As Prince Damian communicated, the mood in the room grew heavy and sombre. All eyes evaded meeting him, as none wanted to face the pleading question he had asked.
Gazing at Queen Safira, Damian implored her for an answer. But she offered none, only tears streaming down her face. Why won't she answer me? he thought. Just please, answer me...
"Safira, Uncle Drac, Fenris, Kiron... please, please answer me," Damian begged, his voice devoid of any pain, but the pleading tone was still evident.
Holding Queen Safira tightly, Damian's heart raced as he clung to her, unwilling to let go. His mind flashed back to his time in the Orges' cage, cold and alone, with no one to help or protect him. The room around him seemed to fade away, as though it were all a lie and he was still trapped in that cage, his hope a cruel illusion.
Queen Safira noticed that he was starting to faint and spoke softly to him. "Damian, darling, breathe. I'm here. Look, I'm here," she said, taking his hand and entwining her fingers with his to offer warmth.
With her touch, Damian came back to reality and looked around the space, recognizing it once again. He heard Uncle Drac speak.
"I'm so sorry, Damian. We can't take you with us... Unfortunately, the spiritual power in our Domain would annihilate you too quickly," Drac said, his eyes sad as he looked at Damian.
Damian looked back at Drac. "No, this can't be. I don't want you to leave me alone. You're everything to me... Please, Safira, Drac, is there nothing you can do?" he pleaded.
Fenris came to Damian, embracing him and crying as well, but her words offered no solace.
Damian's eyes searched for Uncle Drac for any glimmer of hope. "Uncle Drac," he said, but saw only sadness in his eyes.
"I'm sorry, child. There's nothing that can be done," Drac said, shaking his head.
"No... So, you're just going to leave me for how long? You can come back right away, can't you?" Damian asked, still grasping for a solution.
The tutor spoke up, "The God-rank entities get a five-year ban, Prince Damian. It's to make sure they don't abuse their power or harm weaker-ranked ones.
AN: "The five-year ban starts from the year she arrived and the beginning of each year. So, when her ban is up, she can come back. Technically, it's not a full five years. You can arrive at the end of a cycle and then come back at the beginning of a new one, four years later, if you date it right. It's a kind of loophole."
Damian's heart sank as he realized the reality of the situation. Five years without them thinking. Would they still love him? Would they even remember him?
Queen Safira pulled him close, "Don't you dare think that. I will never forget you. When my five-year ban is up, I'll come here as quickly as I can to see you. I promise. You will always be in my heart. I love you so much, Damian. You have no idea how much I've cared about you since the first time I laid eyes on you," she said, holding out her finger to make a promise.
Prince Damian stared at Queen Safira's outstretched finger, his heart heavy with confusion and betrayal. "I... I don't understand. Why is this happening? It's so unfair," he muttered.
Drac tried to ease the tension, "I'm sorry, Damian. We wanted to tell you right away, but you needed to understand what we were going to say. So, we waited and gave you time. Don't hate Safira, alright?"
Damian took a deep breath, trying to process the information. "I understand. You all just wanted to protect me," he said, his voice trembling.
Fenris added, "That's all we ever want. Safira has been torn every day, knowing she's going to leave you and didn't know how to tell you." Safira continued to cry, holding out her finger for him to seal the promise.
Feeling numb, Damian took her finger and gave her a kiss and a hug. She melted into his arms, holding him tightly, not wanting to let go. After a few minutes, she reluctantly let him go when he asked.
"Is there anything else I need to know?" Damian asked, sensing that there was more to come. Everyone tensed up, avoiding his gaze.
Drac asked the tutor to leave and waited for him to depart before continuing. "You know that day when you went into that machine and it scanned you, Damian?"
Damian nodded, his eyes fixed on Drac.
"Well, we couldn't work out your race. No one's seen eyes like yours, so we decided to do a full-body scan. It revealed some very worrying information about your body and soul. For one, your age is 1453, but some hex has stopped you at 5 years old and we don't know how. The other worrying factor is your rank. It was hexed as well and showed... 'powered son'," Drac said, taking a deep breath before continuing.
Prince Damian sat there, frozen, trying to process the information. He sat there for four minutes before Drac snapped him out of it.
"Damian...boy...hey, are you there? I said we also saw other things, but those are the most worrying right now. Do you understand?"
Damian's anger began to boil over. "But Safira said I can become as powerful as I want, so long as I don't give up fighting. I'm only limited by my mindset. So, you lied to me," he said, standing up and pushing her away in anger.
