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CHAPTER 19- FLASHES OF THE PAST

The Ruins of Shrae Castle
Maegi
The Realm of Aether

-Princess Sage-

I woke up and looked around my surroundings. Right now, I do not know if this is still a dream or if this is finally reality.

If this is reality, then I am very thankful for my dreams were filled with very disturbing images. And I know that they were memories from my past. I just can’t recall everything. It was as if a barrage of different images played through my mind and I cannot understand a single one for they meant nothing.

Right now, they were just vivid pictures with no explanation underneath them...

I tried to sit-up and clear away the fog of confusion in my mind. And then every inch of my body protested and I almost groaned. But I fought through the stiffness and massaged some warmth into my cold limbs.

How long have I been out?

And why did every part of me hurt like this?

Why did my head feel heavy?

I chanced a look at my surroundings to determine where I am. Somehow, the place looked familiar and at the same time new to me. I stretched my limbs and walked over to the nearest wall. A glint of gold caught my eye and I went there and brushed the dust and soot off with the hem of my sleeve.

An intricate tapestry woven with a golden thread was bared to my gaze. I reached out a hand to touch it and trace the beautiful design. And when my hand connected with it, a barrage of images was let loose in my mind once more.

Lavish parties held in this same room. Me running my fingers through the golden threads when I was a child. A woman and a man speaking to me in front of this tapestry. The man lifting a small girl version of me and then tossing her high up in the air.

I shook my head to clear it of those thoughts. And then I went to my bag and retrieved a rag so that I could start scrubbing down one side of the wall. I kept on scrubbing and scrubbing until my hands felt raw. But I wanted to do it for to me, it felt as though I was getting closer and closer to an answer.

Somehow, it was as if this was the answer to my lost memories.

And true enough, it was... But not quite all the answers I was looking for.

Beneath the tapestry was an inscription. The letters looked foreign that what I saw Nick and Orion used when they were writing. Yet somehow, I seemed to understand it.

“The greatest of all magic resides in one’s heart...”

And that was the same inscription in the medallion that I have.

And that was when it hit me.

Suddenly, I remembered all of Nick and Orion’s stories about my kingdom, Maegi and how it was destroyed by the False King.

And now... I was standing in the ruins of what used to be my own kingdom...

My knees almost buckled as I walked towards the bag and blankets that I left in the middle of the room. And when I reached that spot, I let my knees crumble and allowed the sorrow to wash over me...

Just then, I heard soft footfalls. I raised my head and saw Alexander, the true King of Aether. And then more memories flooded my mind at the sight of him standing so tall and looking so powerful. I remembered how well he fought and then how he took me into his arms when I thought I was dying.

And here I am, alive and well. Somehow, he managed to heal me. And because of that, I could accompany him and finish this mission that has been entrusted to me hundreds of years ago.

He strolled forward and I could truly feel a vast amount of power coming from him. In the mortal realm, I felt nothing. But right here, in his true home, he appeared like a God: very powerful and indestructible.

I felt a smile turn up the corner of my lips. However, something behind him caught my eye. It was a ruin of what once looked to be a very beautiful fountain.

And after seeing that, I experienced another flash of memory. This time, I saw me channelling my power and making that fountain explode so that I could defend the entrance.

“Oh gods… We’re truly in Maegi…” I whispered just as I felt tears rolling down my cheeks.

Alexander immediately dropped into a crouch before me. He tugged on my arm and inspected something on my shoulder. I saw him relax when he found nothing but smooth skin. But he tensed again when he saw my tears.

“Why are you crying? What’s wrong? Are you hurt anywhere?” he asked as he touched my shoulder again.

I shook my head and wiped away my tears. “No... No, you’re majesty. I am not hurt.” I replied and then tried to stand once more. Alexander helped me up and he looked as if he refused to let go of my arm.

“Why are you crying?”

“I apologize for my tears. It’s just that... I know this place... This is Maegi... They told me that this used to be my home. And that it was destroyed by King Ferion. Along with that, he had all of my people killed. I am the only one who survived...” I don’t know why but he emanated security.

I’ve never felt secure and right now, beside him, I did. It was as if I could tell him all my problems and he’d fix all of them for me. A laugh bubbled in my throat at that ridiculous thought. I tugged my hand away and I saw something like disappointment cross his handsome features.

“I am fine, your majesty. Thank you for not leaving me behind and finding a way to heal me.” I told him and then bowed low to show my respect.

“It’s fine.” He snapped.

