Even after Layla used her healing magic, only my bruises vanished, the excruciating pain radiating from my tensed up muscles still lingered.
Layla gently wiped the blood on my face while biting her lower lip, the caring gaze she wore made my heart dance in bliss.
The door was swang open and footsteps echoed until they stopped near my bed.
"I will take it from here, you should go and finish cooking since you know that's not my speciality."
"Yeah! we wouldn't want to die from your cooking." Layla giggled while handing her the towel.
"I will learn how to cook and surpass you." Aeverie kept a straight face as if not affected by her jab.
"Some dreams never come true." She flashed a cheeky smile before leaving.
I was relieved after seeing that they got really close.
"There is something I have to tell you." Her gaze was fixed with mine.
"Is this related to your past?"
She nodded.
"I can wait if you are not feeling well."
"No need to be tense about it, I'm all ears."
She closed her eyes trying to calm herself.
"I'm actually a princess in the Elven Kingdom, although I vaguely recall my childhood they is a day that I remember clear as the day, no matter how hard I try to forget, it always resurface as if it was yesterday." A tear dripped from her eye as she paused, I grasped her hand trying to imagine the most dreadful thing that could make Aeverie feel so much grieve.
"One day when I was a child assassins sneaked inside our mantion, everyone was asleep including me, my mom's agonising scream pulled me back from whatever slumber I was in, I immediately rushed to check what was going on but when we reached their room it was too late.
Blood was splattered everywhere, my dad sat on his chair without a head, the blood I saw oozing out of his neck made me feel like I was going insane.
My mom lied on the floor, a wide cut on her neck could be seen and I was only seven years back then, the only thing I could do was cry as if it was the end of the world. After my parents where killed there was an uprising led by my uncle.
He was hungry for power to the extent that she sent people to kidnap me, but I escaped and fleed from my kingdom. I was just a kid whoose heart craved for revenge. After fleeing I travelled for days on the cold snow without food or water, I didn't know where I was going but I knew travelling as far from my kingdom as possible was the only option I had.
A woman named Natalie found me lying on the bare snow unconscious. She took me in even though I was of different race, she was Esther's mother.
Natalie treated me like her own daughter but my heart was already clouded by the blood I craved. When I grew the lust for revenge and nightmares of the Deaths of my parents never ended.
Even after they allowed me to join the Valgrid army, my sole purpose was to get stronger and seek revenge, that's the reason I left after a year.
With the knowledge I gathered, joining the assassins guild was the only way of finding the killers and if my uncle was the one who sent them. Since I was an illusion mage it was easy to blend in without anyone knowing my race. I learnt dual wielding in dagger mystery at the guild, after a while I finally found information about the people who killed my parents. I saw a note in one of the cabinets where Master Rev the owner of the guild slept. It was a bounty to kill my parents, sent by Glyden, the king of Valgride.
I actually didn't expect that but the truth was there, my only wish for living was almost in my grasp yet I couldn't do anything, I was strong but Master Rev wasn't someone to mess with and killing a king in his castle which is guarded by a thousand nights and mages was going to be something. I didn't even have a single person to aid me.
Nonetheless there was a huge bounty placed on finding the scales of the frozen Dark Dragon, the money was enough to buy Diamond Tier equipment.
Atleast I could have a chance in this battle If I had high ranked weapons and armor. It took me a week to locate the dungeon and another three days of wondering inside to actually find the Dark Dragon it'self. It was one of my biggest achievements.
When I walked near the Ice where the dragon was frozen something seemed odd, what was trapped inside looked different from a dragon, before I could even touch it the ice collapsed and I fell into what seemed to be some sort of void space. When I woke up I was in a different place, surrounded by lanterns which emitted dark flame.
A female voice called out to me and asked if I wanted power, without thinking twice I said yes, Even if it was dark magic, or something that will bring calamity I didn't care the slightest, the only thing on my mind was that I needed power to get my revenge.
The voice called out again saying."Only the worthy shall wear the crown of darkness, those found unworthy shall be destroyed by the darkness."
It was a chance I was willing to take. The moment I wore the crown presented to me everything changed, I could feel dark power radiating from my body, I actually felt as if I could do anything, destroy anything to be exact. I understood what the voice meant by worthy, it needed someone broken like me, someone whose heart and mind was corrupted by evil, the only thing I thought about was killing everyone for the sake of my parents so I was the perfect fit.
When I woke up the crown was gone but I could feel the dark power which resides within me. I began to research and learn about my power, even right now I'm still exploring this dark power within me, it's very unique in it's own way. I began training so I can get used to this new found power and I learnt that with it I can create many things like armor, weapons and even magic amulets, despite that my body senses where heightened, my strength and mana encreased by a long margin, I can also use magic that has never been seen.
With this kind of power in my hands. Victory was already guaranteed, I killed everyone In the guild, Master Rev himself was no match for the current me. I could see his expression when I told him who I was and how I was going to take his life along with everyone. When I was in a battle I felt as if something has taken control of me, the rage I felt couldn't be described. What I did in Valgrid was even worse, everyone who stood in my way met the same fate which was death. I didn't even care if they had families or they were just doing their job, to me they were obstacles in my path, after slaughtering all the soldiers that guarded the castle I found Glyden eating with his family, I made her watch while I killed his wife in the most heartless way possible, after putting Glyden in the most gruesome torture I then gave him a slow and tormenting death.
All his children stared in horror as they watched the worst nightmare of their lives. The same thing happened to my uncle. People gave me many names regarding to what I did without even considering how much I have been suffering. The one many people remember me by was The Dark princess. Mybe they were right, I'm ruthless and evil. I decided to go far and leave alone before you know, Esther issue happened.. I'm sure after hearing what I did you now hate me."