Genevieve and Zevlin greeted them enthusiastically while Brindon automatically latched himself to Keelan's side right after seeing him.

"Bri!" Keelan avidly exclaimed. "I haven't seen you since we came in, how is it?"

"Good. Party." He nodded fervently.

"Well, you seem to be enjoying yourself!" He smiled. "Where's Courtney?"

"Suzanne."

"Who?"

Brindon stared at him blankly.

"Oh, you don't want to repeat yourself. Alright, I want ask any further, let's just enjoy the show!"

Keelan started a casual chatter with the twelfth-ranker—with mostly him talking rather. The crowd gathered before the stage as Aneeka approached Valeriana's side with a somewhat unhappy face.

"Aneeka, how'd it go?" she asked her. When the tenth-ranker looked at her questioningly, she decided to support her previous question. "I saw you and Rowe go out in the middle of dancing, so I thought something went wrong."

She couldn't tell her about spying on the two of them, could she?

"No . . . it's fine, there was just some minor issues about a few things."

Seeing as the other girl wasn't too willing to talk about what happened, Valeriana found herself bringing up something else—not really. "I know I'll make you uncomfortable for saying this, but you two honestly look good together."

Aneeka gave her a pointed look with a sigh. "Don't say that."

"Why not?" she asked.

"Rowe and I aren't like that, alright? I'm supposed to be the family knight."

"Are nobles prevented from being with someone of lower status?" she asked. "Whenever you're together, you seem like you're really happy one moment and you turn a hundred and eighty in a few heartbeats. Like you take one step forward then two steps back. Didn't you ask him to escort you to the ball?"

"Why you—how'd you know that?"

"Isn't it obvious? I may be horribly slow, but I'm not that stupid."

"If you can tell me about you and Corvan, then I'll answer your question."

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I'm talking about."

Valeriana's face turned sour at Aneeka's statement before it shifted into a look of confusion, then realization, and suddenly embarrassment. "Corvan and, what, me? Haha, holy shiznits, you gotta be kidding."

She fidgeted and found the urge to pick up a wine from the table to calm her suddenly frayed nerves. Aneeka raised her brow and flicked her wrist as though to shoo away the topic with a look of victory. It was scary how this girl could turn the tables so easily.

"Why does everyone keep on thinking that way about me and Corvan?"

Inwardly, she could not help but scream, you people are to blame for my crush! Brainwashers!

"I thought you were slow but not stupid?" Aneeka shot at her.

"Whatever—"

Before Val could finish, bells began ringing in chorus with the beat of the drums. A man covered in thick swathes of silk dyed in green emerged from behind the stage. Metal rings shook around his wrists and ankles. There was a soft hum of bass wind flutes that accompanied the beats.

The movements were wide—each wave of arms, the kick of the feet. The flexibility and grace was astounding that it was almost too mesmerising to watch. He wore a thick and plain, white mask the covered his entire face but his eyes blinked through small holes that even shadowed the color of his eyes.

Midway, a harp began playing, which added a mystic atmosphere.

After a few more beats, another performer in red emerged. Their movements were in erratic and not in harmony—as though clashing. After that, there was one dressed in blue, then white, and yellow. When the final one in yellow finally emerged, their movements melded in perfect synchronization. The precision of each move was so accurate, it was scary.

The drumbeats reverberated louder and the harp and bass flutes faded into the background. Soon, there was only the beats and the ringing of the metal rings around their wrists and ankles that was heard. The pace grew fast.

Valeriana nudged Aneeka and said, "What is this?"

"The creation," Aneeka replied motionlessly. "Denovega built the world's base from his rocks. Arland heated the surface and lent his light. Larkov cooled it with his waters. Preluré cleared the air with his winds. Aether allowed them all to exist in perfect harmony."

As the music grew more intense, the movements became much, much faster. Soon, they started circling with their wide strides and arcing hands.

