The Avallon Chronicles (BOOK I)

34 | The Conspiracy

"B-But she?! How? Why?" Cithara asked, unable to comprehend what she just gave attention to.

"The sacred crystal reacted on her, and that's not all; she also has the sacred mark on her shoulder," Wil explained.

"Are you sure? Maybe she just put that there to make us come back there and hear her affronts again," Cithara opposed.

"No one knows about the sacred marking's distinctive pattern. As the first one to be chosen, I noticed that the pattern can not be duplicated that easily," Wil added. "Especially since I am the only one who knew what the pattern is. As the future ruler, I am required to study the Avallons' background."

The explanation came up inside Cithara's mind, and eventually; she knew she overreacted. In her eyes, her understanding began to appear once more, taking away the dwelling outrage inside her heart.

"I will go back there and talk to her. You can stay here if you do not want to go back," Wil spoke bravely. "Perhaps she's just misunderstood."

Cithara watched Wil as he marched back towards the conceited Sefira. The memories from her past flashed before her eyes as she stood helplessly. The white sand dressed up her leather boots as it transferred a little bit of warmth toward her.

"Perhaps she is," she whispered before being interrupted by a bump on her.

"Oh!" A young curly-haired lady gasped. "Leiula!"

"Forgive me but," said Cithara, "what did you say?"

"Oh, yes. I forgot!" she exclaimed with a mysterious smile on her face. "What I mean to say is, 'I'm sorry'."

"It's alright," Cithara replied as she watched the strange lady run towards the nearby city with her smile slowly turning upside down.

"What do you want?" Sefira asked from the wooden watchtower where she was standing. At that moment, her eyes caught Wil once more. "Do you want to suffer?"

"Sefira, am I right?" Wil spoke. "I just want you to know that the ancient rulers of Enchantria chose you as one of the new Avallon."

Sefira let out a laugh. "Do you think that you can easily fool me? Stop playing with my mind if you do not want me to call my father," Sefira exclaimed. "And just to remind you, he is not the best person to be messed with!"

Cithara heard what the two were talking about, and with no hesitation, she marched towards them, her temper cooled down.

"Wil tells the truth," she spoke, her aversion leisurely fading away. "The mark on your right shoulder tells everything about it."

Sefira attested that what she was hearing was accurate. After she saw the mark on her shoulder, she believed them. However, something kept on holding her back from the mission.

Meanwhile, with the afternoon turning into night, they didn't wait for what was soon to come.

"Here is another proof," Wil spoke, showing off the blinking crystal towards Sefira.

At the moment that Sefira's gaze was about to turn towards it, a mysterious creature flew past them with a strong force that made the crystal burst away from Wil's grasp. Before it could even hit the ground, the creature of the night took it with its razor-sharp talons.

"Give that back!" Cithara shouted, trying to aim the creature with her bow and arrow.

Before she could even make a shoot, the creature dropped the spherical crystal towards the rocky part of the shore, causing it to break into pieces.

"Oh, no!" they gasped.

Cithara tried to track down the creature, but it suddenly vanished as fast as it appeared.

Wil helplessly gazed at the broken pieces of the sacred tracking crystal that was given by him by the ancestral rulers. It showed its last burst of light until it finally faded away as the pieces were washed by the waves of the sea.

"It's alright," Cithara spoke sadly as she patted Wil's back. "It's going to be alright."

Sefira's audacious heart melted with her mind filled with chaos. If she disagreed with the offer and stayed in her place, her father would be happy to see that she could be helpful, but if she agreed, she might upset him.

She went down the watchtower and walked towards the two.

"You... You entered the other side of the border," Cithara pointed out.

"I know that this is not acceptable for us, but I hope that no one can notice," Sefira spoke.

"What am I supposed to do now?" the worried Wil asked.

"Come on," Sefira spoke. "After I realized that you are one of the helpful nations that contributed to our Empire, I was honestly ashamed."

"I... I am sorry for what I did," Sefira added, her face turning red in embarrassment.

"You know, I might forgive you," Cithara spoke with a smile.

"It is all forgiven," Wil added.

The three noticed the moon's disappearance. Both of them were in their new moon state. For the Enchantrian, it means that the wilderness would be active for three whole days, and it would be dangerous to start a journey.

"You can stay at the inn while you wait for the morning," Sefira spoke. "You two must be famished!"

Meanwhile, deep in the forest of Sepphora, something was happening.

The creature that attacked Cithara and Wil's spherical ball flew towards a mysterious person patiently waiting for it to come back.

"Very well, my dear friend," the mysterious person spoke. "As promised and as a reward for your good job, here is a freshly crafted nightmare for you to enjoy."

From the person's hand, she handed down a bottle to the creature. Inside, it was a dark glowing nightmare of a beast attacking a young lady. As soon as she opened the bottle, the creature sipped the nightmare as if it was the air it breathed.

With its belly full, the creature then flew away once more.

"I see that you successfully did it," a demon from the shadows appeared. "Well done to you as well!"

"I owe it to you," the mysterious person replied with a grin. "With the Avallons being torn apart before they could even be completed, the Eternal Night will soon come!"

"You've spoken the truth," the demon spoke, "Hara Aja!"

•○GLOSSARY○•

⚔️ Leiula
- Aquarian word: I'm sorry