Chapter 216-Missing piece

Chapter 216: 216-Missing piece

"Is that because of us?"

Addessa’s question lingered between them as the darkened petal drifted past their joined hands.

Varitreya glanced at it, then smiled. "Perhaps the flowers are celebrating your birthday too."

"Then I hope they continue celebrating because I never want the night to end."

Addessa’s gaze softened. She leaned closer and for a moment, the music, the lanterns, and everything beyond the gazebo seemed to fade away.

The night continued with laughter, dancing, and affectionate teasing. They took turns changing partners, sometimes dancing in pairs and sometimes gathering together whenever a particularly lively song played.

Even Lumi eventually stopped pretending she wasn’t enjoying herself, while Zolani seemed determined to make certain nobody spent more than a few minutes sitting down.

Maisa couldn’t remember the last time she had felt so relaxed. The five of them were together, and for once, there were no arguments about secrets, no discussions about the dangers surrounding them, and no need to worry about what tomorrow might bring.

The flowers continued to respond to their emotions. Their petals darkened, their colors deepened, and their fragrance spread throughout the gazebo.

Eventually, the music became softer, their conversations quieter and their laughter was less frequent as exhaustion slowly caught up with them.

At some point, they settled around the gazebo, intending to rest for a little while before returning to their respective rooms.

None of them remembered falling asleep and none of them knew that the night would take far more from them than a few hours of rest.

---

Sunlight! That was the first thing Maisa noticed when she opened her eyes.

She blinked several times, momentarily disoriented by the brightness above her. The sky was a clear blue, and the sun hung high overhead, its golden rays pouring into the gazebo.

She sat up, shielding her eyes. "Why was it so bright?"

The warmth against her skin quickly became uncomfortable, and she scrambled toward the nearest patch of shade beneath the gazebo’s roof.

Only after settling down did she realize something was wrong. She stared at her hands and then she looked toward the sunlight spilling across the floor. Her brows drew together.

Slowly, she extended one hand beyond the shade, allowing the sunlight to fall directly upon her skin and to her surprise, nothing happened to her.

She turned her palm over, examining it carefully before pushing her sleeve higher. The sunlight touched her wrist, then her forearm but there was no burning sensation, smoke, blistering, and no pain.

Maisa stared for a long time. She had spent so long avoiding direct sunlight that the simple act of standing beneath it should have been impossible yet here she was.

She moved out of the shade. Taking one step and then another. The sunlight covered her face, shoulders, and arms. She tilted her head upward, allowing the warmth to settle against her cheeks and still nothing happened to her.

Her mouth parted. "How...?"

She looked at the sky again, then down at her hands. "Was this another consequence of the white-haired girl’s intervention?"

Had the mysterious woman changed something else about her when she restored her senses and sealed the flower of fate?

Maisa couldn’t tell. She slowly turned, taking in her surroundings.

The gazebo was quiet. The lanterns had gone out, the orchestra platform stood empty, and the decorations were no longer as lively as they had been the previous night.

A few petals lay scattered across the floor, their colors faded and their edges curled while the others were still there.

Varitreya was resting against one of the pillars, her head tilted to the side. Addessa lay on a cushioned bench, while Lumi and Zolani were curled up close to one another near the railing. They were all asleep.

Maisa frowned. "Why were they still sleeping?"

She looked around again, and that was when she noticed the two enormous flowers occupying the heart of the gazebo. They were almost as tall as a person.

One was a deep, blood-red flower with thick petals that drooped toward the ground. Its stem was dark, and its once-vibrant petals looked withered, as though something had drained the life from it.

The other was equally enormous, but its appearance was different. Its five petals displayed distinct colors: white, black, blue, crimson, and dark red. Each petal seemed to possess its own faint glow, although that light was slowly fading.

Maisa stared at them. She had never seen such flowers before. More strangely, looking at them made her feel uneasy.

A strange emptiness settled inside her chest, her body and soul. It was not pain, exactly. It felt as though something that had once belonged to her was no longer there.

She pressed a hand against her chest. "What is this feeling?" She wondered.

She looked at the flowers again and then at her sleeping companions. Something had happened, she could feel it and it left a bad sour taste in her mouth.

"Everyone, wake up!"

Maisa hurried toward Varitreya and gently shook her shoulder. "Varitreya, wake up."

The princess stirred, her brows drawing together before she slowly opened her eyes. "Maira...?"

"Mmh?" Maisa frowned at her misspelling her name. "Forget it... Wake up. Something is wrong."

Varitreya blinked, still struggling to gather her thoughts. "What happened?"

"I don’t know. But you need to wake the others."

"I need to?" Varitreya raised an eyebrow that suggested she was above that task.

"You know what... I’ll do it."

"Thank you," Varitreya sighed in relief. "My head feels funny."

Maisa moved toward Addessa, shaking her gently before calling Lumi and Zolani. It took a little while, but eventually, all four vampires were awake. They looked around in confusion.

"What time is it?" Lumi asked, rubbing her forehead.

"Daytime," Maisa answered.

Zolani sat up and yawned. "How long did we sleep?"

"That’s what I want to know," Maisa responded, her soul felt emptier than ever. "If someone could fill me in... I’d be most appreciative."

Addessa stretched her arms, then looked around the gazebo. "Didn’t we go to sleep after the celebration?"

"I think so," Lumi replied. "I remember dancing, then sitting down. After that..."

She paused and her expression changed. "...Nothing."

The others looked at her. "I can’t remember what happened after we sat down either..." Zolani searched her brain over and over and failed to remember.

Varitreya frowned. "Neither can I."

Maisa glanced at the sun. "We must have slept for several hours."

"Several?" Zolani repeated. "I feel like I’ve been asleep for a whole month."

"Don’t exaggerate," Lumi muttered.

"But is she exaggerating?" Addessa paused. "Is she?"

Varitreya pushed herself upright looking increasingly uncomfortable. She was beginning to notice how weak her body felt. The others seemed no better.

"Guard!" she ordered.

One of the palace guards stationed outside the garden immediately approached. "Your Highness."

"Bring us blood. Enough for everyone. We need to replenish our strength."

"At once, Your Highness."

The guard bowed and hurried away. Varitreya rubbed her temple, trying to make sense of the situation. She had no memory of leaving the gazebo, no recollection of returning to sleep, and no idea why they had all woken up feeling so drained.

Then she noticed Maisa standing in the sunlight. Her eyes widened slightly. "Mara?"

Maisa turned to her. "Name’s Maisa... Not Maira and definitely not Mara," She corrected.

"Oh, yeah. I know that..." But for some reason, she was so tired her mind was muddled. That’s never happened to her before. "You’re standing in the sun. Aren’t redbloods deathly allergic to the sun?"

"Yeah... One more thing to add to the lists of things I don’t understand."

"But..."

"I don’t burn anymore... Can we move passed that and figure out what’s going on here?"

The others looked at her. "What?" Addessa asked. "Are you sure?"

Maisa extended her hand. "Look... See, not burning," She laughed but it lacked any humor.

Varitreya approached and examined her skin. There were no burns or signs of injury. "How is this possible?"

"Well... I was hoping one of you could tell me."