In a moment's notice, all performers disappeared, but they seemed to have merged into one person, who appeared as an entity which bore all the colors of the elements. It was a fascinating sight—like magic. The last beat fell and the room burst into an applause.

Valeriana was delighted by the performance and started clapping as well—very enthusiastically in fact.

"That was so good!" she exclaimed.

"Right? Not that bad." Aneeka nodded with a smile.

In a few moments, her mood fell. "I want more of that wine," Valeriana muttered as she looked back at the buffet table.

"Why not go get one then?"

"Really?" Valeriana's eyes sparkled. She lifted the skirts of her gown and power-walked towards the end of the table with the wine. Aneeka was speechless and a bit confused but then realized that the girl must've been scolded for her to look that way when she suggested she take one.

"Val!" Aneeka said, glancing at the others who were keenly watching as the next performance started. "Hey, how many have you had?"

2Her words fell on deaf ears. In the end, she was forced to run after Valeriana as she made a grab for a glass and started sipping. The delight on her face was unmistakeable, leaving Aneeka with a helpless frown as she got to her side.

"Val, you're turning into a drunk."

"I love this wine, though," she told Aneeka. "Just one more, please."

"You just turned of age, doesn't mean you can do whatever you want." Aneeka ended up grabbing another glass for herself, clearly needing the concoction to calm her nerves.

"Don't spoil things for me. It's my birthday, remember?" She continued sipping, enjoying the mellow taste and the warmth as it travelled down her throat. "This is like, so good." She paused to continue drinking before turning to Aneeka, who turned awfully quiet. "Are we the only ones celebrating the prince's birthday? I think it's a bit unfair that the people out there weren't allowed to join."

"We can't invite everyone so we took representatives instead," Aneeka answered. "But feasts are prepared in every town to commemorate the double event. It's sort of a chain celebration."

"Oh, okay," she whispered.

The subtle music of drums and bells continued. Valeriana and Aneeka started watching from afar. Since most of the audience were at the center, all the noise were concentrated there. It was a strange sight, but nevertheless a bit freeing. Valeriana found that she enjoyed things better watching people watching. There was a sense of detachment, but nothing she mourned over.

Aneeka perked up all of a sudden and she turned to look at a pair who were talking at the corner—a blue-eyed blonde like Valeriana and an albino with pink eyes.

"What's going on?" Val asked, noticing Aneeka's reaction. "That's Lady Seraphina and Headmaster Kylon, isn't it?"

They seemed a bit over-the-edge.

"Come on," Aneeka said.

Without further ado, they approached the duo.

"Lady Seraphina, Headmaster," the tenth began. "What's going on?"

The other two exchanged glances. "Will it be wise?" asked Kylon.

The lady knight sighed. "There appeared a trace of demonic presence, but we're trying to investigate quietly to not alert the others and risk the panic. Since you are here, you must help us scout the palace for any suspicious movements," Seraphina told them in a low voice.

"Go ahead and inform the Twelve, but do not make it obvious." Headmaster nodded.

Aneeka nodded and went straight for the others. Valeriana didn't follow and instead looked at the two.

"If that's true, then what about the prince? If it's any sort of demon infiltration, he may be targeted."

"You can seek out auras, can you not?" Kylon asked.

Valeriana nodded.

"Do you know how to pinpoint an aura specifically?"

"If I concentrate, maybe I can."

Valeriana got to work and fanned out her radar in an attempt to seek out the presence of the prince. It wasn't hard, actually. The royalty had presence like no other. In one glance, she could determine, seeing as the flare of gold was something she could easily seek out.

Her eyes were drawn to the top of the stairs where the prince had emerged from a while back and saw King Laedin dashing through double doors which seemed to have been left ajar.

Seraphina and Kylon followed her gaze, wherein they immediately felt suspicious.

"Should we see to this?"

"Kylon, keep an eye out and coordinate with the others. I will follow His Majesty." She turned to Valeriana. "Valeriana, come with me."

"What?"

