ă€ŠThe Black Mist Enchantressă€‹


 Chapter 1 - Those Eyes Are Familiar

    She ran towards the light...

    Amidst the dark and cold void, Emmy couldn''t find any hope of life until a small beam of light started shining. It was as small as a jelly bean but her eyes could see it. Shivering, stumbling finally as her hands were just about to touch the source of light, she felt a cold touch over her waist pushing her towards the light.

    Emmy was completely drenched in sweat when she opened her eyes. Snoozing her alarm, she tried to forget that nightmare which was haunting her for the past few years. Looking to her left, Emmy calmed down. The family photo sitting on the table provided her warmth encouraging her to reach her goal. It was taken at their cliff-top manor during the summer vacation four years ago, specifically saying it was their last vacation together after which she lost everyone and everything.

    "Ah, I have to go to this stupid college. Out of all other colleges, why did I get admitted to this particular one". Emmy was worried but cursing her ancestors, she tried to calm herself. Little, did she know, her life will have a tremendous change due to this condition in the family law.

    The Salian Envoy college was famous for its existence of 100 years. The method of teaching and principles were somewhat ordinary, but admissions were rarely opened to outsiders. Students were from various mysterious family clans and highly trained in every subject.

    Emmy looked at her schedule and reached the corridor at level 3. As she entered the class, several pairs of eyes looked at the ugly ¨C nerdy girl which appeared at the door. Emmy quietly ignored all the stares and took the last bench where a guy was sleeping. Suddenly the sleeping guy popped up his head towards her and a pair of golden brown eyes welcomed her which gave her a chill feeling.

    Emmy averted her gaze and quietly tried to remember those eyes from her memory, but it was blank. Then a bone-chilling voice rang in her ears, "Hey lady, would you mind sitting elsewhere".

    "Nope, you can change. I am fine here" Emmy didn''t even give him a chance to retaliate. She ignored him and read her book. She sensed the guy in her front seat looking at her, slowly she met his gaze. He introduced himself ¨C "Hi, I am E. S. Miran but loved to be called Mike, read it if you love yourself".

    Emmy looked at the folded yellow paper, ignoring Mike she read the message- "Watch your tone, he is dangerous". The next second Mike was shot with a murderous gaze, the fire in her eyes made his hair stand straight. Her silent but ferocious expression made Mike and his deskmate, Jordan disturbed and someone who was uninterested in everything turn to look at her. "Are you blind? He isn''t that handsome to drool over like this. Look at me, beauty". Emmy got lost for words, her anger management techniques were no good but few sentences from Alex made her mind very calm.

    She looked at Alex, his eyes were like a deep black hole, more accurately a void, so deep that it was mysterious and engulfing her whole. Throwing the yellow message paper on Mike''s face, her arrogant eyes gave Alex a "shut your mouth" look. The bell rang, making the awkward situation to an end. After the classes got over, Emmy didn''t wait for another second to look at Alex. She ran straight to the hostel to find her room. Walking along the dark corridor, Emmy found two rooms at the end facing the old graveyard. It was scary enough for any normal person that they might pee at its ghastly sight, but she wasn''t scared.

    Room 54¨C as the door was opened, she sensed familiar aura in the room. Emmy had her eyes wet because that aura reminded her of her mother. Her mother used to share this room with her father when they were doing their graduation. Their precious memories were all written out and that was the only reason why she came to this place even when that haunting memory of hers started from here.

    Inside the opposite room, 2 voices were heard discussing heated topics. Mike gave a pity expression, "Alex, let us be serious. You never initiated contact with any women, but today started noticing an ugly chic. Stop it for our father''s sake, you can''t even dream about anyone else than Lady Vilmon".

    "CUT IT OUT".

    The temperature suddenly dropped, Jordan put on his alert mode on. Someone was fuming out; his anger was getting out of control and body radiating coldness. "THUD", a punch got dropped on Mike''s chest, making him fall on the ground. Jordan couldn''t help but tried to make Alex calm down whereas Mike was flabbergasted. "How many times do I have to repeat, no one can order me around and that name shouldn''t reach my ears." Alex sounded as if the king of the hell returned and he barged into the opposite room without thinking.

    He marched straight into the room opening the door with the duplicate room card. He sat there in daze, gloominess shrouded his body as his mind was full of her. "I will find you my lady, will protect you and never leave you alone ever." Alex couldn''t get hold of his emotions and he closed his eyes without noticing the changes in the room. Emmy felt refreshed after taking a shower and opened the bathroom door with only bath towel wrapped around her.

    The sudden squeaking of the door alerted Alex and he turned around to see Emmy in an enchanting state, the storm inside his mind suddenly became calm and his eyes seized her from head to toe. Alex couldn''t help to control himself as his eyes savored each part of her curvy body, he realized that she had disguised herself with the ugly look to hide this damsel beauty from other''s eyes and his eyes halted when they met the other pair of eyes clearly displaying shock.

    "Those eyes are familiar"- he thought.

 Chapter 2 - Beauty Or Beast

    Emmy was clearly shocked to see the intruder gazing her body, the next second Alex received a blow from the heavy book which she threw at her full strength. She quickly took her dress and ran back to the bathroom. She changed into that conservative dress and came back to see Alex scanning her room. Emmy shouted at top of her voice, "Hey, what the heck are you doing here, just get out of my room".

    Alex was staring into her eyes, not hearing a word which Emmy said. He started walking towards her but she stood there stubbornly, not moving an inch, looking straight at his face. He was a little surprised as no one has dared to look at him this fiercely before and the one who did was the thorn of his life. Finally, he stopped in front of her; his chin was so close to the tip of her nose but even though she didn''t move a bit.

    Both were looking at each other, rather saying he was clearly lost in her eyes while she was trying to find his intention of barging into her room.

    "Knock, Knock"

    Mike and Jordan were waiting for the door to be opened, but they were astonished to find five white slender fingers on the door frame followed by an exquisite face with fiery eyes. Mike couldn''t hold back but smile and asked politely - "Hey Beautiful, did you see a handsome lad here?"

    "Handsome? Just a pile of shit, please take him away from here."- Emily was fuming inside but she has to put her cover-up not to get recognized. As Mike was eager to look inside Alex came out and gave him a frowning look. Jordan assessed the situation; however, he started to see this starlet in a different light. The aura surrounding her was sure of high grade and this fierceness was not even found in the 3 dominant families of their society. He was certain about this as he; himself was the alpha subordinate of the major faction of the Blackguards.

    Alex looked at Emmy but couldn''t find words to say and left the trio standing in front of the room. Emmy banged the door shut as she was trying to calm her inner mind; some immense feeling was disturbing her inside. She knew this forlorn feeling had connection with her nightmares.

    Meanwhile, inside the other room, two people were having different views on the same person but it was purely on their minds. Mike looked at his silent brother and tried to ease the scene. "Brother, you were rather flustered when you came out, what happened? And who was that beauty?"

    "Stay away from her", before Alex could reply, Jordon said to the brothers. Looking at disturbed buddy, Alex chuckled- "You seems to be interested in that lass, huh! Go to the matron and check about her. Also, I want that room to myself. Make the arrangements."

    Jordon came after having a chat with the Matron. "That girl''s background is a bit mysterious because the matron was not giving in much detail about her or her family. Anyways, her name is Emmy, full name Emmetina, family name not disclosed, a catastrophe hit her family a while back and the only survivor was her. But I find it very suspicious; her aura is penetrating into the spiritual cover which I had created when we reached here."

    Mike was getting interested listening to Jordon''s report of that damsel beauty, "Looks like I have found a match finally, will she be interested in seeking the dungeons and killing the weak chaps."

    "Even if she is interested, you won''t have a chance. By the way, why she was allocated that room? Why did that goofy man gave that room to anyone?"Alex started to feel excited as if a new toy landed in front of him. Jordon hesitated to answer that but under the cold gaze of the golden brown eyes, he answered ¨C"It''s not the dean''s choice, but that girl itself asked for that particular room."

    "Interesting, Mike, make sure to go and help her out of that room. It''s a task for you. Let the big brother see your style of doing things."Alex''s face changed few shades of emotions as he calmly analysed the little lass of the opposite room.

    Next day at cafeteria, Emmy took her meal plate and her eyes wandered to find a peaceful place to sit. Glancing for a while, she decided to sit at the corner most table where already a girl was seated with her head lowered. "Will I be disturbing you by sitting here?" Even before hearing the girl''s reply, Emmy seated herself and started having her food. The girl looked up to face Emmy and said "You are the first one to ask."

    Emmy gave a confusing look but said nothing. Few minutes later, the girl introduced herself "Hey, I am Juliet, the youngest one in the Posei Family. Usually no one befriends me as I am the ugliest here".

    "Your countenance doesn''t define you, would you mind to tag me along while we are here." Emmy spoke up after almost gobbling up the food. Juliet couldn''t be happier than this, as she smiled her eyes formed two arcs."You can call me Julie, I study metals here. What about you?" Juliet focused on Emmy''s face longing for a little curve of lips.

    "Ho Ho!, what am I seeing, Ms. Ugly got herself a companion who is a little better than her, ha ha ha" Juliet''s expression darkened a little but didn''t say anything and even Emmy was acting as if the three girls who stood beside their table were invisible.

    "Juls, it is a pity that you were born into our Posei family, even father does not want to acknowledge this beastly girl as his daughter. Just because grandfather supports you, don''t feel you are supreme." The girl with curly hair stomped her foot and went away with other two.

    "Sorry about that, my sisters never stop teasing me" Juliet couldn''t help but laugh it off. For first time after coming to the campus, Emmy smiled a bit and said "I know your beastly facade is mainly to obscure the powerful beauty in you".. After saying her thing, Emmy went to her class and Juliet sat there flabbergasted.

 Chapter 3 - A Silent Killing

    In the absence of her desk mate, Emmy''s class went well. When she returned, found Mike gawking at the door of her room. Emmy stood there motionlessly to see what he is up to. When Mike saw her staring at him, he recognized her as their new class nerd.

    "May I ask why you are here? This is the VIP floor and commoners like you are not supposed to be here." Mike gave his alluring smile and raised his eyebrows to scan the nerd opposite him. But to his disappointment, neither the girl didn''t fall for his enticing handsomeness nor did she give any response to his question. Emmy stood there glaring at him but with the entry of Adonis, her mood wavered a bit. The Adonis Alex leaning on the door to her room chuckled and said "Brother Mike, please give way to my roommate".

    "YOUR ROOM????"Emmy was losing her control and shoved Mike aside. When she tried to enter her room, Alex stood in front of her not allowing her to go inside. He pushed her to the door frame and looked straight into her eyes while his both hands resting over her shoulders. "From this moment, either you can move out from this room or share it with me."

    Mike was sure that this idea will work as no one plucked up the courage to fight with them and no girl in their college dared to mingle with his almighty brother. He was drowning in his own fantasy with his chest held up in pride when he heard the sound of a tight slap.

    The next scene which Mike saw made his heart miss a few beats. After slapping Alex, Emmy was rubbing her hand" This is for touching me with your filthy hands, this is my room, a place allocated only for me. I won''t budge even if you are the almighty prince of the Salian family".

    "You know me! It is interesting to know that but this time you actually crossed my limit. I will make sure that you will come begging me to stop." Alex replied rubbing his cheek which had red shade clearing showing the intensity of that slap.

    Emmy pushed Alex away entering the room and threw all the things which were not hers outside. Some items went out of the door while a few things went out of the window. Standing outside the room, Mike was on the verge of crying whereas Alex was finding the little lass cute, who was acting like a tornado inside the room, destroying Mike''s belongings.

    Yes! Mike''s belongings.

    Mike had been the one to show interest to share the room with Emmy, but who knew that Alex would come at the right time to tease the girl which made her go mad and violently thrash everything out of the room.

    "Brother, I am sorry but I cannot move forward with the task which you gave me. This girl is not ordinary. When she glares, I feel weakened like my body is suppressed with a heavy force." Mike started to blabber picking all his items on the floor.

    Emmy cleaned her room and came out locking the door behind her. She looked at the wailing Mike and deadpan Alex. "Please, don''t come knocking for trouble. This room is special for me and I don''t like anyone intruding to my private space." After saying her piece, Emmy walked out of the corridor.

    Watching her back going farther and farther away, Alex viciously raised his eyebrows "This is the second slap that I have received in my life. For this one, I will kill her bit by bit and she won''t even know when she died. Mirandrian, you watch her from onwards".

    The childish Mike who was kneeling on the floor picking the broken items, suddenly transformed into a rigid man because his brother, only called his family name when the killer mode is on. He knew this time his brother was really angry. This was the second time he seeing Alex like this as the first time; Mike couldn''t even dare to recollect those memories of the past.

    The little girl walked aimlessly through the corridor and reached the lakeside near the graveyard. Emmy sat on the bench looking at the setting sun but her mind started to visualize Alex, his golden-brown eyes, sharp eyebrows, and flushed cheeks. A part of her mind was telling her to stop getting close to him and another part was asking her to say sorry for the slap which she did send across his cheek.

    The sun was long gone, and the sky greeted with a carpet of shining stars, Emmy sat there throwing pebbles on to the lake and watching the ripples on the water. Her heart wavered but she wasn''t the dumb, soft-hearted girl of the past. Now she had no one to look after her and her strong pillars of support vanished a year ago starting her nightmarish life.

    "I hope to find the answers to my questions here because this place is where all it started. Dad! I remember you saying about the benefactor, who saved you and mom from those dominant family guards, was from here."Emmy gazed at the stars with tears falling from her eyes.

    That day she lost everything, her family, her memories, and herself. With just one day, she became an orphan with a huge weight of guilt crushing her heart as she didn''t know those people who attacked her family and killed her parents on their cliff-top manor.. Only a name was in her mind when she woke up "Salian".

 Chapter 4 - Two Soft Shoulders To Lean On

    Emmy sat there till late night watching the reflection of the starry sky in the lake. A tiny droplet of water fell on her face while she was in her thoughts. Emmy shivered under the cold touch but she was greeted with a warm smile. That person sat beside her, viewing the mesmerizing beauty of the lake.

    "Should I find you strange sitting near the graveyard at this time?" Juliet suddenly spoke up awaking the sleepy Emmy from the bench."Hey, I was roaming about the campus and sat here to feel the charming beauty of nature."Emmy happily replied.

    "The fight between you and the Salian princes have long been spread all over the place; I don''t know why those punks have been targeting you? Just be aware that the elder one named Alex can''t be fantasized over. Come to my room and rest."Juliet was lamenting for the new girl of the college.

    Emmy saw the alluring smile over Juliet''s face "okay, water girl. I need a company tonight!" "You completely knock me off, how do you know my forte is water? Also, let''s go inside to meet my roommate, her name is Janet, coming from the Dagardian family. She is so easy going and down to earth but like us, she is a little cold in appearance."Juliet took Emmy''s hands and walked to the dormitory bickering about her roommate all along the way.

    After entering the room which was contrary to Emmy''s corridor, what greeted her was full freshness and fragrance of freshly bloomed flowers. A girl was sitting on the floor with a bunch of lilies in her lap."Jane, look whom I brought today with me. This is the girl who is now the hot topic of the campus. " Juliet started to water the plants as she was introducing Janet to Emmy.

    "Hello Janet, you can call me Emmy. Julie told me a lot about you but it''s interesting to watch you more handling these plants. " Emmy smiled a bit to Janet, who suddenly stood up with the lilies which were shaped as a headdress now. Janet placed it over Emmy''s head "I was born as a frail girl in a family where more preferences are showered upon the males and females are considered as an object to be showcased. I loved plants from my childhood so this habit became my happy time because plants have its freedom restricted but never the growth."

    "Evolving yourself is the best way to achieve the impossible feat in this world. One day you shall be the pride of your family and with you, the fate of women of your family shall be rewritten."Emmy assured Janet making the latter smile. "This calls in for a celebration, let me take out the special gift from the great Posei family." Juliet rummaged through her things and brought out a round bottle.

    With the cork getting loose, an irresistible odor attacked their nostrils and the 3 girls started drinking the aromatic wine like there was no tomorrow. Amidst the drinking party, Janet and Juliet shared their family history. "The most interesting story is about Aunt Lilian! It was said that she was the timidest girl in our whole family but she eloped with one of the guards. The elders of my family tried their best to eradicate them but no one knows what happened to them after they eloped. That was the only love story in my family. My grandmother still wishes to see her daughter once more."Janet finished the wine in one shot.

    "I have also heard about your aunt, but who was that guard? Is he from any of the other two dominant family guards? I hope those love birds had flown to find their piece of happiness. I also want to marry the person who I love other than getting betrothed to anyone on a family basis. " Juliet had the effect of wine kicked in her.

    "Yes, those love birds built their heaven of dreams and even welcomed the fruit of their love. But few devious people destroyed that heaven and the small girl, lost her everything on that single day, till now remains lonely." Emmy''s eyes flashed with traces of hatred while Juliet and Janet were stunned. They both looked at each other and then at Emmy, and the trio hugged each other without saying a word.

    The heavy feeling inside Emmy rushed out in the form of tears which made Janet hold her more tightly. Never in the world did Juliet think that she unintentionally joined two long lost cousins together "You will be never lonely again, we promise you that for life." Both roommates made a promise to Emmy and even their eyes started to tear.

    "Thank you, guys." Emmy on that day found two shoulders to lean on when she felt lonely and their lifetime friendship started from that very moment.

    Little did they know that in the future, this trio will together exterminate the dominant families who ruled their worlds and become the supreme power commanding the world.. All this will be in the long future, but for now, these three are cute little drunk girls.

 Chapter 5 - Dig Out That Hawkâ€™s Eyes

    Early morning, Emmy returned to her room to freshen up her body but her mind was fully refreshed. Now she got two friends who understand her totally and indirectly came to know her mom''s family. She was feeling blessed that she was not born into the Dagardian family, but the thing she forgot was, a ferocious man had laid his eyes on her awaiting an opportunity for an instant kill.

    Today as Emmy had no classes to attend, she thought of having a meal with her friends at the evening. She took her family photo," Dad, I always thought you were the optimistic one compared with mom. Yesterday, I came to know about mom''s family and I am proud of you, Mom. You broke their family norm and set an example. Now I have two friends, Julie and Jane. Julie is from Posei family and Jane is from yours. I have met two Salian members here and currently not on good terms with them. I don''t know whether Salian family is our foe or not, but surely I get a negative feeling while seeing them."

    A sudden knock on the door woke Emmy from her family time. Opening the door, she saw Janet''s blooming smile with a small pot of cactus in her hands."Hoping I wasn''t disturbing you! My classes got over, so thought of checking out your room. This is a small present for you." Janet gave the plant to Emmy and sternly looked at the opposite door.

    "Hey Jane, come inside!" Emmy could feel a sudden change in Janet''s aura but she couldn''t think of any possible reason for it. After pulling Emmy inside, it was Janet who shut the door close and sat there on the chair scanning the whole room.

    "What happened? Your face looked so cold right now."Emmy asked feeling a bit confused. Janet stood up and opened the window which when opened welcomed the site of the eerie graveyard. From the back of the window sill, she took a small bug and crushed it within her hands. "Now let''s talk, these kinds of bugs are common in our area but not here. Our campus has strictly forbidden these tricks. Girl, you have really pissed off those punks huh! That bug can actually make hallucinating effects on people for a long time. It is good that you are okay till now, the discharge from that bug makes the air toxic and the person inhaling that air starts to have hallucinations and you will be a soulless puppet for half an hour." Janet explained while washing her hands.

    "How can he do such a cheap trick on me? He destroyed the impression which I had for him though, he should have played more savage one for yesterday''s slap." While Emmy was outlining Alex''s deed, Janet looked at her feeling amazed."Oh boy, you slapped him? I didn''t expect that this soon. I haven''t seen him mingle with any girl before. You are the first, now let''s hit the dining area, I am famished."

    The two girls got their plates and reserved a seat for the third musketeer. Soon Juliet joined them," Do you know what was announced in the class in the afternoon? The great Rotrigues will be joining here as a faculty."

    "Rotrigues? Who is that?" Emmy shot a question to see her two friends looking at her as they had seen a ghost."My dear, He is the master of all elders of the great Esbertraz" Juliet and Janet were really excited to hear the news.

    "Can you tell me more about the so-called great Esbertraz?" Emmy asked nonchalantly.

    "The clan of dark forces is named ¨C The Esbertraz. They are so powerful and their existence is unknown to the outer world. Only the elders of the dominant families know them directly. All of us have only heard their great stories. It is said that this college was found by the Rotrigues for their only heir. But they were in seclusion for the past three years, now suddenly with his arrival; Salian family shall hit their heads on the walls." Janet said with glee over her face.

    "So are you saying that when dark clan went under seclusion, Salian family took over this college and made it as their territory?" Emmy was delighted for the misfortune of the arrogant fellow.

    "You hit the nail, with Rotrigues here; no member of the Salian family shall boss around" Janet was also happy but they both didn''t notice a slight sadness which flashed in Juliet''s eyes.

    Finishing the dinner, the three friends were walking back to their rooms when suddenly someone tripped Emmy with his leg. Even Emmy was not prepared for it, and she lost her balance to fall on to the rock surface but a pair of steady hands grasped Emmy and pulled backward.

    "This chap looks frail but has a good reflex, isn''t it right Jordon?" Mike was slightly disappointed to miss the chance to ridicule Emmy. Jordan was looking at Emmy in a stiff way. He couldn''t understand whenever this lass comes in front of him; he feels powerless and a sense of fear arises inside him.

    "Do you want me to dig your hawk eyes out? Stop harassing Emmy." Janet couldn''t control her temper but Emmy put her hands over Janet''s shoulder to calm her down.

    "You little girl, don''t meddle in our business. She started it so she has to know its consequences." Mike and Jordan went away but after taking a few steps Jordon turned to look at the three girls and said ¨C"Girl, our lives are fated to be together. "

    One statement from Jordon confused the three musketeers, who was the one he addressed?; only he knows.

    "I really wanted to dig out those perverted eyes; I hated those kinds of lecherous looks" Janet was fuming and it was the first time even Juliet saw this face of Janet.

    "His eyes are not of a pervert. He is on guard around me, wishing to know about my family and my whereabouts. Don''t worry Jane; I know how to handle this. No one will ever bully my friends or me." Emmy''s assurance worked and it calmed down Janet. Then they both looked at Juliet who was silent all through the scene but had now her cheeks flushed pink.

    "Sorry Emmy, I couldn''t react when it all happened. My reflexes are a bit slow I guess." Juliet was perspiring in this cool climate. However, both Emmy and Janet looked at each other; and said "Spill it out."

    " Yes, I love him."

 Chapter 6 - Well, I Am Intrigued!!!

    "Holy cow, you love him, really Julie? " "Couldn''t you find anyone else other than that Salian punk?" Janet lost it at once after hearing Juliet uttered her feelings.

    "She didn''t tell who it is but you took that Salian boy''s name, Am I missing something here?" Emmy shot out the question at Janet.

    "Guys, I don''t know how to explain it. You have to know, after my grandfather, no one in the Posei family had been born gifted till I came. One of the family Elder visited my grandfather asking him to betroth me to the third prince of the Salian family even before my first birthday. From my childhood days, my family looked down on me and I think even Miran also despises me although he hasn''t seen me for once. Grandfather wanted to test him whether he was worthy of marrying me, so I concealed myself under this disguise when I came here. But as days passed, I have started to fall for him deeply." Juliet sighed.

    Juliet never wanted to marry someone who was forced for marriage under family betrothal system but when she saw the frolicsome yet wholehearted prince Miran (also known as Mike), she felt love at first sight. Therefore, she decided to confess her love to him but every time, when she sees him face to face, her confidence leaks out.

    "Hmm, your sisters are also here right, so won''t they divulge about your appearance to him? "Emmy asked the question which Janet also had in her mind.

    "As my grandfather only pampered me, my sisters are jealous. My dad never liked me and he always tried to break my betrothal to the Salian family. So here, my disguise will be a blessing to them and grandfather had given them a strict warning not to cause any troubles here."

    Janet and Emmy were helpless as they also had no experience in love. They quietly heard their friend''s story of one-sided love towards her future husband.

    Finally, after knowing exceptional pieces of information, Emmy reached her room only to find Jordan waiting for her outside the room. Emmy knew about the Salian princes but this guy had no connections with any families of that place and he had kept a low profile always that even the pantomath Juliet couldn''t retrieve any information about him.

    "Can I talk with you for a bit? I won''t take much of your time and neither am I here to cause trouble for you." Jordan couldn''t anguish over his doubts anymore and talking with the concerned person was his last solution. He tried various ways to collect more information about this little lass, even her aura gave him goosebumps.

    Emmy had felt an unfamiliar but distinct feeling towards him so she nodded her head slightly which gave Jordon some relief."I know you are Emmy, the only survivor of the clifftop manor accident. But other than that, no details can be found about you. I can feel your aura is much stronger than mine, so you cannot be an earthling. But the couple who were murdered at the clifftop belonged to the earth." Jordan stuttered while asking the questions.

    Emmy smiled a bit but her eyes turned cold, and Jordon could feel the deep murderous hatred emanating from her." Well. I am intrigued. Tell me one good reason for you to pry into my life and before I answer your question spill out who you are!"

    Jordan gulped as he couldn''t move any muscles of his body. He felt as if a strange yet powerful force had squeezed his body, so tight that he was finding it difficult to breathe.

    Emmy saw Jordan''s eyes bulging out and she closed her eyes calming the whirling emotions. Soon Jordon could catch his breathes and he was shocked by his core. "I am just a guardian of the great family, that''s all. I found it strange that your aura could really penetrate into the spiritual cover I made."

    "Try to give these deceiving excuses to those punks inside your room. Who I am shouldn''t much matter to you, I came here to achieve my goals to which you shall never be a hindrance. So stop investigating me and tell those Salian princes, that if any of their family members had a hand in the clifftop massacre, then I shall be the one to send each one of them to the door to hell." Emmy gave Jordan a message of warning to be delivered for his roommates and entered her room. Jordan didn''t know any piece which connected the Salian family to the clifftop manor killings but it was a murder that shook the entire realms.

    When Jordan entered his room, he could find his roommates sitting as an iceberg. They both had heard the conversation between Emmy and Jordan. "Why the little lass has this much hatred towards our family? Brother, do you think that it is possible for our elders to annihilate a family who resided here on earth? " Mike was equally getting paranoid, as he had also tried various methods to know about the mysterious girl.

    Jordan looked at Alex nervously because he knew that clifftop manor murder had some connection with the incident that played havoc with Alex''s life. "Alex, what do you intend to do? That girl has power to a great extent which even I cannot stand by. Her animosity towards the Salian family and preference for that room. Did it ring any bells to you?"

    To both of their questions, Alex gave a cold shoulder. He could not fathom any connections of that little lass to the person whom he had been searching for a year. The last clue he received was to go and wait at the Salian Envoy College.

    "I have to find you before the great Rotrigues finds you, my Lady."

 Chapter 7 - Shawn, You Are Still Her Favourite!

    The following days were peaceful for Emmy and her friends but it was the total opposite for the three guys. Jordon had a premonition that the arrival of the Master is going to change a lot of things around the campus. He very well knew that he couldn''t help Alex much in the search of that person after the esteemed one arrives whereas the Salian princes grew restless because of various reasons.

    The Salian family had seized the most valuable property of the dark clan when they went to seclusion but now with the Master of Esbertraz coming to take over the college, things were to go out of their hands. However, the next heir to the Salian family was not bothered about this problem at all, he came here in search of his beloved one to clear all the misunderstandings and confess his profound love to her before the Esbertrazians hunts her down.

    Finally, on a blustery day, the great master Rotrigues arrived at the place which he had designed for their little mistress but in vain, the respective person never had the chance to come here. The whole college was decorated with embellishing red flowers which even the strong winds were not able to destroy. The tranquility of the surrounding had not changed but the exuberance was long lost.

    "My child, I didn''t know you are this adamant. You have left us for the past 3 years and erased your existence from our world. All of us are waiting for you back there. This place is my final hope." The superior lamented about their lost Mistress in his mind and gracefully entered the fortalice of the Dean of the college.

    All the students were asked to assemble to welcome the great master Rotrigues. After entering the arena, the master''s eyes fished around the various students but to his disappointment, he couldn''t find the one profile he was longing to see. Suddenly, his eyes halted at the corner most seats, three youths were sitting conceited. But if looked closely, one could understand, they had different aspects. Jordon was remarkably looking with pride in his eyes, Mike was giving off a sluggish look and Alex was looking straight to the master''s eyes showing utmost hatred.

