"Headmaster, the questers have returned. They await your presence inside the office chamber." A maid called out from outside the assessment hall where the current meeting was being held.
The chamber maid left without waiting for a reply. The Academy had been like that for several days, nobody waits for no one unless the message itself required an answer. One couldn't expect much of an answer when nobody used the doors anymore.
Meanwhile at the office chamber. . .
"She's waking up," Daphne announced when she saw Venus stir awake. Her eyes promptly opened and she jolted up aggressively.
"What the heck happened? Where are we?" Venus bombarded them with questions as she looked around the chamber and slowly recognition dawned upon her, "we're home!" She yelped happily, her anger awhile ago vanished into thin air.
Seconds after, different colors of fire illuminated the whole room. In a split of a second, the once spacious chamber became crowded with a lot of people, all talking at the same time.
"Halt at once!" Master Ronheild's voice echoed throughout the chaos.
"Where's Marcus!" It was one voice and one dreaded question that set the whole atmosphere eerily silent. A dozen set of eyes roamed around to check one by one for the said prince.
"He's safe, your highness." Venus uttered the words in apprehension. She tried to hide herself behind Hadraniel.
"I asked, where," Queen Adelaide's tone was quiet and yet frightening. It was icy and disdainful. A scary wrath was foreboding.
"I, I don't know." Vee answered with a tremble in her voice. She couldn't stop the shudder that creeped on her body when see saw the alarm and terror on the expressions of the people she called family.
"You don't get to give me an answer like that! I demand to know where is my son!" Adelaide bellowed towards the shaking Venus. Her eyes turned scarlet and she hissed baring her fangs to her menacingly, ready to pounce any minute.
Hadraniel stepped forward protectively, "there is no need for hostility here. Especially not to Venuscha. Your lives and realms depends on her heart's desire."
"And who are you to address me without permission?" Adelaide retorted in arrogance. Though her fangs retracted but the fierceness in her eyes remained.
Hadraniel let his controlled aura loose upon hearing the answer. Everyone inside the room were sent on their knees at once except for Venus who automatically turned into a half blown Angelicum after being touch by her uncle's divinity. She lightly pressed his shoulder to calm him down despite the fact that she was struggling to contain herself from transforming totally into a fifteen feet giant. The aura was overbearing and powerful as it set everybody trembling down firmly with their heads bowed.
"We do not take it lightly being insulted in such manner. Remember your places. You are all still beneath our feet." Hadraniel spoke in a very soft voice and yet an unexplainable coldness was laced into each words that set their hearts thumping wildly inside their chests. The feeling was beyond fear, it was pure terror to its highest peak.
"Uncle please," Venus begged. Her brows were furrowed from concentration.
Instantly, the aura diminished. A series of sighs were heard while everyone struggled to stand back on their feet. It was like a burden as heavy as the universe was lifted from their shoulders. Everyone regained their strenght, everyone but Vee. A loud thud was heard from behind Hadraniel followed by a trail of musings and groans.
"Venuscha, I apologize. Are you alright?" Hadraniel kneeled down beside her worriedly while the rest were whispering words of disbelief to each other. Ultimately, it was a one time experience to actually meet a Pure Blood Angelicum.
"I'm okay," Vee answered momentarily as Hadraniel helped her on her feet.
"Our apologies for such disrespect. We haven't realised that such an honor would be bestowed upon us. Your presence is a great privilege for us." Lord Ronheild addressed their guest with awe and respect. Even a great Master as himself couldn't believe that a time like this would come when they would be graciously honored by the precence of such divine being.
"Please, I beg for your forgiveness. I'm just a mother who loves her son too much. I can't afford to lose him too. I've lost so much already." Adelaide cried towards Hadraniel and her eyes begged for understanding from Venus when they locked gaze.
"He's lost but not lost lost like dead lost just, um, lost?" Venus blabbered like an idiot. "Um, I mean I couldn't find him but I'm sure he's alive. My pull kind of kidnapped him?" She added in one breath when Adelaide stared at her in confusion.
"Can you bring him back?" Adelaide asked minutes after.
