Chapter 94: Chapter 94

In the Temple of The Gods, Templar shot one arrow after another, but the number of people surrounding him seemed infinite. How can they pour in more and more like this towards him? What sort of magic had Sirion acquired to be able to create this army?

After what seemed like an eternity of battling with the possessed bodies of temple servants, Templar was finally able to break through another door, or another wall, to be exact.

He didn’t mean it, but in his haste to get away, he desperately blew a wall with his flame power. He hadn’t used this power for centuries now, and so the strength of it came as a surprise even to him.

Thankfully though, he was able to create an opening from it. Now, he could escape the endless swarm of possessed army that was pursuing him.

However, he didn’t know he was just about to enter another war.

As soon as he stepped into the other side of the wall, he saw Prince Rahul and Goddess Eily looking at a dark figure by the balcony. The man was holding a blue flame in his hand, which he drove into the arm of Rahul’s wife, creating a black pattern against her skin.

Like lightning, Rahul, in his Pauca form, pounced on the man, but it was too late.

The pattern had created a sort of shield against Lady Khailis and his abductor. Rahul only came sprawling into the ground as he attacked them.

Goddess Eily, who was behind Rahul, also directed her attacks towards the man, who was clutching the now unconscious Khailis in his arms. Just like before, the attack did nothing to them. The shield he had created was impenetrable.

The man smirked back at them. He took a step towards the open balcony and flung the unconscious lady in his arms to it.

Everybody gasped.

Thankfully, a group of birds came into Khailis rescue. They heaved her sleeping body dangerously upward and away from the temple.

That’s when everybody else realized what the man was trying to do all along: he was trying to abduct Rahul’s wife, and the birds have aided them!

Prince Rahul pounced at the ash-haired boy like a mad man, and Templar lifted his arrow to attack him. He was sure he could remove his protection spell if he could only identify the weakest point of his shield.

Just then, the door burst open. Goddess Eily, who’s back was turned around from it, was suddenly swarmed by throngs and throngs of temple servants, all clawing towards her like crazy savages.

He needed to make a quick decision. Instead of concentrating at the man whom Rahul was attacking, Templar shifted his arrows to the possessed servants, knocking down as much as he could, like before.

Rahul was still locked in a fierce battle against the ash-colored youth who took his wife away. Where were they taking Khailis, and why were they taking her? There was a sinking feeling at the pit of his stomach as he watched her get taken away by a thick collection of birds. The image of her was getting smaller and smaller in his view, and he hated it. Behind him, he was oblivious to the fact that Templar and Eily were strongly outnumbered, and therefore they were in a losing streak.

Suddenly, the door exploded and they were blown into air.

“Blast it,” Templar shouted.

Stones and ashes were mixed with the air just about everywhere. From the corner of his eyes, Templar could see that a few possessed bodies had been blown away by the impact, but why did they look like they were being suspended against their will?

Amongst the rubble, he squinted and and saw a small figure whom he cannot clearly see. The shadow looked like that of a child. A wave of blue light flashed in the place where eyes should have been visible. At that point onward, everything became a blur.

That was all that Templar could remember now. The next thing he knew, he was being shaken violently awake by Galahad.

“Hey, Templar. Are you awake?”

The truth was that his head throbbed a bit. The last thing he remembered was an explosion by the bedroom door and the shadow.

“Ugh... What happened?”

“We were attacked, but it seems that they had left.”

Templar’s eyebrows shot up in the air. “They left?” He can’t believe what Galahad said. Just as suddenly as they attacked, they just left?

Galahad nodded. “However, some people have gone missing, so I surmise that abduction was their goal.”

“Three people, then?...” Templar’s heart sank. Freya must have been Sirion’s main target, and it was unfortunate enough to see Rahul’s wife getting kidnapped right before their eyes, but who was the other person they had taken away?

A crestfallen Rahul, who was still in his beast form, was whimpering in a corner, digging through the rubble in the room. Templar could see a few handful servants, running about, getting treatment for their injuries.

Suddenly, Templar remembered that someone followed her sister and Sirion. “H-How about my brother-in-law, did he return?”

Galahad was about to respond when someone came swiftly towards them.

Templar looked up and saw Langrion, the human prince her sister, Freya, had wedded.

Templar frowned. Somehow, something seemed to have changed in him though. Was it his eyes? Templar couldn’t remember what his eyes looked like before, but it certainly wasn’t a deep violet color.

