Miraric

16| When Lilies Met Clouds.

The sky raged.

Edric's heart dropped.

Miranda was staring at him, wide eyes, tears now falling as she held a regretful expression on her face.

Edric's eyes landed on the boy who had his hands raised, about to attack him when Edric spoke, his voice quiet and mixing with the crackles of the little fire around him. "Did you—" Edric looked at Miranda, his lips trembling. "Did you kill her?"

Before Miranda could even answer — albeit, she wasn't even about to do, Edric rushed to his mother and crouched down, taking her lifeless body and cradling it. "M-Mother?" he cupped her cold cheeks which were white, her lips blue. "Mother, it's me, Edric," his voice was barely hearable as his eyes landed on her grown stomach where her hand was placed. He took her hands, but let go when he realised they were cold, weeping and sobbing.

He leaned down, placing his ear on her stomach, trying to believe that the life inside her womb was alive even if the carrier was dead herself.

Anger filled him when he stood up and faced the siblings.

"Edric—" Miranda whispered, her voice silent, voided and cracking, having nothing in her to look him in the eyes.

"Why are you here?" Edric asked, his voice trembling along with him and then, a deep epiphany him so hard he found himself losing his footing.

"You are that man's daughter . . ." Edric stepped back, breathing shakily as everything clicked.

Edric remembered how Miranda had asked about their weapons just today, he remembered how Miranda would always ask about his father whenever she had the chance, he remembered how Miranda would always ask questions that were private, he remembered how Miranda would ask about their armoury, their soldiers and their abilities, what kind of Power Holders were there in the palace, he remembered how Miranda had appeared in his life just when his father's health had started to deteriorate.

Edric remembered it was spring, when his father had his men taking him to a room forcibly, tying him down and then beginning the procedure of transferring his renèi Possession to him and after he was done, Mooreil had fallen to the ground, breathing uncontrollably and after that, he was unconscious. Edric couldn't see him in a state like this so he ran away — he ran away from the palace and ran until his feet landed on the meadow for the first time.

He had sat there, hugging his knees, his new renèi Possession released and while shedding tears, he'd heard a melodic voice and turning around, he saw a girl with hair so white it reminded him of lilies and her eyes so gray, they were like clouds — lilies meeting clouds — that was his first impression on her.

The girl had tilted her head, watching him with a smile and just for a moment, Edric had forgotten his world was in total chaos.

Edric remembered how he'd fallen in love with her just at the first sight.

She'd been there since it all started.

Edric was still watching her, his eyes mixed with anger and sorrow but he didn't know what was it that he was feeling the most -- maybe the latter. "You betrayed me," Edric finally said, walking towards her. "You betrayed me! You lied to me, you tricked me, you were using me all along and I. . ." he grabbed his hair, clenching them firmly, fighting away the tears but they were of no use.

"And I loved you," he said quietly, brushing away the tears. "I loved you like a madman."

"I'm so stupid. I'm so, so stupid. My brothers were right. Both of them were always right," he continued while Mylo aimed his hands towards him when Miranda raised a hand, telling him to leave. He frowned but agreed when Miranda mouthed that she'd kill Edric.