going somewhere?

While she pondered on this thought, Prince Danterion began to ask, “Lady Shia, what did you come to love about my brother?”

Shia thought hard for a moment. What was it that she had begun to like about Langrey?

“He was always kind and gentle. He was always patient when I am impatient, and he has never blamed me despite my many shortcomings. He’s like water when I’m on fire.”

“That sounded so romantic and idealistic, but I assume you know why he hides his face behind a mask, am I right?” Prince Danterion pulled her closer until he is just barely speaking to her ear. He began to speak again.

“You do know that he could be the Demon King, right... Freya?...”

Once more, the timbre of Danterion’s voice had abruptly changed into a more sinister sounding one. Shia could not look him in the eyes, for he held her fast so tightly, it felt like she cannot breath. Her left wrist started to burn once more, and she was now positive that the person whom she is speaking to isn’t Langrion’s brother anymore.

“Sirion!” Shia hissed against his ear. Shia looked around in frenzy. A thin, almost invisible layer of mist had started to envelop her and Sirion, separating them from everyone else in the dance floor. It was somewhat like the mage’s magical void, but she could feel that the fibers of magic used for this feels much more sinister.

She tried to lower her right hand against his back to procure the dagger she had hidden in her bodice for this kind of emergency, but he clutched her left arm strongly and hugged her even tighter, making it impossible for her to move her upper limb.

“Ah, ah, ah... No cheating Freya. Besides, you do know that human weapons have no power against me...”

“What are you doing, Sirion?” she remarked, slightly aghast.

“Why, I’m dancing with my dearest. Didn’t you remember? We had always made a pact to dance our first debutant dance in each other’s arms since our days in Teotroly. I never go back on my promises, you know...”

Images of a young man and a woman who had just come of age, giggling as they practiced for the ball at the Land of the Gods flooded back into Shia’s memory. It had taken place before the breaking of the world; before Sirion took Freya’s power of light in his attempt to build an empire and subdue human kind.

“We had such good times back then, didn’t we?”

“We did, but like you said, it was all in the past...” Shia said bitterly.

“Dearest one, don’t be sad. We can still be together. Soon, you will be freed from this mortal shell that holds you, and you can join me in the Underworld and rule this wasteland together...”

“Never, Sirion! I shall never join you!”

“Ah, but you will, dearest. It’s already written in the stars...”

“Not if I rewrite it!” Shia pulled away as violently as she could, and she did successfully break away from him. With a quick flourish, she produced the dagger that was concealed within her dress, and aimed it at his neck.

“Now, now, Freya... Are you really going to kill this poor lad whom I have taken possession of? I thought you detested murder, but it seems that I was wrong.”

Shia gasped. She almost forgot about Danterion! She was so hell-bent into killing the Ancient Evil, she had forgotten that the mortal body that was housing him was a living, breathing person!

“What now, dearest? Did I just thwart your great plan?” The Ancient Evil began to hold Shia’s palm that was enveloped around the hilt of her dagger and aimed the blade closer towards his own throat.

“This was always your greatest flaw, my Freya. You always had a compassionate heart, and you never wanted to take away life, even the tiniest bit. But pray, be my guest! Kill this boy now, so that you can end our punishments here on earth and return back to Teotroly as the rightful god and goddess that we are!”

He came closer towards her and started to hug her, moving the sharp edge of the dagger closer into Danterion’s flesh. “Come now, you can do it, dearest! Didn’t you promise Galahad you will kill me so that I can spare your beloved prince?”

Shia’s eyes widened in fright, “Y-you knew what I was planning to do?”

“Of course, love. I know you the best! The real question there is can you? Can you kill me and spare the boy? He and I are one, dearest, just like this body and I are one. All cursed ones belong to me... Even this mortal shell that you are residing in too, my love...”

“Sirion, what do you truly want? Why are you tormenting these innocent people?”

“They are not innocents, Freya. These humans are worse than monsters! Even the boy that you love is born out of a monster.”

Shia let the hand that held the dagger fall down on her side. She started to dance slowly with Sirion, who was still clasping her tightly in an embrace. She was deep in thought while in a quiet reverie.

After a long, long time, she spoke, “I-If I do as you wish, will you spare this prince and his brother? Would you spare them from possessing their bodies and from activating their curses?”

“If you do what I bid you to do, I shall grant you a wish – any wish!”

“T-then what do you want? What is it that you want from me?...”

