Northernheim Region, Elysia…
Eona was the only human being whom Aelvien monitored every now and then, because he had the responsibility to keep her safe no matter what happened. It was a promise he had been keeping after all this time. Though he was not to intervene every time her life was put in danger, he had to at times just so she wouldn't end up dead. On normal occasions, he always had a hard time discerning what she felt because, as she grew up, she had somehow gained an ability to control her emotions to the point that he couldn't feel her at all, which had now become too familiar to him because of how long he had been watching over her. But this time, even though they were countries apart, he could feel her fluctuating emotions. When Eona's fear escalated to the point that he himself was being affected even while he was in Elysia, he knew something was wrong. Using clairvoyance, one of his innate abilities as a Royal Blood vampire and a Monarch, he watched everything take place like he himself was with Eona and Rouen. He witnessed everything unfold between them from the train and to the villa where Rouen had transported them both. And while Eona suffers from things brought by the forced appearance of the seal on her neck, Rouen is suffering from the severance at the same time, which makes their situation more difficult considering that there were only two of them in the villa.
Aelvien knew he had to make a choice immediately and that choice would not be to his liking at all.
"Ta prágmata pou me káneis na káno den eínai poté kathólou éfkola. (The things you make me do are never easy at all.)" He thought to himself before his blood-red eyes glimmered.
He will have to use his right to command Rouen to do his bidding, but he is not worried that the Nobles will feel his power because he will not be using much of his blood power for what he is about to do. However, if someone noticed the use of blood power in the Northernheim Region, it would only be the present Archduke who is leading the present generation of Nobles Bloods. After all, when it comes to hierarchy in the vampire community, the Archduke's power is second to the Monarch himself.
On the other hand, behind the report he was reading while lounging on the couch with his head perched up on the armrest, Blaze glances over at his friend Aelvien once in a while only to see him standing still every time he does so. The Monarch is standing by the large window behind his office desk like the way he had been doing a thousand years ago during the Golden Age. With the red velvet curtains pushed on each of the window's sides, he could clearly see the view outside from there, but for someone with a stature like Aelvien, that simple gesture is suffocating. After all, his responsibility as the Monarch is a burden itself that he has carried by himself solely since the beginning of time. And he, being the Werewolf Supreme himself, knows how heavy that burden was, because if Aelvien was the pillar of the vampire society, he was the pillar of the werewolf race. At times, Blaze even thinks that their position is the reason why Aelvien had accepted the friendship he offered back then.
Blaze stared at his friend who had his back on him. Though Aelvien was breathing, he remained unmoving, which made him look like a statue carved with the gods in mind. And to those who didn't know him, they wouldn't even think that he had always been like that for over a thousand years. His eyes, which are as red as the color of blood, glisten once in a while and his hair, as black as the night sky without a moon in it, is quite messy though he carried it perfectly as if it was natural for it to look like that. He is handsome beyond belief and carries with him the air of power and danger – a perfect predator who stood above the rest of his kind. But for a predator, Aelvien was the kindest being Blaze had met in his never-ending existence. The times he had killed were only when his responsibility as a Monarch had required him to do so.
From where he was at, Blaze could clearly see the lone silver helix earring with red stones that hugged the sides of his left ear like a vine down to his earlobe. As far as he knew, it was a gift from his parents back then and its purpose was to temporarily seal the great power within his blood. But seeing that Aelvien has also worn two small obsidian ear cuffs which Blaze remembered had been a gift from the former Archduke himself on his other ear, must mean that the helix earring is already not enough to seal the power that lies within his blood at the moment. He must have finally freed himself from the chains cast on him by his own uncle, Victor Landegrei, when they fought each other in the gardens of the Northernheim palace before the peak of the First Blood War occurred. Those chains acted as a shield for Victor. It made Aelvien unable to end him back then, but it didn't mean that the Monarch let him get away with it unscathed. Aelvien literally teared his blood-relative to shreds in a way that it would take Victor a very long time to revive himself, not in his original body, but through a vessel. And for a supernatural being with as much power as Victor, it takes time and a lot of patience before he can find a vessel suitable enough for him to take over.
