Three days later.
After that day...
After Atlas' death...
Everyone went into the darkness of gloominess in the castle.
They refused to believe that Atlas was the killer and that he was dead.
Leo strictly refused to believe.
He stood for his dead right hand and knocked the higher-ups down who talked badly against him. Atlas was most of the time with him whenever such murders happened.
The news of his betrayal wasn't given to the kingdom...they were simply told that Atlas died a natural death. He died from a heart attack. If they told them that he was murdered, the fear in them would grow. Everyone in the kingdom was deeply saddened by his sudden death and mourned for him. His father was dismissed from his seat after several years of loyalty to the king.
The king didn't want to do that, his right hand was dear to him but the higher-ups demanded to throw him out of the kingdom. Walton couldn't do that either, so Atlas' father, himself resigned from the position.
Leo was completely broken.
His best friend was dead.
His wife was fighting for her and their son's life.
Though the murders stopped occurring ever since Atlas was killed, they still refused to believe that he was the killer. After his death, he was still buried in the great warrior burial ground of the kingdom.
It was solely on Sasha's demand.
Sasha on the other hand, refused to leave her room for a while. She only once checked on Wynter while she stayed in her room for the rest of the time. Luan refused to leave her side as he always stood outside her door. Sitting on the chair with her elbow on the table and her head resting on the elbow, she stared at the zig-zag dagger that her left hand was stabbing inside the table in a vertical manner.
Her eyes were blank but red and swollen.
She was recalling him.
How he was when he was a child.
How he was when he became a teenager.
A warrior.
A right hand.
And all she ever saw in him was his great love for his people.
His eyes always sparkled with kindness.
He was the definition of discipline and elegance.
She had known him ever since she was born.
All of them knew him and that was why they refused to believe that he was the killer.
She met his father and told him without any hesitation that she liked his son.
He was deeply wounded.
He doubted his son but she made all of his doubts vanish by telling him that she wanted to marry his son.
It alone made him realize that his son was really what he seemed like but then again...he was found killing, the murders stopped as soon as he died but no one heard his side of the story.
He was in shock while dying.
There must be something, they weren't aware of.
But what?
She caressed the dagger that stabbed her.
"Why didn't you speak up? What shocked you so much? W-Why were you crying?"
Her lips wobbled and her eyes turned blurry again. His potential was that of a conqueror. How could he just die like that? A sob tore through her lips as she gripped the dagger tightly, not knowing that her hand had slid down from the wooden holder, and the zig-zag blade was tearing her palm. She didn't care about the pain at all. The pain her inner self was going through was much more than this.
Her blood drops slid down the sharp blade as a few blood drops dripped on the table.
"W-Why?" She stammered, tears wouldn't stop pouring out of her eyes. Suddenly, something flashed through her head and she stilled. Her sobs turned into whimpers as she abruptly wiped her tears away and pulled her palm away from the knife. She immediately covered her palm with her napkin, and tied the napkin around her palm while thinking about the thought that just crossed her mind.
Luan...
He said he saw him for a brief second while saving the guards. He even gave his description to them which matched with Atlas. Nobody doubted Atlas because they knew him very well but Luan...he didn't know what Atlas really was like. Judging by his personality, he wouldn't remain quiet even if everyone was against his opinion.
Then why didn't he doubt Atlas?
Why didn't he tell them about him?
He killed Atlas while trying to save her, the actions weren't abrupt, they were aimed. If they were abrupt, he would have pushed Atlas away just like he pushed her away but he aimed directly for his neck. He already had a dagger in his hand as well.
Atlas didn't fight back either, or he thought Luan wouldn't kill him.
Sasha stared at the wall in front of her.
Her pupils dilated to the point the hazel almost disappeared.
How could Atlas kill someone with just his teeth without the usage of a dagger? Before burying him, they checked him all over. He was considered a human and not a vampire. Even if the copycat killer kills, he must have a special weapon to copy the vampire's technique but Atlas didn't have any of that other than a rusty dagger.
Sasha abruptly stood up from the chair, making it fall back on the floor as it made a loud thud noise. A knock on the door had her head snapping in that direction. Her pupils throbbed as she stared at the door. Her jaw clenched but she immediately swallowed her emotions and ambled towards the door. She opened it and came face to face with him.
He was peering down at her.
His eyes were sparkling in naivety as he gently tilted his head at her. "Is everything alright?" He asked, his eyes going back and settling down on the dagger covered in her blood. She was hoping to see something, anything but nothing happened. He slowly looked down at her hand. "You're hurt." He said softly and she just shook her head.
"Are you punishing yourself?" He asked and her gaze sharpened.
Punishing herself? What was he trying to do here when he clearly knew that she wasn't even the one who killed him to punish herself? The naivety she used to see in him...she couldn't see it anymore.