    As the venue was tightly packed, the last comers didn''t get a seat and had to stick at the backside of the pavilion; it included Janet, Juliet, and Emmy who had overslept. On the stage, the dean introduced the great master to the students and when asked to address the students, Rotrigues simply said"Words don''t matter but the action does. Here I will personally train each batch of students to improve their spiritual health. I will be taking charge as the mentor of the first-year Life class."

    "Emmy, you are so damn lucky to have the great master of Esbertraz as your class''s mentor. He is the lord of all elders and has a great personality but he is something of a benevolent despot. I have heard about his heroic deeds from my grandfather and he said he single-handedly raised their mistress whose power is more devastating than his." Juliet whispered.

    "Mistress? and holds such demonic powers? then why did the dark clan went to seclusion if their mistress was such a powerful prodigy?" Emmy questioned raising her eyebrows as if she was mocking the dark clan mistress.

    "That''s a long story and your current enemy plays a part in it" Janet replied. The rumors of their world cannot be openly discussed here so Janet ushered her friends to return back to their room to discuss that story later.

    Meanwhile, Rotrigues had been looking into the important journal which the dean delivered to him right after the assembly. It had all details of a family and their current state. He looked at the portrait which was clipped inside, a family consisting of three members; a strong young man, a timid but beautiful woman, and a cute little princess.

    "Shawn, you are still her favourite." The master''s eyes glistened with tears. Shawn was like his younger brother, who was their mistress''s alpha guard. When he had fallen in love with a simple girl, it was their young mistress who took care of all the wrath and sent them to the earth. Their Mistress even bestowed Shawn, the family title - Esbertraz. Then they didn''t have any contact at all. Years after when their mistress went missing, Rotrigues had tried to establish contact with Shawn but then he came to know that his brother''s family was murdered for an unknown reason and even the murderers were not found till now.

    Rotrigues next took a picture of a young girl, who had her countenance similar to that beautiful woman in the other portrait, looking naive and innocent. "Shawn, I couldn''t save you from those underlying pigs but mark my words, your daughter shall be safe under my care." The stubborn tears finally escaped from his eyes falling on to the picture of that smiling girl, below which it was written - Emmetina Esbertraz.

    The next early morning, Emmy woke up with a series of decent knocks on the door. She quickly washed up and opened the door to find Jordan standing in an unusual manner. He reminded Emmy of the imperial guards of the dominant families. Even before she could yell at him for disturbing her beauty sleep, Jordan blurted out-"My Lord wants to see you. That day when you asked about me, I couldn''t tell you more because of my identity. Now as my lord is here, you can ask him more about the things you want to know which can be related to your goal. Please spare me ten minutes of your morning. "

    As Emmy already was probing to know more about this eccentric guy, she decided to meet his Lord. Jordan escorted her to the lakeside and there she could see a man, nearly in his sixties, wearing a white robe and was feeding the fishes.. At first sight itself, a familiar feeling arose inside Emmy, and then when the man turned to face her, she was shell-shocked.

 Chapter 8 - Blind Love Paid The Price

    The morning sun rays fell on the lake water making it sparkling and mesmerising but still, it couldn''t shade the man''s majestic appearance. The white-robed man even without facing around knew Emmy''s aura near him. "It''s true you are an Esbertrazian. I can feel your presence. I heard you lost your memories in the accident but I can make you help to regain it."

    Jordan''s lord''s voice stirred Emmy from her shock. In front of her was standing the great master Rotrigues of the dark clan. Only a few knew that she was an Esbertrazian member by the paternal side. Though Emmy lost her memories, she knew about her father and mother through their last note left for her. In the locker, with the final note of her parents, she also found the family testament sealed under the Esbertrazian emblem giving her the chance for education in this college.

    Emmy was afraid as she was in the light and her enemies in dark, hence she couldn''t confirm herself whether the Esbertrazians were a friend or foe. However, sensing the calm manner of the esteemed master, her tumultuous mind erased every bit of guard against the Esbertrazian lord. "You knew my father right, do you know who killed my parents and why? In the will, I found this college was mentioned so as my final chance to know the truth I came here. Please tell me what had happened? " Emmy frantically asked.

    "Shawn, he was like my younger brother, took care of our little miss. She always wanted him to be with her whenever she went outside the castle. It was on such a trip, your father met the Dagardian lady and the little mischievous miss gave them their chance to become one. She ascended the throne at the age of two only to use her authority to make them leave to earth. Hence, your family name is Esbertraz. After 16 years, when I tried to contact your father then only I came to know what happened here. I am sorry my child, we were not able to help you till now but I promise you to avenge the death of your parents." Rotrigues turned to face Emmy who was on the verge of breaking apart.

    "Where is your miss, I heard she is an omnipotent woman and as my father was her favourite person, why couldn''t she avenge his death till now?" the anger inside Emmy was bubbling up but she still gave some respect to the person standing in front.

    "My child, our miss has been missing from the past 3 years. I highly suspect that she reached at the clifftop manor when your parents were in danger. So, my only hope is to revive your memory about that day to know the whereabouts of our miss." the great master was in agony thinking about both the girls.

    Emmy and Jordan could not digest the information which was bombarded in the early morning. Jordan was looking at Emmy as she was a princess now, he was also an alpha guard of the dark clan and have heard about the mightiest guard of the clan, Shawn Shadow.

    " Where do you fit in this Esbertarzian''s clan?"Emmy asked glaring at Jordan while coming back to their respective rooms. "All the guards of the clan are formed from the great Vilmon prowess. There are three levels; Alpha, Shade and Shadow." The guards who are at lowermost power comes in the Alpha team, the second will be in the Shade team, almost all the elders are under shade team. Finally, it''s the Shadow team who is most powerful, the direct fragments of Vilmon power. Your father was in the Shadow team. Well, I am an Alpha guard, here enrolled in Life class according to my lord''s command."

    "So why are you with the Salian people?" Emmy snorted under her breath. "That is also according to my lord''s wish. You might not know much about our mistress. The eldest prince of the Salian family was betrothed to our miss but he was in love with another girl. As our miss was blindly pursuing Alex, she paid the price for blind love. Don''t know, what happened between them, later both our mistress and his lover went missing. So my lord asked me to follow the Salian boys to know more details."

    " The supreme Esbertraz''s mistress fell head over heels for that braggart, sheesh, her love quotient must be zero for her to be blind. Anyway, blind love paid the price, about our meeting and my relation with Esbertrazians must be kept secret from them." Emmy concluded her conversation and straight away dashed to her friends leaving a stupified Jordan.

    "Jules, spill what all things you about the Esbertrazians and Salian people now." Emmy poked Juliet to wake her up from her sleep. "Emmy, in the early morning, you want to know about the Salian people, don''t tell me you are falling for that iceberg." Janet smiled.

    "No way, is it true Emmy? You being my sister in law will be cool rather than that evil lady." Juliet totally lost her sleep. " You mongers, stop it. First, tell me what you both know. Then I shall give you a big surprise." Emmy threw the bolsters at Janet and Juliet. "Okay, the story is simple, lady Vilmon who is the Esbertrazian princess takes a fantasy to the adonis of our generation, Envoy Salian Alexander, in short Alex. The Esbertrazians elders forces a betrothal between Alex and Lady Vilmon to which Alex rejected immediately as he never wanted to be a pawn of a princess. The elders threatened the Salian lord with the termination of the whole family. But Alex fells in love with another woman, then on their engagement day, Lady Vilmon stirred up some trouble and both the women in the story go missing." Juliet finished narrating the incident in one breath.

    "There is also the rumor that Lady Vilmon killed his lover and erased her existence from our world. If I remember clearly, it all happened three years ago. Now, tell me what''s with your surprise?"Janet asked.

    "Jordan is under my control now.." Emmy chuckled evilly.

 Chapter 9 - Never Cry For The Unsaid Words

    "Whaaattttt"

    Both Janet and Juliet jumped up in sheer surprise. They couldn''t believe the stone-faced man would be taken by Emmy so soon. Emmy then told her friends what happened with her family and her relation with the great master which included Jordan''s identity also. So eventually now, Jordan was given the task of protecting Emmy on the campus and she was being treated like the pretty princess by the Esbertrazians.

    "Emmy, can do me a big favor, please? I want you to ask that pompous guy about Miran''s interests. I really want to confess my feeling to him because within two years, we will get married but before that I want him to fall in love with me." Juliet was now desperate as there were so many girls in their college fantasizing about him.

    "Finally, the cat is ready to come out of the basket. Emmy, I have seen this girl roaming wherever that fellow goes and if he also turns to be like his brother, then she will be mentally broken."Janet patted Juliet''s head and requested with Emmy. Just as Emmy nodded her head it was welcomed by a bear hug by the other two.

    At the cafeteria, when the trio reached for their breakfast, the scene which greeted them was Alex''s cold, impassive face talking with the guard boy, Jordan whereas Juliet''s hero was missing from the whole scenario. After fetching their meals, they sat at their corner seats. Janet and Emmy were paying attention to Jordan''s table but after a while, they were surprised to hear Juliet''s quiet sobs. Feeling flustered, they looked into her line of sight to find Mike chatting intimately with a girl whose back was facing the trio.

    "Julie, why are you crying? it may be his friend or any family acquaintance. Without any confirmation, do not summarise the situation." Janet comforted Juliet but even she felt that those two were not simply friends. "Well, thanks to my sharp hearing, they are not friends, she is courting him and whether he has the same reciprocating feel that I don''t know." as Emmy was looking at the table, the next thing she saw was a glass of water being splashed over the girl and her attire got drenched completely with that little water. Emmy gazed at her friend who sitting in front of her sipping her coffee innocently.

    "That dress didn''t suit her well" Juliet laughed it off however Emmy could feel someone else''s gaze at her. She focused her attention on Jordan''s table, then she heard Alex saying"When I had a chance to end it, I didn''t do it but now I am living dead." She couldn''t help to look at Alex as she was seeing him after that slap episode. As she was sitting there in a daze, Alex looked at her simultaneously and when their eyes met, it felt like a Deja Vu, like these all happened before. The clattering of cups, the noisy atmosphere, two people sitting with two tables separating them, Emmy started to have a headache and closed her eyes to stop her brain contemplating further.

    After meals, Jordan came to find Emmy as he found her looking over his table before. Emmy took the chance to enquire about Mike to which Jordan sarcastically mentioned Mike an engaged guy who is trying to locate his childhood bride. From his view, it was clear that Mike knew about his bride coming to study here and he was trying to find her to make something clear. Today a girl introduced herself as the Posei family''s fourth miss. Although the date was met with a splash of water, he seemed to be interested in that girl.

    Juliet was heartbroken when she heard the news from Emmy. First, she seemed to be okay but then started crying and her two friends quietly stood aside from her. Losing all the patience, Janet screamed at her top voice" Enough, never cry for unsaid words, the deep love for him which is inside you, he doesn''t know it yet. Here some imposter is having all his attention and the real mistress is sitting here bawling her lungs out uselessly. He is trying to find you, so why are you hiding from him? Go confront him and confess your feelings, whether he reciprocates it or not, we shall see later."

    Hearing to Janet''s reasoning, Juliet came to her senses. She built up her courage and decided to end this one-sided chapter once in forever. Janet scripted everything and Emmy asked Jordan to bring Mike near the Lakeside after the class.

    After settling Juliet''s confession plot, Emmy went to attend her first class of the great Rotrigues. and was surprised to see Alex, who was usually absent from the classes, sitting in the last row. Hence, in a month''s time, it was their second time attending class together and she also took her usual seat beside him. Two people sitting together but complete silences shrouded them. In their front, Mike was grinning thinking of his iceberg brother but Jordan was worried, his lord would be taking his first-class and these two were sitting together.

    The great master Rotrigues entered the class and was welcomed with warm smiles of all students except one. Alex''s golden brown eyes had a cold chill and even his aura was surprisingly cold. Emmy could feel some animosity between the master and Alex but she chose to be quiet. She wanted to pry into this love story complex but Jordan had warned her not to cross master''s limits.

    " Greetings to all, today lets start with a small task. Everyone knows that Life comes with the power of feelings and each emotion must be counted. So, in the parchment before you, you can express the feeling hidden inside you. It can be a portrait or a write-up, anything which conveys your feeling to others. All can start. " Master engaged in small talks with each student and finally reached the last two rows. Mike and Jordan acted as if they were busy in the given task but their ears were perked to the last bench.

    "So what is your innermost feeling Alexander? Betrayal?" Master scoffed at Alex. Alex retaliated with the same expression by burning the parchment in his hands.. "My feeling is the same as before, to KILL HER."

 Chapter 10 - Prey To Wreak Vengeance

    All the students were shocked by Alex''s behavior and concomitantly looked at the great master Rotrigues, who flicked his white robe and gave a wicked smile. His cold eyes gazed at the students which made them shiver in fright and to resume their work. Emmy gave Jordan a perplexed look to which he shook his head but then she silently took the burning parchment before it could burn Alex''s fingers and after putting out the fire, she went to continue portraying her feelings.

    The two bewildered people were staring at Emmy. Her action surprisingly mollified the surging tempest between them. Jordan looked at Emmy appalled, then found his master''s warning gaze at him. Rotrigues chuckled, with a small snap, he gave Alex another parchment and said in a voice that could be heard between them only " I lost my daughter because of you and this time the one on the losing side shall not be me."

    Alex looked at the lambskin in front of him aloofly instead he was more interested to look at the lamb sitting beside him. This lamb finally showed him the target for wreaking vengeance on those who killed his beloved. When he heard the news of his beloved''s demise, first he was sure that it cannot be her as there was no reason for her to go to earth but when the Esbertrazian elite guards gave him the jade pendant which belonged to his beloved; he felt as if he was betrayed by the entire world. The lies which he had told to save her backfired him. He wanted to avenge her death and started a fight with the elders of his family, but then his father made him gravely injured and got him shut inside the Salian castle.

    As Alex was on the verge of committing suicide with all the hatred inside him, the last memory of his beloved, the same jade pendant started to shine and an illusion of words was lighted in front of him showing "Go to the Envoy Salian College". He felt the arrival of spring in his life, the lost hope was awakened in his heart. But he got scared of her safety, so he asked his father to send him along with his brother to study in this particular college and as this place was under their authority, his father as well as other elders agreed quickly. Hence, the brothers reached here but he had no clue what to do next, where to search for her. However, now Alex got a chance for his revenge.

    Emmy was sitting in a daze looking at her parchment when asked to submit she was a little confused but still mustered up her courage to present it to the master. Rortigues received it and smiled at her "All your doubts shall be cleared one day, just be patient." With that, he handed over the parchment containing a big black-colored question mark back to Emmy.

    After class, Emmy went with Jordan to meet Janet who was waiting for them under the tree beside the lake. From there, they will have a perfect view on the bench where Juliet was supposed to meet Mike. After a while, the one to arrive first was Mike, he looked at the mentioned bench near the lake and sat on it while throwing pebbles in the lake. Finally, Juliet appeared beside him in her disguise. Mike was a little excited to see this girl here as he had noted her appearance wherever he went.

    "Hi Miran, I am Juliet of the Posei family. I wanted to meet you before but had no confidence but then someone came and met you in my name; I cannot accept that." Juliet spoke to him with her head lowered all the time.

    "Dumb girl, she is not looking at his face. Look, by seeing Mike''s reaction, he is going to mock her. She might run away in tears." Jordan looked at the couple while delivering his opinion. "If he does that, I will make sure that he is going to cry for a lifetime." Jordan got astonished, feeling the rage bubbling up in Janet''s face but he found it cute and his lips got curved up a bit giving his face a shade of red; however within seconds, he reverted back to his stern look. He thought no one saw the change in his expression, but Emmy had already seen it. She smiled wickedly, thinking of two couples in their initial stages of love; whether it will bloom or cut off in its budding stage is yet to know.

    Finding no response from Mike, Juliet slowly looked at him to see that he was actually looking at the lake. She didn''t know how to continue the conversation further, so she also kept quiet. After some time, Juliet broke the silence "Look the betrothal between us can be ended, you don''t have to carry any guilt. I will ask my grandfather to terminate it. You might not be able to like to marry an odd-looking girl. It can be understood, so relax. I just wanted to meet you up because I started to feel for you from the first time I saw you here. The other girl you met yesterday, even though she introduced herself as me, she pursued you for your status. Anyways, I won''t pester you in the future. Thank you for coming here." Although Juliet was heartbroken, she still had the dignity not to demean herself. She forced out a smile and turned to leave but Mike stopped her.

    "Yes, I had an interest in the girl whom I met yesterday only because she introduced herself as my fiance, the fourth miss of the Posei family. I don''t judge a person with his or her appearance. When the water got splashed at her, I saw the disgust in her eyes which she was trying to hide. I actually wanted to find you only to say that our marriage is not possible."

    Even if Juliet was mentally prepared for it, yet hearing it directly from Mike''s mouth, she felt her heart flinching and the pain was so excruciating that her eyes started to tear up.

 Chapter 11 - Powerless In Front Of Loved One

    Mike stood like a statue watching Juliet adamantly trying not to cry in front of him. He didn''t know why he was feeling severe pain in his chest as if someone was clutching his heart tightly. His eyes perused her to check whether she was faking it or not; however, he noticed her genuine tears and he felt her agony.

    Mike closed his eyes to suppress his tormenting heart but his hands involuntarily pulled Juliet into a warm embrace. The trio who were watching them from the other side, were astonished beyond words. Emmy had told the other two earlier that Mike plainly disapproved of the marriage with Juliet and then they saw the guy pulling the girl for an intimate hug while the girl who was being hugged was totally blank.

    Juliet could feel his warm breaths over her ears which tingled her heart, she raised her hands to return his hug. Mike was excited with her reaction, that tormenting pain was anguished by her hug. They tightly hugged each other as they felt secure in each other''s embrace.

    "I feel it as a dream. The feeling in my heart now is making me selfish as I desire for it more." Juliet pressed her head into his chest. " You can have it as much as you can. From today onwards I am yours, yours only, my dear wife." Mike kissed her forehead and cupped his hands over her face.

    "I have seen my brother loving with his heart, going against the family systems, the bliss which he carried in his eyes is enough for anyone to believe in love. Although our marriage was already arranged by our elders, I thought to confront you to tell you that we have to know each other before getting married. If we cannot find that happiness with each other, then we could annul the engagement. But when I saw your sincere tears, it made me realise that you will be the one for me. The pain which I felt while you were crying and the happiness which I am feeling now indicates, you are the only one who made me feel so real." Mike confessed his feelings. Her appearance didn''t bother him, he was happy that she loved him for who he was and he got a cute bashful little wife.

    Juliet blushed at his demeanor, his warmth on her face made her heart bloom with happiness. She nodded her head, at the same time took his hands in hers "I promise you that this blissful feeling is for a lifetime." and they hugged again, not even bothered about the other three single souls who were tortured by watching their affection.

    "My girl finally got her husband''s love. I am so happy." Janet started to cry her happy tears whereas Jordan stood silently shaking his head with a poker face. They both didn''t notice the change in Emmy''s mood. Her mind was contemplating what Mike said about Alex. The eyes which once had immense happiness to make everyone fall in love now have the feeling of vendetta. Unintentionally, concerns started to arise in Emmy''s mind and she overlooked these emotions but in the near future, she was ready to sacrifice herself for him wholeheartedly.

    Meanwhile, a mighty lion was planning to trap the poor lamb directly to the chopping board so that he can start to avenge his loved one. Alex wanted to know more about Emmy but she was so low profile and a bit mysterious. He formulated a plan where he himself had to take action against each of them. He looked at the graveyard in front of him " Rotrigues, you wanted to satisfy your precious mistress but your pampering eventually ruined my life. I will tear down the little lass''s life in return." Poor Emmy didn''t know, the one she started to have concerns is a big bad wolf in sheep''s attire.

    The usual stone-faced Jordan entered the room with a smile hanging over his lips. "What are you two up to? Where is Mike?" Alex questioned but Jordan could find Alex to be in a jovial mood today.

    "Your brother got hitched." Jordan calmly replied but Alex''s face changed a few shades.

    "Who is the girl?" Alex chimed in eagerly.

    "Hmm, you are being too interrogative, well! You are his brother. He found his fiance which turned out to be that opposite little lass''s friend, Juliet." Alex''s brain made peace with itself after hearing his friend''s reply. Mike indirectly lent him a big push towards his savage plan. Now, he didn''t have to use the pester card to spend time with Emmy.

    The love stuck Mike didn''t know that he was included in his brother''s revenge plan. He was powerless in front of his brother but now it included his loved one also. After confessing their feelings, both thought to spend time together as it was the first day of their love officially. So they sat on the lakeside till the sun went down and the sky welcomed the stars.

    Under the moonlight, Mike held Juliet''s hands, he was looking at those slender fingers afraid that if he pressed hold those harder, it would turn to mush while Juliet was gazing at Mike''s side profile. His long eyelashes, small stubbles on his cheeks, and the well-cut hair, everything was so perfect about him.

    "Julie, I feel comfortable in your presence, please I am not a philander even though in my family, it is me who has fewer constraints. I do have female companions but you are my first and last girlfriend. What I value the most in a relationship is trust and truthfulness that is why I am telling you all about myself. " Mike kissed her fingers which were held by him.

    Juliet didn''t say a word, but his statement triggered something in her heart. She stood up and walked to the edge of the lake.

    "I don''t even mind if you had any girlfriend before. For me, being second is not a big issue, but being second in line for getting loved is something worse. Only my grandfather loves me in my family, I had wished that my father and mother would at least show a bit of care towards me, but no, I lost my trust in the family eventually. But I would never break your trust so now you have to know one more thing. "

    Juliet smiled at Mike and straight away jumped to the ice-cold lake.

 Chapter 12 - A Trickle Of The Frickle Love

    Mike got shocked for a moment but he also jumped spontaneously. Every bit of the freezing water made his body dead cold but the sudden reaction of Juliet had stumped Mike a lot even to feel the numbness by it. He frantically swam shrieking her name; however, what welcomed him was total silence.

    "Juliet, enough of this child''s play, please come on the surface, the water is too bone-chilling. It might be harmful to the body. "

    Suddenly, Mike saw something merging out of water. A light was shining from the pearl of the captivating tiara which was resting over the head with long black wavy hair. The owner of those black wavy hair was a stunning woman, whose smile itself can bring seven calamities to the world. The beautiful woman looked at Mike, who was having a horrified expression on his face; it was clear that he was not mesmerized by that beauty, instead it seemed that he met a ghost.

    " Apologies, we didn''t want to disturb you, my esteemed one, but I was searching for my wife who accidentally jumped to your locus."

    The beautiful woman had a confused look on her face, but then she offered Mike to be her consort which ignited his wrath and his face clearly showed the discontent.

    "Miss, you might be an alluring beauty when compared to any other woman, but this man will have only one wife and it is the fourth miss of the Posei family, my Julie. pardon my ignorance. "

    When the woman heard Mike''s sentiment, her eyes glistened in tears. She descended from the water throne to float beside him.

    "You are truly devoted to your wife, I am lucky to have you as my husband."

    The cute voice of his darling wife when came from another deity countenance, Mike raised his eyebrows in utter bewilderment. Juliet slowly ascertained him about her innate power and the condition put forward by her grandfather towards his grandson-in-law. Nevertheless, she was happy that Mike was truly astounding to choose her disguise form even in front of the dazzling temptation.

    Mike kissed his wife in the lake waters which created a serene picturesque under the moonlight. Their never-ending love story had started with the foundation of trust and unbounded love.

    In the room, Emmy and Janet were discussing about the different clans and their power. She had enquired about the Esbertarzian Clan and their rivals to Jordan, but about the domain family''s secrets, she opted to choose the Dagardian miss to hunt for more details. The more information which Janet provided somewhat gave Emmy a weird feeling, as the main pronouncement between the dominant families was; the stronger one shall make the rules. Hence, for decades, it is the Salian family who makes the final edicts in their world.

    The world which they were talking about is called Vilmonark and was divided into two main domains. One was the Dark clan, named the great Esbertraz, which was mysterious but really powerful and the other was the domain of common people, also known as the dominant clan. The topmost families reigning this clan were the Salian family, then the Poseis, followed by the Agnartics and finally the Dagardian menage. Both Salian and Posei families had antecedents from the great Esbertrazian clan''s disciples, but after a period, these people got arrogant and forgot their roots. The Agnartic family who were famous for their battle skills, also vied for the power but had remained inactive for years now. The last was the family who served as guards for the other dominant families and was called the Dargardian family.

    Janet even told Emmy what she knew about Alex''s lover. Three years ago, sudden news had shattered the peace of decades between the dark clan and the dominant clan. The marriage alliance between the Lord Vilmon and Salian family''s crown prince, Envoy Salian Alexander was terminated by the groom''s side and simultaneously he got engaged to the first princess of the Agnartic family, Agrona Agnartic, his childhood friend. The Esbertrazian elders got furious and tried to launch a war with the Salian as well as the Agnartic family. On the consecutive days, Vilmonark saw an insane battle between its two clans where the people from the dominant families were slaughtered like animals. It was their side which got stenched in dark red blood and all the dominant families suffered the aftermath.

    Finally, with the sudden disappearances of the Lady Vilmon and Agnartic princess, the war ended. The Esbertrazian Clan secluded themselves from everything and dominant families started to expand their reigns over Vilmonark as well as on the earth.

    Emmy was feeling down after hearing the details of the clan fights; however, the concern for Alex somewhat started to fade from her mind. She felt as if there was another of the story too but she was helpless to investigate it further as the two persons in the scene were already missing and the other person was a hot potato.

    Emmy was feeling a bit sleepy, so without waiting for Juliet to come and narrate the first date happenings, she bid goodnight wishes to Janet and chose to return to her room. In Spite of the sleepiness in her eyes, Emmy was wandering through the corridor thinking about the missing piece which was bugging her significantly.

    The main thing confusing Emmy was clearly Lord Vilmon''s character. The person who stood to support love at an early age understood the power of love and took various risks to complete her parent''s love story but in her youth, blindly killed the romance between two other people. Emmy was sure that the Esbertrazian miss was not a fool to let jealousy and hatred blind over her mind. Hence, all fingers pointed to the couple in the story. It must either the Agnartic miss or Alex, or both of them joined to stage a drama to cause the destruction of other clans. It must be with the knowledge of any of the two, these all things were well planned and executed.

    Emmy''s mind was trifled with these chaotic revelations and all the clues led to the Salian prince, the great Envoy Salian Alexander, also known as Alex; her classmate as well as bench mate.

    " I never thought that you got yourself a trickle of fickle love but you deserved it. Even though Miss Vilmon was a little overboard but I don''t think the root of the whole problem was her. You brought this Saudade upon yourself. "

    Emmy was smiling to herself but what she didn''t know that a ferocious lion waiting for her suddenly pounced on the innocent lamb.

 Chapter 13 - You Resemble Her

    Alex bumped straight to Emmy who was tangled in her array of thoughts. He was waiting for her to appear from the time he had hatched the plan. The pain of desperation made him go crazy a dozen times; and now he won''t miss any chance of exacting revenge on Esbertrazian elders and their precious miss.

    "I beg your pardon, I am in a hurry to celebrate my brother''s great day. Being in love with the person who never takes you for granted is the best blessing. I know it best."

    Alex apologised to Emmy and left without waiting for her response. Although Emmy was going to explode in anger, his happiness made her speechless. She thought that Alex was totally frenzied for his brother as he was acting strangely than his usual self. He even said sorry and explained himself. Emmy sighed and returned to her room.

    Regardless of the out of mind performance by Alex, Emmy felt him as a poor helpless guy who got played by his fiance and he was still waiting for that girl who was cunning enough to plot against the prince to make him the enemy against the almighty Esbertrazians and to start a war. In the corner of Emmy''s mind, the detestation towards Alex''s lover grew significantly.

    The next day in class, Alex was missing but Mike and Jordan showed their presence. Mike had a jot of pink shade on his face. Emmy was happy for Juliet as their contentment for each other was shining from his face.

