One year ago.Applause echoed so joyously from every corner of the school hall. Kieran turned off the microphone he had just used to give a speech and a brief expression of gratitude, then stepped down from the podium and stage.He passed through the neatly arranged front row of seats, then climbed the stairs that led him to the balcony where he sat with his friends."I'm so proud of you, mate," whispered Billy as Kieran sat between him and Emma.The smile Kieran had been maintaining slowly faded. He loosened the tie that Emma had tied too tightly around his neck. "Thank you, Billy," Kieran replied wearily. He looked down at the gold-plated trophy in his hands, and was reminded once again that the original owner of the silver-plated trophy didn't show up today.Suddenly, Emma handed over a beautiful bouquet of colorful flowers. "This is a gift from Princess Seraphina. The headmistress asked me to give it to you directly," explained Emma.Kieran looked sadly at a piece of paper attache
Lana cradled Lunabelle Silverlake tightly and ran to a room in the house. She quickly laid Lunabelle on the bed and locked the door. Then she pulled the dressing table to block the door. Lana then went to the window and locked it tightly.After making sure the room was safe enough for them, Lana breathed a sigh of relief and joined Lunabelle. The little girl was still crying. A complicated type of crying, a combination of sadness, relief, and fear.Lana swallowed hard. She gently stroked Lunabelle's hair. The little girl was so beautiful, with her lovely pink hair. Just like Lady Silvanna's hair, although she always covered her hair with a thin veil."Hello, little princess," Lana greeted her softly. "I'm Lana. You might not know me, but I've been working at Silverlake House since before you were born."The fear in Lunabelle's expression slowly diminished. The little girl approached her and touched her face with her hand. Trying to remember Lana's face. "Lana?" Lunabelle murmured. "Wh
The ICU was a mess, with many teenagers around Kieran's age badly hurt and being looked after by nurses. One of them even had to have surgery because of a stab wound in the waist. But luckily, the teenager they were looking for had a relatively minor injury. He was sitting on one of the stretchers with one of his friends, chatting sadly with his friends. The type of boy who, at first glance, Elios immediately realized was the leader among his friends.Elios adjusted Lunabelle's position to make her more comfortable in his arms. The toddler had grown much bigger since the last time Elios carried her, and she could actually walk on her own now. But Elios got the feeling that Lunabelle preferred to be carried."Guys?" Arlo called out to all the teenagers as they approached. Julian immediately turned around and looked at them all in surprise, then approached carrying his IV pole. The boy reflexively asked to carry Lunabelle, but Elios continued to hold onto his niece."Nice to meet you, Ju
"In the end, even though it's already night, no one seems to realize our presence here," Oliver Sablecrest said as he sipped on the freshly brewed chamomile tea from the makeshift equipment in the barn building. "Honestly, what you did earlier only made it more difficult for them to find us, Lady Swiftwind."Serena snorted in annoyance. Her eyes were covered with a layer of black cloth, and both her hands were tied behind her back. The palms of her hands, which were injured, still stung. But she wouldn't regret what she had done—yet."Ah, it's boring talking to you," Oliver grumbled. "You remind me of that Nyxshade boy. When you think about it, you two are quite a match. A boy who's lost his title and wealth, with a poor Earl's daughter. Wow. Truly the dream couple of this century, huh?"Now Serena rolled her eyes, even though Oliver couldn't see it. "I really can't believe it," Serena grumbled. "Is that all you think about when it comes to women? That someone's life is only about mar
Kieran was acutely aware that tonight was a full moon. However, he did not see its presence in the cloudy sky. He sat restlessly beside Grand Duke Elios Silverlake, who was driving faster than Serena, while Arlo and Julian sat in the back."Tell me what the magic smoke you saw was like," said Grand Duke Elios. There was something about his manner of speaking and his body language that exuded freedom and confidence. Two things rarely found among the high nobility of Valorthorn. Now Kieran understood why his parents were so fond of Grand Duke."Well," Arlo nervously moistened his lips. "At that time, Serena, Kieran, and I had just returned from Umbravale. We entered the town and—""Please, shorten your story," Grand Duke Elios impatiently interrupted. "What was the magic smoke you saw like?""There were several magic smokes," Julian quickly explained. "Unlike what I saw in the sky of Umbravale, which was scattered from a distance. What I saw today was somewhat clustered. They soared high
Serena paused, her fingers momentarily loosening their grip on the knife handle before tightening it firmly. She took a moment to steady her breath, calming herself. Then, she looked at Oliver Sablecrest before her, hidden behind the face of Kieran Nyxshade."Wow," Serena smiled. "I must admit, sometimes I really do want to hit Kieran."She moved forward, agilely dodging Oliver's sword swing aimed at her head. Progress, Oliver was no longer holding back.Serena surged forward again, spinning to Oliver's side. The man groaned as Serena's hair brushed against his eyes. Serena quickly took advantage of this, climbing onto Kieran's back, who was not as tall as Julian and much thinner. Then she pushed Oliver until he fell backward. But he managed to stay on his knees and threw Serena forward. Serena landed on the ground, gasping for breath.Oliver swung his sword again, and Serena rolled to evade it. She quickly got up, feeling slightly dizzy. But she resumed her attack. Suddenly, the door
Arlo knew he was only seven years old. Just a month away from turning eight. Yet, he was certain he would become a great fighter. Like Serena and Jules. Like Kieran.However, today, as he saw too many great fighters, far more dangerous than dead souls, Arlo wasn't so sure. He gripped his slingshot with trembling hands, desperately trying to calm himself, and aimed at anyone."Arlo!" Serena shouted. The girl was fighting off several witches attacking her. Arlo couldn't keep up with the swift movements with daggers and kicks and punches too fast, but he realized Serena was on the brink of exhaustion. "Take Kieran away from here!"Arlo glanced anxiously at Kieran, but Kieran remained seated, trying to staunch his wound."I'll stay here, Serena, don't worry about me," Kieran said. His face was pale from blood loss. "Arlo, I don't want you here. Go to safety!"As much as Arlo wanted to flee from this chaotic situation, he disliked the idea of leaving just because he was weak and useless. I
Nobody could understand Kieran at this moment, not even himself. He could feel the revenant inside his blood boiling with anger as the knife plunged into his body. And as his blood and consciousness dwindled, he could feel its curse creeping out from the deepest hole. It controlled him with rage, hatred, and agony.He could hear the curse screaming out names he didn't recognize, saying, "I want your blood. I want your blood." Until at some point, he couldn't hold on any longer, the revenant inside his blood had sat on the throne of his consciousness, taking over him.The revenant pulled the knife out of his body, as if pulling out a thorn from the tip of a toenail. Kieran could feel the wound healing and the pain he felt subsiding significantly. But the revenant was not satisfied."Queen's bow and arrow," whispered the Revenant in a heavy and cold voice. Eliora's beautiful diamond-clustered bow appeared in Kieran's hand instantly. He could see the arrow that appeared between his finge