Celestia's POV:
I was standing on the seashore gazing at the waves. The crystal blue tides were calling me to the other side. These waters used to give me inner peace in the past. But today, I was confused.
What should I do? Daviana told me that facing my monster is the only way I can get inner peace. But I made a promise to my father that I will never cross the sea.
"I think you should just do it," Ember said. " I will accompany you."
She is so kind! I just met her yesterday in the forest of light. Now she offers to help me in taking down Silver Shadow. But I can't involve her in this. It is my fault that I lost the moonstone to him. She doesn't have to suffer the repercussions of my mistake.
"Ember, he is so powerful. Even I wasn't able to resist his charms. So it is not safe for you to come with me," I said to her.
She tensed. " Please take me with you. This is the only opportunity I have to prove my worth. Everyone thinks that Mages are not as strong as Fae, and I want to prove to them that it is not true."
I admired her courage. It doesn't matter if she is a Mage or a Fae. She has this burning passion inside her, and that is all required to become a great warrior.
" Ember, since you are so interested in becoming like me, I can train you to into a Fathomless Warrior. But today, you are not going to follow me."
Her face brightened in delight. " Are you seriously taking me in your clan? But Fathomless Warriors are only Faes."
I smiled at her. " Then you are going to be the first Mage Fathomless Warrior."
Ember started crying tears of joy. "Thank you so much for the honor."
"Where have you been, Celestia?" said a cold voice from behind me. It was Darius. I looked over my shoulder to see him stepping towards me.
Darius glared at me furiously. Well, I haven't been in the palace for a day, and I didn't train my warriors today. He has every right to be mad at me.
"How many times should I have to remind you that you are the Dawn, and you can't be irresponsible like this," Darius fired at me.
I gazed down at the sand, feeling guilty. But I don't believe it is my fault that Silver Shadow haunts me in my dreams.
"I need answers, and I can't do my deeds until I know everything," I said out.
Ember was glancing at us both uncomfortably. Probably she is tensed that Prince Darius is standing in front of her.
Darius shook his head. " If you are talking about Silver Shadow, then I can't help you with that."
I knew it! I knew that Darius would not help me. And it is not like I need his help. I am the Dawn, and I can do this on my own.
"Fine," I blurted out. " I have decided to cross the sea. I'll do whatever it takes to retrieve the moonstone.
I turned away from him and faced the ocean. Darius grabbed my hand immediately. " Celestia, I forbid you from doing it."
"No, you can't do that," Ember shouted from behind us. " Celestia has been losing her mind over this, and if you don't give her answers, she is not going to be stable."
I was stunned at her gesture. Did she just talk back to Prince Darius? No one dares to do that. Even I don't have the nerve to do that.
Darius let my hand go and walked to her. " Who the hell are you? You don't seem to be a Fae," he questioned her.
Oh no! This is not going to end well. I immediately went there and stood in between them. " Darius, she is my friend, and she saved my life yesterday. If not for her, then I would have been eaten by the vicious banshees."
Darius gaped at me in surprise. "You weren't able to tackle a couple of banshees. When did you become so weak?"
I exhaled. " My mental shield was so weak yesterday, and the reason is Silver Shadow. I am not able to take my mind off him. That's why I have to cross the sea. Do you understand now?"
His gaze softened a bit. Now he was glaring at me with pity. "Celestia, I understand what you are going through. But you don't stand a chance against Silver Shadow."
"But why?" I cried out. " I am the Dawn. Father told me that I have the power of an angel. I am capable of defeating the Demon Queen Lilith."
"Silver Shadow has got your powers too," Darius said out.
His declaration puzzled me. How could he possibly have my angelic powers? He is a Half Fae and Siren.
"Okay, I'll tell you everything," Darius finally said. " Father will probably kill me for this, but I am willing to take my chances."
"Over the last few decades, the shadow forces started to gain more power than the forces of light. Things got worse when Demon Queen Lilith gave birth to Lilin. She became unstoppable, and everyone in the Celestial realm lost hope—"
I knew about this. Why is he repeating this to me again?
"Father would have managed the situation if only the dark forces attacked him. But they were not his only enemies. Silver Shadow was keen on bringing down my father. With his alluring power, he made the people of Celestial realm turn against him."
I felt excited when he mentioned Silver Shadow. I need to know more about him.
"That was when Father performed a ritual in the lowland meadows to summon an angel. The ritual was a tedious process. It took so many days for his prayers to reach the angel. After thirty days, an angel appeared on the meadows in the form of light."
I was fascinated. My Father is a good King. He went through a lot to save his people. I have never respected him more than I do at this moment.
"The angel gave her blood to him in a vial. She instructed him to give the blood to the very next orphan Fae child, which would be born in this realm. That child would have the powers of an angel, and it will bring peace to everyone."
" So I wasn't born as an angel?" I screamed out. " I was an orphan, and I was chosen to be an angel? But why?"
"That is the prophecy, Celestia. The angel said that the blood should be given to an orphan child. Your biological father died in a battle with the dark forces, which made your mother depressed. Then she died shortly after she gave birth to you. That's why you were chosen as you lost both of your parents."
This was a lot to process. My father told me that I was an actual angel, and I believed him. But now that I hear that I have true parents, and they are dead.
" Why would he lie to me?" I cried out.
"It was to protect you from the truth. That is what he always does."
I don't understand how hiding the truth will protect me. I am actually more heartbroken and upset than before. I didn't feel like listening to the story anymore.
"How does this all correlate to the Silver Shadow?" Ember raised a question. Darius glanced at her oddly and then turned to me.
" Celestia, I sense that you are upset. Let us just go back to the castle. Father is waiting for you," he said.
"No, I do want to know about Silver Shadow," I asserted.
Darius shrugged. " You would have realized by now that Silver Shadow is a trickster. He likes to steal things and cause chaos. That's why he stole your powers."
"My powers can be stolen too?" I screamed. I was feeling less and less optimistic about myself.
"Not exactly," Darius sighed. " After my father gave you a vial full of Angel's blood, still a drop was left. He decided to give that drop of blood to me so that I can be your protector. But Silver Shadow stole the blood and drank it. His powers increased so much, and he is invincible now."
Now I understand why my father doesn't want me to battle Silver Shadow. If he has my powers, then I can't probably win him in a battle.
"But you don't have to lose hope, Celestia. He just has a drop of powers. But you were given a whole vial of angel blood. You are the source of all the energy. No one can analyze the depths of your powers. Not even our father can understand it. That's why you are our Dawn."
His justification didn't seem plausible to me. "If I have infinite powers, then why do I get weak in front of Silver Shadow?"
"Because you are not using your full potential yet. Your powers are something that is bound to your body, and only you can find a way to unleash them. Until then, you can't battle Silver Shadow."
I was a bit disappointed by his statement. I thought that I was using my full potential all this time. If I am not up to the mark, then I will train harder and enhance my abilities. I am going to destroy that trickster Silver Shadow and protect everyone in the realm.