"Why would I?" She asked sternly and his expressions remained the same.
He remained quiet.
"Don't stay here, go to your room. I can protect myself."
'Yeah, sure, but not from me'
"Okay." He said, gave her a little nod, and walked away. As soon as he was out of her sight and she was sure, he had walked enough away from her room. She closed the door behind her and sprinted out of the castle and towards the training grounds.
She was looking for the guards Luan saved.
Upon reaching the training grounds, she fortunately spotted one of them and called him over. She told him to bring others as well as she stood under the shade of the tree, watching all the warriors train under the sun.
Atlas was always used to be here.
Without him, all of them looked lost.
It was written all over their faces.
Once all of them gathered, she asked them about that day but none of them remembered anything. All they remembered was waking up in the healing chambers when Sasha clearly remembered that all of them were injured and were half awake all the time.
They didn't remember anything at all.
Instead, they were now asking her about what happened to them.
Expressions of 'oblivious' were plastered on their faces.
She immediately dismissed them and went straight to her father. She entered the king's meeting room and told him that she needed a talk with him and Leo on the spot. Leo arrived immediately once he came to know that his sister was calling and the talk was related to Atlas.
She knew she couldn't deal with this alone. If Atlas was gone, she was nothing.
She disclosed the matter to both of them and told them every little detail.
"You...you brought him here," Leo said, looking everywhere but her, and Sasha looked at him a little shocked before lowering her gaze. He was right. She brought him here.
Her brother was deeply hurt, she didn't mind his words at all.
"Then, I will throw him out as well." She said and told them what she was about to do. Once they approved the idea, she made her father write a letter with his stamp imprinted on the paper.
"But why let him go? We should face him, make him speak the truth, and kill him." Leo said and stood up. "I won't let him go. I'm gonna do what I want now." Leo rasped and walked out of the room. King Walton didn't stop him and told Sasha to let her brother handle the situation.
He lost someone dear to him.
Atlas wasn't dear to only him.
He was dear to his family.
He was dear to her.
However, she believed her brother was right.
She obliged her father's order and went to meet Wynter.
Thankfully, her condition got a little better but she wasn't completely out of danger.
......
At night, the news came to her that he was being held in the dungeons, being tortured by the prison guards to spill out the truth but all he did was remain quiet like the eerie night.
She didn't interfere in any of it.
At night, when she couldn't sleep, she walked into the dungeons to have a talk with him herself. Upon reaching his prison room, she halted on her steps. Swallowing thickly, as she stared at his messed-up condition. He was kneeling down and was chained, almost bleeding from everywhere. His pale skin was covered with blood all over. His clothes were torn apart in many places and his head was hanging low with blood trickling down from his forehead, traveling down his left eye, cheek, and chin before dripping down on the dirty ground.
Do vampires bleed? Here she was already thinking of him as one. Of course, they bleed. It was a stupid question from her side.
"You came."
She flinched and unconsciously stepped back upon hearing his voice. All that cheerfulness was gone. He sounded the exact same when she conversed with him for the first time.
He slowly raised his face and looked at her. His eyes were devoid of any emotion but his lips were curved up in a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"Who are you?" She asked him sternly. Letting the slight fear that consumed her because of his gaze vanish away. "Who am I? I don't remember." He said in his hoarse voice and tilted his head at her. "Is that how your kingdom treats someone who gives them their loyalty?" He asked and Sasha scoffed.
"Don't pretend. You've been here only for more than a month and are already asking for blind loyalty. The people you fooled before must have been too naive."
"As if you aren't one."
"What do you mean?"
He didn't answer her question.
"Are you a human?"
"What do you think?" His head remained tilted.
"Those eyes... don't belong to a human."
"Oh dear, then do you see a reptile?"
"No...I see a monster."
He lowered his head, and a dry chuckle left his mouth as his head bobbed up and down. He looked menacingly dangerous, being held down like that in the great grips of shackles and still laughing. Almost resembled a deranged man.
"Is this your true self?" She asked.
"I have many."
"The best one is for you."
"I ask, once again who are you?" She asked.
"They whipped me countless times, if that doesn't make me speak, you can't either unless you talk lovingly."
Sasha was taken aback by his words but still passed him a poker yet stern look as she turned around to leave but immediately paused when he whistled behind her.
"Oye, Little missy,"
"You have a beautiful face."
Her eyes widened.
He...he was showing his true colors.
He was pretending all this time.
He killed all those people.
He killed Atlas right in front of her eyes and made a fool out of all of them, especially her.
He was behind their kingdom.
Letting him go was like telling the enemy to attack them harder.
Her brother did the right thing.
She passed him a side glare and walked away from there.
Not knowing that today was her last night in her dear kingdom, with her dear people.
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Next chapter will be the last one in the past.