The unknown visitor moved further into the laboratory, and as they stepped into the light, Katrin's eyes widened in shock. It was a woman, her face obscured by a hood, but her voice carried a hint of authority.
"My lord," the woman spoke, her tone laced with urgency.
"What is it, Lacy? I'm in the middle of something" Ethan asked a little annoyed.
"I come with dire news. The Council of Elders has learned of the news of a girl spotted in the forest, with light coming out of her hand The seem to suspect it has something to do with the prophecy."
Ethan's expression hardened as he listened, his hand still poised near his concealed weapon. "And what do they intend to do?"
The woman hesitated before answering, her voice tense. "They have dispatched an envoy to investigate the nearby areas and, the castle. They will arrive within days, and their intentions on how they tend to search are unclear. You must be prepared, Duke Ethan."
Katrin's heart raced as she absorbed the gravity of the situation. The Council of Elders were, by Willow's and Azrael's experience a powerful and secretive organization that governed the use of magic and supernatural abilities. If they found her; her future, her destiny could be in jeopardy.
Ethan's jaw tightened, but he nodded in acknowledgment. "Thank you for the warning, Head knight. I will take the necessary precautions."
The hooded woman gave a curt nod and turned to leave, disappearing out the door into the corridor as quickly as she had arrived.
Ethan closed the door and turned to Katrin, his expression grave. "Katrin, this complicates things. The Council's involvement could put you in even greater danger."
Katrin nodded, her mind racing with the implications of the Council's dispatched arrival. She couldn't help but feel a sense of unease and uncertainty about what lay ahead.
"What do we do now, my lord?" she asked, her voice tinged with apprehension.
Ethan's gaze was unwavering as he met her eyes. "We prepare, Katrin. We will continue your training, but we must also find a way to protect you from the Council's scrutiny. Our time is limited, and the challenges ahead are formidable, but together, we will face them."
Katrin nodded, but all of a sudden, her head felt light, then the rest of her body and she came crashing down onto the wood floor boards of the lab. The last thing she heard was Ethan's concerned voice yelling her name before she blanked.
KARDAN (World of The Superiors).
"Katrin!" A voice echoed through the air, Katrin tried to open her eyes, hearing the feminine voice calling her name in the darkness. "Katrin! you need to wake up now, you don't have much time".
"Let the girl wake up on her own time Lara" Another female voice came through and Katrin was beginning to feel curious. Where was she, and who were these people around her. She slowly opened her eyes, her gaze meeting the worried eyes of a beautiful woman.
"She's awake." The woman said excitedly
Katrin's eyes slowly adjusted to the surroundings, and she found herself lying on a soft, ethereal bed surrounded by a misty, otherworldly realm. The two women who had been calling her name were now right beside her, their presence radiating a sense of power and grace.
"Katrin," the first woman spoke, her voice soft and soothing. "I am Astrid, the Goddess of Fate."
The second woman, with an aura of shimmering light, introduced herself, "And I am Altair, the Goddess of Destiny and Enlightenment."
Katrin's heart pounded in her chest as she took in their divine presence. These were not ordinary women; they were goddesses. Her mind raced to comprehend the situation.
"Why am I here? What's happening?" Katrin asked, her voice trembling.
Astrid and Altair exchanged a meaningful glance before Astrid spoke again, "Katrin, you have been chosen for a great destiny, one that could shape the fate of Aerinthia."
Altair continued, "But time is not on your side. Our world is threatened by a dark force, our ex-sister, the Goddess of Darkness, whom you might have once known as Sybil the goddess of death and all things dark. She seeks to claim the ultimate power, and if she succeeds, she will plunge Aerinthia into darkness and chaos."
Katrin's eyes widened in shock. She had been told the story of Lyria when she was young, and what the goddess had done to be banished from Kardan. the idea of an ex-goddess becoming a threat to the world was almost incomprehensible.
Astrid spoke with urgency, "You have twelve days, Katrin. Twelve days to discover what you must do, how you must do it, and to actually do it. The fate of Aerinthia rests in your hands."
Katrin's heart raced as she tried to process the enormity of the task before her. "But how? What am I supposed to do?"
Altair's expression was compassionate but unwavering. "That, Katrin, is your destiny to uncover. We cannot simply reveal it to you, for it would not be your destiny if you cannot find the way to it, yourself."
Tears welled up in Katrin's eyes as the weight of the responsibility settled upon her shoulders. She felt overwhelmed, lost, and fearful of what lay ahead.
"Please, I beg you," Katrin implored, her voice filled with desperation. "Give me some guidance, some clue to start with."