    "Hey, Jordan, where did the hot potato roll to?" Emmy threw a question at Jordan for which Mike replied, "Hello, he is preparing for a feast for celebrating my love day. He is a bit stiff but towards my happiness, he might get totally crazy. We have a place at the beachside, so the party is planned there, I know Juliet will be inviting you but it is my responsibility to call my classmate who helped me to concede my love. "

    Emmy hesitated a little but after confirming that Janet will also be attending the fun, she accepted the invitation. As the classes finished, the three friends along with Mike and Jordan set off to the beachside party.

    The beach was called Eros, famous for the venue for wedding ceremonies as there was a belief that if a couple gets married in the Eros beach, their love shall be for eternity. When the gang reached here, all were awed the Eden before them. The setting sun and the creamy waves washing the shore created that wonderful scenery. Juliet and Mike went for a walk straight away reaching the apartment facing the sea. Janet went to search for shells on the shoreline; Jordan wanted to go but as Emmy was alone in the house, he decided to stay back but his focus was totally on Janet who was playing with the waves and collecting the seashells.

    "Are you interested in Janet?"

    Jordan sweated profusely when Emmy who asked the question out of a blue moon. He was an alpha guard and she was the lady of the Dagardian family. He didn''t know when all these feelings started to come across his mind. He was an uptight gentleman, only loyal to his master and the whole Esbertrazian clan but never thought of having a family because his own family was from the Agnartic but ruthlessly slaughtered by them for privilege reasons. The great master Rotrigues had helped the only survivor of the bloodbath.

    His family parents and siblings were slaughtered in front of him and the little Jordan had fainted with all those scenes in his eyes, so he was really afraid of having a family or even dreaming of such things.

    His silence made Emmy realize that she hadn''t asked anything about him, she just knew that he was a guard and bossed around him many times. She looked at him and tapped over his shoulders.

    "Don''t worry, I am here, whatever sorrows are there in your heart and let it go. Then only you can achieve your goal in life. Look at me, you know everything about me right. we have to fight for our happiness because we deserve better."

    It was after a decade that Jordan was solaced by someone. The first time was after his tough training when he decided to avenge his family, their young miss stopped him and had comforted him to think of the future, to eradicate a whole clan, power was needed and she asked him to get powerful enough to fight those animals. He adopted every training session seriously and became powerful though to trample the lowly clan but then their Miss went missing. Jordan felt an unusual surge of secureness inside him. He looked at Emmy and bowed before her.

    "You resemble the way our young miss thinks. She was the only one who had lent me shoulders to cry on. Thank you for this advice. It means a lot to me and I will chase my dreams after finding our Miss."

    Emmy and Jordan were indulging in their own conversations when suddenly Alex, who was busy since morning, popped up. He could see his buddy and the little lass was somewhat close to each other.

    "Ha, You guys have arrived, where are the ones for whom I have organized this beautiful evening?"

    "Hi, we just came. Mike and Juliet went for a walk whereas our friend Janet has also come, who is now at the beachside" Emmy calmly replied.

    Alex smiled and showed the rooms which he had prepared for both girls and boys. As there were three rooms and six people, he arranged two people in one room. Finally, it was decided that the couple will share one room, Alex and Jordan in one; Emmy and Janet in another. After a while, the other three also returned and they went to their respective rooms for freshening up.

    After dinner, all the six were sitting around the campfire and Jordan served the best-vinified wine. Janet was asked to sing a song where Mike was playing lute. Juliet suddenly had a naughty idea which she proposed to Mike in his ears; she was scared of Alex even if he was her husband''s elder brother. Mike announced it and everyone agreed to it. The idea was to play a game, where the wine bottle would be spun and the person who gets pointed by the bottle has to choose between a dare or to answer a question from fellow mates.

    The first round started and the one who got the chance was poor Janet. She chose to answer a question truthfully.

    "What is your concept of your future husband?" Emmy asked with her usual evil grin.

 Chapter 14 - Next Is Our Marriage

    "Concept of a husband? Not interested. I will take the punishment of drinking one glass of wine."

    "Emmy, you are asking that question to a very wrong person. She is adamant to not get married." Juliet chimed in.

    Jordan was slightly disturbed hearing Juliet''s comment and he wanted to know the reason why a naive girl like Janet was so decisive in not getting married. He could see that she was not obliged towards the idea of marriage by the ferocity she drank up the wine as punishment. His heartfelt a punch although he was not ready for a relationship. All his emotions were well safe in his eyes but it couldn''t escape being observed by another person.

    Alex was watching Jordan closely and interestingly he found out that his buddy got attracted to that Dagardian girl. For initiating his plan, he wanted to separate Jordan from Emmy and now he got a perfect idea to keep his buddy busy.

    After downing her drink, Janet was getting a little tipsy but in the second round, it was Mike''s turn. He opted to go for dare to which he was asked to kiss his lady by Janet. After completing his task, Mike was sitting proudly whereas Juliet blushed like a tomato in front of her friends. Next, the bottle stopped pointing at Jordan.

    "Be a man buddy, choose dare!" Alex raised his eyebrows and teased Jordan.

    "Okay, let''s see what you guys are up to! I choose dare."

    Jordan fell for Alex''s trap and behold, he was asked to propose a girl from the trio. Jordan hesitated firmly and downed his glass of wine. Again and again, Janet as well as Jordan gulped down wine and then, both of them were fully drunk. Therefore, they stopped playing, the love birds retired to their room for some privacy and the completely drunken Janet insisted to visit the beach late at night.

    So all four went for a walk on the seashore, Janet pulled the tipsy Jordan and splashed into the water, whereas Emmy was feeling joyful watching her friends content. Alex had taken a wine bottle with them, so he took two glasses of it and went to sit beside Emmy on the rock.

    "The sea under the starry sky is really beautiful, isn''t it? " Alex offered the wine and sat beside Emmy.

    "It makes the earth heaven. The view is so mesmerizing and romantic" Emmy replied after accepting the glass from Alex.

    Emmy looked at Alex who was watching the night sky sipping the wine. His outer shell was full of energy but his soul was so dispirited.

    "I am sorry."

    Alex looked at Emmy with his enquiring gaze. He felt a bit surprised when she suddenly apologized.

    "What for?" Alex asked back.

    "I couldn''t control my anger that day, in a fit, I slapped you ." Emmy had her anger issues ever since she became lonely. From a naive, dependent little girl, she changed to a strong, bold woman in just three years.

    "Oh that, don''t be. I also had gone a little overboard that day. Well, let''s forget that day, I have enough grief to think of."

    Both Emmy and Alex watched the waves and the stellar sky. Meanwhile, Janet was totally out of her mind in a drunken stupor, and Jordan, who had a bit of consciousness, held her hands guiding her steps through the sandy path.

    " In my family, women are all just reproductive machines. I have seen my grandmother, mother crying alone. All men of the Dagardian family are pigs. Would you believe it, they won''t care for whatever happens to their daughters, they only heed to the prestige of the family. My aunt, also Emmy''s mother, was slaughtered for regaining their status." Janet sighed.

    Jordan, who wanted to know the reason behind Janet''s firm decision against marriage now knew the problem lied with the behavior of men in her family. She hasn''t seen a loving family and all.

    "All men are not the same. There will be someone who can hold your hands and be with you in your happiness, sorrow throughout the life"

    Janet giggled when Jordan replied very seriously. She looked at their entwined hands

    "Then, can you be my man who can walk with me throughout all the happiness and sorrowful journey in this life? " Janet questioned Jordan hopefully; however she didn''t get any reply from him.

    "I am asking you?" Janet stopped walking. With the abrupt halt, Jordan was slightly nervous, the waves were crashing to their feet. He lowered his head as he didn''t have the guts to see her face. Janet adamantly raised her other hand and pulled up his chin to make him look at her face.

    "Do not chip in if you can''t promise that being a man yourself. That''s why I said ''All men are pigs''. You guys just voice out your opinions but can''t take any actions. You alsˇ­.."

    Jordan sealed her mouth with his lips before she could vent her anger on him. The sudden kiss jolted Janet''s every brain cell. She never thought that someone could take advantage of her this easily. Her mind told her to push him off and her heart wanted to savor the feeling of this lightning kiss.

    "I am a man of words. Yes, I am ready to take your hands through the thick and thin, in any sickness and in health, till death takes us apart and the next marriage shall be ours in this beach, I promise you. " after saying the vow, Jordan kissed the drunken girl again.

    Emmy and Alex looked at each other after watching the stone-faced guy kissing the timid girl. They thought it must be the effect of wine which made the guy do inappropriate things but as the girl was warmly accepting the kiss they couldn''t interrupt them.

    After promising themselves to each other, the new couple lay on the sand watching the night sky. Janet had drifted off to her sleep, resting her head on Jordan''s broad shoulders. Jordan looked at the sleeping girl and kissed her hair.

    "I am sorry, you might not remember all of these tomorrow morning. I cannot be with you, for the time being, my primary target is to avenge my family, only then I can live peacefully. However, I promise you, we will surely be together. You will be the only woman who can own this man."

    Unknown to Jordan, Janet had heard everything he said and smiled.

 Chapter 15 - Why Are You So Hard On Yourself ??

    Jordan who was mixed in his own thoughts forgot about Emmy who was sitting with Alex. Under the moonlight, two people sat alone. They had nothing to converse about, only the sound of waves crashing could be heard in the background.

    "I think it is time to go back to the villa. " Emmy broke the quietude.

    " If it is okay for you, let us be here for the night. Hey, don''t get me wrong. It is my brother''s first night with his girl, so I don''t want him to be taciturn watching our faces in the morning. He is the most cheerful one among the three brothers."

    "You are a very understanding, romantic person but unfortunately got flipped out by your lover. I pity you." Emmy murmured.

    Alex suddenly felt Emmy''s words as a complaint against his way of loving his beloved. He couldn''t accept it because he only knew that for saving her, what all inane things he did. He didn''t have the courage to admit his love for her in front of his family that day. Thinking of the past, Alex had a sudden change in his temperament; however, he adjusted himself quickly but his eyes told Emmy that her conclusion over his story was somewhat true.

    "Please don''t judge my love when you don''t know anything about me." Alex gave a mocking smile hiding the anger growing inside him. He wouldn''t dare to show his helplessness in front of others.

    Emmy jumped from the rock and stood before Alex. " Can you please tell me why you are so hard on yourself. I heard many rumors about your love story. From the day Jordan warned me not to pry into your life, I couldn''t help myself. I feel that there are some pieces missing from whatever things the rumors say."

    Alex chuckled to Emmy''s enthusiasm, he could see his beloved''s shadow in her eyes. It is two different people but at the same time gives a similar vibe. She was also a cheerful person, who got excited over small small things. Her eagerness to know each and everything around always fascinated him but his fatuous decision made her cry, and she left him forever.

    Emmy was still looking at the dazed Alex, then she knocked over his head to wake him from his stupor but still he was sitting there looking at her face. As she turned to leave, suddenly Alex hugged her from behind "Don''t leave my dear, you don''t know how long I waited to see you for once. Please I beg you, don''t go. Mia, forgive me."

    Alex was holding Emmy tightly as his last straw of hope but Emmy felt her legs get frozen and a sudden dull pain shot up to her brain. She screamed aloud and fainted.

    As the scream reached his ears, Alex loosened his grip to find the fainted Emmy. For a moment, Alex got lost in his emotions and thought of Emmy as his beloved, his act of hugging her came in involuntarily.

    Alex picked up the shivering Emmy and returned back to the villa. He put Emmy on the bed and covered her with a warm blanket. The revenge scheme was going according to what he planned, but the similar feelings made him greedy. Alex never wanted to be in a rebound relationship with Emmy but the hug suddenly enticed him to be close with her more.

    The next morning, Emmy woke up fresh to find Janet laying beside her. She knew how Janet must have ended up in the room, but what about her? The last thing in her mind about the hug which Alex gave her. Emmy tried to remember what happened after that, yet everything was blank.

    "I need a coffee, my head pains." Janet woke up rubbing her temples.

    "Good morning my dear girls, here is your coffee." Juliet opened the door like a freshly bloomed flower. Her cheeks were flushed in pink, lips had a glossy touch of redness. From head to toe, she was just shining.

    "Ooh, someone is so fresh in the early morning, Juls tell me, is your husband a tiger in bed?" Janet teased her friend.

    "Guys, don''t look at me like that. Even if I was ready for it yesterday, Mike didn''t advance on me. He said that we will consummate our marriage only after my family accepts him. However, Jane, tell me, do you remember how you landed here on the bed?" Juliet was blushing when she asked the question.

    Emmy was trying to hold her laugh while Juliet raised that question, still, the girl who was questioned didn''t catch her friend''s mischievous gaze.

    "I came with Emmy right, she helped me to bed," Janet answered plainly.

    With that response, both women guffawed at the remark. "You seriously don''t remember anything? Girl, it was the stone head who helped you to the bed and you, my princess, were clinging over his chest." Juliet commented.

    "Really? I bet she doesn''t remember him kissing her then. It was quite a view, under the moonlight, waves crashing over them and the kissing couple."

    Hearing what Emmy said, Juliet and Janet were sitting tongue-tied. Janet had her eyes and mouth wide opened.

    " I was drunk yesterday, why couldn''t you stop him from taking advantage ?"

    " Oh, that scene didn''t look like he was taking advantage of you. you were damn crawling over him. What could we do about that ?"

    Emmy and Janet were chattering about the last night mishap so Juliet interrupted their word fight as it was the breakfast time; the chefs in charge were the team boys.

    When the team girls reached the dining room, all three girls looked at the boys who were super busy in the kitchen. With the light green colored apron on them, they looked so handsome like they had ascended from heaven just now.

    The boys saw the girls standing at the door, Mike welcomed all three with a warm smile but Jordan and Alex were not able to look at Janet and Emmy''s faces.

    "I need to talk with you privately" Emmy took Alex''s hands and pulled him out the room while all the other people were stunned by her action.

 Chapter 16 - I Made Her Mine

    On the balcony, Emmy held on to the railings tightly, the sea breeze ruffled her hair and as the morning sunlight fell on her, it made her look more beautiful which was making Alex irresistible. His mind started replaying yesterday''s scenes where he had hugged her.

    "I remember you sitting like a statue yesterday. After that what happened? Who put me to bed and why does every part of my body is aching now? "

    Alex got flustered for a bit but then he calmed his emotions, "What do you think? You fainted there and it was me who carried you to bed but I didn''t do anything to you. So, your body aching problem might be due to the hangover of that wine."

    Emmy turned to face Alex who was gazing at the sea waves. She could feel the change in his attitude. He had started to show some concerns for her and the way he talked clearly showed that care. However, she couldn''t confront him to ask about that hug so she mentioned only remembering till Alex sitting in a daze.

    "You make me remember a girl, a curious little kitty who I met years back. She was an innocent little girl from a very simple family. We first met on a hilltop at sunrise, she was looking so pretty and I still remember the shine in her eyes. It attracted me more towards her. On consecutive days, we met again at various places. Finally, one day she confessed her feelings for me but I was so stupid, to make her safe from that witch, I lied to her and lost her forever."

    Alex faced Emmy with a smile on his lips but his eyes revealed the guilt and helplessness of lost love.

    "A simple girl from an ordinary family? In your eyes, is the first princess of Agnartic family that simple ?" Emmy gave a sneaky smile but her tone was clearly a mocking one.

    "What? Are you talking about the engagement between Agrona and me? So you know a lot more things about our place than I thought. "

    "I have heard about the Salian family and various other families. Also, you sure had guts to terminate your betrothal to Lady Vilmon without seeing her once. Immediately, got engaged with the mentioned simple girl. I must say either you are marvelously genius or ridiculously stupid."

    As the name of the Esbertrazian princess was mentioned, Alex''s mood changed swiftly. He looked gravely at Emmy and enclosed her within the railings. Emmy stared at those hands which blocked her between him and the steel bars.

    "I think you have an opinion on what I did, huh! Care to tell me on my face. " Alex pulled Emmy''s jaw to let her face him.

    "I am neither afraid of you nor want to solve your complicated love story. Even so, since you are treating my people as enemies, so I will be getting bothered as they are the only familial link left for me. Moreover, you are just thinking about your revenge, you don''t even know how your lover and our princess disappeared. Based on rumors and some facts others stated, you predicted everything and started to avenge your beloved Agnartic princess."

    Alex''s inner mind was in turmoil as Emmy''s firm words hit him greatly. He didn''t think of the aspect that the evidence could have been forged. The narrated story by the dominant guards misled him all these years. He was given his beloved girl''s pendant by the Esbertrazian guards but how could he forget that no one except for Agrona and himself knew his beloved. So how would the Esbertrazian guards murder his beloved? Alex smacked his head, what Emmy said was true, he was ridiculously stupid to believe others when the main clue was within him.

    Emmy watched Alex getting on the verge of breaking down, she rested her head on his chest.

    "You will find her, just believe your heart. There might be some things which are still hidden from your sight. Try to find those hidden strings and link them together. I''m sure you will find who betrayed who."

    The sandalwood perfumed drifted to Alex''s nose calming his nerves, He held her close and never wanted this feeling to be lost ever.

    "I am sorry to be rude to you. I always did things according to my beliefs and never opened my heart out to anyone. Even to the one I love, I couldn''t be truthful. I thought it would keep her safe from the Esbertrazian lady so I asked help from my childhood friend, Agrona to fake an engagement with me but she misunderstood and left me on the engagement day."

    "Oh my god, if I was your girl then I would also do the same, a relation needs truth, trust, and love between the two persons. What was Agrona''s role in this? she also disappeared right! So totally there are three people missing for the same reason. "

    Alex was intrigued by Emmy''s enthusiasm. " Her name was Lamia. She used to wear a pendant on her and I received it from your guards saying that they pity me for loving her. She said she doesn''t have parents, only four brothers. When I lost all my hopes and wanted to end my life, that pendant asked me to come to the college. I came here but now I don''t know how to proceed. Even Jordan could not find any clues."

    "We will find her. I came here to retrieve my memories and find who murdered my parents. Do not lose hope in between." Both hugged each other for some time.

    At this time, Alex thought of the day when he was determined to marry her cute kitten. One rainy day, a girl in a pink floral dress and a guy in a blue robe ran through the mountain valley. They stopped near an uninhabited cave, as it started to hail.

    " Al, my brothers don''t know that I came to the mountains, they think I''m at the shrine."

    "Mia, do not get worried. After this hail stops, we will go back to the village."

    Unfortunately, the hails grew and they had to spend the night together. As their clothes were drenched in the rain, both were suffering from severe cold. Alex embraced Mia tighter to make her warm. When Alex hugged her, Mia had butterflies in her eyes. She looked at the broad chest and well-toned body muscles. She plucked her courage and kissed him on his lips. Her action broke his last straw, his wild character showed up.

    "On that fateful day, I made her mine."

 Chapter 17 - Together We Shall Fight

    Emmy consoled him gently and he cried out like a baby. Those happy memories were haunting him for the past three years but now he felt relieved after sharing it with another person.

    "Let''s get back or else the others will think we are seeing each other. "

    Alex laughed at Emmy who was trying to cheer him up. Everyone had tried to accompany him in those forlorn times, but he couldn''t accept anyone. However, the little lass who he had thought to take as bait for exacting revenge, was now his ally. The one who calmed the tempest inside him for years, the one who will miraculously make him the emperor of the great nation in the future.

    Meanwhile, the other four people inside the house started to have breakfast and they didn''t bug the two for having a secret conversation. Janet was behaving as usual so Jordan concluded that she might have forgotten what all happened yesterday at the beachside in her drunken stupor.

    "Started without us, guys, I am famished."

    "Oh my dear Emmy, usually you are not a foodie, though today all of the boys prepared the food. Don''t you dare you touch the pancakes, it was specially prepared by Mike. " Juliet whispered to Emmy. However, it was heard by all who were present at the table. Mike blushed furiously, still, he liked the way his wife was selfish even for the pancakes he made.

    "Alright, no one is going to steal your love pancakes. Emmy, wait for a bit, I will make another set of pancakes for all. " Alex carefully put the pancake plate in front of Juliet and patted her head "Here you go my dearest sister."

    Alex went to prepare another set of pancakes with a happy smile hanging on his face. Except for Emmy, the others were excited to see Alex''s behavior which changed from cold frozen wind to sweet summer breeze.

    " Brother, thank you for giving me back my old brother. I am happy now. Everything will be okay from now onwards" Mike followed Alex to the kitchen. He was happy to see his brother coming back to his cheerful self, nevertheless didn''t enquire the reason for the change. The sudden change in his brother has elevated the whole mood of the holiday and all decided to have a yacht race.

    On the beach, the girls were watching the boys. Emmy observed Janet who was watching Jordan carefully. Janet turned to Emmy and both together said "Jordan!".

    "Emmy, sorry dear. In the morning, it was my act. I clearly remember what happened yesterday night. He promised me that he would be the one for me who can help me to get out of hell. But at night when he thought I was sleeping, he said something about avenging his family and all. So even if he loves me, he won''t accept my love for now."

    "What do you want to do in that case ?"

    Although Emmy put up a question to Janet, in her mind she was ready to help her another friend to find her love.

    "I want to know his problems and help him in whichever ways it is possible for me."

    "Are you sure about this, choosing him will make you have the same fate as my mother''s. You will have to face the wrath of the Dagardian family and that could put him in danger too."

    Janet stood up and looked at the boys who were walking towards them after finishing their race.

    "I will never put him in danger and help him to cease his enemies. This time I will follow my happiness like my aunt however won''t end up like her. I will protect my love and all my friends."

    The three boys reached the parasol under which the girls were resting, without wasting a moment, Janet held Jordan firmly by his shoulders and kissed him without any constraint while the others left them to have their moment.

    " Don''t think of me as a timid frail girl. I can assure you that my physical strength is the top among the Dagardians but I have not bothered to show it. From childhood, my mother trained me without anyone''s notice and made me physically as well as mentally strong. I do not know who are your foes but I will help you in your revenge but please don''t let go of me."

    Jordan was stunned firstly because of the sudden kiss, then as he was regaining himself from that shock, Janet''s confession bomb completely quashed him. He took a moment to stabilize his accelerated heartbeats then took her hands in his own hands.

    "You cannot offend my enemies as they are really powerful. Let me avenge my family, then I will come to take you to our heaven of paradise till that you staying beside me can be dangerous for you."

    Janet pulled her hands back and with her head lowered, she stood there without saying anything.

    "Either we shall fight together or whatever our relationship is ending at this moment" Janet looked up and Jordan could feel her determination as her eyes turned cold. In front of him was standing a bold girl with an iron will.

    "The first time I saw you, I felt as that we were fated to be together but I am still scared of losing you. I can''t think of a life without you from yesterday. Are you sure that you want to jump to the pit of fire with me? Once I have made you mine, you cannot escape anymore."

    Janet nodded firmly " Together we shall fight for our happiness, trust me I won''t be a burden for you. I can protect myself." Jordan took control of the situation and kissed her hard on her lips. His hands clasped her waist tightly so that he could control his emotions. Janet felt pain but she knew that it must be hard for him to control his inner demon.

    After having an intense intimate moment, Jordan slowly explained to her about his family and how he became one of the alpha guards of the great Esbertraz clan.

    "Does Alex knows that you are an alpha guard of the Esbertraz who he is considering as his enemies?"

 Chapter 18 - I Am Warning You, Stay Away From Him

    "No, he doesn''t know my identity yet. I told him about my real family but not what happened to them. Even though I befriended him as my task but now he is my good buddy. I searched for his lover sincerely but it is as if she has completely disappeared from the earth. He had strong negative feelings towards all Esbertrazians guards. If he comes to know that I am one of them, then he will become hysteric."

    "How can I be hysteric towards my best buddy huh!" Alex and others had heard Janet''s concern when they came back to call them.

    "Alexˇ­ I wanted to tell you but I didn''t know how to tell you about me. I''m sorry man." Jordan felt relieved when he saw Alex was actually not angry when he knew the truth. Mike was getting nervous watching both his brother and Jordan.

    "Look, there are few things I want to clear with you guys. My love life was a secret that only three people knew in this whole wide world. The whole plot of engagement was faked by me, to divert the attention of the Esbertrazian Shadow elders. I had to throw them a bait in order to safeguard Mia."

    "Wait, Brother, who is Mia? What do you mean by fake engagement? you loved the eldest princess of Agnartic family, right!." Mike couldn''t understand the plot and so did the others except for Emmy.

    "Mia... She is the girl for whom I fell. Her real name is Lamia Shagues. An ordinary girl living near the mountains which are in the border of the dark clan territory. She used to come to our market, it was there I saw her first. Our meetings became regular and then one day, she confessed her feelings for me. I couldn''t reciprocate to her feelings at that time as I needed to terminate the betrothal with that wict...sorry, Lady Vilmon. I couldn''t find a way to progress things until Agrona spotted us together. Then it was Agrona''s idea to fake an engagement in front of our families. But I don''t know, how on the engagement day at our palace, Mia confronted me and lashed out. I had once mentioned my betrothal and I think she thought I was getting engaged to that woman. She was enraged and left me. I didn''t follow her as various eyes were on me that day. After that day, I searched for her everywhere but couldn''t find her. The next thing I heard was both Agrona and Lady Vilmon went missing."

    "I thought that the Esbertrazian guards had killed Mia as they gave me the pendant she usually wore and that was the reason for my enmity towards the whole dark clan. However, today Emmy struck me with few doubts which enlightened me. There was only Agrona other than me, who knew Mia''s identity, so how could the dark clan guards find Mia unless ... "

    "Unless your childhood friend betrayed you and showed them your real lover. " Janet completed Alex''s doubt.

    " The idea of breaking the engagement with Lady Vilmon was yours but the fake engagement scheme was Agrona''s. She suddenly pops up into the story and disappears, it is really suspicious. Is your engagement with her still valid?"

    All were waiting for Alex to answer Juliet''s question, but Alex himself had neglected this fact. While he was searching for his beloved, he didn''t pay attention to Agrona''s behavior at all. The chances of her disappearance with Lady Vilmon and his beloved connected to the dots of her betrayal.

    The weekend plan had deepened the bonds of their friendship and with lots of questions to solve, the gang returned to their hostel. After returning, there was a shift of rooms now, the respective couples decided to stay together and they dumped Alex to Emmy''s room. All were happy as everything was becoming correct, till Jordan was called upon by the master Rotrigues.

    "Having fun with your enemies and even getting in loveˇ­ have you forgotten about your past? Remember that you are an alpha guard and your task, for now, is to safeguard Emmetina. but you delivered her straight to the enemy''s place."

    " Master, Alex is not our enemy. There are some misunderstandings about the incident with our Miss and himself. He has never seen our Miss, so how could he play with her emotions and break her down. It was Emmy''s idea to let Alex stay in her room."

    " You all are innocent before his cunning eyes, but he cannot escape me. I will definitely punish him for inflicting pain on my daughter. He has to pay for what he did years ago, I have seen Miss crying that day. I will never forgive him, ˇ­.neverˇ­ ever..." Rotrigues closed his eyes in anger but the memory of that final day flashed by.

    Jordan felt a sudden pressure drop in his surroundings and when he turned to face his master, the chair where the master was sitting just seconds ago was empty.

    Meanwhile, in Emmy''s room, Alex was listening to music and Emmy was sketching in her book. Even if Alex was a stranger, for whom she felt extreme aversion at first, now she was feeling a sense of care from him. She started to trust him more than anyone and it was the same for Alex too. Her presence made him calm and he knew he was wrong before.

    All of a sudden, the peaceful room tensed up. The door was kicked open, and Alex who was laying on the bed got thrashed to the floor. Alex''s forehead started to bleed profusely but he felt his whole body stiff. An immense amount of pressure was forced on his body and with great effort, Alex raised his head to see the culprit.

    The great master Rotrigues had his foot stamped on Alex''s body and his strength was no match for unskilled humans.

    "I told you to stay away from her but what did you do, huh. Do you think that you can fool everyone with your lousy act? Kid, I gave you one chance but not anymore." The master strengthened the force on his foot which made Alex choke.

    "STOP"

    "Get your foot off him right now."

    A thunderous voice was heard inside room 54, this time Rotigues got stuck with words and took away his foot, freeing Alex from the pressure. Emmy then quickly helped Alex who was gasping for breaths. The cold chill feeling emanating from Emmy froze Alex also.

    "You are our master, but you cannot trample your students as you wish. Whatever your personnel vengeance is, do not take it out here in front of me. I know you are my elder, my father''s closest kin, however I won''t let you hurt Alex in any way. I warn you, stay away from him."

