An eternity of stifling silence had passed within the large hall.
Lost in self-loathing, Draven did not even realize when or how he left. He had been wandering like he lost his own soul. By the time he snapped out of his daze, he was standing outside the entrance of the clan building. A familiar face with a cane was coming towards him from the opposite direction, causing his hollowed gaze to regain a bit of clarity.
Black Witch Zelda.
The old witch did not expect to chance on the King, and though she had the heart to attend Morpheus' wake, she dared not face Draven with a clear conscience.
Their gazes met but neither acknowledged each other, both sides not saying a single word.
Leaving her witch companion outside, Zelda entered the wake where her poor vision found not a single soul, except for a young winged man standing in front of Morpheus' corpse like a stone statue.
The scene coincided with the vision she had about Aureus back on his first visit to Millow Circle. Back then, she saw his future—it was a scene where Aureus was crying for someone and that someone turned out to be his uncle.
Zelda let out an exhausted sigh. She had seen countless deaths, outlived many loved ones, but it did not make grief any easier to bear.
'If you can see the present, won't you regret your choice, Commander?' Zelda could not help but ask in her heart. She looked at Aureus once more and hobbled to his side, putting a hand on his shoulder to console him.
Only then did Aureus seem to realize her arrival. At first, his face was slack, not recognizing the witch. Seconds crawled by before his red-rimmed eyes stared at her with growing anger. freeweb(n)ovel.com
Zelda coordinated with his uncle to pull off this scheme! If not for her help, Morpheus would not succeed in sacrificing his own life. He wanted to blame her, but not a single word could come out of his throat. He could only brush off her hand from his shoulder.
Towards his show of hostility, Zelda simply lowered her head.
"I accept whatever you want to say. I don't expect your forgiveness." fre(e)webno(v)el
Aureus didn't reply, purposely ignoring her. His gaze landed once more on Morpheus' cold body.
When Zelda came out of the hall, her companion Ursula hurried to her side. The senior witch waved at her. "You go ahead. I still have some matters to attend to."
"Sister…"
In the end, Ursula watched Zelda walk away on her own before turning away with a complicated expression.
Given the nature of its residents, Redcrest was a forest city built on the side of a steep mountain. Not only were the ancient trees with nest abodes tall and lofty, even the ground had a complex terrain where only people of the feathered race could move freely. For an elderly with a deformed body like Zelda, trekking through the winding paths was a difficult task. However, her expression remained tranquil as she walked.
At the end of her path was a ridge at the outskirts of the city. Below it was a cliff that would prove deadly to anyone who could not fly. A certain figure with a lonely back was standing at the edge, patiently waiting for her arrival. With the support of her cane, she approached that person.
That person was Draven, the King of Agartha. Zelda knew the King had things to talk about, and she herself desired to come clean about her participation in Morpheus' grand scheme. No matter how justified it was, the fact remained she agreed to sacrifice Morpheus to save this man along with this kingdom. The least she could do was to not let his heroic sacrifice be buried.
Zelda bowed to Draven. "Greetings, Your Majesty."
Draven wordlessly turned around to look at her. Zelda dared not meet his gaze.
If one were to think of it in another perspective, Zelda helped save Draven's life. However, was that a feat the King would be grateful for?
"Apologies for your loss, Your Majesty," she said to break the silence, her raspy voice sounding worn out.
"Apology won't bring him back," he snapped, and Zelda could feel the hurt and disappointment in that harsh rebuke.
"The Commander's choice, he did it for this kingdom's sake. The Commander's death would cast gloom on the Agartha, but the King's death would destroy it. We all still need you, Your Majesty. You are the reason this kingdom can still stand aloof."
Draven had nothing to say in this regard. The peace and stability enjoyed by the Kingdom of Agartha was a result of countless sacrifices throughout the years. Morpheus was not the first, and he would also not be the last.
Draven understood…but understanding was different from acceptance.
After his mistake that led to that massacre, he vowed that he would protect the people who survived. He never wanted to lose anyone again, not to mention dying in his stead.
"Explain it to me," Draven ordered. "What did that foolish bird sacrifice to change my destiny?"
"Do you hate him, Your Majesty?"
"What—"
"Commander Morpheus was a proud warrior." Zelda said, cutting him off. "Once he made a decision, only he himself could change his mind. He was a decisive man, but he was never impulsive, despite how he acted in front of others."
"Why are you saying this, witch?"
"The Commander, he confessed to me how much he hated you."
At that, Draven's expression changed. His lips tightened to a thin line, and his knuckles turned white.
Zelda continued in a slow drawl, "The grudge of his parents' deaths, it was impossible to resolve. You were the cause why his family broke apart. For him to hate you, it was a natural thing to happen but…
"Your Majesty, to him, you were also family. His precious friend, closer to him than a real brother, you were also a person he could not bear to lose. Your importance to the kingdom was one of the reasons why he acted as he did, but if not for his devotion, the Commander would not smile as he died in your place.
"To him, you are a brother worth dying for."
Draven felt emotions choke his throat while Zelda continued to speak.
"The Commander wanted you to know that though he blamed you for what happened in the past, he had long forgiven you as well. Yours was a mistake for trusting the wrong person, but in the end, that massacre was caused by the enemies. It was Agartha who was weak. Because we had the protection of the mighty Black Dragon, our people had grown complacent that the enemies could never truly endanger us.
"He was angry—angry at himself— that he could not protect his own family. If he were stronger and wiser, then what happened in the past would not be so catastrophic. If only the elves were not arrogant, if only the shapeshifters were not selfish, if only the witches were more vigilant and the fairies more expressive… In the end, he realized everyone back then was lacking.
"He had no way to take that anger out, so you being the closest and the only one left dear to him, he chose to take it out on you. It was an action of a petty man, but whenever he fought with you, he felt the violence was a well-deserved 'punishment' for himself. For him, fighting was the only way he could face you again.
"It was an excuse, but at the same time, it was his lifeline— an assurance that you two still meant something to each other and that friendship was still alive. He told me that he would have probably gone insane if after losing his family, your relationship became distant as well."
Draven could only close his eyes, having been aware of this all along. As Morpheus' friend, how could he not know his intention? Morpheus was indeed not an honest man, but so was he.
"Your Majesty, I will tell you about that night when the Commander first came to ask for my help…"
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