Chapter 287: Lost Ancient Text
Iskara’s brows pulled together. "Dark magic?"
"Yes." Her voice grew grave, "I flinched away instinctively, and Ivan activated his divine powers to touch the surface again, to be certain. The instant he did, the grave split open."
A hush fell over the table.
"Darkness poured out of it," Eve went on. "It gathered, twisted, and rose, until it took the form of a colossal serpent."
"A colossal serpent?" Regulus’s eyes widened as he asked, "Can you describe what it looked like?"
Eve nodded, "It had obsidian scales with glowing ember-like fissures that pulsed with an inner fire."
Regulus’s eyes widened further, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Azrathul."
"Why do I feel like I have read that name somewhere?" Iskara murmured, resting a finger against his chin.
"I am certain you have. You and I have skimmed through many history books in this palace together," Regulus replied before shifting his gaze back to Eve.
"There are not many books that speak of creatures from hell, but the select few that do exist mention only fragments of things hidden from the people of this world. Azrathul is a colossal serpent from hell. It is said to be so deadly that even a single scratch from its jagged teeth can reduce a person to dust."
A cold chill ran down Eve’s spine at the thought of how close Ivan had been to its deadly jaws. Sensing her unease, Ivan quietly wrapped an arm around her shoulder and said, "Well, we do not have to worry about that anymore, since we killed it."
"Killed it?" Regulus looked utterly stunned as he stared at the two of them.
Ivan nodded calmly, "Yes. Despite its immense size, it moved with terrifying speed. Even so, Eve and I brought it down."
A disbelieving chuckle escaped Regulus as he shook his head lightly at his nephew’s words.
Iskara, on the other hand, wore a grim expression. "How did a creature from hell seep out of Princess Evelyn’s mother’s grave?"
"That’s the question even I want to ask," Damien added, wearing an equally grim expression.
"That is exactly what we wish to know," Eve replied softly. She then took the locket and placed it on the table for everyone to see. "This is what contained it. There was an obsidian stone set at the centre. What remained of it was destroyed the moment it came into contact with Ivan’s divine powers. Since then, Ivan and I have tried to find answers in every book we could, but without success. That is why we brought it here, in the hope that Your Majesty or someone else might be able to help us."
"May I see it up close?" Iskara asked.
"Of course," Eve replied, and Ivan used his powers to move the locket gently in front of Iskara.
As Iskara picked it up, he studied the circular metallic locket with a keen, observant eye. After a moment, he asked, "Where did you find this?"
Eve pressed her lips together, her fingers curling slightly, before lifting her gaze to Ivan.
He answered for her, "This is where it becomes....complicated."
He paused, letting the weight of the word settle.
"After the fight ended, we returned to Eve’s mother’s grave. The stone had cracked open," he continued, "it had split wide enough for us to see inside."
"And?" Iskara prompted, his dark crimson gaze fixed on his son.
Ivan drew in a quiet breath before finishing, his eyes moving slowly around the table. "Not only did we find the locket within the grave....but we discovered that it was completely empty. There was nothing inside. Not even a single remnant."
The words seemed to drain the air from the room.
Stunned silence settled over everyone at the shocking revelation.
For several moments, no one spoke until Edward finally broke the quiet. "Evelyn, did you go to the grave within the palace grounds, or the one located in the mountains?"
"There are two graves?" Cece asked, confusion colouring her voice.
"Yes, there are two graves," Eve said softly. "The one within the palace grounds is only a monument, built to honour the late Queen and to give others a place to pay their respects. The one in the mountains was meant to be her true resting place, according to my mother’s final wish....or at least, that is what we believed."
Ivan gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "We went to the one in the mountains and found it empty," he said, answering Edward on Eve’s behalf and giving her time to gather herself.
The table fell silent once more as everyone reeled from the revelation. Not only was the situation painfully complex, but they also could not begin to fathom how deeply Evelyn must have been hurt upon discovering her mother’s grave empty.
Iskara released a quiet sigh before shifting his gaze to Eve, who sat beside his son with Ivan’s arm wrapped around her in silent support.
"I am sorry to hear that, Princess Evelyn. I cannot imagine the grief and shock you must have endured," Iskara said softly.
Eve gave him a small nod, swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat.
He then rang the bell, and Barnaby stepped in swiftly, bowing. "Your Majesty, you summoned me?"
"Bring me my loupe at once," Iskara commanded.
"Right away, Your Majesty," Barnaby replied before exiting quickly to carry out the order.
Iskara then turned his attention back to those seated at the table.
"Did you notice something?" Regulus asked, his gaze fixed on the locket before Iskara.
"Maybe," Iskara replied cryptically.
It was not even a minute before Barnaby returned with a golden loupe.
The king brought it to his eye and inspected the locket once more, concentrating on the tiny, intricate patterns etched into its surface, which from a distance appeared to be nothing more than decorative design.
"There," Iskara said at last. "To the naked eye, it would pass as mere ornamentation, but I am certain this is a lost ancient text engraved into it."
"Can you decipher what it says, Father?" Ivan asked, intrigue evident in his voice.
"Unfortunately, the text is so old that I cannot decipher it," Iskara replied. "You will likely need to find someone well-versed in such an ancient language."
"Do we know of anyone like that?" Cece asked.
"If I remember correctly, the Kingdom of Sunfire is known for its expertise in various ancient languages," Regulus replied as he examined the same text after Iskara.
"Sunfire?" Edward mused before adding, "Do we not have their prince currently studying at the academy?"
Cece realised it at the same moment. "That is right. Is he not the same one who tried to court..." Her gaze shifted to Evelyn, who suddenly found her teacup very amusing, before trailing off abruptly as an icy chill rolled off from Ivan.
Damien chuckled openly at his brother’s unmistakable jealousy, while Iskara and Regulus exchanged amused looks at Ivan’s brooding silence.
’Ah, young love,’ both fathers sighed inwardly.
.....
Three days passed after breakfast with the king and the duke. During that time, Eve and Ivan, along with the others, decided to extend their stay at the palace until the weekend.
Throughout those days, they kept themselves engrossed in the royal library, which was exclusively reserved for the royals of the palace. Evelyn, of course, along with Cece, Damien, and Edward, were granted special permission as exceptions.
Regulus returned to his estate to attend to official matters concerning his domain, while Iskara was occupied with affairs of his own.
This left the younger group to search for answers within the ancient texts, hoping to uncover more information about the creature from hell, Azrathul, or to find anything that might lead them closer to the truth behind the mysteries surrounding Eve’s mother’s grave.
The ball at Minister Silas’s estate was scheduled for the very next day, so preparations for that were also underway. The spy was still very much present within the palace, and for now, they chose to let her be, though not without keeping a close watch on her every move through the Ignis Blades.
With security tightened after Eve’s return to the palace, the entire estate had effectively become a fortress, leaving the spy unable to move freely or send any further messages after her last attempt.
Damien burst out laughing at the idea that Minister Silas was probably convinced Eve had been declared crippled and quietly discarded by the king, and was no doubt already drafting an elaborate master plan to parade his daughter in front of Ivan.
But he abruptly stopped laughing immediately.
The reason being the simultaneous frost that hit him from across the room, not by one but two people. And if Damien was being entirely honest, Ivan’s glare felt familiar, predictable. But Evelyn’s, on the other hand, felt like the kind that promised consequences.
He cleared his throat and decided that silence was, in fact, the wisest life choice.