Aelvien is looking over the vast palace gardens which have been magically turned back into how they used to be. It was made possible by his presence in the palace, as if the entire estate knew that the master was already home after being gone for more than a thousand years since he disappeared. Flowers bloomed to welcome them the first night they arrived and the plants that had died for a thousand years awakened to life while the broken statues, fountains and excavated parts of the garden were fixed in place. It was actually quite fascinating to watch the garden being fixed magically the moment Aelvien had first taken his steps on the palace grounds. At first they thought the fairies must have made a contract with the reigning Royal Blood, the Monarch himself, for that to happen. Though, Blaze knew Aelvien's thoughts were not about the beauty the gardens presented at the moment. In fact, it wasn't even in Elysia at all, but in the world of the living where Eona was. He may have left her under the care of the vampires she befriended while she was visiting Aceldama, but there was never a day that he wasn't monitoring her whereabouts. She was that precious to him.
While reading the reports submitted by Saber and the rest not too long ago before they retreated to their rooms to rest after a long day, Blaze clearly heard Aelvien when he ordered Rouen to drain Eona of her blood and he saw how the decision itself pained the Monarch himself. Why wouldn't it? He just plainly ordered the prince to kill the girl he had been protecting all this time because he had chosen the safety of everyone else over her. For the second time, Aelvien felt the agony of losing an important person. For him, no one in this world is more important than the life of that one human girl and he is ready to hurt anyone in his way as long as it is for her sake. Even if it's her.
"Isn't there any other way but that?" Blaze asked after a while, his eyes following every movement being made by his friend.
For a while, Aelvien remained silent until he breathed in deeply and then sighed before focusing his eyes on the moon hanging above the night sky as if the simple gesture brought him peace and solitude. As if it somehow eased the loneliness and sadness he was feeling at that moment because of the decision he had to make.
"For the first time, I wanted to be selfish. I wanted to follow what was really in my heart," Aelvien then said out of the blue.
Blaze felt like his heart had been stabbed by his words. For the first time, Aelvien was expressing what he really felt and he himself could relate to that. Not because he had experienced the same thing, but because, as a friend, he could feel him. If only they could throw away their responsibilities and be like everybody else for a while, they might grab the chance, but that would mean chaos and destruction in its entirety and they could not let that happen. Hence, they could not. And they can never be selfish, even if it's the last thing they want to do.
"But then I realized that her blood holds the key that could help Rouen with the severance. Since the one who sired his blood was none other than Victor Landegrei himself, the prince had no other choice but to consume it in whole if he wanted to survive. It just so happened that fate played along with them because the girl had to be in that state at the right moment. I wanted him to grab the chance. It's bittersweet, but I cannot be selfish. It has been our reality for such a long time already, hasn't it?"
"But do you have to use your authority as the Monarch to give him an order?"
"I knew Rouen himself was aware that he would kill her the moment her blood glided on his tongue because, while he was under the severance, his instinct as a vampire was heightened in a way they had never been before. Besides, his blood is also undergoing an awakening at the same time, driving his senses into havoc and confusion. I saw him trying his hardest not to hurt her any further than he did tonight and if I had not given him an order, he would not have complied otherwise. I cannot have him dying this early because he had chosen to keep her alive. Not when a prophecy is looming in on his life like rainclouds waiting for the right time to drop everything it has. He will play a great role in the upcoming Blood War and he is an important chess piece to end Victor once and for all."
Blaze frowned. "Are you still unable to kill your blood relative even after all these years?"
"It has been over a thousand years already since the fall of the Northernheim palace and as time passed, my strength slowly returned to how it used to be when everything was peaceful. Though after what happened between me and Victor, my physical state could not shoulder the great power that lies within my blood. He did something in my blood back then with the help of a demon. It was the only way he could restrain me after all. I could kill him, but that would be in exchange for my life. I tried killing him back then because of my responsibility as the Monarch and it led me into a deep slumber in which I had recently just awakened from."
"You can't die. This world, most especially that girl, needs you."
Aelvien smiled. "Hence, I have chosen to help the prince from the lower vampire society to survive from the severance in exchange for her going back to sleep again. If I cannot kill my own blood, I'll just have to find someone who can."
"The prince," Blaze stated.
"Yes."
"What about Eona?"