It looked like he was returning from the sea for his hair and body was dripping wet all over. He was carrying something – or rather someone in his arm.

Rahul, who had finally found the bridal flute his wife has lost among the rubble, darted to the approaching figure of Langrion, transforming into a human as he ran closer to him.

“Did you stop them,” he asked. He was hopeful when he saw him carry someone in his arms, but as soon as he discovered it wasn’t his wife or Freya, he looked dejected once more.

“I didn’t, but I found someone who would know...”

As he said this, Langrion stretched out the young lady he had been holding in his arms. “Her name is Marmie. She was part of the Ancient Evil’s attackers tonight. She could be of use to us, so we must help her recover at all cost...”

Templar frowned. He was still thinking who were missing, and it suddenly occurred to him.

“Where’s Eily?”

Galahad shook his head, and Templar’s face grew pale.

“Then... He kidnapped her too?” Templar seized Galahad’s collar in his dismay. “Is it possible that Sirion is going to do it?!”

Galahad looked sternly at him. Templar went even paler.

That punk Sirion, he must be really mad! Is he really going to attempt it?

Failure was a bitter word for all of them to take in. They were four of them there, but they had still failed to safeguard the people they ought to have protected that day. They must prepare well for the aftermath.

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

Shia woke up to the unpleasant smell of something burning. As soon as she regained consciousness, she felt something come up her throat uncomfortably. Shia immediately sat up straight and threw up on the floor beside her bed.

“Dearest, you’re finally awake,” a familiar voice greeted her.

The inside of the bedroom she was in was too dark. She looked back at the direction that the voice came from. She could make out the silhouette of a person sitting by a chair nearby.

The man sat up straight, and as his face came into view due to the moonlight, Shia was able to confirm that the affair wasn’t just a dream at all...

Sirion looked back at her with Danterion’s cold but piercing blue eyes. She didn’t know how long he had been keeping watch of her, but she could feel it wasn’t that long ago for it was still midnight... unless of course she had been sleeping for days, which would be bad.

“How long,” she asked Sirion. “How long ago was I out?”

He smiled dryly at her. “I’ve gotten you out from that prisoner’s island, but all you’ve got to ask me was how long you’ve been unconscious? Don’t I deserve a thank you at least?”

Shia wanted to laugh out loud, but it was a scowl that had escaped her lips. “You kidnapped me, and you want me to say thank you?”

“It was hardly a marriage, love. It hasn’t been consummated yet, has it?”

She sneered at him and ignored what he had just said. After her eyes had adjusted to the dimness of the place, Shia looked around her to get a clue where she was. It seemed like the bed chamber she was at resembled that of the chamber she had in Gaulaune. Did Sirion take her back to the Capitol? Did he really succeed in controlling Gaulane?

“Why did you take me away?”

“To fulfil our promise, of course! Didn’t I say we will rule together, dearest?” He stood up from his seat and came closer to her on the bed. “I have a surprise for you, by the way.”

He proceeded to carry her in his arms, and although she had full recovered her strength and had tried to wrestle herself away from him, she found that she couldn’t really use her legs. It was as if she had lost her use of them.

Shia screamed at him in horror. “W-What have you done to my legs?”

“The poison hasn’t completely worn off yet. It’ll take some time before you could properly use them. Just in time for our coronation, maybe.”

All the same, Shia struggled to break free from Sirion, but he was stronger and more aggressive.

“I see you’re still as wild as ever, Freya. Just like the first time you saw me at the woods,” he snapped back, but his face didn’t look angry at all. It looked as if he was enjoying seeing her struggle haplessly away from him.

He stripped the blanket from the bed and wrapped Shia’s wriggling frame with it. She yelped at him, but he didn’t mind her.

“Put me down! Where are you taking me?!”

The blanket was wrapped tightly against her arms and legs, and it was getting harder to breathe, but she still resisted. “Where are you taking me? What have you done to Langrey?”

Sirion only smiled back at her. “Didn’t you remember? He’s safely sleeping at the bottom of the ocean. Don’t worry, dear. I brought some of your friends to keep you company, so you need not fret.”

After he finished saying this, he entered another bed chamber, and this time, all the lights in the room were ablaze. Shia could clearly see two figures lying on the bed, and her heart froze.

One of them was Khailis, and it didn’t look like she was in good spirits.