"I seek answers," Kristen muttered, his gaze fixated on the figure in front of him.
"Protect the Heirs," The voice of Wrath spoke, its voice ancient and ethereal.
"They wander blind, unaware of the great power sealed within them. Their destiny surpasses beyond our reach."
Kristen's brows furrowed ."How am I supposed to protect them?, If the higher-ups get the news of their existence, they will snatch them away without a second thought."
A smile crept onto the face of the Voice of Wrath, "Leave such trivial worries to Yggdrasil's child."
"She will protect them from harm until they awaken to their purpose."
Kristen's voice turned sharp. "Then why can't she grant them her essence if they are so precious to her?"
The voice of the wraith tilted its head. "We are merely Yggdrasil's voice child, we can't determine or question the reason behind her actions."
"Watch over the children, Kirsten Vermir. Leave the rest to Yggdrasil."
"How am I supposed to deal with the Central then?"
"Seek an audience with Amaryllis," The figure murmured, its voice fading, "she will open the path."
With those words, the figure disappeared into the fire, the scene changed back to normal, leaving Kristen all alone in the dark chamber. The scent of ash lingered in the air.
Rayne's Pov
The morning light spilled through the window as I stepped downstairs, hair still damp from the shower. The warm scent of breakfast invaded my nose, drawing me closer to the dining table
I noticed an extra plate on the table, piqued with curiosity, I asked Asher, "Is there a guest coming today?"
Asher placed the dishes in his hand onto the table before turning his head toward me."Yeah, Gerald's sister is stopping by, she said she had something to discuss with me."
"By sister, you mean Miss Alina ?" I said.
"Have you met her?"
"We happened to cross paths at the festival. She seemed like a nice person."
"She is a good girl indeed, opposite of Gerald," Asher sighed
"She will be here in a while. I have an urgent matter to attend to in another city. Would you mind greeting her while I'm gone?"
"Don't worry about it," I replied as he left the house.
"Let's check up on Zei first, shall we?" I walked back upstairs, walking through the corridor, halting before her room.
I knocked on the door, but no answer came from inside. "Zei, are you still asleep?" No answer, the door didn't seem to be locked, so I eased the door open.
She lay curled beneath the tangled blankets, sunlight spilling across her face through the cracked window. Her breathing was slow and steady, strands of hair strewn on her cheek.
A small smile touched my lips, "Well, I guess I will let you sleep for a little longer." I quietly left the room and went downstairs.
On my way downstairs, I heard a knock on the front door, it looked like Alina was here. I quickly rushed towards the door and opened it.
On the other side stood a petite young woman, holding a cane in one hand and a basket filled with various pastries in the other. Her golden hair shone in the bright sunlight.
"I'm not late, am I? " she asked, smiling warmly.
"Not at all, please come in."
"Is Sir Asher here?"
"He is out on an errand. He told us to have breakfast without him."
"I will make myself comfortable then," with that, she sat on the dining table, placing the basket of pastries on one side.
"Is Zeilona not joining us?"
"She is still asleep, perhaps I can keep you company while she wakes up."
She chuckled lightly, "Well then, would you mind answering some of my questions? I must admit, I'm a bit curious about the two of you.
"Sure, I will try my best to satiate your curiosity then."
I poured her a cup of tea.
"How did the two of you meet Asher and Kristen?"
"We were stranded in Verulia when they rescued us." I muttered, "We encountered a creature in the city and barely made it out alive thanks to Asher and Kristen, but not without a cost, and suffered grave injuries as you can see. "I pointed at my missing limb.
"...I'm so sorry to hear that"
"It's fine," I chuckled
"Still, I shouldn't have asked such an insensitive question."
To change the topic, I asked her, "What brings you here, Miss Alina?"
"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you," she said, her expression brightening, "My brother told me to deliver a letter to Sir Asher, and I wanted to ask him if he could help me train for my enrollment in the military academy."
"You're going to join the military academy?" I raised a brow, curious. Judging from her frail body, I didn't think she was a strong individual.
"Ah, indeed I will enroll in the academy this coming winter, although I am a bit nervous about exams, that's why I wanted to ask Asher for help."
"You want to ask him for help to train you?"
"That's correct, usually I would ask my brother, but he has to return due to an urgent matter."
"That's unfortunate."
"It's fine I'm used to it by now," she replied softly with a saddened face
"Are you guys going to enroll in the military academy too?" she asked
"Uhh…we have not yet decided," I said, hesitating, "I don't know if I can enroll in the academy with my condition."
"Well, you don't have to worry about that anymore." Suddenly, a voice erupted in the room.
Startled, I turned my head and saw Kristen standing in front of the door, holding a large metallic suitcase in his hand.
"It's been a while, right?" he murmured, still wearing the same warm smile as usual