"I'll never stop until he's back," Vee replied to her, this time with confidence. The Vampiric Queen must have felt her sincerity that she didn't pry more on the matter and gave her a thankful nod.
"Now that's settled, we need to hurry to the Opaque Temple, Venus, summon it." Queen Sylvie was somewhat anxious. Nobody could blame her though, she'd been through a hell of a fight from the Faerian Realm.
"Alrighty. So, um. . ." Venus answered but then paused to hesitate. Her facial expression was so obvious that Amelia who was on her line of sight snorted in which she immediately tried to hide it from faking a sneeze.
Venus scowled at her letting out a sharp breath afterwards and then voiced out, "Um, how do I do that again?" She tried to hide her embarrassment from giving them an awkward smile.
Queen Sylvie grinned at her in a very encouraging way then spoke gently, "Breathe dear. Now, relax and just like how you call your pull. Call unto it. Invoke an audience with it."
Venus closed her eyes then spoke seriously, "Opaque Temple, show yourself, I have the Amulet."
"Vee, child, invoke mentally." Queen Sylvie instructed which resulted some suppressed chuckles from her listeners.
"Oh. Okay mentally." She responded cheekily without opening her eyes. She opted to ignore her pesky audience.
Vee's perky nature lifted up the somber atmosphere of the room as the people inside it were finally able to grasp a little bit of haven and reprieve called happiness. It was one of her flaws and yet it wasn't. It was always have been her being the light amidst the darkness.
I finished my quest on time. I now have the Amulet. Show yourself, Temple.
She held her breath to brace herself for what was gonna happen next but she felt nothing and heard nothing.
Huh? Silent?
The confusion made her weary and somewhat scared to open her eyes.
"Open your eyes Venuscha. You have nothing to fear from us but we are not satisfied with your quest. You misunderstood us completely."
The voice was like a compilation of a hundred voices. It sounded spectral and other-worldly. But the bizarre fact was that it somewhat comforts her instead. The voice itself appeased her thumping heart. It calmed her nerves.
"Hmnnn," she responded in contentment, it overcomed her senses. But then again her eyes snapped open when the words sunk inside her mind, "what do mean, misunderstood?" She demanded hotly.
"We asked for the Pearl of Peace and you brought back only half the piece, where is the runaway Angelicum?"
The figure in front of her was same as the last time she was there, a faceless opaque humanoid. Gone was the office chamber and so did the people around her. She was now standing all alone inside the temple.
She stared at the figure in incredulity, "You mean, Pearl? B-but. . . But, it will imprison her. I can't do that to her."
"It's your destiny. Bringing back the Pearl of Peace is your only way to gain your crystal portal."
"And if I refuse? I can still learn to travel through my fire so that crystal portal is not that important." Venus insisted. Her stubbornness was unparalleled.
"Such insolence. Summon the Angelicum through the Amulet now."
In a blink of an eye, the figure was hovering right in front of her. It's faceless head was unnerving same with its angry tone.
"No. I don't want to. I won't betray her trust." Venus shook her head. She stood her ground in a perverse manner.
"We are not patient. You should comply while we are asking nicely. We do not wish to administer a force compliance."
"Now you are threatening me. Great! Let me out. I have enough of this." She turned around to look for an exit but found none.
"You are forcing our hands, Venuscha. What they said about you is true. You really are difficult that's why we came prepared."
"What do you mean by that?" She turned to face the crystal figure.
"Tell us, Venuscha. Will you still be that willful when you have to choose between love or destiny?"
"What the fudge? Helloooo, we're talking about sacrificing a friend here for a stupid crystal portal. What does it have to do with love, destiny and whatnot?"
It remained silent for a few minutes like it was sizing her up. Watching her every move. Venus have goosebumps all over, she had the uncanny feeling that the faceless figure was smirking at her.
"So be it. Remember, you made us do this. Venuscha, how much do you love him?"
It asked her using a very pretentious tone. All of a sudden it grabbed the Amulet and snatched it away from her.
"Give it back! Who's him?" Venus shouted.
It tilted its head sideway then it laughed. A laugh that was full of promise and warning.