    The stunned master was looking at Emmy as if he had seen a ghost, he could not fathom the aura which Emmy had when her emotions broke out. Although her father, Shawn, was a shadow guard, it doesn''t account for Emmy''s powerful aura.

    "My child, he is not what you think he is. He is taking you for granted. He wants his revenge for killing his fiance. Please clear your mind for once and think properly."

    "Master, I know what you are implying but I trust my intuitions more. Please calm down and return to your quarters now."

    Emmy tried to calm down her master but the rage in her eyes was still shining.. When she saw blood from Alex''s forehead, all her rationality flew out of the window.

 Chapter 19 - I Canâ€™t Remember Any One Of Them

    Emmy applied medications on Alex''s wounds while watching their master standing at the door adamantly. After taking care of his cut properly, she put a dressing over it and cleaned the mess on the floor.

    Finally, she looked over the figure at the door and walked out of the room pulling the person with her.

    "Why are you so persistent in making Alex the reason for the departure of your princess. You know only half of the story, so don''t make quick decisions. Trust me, master, we will find your clan mistress."

    "My child, I cannot trust anyone now. I have seen self-hatred and despair in her eyes for the first time that day. I cannot forgive him for playing with her feelings. He shouldn''t have even met her. It was my mistake to leave her out of my sight after Shawn left the dark clan. If my brother was still alive, he would have stripped my skin off as punishment."

    When her father''s name was mentioned, Emmy gradually calmed down. She smiled and cried at the same time because she could not remember anything about her past.

    " Although I don''t remember any of them, we will find her and know the whole truth until then please don''t hurt him. There are still some dots that need to be connected. What do you mean by Alex meeting Lady Vilmon? Where did they meet? Please tell me about the last day you saw her."

    The master Rotrigues tried to control his emotions in front of Emmy, he couldn''t help but shed tears whenever he thought about that day.

    "She came back to the castle crying, worn out. After entering the room, she smashed everything in her vicinity. Even the shadow elders couldn''t control her, we saw slowly her devil power was emerging from her which the lords had locked inside her when she was made. If that power unleashes out, it will result in a catastrophe for the whole world. So, we elders decided to lock her up in the dark region till she calms herself. However, after one month, we tried to locate her but couldn''t find her anywhere from then onwards."

    "Master, why do I feel that she is like a human even when she is not one of us, a powerful being who got emotionally unstable, and disappears without creating any havoc towards humankind, is that possible? "

    "Till now, no one knows the origin of the dark clan. I cannot disclose such things to you. Help me find her, I feel only you can do it."

    Master Rotrigues could not explain what he was feeling right at that moment, the greenish eyes, he cannot forget and it was time for him to search for the Ravenic. That book might be able to answer his doubts about Emmy''s mysterious aura. The combination of the dark clan power and ordinary human could create such a prodigy that was nowhere to be found in the dark clan history.

    With Master''s departure, Emmy returned to her room to see Alex gazing out to the old graveyard. The questions which were in Emmy''s mind quickly dispersed off when she saw him sobbing quietly. When Alex saw Emmy at the door, he wiped away his tears but his eyes were still reddish.

    " You can vent it out in front of me, Master won''t hurt you anymore, but his hatred isn''t something which will subside soon. When we find all the missing pieces, everything will be fine."

    Alex nodded and smiled, there was nothing he could do to make Rotrigues understand him.

    "I can''t blame him for this, because he lost his daughter, the whole Esbertrazian clan lost their princess. I am sure if you hadn''t stopped him today, this prince would be thrown to that graveyard by now."

    Alex pointed to his wound and poked it a bit to feel the pain. He could understand Rotrigues''s feeling of wanting to kill him. By this time, Mike, Juliet, Jordan, and Janet had reached their room to know what happened.

    " He was questioning me at that time and then in the next second, I found his chair empty. I didn''t know that his departure was to injure Alex. "

    "Not to injure but to finish Alex forever. Thank god Emmy was able to control the situation here." Janet corrected Jordan while patting Emmy on her back.

    Mike was sitting quietly thinking of today''s incident seriously. Alex threw a pillow at Mike to awake him from his stupor.

    "Brother Mike, don''t worry. Look, I''m really okay, there is nothing to worry about."

    "For heaven''s sake brother, don''t give me this look. You always hide your pain and smile indifferently to me. As your brother, I will get worried about you. But there is one thing which is bugging me about that man''s statement. It is not the first time I have heard the elders say that Lady Vilmon and you have met each other a few times. I feel confused, you never saw Lady Vilmon, then why are they stating such a thing?"

    Juliet was then asked to draw the portrait of Mia as per Alex''s directions. When she finished the drawings, everyone, except Alex, looked at Emmy as the finished picture resembled Emmy in many facial aspects especially the eyes.

    Although Alex had been separated from Mia for three years, he felt excited after seeing her portrait and he failed to notice the stunned expressions of the other people in the room.

    "It is my Mia, this is exactly how my Mia looks." Alex felt a heart crunching pain as he looked more to the smiling picture of his beloved.

    "I think, brother has lost his mind now, how in the world can''t he notice the picture is a lot more similar to Emmy who is standing right in front of him" Mike whispered to Jordan who was eagerly looking at the finished portrait.

    "What about Lady Vilmon? Has anyone seen the Esbertrazian princess directly ?" Emmy asked the group curiously

    "No, she is the most mysterious person in the whole Vilmonark. No one is permitted to see her other than the Shadow guards, our master Rotrigues is also one of the Shadow guards. I don''t think he will help us to draw her portrait."

    Jordan explained clearly how the dark clan princess had destroyed her existence completely before she disappeared from the chamber of the dark region.

    " No one has seen either Lady Vilmon or Alex''s lover, Lamia and the elders believe that Alex has met Lady Vilmon a number of times, so does it meanˇ­.. that both are the same ??? "

    All shuddered to their core after hearing Emmy''s shocking discovery.

 Chapter 20 - Time To Reveal The Truth

    "No, It can''t be possible. Mia cannot be ˇ­."

    Alex plopped down to the chair gripping the picture in his hands. He could never believe that his woman would be the one to whom he was betrothed. She was a simple girl, from her manners to her clothes, there was no majestic etiquette from her. Before he asked her name, he named her '' the mountain beauty'', so there was no chance that she could be Lady Vilmon, who is said to be the most powerful dark lord of Vilmonark history.

    While everyone was looking at Alex, Emmy gave an eye signal to Jordan who took the parchment from Alex and fled out. Mike was concerned for his brother, yet considering the new twist to his brother''s love story, it would be wonderful if it turned out to be true. The chance of such a happening was more than seventy percent and all the dots will be getting cleared if it is so.

    Jordan came back after a while looking sullen. From his behavior it was clear that for whatever reason he went out, it was not done. Emmy raised her eyebrows hinting at the question which all others had in their mind but Jordan shook his head, making everyone''s last hope crash down the hill.

    "I already told you, Mia cannot be the Vilmon princess. Although I''m not as skilled as Jordan, I can still understand any individual''s aura. She was just an ordinary girl from a simple family living in the outskirts of the mountain."

    " We have to find the leads somehow. Mike, can you use your connections to know about the whereabouts of that missing Agnartic princess? Juliet and Janet try to find what all things are happening in each of the major families currently."

    After discussing their initial step, the gang called it a night and went back to their respective rooms. Emmy felt that Alex was suddenly acting weird, instead of sleeping, he was sitting on the bed and in his hands, she could see a sparkling object.

    "What are you dreaming with eyes wide open, huh! What is that thing in your hands?" Emmy sat beside Alex to look at the shining thing more closely.

    Alex slowly opened his fist, from it emerged a small exquisite jade pendant with sparkling stone lace attached to it. Apart from her memories, Alex only had this ornament which reminded him of her. Once she had told him that it was given to her by her parents before they died. So she always wore it around her neck as her lucky charm.

    Emmy looked at the pendant and touched the jade with her index finger. A sudden jolt of electricity hit Emmy, her brain got blank and her whole body stiff. Her eyes got shrouded with complete darkness. Amidst the darkness, she heard faint voices; however, she could not recognize those voices. After a while, those voices started to be heard more clearly. As her vision was still blackened out, she could only listen to the two male voices.

    " What if she comes to know the truth? Whatever we did, will go in vain. Miandrake, I think it is time to reveal the truth to her."

    "The truth? Do you know what will happen if she comes to know the truth? We are responsible for her suffering. Therefore, we must find ways to mend her, she should not be emotionally unstable. Now the Ravenic jade is able to control her condition but it won''t last long. Till we find a way, let her be here. I hope you can understand the dire situation. She is the precious pure sorceress, never underestimate her power or her feelings."

    "Only if her closest kin was hereˇ­. he always had coaxed our adamant angel!"

    " That is true ...if he was here ˇ­ none of this would have happenedˇ­."

    Emmy was not able to catch the fading voices further, slowly she could see the light, and then she saw Alex''s worried face. He was sweating all over and in his eyes, red veins showed up. Emmy could feel his fastened heartbeats and the tense atmosphere around her. Without a word, she sat up and stared at the wall in front of her.

    "Emmy, are you okay? Is there something wrong with you? Why do you faint like this? Should we consult a physician? Tell me something at least, you are making me go crazy."

    Emmy looked at the frenetic Alex who was shooting out questions without a gap. After her parents passed away, she hasn''t seen anyone showering her with worried expressions. She smiled at Alex and raised her hands towards his lips to stop his interrogation.

    " I am sorry to make you worried. Sometimes I get panic attacks like this but it will be fine after taking rest. Cheer up, okay. This worried look doesn''t suit you much."

    "If it doesn''t suit me much, then don''t make me worried`. Little lass, you will be the death of this Salian prince."

    Both of them guffawed at his remark, then as they were going to sleep, Emmy suddenly asked Alex " Do by any chance, you know a person called Miandrake?"

    " Who did you say?"

    "No one." Emmy quieted herself.

    Upon hearing no answer from Emmy, Alex got up from his bed, lighted up the whole room, and sat beside her bed. His sleep was long gone when he heard that name, but to make sure that he was not hearing things, he confronted Emmy seriously.

    " Emmy, tell me frankly, whose name did you tell before?"

    Seeing Alex with a grave expression, Emmy could neither lie to him nor tell him what happened to her when she touched that pendant. In addition, the voices which she heard, she couldn''t prove its authenticity to make Alex believe her words.

    " Miandrake ..."

    " How do you know him? He has never set his foot outside the Esbertrazian castle, only the elders know him. Tell me how did you even get his name?"

    " I don''t know, it just popped into my mind." Emmy tried to hide from Alex''s unwavering gaze but Alex held Emmy by her shoulders and sternly pressed her against the headrest of the bed.

    " I know you are lying. The only person outside the dark clan who has seen Elder Miandrake is me. He is the first elder of the whole Esbertrazian clan. He is such an important figure and so powerful, even more powerful than the master Rotrigues."

    Emmy looked at the golden-brown eyes which were shining with immense honesty. She had always admired truthfulness but how can she tell Alex about her feelings and those nightmares which are haunting her. No one believed her before and she was sure that Alex would also not believe her. Seeing Emmy sitting quietly, Alex embraced her and murmured in her ears.

    "Emmy, who the hell are you ????"

 Chapter 21 - Hidden Treasures Of Cliff Top Manor

    Emmy heard Alex''s soft voice with a furious tone hidden in it. After the accident, she always had forsworn any relation with others, but now she never hated the physical contact with Alex. Whenever he embraced her or sat beside her, she felt absolute comfort and inner peace within her.

    "Alex, would you believe me if I tell you the truth about myself?"

    The guy who was furiously waiting for an answer when met with a strange question gently patted her back. He was certain that he should patiently wait to let her open up to reveal the scar of her past. Alex didn''t rush Emmy, he gently smoothened the flocks of her hair and pacified her.

    " I am Emmetina Ezbertraz, the only child of Shawn Esbertraz and Lilian Dargardian. Three years ago, I lost my parents and my memories in the accident or should I say, assassination staged by an unknown power. I heard it was the people from the Dagardian family who wanted to kill their prodigal daughter for defaming the whole family. I do not remember what happened on that day. After waking up, I had no one there to accompany me, all I saw was blood everywhere and my parents'' bodies in the basement of our house. They had last written a letter with a will attached to it. From that day, I am a person who is seeking answers to know why such a peaceful family was slaughtered without any reason. "

    " You won''t believe me if I say that after my memories got lost, the only name in my head was Salian. I didn''t know whether you are a friend or that enemy that I am trying to find."

    Alex tightened his hold over the little girl inside his arms, his curiosity had made Emmy tore open the wound of her life.

    "So that is the reason why you were like a firecracker whenever you met me huh!...."

    " Firecracker? Me? oh, tell me who was sitting frozen like a thousand-year-old mummy, with no expression and just an arrogant looking face. ".

    They both slowly deviated from the painful memories and started a kitty fight but soon tiredness washed over both them. After putting Emmy to sleep, Alex slowly got up from her bed and returned to his bed to catch his sleep. However, in the early morning, he woke up hearing the rumpus made by Emmy in her sleep. He could hear her sobbing and amidst murmuring something.

    Alex leaned to hear her feeble sound, and then suddenly a powerful force clutched his throat. He looked frantically at those hands which were clenching his neck forcefully.

    "EMMYˇ­.."

    Alex shouted with all his might, abruptly Emmy opened her eyes making Alex shocked to the bones. The green-colored eyes were looking at him as if the owner was ready to kill him with just a snap of fingers but in another second, the expression turned as if the owner had found her lost possession of her life.

    The grip gradually loosened allowing Alex to catch his breath back, and he was stunned to see the killer woman closing her eyes to sleep peacefully. With that sudden attack, Alex came to the conclusion that Emmy is no ordinary earthling. Her demeanor might be simple but deep down, she has a powerful self that is inactive for some reason. Though Alex''s sleep was long gone, just as he laid on the bed, sleepiness washed over him, putting his paranoid brain to rest for the day.

    The next morning, Alex woke up late to find his gang inside the room discussing the news they found. Mike got the news that no one is bothered about the missing of the eldest Agnartic princess as their elders strictly warned her family to stop searching for her. The elders stated that a calamity will arise if the cause of her disappearance is made known. So they are keeping low for now.

    Juliet found something rather interestingly adulterous, the second prince of the Salian family has an indecorous relationship with the second princess of the Agnartic family. It is not known to the elders but the Agnartic majesty has plans to give away his daughter to the Salian princeˇ­..not the second prince, but to the crown prince.

    "What? That pig head wants me to marry his daughter, he is inviting his death if that is the case."

    Mike shook his head when he saw that his brother had woke up, "Brother, that is just the insider information. You know our father pretty well, right!! He is biased to the second brother, so do you think that he will allow this marriage knowing that the second brother has eyes on her?"

    " Do not get fooled by his clumsy behavior, he is the most cunning and sly fox among the various leaders. He plans to collude with the Salian family''s power to terminate the dark clan. He will never admit defeat easily. He shall use any methods to exact his revenge on the dark clan as all Agnartic people believe their princess was killed by our lord. "

    Jordan sat beside Alex and warned the gang about the cunning diplomats of the Agnartic clan.

    "Alex, what happened to your neck?"

    As Jordan shot the question, all looked to the place where he was pointing and simultaneously looked towards Emmy. Emmy, who remembered nothing when she woke up in the morning, sat near the window dumbfounded. She looked at Alex''s neck, and sneered, " Guys, grow up. Yesterday I slept like a pig."

    Now it was Alex''s turn to sit dumbly, he clearly remembered those green eyes and the feelings which it showed.

    Alex gave a sigh, and he elucidated the matter which had happened during Emmy''s pig sleep.

    " Are you saying that I have powers? No, I heard from Jordan that my aura is different but having powers inside the body, the owner would be able to detect it. However, I have never felt such a thing. "

    " Do you find it hilarious? I will never forget those green eyes. Emmy, I would not let you off, if those eyes haunt me in my beauty sleep."

    The bickering between the two eased the tense atmosphere.

    " Guys, what to do about the dead-end? From where should we start again?" Janet spoke up.

    " I believe the cliff-top manor holds secrets in it, Alex, the basement where I found my parents'' bodies last is mysterious. I never dared to open the basement again because my dad wrote in the letter not to open the basement ever again. We need to start from there, I feel that brutal killings have got some connections in the disappearance of Lady Vilmon."

    " Emmy, why do you feel that both of these are connected in some way?" Everyone was as curious as Juliet, however it was Juliet who asked her doubt first.

    "Because it is the only place where the treasures of the clifftop manor lieˇ­..."

 Chapter 22 - You Cannot Break Through It

    " Treasures? What kind of fortunes are hidden there ?" Mike charged in as he heard the word treasure.

    " About that, I am not quite sure off, my dad would never mention it in his last words if that was not important to him. We have to go there and check ourselves, what did he hide in the basement so securely. That day when I saw their bodies, I didn''t look much in the basement area, never did I disobey him till now but it is time to do so."

    The gang decided to visit Emmy''s house on the weekend as they still needed to prepare themselves for this hunt. Jordan reported their plan to his master, Rotrigues who was surprised to hear about such a request made by his brother on his last breath. Master Rotrigues was a hundred percent sure that Shawn was hiding something supreme, down in the basement.

    Emmy was called upon by the master to know more about the content of her father''s letter. She produced a tattered piece of parchment stained with blood. It was really precious for her so she always kept it with her as it gave Emmy a sense of security in her heart. Her bond with her father was more than a father-daughter relationship, they treated each other like best friends. As Emmy didn''t have much memory of her parents, she never changed any of the settings of their house.

    Rotrigues read the letter in which it was written-

    "Dear Emmy,

    You have to persist with the goal of your life. We are sorry to leave you in this world of suffering. Don''t worry my child, we will be there in your heart always. Just remain calm and never lash out at anyone.

    Emmy, the next thing which I need to mention is of grave seriousness. Do not come to this basement ever again. Here lie the hidden treasures which no one must ever know. Even though all these are your possessions but it can only be rightfully returned to you when the time is ripe.

    Yours only,

    Dada."

    After reading the letter, master Rotrigues felt his expression stiff, his eyes were betraying him as large droplets of water escaped through his eyes. He looked at Emmy who was having a cold face, he could not understand this girl at all. She has Shawn''s ferocious mentality and her mother''s beauty. Her strong will power was exceeding his expectation. He slowly stood up and returning the letter to her, he made a small request too.

    " I want to visit my brother''s place. Please, let me accompany you while going to the cliff top manor. I want to see the place as the interiors of the manor were specially designed for our princess, however she gave it to Shawn as his wedding gift."

    Hearing his earnest request, Emmy couldn''t say no to him. She nodded and while leaving, reminded the master to behave nicely to her friends along the whole journey to the cliff top manor.

    " Lady Vilmon gifted the manor to your father, so it means that she knew that place. In fact, all Esbertrazian elders must have known that manor. So your guess might be true, Lord Vilmon''s disappearance must be linked with the accident which happened to Emmy''s family."

    "Wait a minute Janet, If the elders knew that the manor was gifted to Emmy''s father, then how did they lose contact between them? That is pretty much strange. "

    "Well, I can clear that doubt for you guys. Emmy''s parents fell in love deeply during their graduation years. Our princess had noted Elder Shawn''s interest in the Dagaridian girl when they went on small visits outside the castle. Then, she deliberately asked the elder Shawn to attend this university as she knew that the girl''s family were sending her here. So, in order to keep her plan a secret, she closed all the links connecting elder Shawn to the Esbertrazian clan. Only she could connect with him afterward."

    "The other elders were furious over her decision, but the final say was hers, so they had to follow her decision at the end."

    Hearing Jordan''s explanation, Alex was a bit confused, yet he didn''t express it outside. In addition to that, he was afflicted by yesterday''s change in Emmy when one of the elders was mentioned.

    The following days went without any melee. Master Rotrigues started to hate Alex less and the mocking term between them vanished easily with the interference of Emmy.

    On the arranged day, all got set early in the morning to visit the cliff-top manor. Emmy was excited to go home because, after three long years, she was bringing her friends to her house. They boarded the sedan and set off.

    Along the way, different thoughts were going in three people''s minds, Emmy was super excited whereas their master was feeling pretty emotional and finally it was Alex, he badly wanted to confront master Rotrigues to tell him about Emmy knowing the elder Miandrake.

    After a long journey, they reached the seaside. From there, it was a ten-minute walk towards the manor on the hilltop. Juliet and Mike held their hands while walking through the beautiful place. Jordan wanted to be close with Janet but both were intimidated by his master''s presence.

    The manor was looking quite Georgian, indeed self-sufficient and independent. It matched with Lady Vilmon''s as well as Shawn''s character. Without wasting another minute, they got settled at the manor and straight away went to check out the basement.

    The narrow path towards the basement was dark and eerie, everyone was feeling particularly unpleasant with the offensive odor of dusty metal and blood mixed. They stopped in front of the arched door like structure, with Emmy showing the light towards the door, both master Rotrigues and Alex got stunned at what they saw at the door panel.

    " I don''t remember having a key to this door, I should have searched for it before we came down here."

    Watching Emmy''s flustered expression, master Rotrigues could not keep quiet anymore, "There is no key to this door and we cannot break through it. "

    "But why? What is this door?" Mike eagerly asked his stunned brother, whose appearance clearly showed the onlookers that he knew about the peculiarity of this entrance.

 Chapter 23 - Alex - A Wolf In A Sheepâ€™s Clothing!!!

    Alex turned to the master Rotrigues, who was in return studying Alex''s expression. The look on Alex''s face clearly showed that he knew about the symbol on the door. Master was getting deranged thinking about how an outsider like Alex knows the secret emblem of the Esbertrazian power.

    " The symbol on the panel is your clan''s supreme power mark, right! You should know how to decode it then ?"

    Rotrigues felt as if his last ounce of patience had snapped at the moment when Alex finished his query. He raised his hand in order to slap Alex but was stopped by Mike and Jordan.

    " Master, do you remember what you promised me before we started the trip?"

    "Emmy, he knowsˇ­ he knows our clan''s deepest secret. This guy is a wolf in a sheep''s clothing. He will betray us.. he is a traitor among us. "

    Seeing their master getting so enraged that he was feeling difficult to maintain his breathing, all of them turned to look at Alex.

    "Brother, tell us the truth. How come you know about this symbol?"

    Alex had no one apart from Emmy in his eyes, he didn''t care if anyone believed him or not but he never wanted to break her trust. An air of melancholy surrounded him suddenly and he walked towards Emmy.

    " Do you trust me?" He asked.

    All others gasped at the strange situation, Mike couldn''t understand his brother at the moment. His brother never believed in living for another person, his view changed because of one girl; however now his brother was seeking trust from another girl, that too in a short span of time. Mike wondered to how much extent, his brother was dependent on this little girl.

    After a moment of silence, Emmy''s voice broke the quietness.

    " I do believe you."

    Alex felt complete bliss in his heart, his inner emotions calmed down and he hugged Emmy like there was no tomorrow. Feeling a bit awkward by the stare of her friends and their master, Emmy patted Alex to cool his excitement down.

    "Rotr.. Sorry, master Rotrigues, Pardon me because I had entered your fort one day to seek revenge on your princess. You might remember the day when I got insane and barged into the ancestral fort but was captured by the Elder Miandrake. However, before getting captured, I had heard that the elders had locked the princess in the dark region and fortunately I stumbled across that dark room and the door had the same emblem on its panel. There I saw a girl bawling out loud, and standing in front of the strange well in the middle of the room. "

    "As it was pitch dark, and only a small light was coming from the well, I couldn''t see her face but I concluded it was the princess. Perhaps she was in a dilemma to decide whether to jump or not to the well so, in my rage, I pushed her with all my might ."

    "NOOOOOOOOO"

    Rotrigues shrieked like a mad person, his powerful aura pressurized everyone near him and even Jordan couldn''t stop him as he charged towards Alex. With just a few millimeters between them, master Rotrigues balled his fist to punch Alex down but was stopped by a colossal force.

    " I said it before, do not hurt him. If you want to start the fight, I will be your first opponent. I won''t let anyone hurt him in my presence."

    Emmy had a difficult time to stabilize her anger, whereas master Rotrigues calmed down fast. He couldn''t understand the powerful aura emanating from Emmy could really bring inner peace to him. However, he still wanted to tear down Alex into pieces and he was staring brutally at Emmy who was speaking with Alex.

    "Alex, I will support you even though what you did was wrong. You pushing that girl to the well directly gives the reason for the disappearance of the dark clan princess. We cannot account for the hatred ness from the Esbertrazian people, especially those three elders. But tell me how did you enter their heavily guarded ancestral fort?"

    Alex explained the decree that was passed by Lady Vilmon, that he was allowed to enter any place in the dark clan. So he used that decree to barge inside the fort.

    After listening to Alex''s explanation, master Rotrigues suddenly chimed in " Alex, do you know what have you done? it is not any ordinary well, it is the infinity well. If anyone falls into it, they will be trapped in different dimensions. Unless they are super powerful to break the dimension and to return back, they will be trapped in infinite space forever.."

    "Master, this infinity well was made by your elders right! So will you be able to locate the people who have gone to different dimensions?"

    "Our ancestors have recorded the ways to escape from various dimensions but it is all listed in the book of Ravenic and that book is also missing."

    Hearing the master''s reply, the only found clue still ended up in a dead-end. They decided to call it a day and came back up. After dinner, Jordan escorted the master to his room and then came back to spend his quality time with his beloved, Janet. Mike and Juliet had decided to stay on the beachside for the rest of the night. Left was Emmy and Alex (as usual!!!)

    " I consider gods have forgiven me for the sins I did because now I got a true companion in my life."

    Emmy smiled but Alex could feel that she was deep in her thoughts. As it is said curiosity kills, Alex gave up the casual conversation and asked her directly the concerns which were making her frown.

    "Alex, you said seeing that emblem on the door panel of the dark region but tell me how did you enter through that door?"

    "I don''t clearly remember, I think the doors got opened with a gentle push. Emmy, what''s in your mind?"

    Alex tried to remember what all things happened on that day, but his mind was totally blank.. In his eyes and brain, now only one person was shining up.

 Chapter 24 - I Found The Key To Open It

    Emmy could see her reflection in Alex''s eyes clearly. Unknowingly though, he had planted a strange feeling in her, which she knew, was impossible to happen. After her parent''s demise, she never believed in love or even having a family of her own. However, with Alex beside her, Emmy wished to cease the time because she knew, once his Mia returns, the one spending time with him will be her always.

    Seeing Emmy in trance, Alex nudged her only to see her eyes tearing up. He quickly made her sit on the chair and gave a glass of water.

    " Are you thinking about your parents? Don''t cryˇ­. seeing you like this, Iˇ­.. master Rotrigues will blame me again thinking that I made his other daughter cry. Please cheer up dear Emmy."

    As much as Alex tried to cheer Emmy up, her tears were pouring down in a frenzy. After trying his best, Alex knelt down in front of her and wiped her tears away. His small action created ripples on Emmy''s heart. It fluttered out various butterflies inside her and a cute smile was spread across her lips.

    " You may think that your daughter is alone in this world. In fact, she wasˇ­for three years, searching for her enemies alone. But I, the crown prince of the Envoy Salian clan, hereby gives you the promise to accompany your daughter until my last breath. "

    Alex kept his left hand over Emmy''s head and right hand on his chest, kneeling down and facing the family photo on the wall, he promised to her parents that Emmy won''t be alone anymore. Unfortunately, his well-wishing behavior sprouted the seeds of love inside Emmy. It was the first time someone acknowledged her parents and this made Emmy fall head over heels for Alex. Although she knew that Alex could never love her, her tiny heart wished to make him hers forever. Keeping her selfish thoughts aside, Emmy beamed at Alex hiding the sorrow in her eyes.

    Alex held her hands and looked straight to Emmy''s eyes.

    " These are not just words, I feel natural peace when I am with you. You are my friend ˇ­ no, even more than a friendˇ­ I am not getting correct words to describe what you are to me .. from this day onwards, you won''t be alone."

    Emmy looked at his hands which were resting on top of her hands, she suddenly stood up jerking off Alex who was kneeling in front of her.

    " Come with me nowˇ­ I have found the key to open the basement door. Come, quick "

    Emmy pulled Alex and ran towards the dingy basement. They reached there within no time, and both were panting to catch their breaths. Alex could not figure out what was running through Emmy''s brain. He watched her closely, afraid to see her brown eyes changing into the green one.

