"Ego vitam possidebo."
Blinding light started swirling around at immense speed, and soon enough, the darkness consumed it.
Abigor's sacred words echoed in my numb head:
"Steady yourself."
What was he talking about?
Before I could question or even express my shock, Abigor pulled out a dagger and dug into his chest.
"Abigor!"
I dashed to him as his lifeless body fell in my arms. "Abigor!" My panicked eyes searched for any trace of logic in his action. But I found none.
"Abigor!"
"What?"
All too familiar voice forced a loud gasp out of me. I briskly turned my head to be faced Abigor, who stood behind me with a careless expression plastered on his stoic face.
"H-how?" My gaze trailed from his corpse to him.
He just shrugged as a wisp of smoke left his mouth. He was smoking—a cigarette between his fingers.
"Get away from the corpse. It will curse you."
I raised to my feet, still lost in aghast.
"This magic is one of the most tricky and almost impossible to master. Specific persons can use it."
"What are you talking about? You can come to life?" I was yelling at him, and I noticed that at the sharp sting in my throat.
"A pure person who was betrayed and killed in cold blood can try grasping it."
This sentence said a lot about Abigor. I had a doubt he wasn't as immoral as he had represented himself.
I checked his corpse that had disappeared. I was in some kind of daze! How the fuck was that possible!
My head snapped to Abigor when suddenly he started striding towards me. Even though I was appalled and couldn't find words nor the right emotion to react to everything that had happened a few minutes ago, I didn't shun him.
As he appeared before me, he bent to my eye level and mumbled with a smile, "Rebel, I want you to know about this technique."
Abigor had saved me. I wasn't going to give up. Ever!
"Ego vitam possidebo."
I appeared behind Femme, and never have I been this disappointed in my life. Dude, I didn't even have a chance to appreciate my new skill or do a celebration dance. This witch was trying to laugh but ended up screaming and coughing out her blood.
"Bronchitis?" I asked with interest.
"Yeah," she answered and wiped off her mouth.
I nodded. Gosh, it was a nasty disease. I wrinkled my nose and shook my head.
"What?" Femme swiftly faced me and shuddered at my sight. "H-How? How the hell are you alive?" She kept yelling.
Her monster growled. I cursed my corpse – the one who killed me shall share the same fate.
The monster turned around and started marching towards its owner. Dumbfounded, Femme watched at her creation, and her jaw fell to the ground.
"What? HOW?" She lashed out at me as a smile formed on my face.
"Good luck," I beamed at her and slammed my fist in her face.
Poor priestess tumbled and let out a pained shriek. I summoned shadows from the audience and chained Femme's ankles to the ground. Her horrified eyes kept running between every person she knew there. I could always end her misery with my deadly slice.
I sauntered before the king and bowed at him.
Axel had an unreadable face as he stared down at me and studied me. I had no idea what other thing to call his scrutinizing eyes.
Femme's ear-piercing yell shook the arena as she couldn't free herself from my shadow chains.
I was almost sure Femme knew more than she should have. She couldn't hide loathing as it slipped from every gaze she shot me. She knew the true identity of the black-haired man against her.
I faced the queen halfway. She had stood up as her yellow eyes darted from Femme to that beast. Then she trailed her widened, rage-filled eyes to me. She couldn't interfere as the trials were looked at as sacred rituals.
It looked like Femme was out of it as she couldn't protect herself anymore. An ax raised as a holler escaped her.
"Should I help her?" I let my thoughts slip in Silver's mind as her eyes gleamed with utter detest towards me.
"How dare you-"
"Then she dies!"
Our gazes were becoming suspicious as murmurs erose at the arena. Silver wandered her eyes around her and quickly returned to me.
"What do you want?" A commanding voice with a hint of dismay roared in my head.
I rushed to the beast and activated a deadly slice. As the ax was about to crush Femme, I dragged her away with my shadows and jumped high before I cut off the monster's head.
A clamor and applause made the whole arena vibrate as an audience couldn't hide their amazement. Thanks to Abigor, now I could control more than one power simultaneously.
"And the winner is a representative from the Lost clan!" Ash's voice penetrated through cheerings and shouts.
I had won.
***
The whole evening, everyone in the castle celebrated the near end of a trial and my coronation. In golden lights clinking of glasses, cheerful conversations, and laughter colored the hall. Axel had his hand wrapped around me all along to assure my comfort. I didn't need any reassurance. Somehow, I felt natural and at ease. Queen Silver was missing since she claimed she felt ill. Nor was there a sign of Femme.
It should be emphasized that everyone discussed my unique and dark powers.
I excused myself as I strolled to the bathroom, and I heard an all too familiar voice to my surprise. "Good job, sweetheart."
I snapped my head in that direction and smiled when I saw Abigor in an empty hallway.
"Abigor, how did you get in here?" I exclaimed and took few steps in his direction.
"Our plan is prospering because of you," he laid open his confession with a faint smile.
"You were there," I raised my head as it dawned on me. He definitely saw my fight, and I was proud.
"All I wanted to say is that I'm gifting you this night," He mused, and before I could process even a word that slipped from his lips, his form transformed into a guard. Possessing. The guard passed me without a second thought or care. That was why Axel couldn't sense his presence. Abigor had possessed a guard's body.
"My lady! My lady!"
Why did nobody let me rest?!
I turned to Penum, who raced to me, panting. He seemed utterly spooked and out of it.
"Penum?"
"My lady, that beast attacked the River kingdom."
"What?" My face twisted in dismay as I clenched my fists.
"Please, just don't do anything reckless," he pleaded with all his might as his eyes begged with the same effort.
"Then why did you attack me with this terrible news?"
"Please, don't let the king know you possess this knowledge, or else he will find out who steals information from his retinue."
"Is Alice okay?"
Why was everything crashing down on the happiest moments? Was this justice?
"King alone is wounded in your family, but medics believe he will survive."
I nodded as I sighed and shut my eyes.
"And how does that thing look?"
"People claim it emerged from a young girl."
A girl? Again? What was that thing playing?
"I shouldn't advise an intelligent person like yourself, your majesty, but this creature's next aim will be the Dragon clan."
I sharply inhaled as I imagined Axel fighting with his all might just to protect his people but ending up losing it all.
I had wronged him and shamelessly lied when he was so close to exposing my plans. I had to bed my husband for everyone's sake, and Penums hints were pointed right at it.
Alright, so be it. I turned to my feet and headed to my chamber as I waved a hand for maids to stop following me.