Flames of Ember

46| Upcoming Catastrophe.

"I promised you and Ilayna a new world, and I will give you that. That is my oath to you," I said firmly, meaning each word. "It will take time but I will do it. Even if I have to cross my father or call a war upon him and his soldiers, I will do it all," my eyes stayed rigid to his as he nodded. "All I want is you to trust me and support me."

Both Zenix and Keith approached me. "We trust you," Keith said, clapping my shoulder. "I never doubted your oath. I believe that more than I believe in the gods," he chuckled, making me leave a breath of laugh. "But sometimes I feel like what if things don't turn out the way we want it? With Amber gone, all chances of you getting your powers back is gone and no man has ever conquered a world with nothing in his possessions. Your portal creations is messy as well. We know nothing about it," he explained, and Zenix nodded.

"I wanted to talk about this as well but with everything going on, I never got the chance. Your portal creations is as important as your Ezèrian powers. This is what makes you a Gifted Ezèrian," Zenix pointed out.

"So many things to do, huh?" I laughed, clearly scared of future. "Everything is scattered right now and I have no idea what to do," I dropped my head in my hands.

"Amber would have said something hilarious right now, seeing your condition," Zenix laughed, including Keith and I as well but none of us found it humorous because it seemed we were all missing her and there was nothing to be done.

"I have made a terrible mistake," I confessed, shaking my head.

"No doubt about that," Keith and Zenix said in unison, shrugging their shoulders.

"Every time I think I'm close to go back to Erin, there's something I have deal with," I said, sighing. "The gods love to test me,"

"Well, at least you're gaining experience," Zenix laughed lightly.

"And about Ilayna. . ." I began, thinking. "Let me talk with Ira first."

***

It seemed Ira had already come up with a plan. "You think I didn't think about that?" he gave me a side look as we both stood in the middle of the Great Hall, where Ilayna's knighting ceremony would take place. "I am her protector. That was my oath to her, Elliot. And the Aesterin family is her biggest threat -- of course I have a plan for her."

"How thoughtful of you," I said, smiling tightly, watching the workers and maids decorating the room, placing the chairs according to social ranks, placing my father's throne in the middle of the dais, a smaller version of the throne beside him for Ace and another one beside him for the queen. Behind my step-mother and Ace's thrones were carved chairs reserved for me and Ira.

And in front of the dais was a large empty space, for Ilayna to be knighted, for Ilayna to bear the badge of honour, for her to take her sacred oath and for her to be Ira's sole protector from that moment of her life. Ilayna was about to be a knight and it all still seemed so unreal to me.

It'd all happened so fast -- just a few months ago me and my friends were discussing about how to fix my portal creations and then the next thing we knew, I finally met Erin, Ilayna told us she'd be gone for a while but would come back soon, my father made a contract with Vivianne's mother, Ezérian started to get shipped and trafficked and Ilayna also happened to be one of them, she escaped, but at what cost? She had to seek help from Ira, an unknown person, whilst her friends and cousin were useless and now her life was in danger again.