Chapter 115: Shadows Of Prophecy
"I just could.." she replied, surprised even by her own words. She sighed, resting her head on his shoulder, and slid her hand from his cheek, down to his chest, where she could feel the steady beat of his heart.
Ivan waited patiently, giving her time to gather herself, until she finally spoke, "Ivan, I saw something...terrifying," she paused, searching for the right words, "but it felt...too real."
He frowned, looking at her intently. "Tell me..."
"The city was on fire, dark grey clouds covered the sky, and I couldn’t tell whether it was night or day. There was utter chaos everywhere." She swallowed hard before continuing, "I saw people being maimed, whether they were adults or children...by these terrifying creatures I’ve never seen before." Her voice cracked.
"They had slimy black skin, and tall bony structure with these razor sharp tentacles coming out of their backs, which they were using to slaughter people. There was this one child hiding behind the ruins of a roof, only to be spotted by one of the creatures. It was about to kill him, so I screamed and tried to move to save him, but nothing worked. It was like I was trapped, forced to just watch the horror unfold. But then..." she looked up to him, "suddenly, a man descended from the sky, radiating an otherworldly aura. I couldn’t see his face, yet...he oddly felt very familiar. With a single move, he burned that creature to ashes."
"And as if he sensed me standing there, he was about to turn when another creature tried to ambush him. I screamed to warn him, but then...I woke up."
As Ivan listened carefully, his frown only deepened in thought. Something stirred within him at her words, especially at the mention of that man. The dream Eve described...he had seen something similar in the past. But why was she dreaming about something like this? Did Lumens possess an ability to glimpse at the past? Nothing was confirmed in the history books, yet the details of the man descending from the sky were eerily close to the ancient tale of two celestial beings who once descended from the heavens.
Ivan himself had tried to research more about that era, but most of the records were already tampered with. Still, her description of those dark creatures mirrored the ones he himself had dreamt about. He had always reasoned that such dreams might be connected to his lineage, as a pure blooded vampire, his ancestors had received their powers from the gods after the great war centuries ago. But the powers he wielded were unique, unlike anything even his ancestors or the very first vampire had possessed.
As his gaze lingered on Eve, he thought, ’Why would she have a dream like this? Was it because she was a pure-blooded lumen? But then again, on that theory, no other pure blooded vampire like my father or the Silver family has experienced any such things.’
Regardless of their pure-blooded heritage, both vampires and lumens had received their gifts from the gods, not from the celestial beings who fought the great war. So why were both of them dreaming of the same thing?
Too many questions circled his mind, but none of them added up. Only one place came to him as a possible source of answers, a place where history could not be altered or influenced. And something told him that he needed to go there as soon as possible.
Watching him fall silent, Eve called him, "Ivan?"
"Hm?"
"What are you thinking?"
"Just a passing thought...maybe what you saw was a piece of history." When he saw her eyes widen, he added, "Or it could just be a nightmare."
"W-why would you think it is history? Did you read something like that somewhere?" Eve asked nervously.
"I’m not sure because things are already botched up...but I’ll try finding out about it," he brought his hand and caressed her cheek, "Alright?"
"I want to help you too!" Eve said, her eyes filled with earnest determination.
Ivan’s lips curled into a small smile. "Okay," He then glanced outside the window, where it was still dark, and asked, "Why don’t we get some more sleep?"
Following his gaze, she murmured, "Alright."
Sliding off his body, she settled herself next to him, only to hear him say, "You know, screaming wasn’t on my list of ways I imagined being woken up when I decided to sleep in your room."
Eve’s face flushed crimson with embarrassment, and she mumbled softly, "I’m sorry..."
He smirked as he pulled her back into his arms, "If you’re truly sorry," he said in a low, teasing voice, "I can give you tips on better ways to wake me up in the morning. You’ll have fun learning them, I promise."
Eve just stared at him before murmuring, "Shameless," under her breath. She then turned around and closed her eyes, only to hear Ivan chuckle. His chest vibrated against her back, making her smile. He bent down and pressed a soft kiss to her shoulder blade before finally closing his eyes again.
....
That morning, news of Marquees Lester Viremont, along with several other nobles executed publicly in Crimson Hollow, spread like wildfire. Every person, whether a professor or student, was talking about it. The price they paid with their life was not for betraying the crown, but also humanity, as these nobles were found working with the dark forces.
The news did not remain confined to the Kingdom of Versailles but also spilled into other Kingdoms, eventually reaching the ears of King Solan of Luminear.
King Solan also received word that his daughter, Princess Evelyn, had been spotted entering the academy with the Crown Prince of Versailles last evening. The report did not omit the small but significant detail that the two had been holding hands, an unspoken declaration of their relationship to all who witnessed it.
Currently, King Solan wore a grim expression as he not only learnt that his daughter had been captured by darkrots and then rescued by the crown prince, but also that the prince had declared their romantic relationship openly in the royal court.
He slammed his desk angrily as the report ended, making Gideon flinch. He hadn’t seen the king this furious and could only hope it wouldn’t escalate into something worse. Gideon knew well the estranged relationship between father and daughter ever since the passing of Queen Selene. He pitied the princess, but it wasn’t his place to interfere in their personal matters.
Breaking the tense silence, King Solan asked sharply, "Has the princess shown any signs of her powers?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," Gideon replied carefully. "In fact, when we dug deeper, we found that in one of her classes at the beginning, she displayed signs of her powers awakening. It is already public knowledge that the princess does indeed possess powers like other Lumens."
Solan’s brows furrowed at the new piece of information, and he realised that the locket was no longer able to suppress her powers anymore. His thoughts immediately went to the prophecy made at her birth, something known only to himself, Septimus, and his late wife.
He turned to Gideon and commanded, "Summon High Priest Septimus. I’d like to have a word with him, now!"
"I hear your command, Your Majesty." Gideon bowed and hurried out to fetch Septimus.
Some time later, when Septimus arrived at the King’s study, he bowed. "You called for me, Your Majesty?"
King Solan, who was standing by the window, slowly turned to face him. "Septimus, it seems like locket is no longer able to suppress her powers. How is this possible?"
Septimus raised his wise silver eyes to meet the king’s cold blue ones, "I see...I’m afraid this was bound to happen, Your Majesty. Nature has taken its course; fate cannot be altered."
"Why is this happening now?! I thought we had more time!" Solan roared, his voice echoing through the chamber.
"I believe it is something to do with Princess Evelyn’s coming of age," Septimus replied calmly. "It is said that when a Lumen turns eighteen, their powers begin to mature, gradually revealing their full potential. The locket was never more than a temporary fix, a veil to hide her light from the world until the time was right."
Solan gritted his teeth, thinking of the danger Evelyn’s powers could bring upon all if the dark forces managed to get her. What unsettled him even more was the Crown Prince of Versailles, the ruthless, pure-blooded vampire prince, being involved with the Princess of Luminear. No! He could not allow this to happen.
"And what do you make of her being in a relationship with a vampire prince?" Solan asked in a tight voice.
Septimus seemed visibly stunned, taking a moment before he found his words.
"You mean...the Crown Prince of Versailles?" he asked in disbelief.
"Yes," Solan snapped, "It was reported today that they publicly declared their relationship before the entire royal court of Versailles! Was I wrong to send her there?! Elara warned me...I should have married her off instead of sending her away! I should have wed her to the Prince of Dartmouth when Elara advised it! But no, I sent her there, and now look at what has happened!"