Although Valeriana could not understand why Seraphina wanted her to accompany her, she decided to just follow. Seeing as her guardian was already halfway across the room by the time she came to, she ran forward to catch up.

They climbed the curved staircase and followed the king's tracks without wasting precious time. After going through the doors, they came upon a massive hallway. Taking a few turns, they trod through the marbled floors. The sound of their footsteps were deafening.

"Where did he go?"

Valeriana's pushed her aura-sensing radar to an extent and found the king's aura, wherein there was a reaction. A force slammed into her, rendering her breathless.

'Who?'

She drew back but reached out again.

'Your Majesty, it's Valeriana. Seraphina and I came after you because of the possibility of demon infiltration.'

There was silence from the other side, but the force receded and became gentler. Valeriana's heart had shot up to her throat. She never considered the fact that she could communicate with the king telepathically. He kept his aura intact and firm around himself. Valeriana herself avoided contact. She could only use her radar to sense presences, but the king seemed to have detected this and shot a message through massive energy he sent tiding straight for her.

He had this much range? Good gods. Emmillyse had a very flexible aura to be able to form connections at a distance. She could only establish these connections through direct contact, but this . . . the extent of this power was unimaginable for someone of her standard.

'I am with my son. You know where I am, do you not?'

'Yes.'

Seraphina had stopped short seeing as Valeriana's sudden halt was alarming. Considering the fact that she was staring into space for a few seconds, it was even more worrying.

"Valeriana," the woman said.

"They're over there," she pointed to the incoming split. "Right, three doors down to the left."

Neither said anything more and continued. When they came to the third door, Seraphina knocked briefly before turning the knob with urgency. The massive demonic presence came raining down upon Valeriana, making her gasp in shock.

"Come in, quickly," said King Laedin as he motioned for the door.

They shut it close as fast as they could.

Prince Bertram was sweating profusely as he sat on a couch. The darkness bled into his locks, making both Valeriana and Seraphina gasp in shock.

"I managed to mask the presence of his aura and confine it to this room," said the king. "But I cannot prevent any leaks since the energy is overwhelming." His face creased with worry as he sat before his son, not knowing what to do. "Good gods, this is stronger than before."

"But we have ridden the prince of the parasite, how come?" Seraphina asked.

Valeriana looked at Seraphina. "Did you know he knows?" she whispered quietly.

Seraphina gave her a sigh. "Yes, he hinted me of it a while before."

The fifth-ranker nodded mutely as she approached the prince without hesitation and scanned his aura within a safe distance. The turmoil was present, and with her inexperience and lack of control, she did not know what to make of it.

"Bertram, calm yourself," said King Laedin.

The crown prince opened his eyes. They were confronted by a pair of dark obsidian that bled specks of red. The situation was far worse.

Valeriana swallowed. She recalled to how she could 'purify' and remembered the incident back with Avaro. Up until now, she did not have good control or knowledge of her abilities, hence, her confidence was not too good either.

She pulled on her long, silk gloves and took a deep breath. She tried to recall the feeling she had with Avaro at that time. Looking at Bertram now, she remembered seeing his memories. Who knows how exactly heavy the weight he'd been feeling up to that point?

Valeriana calmed herself and blocked away the turmoil she was feeling. She called on that strange energy—pleaded it to heed her request.

'Hi, it's me again. Mind lending me a hand or something?' she found herself muttering inside her brain.

The energy surged up enthusiastically and travelled down her fingers. She dipped her hand in the aura of the prince and purged the darkness that boiled within. The light felt warm and comfortable that the pain on his face subsided a little. Bertram sighed in relief and the darkness lightly receded from his hair and eyes.

Valeriana did not stop there, she placed her finger on his forehead and let the light travel through his body. The effect was instant like coffee—his hair and eyes were cleared and shone in their original color of light gold.

'Thank you,' she mentally said, and the light subsequently disappeared from her hands.

She looked at the mark on her palm and saw that it had gotten a fraction bigger than before. It didn't faze her as much as it did the first time, so she hurriedly pulled on her gloves and stepped back.

