The warm glow of the evening hearth lit the room, casting dancing shadows on the stone walls as the Vestron family sat in quiet anticipation. Julia sat before Duke Lucious, Duchess Lilith, and Noah, her small form still tense from the weight of what she had shared. Her eyes darted around the room, filled with elegance and comfort, so far removed from the harsh life she had endured. Lilith, seated beside Noah, wore a curious but gentle expression, while Lucious leaned back in his chair, his fingers intertwined, the weight of his gaze heavy as he waited for answers.
Julia having a last name was not a small matter. In Elysium, a last name signified noble lineage, carrying immense weight and prestige. Among humans, it was possible for commoners to rise through merit and achievement, attaining titles through knighthood or other noble endeavors. However, for the various fantasy races that populated Elysium, nobility, and hierarchy were not earned—they were inherited. The purity of one's bloodline dictated one's standing from birth and often remained unchanged throughout their life.
The structure was rigid, especially in races like demons, those with higher bloodline purity could command those with lesser purity. The demon king held the purest bloodline, followed by his offspring, each heir determined by the purity of their blood. Vampires followed an even stricter hierarchy, where higher vampires could control lower ones, maintaining order through bloodline supremacy.
Other fantasy races, though lacking such direct control, still upheld rigid societal structures. A higher purity bloodline generally implied greater innate talent and potential for growth, granting the bearer a revered place within their society. Thus, Julia's last name implied much about her origins, but precisely where she stood in the hierarchy of her race was still shrouded in mystery.
The bloodline purity indicated how close they were to their origin. So, if Julia was of noble origin, it meant she was pureblood. However, her exact standing within the hierarchy remained unclear.
Lucious and Lilith wanted to be clear about her origins before taking her in.
Lilith broke the heavy silence first, her voice calm yet probing. "Julia, we've been wondering… about your origins. If it's okay with you, I'd like to ask a few questions."
"Yes, it's okay, but I'm not too clear about my origins myself," Julia answered softly, her voice tinged with uncertainty. Her young age made it understandable that her memories might be fragmented or unclear.
Lilith nodded, offering a gentle smile. "Alright, let's start with something simple. How old are you, and how long have you been living here in the Vestron estate?"
"I'm four," Julia replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "I've been living here for about a year now."
Lucious leaned forward slightly, his tone calm but laced with curiosity. "Have you been alone all this time? Are there others of your kin nearby?"
Julia shook her head. "No… I've been alone. There is no one of my kin here."
Lilith's eyes widened in disbelief, "What! You're so small, and yet you've been living alone. Where are your parents? How could they be so cruel as to abandon their child? How could a parent be so heartless?"
At that, Julia's face hardened, her violet eyes flashing with pain. "They were not heartless! My mother… she didn't abandon me. She sacrificed herself to keep me safe. She was not heartless." Her voice broke as tears welled up, streaming down her cheeks as she recalled the memory of her mother.
The room fell into a heavy silence. Lilith instantly regretted her harsh words, realizing she had spoken out of turn without understanding Julia's situation. Rising from her seat, she approached the weeping girl and gently took her into her arms. "I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice soft with regret. "I spoke without knowing the actual situation."
After several moments, Julia pulled back, her face still streaked with tears but regaining some composure. "I'm sorry for crying like that," she said, her voice barely audible.
Lucious, ever the pragmatic one, shifted slightly in his chair. "There's no need to apologize. Shall we continue?" His tone was neutral, but there was a hint of concern in his eyes.
Julia nodded. "Yes."
"So, you said your mother sacrificed herself to protect you. What exactly happened? Who was trying to kill you, and where was your father during your mother's sacrifice?" Lucious asked, his voice calm but inquisitive.
Lilith interjected softly, "Only answer if you're comfortable with answering."
"No, it's okay. I can't always run from my past. To answer your question, I'll have to start with my origin," Julia said, drawing a deep breath. Her violet eyes shimmered with sorrow and determination as she began. "I was born in the elf kingdom, Seluria. I lived there with my mom and dad. I don't remember my father much… He died when I was very young." Her voice was soft, laced with pain. "My mother, Ares Augustine, raised me alone. She used to tell me stories of him—my father, Liam Augustine, a warrior of the dark elves."
"Augustine… So you are of noble blood?" Lucious' tone was calm but laced with curiosity as if trying to peel back layers of Julia's lineage.
"Maybe, or maybe not," Julia replied with a self-mocking laugh. "Dark elves were in a precarious situation in the elf kingdom too. They were treated as slaves by the high elves. So nobility meant nothing. The last name was just something that had been passed down through generations without knowing its actual significance or what it meant. So I don't know if we were nobles or not. Even if we were, it wouldn't mean anything. There is no hierarchy among slaves."
Lilith and Lucious looked at each other and sighed, fully understanding the grim reality of how dark elves were treated. It wouldn't be possible to learn about her lineage from her, as she herself was clueless.
"Alright, let's leave the matter of your lineage aside for now. Tell us what happened after that. How did you end up at the Vestron duchy? Seluria is quite far from here," Lilith asked gently.
"It's a long story. To tell you in short, my father led a rebellion and got defeated and executed. We had to escape from Seluria," Julia began.
"The rebellion," Lucious murmured, his brow furrowed. "What happened?"
Julia's expression darkened, her hands trembling slightly. "Well, I haven't witnessed it, but my mother would tell me about it when we were on the run. We were oppressed by the high elves of Seluria. My father couldn't stand it any longer—the way they treated dark elves, like we were lesser beings, even though we too were children of the World Tree." She glanced at the floor, her voice wavering. "He led our people in an uprising, hoping to change our fate. But we were outnumbered, weak from years of oppression. The rebellion failed, and my father and his comrades were executed publicly. The king ordered the execution of all their families as well."
Lilith inhaled sharply, and even Lucious' brows furrowed slightly as he absorbed the gravity of Julia's tale.
"My mother and I had no choice but to run," Julia continued her voice tight with emotion. "We fled into the Mirkwood Forest, the forest surrounding Seluria. For a year, we wandered there, always watching our backs, hiding from the elven soldiers hunting us. My mother protected me as best as she could, but we were always on edge. She told me stories about my father to keep our spirits up, but the danger was never far away."
"And then?" Lucious asked, his voice low, as though sensing the darkness looming ahead in the story.
Julia's face darkened further, her violet eyes growing cold. "After about a year, when my mother thought that the soldiers had stopped their pursuit and she lowered her vigilance, one night, they found us."
The fire crackled as the room fell into an uneasy silence. Julia's voice, though steady, carried a weight that made the air feel thick.
"It was dark, the kind of night where the moon barely touched the ground. We were clueless until they surrounded us from all sides. They surrounded us, thinking they'd cornered their prey. I thought, that we would die that night. But I witnessed something extraordinary that night. I witnessed my mother's real strength"
"I learned one thing that day, my mother was not on the run because she was weak or afraid of the high elf soldiers. She was running from them so she could keep me safe. I was just a burden. My mother's condition would have been much better without me."
Lilith and Lucious sat still, listening intently as Julia's voice dropped, her tone as sharp as the blades that haunted her memory.
"My mother was a master of shadow magic. In the dead of night, that magic made her unstoppable. The soldiers… they thought they had us. But she made them realize, too late, that they were the ones trapped."