    " Lady Vilmon had it difficult to control her emotions, but her feelings never fluctuated when you were mentioned. You once easily broke the barriers of the dark region because she loved you to such an extreme that she gave you the access to the whole dark clan, so it is easy for you to break any seals of the dark clan. Let us see whether my theory is correct or not. Put your right hand on the door panel, and wait for a few seconds."

    Alex did like what Emmy had instructed, and her theory turned to prove true. The latch twisted and the door was wide opened. A strong smell of blood hit them in the next second, it was really unbearable. The eerie basement was like a dungeon where the insane people were held captive. The rusted iron grid had blood dyed on it. It was clear that no one had entered this basement for a long time.

    Both of them didn''t enter the basement just like that, Alex was feeling extremely guilty towards the girl who he pushed inside the infinity well. His head was muddled with revenge thoughts against the pampered princess who separated his lover from him. However, now he understood that this girl was the one who loved him unconditionally and the ones who stabbed him were his close confidants.

    Emmy was feeling chaotic in her mind, strange yet familiar figures flashed in her memories. The pair of golden-brown eyes, the pitch-black graveyard, a small beam of light, and the cold touch on her waist bombarded into her brain in fragments. She could not hold the pain anymore and her eyesight became blurred.

    "Alex, take me back to the room please..."

    Emmy could not complete her sentence before fainting into Alex''s arm. Alex didn''t waste any second, he carried her to the room and placed her on the bed. He opened all the windows to allow the sea breeze to freshen up the airstream, then with a wet towel, he wiped her face and feet which had started to sweat profusely. As Emmy had told him before that her condition will be fine after taking rest, he didn''t alert others about the whole matter.

    The next morning, Emmy woke up smelling freshly baked bacon with sausages and beans. She opened her eyes to see Alex sleeping on the sofa. The faint dark circles around his eyes clearly gave Emmy the idea of what must have happened yesterday after she fainted. She simpered, looking pleased with him taking care of her like this.

    After everyone finished their breakfast, Alex still didn''t show up which made Rotrigues frown but he was helpless in front of Emmy.

    " That lad considers this trip as a vacation, how can he enjoy himself after doing such a heinous crime. Once I reach Vilmonark, then I will make sure to make him pay for his sin."

    " Master, shhhhhˇ­.. Emmy is watching you. If she hears what you said, the one who will be returning first will surely be you."

    Hearing Jordan teasing him, master Rotrigues slapped his disciple''s head and smiled smugly looking at Janet. Jordan, who got his master''s silent warning, shut his mouth and got ready for today''s key hunt.

    " Actually, the basement had been opened by Alex yesterday night, so it saves us from racking our brains to find the key."

    " Emmy, what did you say? How can that lad open the Esbertrazian seal? It''s impossible."

    Emmy grinned, revealing how Alex really did open the powerful seal of the great Esbertrazian clan. He just needed to calm down his mind and give a gentle push to break the seal; opening the door.

    " Still thinking it is impossibleˇ­ don''t underestimate himˇ­.. even your princess has already surrendered the power of love to him."

 Chapter 25 - Choose Either Enchantress Or Sorceress?

    " Sorry, I am a bit late. Is anything left for me to eat, I''m quite famished?" Alex arrived looking fresh as a daisy.

    The atmosphere turned placid with his arrival but Juliet served one glass of milk and a plate of nutritious meals to Alex. He gobbled it up quickly under the murderous stare from master Rotrigues. He grinned as he watched the silent warning shot from Emmy towards the proud master.

    Jordan and Mike volunteered to carry the basic cleaning materials to the basement. On their way to the basement, Alex held Emmy back letting others go in front of them.

    "Are you sure that you will okay down there? Yesterday you fainted even before entering inside, will it be really fine ?"

    "I want to know what is the secret my father hid from me, what dangers are hidden from my eyes? I can''t walk back now and to avenge my parents, first I need to know why was the basement heavily sealed by the Esbertrazian seal? When I entered the basement after gaining my consciousness that day, there was no seal placed but now there is a seal. So, let''s go and see what''s inside. "

    Alex was surprised at the level of thinking Emmy showed, even though she forgot about her past, she had good observation over Vilmonark things. At the entrance, the master waited for Emmy and Alex to join them. The old bloodstains over the grid spread rage in his mind. The princess''s favorite person... his brother was brutally murdered here. His guileless inaptitude for not being able to protect his brother hurt him hugely.

    Janet was studying the emblem on the door panel, whereas Mike and Jordan were trying to figure out how to get rid of the awful smell.

    "Master, is it possible for elder Shawn to place the seal while he was dying? For making such a powerful seal, the power transferred to it must also be that great right! "

    Master Rotrigues who was drowned in sorrow looked at Emmy who just came to the basement with Alex. He didn''t know how to answer Juliet''s doubt as he himself was clueless about it.

    "I have seen that this seal could only be created by the great master, but after his demise, no one could place the seal unlessˇ­."

    " Unless the great powerful princess who could escape from the dimensional world and returned here to find her own people brutally murdered or else how could Alex break the seal with just a touch. Isn''t it master?"

    " Also, I would like to know, you all said that the dark clan princess is the most powerful lord in the history of the dark clan but then why do you believe she could be trapped in the dimensional world?"

    Rotrigues fell silent and he hesitated to answer Emmy. Although the great lord warned the elders about such an instance, they were pretty sure that their princess was not matured though to awaken it.

    As Emmy''s glare deeply penetrated into the master''s eyes, he slowly reminisced about the glorious days when the princess was born to the day he saw her last.

    " Our princess is born with two powers in her body, one is the power of the pure sorceress and the other ˇ­ the other is the power of the black enchantress. "

    Except for Emmy, all others could not believe what they heard, the term ''black enchantress'' was never to be mentioned aloud. She is the cruel erring entity which is the supreme to all the evil force of the dimensional world.

    "The barren land called Vilmonark was the burial ground for the creatures of the black world, and their leader was the black enchantress. Our great lord succeeded to overthrow her reign with the help of the pure sorceress. The enchantress and sorceress started to love our lord greatly, so the whole black world succumbed to him making him the great lord of Vilmonark. He was not biased when choosing between the enchantress and the sorceress, but the decision was difficult to take as it might shake the foundation of his power. So he took the vow of celibacy at last which triggered both of the women and they created the dimensional world leaving Vilmonark. But on his deathbed, he called upon both of them and requested to give him an heir. Hence, our princess was bornˇ­ so should I correct myself to say, our princess was created using the powers of our great lord and the other two powerful women. "

    " However, our lord had warned us that the black powers inside our little princess should never be unleashed as it would destroy the whole world. So we trained her accordingly from childhood, her emotions were much controlled and she was turning into an angel like the pure sorceress but then this imbecile messed up her life."

    After hearing the origins of the dark clan and their princess from their master, no one had the courage to think about the consequences of the Esbertrazian princess lashing out her hidden powers.

    Without wasting any more time, they entered the confined area. Emmy was feeling some familiarity but more precisely it was the unfamiliar feelings surging up. She could not remember what happened that day, not even her parent''s faces. Hopelessness started to arise in her mind, eventually turning her eyes to a pool of tears.

    Both Juliet and Janet solaced Emmy who was on the verge of a breakdown. The men in the room brought light to the room giving all a clear view of the basement room. Other than blood stains and rusty furniture as well as a few trunks, nothing special was there in the vicinity. Jordan and Mike started with the cleaning whereas their partners helped in moving the chattels inside the room.

    Alex opened up a trunk which was covered by a dusty green sheet. In it, he found so many portraits and write-ups. Looking through the various pictures, Alex suddenly got stuck on one portrait.

    " Emmy, you were her associate ??? "

 Chapter 26 - Way To Retrieve My Memories

    The portrait showed two girls sitting on the seashore with one girl holding a white conch in her hands, and the other girl smiling sweetly holding her two pigtails. Mike took the portrait from his brother''s hand and he recognized the smiling girl quickly as the four years older self of that girl was standing right in front of him.

    Yes, it was Emmy who was smiling sweetly in that picture and the other girl was, Lamia, Alex''s lost beloved. Everyone was quite shocked to see various pictures of the pair inside the trunk. Some were drawn at seasides, some at the manor, and from every picture, it was clear that the woman Lamia, was closely related to Emmy''s family.

    "Look at the dates brother, these portraits had been made just after two months of your engagement. That means, your woman escaped to earth after a crash landing at your engagement party."

    Emmy suddenly snatched those dated portraits from Mike''s hands, her hands shivered after confirming the date. She could not accept that these dates were just a few days before her family was barbarically attacked. So it meant that Lamia should have been here at the time of the assault and Emmy was the only survivor of that incident.

    Emmy looked at Alex with fear in her eyes, she wished her conclusion to be wrong as it meant that Alex''s beloved was no more in this world. Alex caught Emmy''s alarmed expression, even he deduced the same conclusion from the dates of those portraits yet he was having a positive feeling.

    " She is alive, I believe it. As per these, she must have been here at that time, but remember the pendant she wore, it enlightened me to come here after the incident in your family. So do not blame yourself."

    Alex explained calmly taking those portraits back from Emmy''s hands. He could see that his woman was rather happy with Emmy than when she was with him. The smile on her face showed it all. Alex even wondered, maybe because Emmy was so close with his beloved, this might be the reason why he was also comfortable around her.

    Although Alex was consoling her, Emmy could only sigh as she felt really helpless at the moment. She had a close relationship with his lover, who was the woman beside her? how was she connected to her family? Emmy stood up and walked straight to master Rotrigues.

    " Master, that day you said there was a way to retrieve my memories back. I want to get my memories back as soon as possible."

    Emmy, then turned to look at Alex, " I had promised to find your beloved, but now it is also my responsibility to find her."

    Now the whole attention was on the master, he knew that Emmy''s memories could be retrieved but the procedure was a little painful for the young lass. Once the procedure starts, the person must go through the pain till the end. He was not sure whether Emmy could persist until the procedure gets complete.

    " My child, yes, there is a way to retrieve your memories butˇ­."

    " Master, please, there are no possibilities of any but in my case. "

    " Child, the procedure will be painful, really excruciating. I don''t think you can persevere that much pain in your body and once the process has started, I cannot stop it in the middle. Please, think about it, whether you need it now or shall we wait till your body is prepared for tackling such pressure."

    " I don''t care about the pain. My life has only one goal and that is to avenge my parents. Now, only by getting back my memories, will I be able to open up the dead end."

    " Alright, You are stubborn like your father, I couldn''t dissuade him from making that decision then, now can''t I discourage you. Okay, we will be able to start the process by evening and it will take the entire night to finish. Let us go back for now."

    "Jordan, you clean this place and bring all the items to the living room."

    After giving Jordan a simple but huge task, master Rotrigues slowly walked out of the basement with Emmy, following them Alex also left the room. Mike and the other two girls decided to help Jordan to finish his task.

    The whole basement was cleared out by the four people until Juliet saw that at the corner of the room, there was a small hook. It was the same color as the brick so it was not easily noticed. The curious girl pulled the hook to see another truck falling from the top. Fortunately, Mike had a good reflex to pull Juliet out of the way, or else the heavy iron trunk might have collapsed over her.

    The sudden falling of another mysterious trunk gave them goosebumps. When the other three were hesitating whether to open the trunk, it was Janet who bravely decoded the lock pattern. She could identify it soon because the trunk had the emblem of the Dagardian clan.

    " It must be your aunt''s trunk, isn''t it Janet? should we wait for Emmy to open it?"

    " No, Emmy should not be disturbed till tomorrow morning. First, we shall see what is inside this trunk and will inform her tomorrow. She will be excited and after regaining her memories, she could easily identify her mother''s belongings."

    Saying it, Janet opened the chest to find lots of parchments and portraits. Without looking at the papers, she kept it aside to check whether any important objects were placed inside the trunk.

    Juliet took the parchments which were kept aside by Janet. She was surprised to see various portraits of one person. The artist drew only one person from various angles, and that face was pretty familiar to Juliet.

    " Mike, I didn''t know your brother was this much handsome."

    Juliet''s comment got the attention of Mike and Jordan who were busy looking for any other hooks inside the basement.

 Chapter 27 - This Time I Will Fight For My Love

    Mike quickly took the various parchments containing Alex''s face from different angles. Whether it''s his smile or anger, his every emotion was beautifully drawn out. Janet found a small booklet from the trunk which had many scribblings inside it.

    " I think it is best to give this to Alex, it must be Lamia''s personal journal. He might be able to recognize it."

    Jordan and Janet eagerly left with the book, considering it as the best gift for Alex who was struggling to find his beloved all these years.

    Meanwhile, on the second floor of the manor, master Rotrigues asked Alex to wait outside Emmy''s room before they began the process for retrieving her memory. He wanted the environment as quiet as it can be, so one person must guard the room properly to minimize the disturbances.

    Watching Emmy, who suddenly became edgy and defensive, the master once again tried to discourage her. However, she was adamant to complete the process at any cost. She wanted to find out about her parent''s murderers but now, she wanted to know more, how her family was connected to Alex''s beloved.

    " My child, please sit calm and focus on whatever I''m saying with your eyes closed. You will be falling into a deep sleep. Don''t get panicked if you start seeing any images or people while you are at it because those will be your memories fragments. Just relax your body and try to accommodate those instances in your brain."

    Emmy nodded to the master who then raised his right hand over her head. Closing her eyes, Emmy could feel an electric current surging on the top of her head. She felt it tickle her skin, then slowly the current started to penetrate through her scalps making it painful minute after minute.

    Emmy closed her eyes tightly, her body started to shiver, her hands were trembling but she clenched her jaws to endure the pain. Slowly, her conscious mind drifted away, taking her to a deep slumber. Master Rotrigues saw that Emmy had fallen asleep, as his part was finished, he called upon Alex to look after Emmy while he went to replenish his energy.

    " Alex, keeping aside all the grudges between us, Emmy is now in a deep coma, she is tackling with the energy which I passed on to her body. Make sure no one shall try to wake her amidst the process, she may scream or shout for help. If anyone tries to wake her up, then Emmy shall lose her conscious mind forever making her mentally retarded."

    Alex did not respond to the master''s words immediately, he was watching Emmy struggling and an intense heart-wrenching pain shot in his heart. He gave a gentle bow to the master and silently kept Emmy company.

    As master Rotrigues came out of the room, he was welcomed by Jordan and Janet, they wanted to meet Alex but was asked to return by the master.

    Inside the room, Alex saw that the trembling Emmy suddenly became stiff, he became nervous and his first reflex was to poke Emmy to wake her up, but then he remembered the master''s warning. After ensuring that she was breathing, Alex sat back on his seat to continue his watch over her.

    Meantime, Emmy found herself running towards a beam of light, it was the same light source that was in her nightmares. When she touched the light source, she found herself standing on the eerie graveyard of the Envoy Salian campus.

    Emmy thought about the master''s words, she might see people or any things which are connected to her past. Even so, she couldn''t relate to seeing this graveyard before she started her college days. She followed her guts and walked forward to see whether the college and hostel were the same as in the present but to her surprise, there were neither any buildings nor any constructions.

    This place was like a piece of barren land with a beautiful lake on its side. Emmy walked towards the lake but suddenly she heard a high pitched laugh from the other side of the lake.

    Emmy could not see through the fog clearly, a little while later when the fog got cleared, she saw an angelic beauty swaying in the air and that attractive woman was straight looking at her.

    " Oh look, who am I seeing? I told you before, you can never win over me sister."

    The woman who was dressed in a white-clad robe had diamonds studded on it and she was wearing a necklace of pure white pearls. Her inky hair highly contrasted with her white clothes. Altogether, she was looking like a celestial being, however; the disdain in her eyes clearly showed jealousy towards her sister.

    Emmy couldn''t digest a pretty woman calling her sister. She was sure that this sister purely hated her sibling as her behavior was utterly mocking this helpless one. She looked up to the lady and involuntarily, her mouth began to voice out.

    " Sister, it is true I cannot win over such a scheming witch like you. In the past, I gave up everything, you know for whom. Mark my words sister, next time I won''t let down my strength thinking about anyone who never cared for me. This time, I will fight for my love."

    Emmy was shocked inside as she felt someone else was controlling her, but she relaxed her body to calm down her emotions. In the next instant, she found herself in the clifftop manor, with blood all over her body. There she saw her parents, her father was crying out loud holding her mother who had passed away. A sword was pierced into her father''s chest, but still, he was holding up.

    Then her father looked at her, he bravely removed that sword which was pierced through his chest with great difficulty. With blood oozing out of the wound, he tottered towards her, falling on his knees in front of her, he gave her the same sword.

    " Avenge my family."

    Emmy felt as if her heart was torn into pieces, her father pleaded with her in his last moment to avenge his family. She looked at the sword and tightened the grip on it. Soon, the sword got smashed into fine powders.

    " I will kill each one of you."

 Chapter 28 - End Of The Arrogant Worm

    " I will kill each one of you."

    Emmy tried to control her emotions but the storm was raging wide destruction inside her mind. She again felt her scalp prick and her vision became blurry. The next scenario, where her eyes could see was lush greenery and cultivated fields. Her mood had changed from extreme anger to pure contentment, steadily she moved forward to the exotic place filled with dense and tall trees.

    After strolling through the thick forest, Emmy abruptly heard a girl''s faint sound vibrating behind a giant tree. Instead of confronting the girl, Emmy hid between the huge roots to listen to the voice. She understood that there was someone else with that girl and the girl was sobbing.

    " It will be alright, no one will know about this, promise me that you will never do such a lowly act ever again."

    That voiceˇ­ Emmy''s pupils constricted, her legs didn''t allow her to be still, they marched their way to the other side of the tree to face the couple but the scene in front of her was more intimate. The girl was in the embrace of a sturdy chest and its owner was well known to Emmy.

    Lo, behold, there stood Alex with a girl in his fondle. As the back of the girl was facing Emmy, she couldn''t see Alex''s beloved face.

    Emmy acknowledged their presence with a condescending sneer whereas Alex was purely shocked to see her there. He pushed the girl in his hands and nervously came forward.

    " Please, it is not what you see, let me explain."

    Although Emmy was a little disappointed to see Alex and his lover kindle their love, she never thought Lamia as her love rival. So Alex''s reaction was kind of overboard for the situation.

    " Don''t worry, there is nothing to be misunderstood between us. You guys, carry on."

    Emmy didn''t wait for Alex''s response, she left quickly from the love nest even without seeing that girl''s face, to hide her tears from them. She ran as fast as she could but tripped over a wild vine, falling to the muddy soil. Her whole body was dirty and she suffered a few scratches too.

    The tormenting emotions were slitting Emmy''s head, she felt as if her heartbeats were running a marathon. She tried her maximum to relax her body by taking deep breaths. Finally, when an exploding pain occurred in her brain, she opened her eyes.

    Emmy could see her foot was over a woman''s fair neck, throttling that lady to death. In her hand was a sword with a strange symbol covered with blood completely.

    " This is the end of the arrogant worm, well! Her body shall never be sent back instead will be given to the sea creatures, so let this be the final warning to the family clans of Vilmonark. Salian or Agnartic, Anyoneˇ­. I repeat, if anyone comes to hunt me down. I don''t care about sending them back to hell."

    The virago, bathed in blood, didn''t flinch a bit. Her demeanor was enough to cause the destruction of 3 worlds. Emmy looked at her hand which was carrying the bloody sword, the symbol gave her chills, a star with a design, and the design looks like the combination of a straight and inverted cone, surrounding it was a black snake.

    Emmy was feeling rapturous inside, she slowly opened her eyes to see Alex''s tired face. His left hand was supporting his heavy head but his eyes were on the parchments they got from the basement. She thought about the couple hugging inside the forest and watching Alex now, her mind cleared up completely.

    The sun shone brilliantly making Emmy understand that the process took a whole night and morning too. Alex, who was dead tired by now, as he was both physically and mentally tormented for the past few hours. He watched all the changing emotions on Emmy''s face, sometimes she criedˇ­ at the next moment, she sneered while clenching her fists.

    Alex understood one thing, he knew that his love for Mia was to an extent of giving up his own life but now he felt his feelings were wavering towards Emmy.

    " How are you? Do you feel any pain? Let me call the master and will fetch something to eat too."

    Alex excitedly got up to inform the master about Emmy waking up and all their friends were waiting eagerly. He didn''t yet reach the door when he felt a soft body pressing on his back. Emmy hugged Alex tightly, for a moment she lost herself. She wanted to be that girl whom he had embraced affectionately. She wanted to be the one who he loves dearly. This wishful thinking was creating an unknown surge of selfishness inside Emmy.

    " Please, let me hold you for a moment. You don''t know what all things I went through in my sleep. Just help me to calm down my mind."

    Both of them stood like that for a couple of minutes and then together, they went downstairs to meet others. Master Rotrigues had already warned others not to enquire anything to Emmy. Unless she wants to talk about it, no one must probe into her matter.

    After dinner, everyone was gathered in the living room as Emmy requested a meeting before they leave the manor tomorrow morning.

    " Master, thank you for helping to regain my memories but I think the result is not complete. I saw people and places which had no connection with my past but I succeeded to find the clue which directly determines the killer of my family."

    " Who killed Shawn? Tell me !"

    Master Rotrigues was waiting for Emmy''s answer to start a war with the concerned people who plotted his brother''s death whereas Emmy knew what would happen if she directly blurts out that name.

    " I don''t know the exact person but his second name is Agnartic. The sword, having an Agnartic symbol with a design of the shining sun in armor was pierced through my father''s chest. In my memory, he pulled it out and handed it over to me to avenge our family."

    " Master, I''m the one who should kill all those Agnartics who had plotted against my family.. It is my task, so stay out of it."

 Chapter 29 - Better To Be Alone Than Being Betrayed

    Those earnest eyes hid the immense pain inside it and showed enormous strength to end the enemies. Master Rotrigues couldn''t bear to see his godchild suffering such pressure on her shoulders alone.

    " This fight maybe yours, but I want to avenge my brother. We will together end that disgusting Agnartians. Child, you were left alone but now you have us now. Consider all Esbertrazians as your family, you don''t need to fight alone " master sighed.

    " Emmy, the master is correct. you shall never be alone anymore with us around you. Your enemies are ours too, so don''t even think to face them singly. "

    Juliet held her friend''s hand firmly, Emmy gazed over her friends who were showering her with full support but her eyes got locked with Alex''s.

    " So let this be the final warning to the family clans of Vilmonark. Salian or Agnartic, Anyoneˇ­. I repeat, if anyone comes to hunt me down. I don''t care about sending them back to hell."

    Emmy remembered that caveat that she gave in her memories. It was not only the Agnartians, but the Salian people had also schemed against her family. Alex was the eldest Salian prince so if she had taken the name Salian in front of the master, he would have exploded his anger on Alex and Mike respectively.

    While Emmy was lost in her own thoughts, Alex was thinking about the sword which she had mentioned being pierced to her father''s body. He had seen it in someplace still he could not remember where.

    Sometime later, Jordan saw Alex standing over the railings of the balcony facing the sea. He hesitated whether to confront his friend as the matter might push him, deeper into the emotional abyss. Jordan was still confused, over taking the decision when Alex saw him standing at the door anxiously.

    " Buddy, speak your mind."

    Jordan nervously took the journal from his pocket, it was like a hot potato but still, he pushed that hot potato towards his friend.

    " You might need to look at this. We found it along with your pictures in a hidden trunk down the basement. Those pictures are safe with Mike, yesterday when we came to give it, you were keeping Emmy company and the master asked not to disturb you two."

    Alex''s heart was unusually calm, it didn''t hurt like it used to hear about his beloved''s name. Still while receiving the small journal, his hands were trembling and after Jordan gave him some time alone, he slowly opened the book to find elegant strokes of the beautiful handwriting. Her style of writing matched her character, sharp and attractive. He sat on the hammock and started to look through the entries she had made.

    " I do not wish to live anymore, he played with my feelings. I should have listened to my brothers. "

    " Never will I go back, how would I face them? Let him be happy there with his queen."

    " I tried many ways to hate him but it''s the love increasing."

    The entries, in the beginning, had tear marks that blotched the writing but consecutively, it disappeared as the mood of the words also changed.

    "Now I learned, it is better to be alone than being betrayed"

    " Brother one is awesome, he knows to cheer me up."

    " The crayfish was delicious, sis-in-law cooks the best."

    " Emmy is so cute, I wish to live here where there is real love."

    Alex read every page of the journal and his eyes teared up. He had smashed her hope for love, he had forgotten, that in a relationship, the most important thing was trust. Once it is broken, then no matter how hard we try, it is difficult to mend it. He should have made his plans clear to her then she wouldn''t have misunderstood him.

    Yes, he should have opened up his feelings to her at the correct time, instead, he waited for the situation to be safe. He realized that one must be honest with himself first, if he had confessed his feelings to her that day itself, then their child would have been born by now. Alex silently cried his heart out as he held the journal near his chest.

    By the time the tears stopped, his eyes had become sucked out dry. He closed his swollen eyes to calm down his mind, however, two warm hands touched his eyelids. The warmth soothed both his burning eyes and mind.

    After a few minutes, Alex opened his eyes to see Emmy beside him, he looked at the journal in his hands and gradually raised it in front of her.

    " I know, it must be your lover''s diary. Keep it safe, one day when you see her, make amends accordingly. I told you before, you don''t need to feel guilty, you both loved each other but to ensure her safety, you didn''t promise her your love. Once we find her, explain yourself properly."

    " Alex, I came here to discuss another thing with you. Before, I mentioned that Agnartics were the ones who killed my parents but your family has also staged some help in this plot. I completely trust you but it doesn''t mean to believe your whole family. I guess, some people of the Salian clan have been involved and let it be anyone, I will finish each one of them."

    Alex never intended to bother about the Salian family but when Emmy said about the involvement of the Agnartic and Salian families in the clifftop manor incident, his brain suddenly worked up.

    " Emmy, thank you for your trust in me. You mentioned a sword having a sun design, I knew that I had seen such a sword somewhere before, but my memory was not striking. Now I got it, the present wife of my father has the sword of the same design in her possession."

    " Really, so it means what I saw was true.. There is a connection between the Salian and Agnartic family linking to my family''s murder. Hey, but what did you mean by the present wife of your father?"

 Chapter 30 - Slow Poisoning For His Greed

    " Hey, what did you mean by the present wife of your father ?"

    Emmy felt Alex was stalling for time and she patiently waited for his answer. She knew that Alex had hidden his pains, usually putting up a facade of ''I don''t care'', but inside there were a lot of grievances bundled up.

    " My motherˇ­. She was the only person who showered me with love in my childhood. My father was forced to marry my mother by the elders of the family. He loved another woman from the Agnatic family. No one knows about my mother''s whereabouts nor her family. From the day I was born, my father never allowed mother to go anywhere. She was like a prisoner in the castle so she gave her whole time in taking care of me."

    " But after one year, she got sick suddenly, and her condition was worsening at an alarming rate. Never once my father came to check on her, and just after her death, he remarried the woman he loved the most. He is just my father for namesake, but the elders placed my mother as a heavenly being and so I was chosen to be the crown prince. I know, my father wants me to be dead so that he can make his favorite son the next king."

    Alex sighed thinking about his family while Emmy was too glum hearing his sorry tale.

    " Your father''s favorite son, isn''t it Mike? But he seems to be close with you even if he is stepbrother."

    " Huh, that fellowˇ­ No, he isn''t the one. I have another stepbrother who is just two months younger than me. Feeling disgusting right, yes, that old fellow was cheating my mother while he was still married to her. That is another reason why he couldn''t put up with elders'' pressurization to make me the crown prince."

    " He wanted Victor to be his descendant, Oh! you must have heard about that brother of mine, right. His name is Envoy Salian Victorian, the same who is having illicit relations with the second princess of the Agnartic clan. Although Victor is Mike''s real brother, he treats me as his sibling more. No one knows that we two brothers are in the same league, father asked Mike to be with me so that he can spy on me. Poor old man, he doesn''t know that out of his three children, the one who hates him the most is Mike himself."

    Alex heaved a euphoric sigh of relief thinking about Mike. If that guy was not in their family, after his mother''s death, Alex would have abandoned the Salian family long ago.

    " Hearing this melodramatic story of your family, I feel that your father might not want the marriage between Lady Vilmon and yourself to take place as it leads you to have a powerful support. No wonder, your father supported your decision to ditch your engagement with the Esbertrazian princess."

