Chapter 117 - 119

Chapter 117: Chapter 119

Chapter 119

My vision darkened all of a sudden, the wind blowing over my face, bringing me back to my own body.

Before me was Dad.

"Dad..." I called out.

"The spirit realm is unstable. The Seer bloodline is invading the Aetherblood’s."

"What?" My chest heaved. I looked down at my stomach, but there was no pain, no cut.

"You’re not bound to the flesh here, Alex. Pain is dismissed here."

I inclined my head, memories flowing through my mind as I reeled back to the vision.

"The vision I had. Who...what was that?"

"Your grandfather’s life. From reckless to honourable. The child was his undoing."

"But I thought..."

"A child is merely an extension of us. They wield their own decisions and forge their own path. In one of their adventures, Owens found his father. Though Daciana and Lincoln were against it, Lincoln learned the hard way that the bond between a child and his true father cannot be replaced. And when Owens learned the final step to mastering magic, he went wild. Reckless as his father, unable to contain his rage, he killed his mother. Lincoln went mad, but even he couldn’t deliver the final blow to end Owens. After all, he was a child he had groomed."

"And so, Owens killed Lincoln as well. Unable to contain both the Seer and Aetherblood bloodline, he resorted to impregnating a concubine and cast the power into the child. That baby was Lucien, Nathan’s father."

"But I don’t understand. How are you involved? How did you become an Aetherblood if it was taken from our bloodline?"

I knew it. Nathan was a liar. His bloodline, including him, were the betrayers. A long line of deadly beasts.

"We’ve always been adventurers by blood, Alex, and so I set out to Moonblade. There, I met your mother. A librarian in the Moonblade tower’s library. Growing up in an orphanage with Lucien, they were friends. I fell in love with her."

"Just like every story, it all started sweet and fluffy, but soon she aided my research. Scrolls led us to the truth, and our experiments took place in the library. Then the memories began to unwind. Lucien and I, realising the bloodline we’d come from. I was supposed to be the next Aetherblood, while he had both the Seer and Aetherblood power residing inside him."

"As youngsters, we did the one thing we could. We agreed to protect the power. Lucien brought the idea of the One Tree, to place the power there, hence the creation of the gateway. But even the good can be corrupted when the past catches up with them. During the surge, his blood awakened. Corrupted, he became mad like his father, while I had to continue the path of mine. Our story eventually continued from where Lincoln and Owens ended."

Dad floated towards me, his hand resting on my shoulder as he held my gaze. Sincere pity dulled his spark as he spoke. "Forgive me, son, for I couldn’t end Lucien, and now it’s fallen onto you to end the wrath of the Seers." His voice began to fade. "For that, when you need us, Aetherbloods, we shall be there with you. This is our fight, and it’s time we stopped losing."

As Dad faded, leaving me at the edge of the Spirit realm, it all began to make sense.

Nathan was always meant to find me, to help me discover my powers, to open the pathway to the One Tree. He was my Seer, except the corruption from his great grandfather, Owens’ father, lived in his body.

There was no way out. One of us had to die.

???

I awakened to a familiar room. Drowsiness engulfed me as I forced myself up, gripping the wooden bed frame. Soon, as my feet touched the floor, I writhed in pain.

Everything hurt and every sensation was heightened. Even the floor felt like ice.

My hands pressed to my forehead, I stepped forward, each step heavier than the last. Then I caught my own reflection. My jawbones had grown thin, my skin flaky and lined, veins a sudden visitor beneath the surface. The robe on my body hung off my shoulders as though draped over a hanger.

Loosening the robe, I saw the bandage wrapped around my belly, covering my entire torso below the chest. As I looked back at the mirror, my eyes devoid of any glint and my hair tinged a greyer hue, I ground my teeth.

"Heal. Close and be whole." I muttered, placing a hand over my wound. In no time, it sealed, and I felt better, though it would take considerable eating and time to recover from the blood loss and restore my strength.

I followed the hallway from the door, each maid passing by watching me with wide eyes and hushed whispers. Until I stepped outside, and the sun hit my skin.

Never had the sun felt so good. Its warmth seeped into me, a reminder of the hell I had endured, making the relief that followed all the more intense.

A gruesome scene greeted me when I dropped my gaze. Bodies lay across the ground, spreading out into the distance. The earth itself had suffered tremendous damage, the forest nearly entirely stripped bare, and the palace cracked once again.

My eyes wandered until they settled on a figure. My chest fluttered. I nearly broke into a run until my body disagreed, and so I walked instead, every inch of my skin aching for his touch.

Just then, Kai turned around. He froze momentarily before pulling me into his warm embrace. His wolf purred against me, and I opened my mind, allowing him to step in and feel my gratitude. How immeasurably grateful I was to see him again.

???

We sat by the curb, a warm tea in my hand as my fingers weakly curled around the zarf.

"I thought I died."

"You were breathing and healing, but you wouldn’t wake up. I was so scared." Kai said as he stole a kiss on my cheek for what felt like the hundredth time. "Goodness, I missed you so much. I’m so sorry for how we left things. The entire misunderstanding. I swear, I’ll never keep anything from you again."

I took my time, watching the shade disperse as the sun found us at the curb. Usually, the willow would have offered shelter, but it was gone.

"Nathan did the unspeakable to me, and I want revenge, my ass king," I sipped the tea, a feeble smile dancing on my lips. "But I’m not the topic at hand. It’s our babies. The twins will not suffer for a fate cursed upon my bloodline. Will you help me, love?"

"I stand by you. What do you wish?"

"First, we go to Moonblade. I have one last score to settle with its Alpha."