Aelvien looked at Blaze who was now sitting upright on the couch, the report he was reading before now resting on the center table. Without a word, he walked towards the sofa facing his Lycan friend whom he is aware had been following his every move silently through his golden eyes.
"What about her?"
Blaze frowned. "You know what I'm asking about."
"The blood seal is rapidly appearing without my interference. I had no other choice but to intervene."
"But is it okay to… kill her?"
"Kill her? Did you really think I would kill the girl? I just had to force her back to sleep. It was not like she would not survive the process." Aelvien answered and Blaze got the other meaning behind his words. "And with everything that happened, that was the only solution I came up with. Or would you rather her kill everything instead?"
Blaze pursed his lips, at a loss for words. Aelvien said everything. And he, being his friend, knew that word meant just that. Eona's existence is clouded with things the people around her wouldn't be able to understand and, at the moment, only him and Aelvien knew about them. He knew how long Aelvien had been waiting. It had been more than a thousand years and yet he had chosen to wait a little bit more in exchange for the safety of every living being. Being a Monarch comes with different responsibilities only a Monarch carries. He knew that much because he had witnessed how Aelvien had done all those things and more while carrying that heavy burden alone. But after the end of the Golden Age, he really did not have to do all those things anymore. It was time for him to be selfish and just focus on his own gains, but then again, Aelvien was not that kind of person. He is certain it is the reason why he had chosen to hurt himself again by forcing the girl back to sleep for the sake of everybody else.
"I appreciate the help she received from the prince back when she was attacked by the Lepers, but that is also the reason why she is suffering from a force transition. Sure, a vampire's blood which is used to save a human being will lose its trace after a few days, but you and I knew she was not your ordinary human being. The vampire blood ingested into her still remains in her system up to this point, which is affecting her present state. It is stirring her memories, unlocking those which are supposed to remain hidden."
"Does it have something to do with the untimely appearance of the blood seal?"
Aelvien nodded in response. "We have been watching her since she was a child. The seal did not show any sign of appearing back then, did it? The seal on her neck should only appear with my interference because I have the only key that will be able to lift it safely. But the seal is starting to weaken, hence why it's starting to etch itself on its own on her skin and it was because of Rouen's blood that stayed within her system. It forces her to remember things that had been sealed deep in her mind at a small push, whether it was due to a sense of danger or an extreme emotional pain. I can't have that happening. Rest assured, the thing I had Rouen do will not be enough to kill her. Instead, it will only put her back in a deep slumber. The longer she sleeps, the more lines of the seal now tattooed on her skin will fade, giving us more time in return."
"Is she aware of what that seal meant for her?"
Aelvien paused for a while. "No. And I would like it to stay that way. At least until it was not yet lifted. It was for her own sake."
If Eona found out what the seal's purpose was, she would certainly find a way to have it removed. She is obviously being pulled by things that can only be found in the world where vampires like him belong to. Her interest coincided with its inhabitants and Rouen had somehow become the way for her to freely have access to things her family had restricted her from touching. As long as there is a way for her to access what was supposed to be forbidden, she won't be swayed by other things.
Aelvien wanted her to live as normally as she could, even after knowing about the other world that could be found in the shadows of the night, and if he needed to prevent the seal from appearing to fulfill it, he was ready to intervene without second thoughts. He wanted her to experience life and she'd only get to experience it fully if she stayed the way she is. But after everything that has happened, pulling her away from what she had come to discover is going to take a lot more effort from her family.
"And Rouen? Is he aware that Eona is alive?"
For a human being to have her heart beat stop, especially for a while, one would surely believe that she is already dead, even if the person in question is a vampire himself.
"He does not."
Blaze sighed. Rouen is aware that it was Aelvien who ordered him to drain Eona's blood without giving his blood in return. If he had not been informed that Eona would only go to sleep in a way that her heart would have to stop, he would think that she had died and that he killed her through Aelvien's order. Having the prince become hostile to them would not be beneficial to their group, especially since they are still in hiding. What was Aelvien thinking?
"Until our return to the world of the living, Kaien will handle things over there from now on. If he deems it necessary to inform the prince of the girl's whereabouts, he will."
For a while, Blaze's lips remained sealed as his thoughts wandered here and there. Does that mean Kaien knew that she was alive? If he does so, then that would be fine. For now. Before he could ask the Monarch another question, Aelvien had already steered away from their conversation to another important matter.
