E, along with Tram and Ben, entered the Kingdom's premises. The plants have overgrown, the buildings and houses are in a wrecked, and the castle itself was covered with moss and dirt with the forgotten history and life.
Ben sighed when he saw the shop he and E used to visit. It's as if there was no sign of children eagerly trying to buy candies and sweets from that place.
"Do you..." E stops walking with a bitter face and squished Tram's small delicate hands, "Do you know what happened that night, France Benedict?"
Tram pulls his hand away and ran towards a shop full of broken and dusty toys. This is the favorite place he loves to visit when they don't have to meet Eli or go anywhere. Even if their kingdom's looking dead, Tram still hopes that someday, it'll be as beautiful as how his mother describes it.
Ben locked his jaw in anger of remembering what happened to him and E.
"Eliora, I have to tell you something, " he looked directly at E's gold eyes.
He remembered how warm and sweet it looked when she was still a human when her eyes were still brown like vanilla in the morning, fresh and shining.
He can't avoid but blame everything to Taylan. Those gold eyes she has right now, it changed her destiny.
E frowns, and looked at the fountain not far from where they are, and called Tram, "Darling, we'll be by the fountain, " she said and smiled at Tram who's standing by the toy shop's door while nodding.
"Let's take a seat over there, " she said and started walking.
"Remember that time when we were attacked?" Ben asked as they sit down.
From this view you can see the street, leading straight to the houses and mansions of humans. To their left, it leads to the place for beasts and to the right was the castle and the homes of vampires.
Nothing much changed, even with the location of homes, these three races are bound to have a boundary.
"Yes, " E nodded and sighed, "Something happened, right? We were attacked, but none of us were harmed."
Ben opened his mouth, hesitated to say what became his nightmare that evening.
"I died."
E shifted her gaze at Ben, who's starting at the stone road, her eyes are as wide as the truth that she heard, her brows are wrinkled and her dead heart became uneasy.
Ben started telling her what happened to him and what he saw that night.
Unfortunately, he can only tell her that he was not the France Benedict's that was beside her through her life. That night she was murdered, he fell into the darkness where he had to wait for his reincarnation -not being able to give her an answer to her uneasiness.
"I remembered his grave face, the anger, and death, he was full of it, " E's voice was sharp, even if it was just a whisper.
Ben looked at Tram who's running towards them, "He didn't even know that he has a little prince inside you, " he said and remembered the moment they all found out the Queen was pregnant a day after the King left for a meeting with the beasts' leader.
"No, he didn't." E opened her arms for Tram and hugged him tight when he arrived, "I wonder, will he hesitate to end me if he knew?"
A cold, freezing wind caressed them as they watch their lifeless kingdom meet the night.
A shaman was forcibly taken according to Taylan's orders.
Willow and the others had a hard time finding one. Not only are they humans, but they also hide well and only a few are left. Humans slowly forgot their ancestry and strays away from magic and spells.
"This is Velo, My lord." Willow, with dusty clothes and dirty face, bowed.
He found Velo in an abandoned underground basement, hiding from people.
"K-king?" Velo's eyes budge from the sight of the King his ancestors used to tell him about. His long sticky hair swayed in surprised, he took a step forward, Willow was about to stop him but Velo fell on his knees and gave Taylan a respectful gesture.
"I will do anything you ask me, King Taylan!" Velo said in excitement to see and serve the long-awaited king.
Taylan stands up and dropped the book about the Queen in front of Velo, "Tell me what happened here, why did everyone forget about her?" he took a deep resentful breath, "Including me?"
Velo looked at the book, and at the sight of it, he already knew what magic was used.
He picked it up and sniffed the pages, "It's a request, My King." Velo stands up and puts his hand over the book and closed his eyes and said a chant to read the request connected to the item.
His ancestors have taught him everything there is in being a shaman. Starting from spells, potions, magic, curse, and requests.
Everything is easy to learn with the help of enchantments, ingredients, and power, but requests are hard.
You can only perform such dangerous magic if someone with a burning desire and heavy emotion asked you to.
In Velo's experience, he never had a chance to take requests.
Humans today want a lot of things with all their heart and life, but doesn't have the burning desire that can spark the magic.
Velo saw an image while he tries to open then request's trace in the book.
Blood.
A shaman.
Night.
A lady with a blurred face.
Willow and the King took a step backward as Velo's eyes turned completely white as he mumbles.
"Make them forget about me. They don't need me, they will kill me again. Erase their memory of me."
Velo's voice was low, it was the request that spoke using his body as a vessel.
Taylan and Willow froze.
From their point of view, those words were spoken with a familiar voice.
The Queen made the request.