Chapter 5

(Zephar's pov)

The prince’s nose landed on mine, he moved side to side and rubbed my nose with his. I was so shocked that I couldn't move or push him. He was so aggressive, his fingers dug through my hair and I just stood there.

He left me and stood straight, his eyes fell to my height and I removed my face. He lifted my chin up again and pulled me closer to his chest.

“Call my name again,”

“My prince, I can't do that,”

“I said, call my name,”

“Darius.”

He brought his nose close and rubbed mine again again. This time, he was slow and steady as if he was measuring the shape of my nose. My body betrayed me, my hands moved on their own to his chest and I grabbed his robe and held him tight.

He continued sending tickles, his hand still on my waist and his other hand roughing my hair. A moan slipped out of my mouth, I pushed him and looked away breathing fast.

He didn't say anything, he arranged his robe and went to his seat and sat down facing the window. The food server knocked and I rushed to the door and opened it. I took his breakfast and arranged it well on his dining table and left before he called my name.

I mindlessly strolled to the dorm in an hour and went upstairs to Malek’s room and fell on his bed. He peeped from the book he was reading and looked at me, my eyes fixed at the wooden ceiling.

“Hey, did you see a ghost on your way?”

“Malek, I'm in trouble,”

“What happened to you? Did the sixth prince accuse you of something?”

I sat up immediately and looked at him, “accuse me? He kissed me, Malek and the worst part is that I kissed him back,” my mind replied to him first.

“What's his problem?” Selith asked after she walked in.

“He's not saying anything about anything,” Malek told her.

“I did the worst thing, he's going to kill me this time,” I held my chest and laid down back.

“Everyone!!” Elsin screamed from the door before rushing inside.

“I heard a girl was killed and her soul is missing, everyone is suspecting the soul keepers….. meaning the girl killed has power,” She announced to us.

“You're always updated, Elsin,” Malek's roommate mocked her.

“Wait! I heard two children were missing yesterday, this is going to be an uproar soon,” Selith said, hands on her waist.

“Friends! Let's go to the library now, I need to find something.” I ran out, they called after me and I didn't answer. We left the male dorm and strolled into the streets. I hadn't noticed the corpse when I passed earlier, they were laid down close to each other, covered in ash sacks. Their family members beside them, crying.

Everyone was running to their children to take them home, the warning ball sounded and the emergency flare was released up to the sky for everyone to know it's an odd hour to be outside. We looked at each other and ran straight to the palace without looking back. Our pace was fast not to be locked outside and taken to the dungeon as soul slippers and tortured.

The last ball rang, we were almost at the gate and it's about to be shut. I held Selith and we ran all through with Malek and Elsin in front. We pushed through the gate before they shut it and everyone outside at the odd hour will be captured and taken away.

There were whispers in the palace, we quietly made our way to the library and locked it.

“Listen wherever you are,” the announcer stretched. “Every servant still in their master's canopy should remain there….. and the princes and princesses should not leave their chambers, you shouldn't be unfortunate and be outside at this ungodly hour, the soul keepers are roaming around,” he added.

“And no one has seen them before, are they connected to the first prince's death?” Malek asked.

“Let's search through the fatal history and the labeled accident, I think we can get something from there,” I said to them.

“Zephar and I will go through the labeled accident, you two can take care of the fatal history.” Selith suggested.

We agreed. I left with her to the other side of the library, the scrolls were dusty, the pages torn from its oldness, some parts eaten by bookinsects and rats. Selith took out a piece of cloth from her slash bag and dusted the scrolls. I carried mine and hit them on the floor to wade off the dust. Insects crawled out and I carried the scrolls and sat down.

Selith sat opposite me, focused on finding anything traceable. Gone through five scrolls and nothing relatable. Malek and Elsin came to our side and sat down, Malek sat beside me and Elsin, opposite him.

“The record from the dead magic, it was a sword and snake used to weep out the family of Antonius from the village of House Valcrest, it's recorded here that only their son is alive and missing….. they practiced dark magic and died with it….. I don't understand,” Elsin read out.

“I think that's when the soul keepers emerged from if their son is still alive. They started offering cultivators to their power stone and formed the soul slip magic, that's why they were killed,” Selith added.

“Meaning the last of their kind is still alive and likely the one controlling the soul keepers…. wait! This symbol, I've seen it somewhere, yeah, in the eleventh prince chambers,” Elsin told us.

“Why are they draining and merging souls?” I asked.

“I heard they want to save their people but it's been twenty-five years since they were wiped out,” Malek suggested.

“No, I heard they are looking for the last of Antonius' family, look at this symbol and this name written in a foreign language. I can use my power to rewrite it but it will take days,” Elsin informed us. She folded the scroll and put it into her bag. The other scroll was all written in another language. I took a part of it and folded it into my clothes, we arranged them back and placed them back on the shelf.

I took a step and my chest tightened up, I couldn't breathe again, I screamed and they turned to me, my eyes turned all black and I started stretching out, I couldn't hear anything again. I had turned pale.