This chapter is dedicated to no other than shay-love. Dear, thank you so much. I never forgotten your utmost support.
➿➰💎💎💎➿➿➰➿➿💎💎💎➰➿
Somewhere Unknown. . .
"Stop! Betcha by golly wow. Freako, look at my fire. My fire!" Venus abruptly stopped chasing Marcus when her eyes finally saw the color of her fire.
"Finally," The vampire prince heaved a sigh of relief.
"It's white! And I'm still alive. Yuhooo, Marcus. Isn't this great? Aren't you gonna congratulate me?" Vee babbled away as she pranced around in excitement.
Marcus slumped on the cold stone floors from exhaustion and glared at the pull, "Why do I have a bad feeling about this? What are you up to?" He accused, his tone underlying a threatening promise.
"What do you mean? Do you know something I don't?" Venus asked Marcus, baffled by his sudden animosity towards the pull.
"What do you remember while you were passed out?" Marcus turned to ask Venus when the pull answered him with silence. It only made swirling motions rotating around the cave.
"Um, um. Huh? It's strange. I can't remember anything." Vee answered.
"Exactly my point!" Marcus barked in anger. He followed the pull's movement with his head and asked, "So, will you provide us an answer?"
"Pull? Why are you giving us a silent treatment? Answer us but pleaaasee no more riddles, okay?" Venus pleadingly added.
"You are now ready to face the most crucial decision as the balancer of the vessel. You are now ready to go back and fulfill your mission of rousing the Phoenix."
"Well, you certainly didn't answer the question but it's great news." Venus beamed.
Marcus, on the other, remained silent while staring at the pull in suspicion. All the underlying connotations didn't sit well inside him. He had the nagging feeling that it wasn't as simple as it pertains to be.
"This time, do I get an instruction on how to do that?" Vee asked with enthusiasm without paying any heed to the vampire prince.
"Your instructions had been engraved inside your mind. You will remember what to do when the right time comes."
"Great, what do I expect. Of course, another cliff dive without parachute." Venus mumbled to herself in disappointment.
"So, that's it?" Marcus asked angrily. "Can you at least inform us the gravity of the situation she's about to enroll herself into?"
"Y-yeah, that!" Vee yelled but fearful of the answer that she may hear in return.
"If you must insist then the only answer I could provide you is that. . . "
The pull paused and hovered on top of Venus like it was contemplating what to say.
"The suspense is killing me. Spit it out." Vee demanded with impatience as she look up and glared at it.
Marcus as usual opted to be silent as he continued his observation.
"You decision will either save everything or start the end of the beginning."
"What the heck is that? Another riddle? Don't you people run out of riddles? It's driving me insane!" Vee shouted.
"What was the connection of that black mists I saw?" Marcus blurted out. He was starting to feel frustrated. He need an assurance of his inamorata's safety.
"What needs to be done must be done. The balancer already saw what she sought. Now, she needs to find what she found."
"Waaaaa! More riddles." Vee wailed like a banshee, stomping her feet angrily on the rocky ground.
The pull didn't wait another minute and enveloped the whole cave with a bright white light.
"Wait!" Marcus' shout of protests landed on deaf ears as his vision started to fail him and fell unconscious. . .
💎💎💎➿➰➿💎💎💎
Demonic Realm. . .
"Of all places—why are you here?" A female voice startled him. He was surprised that he didn't even feel the presence approaching.
Am I that lost in my thoughts? He wondered.
"Ah, no wonder." Veron cluck his tongue upon seeing who his intruder was.
"This place holds a special part on your heart." Pearl stated.
They were both standing under an old enormous oak tree surrounded by wild flowers and grasses. Behind them was a still river bank with crystal clear waters that was very inviting to take a swim. The place was beautiful and serene. Perfect for lovers rendezvous.
"Yes." Veron simply replied.
"This tree is surely hiding you from the floating Angelicums." Again, Pearl stated.
"It did but still you found me." Veron answered with a smirk.
Pearl looked up at the giant-like sorcerer on front of her to meet his eyes and said, "You know why I came here. So what is your choice?"
Veron chortled. He sat down, leaning his back to rest on the rough bark of the tree. Closing his eyes he spoke, "This place is where everything started. My firstborn and my first love."
"An unfated love story that you messed up more tragically. Poetic." Pearl answered with sarcasm.
She was tapping her foot impatiently with her arms crossed on her chest. She didn't feel even a tiny bit of sympathy towards the disguised evil in front of her.