He turned around and I took that opportunity to wipe away the rest of my tears and to fix my clothing. I was in front of royalty after all and I had to be at my best.

After a couple of moments of awkward silence, Alexander strode towards me once more.

“How do you feel? Are you alright?” he asked with concern.

“I’m fine, your highness... And you?”

“I feel... different...”

“How so?”

“A good kind of different... I feel so much stronger... I feel as if there’s an unlimited amount of energy coursing through my veins...”

He held out his hand as if trying to check it. And when he did, blue flames erupted from his palms. He jumped backwards in shock and so did I. The flames disappeared and he stared at his hand as if it scared the hell out of him.

The look in his face made me laugh.

“Your highness... I think that when you were in the mortal realm, which is a realm with no magic by the way, your powers lay dormant within you. And now that you are here, it is resurfacing. And you are the true king of Aether. You are the most powerful being here.” I told him.

He cocked his head to the side and regarded me as if he did not know if I was saying the truth or making fun of him. And yet again, this caused another bark of laughter to escape my lips.

“Now what?” he asked casually after my laughing spree ended.

“What do you mean?”

“What do we do now?” he repeated.

“Hmm...” I walked over to the open portion of the wall and pulled my cloak tighter around my body. I gazed out into the ruins of my kingdom as I thought of a plan. And when I came up with none, I decided that we should set out first towards the rebel camp. There, I am sure that Nick and Orion will know what to do.

I went back to my bag and dug out the map of Aether that Orion gave me. I spread it out and looked for Maegi and the Mountains of Rourke. And sadly, they were in two opposite places and it seemed as if it was a very faraway journey.

I sighed and then pointed to the King our current location and that of the Mountains of Rourke. “We are supposed to go here. We have allies there. And they have been waiting for your return for a really long time now.” I told him.

He nodded and then inspected the map. “And how do we go there?” he asked

“We walk, of course. But if we come across a dragon, we fly.” I said with a smile and then carefully rolled up the map and placed it inside my pack.

“We’re going, right now?” Alexander prodded.

“Yes... But first please give me a few minutes... to... err... I... I j-just want to explore this castle. Maybe something will trigger my memories to come back.” I stuttered.

“I’ll go with you.” He replied in a tone that said that it wasn’t up for a debate.

And for the next hour, we walked towards the different rooms around the castle. Most of them have been burnt to a crisp while a whole section of the castle already collapsed. However, I found one room intact.

I opened the drawer and found some clothes. They were men’s clothes and they looked very clean. I shook it to remove the dust and inspected it. It looked beautiful and it looked as though it would fit Alexander.

“I found some clothes for you, your majesty.” I told him and then reached behind him and stuffed them inside his bag.

“Err. Thanks.” He replied.

I looked around the room once more and noticed how familiar it looked. Also, this seemed to be the largest room I’ve seen so far. I walked to one corner of the room and noticed that there seemed to be one of those large tapestries again.

This time, with a wave of my hand, I summoned air to brush away all the soot and the dust.

And the scene in the tapestry that was revealed to me was of the same man and woman I saw in the flashes of memory I got. And between them was a likeness of me. And just like that, I was drawn towards it. I kept gazing at it as if trying to burn every inch of it in my memory.

These are my parents...

And right now, I am being given the opportunity to see a likeness of them and recall them.

A sob caught in my throat and I felt tears pool in my eyes once more.

But before they were able to spill, I felt Alexander’s presence behind me. He placed his hand on my shoulder and then squeezed as if to give me comfort. I placed my hand on top of his and squeezed back.

And for a long moment, we just stayed like that.

After a long time, I tore my eyes away from the tapestry. I would take this memory with me forever and now I will not forget what happened to my parents and my kingdom. I may not know the whole story yet but I know enough to fuel my need for vengeance.

After a few more minutes, I walked out of the castle and prepared myself for the long journey ahead

But the moment we stepped out of the castle, I felt something change...

Alexander must have sensed it too for he stopped walking and flung out a hand to stop me from going further. Then he looked to the left and right and I felt his body tensing for a fight.

“What—“

“Shh.” He replied. Then he reached towards his back and retrieved the sword that I just gave to him last night.

When his fingers touched the hilt, it instantly glowed blue and then blue flames erupted from his fingers and coated the entire length of the sword, making it look more menacing than ever. And at that moment, I did not know who was more shocked to see that display of power, him or me.