    " Maybe, I had heard that the Esbertrazian elder had forced him to accept their proposal. Anyways, what happened so happened. I am not bothered about it anymore. Do you really think that he might have a hand in the plot against your family?"

    " If so, then finish him. Spare no mercy thinking him as my father. I have considered him dead when he murdered his first wife for his greed."

    Emmy got shocked at Alex''s statement, she never thought a queen can be easily murdered like that and no one actually thrived to unveil the reason behind her death.

    " Murdered? She died due to sickness right!"

    Alex sneered, he still remembered how his mother had cried before her final day. She had asked forgiveness to Alex, for giving him birth to such a family.

    " He slowly poisoned her to fulfill his greed or should I say lust. He is an animal, even Victor has the same characteristics as of our father."

    Emmy held those trembling hands over her hands, she never imagined that Alex might have gone through such emotional pain right from his childhood.

    " Alex, now we have two factors to continue our search. Firstly, we have to find out who all are linked together in Agnartic and Salian families. Secondly, if Lamia was here during the time of the assault, then the killers must have kidnapped her"

    " So as to lure your enemies out, you have to present a new lover in front of your family. You can introduce the new lover as Lamia itself as no one has seen her and those who have seen her is missing, so identify who all wants to create problems to your lover "

    " Fake Lamia? Who can play such a role? She is such a cute fairy little damsel and during the act, I might have to act intimately with that fake person which I''m not at all comfortable."

    " Then can I be your bride ??? "

    " Whaaaattttt ? What do you mean by that question ?"

    The stunned Alex failed to notice the disappointment in Emmy''s eyes which flashed by for a fraction of second.

    " I meant the Literal meaning, make me your beloved and once I get access to the Salian castle, it would easy for me to search for clues. "

    " That idea is great, but do you think that your master Rotrigues shall allow you to enter the lion''s chamber directly ?"

    " Don''t worry, for the good cooperation, we shall begin our act now itself, so from this moment onwards, you are my lover. Alex, why are you laughing?"

    Alex was restraining himself from laughing out loud, he was fascinated by Emmy''s shrewd and crooked ideas whereas Emmy was feeling tensed as accidentally he blurted out to be with him.

    " I am sorry Emmy, you are not at all naive and innocent. Your cunning ideas will make the foundations of the great Salian family to fall. "

    This time Emmy also smiled, watching the happiness return to Alex''s face, she was feeling blissful inside.

    " So Emmy my dear! will you marry me ?"

 Chapter 31 - Vilmonark Isnâ€™t New For Me

    " Emmy, will you marry me?"

    Emmy was stunned at Alex''s sudden proposal, for one second, she really wished to stop the time. Little butterflies were flying inside her tummy and her eyes were filled with love. She looked at the hand which Alex had raised to ask her hand.

    Subconsciously, Emmy raised her hand towards Alex but then she slapped his hand off and laughed out loud.

    " Dear Alex, Mia awaits this question. Although I''m a substitute, what if I start to have real feelings towards you ?"

    Now the one who was standing astounded was Alex. He was partially joking with Emmy but somewhere inside his mind, little sparks have already started to form. He wished her company the most now, yet was scared to state his own feelings to himself.

    Watching the dazed Alex, Emmy smiled, knocking his head and without saying anything more, she left him alone to think about the question thoroughly.

    Perhaps due to the weather or might be with the company of the energetic youths, master Rotrigues was also feeling enthusiastic in the following days. After they returned to campus, everyone got busy with their curriculum and at their meet-ups, their master voluntarily joined the party.

    " Child, soon the winter will hit and college will be closed for two months. Can you come with us to Vilmonark ? "

    Even after a few minutes, master Rotrigues didn''t receive an answer from Emmy, so he decided to pitch her as much as possible.

    " Look child, I know, it will be tough for you. To return to the place where the people who killed your parents reside but think it in another way. You will get opportunities to understand your enemies and it is always better to know your enemies before launching your attack"

    His brother''s daughter was simply looking back with an indifferent expression. No one could read her face nor mind, it was pretty blank but at the same time, thinking plenty of things.

    " Master, thank you for the invitation. Yes, I will be coming to Vilmonark in the next two months butˇ­.."

    " But what, my child? Do not be bothered about anything, it is not just me, the other two fellows will readily welcome you to our clan."

    " Yes, I understand it master but this time, I will be entering with another identity. I will be the girl who Alex liked, Lamia Shagues. In order to lure those adversaries out, Alex''s lover must return back."

    Mike and Juliet were confident of this plan whereas Jordan and Janet were against it. They believed as long as enemies were hidden in the dark, Emmy facing it openly might alert them and may fatally attack directly at her.

    " The plan is precarious, what if the real one pops out suddenly, then what will happen to the plan ?"

    Janet was constantly nagging Emmy to drop this plan as the risks involved were many in numbers compared with the strong beliefs they had.

    " If she comes out in a situation like this, then she must first answer my questions. The only person who knows her is me, so I will decide who is my lover and who is not."

    The blunt reply from Alex made the conversation in a stalemate. Jordan felt proud of his buddy as love hadn''t blinded him from right and wrong. Like everyone else, Alex also thought about the probability of Lamia returning when Emmy gets introduced as his lover. But, if such a thing happens, he had already decided to hold Emmy''s hands which he himself found surprising.

    The next two weeks flew like the wind. The college was covered in white snow and the temperature was getting lower reaching below zero. Finally, it was the time to set on the journey to the great Vilmonark.

    Throughout the whole journey, Emmy was surprisingly quiet, she was thinking about those memory fragments seen on the previous attempt of the memory regaining technique. While others thought she was enjoying the scenery, it was Jordan who found out the peculiarity in Emmy''s attitude.

    " It is not easy for you to return to the place where your parents once lived. They were tormented for long till our mistress held the responsibility for those two people. But, just bare in mind, whatever happens in the Vilmonark, I will be there to protect you as your brother."

    " Believe in Alex, he won''t repeat the same mistake again."

    Emmy found Jordan''s resolute behavior in upholding the bonds of friendship in any situation amicable. This guy shared a similar past with her. Both lost their parents at an early age, went through immense pressure, and was seeking to avenge their own families respectively.

    " Brother Jordan."

    Jordan felt excited when Emmy addressed him as her brother. He had no one till a few months back, then he found his love and now a little sister.

    " Mmm.."

    "Brother, if a situation arises to choose between Lamia and myself, who do you think Alex would choose ?"

    " If you had asked this question a month back, without a doubt I would answer Lamia but now my buddy values you more than anything in his world."

    Emmy nodded, then continued to look out the window.

    Meanwhile, Alex and Mike were in the other sedan talking about the next plan.

    " Brother, wary of that snake, he would try his best to belittle Emmy in front of our father. "

    "Mike, do not speak ill of your brother like this. I know, he considers me as a thorn in his life and still is trying to get me off his way but wait till we confirm his evil doings. Then I will personally get him out of our way once in forever."

    The journey was set for three days but they travelled without taking any rest in between. Finally, they reached their destination in just two days.

    " Welcome to Vilmonark, my dear!"Alex took Emmy''s hand and kissed it slightly.

    " Oh! Thank you, my love, but this place isn''t new for me at all."

 Chapter 32 - You Will Regret Choosing This Lowly Skivvy

    " Isn''t new for you? this is the first time Emmy has landed her feet on our Vilmonark, right!"

    Hearing Mike''s comment, all the others looked at him as he could have crashed the whole plot in the starting itself. Luckily, there was no one nearby to listen to their conversation or else Mike''s curiosity might have killed the cat on the first day itself.

    " Brother Mike, don''t be a blockhead, please. This is Lamia, my Mia, who fought with me and left to earth on my engagement day. Now I have successfully made her accept me back, so naturally, she came back ."

    Alex explained clearly and finally winked at Mike, only then the halfwit brother of his, understood the plot they were staging.

    As they were all giggling thinking about the situation, suddenly they heard one of the lackeys of the Salian family announcing the second prince''s arrival.

    "Here comes the serpent of the Salian family, Brother Alex, back to the old us."

    Emmy watched Mike as his cheerful face changed to disdain in a blink of an eye. Someone was interestingly seeing the confused look on her face, Alex squeezed her hand little to grab her attention.

    " My so-called family do not know that Mike and myself are allies. That father of mine actually sent his own son to spy on me while we are at college. But this fellow always pushes away all the traps set for me without a word. Although I''m his stepbrother, he considers me as his closest kin compared with Victor. Look, there comes my other brother... "

    Emmy looked to the front to see a dashing youth dressed in a golden robe, with flawless skin and inky hair. He had a warming smile on his face but his eyes were cold and at the first glance itself, Emmy found his smile a sinister one. She didn''t like the way he was scrutinising her.

    Even Janet and Juliet felt a way off from the second prince''s gaze over Emmy. Their womanly instinct determined that he was up to no good to them.

    " Brothers, it has been a long time, months flew fast, didn''t it?"

    " Crown prince, you look energetic and rather fresh when collated with the haughty and dull man before going to the infamous institution. Did you find any hidden Esbertrazian treasure there ?" a youth who was the minion of the second prince, encroached to the conversation.

    That particular youth was called Rasber and was as pompous as his clothes. Although he looked much ordinary compared with the three royal princes in the scene, something made him stand out in the crowd.

    Jordan was tempted to kick this guy''s back and flay him alive but Alex signalled him to calm down. This minion was none other than the eldest son of the Salian clan''s current queen''s one and only brother. The king bestowed his brother-in-law with the status of a governor of the smallest town in their kingdom.

    " Rasber, you haven''t changed a bit. You are still that chubby kid who cried whenever I bullied you in our childhood, Grow up man."

    Alex''s comment directly stabbed Rasber''s ego. He wanted to strike back by taking Lady Vilmon''s name as this technique always made Alex go insane still even before he could utter another word, Victor stopped him.

    All the while, Victor never once stopped gazing over Emmy. Finally, his attention came over the clasped pair of hands. He never thought his major foe would return triumphantly holding an attractive girl''s hand. He was mesmerized over Emmy''s stunning figure and got green in envy, every time this heretic gets the best of all.

    " Brother, I do recognise this as Jordan, your friend but who all are these charming women with you? "

    " Victor, your curiosity must wait for a little while longer. I will introduce each one of them after meeting our elders. Do not fret, they will be residing at my place for the following days. "

    Alex shunning Victor off directly was a little rude, but he deserved it clearly, Now, this guy will straight away deliver this news to their father''s ears and then they will be called upon for enquiry. This is the reason why Alex emphasised the meeting of elders as the first thing they must do or else, the father will take his decision to throw Emmy out even before seeing the elders.

    After being avoided intentionally, Victor left the group to march his way straight to the castle along with Rasber whereas the group started their way to see the elders.

    " Alex, will the elders take in Emmy just as you said? Won''t they ask to prove her identity? What about her family ?"

    Jordan sceptically shooted his array of questions at Alex.

    " No worries, with the letter of the great master of all elders, do you think these clan elders would kick my lover out, huh?"

    The letter which Alex mentioned was the note given by their master Rotrigues who had stated that Emmy aka Lamia, was like his goddaughter and he clearly wants Alex to marry his goddaughter.

    Meanwhile, inside the castle, Victor had delivered the news of Alex''s arrival with a bunch of women and also, he inflated the situation to worse by saying that meeting the elders first, was an insult to the king who was his father also. He also stated that Alex choosing his lover first disrespected the king in every manner.

    The Salian king was enraged beyond control listening to his favourite son''s words.

    " How dare you go against me several times? This time you will regret choosing that lowly life over this king.. I will make sure that his new lover is similarly killed as the previous one. "

 Chapter 33 - She Isnâ€™t A Bewitching Sorceress

    While the Salian King was fuming in anger, Alex led his friends towards the Acasta palace, it was the place where the elders resided, The palace got its name from the most ancient rock found, the Acasta Gneiss, and the whole palace was built of these rocks. The palace was situated near a picturesque place, with a range of hills and a river flowing nearby, The greenery around the palace enticed the sight of any person, giving them a peaceful mind just with one glance.

    " This is the residence of our clan elders, all of them are the disciples of our master Rotrigues. When I messed up the whole betrothal thing with the dark clan, elders chided me and even thought of banishing me from the clan. But due to the respect they held for my mother, I was excused. Still, I''m not welcomed here from that day onwards."

    Just as Alex was reminiscing the past to his friends, they were stopped by the palace guard.

    " Greetings to the crown prince, welcome back to the Acasta palace, though your presence here is highly valued the elders shall not entertain any guests for now."

    This was the power of elders which each faction had to abide, they were more supreme than the royal family and the rules of the kingdom could not be accounted for by the elders of each family clan.

    " I can understand, but would you please pass this letter to the elder Begontrix. It is really important."

    The guard accepted the letter and the group turned themselves out but they hadn''t reached the gates yet when the elder to whom the letter was given, rushed to welcome the crown prince and his friends.

    " I thought the elders were not seeing any of the guests today."

    There was a hint of mockery in Alex''s words but still, the elder Begontrix welcomed the group with a sincere smile. He ignored the other three men and straight walked towards the girl who was watching him intently.

    " You must be Lamia right!, I am honoured that you straight away came to meet this poor one after the long journey. We can talk afterwards, now rest up for a while, all your friends can also stay here. Magoddon, do the required arrangements now itself."

    The whole group looked at the elder with wide eyes, the rapport which Alex and Mike had built about the elders of the Salian clan was of high discipline, serious attitude and haughty nature but in contrast, eldest elder Begontrix was nothing like that sort.

    Emmy blinked her eyes and looked at Alex, she accepted the elder''s request only after confirming it with him. Watching their exchange of thoughts with eyes, elder Begontrix was impressed.

    " Crown prince, will the palace of Acasta have the honour to have you reside here for a few days? "

    " That would be great, It has been years that I have seen my family elders."

    The contempt shown by Alex was clear to everyone present there, still, the elder laughed it off because this fellow had gained the acceptance of the great master Rotrigues. Finally, the crown prince was back on track of redemption.

    Before the group dispersed from the living room with the seneschal, Emmy stopped her tracks to see the elder watching her with utmost interest.

    " Elder, out of the three of us, how did you recognise me as the goddaughter of master Rotrigues correctly ?"

    " Believe in your potential, my child. The power of the Esbertrazian blood isn''t something which loses it lustre even if it is deeply hidden. I could feel your aura is greatly different from the rest of us. Later, I will introduce you to the other esteemed ones of this palace. They will be excited to have you here."

    Emmy felt something peculiar with the elder''s words. Why should the other elders be much excited to have her here? Believe in her potential, what kind of abilities did she have to stand out from the rest? Having lots of thoughts in mind, Emmy left the room with her friends.

    After seeing off the group of youths, elder Begontrix was super excited to tell the others about Emmy''s arrival. He marched to the Peach gardens to find the other three clan elders enjoying tea.

    " Elders, I have come with news that will blow up your mind. So finish your tea beforehand."

    The other three elders were named Zestrice, Theodore and Floretren respectively. All of them were surprised to see the usual authoritarian among them, jumping excitedly lacking the imposing manner of an elder.

    " Did you squash any of those hallucinating bugs or what?"

    " Fast, tell the great news."

    Elder Begontrix met with a set of questions to which he sneered, curving his lips to its maximum. He then slowly apprised them of the arrival of the goddaughter of their master.

    " Are you sure of this? I don''t believe that lad had this much potential as in to make master Rotrigues give away his daughter''s hands to that punk."

    " Yes, I also share the same thoughts as elder Zeatrice have. She may be some imposter that he picked up from the college in order to make us accept him once again."

    Elder Begontrix found the views of the other elders right on the mark when Alex was put on focus while elder Floretren was unusually quiet after hearing the situation.

    " Elder Floretren, what happened? what made you frown?"

    " That punk loved his girl so much even to go against the dark clan lord, so how did this woman catch his attention? I''m worried about the history being repeated. I don''t watch any bewitching sorceress destroying the decorum we have built. "

    " Don''t worry, She isn''t any bewitching sorceress."

    Elder Begontrix showed the ultimate proof to the others which quickly erased all their doubts once in for all.

 Chapter 34 - Secret Meeting In The Backyard

    The letter from their own master made all the elders approve the visit of Emmy to the Acasta Palace. The other elders got ready to visit the goddaughter of their master at that moment itself to which elder Begontrix opposed.

    " She had a very long journey, let her rest for today and I have made arrangements for them to stay in the Rose Plum courtyard for the next few days. Be patient elders, she is not any simpleton."

    Elder Begontrix left the Peach Gardens with a knowing smile on his face. On his way, the Senechal who he had assigned to take care of the special guests was standing awaiting him.

    " Lord, the guests requested 3 rooms, and two of them got settled in each room butˇ­.!!!"

    " But what? who is sharing the room with the precious one ?"

    " Lord, it isˇ­. it is the crown prince. The third prince and another girl as well as the prince''s friend and the last girl are in two other rooms. From the looks of it, they all are couples. "

    " Alright, I will look at it. Please let them know that they will be having their supper with all the elders."

    Although Elder Begontrix had waved this matter off, deep inside his mind, doubts started to arise. How has the crown prince changed in such a short amount of time? Three years before he created havoc in the royal family and even the king had to take strict actions against his own son. Now that fellow became so docile. The elder thought of clearing all his doubts tonight itself.

    At the Rose Plum courtyard, Alex after getting freshened up now was nervously looking at the single large cot inside their room, even if he had shared a room with Emmy multiple times but this kind of situation never came before. In the big room, the scent of sandalwood joss sticks aromatized the whole room. As Alex was plucking his hairs thinking what to do, Emmy entered the room after freshening up. Her skin was flushed white due to the warm bath and lips were looking supple red just like a plum.

    Alex got himself blown away looking at this attractiveness and a certain part of his body started to get excited unexpectedly. He swallowed his saliva and wanted to hit his own head for getting out of control. Emmy, who hasn''t yet noticed Alex''s abnormal actions was combing her damped hair.

    " It feels really hot here, I will go and take a stroll in the backyard garden. " saying his piece, Alex rushed outside the room. He looked at a certain part of his body and sighed.

    " This is the last time Alex, take a hold on yourself. Have you stepped down to such a level of an animal?" his breathing was really high and he felt as if he was panting out. Alex closed his eyes to think about his lover to calm down his mind but even his brain was playing with him. Just as he closed his eyes, the images he could imagine were of Emmyˇ­ only Emmy.

    " Ahhhhhhhh, god! what is happening with me?"

    " Have you gone insane Alex???? why are you shouting, standing in the middle of the shrubberies."

    Alex turned back to see Emmy standing there with a puzzled expression, the emotions which he was trying to control, popped out again. He smiled like a lunatic, scratching his head and in the next second, held on to his robe tightly.

    " Alex, why are you acting weird? Come back to the room, it is getting cold outside."

    Emmy pushed Alex to their room and closed the door. Alex started to sweat profusely by now, he would kill himself if he lost his control over his beastly needs and force Emmy. Alex couldn''t meet Emmy''s eyes straightly and he shifted his line of sight, finally, Emmy understood his problem as he was staring at the bed and clutching on his clothes tightly.

    As a man, Alex was fighting a war with his inner demons and Emmy, at last, laughed out loud. She couldn''t control her laughter after seeing Alex nervously grabbing his clothes as if she was going to pounce on him and have her way with him.

    A part of her mind wanted to try such an instance, but she pushed away that thought completely and in order to make Alex relax, she came up with a plan to wander around the Palace till supper time.

    After walking for a while, Alex won the fight over his desires and he happily showed Emmy his favorite places. They went across the river, near the mountain valley, and thought of resting a bit near the riverbed. The cool breeze made Emmy shiver but still, she was the beauty of this place. Alex went in search of his favorite plums found in these parts of the mountains and Emmy was asked to rest till he comes back.

    Sitting for quite some time, Emmy thought of walking a bit into the orchard of trees behind her. As she walked, she found this place a little familiar, and then she fastened her steps unknowingly changing directions swiftly as if these routes were common for her. Finally, she stopped near a huge tree, a sudden pain shot up in her mind and everything became clear.

    It was the same place she had seen in her memories, where Alex and his lover met. She was discovered by Alex at a point in time and he even asked her not to misunderstand him. This was the same place but now the wild bushes had grown making it not welcoming as in her memory.

    Emmy''s brain was running a marathon, so those memories were true, but how come she knew Alex beforehand, and if that was the case, then Alex would be able to recognize her. Only her memories were lost right! Hacking her brain for long, Emmy concluded the memories as a possibility of the future. In the future, after finding his love, Alex would not be spending time with her, so, such a scene can be possible.

    That thought itself was like putting a heavy stone on Emmy''s heart, somewhere she wanted to find his lover and sometimes, she wanted to live with Alex for the rest of the time. She then started to explore the secret meeting place of the lovers in the backyard of the Acasta Palace.

    " Hey, pretty lass. I never thought of seeing you alone here. Sure, luck is always on my side... ha..ha....ha"

 Chapter 35 - Not Any Wolf, You Are Just A Chicken!!!

    The devilish laughter echoed through the trees, but the fearful feeling which Victor had expected out of Emmy didn''t appear at all. Instead, he saw the beautiful woman just sitting on the wooden bench, after throwing off the dried leaves from it.

    " No wonder, my brother, Alex was nuts about you, he would only love a woman like his mother, so you are one of those gutsy women out of this world, right!"

    Emmy''s attention was totally stuck on the phrase used by Victor to mention Alex''s mother, the former queen of the Salian clan. But what did he mean by gutsy women out of this world, so she grinned to herself, meeting this lunatic was a good outcome to know more of the untold Salian facts.

    " Curious about my origin, aren''t you? Your brother already told you that he will introduce me to your family officially in the coming days. Why are you in a rush, brother-in-law? "

    The way Emmy addressed Victor snapped all the chords of doubt in him, "So you are that lowly skivvy for whom Alex even tried to self immolate himself. I never thought of meeting you after father ordered your execution to the top skilled men of our family. I''m impressed, only the Esbertrazian guards returned from that incident, so it means you were capable of hiding from the powerful dark guards."

    The mocking smile on the lady''s face faded a little and got replaced by sudden fierceness, the anger inside her started to bubble up, now everything was getting on the right track. The Salian king ordered the execution of his son''s true love and the men sent for the mission found her hiding in the clifftop manor. As they were obliged to complete their task, they killed everyone who stood on their way and it included her parents.

    Emmy was on the verge of venting her hatred on Victor, but then a warm, calloused hand touched her trembling shoulder. His unique odor calmed down her anger instantly and her last bit of control broke. She put her head on the warm chest and her hands wounded the man''s waist.

    " Darling, don''t be scared. He is not any big bad wolf, he is just a chicken. Look at me, sit here, and have these fresh plums. Let me shoo away that chicken for you."

    Alex wiped the corners of her glistened eyes with his sleeves, giving all the plums to her hands, he calmed her down. After pampering his sweetheart, Alex glanced at his so-called brother, who was clenching his teeth now. The gentleness in Alex''s eyes was nowhere to be seen, the murderous intent was restored again after three months.

    " Brother, do not get me wrong, I saw her sitting here alone. This part of the gardens was banned for outsiders, you only asked for such an order from father, remember!! So I just came to see who was intruding to our private place."

    " Our private placeˇ­? Huh!! Victor, don''t you forget this place is only for the crown prince and that is me. You may be cunning but don''t even try to apply those dirty wicked ideas on me. Tell your mother one thing, I may address her as queen, but she would never be my mother. "

    Watching the killing air emanating from Alex, his stepbrother who entered like a tiger, ran off like a mouse. Alex sat beside Emmy looking at the untouched plums in her lap. He understood something went wrong while he had gone.

    " What did that idiot tell you?"

    Emmy was frowning, she couldn''t tell Alx directly that his father had planned to kill his beloved but he should know that, his Mia would never be safe in the Salian household. The vulture eyed brother and ruthless father were enough to stage a plot to finish the couple without their knowing.

    " Your fatherˇ­ I mean the Salian king had ordered the execution ofˇ­.."

    " Execution? Your execution? Did that pig chew his brains out or what, he hasn''t seen you yet ordered a killing order. He must be tired of living."

    Emmy closed her eyes to control her stubborn tears, " He sent the top skilled Salian mercenaries to assassinate your Mia."

    For a few seconds, Alex could not hear what Emmy was saying, his brain was stopped when he heard the top mercenaries going to kill his love, his woman. He clenched his fist and stood up to meet his father to demand answers. If what Victor said was true, then there was no chance that his Mia would be alive because the Salian mercenaries never lost a fight.

    The abrupt change in Alex made Emmy flustered, she knew this man had lost all his rationality to think at the moment but still, she hugged him tightly. Alex tried to walk forward, but it only resulted in the grip over his body becoming more tighter.

    " Alex, we will get to the root of this and find your Mia. Trust me, your Mia is perfectly fine and will be in your embrace soon. I have seen it."

    The hug and the melodious voice lowered Alex''s rage to an extent. He hugged her back and her shoulders were wet with his tears.

    " Is it true, will she be alive? The Salian mercenaries are the best of best, they haven''t even lost any combat till now."

    " Concentrate Alex, don''t let your emotions take away your consciousness. Think it was the Esbertrazian guards who delivered you the pendant and those mercenaries haven''t come back yet. So, what do you think, who might have won that fight?"

    After hearing her explanations, the storms calmed down in his mind. Right now, both of them were physically as well emotionally tired. So both held hands and walked back to the Acasta Palace, eating the red delicious plums which Alex had painstakingly plucked.

    " Emmy, what do you mean by seeing Mia return and resting in my embrace?"

 Chapter 36 - Was Like A Deja-Vu For Him

    " Emmy, what do you mean by seeing Mia return and resting in my embrace?"

    Alex repeated the question but found complete silence from Emmy. He adamantly wanted to know the answer, still, he couldn''t force her. They both reached the room to find Seneschal waiting for them outside.

    " Crown prince, the tea has been served already. As you both weren''t present at that time, provision has been made to have snacks and a pot of Camellia tea is served to your room in a short while. Would you like to have anything else ?"

    Alex then ordered some of Emmy''s favorite snacks and asked the butler to get it ready by half a time of the joss stick burning.

    " Well, you are really capable of reading girls, huh!!"

    " Oh please, I don''t know about other women, but I''m sure this foody will fall for this trick easily. Take it as a bribe, Emmy, please tell me the truth."

    The puppy faced Alex, took her hands, and strode into the room. He couldn''t wait until the snacks were served. Emmy who got pulled inside the room got a panic attack. What should she tell him? The resentment on her face would give away her feelings towards Alex and he would catch it in a jiffy. Finally, she took a deep breath to stabilize her emotions and put on a poker face.

    " The place where we saw your brother today is really special to you, right! I saw a couple spending their sweet time there. The guy was the most handsome person I have seen in my entire life and the girl''s face was not clear. I could recognize himˇ­..., as that handsome was no one other than you through your splendid voice. I was wandering through the forest and heard you conversing with a girl. So I decidedˇ­."

    Emmy was not looking at Alex when she was telling him about that particular fragment of memory, so she missed out on the shocked expression of Alex behind her totally.

    " Emmyˇ­. What did you decide?"

    " I decided to confront you guys but after watching you two in such an intimate moment, I got flustered for ruining your quality time. But you frantically told me not to misunderstand you and I ran off."

    After finishing her piece, Emmy looked over Alex who was standing there with a petrified expression. She found it funny because it was the same expression he showed on her memories," Eeewwwwwˇ­, don''t give that same expression, it is creeping me out, okay."

    Just as she finished her sentence, Alex rushed forward and took her in his embrace. It was not the usual friendly bear hug but a more intense one, just like the one on the beachside when he hugged her so intimately.

    Emmy couldn''t push him off as she also wanted this hug badly but then she heard knocks on the door, so she gently patted his back and said in a low voice, " Hubby, leave me for a moment. Our tea is waiting outside, please"

    Alex subconsciously loosened his grip and allowed the servants to enter only after he tidied up both their disheveled dresses. Emmy could feel that Alex''s behavior got really gentle after the hug and his ears had even tinged a shade of pink.

    After having tea, Emmy didn''t enquire about the sudden hug as she thought Alex might have felt the presence of Senechal and put on the act of a lovey-dovey couple whereas Alex was still thinking of the incident she mentioned.

    He just felt it as a deja-vu but he didn''t understand how Emmy would come there instead of that person. Alex couldn''t think of such a helpless situation in his life, Mia is his lover and who was Emmy to him ???? But he was now certain that their relation was above any other relationship he had in his life and that included even his love.

