"Where's Eli?" Macky asked Rein who was opening the library for visitors. He looks around and even walked past the bookshelf, but no black-haired short girl was found.
"She went home early, she wasn't feeling well," Rein answered, "I think we should cut our contact with them short, maybe we're taking their energy that's why Ben and Eli fell sick."
"Hm? Is that so?" Macky sits down while holding a geographic book. Human workers are new to the library, they weren't thinking of letting them in since vampires not only drink their blood but also take some of their energy. That is why the Queen, who has the power of infinite energy for a human, always made them feel happy, comfortable, and calm. She's not only the King's life but as well as the other vampires.
Rein saw Macky's frowning face. Since Macky's still young, he always depended on them, and as well as the Queen. Slowly, they can see how much impact the loss of the Queen cause. The King is not thinking about the management of the beasts, humans, and vampires anymore and focuses on finding the Queen after sleeping for 500 years. His servants are also sent to gather information for her search, while all the dangerous beasts and vampires harm the humans.
"Do ever think why we all forgot the Queen's face and name?" Macky asked as he closes the book. " I wonder," his voice suddenly went light and sad as his eyes wander far, "Does she have freckles? Is her hair short? Curly? Straight? Is she tall? What color are her eyes?"
Rein walks toward Macky, "I know, she's kind, she's warm, she's beautiful and... strong. We don't have to worry about how she looks like." He placed his hand on the table and stares at the same direction Macky's eyes are laid on, the roses on the vases bloom dazzlingly.
Willow and the others are in the castle, it's been hundreds of years since they visited their home. It was hidden in the middle of the forest. Humans and beasts cannot enter the kingdom that easily unlike before. The palace's shaman put a spell on the kingdom's premises which will make it look like a typical endless forest and only those who were permitted by the King can go in and out.
"Wow, this place looks straight out of fairytale movies," Trace pulls the vines out of the way while Jade pushes large rocks out of the castle. Dane and Willow were pushing the large wooden door of the palace's library. It had turned rusty and stuck, even if Dane was one of the strongest they still can't open the door.
"What if we try the Prince's library, maybe he needs his books first," Trace pointed to the direction of the Prince's library.
Willow froze and swallows, since the Queen forgot about their relationship, he never entered the Prince's library. Aside from they have a lot of memories stored in that place, it was where the Prince met the Queen for the first time.
"Hey," Dane tapped Willow's shoulder and tilted his head, "Let's go."
Jade and Trace were in front of them walking through the dusty and dirty connection hall from the main palace to the Prince's quarters.
"Do you remember," Jade's voice echoes around the hall, it was loud and deep, "When the Prince wasn't allowed to go past this hall?"
Dane nodded. Trace was silent, he can't bear to remember those times. Willow looks away. The atmosphere changed, not because they don't want to talk about it, but because of what they also went through.
"The last king was..." Trace's voice was shaky and light, "He's the definition of hell."
"What was that word..." Dane narrowed his eyes while remembering, "Oh, yes, he's a motherf.cking bullsh.t high-ass narcissistic king."
Everyone slowly grinned with the perfect words for the last King. Jade laughed loudly as they reach the end of the hall, "Yeah, yeah! He is!"
"I remember when there was a gate around here for the Prince Taylan to stay in his quarters," Dane looked back, the hallway always looked long and cold.
"I can't understand why that King didn't want Prince Taylan to see humans and beasts. He was in line to reign over the three races, why did he put him in a box far away from the people he will govern," Trace shakes his head in annoyance.
Willow and Jade pushed the door to the Prince's library, and what they saw was devastating. Books are scattered, papers are torn, and bookshelves and tables have fallen. They know what happened, but they didn't realize that they will see this again.
They all looked at each other. After the Queen was buried, the King went straight to his library and gone wild. He was screaming in agony, pain, sadness, and anger. He didn't go out, eat nor sleep for straight one week. If Macky didn't barge in, the King might've died.
"Well," Willow sighed, "Let's take what we can. And also, the King wants anything that shows the Queen's face or name."
They scattered around the library and picked up books, fixed bookshelves, and tables, cleaned the dirt and searched for everything they need to take, but none shows the Queen's face nor name.
