"I'm so sorry, Mr. Sarton, for the inconvenience. I had no idea that an honorable man like you had booked a room at our hotel. I apologize if our employees have caused you any discomfort.""I'm not here to listen to your apologies. I want to see the CCTV footage, or I will file a complaint by tomorrow morning.""No, it hasn't come to that. I will show you the CCTV footage from yesterday.""Then lead the way." I wasn't here to listen to anyone's heartfelt apologies. I wanted to see what happened last night; only then would my mind be at rest. It's already noon, and Alex hasn't called me yet. I wonder how things are going with Mr. Philip. He needs to get him to sign those documents, and only then can we make our first move.I followed the assistant manager of the hotel to the CCTV control room. He ordered the CCTV operators out, asking that we be alone. I stood on the other side of the room and watched him go through the files from yesterday."Can I have that?" I asked, gesturing for hi
“Are you really sure he is not going to eat out? We have been waiting for him for hours, and he is not coming back.”“You need to calm down, Lilly; even if Eric eats out, I'm still going to force all this food down his throat.”I know Jess was trying to cheer me up, but it wasn't working. I really made time to prepare all this food. I made parmesan-crusted crockpot chicken and mushrooms, creamy lemon garlic shrimp pasta, and I even made supper.I was just worried that if I went with one simple dish, he might not like what I was making, so I decided to go for different dishes.But it's already getting late, and he is not back yet. He didn't even reply to Jess’s message.“Oh my God!” Jess called out with a shocked expression on her face.“What, did Eric reply to your message?”“No, this is even better. Where the heck is your phone?”“Inside my room. What is happening?”“You are all over social media, and you are killing it.”“What?” I asked as I took Jess’s phone from her to understand
I threw my suitcase on the bed as I started getting out of my suit. I wanted to undress completely, but the pain in my lower back was increasing, feeling like I was being pierced little by little with a knife.I managed to get all my clothes off except for my pants. I dragged myself to the bathroom and hit the shower button.The cold water slightly soothed the burning sensation, but the pain persisted. I suspected it was completing the drawing, and it was excruciating.I dragged myself in front of the mirror. Just as I thought, the drawing was complete. The dragon head appeared with a ball of fire emerging from its mouth for a few seconds, then vanished.It reappeared, but this time, all the lines forming the dragon's head turned red, leaving me in intense pain.I arched my body as it felt like someone had set me on fire.**Lilly’s POV**It's been twenty minutes since he came back, and he hasn't exited his room. Jess and Alex seemed worried about him, but they weren't doing anything.
“Help him get those wet clothes off; I need to go see Lilly.” I said to Alex.“Are you planning on telling her anything?” He asked.“Not really, but I'm about to make some promises. I can't leave her thinking we don't trust her.” Alex sighed out as he gave me a little nod.“Okay.”I left the room, leaving Eric in Alex's hands. I'm sure he can handle it. I need to speak with Lilly; having her angry at me will affect me.I have successfully made a female friend since I came to the human realm, and I'm not ready to let her go. I'm also tired of being stuck in the same space with Eric and Alex.Thank God for Lilly, or I would have been bored out of my mind recently. When I got to her door, I gave it a little knock.I waited for her to open the door, but she didn't. She was avoiding me; there is no way she would be sleeping. From what I know about her, she tends to stay awake when she is bothered by something."Lilly, I know you are awake; please open the door!” I called out to her, hoping
I woke up when I heard someone's voice. Where am I? Oh God, I'm in Eric's room. How on earth did I fall asleep when the idea was to stay up all night?The voice came again; it was coming from Eric. I pushed myself off the couch on the left side of his room and rushed over to his side.He was still asleep, but a frown was on his face.“No, I didn't do it. Mum, please, you need to believe me; I didn't do it," he said as he twisted and turned. Is he having a nightmare?“I didn't kill them. Mum, I'm sorry," he said again, but this time with a painful expression on his face.Then I remembered Alex’s words to me about Eric believing that he killed his parents. I climbed up on the bed and sat beside him, not knowing what to do.I reached out and touched his face. I wasn't expecting him to wake up, but he opened his eyes and stared at me. Just like before, his crystal-green eyes were glowing.I immediately took my hand away from his face and backed away from him. Why does he look so scary whe
I was beginning to feel awkward in the position we had both maintained for about twenty minutes. We were both kneeling on the bed with our arms wrapped around each other.It was supposed to be a hug, but a few minutes later, I felt his weight on me increase. I think he fell asleep. I never knew that hugging and patting him could get this big guy to calm down.But my leg was beginning to hurt, and I couldn't maintain this position for too long."Eric, wake up and use the bed; you are so heavy," I said as I attempted to wake him up, but he pushed me back, causing me to fall, which left him on top of me.His hands were still tightly wrapped around my waist, his head resting on my shoulder. I managed to straighten my legs since I could hardly feel them anymore.How on earth should I get away from him? I tried removing his hands from my waist, but his grip was too tight. Are you kidding me? Am I really going to stay like this all night?I let out a sigh when I realized I wouldn't be gettin
“How did it go with Mr. Philip?” I asked Alex.“I wasn't able to get him to sign those files, but he wants to sell the company.”“What?”“Yep, he wants to sell the company and maybe relocate with the money; I don't know.”“Do you think he knows about our plan or maybe about Lilly’s presence in Oak City?”“I don't know, Eric; I'm as confused as you are.”Something is totally off; why would he want to sell the company all of a sudden? “This doesn't make any sense. Something is off, and I'm already having a bad feeling about it.” I said, pondering about the whole thing in my head.“Me too; we need to get that company back from him. We cannot allow him to sell it off.” Alex added.But then it crossed my mind: if Mr. Philip has the documents of that company under his name, then they must be fake. Lilly's father can never leave Mr. Philip’s name on those documents when his children own the legal rights to his properties.“I think I have an idea,” I said to Alex, who was pacing around the r