    After getting ready, the important guests of the dinner walked hand in hand towards the dining hall. There all the other people were already seated including their friends. In the absence of master Rotrigues, Jordan was set free of his tasks and what he did in his leisure time was well reflected in Janet''s blushing face. Even Juliet was also having the expression of utmost happiness. Elder Theodore, when he came to know that this young lady was the destined partner of the third prince, he was surprised to see such an exceptional beauty in the Posie family. It was him who had gone to the Posei family to ask about betrothing their prince to the granddaughter of the mighty Lord Posei. Elder Theodore was happy that unlike his brother, Mike chose the one whom the elders had chosen for him.

    The other elders were conversing with Jordan and Mike, they were happy to receive the goddaughter of their master as well as his disciple.

    " Senior, Thank you for inviting me here to join the dinner with my seniors."

    " No, it is our honor that we are able to invite you guys, but Jordan, when did master take Lamia as his goddaughter?"

    Faced by such an interrogative question, both Jordan and Mike started to sweat their hands but Janet saved them with her quick response, " Master took his decision at his first glance itself, we lowly students cannot question our master, so we don''t know about the details."

    Her vivid response made the elders shut their mouth, she made her statement politely but in her mind, it was like, " It is totally your master''s choice, why are you giving a damn about it?"

    As the group was thinking that they skillfully tackled the questioning of elders, elder Floretren suddenly popped another question that was out of their league.

    " Okay, you cannot question your master but what about the crown prince? He was a lunatic a few months ago, now became a gentleman suddenly. He was deeply in love with a hilly-billy but now head over heels over the goddaughter of our master. Tell me, third prince, is your brother plotting a vendetta?"

    Mike got a chill suddenly, elder Floretren was already against his brother, so his attitude will be like this but how could Mike give an answer to this question. As Mike was panicking to answer it, they all heard a cold voice all of a sudden.

    " Vendetta? Are you insulting my love ?"

 Chapter 37 - Candidate For The Position Of The Crown Princess

    The coldness in Emmy''s voice chilled up the entire hall and Alex who was holding her hand smirked at the loss of the elders. They wanted to curry favor with the goddaughter of their one and only master but got busted in the first impression itself.

    "Elder Begontrix, is this of how you entertain your guests at Acasta Palace? Calling them for a sumptuous dinner and then insulting them on their faces?"

    The Salian clan elders couldn''t utter a word against the sharp-tongued Emmy, even Alex found her this version amazing. She was openly defending him in front of these mighty elders who considered this prince as lousy.

    Elder Begontrix stuttered a bit before replying in his poise manner, " Child, we have seen our crown prince from his childhood, so we elders just chit chat about him casually. We were concerned that he might be not sincere towards you, that is why elder Floretren had that query. "

    " Elders, with due respect, let me tell you this, I, Lamia Shagues, do not want the elders of the great Salian clan to worry about my matters. If your crown prince dared to play his tricks on me then, you all can just forget that the Salian family had a crown prince like him once. "

    Alex was gloating over the elders'' misfortune but as he heard the second part of Emmy''s statement, his heart trembled. Her way of warning was exceptional, in one statement, she warned both the elders and her lover Alex respectively.

    After Emmy cooled herself down, she winked at her friends to signal them that this was just acting. As the important person sat down, all the elders gave a sigh of relief and they cordially started the dinner. However, one pair of eyes were staring at Emmy for a couple of minutes, he was searching his memories to find this attractive face in it as he was one hundred percent sure that he had seen this girl before. But where?

    Elder Floretren was racking his brain when a servant suddenly came with a letter from the Salian king. Elder Theodore received the letter, and read it out loud for the other members to hear.

    " The time has arrived to fulfill the promise towards a family and in return, solidify the familial bonds between the two great clans. I hope elders will take a decision to have the position of the crown princess filled before this king turns in his golden years.

    The most appropriate candidate suggested by this king shall be the second princess of the Agnartic clan, Miss Arona Agnartic.

    Waiting for the approval of the great elders."

    After reading the content, everyone on the table had the same thought inside their mind.

    " The king had gone insane."

    " That imbecile!! what does he think of himself, he came under that promiscuous woman''s pillow talk. He thinks the best candidate is that girl who has got double dealings with the second prince. This is utterly bizarre."

    " Elder Zeatrice, control your mouth. Watch what you are saying in front of the guests. I apologize for this manner of elder Zeatrice. We shall excuse ourselves for tonight, please finish your dinner, we can meet tomorrow."

    All the elders stood up simultaneously and excused themselves for the night. Everyone lost their appetite except for Emmy and Alex, they were enjoying the sumptuous feast to their maximum. Watching the foodie couple, others reclaimed their lost appetite and joined to dig in the feast.

    After filling their stomach to its maximum, the group decided to have a walk before calling it a night. All the way, Alex found Mike stifling his emotions.

    " Brother, why are you frowning? Tell your elder brother, what is disturbing you at this late hour?"

    Mike faced his elder brother and did a bow of ninety degrees. The suppressed feelings started to flow out from his eyes. Alex calmly held Mike by his shoulders and supported him to sit on the bench whereas the others tactfully left the brothers some space to talk.

    " Brother, why did father take such a decision? Every time he puts you through hell and never considers you as his son. I feel pity for myself for being born out of him. I even despise this blood which is running through my body"

    "Mike, whatever happens, happens for good. He must have had his own reasons, but trust me, this time he has dug his own grave. I''m sorry to tell you, our father unintentionally had plotted in the murder of Emmy''s parents. So, it is her discretion in settling this matter. Don''t you worry, he cannot order us anymore. We have the total support of the elders now, you just be cheerful, leave everything else to this big brother. "

    Alex patted Mike on his shoulders and both of them went to find others.

    Meanwhile, Jordan was explaining the Agnartic kingdom to the girls. He had collected every minute details of his enemy clan.

    " So that is all for the tales of the Agnartic family. I didn''t have my precious two years wasted, the information came in handy now.. haa..haa. My lord always said, ''It is better to know your enemy best before you attack.'' "

    " I was wondering if the king knew the affair between the second prince and that princess then why was he choosing that particular woman as a candidate for the position of the crown princess."

    " To keep my brother under his control forever."

    Mike answered Juliet''s doubt, even though his eyes were still puffy and red, his smile made his face more dazzling. Emmy saw Alex was in a good mood, so she purposefully teased him.

    " Oh great crown prince, I can see your face is glowing like the stars, have you started dreaming of that Agnartic beauty?"

    Alex felt firecrackers bursting in his mind, his beaming face looked at Emmy and said in a low tone, " What if I say yes?"

    Emmy suddenly couldn''t find words to retort at this shameless fellow, she huffed and marched towards her room without saying any words to her friends.

    The other four people who were watching this interaction grinned to themselves. Everyone was happy as they found camaraderie among their small group.

    " Brother-in-law, I think if you don''t go and pacify our jealous friend, she might ignore you straightly for the next few days."

    Alex regained his usual poker face and followed Emmy soon but turned back after a few steps," Thank you, sister-in-law."

 Chapter 38 - I Want To Marry His Beloved Woman

    " Thank you, sister-in-law."

    Juliet stood there like if she was struck by a lightning, "My dear, please pinch me, I think I''m dreaming now. Your brother called me thatˇ­ uhmm.. sister-in-lawˇ­ whoa, he accepted me. "

    Mike was smiling seeing how cute his woman was, she was excited just because his brother called her sister-in-law. What she didn''t know was that Alex had already approved their relationship from the very beginning but he didn''t express it much. Whenever Juliet sees Alex, he keeps a poker expression stuck to his face always.

    While Juliet was waiting for Mike to pinch her, she felt another soft hand over her right palm, and then a sharp pain awoke her from floating over cloud nine.

    "Ouch, Janet, go soft on me. Look at my poor skin, it is reddish now." Janet had pinched her hard and was now grinning smugly.

    " Oh, oh .. you were always acting tough, now that you found your husband, did you start to play the role of white flower."

    Juliet was rubbing her palm where Janet had pinched before, she grunted and started to whine about it to her sweet lover. The men who were watching their lovers playfully teasing each other escorted them back to each other''s rooms.

    Reaching their room, Mike blew over the reddish area on her palm and gently kissed it. "Soon you shall be meeting the other Salian members, just understand one thing Julie, only Alex is my brother. He is the only one to be considered as my family, so whatever the others say, do not pay attention."

    " Mike, I know that you do not like your father and your second brother but what about your mother. She might be scheming but she gave birth to you right, please do not be angry with your mother."

    Mike couldn''t reply to Juliet as he was lost in his thoughts. Then without giving Juliet time to even blink her eye, he kissed her hard on those cherry lips. Juliet was taken aback by her husband''s sudden attack but she loved it when he did things wildly. Both of them stopped only when they got suffocated with the lack of air. After the wild stamp, Juliet''s lips and tongue were so sore and she could barely move her mouth, she looked at the culprit who gently rubbed her lips with his thumb finger.

    "Julie, I''m sorry..."

    Juliet wanted to say that she loved it so much, so there is no need to feel sorry about it, but then Mike suddenly laid over her lap and continued his words.

    " My mother is not the queen herself, my mother was a beautiful maid in her palace, father once lashed his lust at her. I don''t know why but after father and queen got married, they couldn''t see their other offspring alive from the womb. Then, the queen and my mother got pregnant at the same time and as my father was concerned only for his lovely wife, he captured my mother and kept her secretly till she gave birth. As he had calculated, their baby was not alive when it was born, then he switched the babies and killed all those who knew this secret which included my mother also. The queen was highly suspicious at first, but as I grew up, I took the best looks of my father, so she didn''t suspect anything and started to care for me. "

    " Even if my father has done no wrong to me, my conscious mind can never forgive him. Brother Alex is the only person who cares for me without any expectations, and has always helped me from Victor who loved to bully me."

    Juliet silently massaged Mike''s head which made him comfortable, as she knew that no words can comfort him. She promised herself that no one will ever bully her husband anymore.

    " What about the elders, do they know about it?"

    " Yes, they do. Father cannot lie to the elders, that is the other reason why the day you were born our elder Theodore marched to the Posei family to claim this woman for me. God may have taken my mother from me but they gave you. Now that the old man controls his manners well but I''m worried about the other guy, Victor is highly vicious, for now, he is still afraid of brother Alex. When he strikes, it will only be fatal."

    After talking about his past, Mike felt relieved and slowly they drifted to sleep.

    Meanwhile, the one who Mike was worried about, was plotting against his elder brother late at night with his pig teammate, Raspber.

    " Prince, the letter has been passed to the elders by the king. Tomorrow the decision shall be taken. Are you sure about this? What if that woman teams up with your brother?"

    " Rasber, don''t use your brain unwantedly. I''m bored with that woman and do you think that brother will easily follow our father''s suggestion? I popped this idea to the mother''s ears to make another dispute between him and the elders. But now I am more intrigued by that woman beside him. I want to marry his beloved woman and sabotage their life forever."

    Rasber could not follow Victor''s line of thought, he left the second prince''s courtyard to find some lovely ladies to quench his desires.

    At the same time, Alex was finding it difficult to pacify Emmy. She was not giving him any face at all. Finally, he got fed up and lifted Emmy off the ground in princess style and put her in the bed. Towering over her petite body, he calmly looked into her eyes which was wide open due to the shock.

    " You can tease me but I can''t retort huh, Why should I dream about any filthy women when such a damsel is under me ?"

    Alex was clearly bullying the poor little Emmy whereas she was scared out of her wits.. This close proximity made the cupid rush to the spot and the arrow got hit right on her heart.

 Chapter 39 - Only One Need To Sacrifice Your Love

    With Emmy staring right into his eyes, Alex lost his cool and moved away from her. Emmy was finding it difficult to breathe and her ears, as well as the tip of her nose, was red like a tomato. Alex thought it to be because she got angry but never in his mind would he consider that the poor little girl had fallen badly for him.

    Emmy hid in the blanket and never peeped out of it for even once throughout the night. Alex just watched Emmy becoming a turtle and smiled. For a moment, he even thought of the future where Emmy and himself would be living together.

    Alex was smiling to himself when suddenly he found himself standing on a weird ground, darkness surrounded the whole place. He frantically looked at both sides, but could not see anything and then something started shining inside his pocket.

    He took the shining object and found it to be Mia''s pendant. The unusual luster made his heart race, was he going to finally see Mia after three years? A beam of light shot out from the pendant and then again darkness clouded over him. After a short time, his eyes could see a figure who was wearing a luminous cape, slowly that figure approached Alex.

    Alex stood there dazed without blinking his eyes, his racing heartbeat calmed down when he saw it was not the one he had expected. An old man studied Alex intently and said, "My oh my, you are a good looking flower, but is desperate to find something which you lost, right young man!"

    " Who are you? What is this place?"

    " Hmm, just consider this old man as a soothsayer. You have come to this place because the great one wanted to help you. Heed to this advice young man, in this world, nothing is kept hidden for long and you might need to sacrifice your love to find the fated one."

    " What do you mean by sacrificing my love to find the fated one? Isn''t my love the fated one for me?"

    " Young man, I won''t disclose much but believe your heart as the one whom you seek is right near you. Open your heart instead of eyes to seek."

    Alex wanted to enquire more but suddenly he got transported to another place where a huge cherry blossom tree stood alone amidst the lake and the golden rays of the setting sun bound his eyes. Then he heard a sweet chuckle from the other side of the tree, Alex slowly walked towards the source of the sound and was shocked to see Mia waiting patiently for him.

    " Mia, is it really you ?"

    Alex hugged her tightly and his emotions erupted through his eyes in the form of tears. He could not believe that his little girl was looking like a fairy in the emerald-colored dress and her combed wavy hair reached up to her knees. She was looking like a royal princess that even the Salian Adonis was nothing in front of her.

    Alex had a lot to tell this woman, for the past three years, he was madly searching for her and even decided to end his life but finally when his beloved was standing in front of him, he couldn''t even utter any words. In his mind, confessing his feelings to this astonishing woman felt as if he was cheating someone else. He subconsciously loosened his grip over Mia.

    " Brother Alex, I''m your past, your present and future is someone else. So please try to forget me. The one destined for you is awaiting, here she comesˇ­."

    The little woman who had loved Alex with her whole heart once pushed him away now. Alex suddenly felt his arms empty and as he raised his head towards the direction Mia had pointed before, his brain stopped working for a couple of minutes.

    This woman was giving out a wild vibe in contrast with the delicate appearance of Mia, she was wearing a sparkling black gown with emeralds studded on it. The stones on her dresses matched the color of her eyes. Yes, greenish eyesˇ­ it pricked Alex right at his heart as he was pretty familiar with the woman who had a valorous character and it was none other than, Emmetina Esbertraz aka Emmy.

    Alex shook his head again and again, how can Emmy be the fated one for him? Why is she so mysterious? Alex''s head started to spin thinking about it while the gorgeous woman embosomed Alex straight away. Now the one in cloud nine was Alex, the tip of his ears turned red as he blushed hard. The warmth from this woman gave him the feeling of completeness which he never felt while he hugged his long lost lover.

    Even though Alex felt extremely happy as Emmy was the fated one for him, but inside, her mysteriousness was still vexing him. He decided to have a nice chat with the Esbertrazian elders the next time when they meet.

    " Emmy, it is youˇ­.the one .. for.. me. "

    Alex couldn''t help but stutter again, but he held her tightly in his arms. He was determined to fight for his love this time and promised himself that never would he leave Emmy nor would ever hide things from her. He knew the pain of separation and now God gave him another chance for love to be bloomed in his life.

    " Emmy, now my heart is clear. The ease and comfort which I always felt in your presence say it all. I have decided, whatever happens, the only one who I would ever love will be you, my dear."

    " Emmetina Esbertraz, I love you."

    Alex looked at the clear image of him inside her eyes, Emmy had her eyes wet by the end of his confession and she slowly nodded her head. Alex then kissed her tears away and slowly wanted to taste those cherry lips which always tempted him but then he heard Emmy saying.

    " You old rogue, how dare you ?"

 Chapter 40 - Your Brother Is Really Strange Today

    Alex was startled as he heard Emmy shouting instead of replying "I love you too". He slowly opened his eyes to find his head embedded to some soft mass, he then lifted his head and saw his fuming wife who was trying her best to wriggle out of his leg lock.

    " Alex, wake up, what are you doing? Oh, how heavy are his legs? Alexxxxˇ­.." Emmy started screaming on top of her lungs. The muddle-headed guy was still pondering upon the surroundings when Emmy sensed his movements, she could feel the heat from his body even though there were two layers of clothing in between them. Her mind started to create images of this toned body and chiseled muscles.

    Alex could not believe what was happening for quite some time, then he understood that everything was just a dream, him seeing that old man, Mia and his fated one, each instance was carved into his brain and he wanted it to be true. Slowly, he lifted his legs to free Emmy but tightened his grip pulling the petite girl closer to his chest.

    " Don''t move Emmy, please I need this warmth. I had the most beautiful dream of my life but in reality, I''m feeling it as a nightmare. I want to change myself for my fated one, Emmyˇ­. I need you..."

    Emmy who was crushed to his embraced thought that he might be still sleepy and mistook her as his beloved again, whatsoever, she could deny the fact that this hug meant a lot for her budding love, so she took the advantage of his sleepiness but hearing the second half of Alex''s words, Emmy got shocked completely.

    Her brain stopped working and unknowingly, a smile was plastered across her lips. Then, as she was going to reply to him, knocks were heard on the door.

    " I will be right back to fetch my morning gift, my dear wife", Alex kissed Emmy on her forehead and got up to see who was at the door whereas Emmy touched at the spot where he just kissed before.

    " Wife ? What happened to him ? Yesterday he was fine till I slept, now why is he behaving like I''m his wife and we are a newly wedded couple. This guy has gone nuts and is driving me crazy. ". Emmy got up to freshen herself before that crazy fellow would come to retrieve his gift.

    Meanwhile, at the door, Elder Floretren was waiting for someone to open the door and he was surprised to see the dignified crown prince in such a disheveled manner.

    " What brings the elder Floretren to visit us in the early morning?"

    Alex didn''t want to give any kind of respect to this particular elder because Elder Floretren was biased to the side of lady Vilmon and was always against him. He even suspected this elder to play a role in the disappearance of Mia.

    " Apologies to the crown prince, but I need to talk with you before the elders take their decision about your marriage. That girl Lamia..."

    " What about her ?"

    Alex could never control his emotions whenever the elder Floretren mentioned his woman, his fierce attitude made it clear to the elder and he smiled inwardly.

    " I don''t know why our great master is playing along with you but I''m sure that your woman is not an ordinary character, I could feel the shadow power emanating from her. It is clear that this girl has a powerful Esbertrazian background. I came to find you because you are putting her life in danger. Even if your woman has faint shadow powers, she is still no match for the Agnartic warrior princess, Arona Agnartic. After three days, the princess will be coming here to ask you to take her hands in marriage. So protect Lamia from the ignorant lass and the vicious serpent, Victor"

    " Don''t you think saying all these things to me would lower your standards? I still remember on that day what you said to me, I will show you what I''m capable of and my mother won''t ever be ashamed of me. One more thing, this time I would fight with my life to protect her, so you don''t need to bother."

    " That''s good, So I shall take my leave now. Convey my regards to Lamia."

    Elder Floretren was feeling pride in his heart, finally, the precious seed had sprouted and now no one can stop its growth. Also, the seed has the protection of the great Esbertrazian clan, so now it is time for those murderers to pay back. Elder Floretren clenched his fists thinking about the pretty woman in his dreams and hatred flashed in his eyes.

    When Alex came back to the room, he found Emmy had got ready for breakfast and she was looking so pretty in the yellow-colored dress. His legs could not stop themselves from walking in her direction, Alex gave a kiss on her cheeks and seductively whispered in her ears, " You are mine, this time I will fight for my love."

    This closure was already irking Emmy but as Alex said his piece of words, Emmy''s mind flashed back to that memory where she said the same piece to the beautiful white woman who was her sister.

    " Fight for love? You are doing that even now right, You will find her soon but Alex, teasing is fine, but don''t let her misunderstand our relation."

    " I shall never disappoint her again."

    Alex smiled and proceeded to freshen up leaving the dazed Emmy. What she didn''t know was, the ''her'' in Alex''s statement was not his beloved anymore, it was this little lass who he had chosen for life.

    After breakfast, all friends joined for chit chats, men were discussing their further plans whereas women were pretty into badmouthing people. The surrounding was filled with laughter and immense happiness.

    " Emmy, do you know yesterday Alex called me sister-in-law, I''m so happy. "

    " well, the amount of happiness is clear from the cut on your lips, I didn''t think that the third prince was ferocious in that aspect."

    " Janet, stop saying that out loud if he hears that he will surely eat me up for today. By the way, Emmy, I could feel some spark between my brother-in-law and you. Are you hiding something from us?"

    Hearing Juliet''s words, Emmy blushed hard. " Your brother was super crazy and now he is a lunatic. I don''t know what happened to him yesterday night.. He has been calling me ''wife'' from the morning and he kisses my forehead every now and then."

 Chapter 41 - Its Time To Hear What Your Heart Says

    Hearing Emmy ranting about the dignified crown prince of the Salian clan, both of her friends started laughing. It was clear as day that Alex was getting over his old love and slowly falling for their innocent friend but this girl had no clue about it. So Janet and Juliet decided to give the push for Emmy to understand the feelings that Alex had for her.

    The three women became silent as their respective partners joined them at the table, Mike sensed some of kind mischievous expression from Juliet''s face and he raised his eyebrows to ask what was in her mind, to which Juliet blinked three times and grinned at him.

    " Today, we shall be visiting the Salian Palace to meet the father and the queen. Jordan, stay on guard, Victor will be planning something to matchmake that lotus to my head. In the morning, elder Floretren paid a visit to warn me about that woman hurting our Emmy. I don''t have much impression of that girl but have heard Agrona mentioned once that she can go to any lengths to get her things done."

    Alex then explained what all things elder Floretren said and few things about the woman called Arona who was known for the battle skills in the entire Agnartic clan.

    " Brother, I have a bad feeling about this, Victor is actually that lady''s lover, then why this drama of family promise of a wedding between you two. Also, why is that woman eager to visit us here? "

    Janet and Juliet were looking at Emmy the whole time when the guys were discussing the upcoming matters, her face was looking like a burnt pot and it was clear, every time they said the word "marriage", Emmy''s eyes looked more fierce. Before Juliet could ask the guys to stop their discussion, Emmy broke out, " Let her dare...".

    All were shocked to see Emmy angry and both her fists were tightly clenched such that her nails dug into her skin making it bleed. Alex suddenly wrapped her to his embrace and patted on her back.

    " No one will dare, this time I promise you, I have only one woman in my heart now and that is you, only you Emmy."

    The four people were stumped hearing what Alex had just said, they could not believe the change in Alex at all. Mike looked at their surroundings and found no one, similarly, Jordan''s senses were so keen but still could not find any spies hidden, so why was Alex acting?

    All four had the same thing on their mind, " Has Alex really fallen for Emmy?"

    Alex without bothering about others took Emmy to the riverside and sat together on the bench there. Emmy was blanked out for a couple of minutes and woke up from her stupor only when Alex planted a kiss on her forehead.

    " Stop thinking unwanted things, trust me as always, no one will ever hurt you. "

    " That is true, no one can hurt me with you here, but what if you get snatched away by that horrendous lady?"

    Alex just hugged Emmy as he thought she was jealous because someone else might snatch him away but actually Emmy was keeping Alex safe from any rivals who came into his life in Lamia''s absence. Even though Emmy has started to like Alex, she never wanted to sever the love between Alex and Lamia.

    " Emmy, I will be there with you for this life long, no one is going to separate us anymore. You have to believe your husband, alright!"

    It was then only Emmy found Alex''s statements were getting weird from yesterday night. She thought he might have been sleepy to mistake her for his beloved but now in broad daylight, this guy was making such comments, Emmy widened her eyes and asked him in a soft whisper, " Is someone watching us?"

    " No, what happened?"

    Alex scanned their vicinity and replied back to Emmy but not for a moment had he left his hold over her.

    " Well, in that case, stop this acting, sometimes even I feel that you are really my lover."

    Emmy tried to escape from his grip but in vain could only sit back as his grip tightened when she finished her piece of the sentence.

    " You might think about me as a fickle-minded person, but Emmy, listen to me. Yesterday I dreamt of Lamia and she said that my fated one was someone else, not her. She asked me to let go of this feeling and showed me my fated one."

    Emmy''s breathing got stuck in her lungs, she looked at Alex with the utmost patience to hear who was his fated one but Alex gave her a moment of complete silence.

    " Who is it ?"

    Alex looked at Emmy and in her eyes, he could see the hope of love mixed with anxiety. He wanted to tease his little lass more but her sincere expression gave it away. He slowly raised his hands and cupped her rosy cheeks to kiss hard on those cherry-colored lips which he had been longing for quite a while now.

    Alex only wanted to show his true feelings, so he didn''t make it hard for Emmy. He gave a small speck over her lips and gently rubbed their noses together.

    " Emmy, It is high time for me to listen to what my heart says and now the only person inside my heart is you, dear, you are my fated one. "

    Emmy could not believe that her first kiss was stolen by Alex when she was shell shocked, but after hearing his confession, the feelings inside her erupted like a volcano. She nodded her head vigorously as tears of happiness washed her eyes. Emmy wanted to reply to Alex badly but couldn''t find the appropriate words, her tongue was not even functioning properly. Seeing his wife''s cute behavior, Alex took the lead to seal their lips together, and now it was for a long duration.

    With the intensity of the kiss grew to the extreme, a dull pain rushed to Emmy''s mind making her faint on spot.

 Chapter 42 - The Crown Prince Shall Be Mine

    " Emmy, wake up, please ˇ­ can you hear me?"

    Fade voices were reaching Emmy''s ears, she found it familiar and slowly she opened her eyes to see the worried expression on her husband''s face. Thinking of the kiss, she blushed like a red rose which made Alex panicked more.

    " Emmy, talk to me. Sorry, my dear, I was so excited that I couldn''t stop myself from kissing you hard. I am really sorry. Please, have some water."

    Emmy nodded her head and with the help from Alex, she leaned over the headrest of the bed and observed that she was inside their room. She drank the lukewarm water from the cup which Alex had fetched for her. Seeing the worried expression on his face, Emmy''s heart was quite happy.

    " Emmy, are you fine? I can get the best female physician to look at you, please."

    Emmy fought really hard with her mind but still, no words came up to her mouth, she wanted to say how fortunate she was feeling to be loved back by the same person whom she had started to love. Her eyes teared up and she held onto his hands.

    " Alex, I love you too."

    Closing her eyes, she confessed her feelings to the person who was grinning like an idiot, after hearing her confession. Emmy felt agitated but puckered up her courage to peck at his cheek. This time Alex''s heart was blooming with joy after receiving her sweet gift. He wanted to taste her lips once more but got worried because of her condition.

    " Now our love is sealed for eternity, you can''t escape my dear wife. "

    " Enough of this wife thing, alright. Our relationship just started an hour ago, so currently I''m your lover, you will have to do a lot of hard work to make me your fiance then only come and talk about being your wife.

    " You can have whatever you want, Emmy, can you promise me one thing please?"

    Emmy looked at Alex questioningly yet he stayed silent. Watching his silence, she understood what was bothering him.

    " Alex, whatever happened to my family, whether the Salian clan had a role in it or not, our relationship won''t be affected by it. I, Emmentina Esbertraz, promise you that our relationship can be ended only by death. I will stay truthful to you and together will tackle the difficulties coming into our lives. Butˇ­."

    " But what ?"

    Emmy hesitated to answer his question, the fear of losing him suddenly surged up in her mind. Of course, that woman was his first in every term, so how could Emmy replace her in Alex''s life?

    " What if Lamia comes back? If she comes back for you, I won''t stop you okay, she is your first woman, who got tormented just because of your indecisiveness. So, when she returns, I will rightfully leave your side to her."

    The chill in Alex''s eyes was clear and Emmy could feel that he was getting furious, but she was rock solid in taking this particular decision.

    " Even if she comes back, I''m yoursˇ­ ONLY YOURS Emmy...remember that."

    Alex stressed each syllable of his sentence making Emmy a little uncomfortable yet she smiled and hugged her lover dearly. She knew this would work every time, Alex calmed down and patted her head.

