In the castle's library, Rom sat at the table surrounded by a pile of parchments as he brushed up on his knowledge of sithrians and what they could do, and it wasn't just to satisfy his curiosity.
Rom suspected that there was more to the witch than met the eye. There was something that didn't add up in his mind. He understood that thirst for power can be compelling and would make one do unspeakable things to gain it, but she was like any other kind of witch.
She had lived many seasons, seen kingdoms rise and fall, and she was still alive. How? No matter how powerful a witch would be, she wasn't powerful enough to live that long. He was aware that she used other people to sustain her youth and looks, but still, all living things were born and meant to die at one point. Not her.
That thought irked him to no end. The more he read through the parchments, his frustration increased as he had found helpful nothing that he didn't already know. And that also puzzled him. How was it even possible that powerful beings have so little information about their kind?
The sound of the door closing made him look at the door only to be greeted by the Queen's son. It wasn't fun the first time, and he had an inkling that this won't be fun either.
" Mother and Father would like to have a word with you!" he informed and turned around and left the library; since he already knew the story of what happened between him and his. mother. He saw no point in sparing him another word.
By now, he was up to date with all the events that had occurred since his mother had been born, and he had already decided who he should watch for and who he could trust enough to keep close to him.
The only thing that troubled him was flashes of memories that he was sure didn't belong to him and they belonged to someone else. He had asked Iris about it, but she knew nothing of the images he had described, and there was no point in speaking to Ian since he knew less than her.
There were only two others who were involved, and those were Bastos and Seth. Since they had separated themselves from his parents, he would have to wait until they were reunited and hoped he would get the answer he needed.
He pushed the door to his parents' chamber open, and his eye fell on Iris, who stared at the broken glass on the floor.
" Still trying to mend it?" he asked, amused that she was still focusing on such a silly matter.
Iris hummed " I can't leave it like this. Your father has already complained about it!" she smiled, turning her attention to Azra.
" May I try!" he asked for permission, despite knowing she would agree.
" Of course, do you even have to ask? Now you're just being silly!" she commented, amused at his reluctant behaviour. She knew that Ian's stubborn and recalcitrant behaviour towards him had taken its toll on Azra, but she hoped with time, they could mend things, so they could finally be a family.
Arza closed his eyes, and with one sweep of his hand, all the broken glass on the floor began to rise one shard at a time until all of it hovered above the floor. He lowered one hand and slowly rose it up, and with that, the glass started to take its place in the window frame, much like putting together a puzzle. Azra closed the distance between him and the window, and his hand hovered over it while the cracks slowly began to seal, returning it to its original state.
Iris looked at Azra, and the only thing she could think of was how amazing he was, exceptional. She was the Queen, and she couldn't even do that and made her wonder how he could control and manifest more than one ability at a time.
Azra continued doing the same with the rest of the windows. As soon as he finished, everything returned to its original state as it had never happened.
Iris jumped from her spot, bursting with pride and joy, and gave him a warm hug, forgetting Ian's warning not to touch him. And before she realised, Azra began to glow, she felt herself slip into darkness once more like she did that day, but before things went further, Azra pushed her away. When he realised what he was doing, he wasn't even trying.
Iris's breath turned ragged and staggered. She looked at Azra, fearful and, at the same time, worried, wondering if he had done it on purpose or if it was just an accident.
" Mother, are you alright? I'm sorry, I don't know what happened?" Azra panicked while he looked at her terrified expression. He knew she was afraid of him, and he could see she was scared of him.
" Don't breathe a word of this to your father! Do you understand!" she said as she steadied her breathing and straightened herself up. She didn't know if he did it on purpose or not, but if it was just an accident saw no reason to tell Ian about it. It just made things worse between them.
Azra nodded " As you wish, Mother, but it would be best if we wouldn't touch from now on!!" he said in a worried voice while looking at her. It was just for a few moments, but he could already see the effect on her, and he felt more powerful than before.
He poured her a glass of water and placed it on the table, afraid to even hand her the glass.
" I think it is you where my strength is coming from!" he guessed; it was the only thing that made sense at that moment.
Iris gulped the glass of water " I think so too. Whenever you use your abilities, you need to recharge, and you take it from me when we touch!" she explained, a little worried that now she wouldn't be able to touch her son.
Azra nodded and opened his mouth to speak, but he quickly closed it when Ian walked in and saw Iris looking a little pale, leaning against the table.
" What happened?" he asked while studying her facial features and her body wondering what had happened in his absence.
Iris smiled " I mended the window, and I feel a little dizzy!" she lied while giving Azra a knowing look to keep his mouth shut.
" Azra arrived just in time and caught me before I fell!" she lied again with a smile, hoping that Ian wouldn't catch on.
Ian frowned " I see! You shouldn't use your abilities for now!" he advised while sparing a glance at Azra, who had a guilty look on his face, which made him wonder why?
Iris nodded and cleared her throat " You are right. Maybe I should take it slow for the time being!" she said, pushing herself off the table and making her way to the bed and laying down on it.
" I've informed the red that you wish to speak with him. He should be here shortly!" Azra said while making his way to the door, halting his steps to look at Iris, who nodded and smiled.
" I will deal with him. You stay here and rest!" Ian said, following Azra outside.
" What happened?" he curly asked as soon as he closed the door. He knew now that Iris was lying to him. She had used a tremendous amount of energy before while summoning the elements she had never felt dizzy or ill after.
Azra smiled " It was like Mother said, she mended the windows and felt dizzy, and I came to infom you that Rom will be with you shortly and caught before she fell!" he reinforced the lie with a smile.
Ian hummed, a satisfied smile breaking on his lips. Now he had confirmation that they were lying, and he had an idea of what they were trying to cover up.
" I told you not to touch her again! What part do you find challenging to follow? I would happily explain it to you! he hissed through gritted teeth. His body began to tremble, and slowly, his hands burned with blue flames, making Azra take a step back.
" Ian, I didn't touch her!" he said in a pleading voice while putting distance between himself and Ian, not wanting to fight him.
He knew Ian was powerful because of the sword, and if he suspected, he was probably more powerful than all of them combined.