Astrid and Altair exchanged another knowing glance, and then Astrid spoke softly, "Very well, we can offer you this much: Seek the hidden knowledge in the heart of the Enchanted Forest, where the ancient tree of wisdom stands. There, you may find the first clue to your destiny."
Katrin nodded, her determination growing. She knew she had no choice but to accept her fate and embark on this perilous journey. With a newfound resolve, she asked, "And what of Lyria? How do I stop her?"
Altair's gaze hardened as she replied, "You will discover the means to confront her, but remember, time is of the essence. Go now, Katrin, and may the guidance of the goddesses be with you."
Astrid and Altair began to fade away into the mist, leaving Katrin alone to sip back into her world. When she opened her eyes she found herself on a chair in Ethan's lab, as she stared at the viles and bottles of chemicals on the table.
Ethan walked in at that moment with a bowl in his hand and a small towel thrown over his shoulder, when he noticed her awake, he moved over, elegantly and gentle placed the back of his hand on her forehead, "Are you alright? you hit your head pretty hard and your body was heated while you were unconscious"
Katrin felt warm under his touch it was soft. And when she thought about it, even though her mother hadn't cared for her like this, she never really took care of her, whenever she was sick, she was given medicine then left alone. When she was hungry, she was given scrap food to the rest of whatever was left.
When she got injured, she was told to wash it off and lay in bed, but the very next day she'd be drying laundries in the yard while her sisters ran around and played.
Though Ruth stopped every once in a while, to help her, she would set her medicine and give her sponge baths, leave food hidden under the cupboard and hold the stool for her to reach the highest line. Even if it resulted in Marissa dragging her away, she still came back to help.
She watched as Ethan set the bowl down and dipped the towel in the water. Gentle he dabbed and rubbed the cloth over her arms, head and now he was focused on her neck. Katrin could feel the cloth slowly moving down from her neck it reached her chest but was still moving south.
When she looked at the duke, she found that his attention was on the bottom, half of her face, her lips. Her heart was starting to race, her throat went dry and her palms became clampy.
His face suddenly felt closer and it felt as though her heart was now in her ears. She cleared her throat and looked down at her lap, "I-I am well now thank you for worrying. If it's alright with you si-master, I would like to head to my room for a little rest?"
Ethan's expressions didn't change he nodded and moved aside, giving her room to leave, "You may leave, rest is what you need right now, please do such."
She bowed to him on impulse and stood up quickly making her light head again but she didn't wait it out and was out of the door like a hunter's bullet. Her thoughts were jumbled up. Back there it seemed as though the duke had leaned in on her. was she imagining things or had they actually happened?
She moved through the corridors in a hurry to reach her room, but she stopped when she heard a soft voice call at her, "Katrin!"
She turned to find the princess of the castle sticking her head out a door and waving for her to come closer. Taken aback she took slow and cautious steps to the door and stood a distance away from the peaking head. "How can I help you princess Aeliana?"
"Oh please," The princess laughed, reaching out her hand to pull Katrin closer and into the door, shutting it behind her.
Katrin wiped around in shock and looked around the small room, it was dusty and most of the furniture in the room was covered with white sheets except for a reading chair and a small table in the center of the room. On the table was a try of food and tea.
"Please, make yourself comfortable." Aeliana said locking the door behind her. She pulled Katrin to sit in the reading chair quickly pouring her a cup of tea and shoving it into Katrin's lap.
Katrin watched as the girl energetically moves around and uncovers one of the other chairs, she fans away the dust before sitting at the edge of it, "Sooooo?"
"Sooooo?" Katrin asked back, unsure of what was happen.
Aeliana gave her a suspicious grin and leaned closer, "So, what's going on with you and my brother?"
What?
"What do you mean?"
"You're with my brother, right? I saw you leave his room this morning in your clothes from yesterday are you with him." Aeliana said taking a sip from her tea. only to end up spitting it out as what Katrin said next, "I'm sorry but what do you mean 'with him', I just slept with him as a punishment for what I'd done."
"You, slept with my brother? as a punishment." She held her reddened check and smiled teasingly, "I didn't know my elder brother was interested in such."
It took a while for Katrin to understand what she meant, and when she did, she looked as red as a tomato, if she wasn't wrong, Aeliana was probably about the same age as her, so she was surprised to see a princess talk boldly about things the married ladies of her village usually whispered about.
Immediately she waved her hand about trying to cancel her words but the young princess refused to listen.
"I could tell he adored you from the first day, always making sure that the maids gave you extra time to sleep, serving you Brunch and making sure your favorites are in every meal, and now his buying you clothes from the most expensive of elven stores. He'd never done that for me before and I'm his sister, It almost made me jealous."
Katrin confusingly processed everything. Did the Duke, No. Did her Master really do all that for her?
Did he... Adore her?