2024-03-28 10:37:34
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Dead Soul Exorcist 86 | Uninvited Guests at Midnight
As Arlo and Toby arrived at Manor Nyxshade, the day was approaching midnight. Their car purred softly like a cat as it entered the garage, before finally coming to a halt.With his body feeling a bit stiff, Arlo stepped out of the car and did some simple stretches in the courtyard. Occasionally, as he stretched his legs, Arlo glanced up at the star-filled sky, with the moon resembling a deflated football to him."It seems the full moon is just around the corner," Toby murmured softly as he passed by Arlo.Arlo nodded in agreement. "Goodnight, Toby," he said promptly. Toby only muttered something and quickly entered the Manor, leaving Arlo still wanting to savor the night air for a while longer.After feeling sufficiently stretched, Arlo closed the garage door and locked it. Then he walked into the Manor, whose front door was never locked. It was a sort of protocol at Nyxshade Manor, according to the rules set by Kieran. That all family members and their friends were free to enter the
Dead Soul Exorcist 87 | The Death of Queen Varidianth
It has been an eternity since the Queen last beheld the light of the full moon. For so long, she has lain upon her bed, cocooned in layers of drapery to ensure her warmth. Meanwhile, the towering windows of her chamber, perpetually shrouded by thick curtains either inadvertently forgotten or perhaps intentionally left ajar by her attendants. The hearthwood never left bare, always adorned with a stack of reserve logs beside it. All these efforts made by her attendants to ensure the Queen's comfort, a final endeavor, for no remedy as sophisticated as it may be could cure her ailment. Yet today, the Queen can sense a surge of energy, a breath that shall soon be her last. Thus, for the first time in what felt like an age, she parts her covers and strides towards the window.Faint, due to her dulled sense of smell, the Queen catches a mournful scent emanating from her body: the tang of ammonia, bile, antibiotics, and other odours unfamiliar to her. Nevertheless, she merely sheds her cumbe
Dead Soul Exorcist 88 | Funeral, or Celebration?
The funeral of the Queen of the Varidianth kingdom took place in Frostwyn, at the newly established royal family's private cemetery, not far from the palace grounds.Currently, the temperature is below zero degrees, and all mourners who have come to the cemetery area are dressed in dark clothes that appear almost white due to the snowfall. They consist of nobility and royal families from many countries, each accompanied by their entourages of knights and servants, making the cemetery area almost overcrowded.Meanwhile, right beside the grave of the late King adorned with an imitation statue of him in his prime, the coffin of the Queen had just been lowered and buried. Seraphina, Kieran, and many of the Queen's closest nobles stood crowded around the grave, receiving numerous hugs and condolences from the mourners. Yet not once did Seraphina shed a tear. The new Queen of Varidianth controlled her emotions perfectly behind her stiff smile.Snow began to fall again. Black umbrellas start
Dead Soul Exorcist 89 | Summer Fever
Twelve years ago.There were unlucky times when Kieran caught the summer fever. A sickness he loathed the most because it prevented him from vacationing anywhere.Yet, Kieran longed for their summer house near Remirer, where he could enjoy the summer with other noble children. Especially, this summer, Jace promised to bring along his unacknowledged girlfriend, a beautiful and mature girl who reportedly lived in Zyronox.Restlessly, Kieran turned his body under the blanket. He lay on his side, facing away, staring wearily at the dark curtains of his room with numerous small phosphorus spots. Those spots glowed in the darkness like stars in the sky.Suddenly, Kieran heard the sound of a door opening. He immediately sat up. Manor Nyxshade rarely received visitors at such odd hours.With unsteady steps, Kieran quickly walked out of his room, feeling the soft, pristine carpets beneath his bare feet. Then, he saw his father and mother standing in front of his father's workplace.His father
Dead Soul Exorcist 90 | The Blurry Boundary Between Friend and Foe
"So, you know them." Jace's light voice, spoken in a low tone, immediately caused Serena's hand, which was combing her hair, to stop. She tried not to turn around, only gazing straight ahead at the large mirror on the dressing table. From the reflection in the mirror, she could see Jace sitting casually on the bed, sipping chamomile tea. His hands emitted a reddish aura, seemingly heating the tea with his magic.Serena quickly put down her comb and reached for her own cup on the dressing table, taking a sip rather heavily. "I didn't know them before," Serena denied, lying. She placed her cup down and then joined Jace.The man smiled charmingly. A smile that, if Serena hadn't known him for quite a while, she wouldn't have realized as condescending. No, lately Serena realized all high nobles were like Jace. They were courteous and charming, but beneath it all, they were just arrogant humans adept at hiding their ill thoughts. They were different from Julian, who kept his expression guar
Dead Soul Exorcist 91 | Snake in the Grass
The sound of the door slamming echoed. Numerous rubber bullets pelted Jace's rifle. The trigger had already been pulled, and the bullets shot fast, piercing the headboard, just an inch from Serena's head. The scent of burning fabric and smoke lingered.Arlo stepped closer, firing more rubber bullets at Jace. It startled Jace, reducing the pressure on Serena. Taking advantage of the moment, Serena kicked Jace and rolled off the bed.In this moment, Serena felt embarrassed wearing the silly satin nightgown, so thin—Arlo would surely tease her. But that could be thought about later. Serena yanked the bedside lamp until it unplugged from the socket."I've suspected it, Jace," Arlo said. The young boy's eyes gleamed with anger. "I've been trailing you for the past year to find out what your motive is for getting close to her.""Oh, for heaven's sake, Arlo, this is not the right time to talk!" Serena hissed angrily. She lunged forward, smashing the bedside lamp at Jace. He dodged and caught