"By the gods . . ." King Laedin shook his head, his eyes wide with utter disbelief. "I didn't think . . . I certainly did not think it was possible."

Seraphina smiled for a moment before her hand shot into her sleeve and took out a knife which she flicked to the corner of the room—all in a span of a breath. Valeriana was startled but found that the knife had pinned a small doll against the wall.

"I spy, I spy! Something interesting!" quipped the doll with button-sewed eyes and stitched limbs, making Val jump back.

"The actual heck?!" she exclaimed. "What is that thing?"

The doll cackled in its high-pitched voice. "Holy pony, horse of Moly!" it sang again. "The next king turned out to be a demon, my what a disaster!"

A shadowed figure stepped through the doors like a ghost, making Valeriana scream, "Demon! It's the demon!"

She grabbed the vase from the coffee table and threw it towards the figure. With a startled scream, the guy moved sideways to avoid the incoming object. It crashed against the door and shattered into thousands of pieces. The king was stunned at Valeriana's movements but he could do nothing aside from hanging his mouth open.

"What in the name of Preluré!" screamed the guy. He fully stepped out of the shadows and revealed himself—auburn hair and eyes coming to sight with a displeased frown. "I am no demon, train your eyes!" He crossed his arms. "Well, I can't blame you. My concealment is top-no—for the gods' sake, put that chair down! Do not even try!"

"Wha—who?" Valeriana had taken the wooden chair on the corner and had prepared to throw it. If it weren't for the stranger revealing himself, she would've already thrown it.

"Lord Byrd," Seraphina addressed. "Please stop with that . . . unsettling habit of yours. You almost got yourself killed."

Lord Byrd combed back his slicked back hair some more. He pulled out the knife Seraphina had thrown and threw it back, catching his doll and letting it slip back on his hands like a glove.

"Bad! Bad!" screamed the puppet at Valeriana. "Now I lost my eye!" Its small hands tried to catch the eye that was falling off, hanging by a mere thread. Not to mention the cotton flesh welling up from the tear at the fabric.

"How'd he sneak up on us like that?"

The king shook his head.

"Lord Byrd's a Direct Controller with specialty in concealment and pu-ppet-try!" the doll exclaimed.

"My friend knows me too well!" Byrd followed.

"Wait—lemme guess. You're Courtney's elder brother?" Valeriana guessed as she put the chair down.

"Look who's found a treasure cove! You found it, you found it!"

"Okay, that's pretty annoying, stop it."

"No can do!"

"Byrd." Bertram stood weakly.

"Sit down, my son," King Laedin told him.

"My lord knows!" screamed the puppet with its falling eye. "You can trust him with this se-cret!"

Valeriana raised her brows. The puppet was speaking but she could not see Byrd talking at all.

"Holy pony, horse of Moly!"

The fifth-ranker felt an incoming headache. Aside from having gone through a lot that evening already, she felt that the amount of people she's met was somewhat overwhelming. She already forgot half the names she came to know—socializing was indeed heavy and not her kind of thing.

Not to mention there was this!

Valeriana felt dizzy she actually wanted to pass out. She sat down on the chair she had lifted a while ago to calm her nerves and rub the sides of her forehead. Seraphina approached the girl out of concern.

"Are you alright, Valeriana?" she asked.

"I already think myself rare but to see this before me has me humbled," said Lord Byrd himself. "You do know that once this gets out, people will be after this girl—both demons and Valemnians alike."

The king gazed at Valeriana deeply and approached her steadily. "Which means that she must be strictly protected. How did you come to have this power, my dear? I never underestimated you, but you have far exceeded my expectations—crossed it a hundred times over, to be quite precise."

"It happened back in Larkovia after I met the undines," she told them. "They awakened something."

"I am quite aware of your attainment of your Direct Control ability," Laedin stated. "But what I am curious about is your ability to purify."

"It just . . . happened."