I heard several loud pops and then suddenly, we were surrounded all around by robed figures. Instinctively, I reached for his hand and again I was surprised when he reached for mine too and then enveloped my fingers in his tight grip.

The robed figures all pulled back their cowls and gazed at me and Alexander.

“More of you, huh? How many do I have to kill before you’re all finished?” Alexander taunted. I squeezed his fingers for I do not think that he should really be making jokes at a time like this.

“So it is true... You have returned.” The assassins all said at the same time. Shivers raced down my spine at their voice and their menacing glares.

“Yes. And I will take back the throne.” Alexander retorted in a voice that sounded so much like a vow. And at that point, my heart filled with pride and joy at his words. This is it. Finally, the true king of Aether is back. And he said that he will get his throne back!

“Get behind me.” He whispered to me.

I shook my head. “No, your majesty. I will fight beside you.” I replied and then let go of his hand. I outstretched my hand, palm up and summoned my staff.

“Aren’t you just going to come with us peacefully?” one of the robed assassins asked.

“Never.” Alexander spat and then he charged.

I felt a whoosh of air and then I saw that Alexander has disappeared beside me. Then, in the blink of an eye, he was beside the one who spoke. Another blink and I saw the assassins head roll towards the grass.

I nearly vomited from the sight of the blood and the open eyes that stared sightlessly ahead yet I kept myself in check. I had to do something to help Alexander.

“Your highness! Duck!” I shouted. Then I twirled around and raised my staff above my head. Then, I brought it down to the ground. Instantly, the ground rumbled and the soil beneath us began to shake. Vines erupted and grabbed the assassins legs and any part of their body it could reach. This provided a great distraction and a great opportunity I made sure I did not miss.

When the assassins were very busy trying to get out of the vines’ grasp, I summoned fire and burned those who were near me. However, fire was the hardest element to summon and I found myself quickly tiring.

I looked at Alexander and he looked as if he did not even break a sweat. In the mortal realm, I saw him fight well but here in Aether, he fought as if it took the most minimum effort needed. He was fast before but now he moved so fast that I could only see a blue streak and then he’d appear somewhere else. Also, right now, the blue fire spread from the sword and encased his whole body.

“It’s truly him...” I heard one of the assassins whisper.

Alexander only smirked and then raised his sword which was now dripping with blood. Before I could move again, I felt someone grab me and then the cold edge of a blade was being pressed towards my neck.

“Move or she dies!” the one who held me bellowed.

I saw Alexander still and then saw his blue fire blaze higher.

“Let her go.” He snarled.

“Come with us and I’ll let her go.” The assassin bargained.

“No!” I shouted.

And then I looked at Alexander in the eyes and conveyed the message that he should trust me. Again, he stilled but he seemed to get the message and he nodded.

I closed my eyes and tried to relax my entire body.

“What’s that? What are you doing?!” the assassin snarled in my ear as he pulled on my hair.

“I can defend myself, you know.” I whispered and then quickly channelled the power of the wind. One wave made the assassin stagger backwards as he let go of me. I quickly ducked low and then added another large burst of wind. But that last effort wasn’t really needed. Quick as a flash, Alexander was there and his sword was directly at the assassin’s heart. My wind came too late and it was not needed anymore.

I retrieved my staff from the ground and prepared myself for another round of fighting. However, the assassins started to retreat.

“This is not the end, Prince. We shall meet again. And this time, King Ferion will know of your existence. So count your days while you can.” One of the assassins said. And after that, there were those popping noises again and then they disappeared.

“And I will be much more prepared when they come back. When that time comes, no one will leave alive.” Alexander snarled.

Then, he bent towards his bag and retrieved a rag to remove the blood from his sword. When it was clean, he returned it to his pack and then looked at me from head-to-foot.

“You’re not hurt, aren’t you?” he asked

I shook my head. And yet again, I saw relief cross those handsome features.

“So where to now?” he asked me after he refastened his cloak around his broad shoulders.

“We walk for a few miles and then when the sun is about to set, we find shelter.”

“And what about food?”

“There’s plenty of that along the way.” I replied with a smile.

“Hmmm... Sounds like an adventure.” He replied and then took my hand and refused to let go amidst all my protests...

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Thanks again for reading!

And sorry for the long updates. I really am trying to work hard to update and finish both How I Fell for Death and this story as soon as possible so I can continue writing my other stories. :D

I hope you be patient with me a more.

Next chapter: More of Sage and Alexander’s adventures. And it’s not only Alexander’s powers that are being awakened but also the thread of destiny between the two of them... :)

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