Dead Soul Exorcist 92 | Friendship Among The Villains
Varidianth revealed a cold heart in the face of Queen Varidianth's demise. In a short span, the late Queen's chamber and workspace were cleansed and sprayed with antibacterial and antiviral agents, while all her belongings were incinerated and buried deep. Additionally, Kieran had heard that the archives and all political assets had been sent back to the old palace of the principality, Seraphina's childhood home in Remirer.That's why tonight, the two of them found themselves in the late Queen's chamber, upon a new, grand canopy bed, facing the window that stretched up to the ceiling, offering a view of distant auroras. Seraphina lay sleeping on her side, and Kieran wasn't sure if his fiancée had already drifted off. He only knew that he struggled to sleep tonight because of the peculiar ancient feelings of his revenant, still churning inside his chest."Sera, are you still awake?" whispered Kieran.Seraphina didn't reply. Nevertheless, the uncrowned Queen Varidianth promptly turned a
Dead Soul Exorcist 93 | Whisper of Revenge
The clock on the wall struck two in the morning. Nearly twelve hours had passed since his biological mother's funeral. While everyone else surely slept, Dravon couldn't find rest. Lying on his side in bed, he glanced across the room to where Will lay peacefully in another bed. Will's slumber wasn't by choice; he had been struck with the flu and was reluctantly swallowing pills forced upon him by Anne.Dravon twirled the black ball in his hand. He knew he shouldn't have taken it from the billiard table, but he felt a need for it to remind himself of who he was and what his purpose was. He had come to this city to disrupt everything, not to attend his mother's funeral. After all, why should Dravon bother for a woman who didn't acknowledge him at all? A woman who allowed her daughter's envy to cast Dravon away to Umbravale. A woman who knew no sense of responsibility, neither in family nor in leading a kingdom."It's your fault, Mum," Dravon murmured. Never had he imagined that finally,
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138 | Endings That Become Beginnings
"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
137 | Blinded by Vengeance
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
136 | The Fall of Chessboard
"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
135 | Indecisive between Two Sides
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
134 | Fixing the Past
Dravon 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
133 | End Everything
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 def
132 | Black Tower
When the cloth covering their eyes was finally opened, only darkness and cold greeted them. A building, which Julian finally realized was the Black Tower. Although it seemed like this place wasn't as scary as Lord Swiftwind had told him about. Or perhaps, the wizards around him made Julian feel that way.After the presence of the knights enclosing them had long since faded, Dravon snapped his fingers, summoning blue magic flames that danced around them all, burning what Julian realized too late to be bones. The bones of those who were once trapped in this place."We are only three hours away from the palace," said William. His pale and handsome face looked beautiful against the blue firelight."Maybe only an hour," Dravon muttered as he looked at every burnt bone. Not at all bothered by the heat. So like it or not, Julian thinks about Jace. That those who have fire elemental magic cannot burn. "They deliberately chose a circuitous path to confuse us.""Now what do we want to do?" Oliv
131 | True Love
Arlo finds Lunabelle in her room. His foster sister was sitting on the bed, while Lana combed her hair. From Lana's chuckle and Lunabelle's annoyed voice, Arlo realized that his sister was discussing romantic matters with Lana. Also complaining about Arlo. Because they both remained silent when Arlo entered the room."Well," said Arlo cheerfully as he sat on the sofa with his legs propped up on one of the arms. "It seems like you two are doing fine while Varidianth is getting destroyed overtime."Lunabelle's pink eyebrows rose. "What's going on with Varidianth? The plague of dead souls?""Yeah, almost actually," Arlo answered. "But what I want to say is, Seraphina died." Lunabelle froze in shock. And Arlo proceeded cautiously."Seraphina was killed by Prince Vikrant. After that, we were forced to appoint Elios as king. So that's it. You are officially a royal princess again," he explained. Then added grimly. "Yet Elios sentenced Dravon and his fri
130 | Make Peace and Forgive
Previously, the Black Tower was just a bedtime story for Kieran. Different from prison, this place was used to lock up nobles who betrayed the kingdom. The location is unknown, and the place is very dark without the slightest source of light. It is said that every prisoner locked up there would rather die than stay there for the rest of their lives.Now, Kieran knew that it wasn't just a fairy tale.His eyes were covered by a black cloth while his hands were tied by another cloth. He, Julian, Serena, as well as Dravon, Oliver, William, Everly, and their servant whose name Kieran didn't know, were forced to sit in a horse-drawn carriage whose cabin was quite long. During the uncomfortable journey because the carriage kept shaking due to rocks or roots, they could hear the galloping of the horses of the knights accompanying them."It's really sad that now you and I are on the same train, heading to the Black Tower, Kieran," Dravon said sarcastically. Only the two of them understood how