"It was because I'm a witzardian, a cursed being they said. No one was allowed to cross bred with us. Such racists, eh?" Veron laughed bitterly.
"Yeah. Granting that your clan is a victim for prejudice, but that still didn't entitle you to act the way you did. You proved everyone right and who suffered from your delusions? Your own people and Queen!" Pearl ranted angrily. If only she could knock some sense into him.
"I didn't know you had such passion towards me and my kind, Angelicum." Veron said calmly while his eyes still closed.
"I care for everyone. Not just your kind. Besides, crossbreeding was forbidden to all at that time." She explained further. This time in a soft voice. Calming herself down, she seated herself on a large protruding root of the tree.
"Such sentiment. Your kind could stop me from the start but you all let this happen. Who are you to lecture me now?" The Sorcerer King snapped his eyes open and glared at Pearl.
"We don't interfere with the order of life and freewill. The end of magical beings was foretold since the beginning, the same as the mortals. But, your actions made it worse." Pearl said blaming him for everything especially for Hadraniel's death.
"Me? You and Phoenix made it worse. By choosing your favorites, you were willing to sacrifice everyone. What made those Phoenicians and water nymphs more special?" Veron spat.
Pearl gasped and looked at him with incredulity.
"What? Lost for words? You thought I'm that ignorant, did you? You thought I wouldn't see through your plans when you gave me the book of death and destruction?" Veron added. His eyes glinted pure hatred and resentment.
"I-it was Phoenix who gave you the book?" Pearl asked in trepidation. She firmly clasped her shaking hands on her lap.
Veron was taken aback by her reaction. He didn't expect her to be ignorant about the matter. He just stared at her, trying to recall the start and contemplate things. Everything started to make sense. He was lured and baited. But the worse of it all, he walked into the trap willingly.
"Answer me sorcerer! Was it Phoenix?" Pearl demanded again in anger.
"Yes." His reply was short and certain.
Pearl fell to the damp, grassy ground and sobbed. She wasn't expecting this kind of information. She couldn't process it inside her shocked mind.
What was Phoenix's thoughts and plans? Is Venus and the rest are in danger? Is this the reason why the Elders resulted to this last resort? Her thoughts run wild thinking of the worst case scenarios.
"Look at me? Snap out of it." Veron was beside her in a blink of an eye and shaking her shoulders aggressively.
Pearl raised her head up and locked her gaze with his, "You and Cassia have to come with me to Phoenicia if you want to save your children. I, I think they are in grave danger." She talked in a quivering voice.
"The truth is, I really don't care about my children bound in magic but I can't let my flesh and blood die." Veron replied.
"Then save them." Pearl agreed with tears in her eyes.
"Go ahead. I will come with Cassia." Veron said in a firm voice as he stood up and stepped backwards readying himself for departure.
"Y-you will keep your word, right?" Pearl called out in hesitation.
The sorcerer looked down on her and smiled. The first genuine smile he had after Nuscha left. "You have my word," he said.
Pearl nodded as she watched him dissipate into black mists.
After Veron was gone, "come out!" Pearl shouted.
Rufus emerged from one of the trees a few yards from her. He looked troubled and angry.
"You know that eavesdropping is very low and yet here you are." Pearl stated. Rufus was not a second late in helping her up when she tried to stand up. Still a gentleman in spite his obvious inner dilemma.
"I apologize. I stumbled upon the two of you here and I was curious to know. It's unbecoming of me." The demon prince said in a somber voice.
"He didn't mean it." Pearl said out of the blue.
"Huh? Pardon?"
"You are his first born bound in magic and his first love. He knew you were listening that's why he said those words to hurt you." Pearl explain with a sad smile.
"It didn't hurt me. I wasn't bothered at all. I couldn't care less if he loathed my very existence. I don't care about him, he's not my father." He babbled, wearing a confused expression.
"I know," Pearl softly said.
She tapped his shoulder to make him look at her. His sad eyes almost broke her heart but she gave him a smile. A smile that said she understands it all, "you better say your goodbyes, then, come to Phoenicia as soon as possible. Aqua and Amelia needs you there. Okay?"
Rufus nodded sadly then covered his eyes when a bright white light enveloped Pearl's body. A minute after, a red fire bursts as well leaving the serene place void of any voice again except for a long sigh from a very tall figure who was clad on a Victorian style of clothing.