An intense pain struck his chest from deep within. Evelyn's one hand reached his heart as she slowly tightened her grip. He clasped his chest in agony while staring at the dying witch. He thought it would be over soon, and the pain would never last that long.
When he realized she had just started her curse, he tried to block out the pain to cope with the unbearable feeling. He squeezed his eyes shut tight as his face turned to a scowl. Thane felt a chain slowly coil his heart.
"The curse of Desideres will chain your heart. Take the life of a thousand souls; then you will be free."
After saying those words, Evelyn died and turned into ashes.
At first, Thane didn't believe that the curse was real because he was the only one who heard and felt Evelyn's wrath that day, so he thought it was just mere words from a dying woman. Alex and the others didn't see what Evelyn did to him, and there was no evidence to prove that she cursed him.
After Evelyn vanished in thin air, he ordered his men to bury the white witches' bodies and gave them a proper ritual. He also ordered that the witches' lair should never be crossed again to any citizen of Versipellis. The place was cleansed and closed as a sign of respect and for their souls to be at peace.
"Your Majesty, I know this is not the right time to ask, but are the rumors true?" Alex asked.
Thane frowned and looked at Alex, who was also riding a horse and trying to keep up with his horse's pace.
"What rumor?"
He already knew what the rumors were. There were spies everywhere in Versipellis; most worked for him, some were not, so no one could hide something from him.
"That the witches are back? I haven't seen one, but an omega saw them near the woods. I'm your second in command, and I know there are things that you still hide from me. I don't usually ask about your personal issues, but at least let me know about the matters of the country."
Alex was the son of his Uncle's beta, and they became friends when he moved to Terra. He could not see anything wrong with telling Alex about the witches.
"Well, the rumors are true. They have returned." He answered.
"But how? They were all dead. We buried them." Alex asked, confused.
Thane sighed. He couldn't hide the truth about Elisia from Alex any longer.
"Lady Elisia is a demon princess. She's the youngest daughter of the former Demon King Asmodeus and Queen Lilith. She has the power to turn back time and she used it when her husband died. But as you can see, she also brought all the other creatures back to life."
Alex was shocked by what he had learned about Elisia. But what surprised him more was that she wasn't the king's Luna. And that His Majesty lied to the citizens of Versipellis.
"What's your real relationship with her?" He asked.
"That I cannot answer. But I promise I will tell you in due time. Trust me. There is a valid reason why she's here. For now, keep it a secret from everyone."
Alex knew it wasn't a plea but an order. His king didn't have to ask since he was not planning to say a single thing about Elisia.
At the witches' lair, Elisia was on the ground with a knife in her throat. She tried to escape, but she was caught. Two women helped the old lady catch her, so now they were ready to slit her throat.
"Any last words, princess?" The old lady asked.
Elisia struggled, but the old lady's companion held her hands. She still couldn't remember where she heard her voice. Then she saw a mark on her chest. It was the mark of a witch's coven. She looked at the other two, and they had the same mark. Her eyes widened when she finally recognized the woman.
"Dahlia?" She whispered.
The old woman didn't say a word, but Elisia felt that she was surprised. And the knife on her neck was not piercing through her skin anymore.
"How did you know my name? Who are you?" The old woman asked.
"Dahlia, it's me. Elisia." She answered.
"Elisia? My Elisia?"
She nodded and forced herself to smile at the old woman.
"Priestess! You must kill her now! The king will be here any minute! Someone already told him about the lady." The one who was holding her left hand said.
The others were also shouting, telling the old woman to kill her. Elisia looked straight into her eyes. It was really the Dahlia she knew when she was still in Acheron. Only her appearance changed, but her crystal blue eyes that could read everything in Elisia's mind didn't change a bit.
"Dahlia, it's me. Your Elisia." She whispered in a gentle voice.
Elisia was surprised when she saw tears in Dahlia's eyes. In an instant, she let her see what happened to her after they separated and how she died. Elisia felt the loneliness in Dahlia's heart.
"Dahlia, I'm sorry. It's my fault. Everything is my fault. I'm sorry."
She didn't try to struggle and Dahlia felt her surrender. She deserved to die after what she did to the only woman she considered a friend. The tears from Dahlia's eyes fell and flowed down Elisia's cheeks. And they both felt the pain in their hearts.
Elisia closed her eyes when Dahlia raised her hand while holding the knife. She heard her scream. In the dark, cold night, Dahlia's agonizing voice was heard as it echoed, not only in that old park but also in the nearest places.
"What was that?" Alex asked with a frown on his face.
Thane knew riding a horse was a bad idea as it would take time for them to get where Elisia was. He stopped, took off, and started running. As he ran faster deep into the woods, he began shifting to his wolf form.