The Black Lotus | Vol.1, The Eldenarian Artifacts ✓

3.

Prophecy? War? New world.

All the new information was making Makaela's head spin. She closed her eyes and gripped the armrests of her seat.

"Thorian became obsessed with the prophecy and deciphering it," Olivier continued. "Pierre...he tried to get him to drop it, to let fate take its course. Thorian had other plans."

"All he did was fulfill his role in the prophecy," Xander added. "He's the Black Lotus. He revived the Order, which had been defunct for centuries, and has been recruiting Shades to help carry out his quest to collect the artifacts."

Olivier nodded. "The purge of our people began with the attack on our first home. He battled your father for the ring."

Makaela kept her eyes closed. She didn't want to hear anymore.

"How do you have it then?" Remy asked.

"Pierre saw the attack coming," Olivier replied. "He thought he could reason with Thorian, perhaps get him to abandon his quest." Anger flashed across his face for a split second. "My brother was too kind. Too trusting. I never trusted Thorian, even before all of this. He should've snuffed out any threat he posed as soon as he saw what was happening. Thorian may be powerful, but if there was anyone who could defeat him, it was Pierre."

"Then how did he lose that night?" Makaela asked.

"Excuse me?"

"You said my father could beat him." She rose from her seat. "Then how did he lose? He should've won. He should've killed him. Then he would be here right now. None of this would be happening."

Her chest swelled with a poisonous mixture of rage and sadness. Her hands trembled as tears blurred her vision.

"He should've won," she repeated, her voice just above a whisper. "For us. For me."

"Makaela..." Xander gave her a pitiful look. She didn't need his pity. She needed her father and her mother.

But they were gone, and they weren't coming back. Thorian took them from her. He took everything from her. And for what? A stupid artifact. Her eyes settled on the ring in her uncle's hand.

She hated it.

"Why didn't you tell me any of this before? I deserved to know."

"I wanted to," Oliver said. "Believe me, I did. But..." He released a shuddering breath. His fingers raked through his wavy, brown hair. "Makaela, you're also a part of the prophecy. I thought if I kept the truth from you, it would at least delay the future. That I could protect you. But now I know I was just protecting myself."

She shook her head at him, bewildered. "I'm a part of the prophecy? Is this some kind of sick joke?"

"No, it's not, Makaela. Your destiny is intertwined with Thorian's. He's the Black Lotus and you're the Light."

She scoffed.

That prophecy was the reason why Thorian went after her parents. It was the reason why they, and nearly all of House Lumai, was dead. She wanted nothing to do with it—or that stupid ring either.

"Why don't we just destroy the stupid thing? That way no one can get it."

Xander huffed. "Good luck with that."

"Do you know how much vitalae are said to be in those things?" Remy added. "Destroying something like that would unleash enough energy to level an entire country. Imagine what destroying seven of those would do."

Blanching, she sat back down. "I wasn't being serious..." Not completely. Though, destroying would make their problems a lot easier.

Turning to her uncle, she recalled the subject of his conversation with Xander. "You said two more of our housemates died."