"Long have I kept certain details about your lineage from you," Lady Crystobelle declared, watching Seraphina with her usual calm and level-headed composure. "There shall still be some things that are shrouded in darkness, but this we can inform you with certainty."
Seraphina glanced back and forth between Lady Crystobelle and Dante. Her heart raced. She could feel her thudding pulse as blood rushed. For so long, she desired to know more about her past. She longed to know the truth that fate kept hidden from her. She waited as her eyes shifted back and forth between Lady Crystobelle and Dante. Who would be the first to reveal the secrets?
"When we found you, your parents had already passed," Dante told her softly. Her heart clenched at the haunted look in his eyes. She didn't miss him swallowing thickly as if the memories truly disturbed him. "We-We could not discern their identities for they were brutally murdered. We do know that your father was an elf and your mother was a fae."
It was her turn to attempt to weed through the startling confession. Her parents had been brutally murdered. She had nightmares since she was a child about an enchanting woman with large beautiful moth wings. An elvish man kissed her forehead before the woman grabbed her up in her arms as she heard snarling accompanied by the elvish man frantically telling the woman to fly away as he took out his sword from the scabbard. The woman whispered words of comfort as she took to the sky only to be ripped from her.
In the dream, she struck the ground, losing conscious gradually as she heard screams of excruciating pain a little bit away from her. Her last moments was of a hellhound ravaging the remains of the woman, tearing off the wings from her body before digging into flesh. There was so much blood, painting her vision in red as red menacing eyes of the beast peered over at her.
"Do you remember?" Lady Crystobelle abruptly questioned, forcing her to return to the present reality.
Her eyes met hers then shifted to Dante's narrowed gaze and she licked her lips nervously. "Perhaps, I thought it was just nightmares," she confessed with a sigh. She wrung her hands as she forced herself to reveal her nightmares to them. "I used to dream about an elvish man kissing my forehead and this fae woman attempting to take flight only to be attacked by I believe a hellhound."
With Dante's sharp intake of breath and his eyes shutting in agony, she knew it wasn't a nightmare. It happened. It truly happened. Those were her last moments with her parents before they were brutally murdered by a hellhound. They were her memories. Lady Crystobelle took a deep breath before tears filled her eyes.
"So hellhounds truly came to Elovaisus," she murmured, shaking her head. "I-I must tell Queen Hyacinth, the dwarves in the Silver Star Mountains, and the Priestesses of the Fire."
Dante nodded his head. "If the hellhounds were unleashed, it means whoever attacked your parents was a necromancer."
"It must be the Fae King of Shayla," Lady Crystobelle muttered. "He used hellhounds to hunt down the Celestials when they took Araceli to their realm. He also used them to search for Ambriel."
Wait! The Fae King of Shayla? His name was that of epic legends. The name came with a wicked reputation. Who were her parents to garner his deadly and brutal attention?
"Could she have fallen victim like Seraphina's parents?" he questioned, concern upon his face. "If she was torn to shreds, she would have been unrecognizable."
She shook her head. "She is too cunning and clever to be outwitted. She was held captive by the king for a millennium and we all know she was not truly imprisoned. She stayed, because of the Prophecy." Her eyes snapped to Seraphina as if she just realized she was still here. Her eyes narrowed, gazing her up and down with scrutiny. "If the King of Shayla was after you, your parents were of prestige, worth, and power. Perhaps, presently, it is best the identities of your parents elude us. However, I do believe it shall be revealed, it is your legacy and this upcoming war is built upon that."
Seraphina just nodded her head as if she truly understood what Lady Crystobelle was referring to, but all this discussion of prophecy and legacy unnerved her. She was making it sound like she would be playing a large role in it like Calyx or Araceli. With the way her heart pounded and her instincts buzzed in her body, she wondered if there was truth to her mentor's words. They had never discussed things of this magnitude and of this nature before her when she was present.
It made her realize how long both of them had been around. The old tales of Tempest Elysium made her feel foolish and youthful. She was twenty five years of age which paled in comparison to how ancient they were. They were of the legends. They spoke of the Celestials, who had departed long ago. They only resurfaced once Araceli was born and they had departed just as quickly to keep her safe.
She was deep in thought that she hadn't realized that both of them were watching her until she was met with curious eyes. The way that both Lady Crystobelle and Dante looked at her was different like they were trying to piece together a puzzle. When had she become an enigma to them?
For a moment, she longed to still be that oblivious and irrelevant orphan with a knack for healing. Hiding behind an illusion didn't mean it wasn't there, she reminded herself as she watched Lady Crystobelle's eyes dance abruptly with merriment. She patted a large tome before her on the table.
"This is a large tome about Fae magic personally bestowed upon you by Queen Hyacinth," she told with a slight smile. She beckoned her forward. "The tome will only open and the words will only appear if the Fae practitioner is worthy to be given the wisdom this enchanted tome possesses."
Biting her bottom lip, Seraphina eyed the tome warily as she approached Lady Crystobelle. She could feel the intense weight of Dante's eyes burning into her. Lady Crystobelle took the tome and offered it to her. She could feel the presence of the tome from where she stood already. She didn't need to feel it in her hands, because she just knew the powerful aura of the tome was whispering to her. Her hand shook before her fingers curled around it and the whispers became loud and clear. Her eyes widened when the tome glowed. The powerful aura surged in waves.
She looked up at her mentors in surprise, spotting Lady Crystobelle's smile. Dante hide a small smile to himself, but she could tell the truth by his eyes. He was stoic to everyone but only a select few. Both of her mentors seemed unsurprised and proud as if it was such a marvelous accomplishment. Strangely, the tome felt familiar to her as if it was a part of her. It felt as if it was meant for her.
"Queen Hyacinth was undeniably correct," she said, eyeing the tome as it resonated with power. "You are a powerful Fae. Perhaps, it is one of the reasons why your family was hunted. This trip through the Crystal Forest shall be indeed beneficial to you." Her gaze slipped to Dante. "You both should depart with the rest of the Heralds. I wish you a safe passage. May you be protected by the Sacred Tree on your journey."
Dante bowed to Lady Crystobelle and Seraphina quickly followed suit with a customary curtsy. Dante walked toward her, winking at her as he passed. She flushed, glancing over at Lady Crystobelle for a moment before she turned to follow Dante out of her personal chambers into the Great Hall.