"Did anyone from the Grand Duchy notice our presence here in the palace?"
"Not that I'm aware of. Besides, the sentries were patrolling their usual area of assignment but none of them had entered the premises beyond the gates of Northernheim. For some reason, this place has been branded by the present Archduke as a forbidden land after all. Meaning, no one from the Grand Duchy is allowed to enter."
"But if someone sees the crystal forest from the castle of Leitmeritz, they would certainly send someone here to check."
Ah, right. How could he forget about the crystal forest that surrounds the estate where the Northernheim palace was? Aside from the gardens, the trees in the forest that turned pitched dark as if they were burnt after the First Blood War had now started to crystalize again because of Aelvien's presence. At first, one tree had slowly started to crystallize until the other trees did the same thing, and after Aelvien had stayed in the palace for a few days, almost half of the trees were already crystallized and were glowing under the moon. He was actually quite surprised no one from the Grand Duchy had noticed the changes in Northernheim which had been happening for a few days already.
It wasn't that long ago when they sneaked into the land where Pureblood vampires reside through the guise of a plane crash which they made sure would appear that no one survived. After all, the measures they had to take were the only way they could enter Elysia, which was levitating above ground without raising suspicion from the Nobles. The reason why no one was able to find Elysia was because the country itself is moving along with the clouds. The place where it used to be left a large lake for all the people to see, because the whole country where Pureblood vampires reside was uprooted in its entirety by the power of the one who had succeeded the previous Archduke. Something had made the Purebloods decide to go into seclusion. It may not be as simple as the reasons of the witches of old, but it surely has something to do with their influence on human beings.
After ensuring the success of their infiltration, they also had to sneak into Aelvien's own house in the Northernheim Region because of the tight security established by Archduke Eiraun Lancastrian, with regards to this place. The new ruler of Noble Bloods somehow branded Northernheim as a forbidden land the second he ascended the throne after his father, and he positioned sentries to keep anyone from entering the used to be home of the Royal Blood vampires. But thanks to their abilities and knowledge, they were able to slip inside the palace while avoiding the watchful eyes of the sentries – knights under the command of Air Vespasian, the present Leader of the House of Vespasian whose in charge of the over all security of Elysia. But considering the fact that six of them were able to get in without a hinch, aren't the sentries under his command a little lacking in their responsibilities? If Air's father was still alive, he would have already sent them back to the training grounds to learn a little more.
For a few days after arriving in Northernheim, they avoided alerting the Nobles of their presence because they knew their presence would create great confusion and disorder. Most of the Nobles believed that Aelvien had something to do with why some of the members of the Chamber of Elders turned their backs on the previous Archduke. And the fact that Aelvien's own blood and relative led the previous insurgency didn't help with their situation either. If anyone from the Grand Duchy learns that Aelvien is alive after they believe him to have died during the First Blood War and that they are presently occupying the Northernheim palace, it would surely cause an uproar and unwanted clashes of power – something that the naturals involved in the Alliance had been waiting for such a long time to happen because the aural dome which hides Elysia from everyone else will surely be distorted, making the digital radars the humans used be able to detect where Elysia was at exactly.
"Did Saber and the rest find anything while they were in Leitmeritz?"
Blaze pulled out some papers from an envelope and gave them to Aelvien, who immediately read what was written while he explained.
"The Nobles are tracking down the traitors that led to the fall of Elysia during the First Blood War and with the results of their recent investigations, it seems like all traitors have been in the world of the living all this time. Though they are living countries away from each other, most of them are occupying seats of authority within the Alliance along with a few Great Wolves who have betrayed me in the past."
"What?"
"They have contributed a lot to the growth of the organization which has been branded as an enemy of all supernatural beings, especially with the experiments the Alliance conducts where they alter the natural state of a person's body into that of a modified one, creating a soldier that parried with a supernatural being. Saber, Lancer and Archer are few of the results of those experiments."
"Is Victor among them?"
Blaze shook his head. "Though the intelligence unit of the Noble Bloods possesses only very little data about Victor, Archer extracted whatever little information the Nobles have at the moment about your kin and sent it over." Blaze looked up from the reports and stared at his friend.
"What?"
"Victor has finally found a vessel to take over for his revival."
