The shock in Chris's face faded away, and he seemed more determined to know about the origins of the box.
"Where did you get THAT?" He repeated.
"Why do you need to know?" I asked.
"I just do. Where did you get that box?"
Leo and Melody were now staring at Chris, as if he had lost his mind. Naomi was still asleep, snoring lightly.
"It's a family heirloom." I sighed. "It's been in my family for centuries. That's all I know."
"Why is the box important, Chris?" Melody asked.
"That box once belonged to a descendant of Lady Irene........" He said.
"Oh, not this again.........." Leo groaned.
Chris ignored Leo's comment. "The original owner of the box was the last lord of a village known as Phoenix Drop, and was the adopted son of Lady Aphmau. His name was Levin." He continued.
"I thought all of Lady Aphmau's allies were killed." I said.
"Lies." Chris said. "Many of her friends and loved ones lived past her death, though in grief. The Shadow Lord changed the story to make it seem that anyone with any hopes of challenging his reign would be eliminated. In fact, aside from Lady Aphmau herself, only four other people perished at the hands of the Shadow Lord. They're names were Katelyn, Travis, Aaron, and Vylad. Some lived on, like Lord Levin and his villagers. And others disappeared, like Lady Aphmau's friends named Laurence and Garroth. It's unknown what happened to them."
"How can you be so sure of all of this?" I asked.
He took out his sword and handed it to me. On the hilt, there was an inscription.
Property of Lord Cadenza of Meteli
"This is also a family heirloom. It belonged to my ancestor, the last lord of Meteli." He said.
"Don't tell me you believe this......" Leo groaned again. "It's an interesting story, but I doubt there was anyone with magicks strong enough to keep the Shadow Lord at bay. That kind of magicks is fictional."
"Said the wer-" Chris began.
"Ahem!" Melody interrupted.
The two stopped their bickering, and looked over at her.
"That's enough arguing from you two." She said. "We'll talk about this in the morning. For now, go to bed."
Both boys crawled back into their sleeping bags. I put the music box back into my bag, and crawled into the sleeping bag they let me borrow. We all tried to sleep as soundly as we could, but I could not.
What Chris had said kept me up. Me? A descendant of a lord? And by extension, a distant descendant of Lady Irene? It seemed too good to be true. What if he's right? What if that's why I have the ability to heal? What if my connection to Lord Levin and Lady Irene is the reason why the Shadow Lord wants me in his clutches?
I tossed and turned, my thoughts making it impossible to sleep. I turned on my side, only to find Melody staring at me.
"Can't sleep?" She asked me.
"No." I sighed.
"I know the feeling. When I first met Chris, he noticed a name was stitched onto my scarf. He said the name reminded him of one of Lady Aphmau's adopted sons by the name of Malachi. He then went on to explain who he was. The thought of possibly being related to someone who knew Lady Aphmau made me curious. I wondered if it meant anything." She said.
"How did you cope with it?" I asked.
"I'm not sure. I guess I just got over it. But I'll admit, I still think about it sometimes." She said.
"Do you believe in what he says?" I asked.
She shrugged. "I'm not sure of anything. With the Shadow Knights running around, you don't really know what to believe. Anyway, try to get some sleep." She said.
"Alright, good night." I said.
I slowly drifted off to sleep, but one question still lingered in the back of my mind......
Am I related to Lord Levin and Lady Irene?
A/N The plot thickens.......... It's kinda late, but I had homework to take care of and I still have a project to do , so I'm not going to be uploading on Monday, despite it being a holiday. Besides, I have finals this week *gulp* My personal stress aside, this book is starting to get interesting. So many mysteries, not enough answers. And I'll be here, reading your theories about where you think all this is going *hehe* (I have a habit of keeping secrets, don't I?) That's it for today, I'll see you next chapter. Bye /)^3^(\