"I see. I suppose it is foolish to ask a question which is absolutely of common sense." Laedin sighed. "I will continue supporting you in your endeavor to earn these blessings. For now, it must be known how this has happened to Bertram."

"I thought it was a little too easy," Valeriana told them. "I actually just removed the parasite and I was expecting to purify him some more when he recovered all on his own."

"What exactly is this condition?" Seraphina asked. "And why did it act up now?"

"It is my fault, I got too arrogant," said the prince as he sat upright. "There is no denying that however I acted at the beginning of the day had agitated them somewhat. This matter must end. If it need be, I will seek them out myself."

"You know you cannot do that," Seraphina said. "You will put yourself in danger. Save it for later when you are king and when you have the power."

"But that exactly is the problem!" Bertram was overcome with pent up frustration and anger that he staggered from his seat like a ticking bomb. "I am supposed to be the pillar and foundation of this kingdom, yet I may just be the cause of it's collapse! I am weak, I am not even labeled the True Heir. Isn't this the gods telling me I am not suitable for the throne? With what's happening, do I even dare take up the king's mantle?"

"Bertram . . ." King Laedin began.

"I hate to disappoint you, father. However, I keep doing this endlessly. There will be no end to it."

"There have been many king regents in the past, my son. They have had glorious eras."

"Father, my case is different."

"If you do not take the throne, no one else will."

"And if I do, it will only spell disaster! I was given hope, but I cannot always depend on Valeriana. What will happen to me if she was not here? The name of this family stands as the unifying pillar of this world. I would rather abdicate the right to the throne rather than risk its destruction!"

With that, he marched out of the room and slammed the door behind him.

The king massaged the bridge of his nose. "I believe it is no coincidence. Seraphina, make sure to scour the entirety of the vicinity. Inform the other knights of the matter at hand and give me news at the end of this hour." His voice was firm. "We must settle this matter before the start of the coronation."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Seraphina bobbed her head and hurriedly stepped out.

Valeriana whipped to look at Byrd only to see that he was gone—like a bubble. Her muscles tensed when she realized she was alone with the king. Although this wasn't the first time, there was still that feeling of discomfort.

"Tell me, Valeriana."

"Y-yes!"

"Was it wrong for me to insist my son to take the throne? Is it selfish? I feel as though I'm forcing something on him he cannot handle."

"I think it's because you trust him . . ." she told the king. Despite the lowness of her voice, it rang out since the room was dead quiet. "And I have only met the prince for a short time but I admire his benevolence and humility. He will be a good king."

"Hopefully, this is only one big obstacle. But if it truly impedes his advance to the throne, then perhaps I will have no other choice."

"Other choice?"

"A Candidate Selection, for a king or queen regent who will temporarily take over until the True Heir appears."

"Who is the True Heir?"

"A descendant of King Friedel with the most potent of his blood within a generation. It has appeared in none of the children closest with royalty. And in the instances this has happened, we have always gone for a regent, who will readily abdicate the throne once the True Heir appears." He stood up with a weak smile. "Come on, people will get suspicious knowing we have disappeared. Let us leave my son be for now and head downstairs."

Valeriana stood, but she wobbled slightly.

"Dear, are you alright?" The king got to her side.

She nodded. "Yes, I'm good. I just got a little tired."

"It has been a tiring day for you, I have to apologize for what has happened as well as offer you my deepest thanks." He paused. "Forgive my prying, but I have seen something on your hand."

Valeriana stopped for a moment. "It . . . sort of comes with the entire purifying thing. Like a measuring gauge or something? I think there's a limit to what I can do. At first, it was just absorbing impurities, but perhaps every time I use anything related to purification, it gets bigger."

The king looked at her worriedly. "Whatever this means, I will have to apologize for troubling you."

"Not at all, Your Majesty." She found a smile on her lips as she gazed at his troubled face.

-*-

Thanks for reading. See you next chapter. This is the end for Chapter 8. See you in Chapter 9!

Read ahead up to Book 7 of this series on mylovelywriter.com.