At that, Aelvien seemed to have lost control of his power and released a portion of it unknowingly, but that portion was felt by none other than the Archduke himself, who was in the castle of Leitmeritz.
Eiraiun, who was resting on the balcony of his office in the castle after having been done with all his duties that night, suddenly felt chills accompanied by a surge of strong blood power that came from the direction of Northernheim Region. Though it was only for a moment, he knew he couldn't have mistaken. That power is familiar to him. Being the son and successor of the previous Archduke who reigned over all Noble Blood vampires before him, he had felt it before when it was his late father who led the Purebloods. That power could only belong to one being. The Monarch. And while everybody believed that he had died, he knew, from the memories of his father whom he succeeded along with the throne and power as an Archduke, that the Monarch was alive.
His blood-red eyes focused on the direction of the Northernheim Region. And using his clairvoyant ability, he took a look into what had been happening in that particular place and what he saw made him forget about everything. The crystal forest is being crystallized again after a thousand years of it being completely black as if it was burned to the ground, and when he looked further into the estate, he saw that the gardens surrounding the Northernheim palace were revived. The changes in the Northernheim Region could only mean one thing – the Monarch is finally home.
He was about to leap and head directly into the Northernheim Region to check what was happening there himself when the French doors leading to the balcony opened.
"Your highness. May I ask where you are going at this time of the night without even finishing the papers I had put on your desk a while ago?"
He eyed his assistant, Izen Mergos, one of the twins who succeeded the Mergos family. His blonde hair is unruly and his crystal blue eyes are glistening under the moonlight. With his status in the House of Mergos, he is among the Nobles who had a seat in the Chamber of Elders, but on normal days such as this time, Izen acts as his assistant who overseas all of the activities being done in and out of the castle because if he would shoulder it by himself, he would not last even a day.
"None of your business."
"Oh, I know that it was not my business, but I'm asking anyway. And just to let you know, I have another batch of papers for you to look over on your table. So, where are you going?"
"Do you really need to know?" Eiraun asked, exasperated, but Izen remained unfazed.
"Yes. The old man might ask where you have gone to again and I want a definite answer if that happened. I have forgiven you a lot of times when you disappeared without informing me and this time, I won't let you off so easily. If I'm going to be cooped up in your office because of your duties, I might as well tie you down with me."
The old man Izen was talking about was Thryden Agvain. The oldest member of his Chamber of Elders who had worked under his father back then when he was still young. When everyone who had served the previous Archduke diligently followed him to sleep, Thryden was the only one who remained alive. They didn't know the reason why, but he continued on serving as one of the Elders until now because of the power he holds within the Nobles and Eiraun could openly admit that it helped him in more ways than he could ever imagine, so he made him his advisor during his reign.
Eiraun stared at Izen as he weighed all the pros and cons of what he was about to do.
"Do you want to come with me to the Northernheim Region?"
Izen's eyes widened in surprise. He knew of the Archduke's antics but it was never this extreme. "Northernheim Region? Have you gone mad, your highness? It was you who ordered that anyone who enters that forbidden land would be executed immediately. Didn't you put sentries along the border for that purpose only?"
"Yes. But I didn't say that it included me."
"What about me?"
"You'll be entering that place with me. I'm sure you'll be fine."
"But – "
"Though I can still go by myself if you do not want to come. Be sure not to tell Thryden where I went."
"Not to tell? He will have my head if – " Izen groaned when the Archduke left him on the balcony and he was left with no other choice but to follow after he looked over the piles of documents adorning the top of Eiraun's table inside his office. "I swear if I die tonight, I will haunt you to sleep," he whispered while shooting daggers behind the Archduke whose traveling right before him.
Eiraun chuckled though Izen only heard it in his mind, followed by the Archduke's voice.
"You're a vampire, Izen. You're not going to die that easily."
"But I am going to die, nonetheless. Why are we heading there anyway?"
"Didn't Air report anything unusual these past few days?"
"Not that I'm aware of. But he seemed to have gotten busier. Why?"
"The crystal forest is starting to crystallize and the gardens around the Northernheim palace have been revived. I have to see for myself what is happening over there."
"But that is only possible if the Monarch has returned."
"I was actually hoping that he did."
"You really have gone insane."