I saw the shocked expression on Alex's face. I know I should have told them from the beginning that I had those documents, but I was scared that they weren't the right people to trust.“If you had those documents, why didn't you sue Mr. Philip? You could have easily done that with the help of a lawyer and even the police.” He said, his gaze never leaving mine.When I turned eighteen, I thought about running away from my foster home and going to the police to seek help, but I didn't know who to trust. Even the police didn't show up the night my parents were attacked. I couldn't do it, so I chose to hide like a coward. I looked up at Alex and opened my mouth to answer his question, but I realized I had nothing to say.I couldn't tell him that the lady who attacked my parents wasn't human. I was confused and left in my own confusion.“Can we talk about this later? I really need to be alone,” I said to him and started heading upstairs. The last time I cried my eyes out was on the street t
As we made our way back to Aquoris, the last standing water demon city, I couldn't shake the unease creeping into my chest. This was where most of the leaders had chosen to remain, guarding the shattered remnants of their fallen cities. Yet, something felt off.The dragon heart in my hands continued to glow, its soft pulsation steady and unwavering. Why? That question lingered in my mind, gnawing at the edges of my thoughts.But as we drew closer to the palace, the unease deepened. Something was wrong.The moment we rode through the palace gates, I saw them—King Calyx, along with Jess’s and Alex's father, standing outside. Their expressions were unreadable, a mix of emotions swirling beneath their stoic facades.As our horses came to a stop, we dismounted and approached them cautiously.“I see you all succeeded,” King Calyx spoke first, his gaze settling on me for a long moment. “I knew you would, and I'm glad you did. But we have a guest. A guest we couldn’t let in because of the bar
Eric's POVIt didn’t take long before I finally found the Witch Queen’s chamber, but getting here required snapping the necks of more witches than I cared to count. With one swift move, I sent the chamber doors flying open, crashing loudly into the room. As expected, the Witch Queen was already aware of my presence—she stood at the far end, shielded by a legion of her minions, all ready to fight for her.“Wow, it's almost tragic how willing they are to die for you,” I remarked, my voice dripping with mockery as my gaze locked onto her piercing silver eyes. Fury burned within them, her rage barely restrained. I could tell they hadn’t expected to be attacked—at least, not like this.“So, you truly are alive,” she said, her voice smooth yet laced with an unmistakable edge. She rose gracefully from her seat and approached me with measured steps.“Yes, very much alive,” I replied, stepping forward to meet her. “I even heard you planned a little surprise party for me. So, here I am. And gue
Lily's POVHere I was, staring at the ancient castle submerged beneath the water—a place where the Water God was said to have kept the Heart. I made my way toward the gate and was taken by surprise when it pulled open on its own, as if it knew I would be here.I took a deep breath and clutched the stone I still held as I entered the castle. The eerie quietness that surrounded the structure sent shivers down my spine, yet I had seen much worse than an abandoned, ancient castle. As I swam further inside, I couldn’t help but notice the cracks along the walls. It wasn’t long before I found it: at the center of the chamber stood an obsidian altar, pulsating with molten veins as if the very core of the earth breathed through it. There, the Heart glowed—a ball of fire encased in a cocoon of golden flames and surrounded by four dragon statues reminiscent of those I’d seen in Drakemere, the spirit realm. In Drakemere, Azhadrex’s statue accompanied them; here, though he was absent, the circular
Eric’s POVThey dragged me behind their horses, the rough terrain scraping against my already battered body. My arms hung uselessly at my sides, the chains digging into my wrists, but I kept my expression impassive.The walls of their stronghold loomed ahead—tall, ancient, covered in unbreakable magic. This had better be worth it. Every bruise, every drop of blood spilled along the way.I had seen the witches on my way here, scouting the perimeter, watching like vultures. There was no way to break into their fortress undetected, so I did the next best thing—I made myself their prey.I told them I was a demon fleeing the chaos that had befallen Terranovae, that I had valuable information their queen would want to hear. They didn’t believe me at first. They tested me, casting every spell they could summon, trying to break me. When their magic failed to work against me, they decided to beat me until I was too weak to fight back.It almost worked. Almost.The only problem? The pain only s
Lily's POVIt felt like I had been swimming east for ages, every little sound sending a jolt of fear through me. The water was eerily silent, but no monstrous creatures had surfaced—yet. That didn’t mean they weren’t there, lurking beneath, waiting.I didn’t have much time. I needed to reach the Heart and return to Terranovae before it was too late.Drakemere was growing colder with every passing moment, the icy grip of the deep tightening around me. My mind had wandered, lost in anxious thoughts, when something suddenly caught my eye—a glimmering fragment of light against the dark water.A small, diamond-like stone was embedded in the jagged surface of a massive rock, its crystalline glow hypnotic, almost calling to me.Curiosity pulled me forward. I reached out, my fingers brushing against the smooth, shimmering surface, but as I shifted my gaze beyond the rock, I froze.A veil of liquid silver wavered before me, stretching across the depths like a living curtain of light.I gasped.
