Aldridge followed Valen to meet the King in his room while bearing the pain. Lucan was going to come along but stayed behind in Aldridge's room, he commanded it and had no reason to be there. At least not for now. Rhydian was awake and was already sitting on the bed in deep thought. His eyes were calm, but it was almost as if no thoughts were behind them. "My Lord," Aldridge bowed. Rhydian tilted his head so his eyes could meet with Valen's. "Leave," He ordered. Valen was taken aback first by the coldness in his tone, but he didn't waste any time. He exited the room.Aldridge raised his brows in suspicion. Was the madness still in his consciousness? He had not fully recovered and would not have liked to hit the second time and that would mean death. "My Lord, is everything alright?" "What happened?" Rhydian waved his hand. "You went berserk..." "I know that. I am asking you what actually happened." "You used the noctra root, my Lord," Aldridge replied.
Aldridge opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling for what seemed to be three minutes straight while trying to make sense of his situation. The moving sound from his right-hand side caught his attention and he turned his head to look at what it was when he noticed someone instead. Lucan was standing at the window and staring outside. Seeing him made Aldridge feel relieved about his presence. He took his time taking in Lucan's appearance and figure, afraid to ruin the moment by any action he took. Lucan's head turned immediately after feeling someone's burning gaze on him and their eyes met. "You have woken up," He said and then walked away from the window to his side. Aldridge didn't for once take his eyes away from Lucan even after he was standing next to him. "Do you need to sit up?" Lucan asked, and that was when Aldridge blinked and moved his eyes to his stomach, which was bandaged. Lucan leaned in and helped him to sit up, ignoring his grunts while doing so. "I
Valen stood at the doorway, silent as a stone, watching the two guards carefully lay Rhydian down on his massive bed. His body had returned to normal, no longer the snarling beast that had rampaged through the whole place. But his eyes remained shut ever since he came back to himself. Valen stepped forward, his heart pounding. "Be gentle with him," he said, almost in a whisper. The guards nodded and bowed as they exited, leaving him alone with the unconscious king. During his beastly moment, he had injured himself numerous times. It must have been because of the struggle. There were marks all over his body, which of course had been cleaned up, and bandages to avoid infection.Poor king. This must be what he was facing in secret. A terrible life. He lowered himself beside the bed, his gaze moving over Rhydian’s form. His chest rose and fell, slow but steady. Valen reached out, his fingers brushing the side of Rhydian’s neck to check for a pulse. It was faint, but it was there. He pr
Iza paced slowly in front of the line of young men and women. Each was dressed in white garments, loosely tied with vines at their wrists. The sun had not fully risen, but Iza needed this to be done with and over. He had made it compulsory that they should cover their heads with something that looked like a veil. That was the ritual. Only the beast could touch them now. "Form a straight line," Iza ordered. "Anyone who tries to escape or does anything annoying will be punished severely. Remember the rules that I gave you. Hide your fears and just go ahead to the cave. If you're willing, the beast will spare you." From the look of things, however, especially with the raging howls, it didn't seem like it would for once occur to the beast to spare them. But who could say no?He looked around and muttered, "Thank the goddess Valen is nowhere near to interrupt this. I was suspicious about the peace of mind that I suddenly have." Just then, Aldridge approached with his arms folded.
Valen sneezed and rubbed his nose. This was a sign that he was in a place that he ought not to be. This journey took him half a day already, and not only was he weak, but the temperature was worse than he thought. His body wasn't used to the kind of cold that came with this. It was night, but the sky was surprisingly clear. The wind was also blowing. If not because of the clear sky, Valen would have easily concluded that it was about to rain. "I can't give up now. I have come too far to want the give." He wished and crouched low beneath the twisted roots of a gnarled tree. His breath was shallow and his eyes were scanning for any movement in the shadows. It would be terrible for him to get caught by the vampires. After a day and a half of travel, he finally reached the borders of the Vampires’ territory. The cold here even went deep into his bones, unlike anything he had ever experienced. It was far worse than the one he experienced while coming. It wasn’t just the chill that le
Lucan eagerly searched for Aldridge while actively trying to fight the strange smell that had filled the air. It was for the cleansing of the victims. On his way, he collided with Iza. A few things fell from Iza's hands and scattered everywhere else on the floor. Iza hissed and cast a glare at the intruder. It was not far-fetched that he was a werewolf. Lucan immediately got on his knees and quickly picked the strange objects up before handing them over to Iza apologetically. "You werewolves don't seem to know your place anymore in these mountains. What are you doing here? Who are you? Raise your head and look me in the eye when I'm speaking to you, young man!" Lucan slowly raised his head, fidgeting with his fingers, "I...I am sorry. I am Lucan and I am here to see Sir Aldridge." He was going to add that it was urgent, but doing that would only open the door for more impromptu questions. "Aldridge?" Iza asked pronouncing the name with disdain as he eyed Lucan. The young