Celestia's POV:
I was the only one who wasn't frightened when Theo arrived. The rest of them in the room were terrified.
" Silver Shadow is here," Laris gasped and jumped to his feet.
Even the fearless Edwin was not able to hide his anxiety. I wanted to assure them that Theo is not dangerous, but I don't think it is the right time for that now.
Theo scanned everyone who was in the room and finally fixed his gaze on me. He didn't say anything out loud, nor did he greet my friends. But I heard a voice in my head.
'Why are they here, Celestia?' the voice said in my head.
It took me a while to realize that Theo was whispering in my mind. I thought he could only read my mind, but he can whisper things too? I never knew this before!
'Celestia, come out of the hut. We need to talk," Theo whispered again in my mind.
His voice had a strong effect in my head that I immediately did what he said. Theo took me far away from the hut. We were now in the grassland, which was right next to the invisible barrier. There were no trees around us, and the weather was cold. If I took a step, then I would probably be entering the Celestial realm.
" My love, I retrieved the Icebreaker from the highlands and offered it to the Vampire King. I have proved my loyalty to him, so he is willing to help us now," Theo declared.
I wasn't a bit surprised by what he said. Theo is capable of defeating anyone and stealing anything! But now that the Icebreaker is with Ambrogio, no one will be able to stop the Vampires.
Theo then took out something from his sheath, which was bound to his silver-white cloak. It seemed like a metallic sword. But when he shook the sword twice, it turned into a flexible metallic whip with spikes on it.
" How can you still have the Icebreaker with you?" I gasped. " Just now, you told me that you gave it to the Vampire King."
Theo smirked at me. "The Vampire King Ambrogio is a trickster just like me. If I give him the original Icebreaker, then he will be unbeatable. So I used my powers, and I made an artifact that looks precisely like the Icebreaker. Now I own the original Icebreaker, and I can always have leverage over Ambrogio."
I began to laugh out loud. Ambrogio is considered the greatest trickster ever. But today, Theo fooled the trickster!
Then a question arose in my mind." What if Ambrogio finds out that you gave him a fake sword?"
Theo smirked again. " The only way he can find out that he has a fake Icebreaker is if he uses it. Ambrogio is never going to use that weapon. Because he is the Vampire King, and he has taken an oath never to harm his fellow Vampires," Theo explained.
Theo's shrewdness amazed me! He always manages to tackle any tricky situation that came his way. Some things he did were beyond my thoughts.
" My Sweetness. Now that we have won the loyalty of Ambrogio, our third stage is accomplished," Theo declared.
I felt happy and a little guilty that I didn't partake in stage three. Theo accomplished this on his own. Well, only he could have done this. I am banished from entering the realm. That's why I was not able to contribute!
" Celestia, it's time you bid farewell to your friends because we are going to the Shadow Realm. The Warriors of the Ambrogio are going to guide us in accomplishing the next stage."
" But they are my friends, and they are here to support me. Why can't they accompany us?" I knew the answer to it, but still, I asked him the question.
" You know that your friends are not strong enough to withstand the challenges and survive in the Shadow Realm," Theo said.
I let out a sigh. So I must part ways with my friends!
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Theo stayed out in the grasslands while I went back to the hut. Everyone's face brightened in delight when they saw me. Edwin was the first to speak.
"Celestia, is everything alright?" he questioned me.
I nodded immediately. " Everything is fine, but we are leaving to the Shadow Realm now. And I don't want you all to follow us."
The disappointment was evident in their faces. But this is for the best! I can't endanger their lives. The rest of them were still calm, but Edwin wasn't.
" This is the limit for everything, and I can't act along anymore," Edwin shouted and faced Vivian. " It is evident that the Silver Shadow is manipulating Celestia and turning her into a demon like him. There is no use in acting here anymore. We have to confront that demon and save the Dawn from him."
" Edwin, why did you expose our cover," Vivan shouted back at him.
I finally understood what was going on in here. They are here to separate Theo and me. The betrayal was too brutal to take. " I thought you were my friends," I cried out.
There is no use in talking to them anymore. I turned back on my heels and was about to walk away. But Edwin stood in from of me and blocked my way to the exit.
" Celestia, you are the Golden Dawn, and you belong to the side of light. Please understand that Silver Shadow is alluring you to the dark side. It is still not late. You can overpower him," Edwin said.
" Edwin, step away from me," I shouted at him. "You all say that Theo is deceiving me. But he has never lied to me, unlike you all."
" Celestia, please try to see the truth. And let us help you with this. We are your friends," Edwin argued with me.
They are not my friends anymore! Anyone who tries to separate Theo and me is not my friend.
" Please go back to your realm. I belong to Theo now, and no force in this universe is strong enough to separate us," I said and pushed Edwin out of my way.