The two of them climbed more and more stairs, until they were on a fairly high floor in the Black Tower. The higher they got, the cleaner the rooms became. It was as if no one had dared to climb these stairs before.
Until finally Will stopped at the highest floor, as the only room that had furniture in it. A canopied bed, a sofa set, a dresser and a closet.Dravon was not at all surprised, he simply lit a fire in the two lanterns that lay on top of the pair of nightstands in the bedroom, and sat down on his dusty, fragile bed. A centipede poked out of the hem of his blanket, but Dravon deliberately ignored it."So," Dravon asked cheerfully. "What did you want to talk to me about, Will?"Will moved closer to him. All his cool demeanour slowly crumbled, replaced with a fragility underneath. "We lost badly," he muttered. "But it's not too late. I know atop this tower we can still paint the final magic pattern. Or we can go home to Valorthorn, and defDravon was right, that Kieran did not need mind-reading magic to know what had just happened. He could feel the coldness of William Zephyr's gaze on him, penetrating his skin. He could feel the emptiness that Dravon hid behind his casual demeanour. But it was the fact that Dravon came straight to him after his fight with William that bothered Kieran. It made him, inevitably, remember the past between the two of them in Umbravale."You think," Dravon muttered as he leaned against the magic wall. He casually removed his court robes and placed them on his lap. Kieran had never noticed it before. How graceful Dravon was. How he was more fit to be a prince than a king's son really was. How friendly and kind he was to his peers and the people who worked for him. "What will become of us. I mean, what fate awaits you and me."Kieran huffed. It was more because he felt cold than because he wanted to be cool. Dravon's magic fire was right behind his back but he couldn't feel
In her entire life, Everly had never heard of the Black Tower. But from the bones scattered in the corner of the room, it was most likely the same place as the Red Tower in the northern area of Valorthorn that was reserved for the exile of traitors. The difference, though, was that there were no alogojos and torture devices waiting here. There was only darkness and emptiness, which was actually another form of torture."So..." Everly tried not to glance over as her cousin, Oliver, inched closer while rubbing his hands together. "How have you been?"After the past six months of being exiled by their extended family simply because of the curse in her blood, the words 'How have you been?' really felt ambiguous. Nonetheless, Everly shrugged. "As you can see, Odd," she muttered. "I'm confined here with you on traitorous charges. And since that's the way it is, I try not to protest."Oliver laughed awkwardly, as if he thought she was trying to be funny. But she wasn't. There was nothing fun
"It's weird seeing four revenants in one room," was the first thing the King of Varidianth, Elios Silverlake, said as they were all ushered into the Throne Room."Yeah, maybe not as weird as all of us seeing you suddenly become King, Elios," Jace replied kindly from the corner of the room. But everyone ignored him, especially Morana."We may look like immortal, rebellious seventeen-year-olds, but I hope you know that recently the number of revenants has increased due to the rise of The Malevolent Sorcerer-King. I hope it's not you," Morana said calmly.Elios immediately stood up from his throne chair, as if he was uncomfortable sitting there. The man approached all the prisoners, with a sad smile. "You don't look like a seventeen-year-old to me at all," Elios said. "But the fact that you're here, away from Zyronox, I think proves that you're in good hands. For a long time, Princess Morana."Morana gritted her teeth. "Don't think you know me just because you know my name," she exclaime
Kieran was woken up by a jolt on his shoulder. He opened his eyes, instantly overcome by a feeling of nausea. But when he realised that it was Julian who woke him up, he was shocked to death. Because Julian's clothes were soiled with blood and sweat. In his hand was a sword, which Kieran realised he had borrowed from a palace knight. Around them was only chaos. "I think they mixed something into my drink," Kieran said. "A lot of something and—" "That's not important," Julian interrupted. "Everly betrayed us. But somehow she didn't give me enough sleeping pills. So I woke up early, and saw a lot of dead souls out there. A lot of them. The phone rang, and I called Serena's father. It was just as bad there. There's a plague of dead souls that's attacking our entire kingdom." Each sentence pierced Kieran like a sword. He quickly got up from his chair and for a moment desperately fought off the dizziness and nausea. Even so, he immediately searched for Elios Silverlake's whereabouts, an
"I decided to trust you, Dravon," Kieran replied. "But you betrayed my trust in you. Over and over again." He maintained his smile, as the tip of his sword was still in Dravon's grasp. He pushed his sword harder, but Dravon's defences were as hard as granite. The prince began to fight back, until the blade of Kieran's sword slipped out and pierced the bed. The Valorthorn prince immediately jumped out of bed. His diamond-hilted sword formed in his hand from millions of pieces of magic light. "Read my mind, Kieran," Dravon growled, almost pleading. "So that you may know what truly happened." Kieran's gaze dimmed. "I don't want to know," he refused. The next instant all the glass in the place shattered and struck Dravon. The Crown Prince immediately ducked, creating a protective wall of magic around his body. Dravon gritted his teeth as he got back to his feet. "Alright if that's what you want, we fight," he said. The man immediately swung his magic sword at Kieran. Both their swo
The manor appeared to swallow Kieran in darkness. He could feel the dampness of the carpet beneath his shoes. Dark spots adorned the thick carpet lining the walls, and red stains marred the family portraits. The metallic scent of blood lingered in the air.The creaking of the wood from the family room fireplace only reminded Kieran of how silent the manor was. He promptly ascended the stairs, trying not to dwell on why the banister felt rough and dusty in his hands.Then he saw the family room door wide open. A small fire in the fireplace greeted him, along with his parents' clasped hands as they leaned back in their comfortable chairs.Kieran breathed a sigh of relief. "Pa, Ma, I brought a souvenir from Grandma's..." He pulled out a box of cookies from the paper bag he held while briskly walking towards his parents' warm chairs. His words were interrupted as the connection of their clasped hands broke, and they slumped lifelessly. Kieran's gaze lifted, noting his mother's excessively
One year ago."Kieran Nyxshade. You are the cursed child!" The shout merged with laughter and children's chatter in the corridor, but Kieran heard it crystal clear.He halted and turned, causing his friends to follow suit. His gaze directly met the green eyes, hidden securely behind the broken-framed glasses. A week ago, those eyes used to sparkle while looking at Kieran. But today, the gaze was filled with profound hatred."You should address him as 'my lord,' Dravon!" Billy, one of Kieran's close friends, scolded Dravon before Kieran uttered a word. "Commoner scum.""Oh my, I can't stand his foolishness. I wonder why he got the scholarship instead of you, Kieran," Emma retorted."Let it be, Emma. Without the scholarship, he wouldn't manage to attend school here.""Guys!" Kieran muttered briefly, silencing his friends. He walked towards Dravon, who looked small in the donated orphanage sweater. "What do you want, Dravon? You don't need to act this pitiful to be my friend.""Be your f
Kieran drew his dagger. This time, he wasn't as confident as before when he fought against Dravon. Uncertain of his ability to defeat the invisible monster with a dagger, he hesitated. Nevertheless, facing the creature with the hiltless swords he carried was not an option he favored.Somehow, Kieran could sense the hunger and hatred of the monster. He could feel the dark cravings of a dead soul. In an instant, the creature arrived before him, claws digging into his shoulder, causing Kieran to wince in pain. His hand trembled as he gripped the dagger. Hatred and anger erupted within him as despair and past grievances seized control."You killed my parents," Kieran whispered. He closed his eyes. If he couldn't see the monster, then he didn't have to see. The monster swiftly moved past him. Kieran's body spun, his dagger slashing in a clockwise motion. As the blade's tip hit something soft, Kieran's lips curled into a heartless smile. He focused on his sense of hearing and touch. His bo