“I want you to join me in the Underworld, love. Let us be together. Let us seize this earth and take control of Teotroly! You know we can become better gods that the present heads!”

He pulled back from his embrace to look at her frightened eyes. “Think about it, Freya, and come find me when you are ready...”

As he spoke these words, Prince Danterion’s irises turned back into their normal blue color, and he started to gasp at her in confusion. The void that separated them from the watchful eyes in the dance floor crumbled away as if it had never been there at all.

“My prince, are you alright?” Shia said, trying to rub his shoulders gently. He started to breathe harder, and he staggered a bit, so Shia pulled him over to one side of the dance floor and propped him into a wall.

“M-My lady, what just happened?”

“I think I met another one of your personalities back there...” Shia replied.

“Y-you did,” he said, gulping down and turning crimson in embarrassment. “Did he tell you who he is,¬ and why he’s here?”

“Yes... Don’t worry... Everything will soon be alright.”

Before they could speak any further, a loud cry was overheard somewhere.

“A cursed one! A cursed one is in the ball! We are under attack!”

Everybody started to panic. Guards began taking out their swords, and men, women, and children began to scamper about, some of them crashing with the tables, chairs, and curtains inside the pavilion.

Suddenly, a hand tugged at one of Shia’s arm. She spun around and saw Langrion with a sword at hand. Beside him stood Lady Edelfina, who was looking as pale as a ghost.

“Shia,” Langrion said, “cursed ones had been spotted within the pavilion. We have to go!”

Lord Fincher and several other guards came into the Imperial Princes’ sides with swords raised up. He began to hand in a sword to Prince Danterion as well, who looked as if he was born in a battle field.

“Have you seen Khailis?” Shia said, drawing up the dagger from inside the folds of her dress.

Edelfina looked positively amused when she saw Shia raise up her weapon in a defense position. She began to tremble a bit, and Danterion began to draw her closer to his chest, seemingly forgetting his anger at her the moment they were faced up with danger.

“No, but I’ll find her. Stay close to the guards,” Langrion began to say.

“I’m coming with you,” she said. Shia didn’t want to be left alone with that snake Edelfina even for a second.

Langrion nodded, and they started to pull away from the guards. They started to inch their way towards one of the open balconies. All of a sudden, they heard a loud crash at the table where cocktails were being served. A man was thrown against the wine glasses, creating the harsh, shrill sounds of broken glasses.

Suddenly, men garbed in black and with weapons at hand began to invade the pavilion. One of the men was hurling fireballs at the crowd, causing some of the curtains to catch fire.

“Let’s get out of here!” Langrion said. He started to clutch Shia tighter against his chest as he tried to run to the open balcony. Shia in turn scooped the hem of her dress so that she could run faster. Thankfully, Master Dredsell conceded into making a light skirt for Shia’s debutant gown, making running an easy feat.

When they reached the balcony, Langrion and Shia saw Khailis, with swords at both hands, fighting a rogue in a black garb. The rogue raised his hands, and balls of ice started to come out of them. He proceeded to hurl one of the balls towards Khailis and the other one towards the prince and her.

Thankfully, Khailis was able to successfully miss the ball of ice, and so did Langrion and Shia as the prince suddenly crouched down with Shia in tow.

Like a skilled thief, the rogue who just hurled ice balls at them quickly escaped to the open balcony and made a run to the woods. Khailis, Shia, and Langrion ran in pursuit.

After covering some distance away from the pavilion, the three of them weren’t able to find the scoundrel.

“We’ll go this way, and you go that way,” Langrion instructed Khailis. She nodded and ran to the opposite path in the maze garden.

“I’ll follow this path then,” Shia began to say, but the prince clutched her arms even tighter.

“No, you stay with me.”

“But, we might lose him!”

“No, stay!”

“But -”

“Damn it, Shia!” the prince exclaimed. He pulled her against his chest, and wrapped his free arm tightly around her in an embrace. “Why are you trying to avoid me? Does it hurt so much to be near me like this?”

Langrion’s chest pulsed against Shia’s ears so loudly, it was as if she was listening to her own heartbeat. Shia’s stomach felt like it had tied itself in knots. She did not want to let him go, but she pulled softly away from his embrace.

“I was not avoiding you...” she lied.

“You were. Ever since I let you walk away from the hallway at the manor, you had been avoiding me, and today, you even changed partners with my brother. Why are you hurting me like this? Why do you make my heart ache like this so much?”

“Your highness, how can I hurt you?... You can’t get hurt by someone you don’t love, remember?”