Trace scratches his head while sitting on top of the table with his right hand supporting him, "That's odd, the King has a book all about the Queen before."
Willow nodded, he even helped in writing that book. He added things that he knows about the Queen without having to interview her since he knows her well.
"Maybe when she died, the King burned or destroyed the book?" Dane, with his hands on his hips, while looking around the cleaned library, said.
"No..." Jade's voice wasn't heard as the other continued to talk to each other. His hand shakes while holding a book with a small blank picture that he was able to fish out from behind the cabinets. Queen .... a written document about our 18th Queen, says the book. The book was supposed to have the Queen's name on its title with her photography.
He turned around and raised the book, "I found it!" He said and ran to them, "But... there's something wrong." He placed the book at the same table where Trace was sitting.
"What happened to this?" Willow took it and stared at it with surprise. This wasn't like this. They picked the Queen's best photo and even handwritten her name in a font she chose herself.
He opened the book and flipped the pages. Her name wasn't on any page nor her picture.
".... born on July 28... loves reading and painting.... they met on the Prince's library," Dane reads everything he saw but not even a single word describes how the Queen looks.
"We have to show this to the King," Trace's grave expression made everyone nod. Everything about the Queen was not only erased from their minds, but her whole existence became a blank canvass.
"Breathe..." Eli whispered to herself as she walks home, "Breathe..." she taps in her chest as she inhales slowly. She was able to get out of the library alive, but her mind won't let her heart calm down.
Her vision was focused on the road while she's replaying the image of the beast on her mind. Goosebumps run through her veins that made her shiver in fear. She can't believe that it's true. Rein and the others are not the types to prank people.
"ELI!" Tram shouted, it's been a few minutes since he appeared before Eli but she wasn't able to see him. She looks like she's thinking about something.
Eli let out a small shriek as Tram shouts her name, "Why are you here?!" She asks in annoyance. Good thing nobody's around.
"I was here for a while now," Tram pouts, "But you weren't noticing me." He folded his arms and stomps.
"Oh! Where's E?" Eli asks while looking around but a soft tap made her turn around, "Oh, there you are!" Eli smiles and held E's hands, "I have something to tell you."
E smiled back at Eli as she holds her hands and nodded, "I'm listening."
Tram's pout didn't vanished, he rolled his eyes and looked away from Eli. It hurts him to see his mother ignore him. He knows he's a ghost but he still needs love.
"I saw a beast," Eli looked directly in E's eyes to see her reaction, but she still has her sweet smile as if Eli didn't say anything weird, "I saw a beast!" she repeated, in case E didn't hear.
"Alright," E has to compose herself, she can't have Eli see that she's surprised. She wanted Eli to be safe away from any vampires or beasts while she still hasn't met Taylan, but if it goes like this, she has to keep Eli's safety a priority.
Eli sighs, "Anyway, I saw them in the library while talking to my boss," she let go of E's hands and groaned, "I thought I was going to die!"
Tram's pouts disappeared and ran to E, "Momma, we should go," he said as he senses someone approaching the place they are in.
"We have to go, Eli. But be safe, and... please find the man I am asking you to. Stay away from the beast or vampires for the meantime." E said as Tram pulls her, "Stay with someone all the time. I'll talk to you later!"
As E turns to another way, Aunt Susie appeared, "Oh," she stops when she saw Eli, "Were you talking to someone on the phone?"
Eli shakes her head, "No, I was talking to E."
"But I only heard your voice?" Aunt Susie held Eli's hand, "Have you connected to those sinful beings again?"
"What?" Eli furrowed her brows and pulled her hand away, "I was talking to my friends, don't tell me you're going to send them away with another potion? I thought you're at work?" She felt offended that her Aunt called E a sinful being, in short, ghosts and demons and other creatures.
"No," Aunt Susie smiled, "I forgot it is my rest day," she chuckled and walks pass Eli, "I'm going to buy food, wait for me." As her smile disappears a dark sneer falls in her expression. She has to protect Eli no matter what. She can't let her end up just like her parents who were killed by beasts that night.