"Eric, this is insane! There is no way I’m letting you go to the Witch City just to seek their queen. It’s already obvious they’re planning to attack us like they did before, and you’re at your weakest moment. No, I think you should do as Tythorax said," Jess argued, her voice firm with defiance.I wasn’t surprised to find her waiting when I resurfaced from Drakemere. The moment she saw me, suspicion clouded her eyes, and she demanded to know why I had gone there. As we made our way back to the palace, I had no choice but to tell her everything.“I am not at my weakest point, Jess," I muttered, exhaling heavily. "I’m about to lose myself. That’s not weakness—it means I’m losing control over my powers. If I stay here, I become a danger to every demon in Terranovae.”Her expression hardened. “Then what about the Black Stone? What are you going to do about it?”“I don’t know,” I admitted, my gaze flickering toward the vine-covered barrier. The creeping plants had nearly sealed off the en
Before I could realize what was happening or remind myself that this wasn't real, I missed a step and slipped down the stairs. My body collided with the wooden steps, and pain shot through me like a bolt of lightning.When I finally hit the floor at the bottom of the staircase, leading into the sitting room, I couldn't move. The pain was paralyzing, making me question whether this was real or just another nightmare. I forced my eyes open, and that was when I saw it—a glimpse of a shadow standing in the darkest corner of the room, where the dim glow of light barely cast its reach.Panic surged through me as I pushed myself off the floor, backing away from the figure. My body screamed in agony, but I ignored it. A wave of cold air wrapped around me, sending chills down my spine, every hair on my body standing on end. From the size of the figure, I could tell it wasn't an adult—but a child. A girl."Who are you?" My voice came out small, unsteady, weak—barely a whisper."Me?" she echoed,
“What do you mean? Are you saying the Water Demon Princess is alive?” I asked, waiting impatiently for his reply.“Great, so now who am I even talking to? Because I don’t understand a thing,” Tythorax complained, but I was more focused on whether Eric’s biological mother was truly alive.“Yes, she is still alive. I thought you, of all people, would know that,” Tythorax finally answered.“I never expected her to be.” I shook my head, disbelief tightening my chest. “You and I both know how devastated she was after being forced to leave her baby at the doorstep of some random humans. I don’t even know if I should say Eric and I were lucky to end up with Mr. and Mrs. Sarton.”Memories of that fateful night came rushing back, burning through me like wildfire. I could still see the agony on the princess’s face as she made her way to Drakemere, pleading for her baby’s life. Even when she was warned of the consequences, she still agreed to them.No mother willingly gives birth only to abandon
We swam as fast as we could, the icy water pressing against us like an unrelenting force. Time felt endless, every stroke stretching into eternity, but finally, after what seemed like forever, we arrived.The first thing I noticed was the storm—a raging, untamed force swirling right in front of us. The water churned violently, reacting to our presence with a low, menacing rumble. I wasn’t surprised that the sea itself seemed to resist us, but what unsettled me was why the sea god had chosen to place a storm here, turning it into the first trial to reach the heart.The sheer power of it sent a shiver down my spine, a stark reminder of the impossible task ahead."This is it," Jess murmured beside me. "The Forbidden Abyss."I exhaled, staring at the churning waters. "It looks far more terrifying now that I’m actually here. When Tythorax spoke of it, it seemed like a legend—now it feels like a death sentence." My voice wavered slightly, but I steadied myself. "I guess this is my first tri