[Continuation of Flashback]
I was wrong.
It wasn't just a case of kidnapping. It was more than that.
And I realized that when Jean continued talking.
"Then, someone pulled my hair and brought me to an altar. They... stabbed me with a knife and gathered my blood in a gold cup." I can't help but gasp with what I heard. What the heck? I wanted to stop her from talking and recalling those painful memories, but I knew I had to listen or else I wouldn't be able to give her the peace that she needed.
"It's a unique red. A precious red. I can see the revival. Those were what I've heard all throughout that dark place. That's all." Her voice was faint, as if she didn't want to remember anything anymore.
"I get it. Then... What do you really want me to do, Jean?" I tried to keep my voice as calm as possible, even if I'm seething with anger for what happened to this innocent child. She looked at me with her eyes that looked like she lost all hope, then bitterly smiled.
"Stop them... I don't want anyone to feel that anymore." A soft smile made its way to my lips as soon as I heard her words. "You're a kind child, Jean. Don't worry, I will help you." She nodded at me and sat by my side.
If that's what she experienced, then who instigated that? And who was that black snake?
"Avadons. The Avadons would reign if the curse disappears." I immediately turned to the child's direction after hearing that, but she was already fast asleep. Even if lost souls don't necessarily need rest, this soul was still of a child, and it's in a child's nature to sleep after crying.
Avadons? The leaders of this city? Haven't they already reigned here?
I kept silent and thought of the words Jean have said.
Black apple. Black jewels.
Red. Altar. Blood. Revival.
Black Snake. Red Eyes.
Avadons. Curse. Reign. Sasanquas.
"Ah, shit. I have to get out of here first." I wouldn't be able to do anything if I'm imprisoned here. "But how am I even supposed to do that in the first place?" Heck, I'm not even the brainy type. I just go with the flow and act if necessary.
I thought of using magic to escape from prison when I heard hushed voices from afar.
"What's with the new prisoner?" Judging from the voice, it was a man, probably a guard, with another guard, since I can also hear their metal armor creaking as they walked through the dark path.
"It was from the Avadons. Apparently, she trespassed their property and saw that tree." Another guard, who is also a man, answered back.
My hunch was right. Jean's case was really related to the Avadons.
I mean, it was quite obvious, but I needed a confirmation.
I also wasn't able to figure it out immediately since Jean's reactions earlier also took a toll on me.
"Under the tree were sasanquas." I remembered how Jean's eyes sparkled when she remembered where the 'black apples' were found. Sasanquas were the crest of the family of Avadons, and they've grown it in every property they have. That's why it was difficult to pinpoint where exactly was the tree.
However, with the help of magic, I was able to keep track of every sasanqua flowers in the city and locate the particular tree. Although it took me until evening to find it. I immediately went there to pick the black apples, but much to my surprise, they really were jewels. I wasn't able to figure that out during the morning since the tree only bears the fruit during the night.
"That tree? I'm shocked that she's still alive. I've only heard it in rumors, but I never expected that she'd really find it." I stopped thinking of escaping and tried to overhear their conversation. It was a good thing that I have naturally excellent hearing abilities, probably from my father's genes.
"Yes. I think she was about to pick up one, but the governor had seen her." By governor, he meant the head of the Avadons, Emilio Avadon. He was a man in his 50s, with gray hair and wrinkled face, but his good-looking features were still evident. One thing that makes the Avadons different are their red eyes. My eyes widened with some kind of realization.
Ah. Red eyes. The snake?
"Damn. She's quite lucky to be still alive." What's even good with this situation? I can't help but mentally scoff with what the guard had said.
But, I won't even die anyways, so it doesn't really matter on whatever they'll do.
"Oh well, why do we even care? She might get executed by tomorrow and I wouldn't be even surprised." He sounded apathetic, which I already expected, but this lead me to thinking that they might have seen some similar experiences like mine before.
I heard them approaching my cell so I immediately closed my eyes and pretended to sleep. Even with my eyes closed, I can guess that a light emanating from their lamp is right in front of my cell and that they are looking at me with curious eyes. I concentrated my power on my eyes and made sure that they were still looking at me before executing my plan.
"She's quite an old woman. What was she even doing there in the first place?" I slowly opened my eyes and met their gazes. They looked shocked when I stared at them but it was too late for them to avert it from mine.
Their eyes turned cloudy, a sign that they are already under my power, hypnotism.
"Tell me, what do you know about the Avadons?" Even without the tone of authority, the guards answered me immediately.
"They are the head of this city. They have a lot of properties and orchards as their source of income. They are the richest in this place." One of the guards answered me, but that was nowhere near what I wanted.
"What do you know about that tree?" I gave emphasis to 'that tree' as they've already mentioned it before. The other guard talked and answered my question.
"They say that the tree holds the curse of the Avadons." That curse again, "What curse?"
"Their red eyes. Many rumors say that they have black eyes before, but were cursed by a white snake, thus they now have their signature red eyes."
"And what's wrong with that?" The other guard answered my question.
"Red eyes are often associated with evil creatures, like those rogue demons. Thus, many of the people's trust in them have been lost, making them slowly lose their power. If they won't be able to regain that, they would be kicked out of their positions by the upcoming elections in the next two months."
"But isn't the Avadons family been head of the city since before? And they were already known for their red eyes, even from past-century generations." I tried to reason out. I've learned this from a history book found in my parents' sanctuary.
"There would always be a way to keep their positions." The other guard answered again and I already had a hunch of what they meant.
"It's money, isn't it?" The guards nodded, and that's how I thought it would end, but words came out from one of the guard's mouth which caught me by surprise.
"According to the rumors, the citizens' children were also kidnapped as a threat to vote for them."
What the fuck?
I massaged my temples and heavily sighed. It isn't just about child kidnapping, but also of a political issue.
Ugh, shit. This is getting more complicated.