She reached for him but stopped. "No, Damian. Please... I didn't trick you. I told you the truth. You can still become strong, and I'll do everything I can to break the hexes and help you rise in power. I swear I will, darling if it's the last thing I do," she said, her voice trembling.
"I only have 47 years left. I'll be dead before I break into the Emmortal Realm rank as the teacher said. How could you possibly help me?!" Damian exclaimed his heart heavy with despair.
"No, Damian. I can and I will," Queen Safira insisted, determination in her voice.
Damian. "Don't promise that to me. We both know you can't keep that promise, Safira," he snapped, regretting his words as soon as he saw the hurt in her eyes as tears came streaming.
He quickly rushed to her and held her hands, looking into her beautiful white eyes. "I'm sorry, Safira. I didn't mean that. Forgive me, please," he begged, his voice trembling with remorse.
Queen Safira shook her head. "No, Damian. I swear I will find a solution. Believe in me, please. That's all I ask from you," she said, holding his face and looking into his eyes.
"I do, more than anything. I know you won't," Damian replied, his voice filled with hope.
Queen Safira smiled. "Thank you. That's all I need to hear from you," she said, hugging him again.
Drac added, "I'm sorry, Damian. But for now, we have never seen something like this before. Safira and I are millions of years old. We won't give up, and neither should you."
Fenris leaned on his shoulder. "Me too, Damian. We'll all work together to find a solution," she said.
Prince Damian took a deep breath and put on a brave smile. "Then I'll just work hard to stay with Safira and all of you," he said, looking around the room at everyone. They saw the determination in his eyes and the conviction behind his words.
"Yes, Damian. You can do it. I believe in you, we all do. That's the spirit. Never give up or lose," Queen Safira said, giving him a big smile.
"I'm sorry I should have never said that to you, Safira, or doubt you. Please forgive me," Damian said, his voice filled with remorse.
"Within a heartbeat, Damian. I do and will never hate you," Queen Safira replied, her voice filled with love.
Drac placed his hand on Prince Damian's shoulder. "That's the spirit, kid. We all believe in you and won't give up on you either. We care for you so much," he said.
Fenris added, "Yes, Damian. You will grow into a fine man and a gorgeous prince as well."
"I definitely won't let you all down. I'll work my hardest and show you in 5 years how good I've become. I'm going to miss you all so much," Damian said.
Everyone said they would miss him as well, giving him hugs and cheering him on.
"So, wait... what is my power level? Is it high at least? And what are my powers? Please tell me I have powers. I can't take more bad news," Damian asked, worry creeping into his voice.
The room was filled with less tension as Prince Damian waited for an explanation. But instead of cold silence and averted gazes, they were all ready to answer his questions.
"I apologize, Damian," said Drac. "We broke the machine before we could test your rank level. But King Aerin has ordered another one, so we'll test your rank level soon. As for your powers, let me explain them to you."
Prince Damian turned to Drac with a questioning look.
"Those bracelets you wear, the ones you can't take off," Drac began. "They are limiters, designed for other things. We had to lock your powers to ensure your safety and protection."
"Why wouldn't it be safe?" Prince Damian asked, a look of confusion on his face.
"Damian, you have incredibly powerful healing powers. If any Dark Emmortals or higher existences were to find out about them, they would hunt you down and extract your spiritual essence. And your second power is strength, like super strength. We were worried you might hurt someone with it, especially in a raged mind," Drac explained.
Prince Damian looked down, sighing. "I see. So I don't even get to have powers, and I'm at a disadvantage in life."
Queen Safira interjected, "No, you're not. Remember, there's a possibility that you might be able to awaken your powers if that hex is broken. If we can break the hex, your original level might return."
"Do you think it can be broken? Is that even possible?" Prince Damian asked, looking up at Queen Safira.
"Where there's a will, there's a way," she said, placing her hand on his face. "For light, there's dark. Everything has an opposite. If there's a hex like that, then there's a way to break it. We just need to figure it out and find the answers."
Prince Damian looked at Queen Safira with determination. "Then I will wait for that day to come. Is there anything else now?"
Queen Safira sighed and looked at him. "No, Damian. That's all for now.
Drac chimed in, "That's right, Damian. There's nothing else for now."
They all chatted for a while as Queen Safira explained the workings of their universes and how long she would be staying with Prince Damian. They all agreed to her request and then parted ways to go about their day.