    " Take rest for a while, let me meet the elders to discuss when to visit the palace to announce our engagement."

    Covering Emmy with the blanket, Alex came out and saw Mike as well as Jordan waiting for him outside the room.

    " Brother, things are a bit faster than what we had thought, that woman''s imprudent arrival shows that the Agnartic king has made plans to devour our clan by having you as their bait."

    " Alex, I''m sure Victor is playing along with them and my instincts are never wrong. I think Victor will target Emmy and Agnartic princess may have eyes on you. So both of them will try to separate you two."

    " Does the second prince think I''m still that forlorn prince who actually tried to take his own life after being misled by that guy? This time I will have him his own medicine. We just need to put our guard around our respective partners. When the time arrives, I have to present our father a huge surprise which will pop out his eyes. "

    The three men went to meet the elders to discuss the position of the crown princess and the proposal of the Agnartic clan princess. Elders were over the moon hearing their crown prince''s decisions and they happily nodded unanimously declaring their verdict.

    Meanwhile, at the palace, the king and the queen welcomed the battle goddess of the Agnartic clan, Arona Agnartic warmly. This woman had an air of integrity emanating from her, the red velvet robe doubled her fierce attitude and well portrayed her conceited nature.

    " Princess, you might be tired after the long trip, the pearl courtyard has been allocated for your rest while you are here."

    The queen never gave up any chance to butter up this princess, she knew that her son had some underground relationship with this haughty woman but still she didn''t want such a daughter-in-law for herself who was hard to be controlled. So, she planned to sacrifice Alex in order to save her son from this woman''s clutches but she didn''t know that the one who was controlling the whole plot was none other than her own son, where even the king, queen, and this mighty princess were just his pawns.

    " I see that the crown prince is absent from the court, was he not informed about my arrival?"

    Hearing this the king was not happy with the lack of respect in the Agnartic lady''s attitude yet he smiled and answered, " Sorry, he was called upon by the elders yesterday and is still at the Acasta Palace."

    After excusing herself, Arona reached the pearl courtyard with her maids, when suddenly a servant rushed near her to give a scroll.

    " You have a strong rival, we have to act together to set them apart. Meet me at the usual place."

    Arona tore up the scroll after reading it completely, her face showed a twisted expression as she was fuming with anger.

    " Another rival, huh, I have destroyed all those who came in between the crown prince and myself.. So what? even if a dozen more pop out from the sky, I''m the best and the crown prince shall be mine forever."

 Chapter 43 - She Is Not A Simpleton

    Dreaming about the crown prince, Arona sneered because she had fallen in love with this guy when she was just a kid. The mighty boy Alexandrian was the heartthrob bomb among the girls in their childhood. Once, the little Arona saw her sister was talking to a handsome boy and she felt jealous, tottering along the path, she reached in front of that boy.

    " Brother, You can marry only this princess when we become big."

    The big brother to whom Arona was talking sincerely didn''t even blink at her, he walked past her and warned the other girl who was standing beside.

    " Ask your sister to have a hold of her tongue."

    Little Arona was never insulted in her life before as she was the pampered princess of the clan and this particular belittlement attitude of Alex made a place in her heart. She wanted him to be at her beck and call and wanted to treat him as her possession. To this day, she has successfully plotted against all her rivals except for Lady Vilmon. When Alex was getting engaged with her sister Agrona, she joined up forces with Victor to separate this couple but later her sister went missing, she got freed from the hassle. That is how Victor was able to use this affection of the Agnartic princess to get his tasks done.

    At the Tropical garden beside the main palace, Rasber was casually sitting and eating some berries, no one would suspect anything on such a scenario but actually, he was guarding the place as the secret meeting was being proceeded on the other side of the green creepers surrounding the garden and its walls.

    " You are becoming so soft and tender, huh! Do you think with this skin, you would be able to seduce him ? "

    Victor remarked poking at her skin after having a taste of her hidden fruit. On her bosom, there were fresh marks of the intense activity which had just finished, but she didn''t bother about it anymore. Arona, even though wanted to immure the crown prince in her grasp but the day when she heard about the reason why her sister was getting engaged suddenly, she cracked up and accepted Victor''s proposal to join the plot to seize the Salian clan, in return of owning Alex for this lifetime.

    " Why do you care? Just focus on the plan and if it works, I don''t need to seduce him. These moments, consider it as your payment for the whole direction of the scheme."

    Arona dressed up quickly and was adjusting her hair when suddenly Victor seized her hands and enclosed it on the top of her head.

    " I don''t want to see you with this kind of attitude, remember I''m not finishing him because of your request. Once my plan gets succeeded, there won''t be any crown prince anymore...only this king. Be an obedient little woman, just hug this golden thigh instead of that forlorn man."

    " But why me? Even though you are not as handsome as he is, still you will get women at your beck and call for quenching your desire thirst."

    Victor loosened his grasp and chuckle. It was true, he could get any woman to warm his bed and could even change women like clothes but he was not interested in tasting just any woman. He loved power, so found only the powerful ones for meeting his desires.

    " Oh, you are the battle goddess, so I wanted to try you, and don''t you worry now, my eyes have found another prey to hunt but till I get that woman, will continue to devour you. So help me out to lure that woman to my bed."

    Arona found it disgusting to see such a character to be born into royalty but in order to make the crown prince surrender over her feet, she calmly agreed to this vicious man in front of her.

    " So who is my new rival? Have you got any plans to get rid of her?"

    " The goddaughter of the great master of Esbertraz, Rotrigues. Her name is Lamia, Lamia Shagues. She is not just a normal rival for you, your lover boy is head over heels for that woman."

    "Impossible, how can Alex change all of a sudden? He wanted to take his own life after my sister went missing. Within just the span of three years, how can another woman change him? "

    When Arona was roasting her brain out, thinking about how this change occurred, even Victor was confused about this mysterious woman. The woman who could make the great clan accept her as their goddaughter and make this humongous change in Alex was definitely not a simpleton.

    " We have to find out that first. I will take care of her but make sure to upgrade your seducing skills. Our plan must succeed before the elders come to a decision. "

    Arona and Victor were plotting their scheme whereas the main characters of their plot already had got the permission of their marriage from the elders of the Salian clan. All four elders were over the moon and started arranging for the big feast to announce this special news.

    The king and queen were also notified of the feast but they both misunderstood it. They thought elders had indeed agreed to the king''s proposal to let the Agnartic princess become the crown princess.

    The king then sent invitations to all the other clans to welcome to the grand feast. Meanwhile, Rasber was informed about this news by one of his lackeys, which made Victor very angry.

    " Rasber those bunch of oldies is way faster than I thought, inform Arona that whatever she does, I don''t care but tonight she must get into Alex''s bed."

    Rasber was quick in action, within minutes he notified the Agnartic princess of the change in the plans. Arona smiled softly and locked inside her room to get ready for the grand feast of the Salian family.

    " Oh my arrogant prince, let me see this time who will save you from my hands."

 Chapter 44 - Straight To The Bed Chamber

    Arona opened up a sachet filled with pink color powder and smiled wickedly. This time she was going to taste the power of the wild crown prince and it was her last straw to get freed from that devil''s clutches.

    As per the arrangement, the majestic grandeur and the glory of the great Salian clan were profoundly showcased. All the elders as well as the family heads of different clans were present as the audience for this feast.

    Elder Theodore warmly welcomed the Posei family head as a note of gratitude, when they were exchanging their greetings, Mike and Juliet arrived hand in hand inside the hall. Upon seeing her grandfather, Juliet got so happy but then on the next second, she loosened her arms around Mike''s. She couldn''t help but give a bashful smile to her grandfather.

    " Little lady, now that you have found your mate, did you forget the way to your home? "

    Although the mighty head of the Posei family raised his voice, it contained the sweetness of pampering and love. Juliet looked at Mike and walked slowly towards her grandfather.

    " Grandfather, forgive me for not coming home. I wanted to help my friend here."

    " Your friend? Are you referring to this lad here?" Grandfather Posei straightened his back and his eyes became sharp when he scanned Mike completely. Juliet was sweating instead of him, but Mike proudly stood straight in front of the great Posei clan head. It made grandfather Posei''s first impression of Mike soar up the sky.

    " Apologies for not introducing myself before, I should have gone directly to the Posei family to seek your granddaughter''s hand from you but our presence was inevitable here. Please forgive this prince for once."

    After saying his piece, Mike bowed in front of Juliet''s grandfather. Elder Theodore was happy with the behavior of the third prince. It was just like he had predicted before that this particular bloodline will intend to safeguard the clan and make it flourish for decades.

    " Lad, I know now why my little girl fell for you this hard. Do not let any grief even touch her and make her title official as soon as possible. Be a man and take responsibility."

    Although grandfather Posei said it in an arrogant manner, the other three persons understood that he had accepted Mike at their first meeting itself. Juliet was on cloud nine and she hugged her grandpa.

    " Thank you, grandfather! Your words mean a lot to us. We won''t let you down ever and my love will be only for her till I breathe my last breath."

    Mike promised his love for Juliet in the presence of the Posei family head and their fate was sealed by the head in the condition of giving him lots of great-grandchildren.

    Meanwhile, this healthy conversation was envied by the other small clan heads and their lackeys. They were discussing the luck of the Salian clan.

    " The crown prince is marrying the Agnartic princess and the third prince has connections with the Posei family. I''m sure after a few years, the whole Vilmonark will be under their regime. "

    " Yes, here I was thinking of introducing my granddaughter to the third prince but now that hope is also gone."

    " The Salian family has one more prince right, you can give your granddaughter to him."

    " No, the second prince does not have any potential, he is just a womanizer and fools around the kingdom. Don''t you know even the elders despise him, only the king and queen hail him as best. "

    The increasing rate of gossip could not escape from the ears of Rasber, he could not lash out at those old men who were purely slandering his master but Victor had given him instructions clearly not to make any troubles and wait for the interesting show later on.

    Meanwhile, after welcoming almost all the guests, the king thought it was the right time to announce the great news. Without consulting the elders, he stood up and tapped on the gong.

    " I would like to have the attention of the respectable people present here, we have gathered here to announce the marriage of the crown prince. I would like to welcome...."

    Elder Zeatrice interrupted the king amidst his welcome speech, at that time only the Salian king noticed the displeasure on the faces of the other elders. Elder Begontrix slowly stood up making the whole crowd silent.

    " Respected guests, yes, we all are here to celebrate the homecoming of our princes after 6 months as well as the marriage of our crown princes has been decided. After the crown prince arrives with his fiancee, we will be making the official introduction followed by the announcement."

    Although the king was displeased with the behavior of the elders, he had no other option to nod his head and take his seat. The second prince who was sitting beside the king signaled Rasber to know the status of their plan. A tiny piece of parchment was then passed to the second prince which read,

    " Tonight the woman you want will climb straight to your bed, be ready to rock and roll inside your chamber."

    Victor smiled viciously after reading the message and drank wine nonchalantly as if he was really happy for his brother.

    After a couple of minutes, the crown prince arrived with a beautiful woman at his side, all the guests were fascinated by the attractive figure who was dazzling in her red dress with the golden outer robe.

    " Who is this woman? I have seen the Agnartic princess before, even though the battle goddess is gorgeous but this woman literally outshines all the beauties of our VilmonArk."

    Upon the gazes of the people present, Alex held Emmy very closely and they together walked towards the elders first. They bowed before the elders and were asked to take the seat within the table where the king and queen were also seated.

    According to the plan, Emmy''s seat was arranged between Alex and Victor. As Emmy took her seat, she could feel the penetrating gaze from her left side. She looked back at the guy with a fierce attitude which made it more interesting for Victor.

    " I would love to taste this fierce tigress tonight, at that time how will you save yourself little rabbit?"

    Victor imagined Emmy underneath his body and thinking about her fair skin, he wanted to make brutal marking over the smooth porcelain-like skin.

 Chapter 45 - My Love, Wait For The Show Time

    Emmy leaned against Alex and murmured something to his ears coquettishly. When Victor was thinking of how to block Alex''s anger, to his much surprise, Alex gently smiled at his fiancee and gently adjusted her locks of hair beside her ear.

    Emmy put out a facade of a white flower who any man would urge to take care of. She knew Victor was here to brew troubles for Alex but could not figure out what exactly was his plan.

    " This girl is definitely extraordinary, I must have her at any cost". Victor kept on thinking seriously in his mind but on his face, there was not even a flick of it, it was as if he was enjoying the feast to its maximum.

    Slowly, the time came up when the elder Begontrix stood up to introduce the new couple.

    " Attention please, now I would like to welcome the pride of the Salian clan, our crown prince, and his beautiful fiancee, Ms. Lamia Shagues."

    The whole crowd was completely silent, they were checking out this woman whose identity was mysterious still she successfully acquired their prince''s heart. Some women even despised Lamia thinking that she stole their husband right under their nose.

    " No, this cannot be happening, elder Begontrix, how can you even think of this lowly woman to become the crown princess of our clan. The rightful person who deserves that position is the second princess of the Agnartic family. Why you all are siding with this pretentious lady here. I won''t allow for this marriage. "

    The king shouted at his top voice but got glared at by the four elders, still, he didn''t back off. He stubbornly stood against the elders and was determined not to let this woman enter their royal family.

    Meanwhile, the queen was watching the ruby-like girl enclosed in the red dress. The woman was exceptionally gorgeous and she clearly noted the desire in her son''s eyes previously. Looking at the calm attitude of that particular woman even when all others were strangers for her, the queen understood one thing- " provoking this woman can result in heavy damage to herself."

    Alex chuckled at the childish behavior of the so-called father, he calmly stood up and faced the people with his vibrant smile. Most of the women were drooling over his handsome face. He was waiting for this instant where the king would blow up his cover and show his prejudiced attitude towards the Agnartic clan.

    Under the fierce gaze of the king, Alex sneered, " Who said that my woman is lowly, her grade is supreme that even you won''t be allowed to touch her shoes. Do you want to know about her parental line? I warn you, don''t come beseeching after you know it."

    " People who have the same opinion as to the king, my woman as introduced by our elder goes by the name Lamia Shagues. Here, I welcome the respective elders of her family."

    After announcing his words, Alex stood up with pride and walked towards the entrance after receiving the signal from Jordan. Soon he was out of sight, the guests were waiting eagerly to know the ancestors of this mysterious girl.

    Soon at the entrance arrived 4 people, an elderly one, a middle-aged man accompanied by his wife and a beautiful lady who was flaunting her self-esteem. Her eyes scanned the whole audience to find the person whom she was waiting for but in vain met the vicious gaze of the second prince.

    Yes, this beautiful lady was none other than the battle princess, Arona who had come with her parents and their family elder to join the feast. The other three people from the Agnartic clan were acting as almighty as they thought this feast was specially arranged for them and the princess never bothered to clarify the matter as she knew after their plan gets succeeded, the position of the crown princess will be naturally hers.

    Meeting Victor''s lewd gaze, Arona noticed the beauty sitting by his side. At the first glance itself, she knew that this was the prey he wanted to hunt, but who was she? The countenance portrayed greatness and Arona was sure that this lady was powerful by the aura surrounding her.

    While the elders and the whole guests were confused with the entry of the Agnartic people, Alex had mentioned that his fiancee''s people were coming but where did he run off to. The queen was the more sensible one, she welcomed the people at the entrance to join the feast relieving the awkward situation at the banquet.

    The Salian king stood up and greeted the elder and the Agnartic king, Ragnaran. While they were exchanging their greetings, a commotion was heard at the entrances. Looking at the arrived guests, all clan chiefs were shocked and the elders gasped. All the elders present for the banquet lined up and bowed to the late guests which included the Salian clan elders also.

    Emmy looked at Alex who was beaming with happiness, and he met her eyes which confirmed his message, " my love, it is the showtime." Emmy smirked back at Alex and evilly looked at Victor, the only person who was not excited with the arrival of unexpected guests.

    He couldn''t believe that these people could obliviate their enmity with Alex and end their seclusion for this guy. Victor clenched his fist but his expression became normal when he saw that Emmy was looking at him.

    " Oh, looks like your lover has invited the people of his ex-fiancee. This explains you maybe his lover but in terms of power, he should still beg in front of the great Esbertrazian elders. "

    Emmy smiled after hearing what he said, poor chap, he doesn''t know that the connection of the great Esbertrazian clan and Alex was redeemed by this young woman.

    Arona noticed the interaction between Emmy and Victor, she was happy that the prey was getting into a trap and this could result in her escape from the second prince''s clutches. She slowly signaled one of her maids who slowly disappeared from the banquet.

    " Victor, sorry to change your plan, you have given me such a wonderful opportunity but I don''t want to get mud on my name, instead let it on you and your prey."

    Arona''s smile hid the evil thoughts in her mind easily from the crowd.

 Chapter 46 - Dimensional Door Awaits Your Arrival

    Alex welcomed the esteemed guests to the table where Emmy was sitting, the two great elders were shocked beyond words to see Emmy. Involuntarily their body bowed in front of her which made the whole all visitors'' mouth wide opened.

    They all were petrified because these two elders were the legendary masters of the great Esbertrazian clan, the elder Miandrake, and elder Lathodore who were considered as the almighty were actually bowing before a mere little woman. Astonishing!!!!!!

    Then only everybody remembered what Alex had said to the king before he went to welcome these elders. All of them had only one question in their minds, ''who is this woman actually?''

    Even the Salian king got flustered with the gesture of the Esbertrazian elders. As Emmy looked at the dumbfounded Alex, she knew this was not what he planned. Looking at the bowing figures, she felt some familiarity but her conscious mind gave no information to her.

    " Elder ones, please rise. I am not worthy of your bow. Don''t make this young one feel guilty anymore."

    Hearing Emmy, the elders straightened their back and clear shock could be seen in their eyes. The elder Miandrake could not believe himself, he never thought of bowing in front of this girl but just with a glance, he couldn''t help himself other than to bow before her. The same was the case of the elder Lathodore. The elder Rotrigues had asked them to visit the banquet held by the Salian clan if they wish to see the person they desire to see but never they thought of such an instance.

    Both the elders looked at each other and sat on the chairs designated for them. They couldn''t utter any words as the shock they got was not little. The elder Miandrake was even thinking of strangling elder Rotrigues for his scheme. They have never once left their castle from the day their lady disappeared and dare Rotirgeues lie of finding the person they desired to meet after a long time. This girl was younger than their mistress and was not that pretty. Rage was boiling inside the elder Miandrake whereas elder Lathodore eased up quickly.

    " Don''t you find the aura of this girl similar to our miss, I think she is one of us. Let us first watch the scenario then will act on it."

    Emmy who was sitting at the other table could feel the same towards those two elderly figures. Alex held her hands and whispered in her ears, " Yes, those two are the great elders of Esbertrazian clans, your father''s closest kins. The one with the long white beard is elder Lathodore and the other who is sitting there agitated is elder Miandrake."

    " Elder Miandrake????" Emmy recalled the conversation which she heard in her subconscious state. She shivered upon thinking back to the conversation in which one person had clearly used to address the other person.

    Emmy was also feeling ecstatic to see her father''s closest people but it came to halt when someone else touched her feet with his.

    " Who are you, little woman? I truly underestimated you! I guess you have the back up from the great dark clan, impressive. "

    " Well! Don''t you worry about my people, first you keep hold of your puppets who are swooning over my man. Guess, she isn''t satisfied with your prowess as a man." Emmy scoffed at Victor.

    Alex smiled hearing the way his woman was insulting his step-brother while on the contrary, Victor thought in mind, " Once my plan gets succeeded, I will show what my capability to you."

    To make the banquet lively after the sudden shock, the elder Floretren stood up and calmly invited the main characters of the day. Alex and Emmy walked down towards the center of the platform and greeted the guests.

    " All of you are thinking about the crown prince''s fiancee, right! Okay, I will break the suspense now. Let me once again introduce Miss Lamia Shagues to all, she is the goddaughter of the elder Rotrigues of the great Esbertrzian clan. "

    The whole crowd gasped, no one could believe the elders of the dark clan to have a goddaughter and even to be engaged with the crown prince as everyone knew about the feud between the Salian family and dark clan.

    Emmy smiled and introduced herself to the guests, " Greetings everyone, I am coming to your land Vilmonark for the first time, please take care of me while I''m here." Almost ninety percent of the guests fell for her smile while the elders from the dark clan were astonished beyond words.

    " Lathodore, are you thinking what I''m thinking? Why do I feel this girl has some resemblance to our Shawn?"

    " Yes, I have seen his woman twice, now I feel this girl resembles Lilian more. Rotrigues didn''t lie in a way, he did find our Shawn''s daughter at last."

    " Yes, our miss would have been the happiest if she was here now, but why is Shawn''s daughter getting engaged with this punk. If not for Rotrigues, I would have never let him live his life happily."

    "Miandrake, do not flare up now. Remember Lamia is our blood, so we have to keep her value up here. After this banquet, let us talk to her to leave that cunning imbecile."

    Meanwhile seeing her smile, Victor clearly felt that his heart did miss a few beats. Even though he had played with few royal beauties but this one, made his heart flutter like a butterfly. He dug his nails into his skin in anger when he saw Alex was holding her by her waist and they were so intimate with each other. He slowly looked towards Arona who nodded her head to signal that the plan was executed properly.

    Victor''s vile smirk was noticed by Janet who was keeping the guard on the actions of princess Arona and the second prince. Although she was observing them from the moment the banquet began, still she was unable to decipher their plan.

    The couple then made way to greet the Esbertrazian elders. Emmy smiled gracefully at them, " Elders, I know you have found out my real identity by now. Please give me your permission as well as your blessing to avenge my parents."

    Elder Lathodore was feeling bliss inside his heart, still, he proudly did not show his true feelings outside. He nodded his head and raised his hand to give a blessing but suddenly he touched her fingertips while raising his hands and a bolt of electricity ran through him.

    " My child, the dimensional world is awaiting you."

 Chapter 47 - A Lethally Poisonous Gift

    The three people who heard what elder Lathodore said widened their eyes. Even the elder Lathodore felt as if he got possessed suddenly to blurt out such a dark secret openly in front of this girl. He excused himself after blessing the couple letting them attend other guests.

    " Lathodore, what happened to you? why did you mention that here?"

    " Miandrake, would you believe me that I had a premonition just as I touched that girl''s fingertip, I feel she is not the one whom she claims to be."

    Gazing at the flustered Esbertrazian elders, Emmy could not believe her ears which had definitely heard the words ''dimensional world''. Just as she opened her small mouth to enquire about it to Alex, he came clean all of a sudden, " I''m also hearing such a thing for the first time. it must be some kind of Esbertrazian secret but why did the elder blurt it out to you at the first meeting, I guess all the Esbertrazians are really strange huh!!!!

    " Don''t forget, now I''m also an Esbertrazian, so no need of poking us with that comment."

    Alex and Emmy smiled at each other and then rejoined their table after greeting most of the guests.

    Meanwhile, in the backyard of the food preparation area, a steamy and ambiguous scene was taking place. Three male servants who were assigned the charge of the food and drinks were enjoying themselves with a petite woman. The woman was stark naked and on her body, there were clear marks of how fierce were these three perverts in the deed. After enjoying themselves to the maximum with her, the three men left the backyard as if nothing happened and the woman drowning in pain still got up to dress up.

    On a clear look, anyone could understand that this woman was none other than the maid who was instructed by Arona previously. After dressing up properly, the maid made sure to hide all the marks over her body and the pride of getting the master''s task done was pasted over her face.

    After a while, the maid returned to the princess Arona''s side and conveyed the success news of their scheme. Victor and Rasber were keeping close attention to the princess Arona, so they got the idea that within just 2 hours, the present happiness of the crown prince was going to flow away.

    The Evildoers might have plotted their plan well but heavens wanted to take de route today, hence the three men who were asked to spike Victor''s and Lamia''s drinks got muddled up and they accidentally spiked three glasses. The maid had agreed to have sex with them in exchange for getting this task done but her sacrifice went in vain.

    As the feast began, Rasber identified the servants who were in cahoots with the maid and he made sure that the drinks were straightly delivered to Arona''s and crown prince''s table. Due to their overconfidence, they overlooked the fact of the checking which were spiked ones. Victor stared at Arona as she was downing her drink in one, and slowly drank his wine.

    " This woman can''t wait to lay her hands over him, slut." Victor thought to himself. while he was thinking about it, his eyes then turned to watch Emmy who was munching on the delicacies of the feast. Before Victor could say a word, there came another person in between them.

    " Miss Lamia, indeed you are so beautiful and was able to change the crown prince''s mind. I must admire you. For congratulating you on this occasion, let me give you a toast. "

    Arona was standing in front of Emmy pridefully as the hatred was spotted in her eyes clearly. Emmy knew this woman came here to stir up trouble for her but still, she pasted her face with a fake smile and accepted the goblet of wine from Arona. Both of them downed their drinks in one go.

    Arona laughed after she saw Emmy had finished her drink completely, then she whispered in a low voice which only Emmy, Victor, and she could hear.

    " You slut, how dare you become the crown princess of the Salian clan? The one beside you is what this princess wantsˇ­Getting rid of you is an easy task as I could even get rid of my sister from his life. Within seconds, you will be bidding farewell from this world. hahaaha.. "

    Arona''s sinister laugh shook both Emmy and Victor. Victor knew something went amiss after seeing Arona''s behavior.

    " Arona, watch what you are saying, don''t say stupid things after getting drunk. Lamia, this woman is drunk, don''t worry, she is blurting out in her drunken stupor."

    " Me ? drunk? Hahahaa, oh my dear second prince, I have really gifted her a lethally poisonous gift just now and this idiot drank it completely. Within minutes her body will start to show the symptoms of being poisoned."

    " Poisoned? The princess of the Agnartic clan is using poison to get her things done, what an eye-opener."

    Alex joined the conversation but he could hear only the last few words which Arona said. With his entry, none of the three opened their mouths, Emmy was sitting calmly but her mind was racing, how could she forget the fact that the battle princess was head over heels for the crown princess and she might do anything to stop her rivals.

    " Brother, this woman is drunk, I will make sure that she apologizes to you both after she sobers up."

    Victor asked the maids to take Arona away to rest and he excused himself in the pretext of being called by his friends.

    Alex sat beside Emmy and saw her anxious look.

    " What happened to you? "

    " Arona said that she poisoned my drink which she offered me as a toast. She said it was something really poisonous and within minutes my body would show symptoms but I was feeling nothing but tiredness".

    Alex''s mind snapped out of his control, " How dare she poison you, she must be tired of living. I"m going to make her repent for this. Just wait."

    " No Alex, trust me, I''m fine. That woman is only drunk."

    " No, I cannot take chances in your case, come, we will ask the physician to check on you."

    After excusing themselves, the couple and their friends returned to the Acasta Palace and asked the senior physician to check on Emmy. By now, Emmy was tired completely and she closed her eyes slowly.

    " Reporting to the crown prince, yes, they are traces of the Navjuan inside her body. I have given her medications but still, I must warn you, if she does not wake up by tomorrow morning, she will be going into a coma state forever and even if she wakes up, this poison will make her brain fried out.. To be exact, she will be losing her conscious mind in both cases. "

 Chapter 48 - Thank Her For The Generous Gift

    "She will be losing her conscious mind forever".

    Hearing the words of the physician, although no one wanted to believe it, the drug called Navjuan was highly lethal and there was no medication for this particular drug. This thing was written in history but no one thought of the Agnarticans having the possession of such deadly drugs on their hands.

    Alex barged inside the room to find Emmy sleeping, her complexion was not pale and no symptoms of being poisoned were shown on her body. It was just like she was peacefully sleeping and could wake up at any time now. He held her hands tightly and said in a low tone,

    " I believe in my love more than the skeptical statements, please wake up soon and prove me right, Emmy ˇ­."

    Alex felt powerless once again as he couldn''t protect his love from the dangers lurking around them. In desperation, he clenched his fists and soon hot tears fell on to the clasped hands. Watching Alex in this state, Mike knew that his brother had fallen deep for Emmy, now again fate was playing with him. After the arrival of the Esbertraz clan elders, each one of them put down their guards and had started to enjoy the feast but who knew that the Agnartic princess would directly hit the target.

    A hoarse sound, all of a sudden startled Alex and others in the room, when he raised his head, a cool and energetic gaze met his eyes. The eyes had a tinge of greenish color which faded fastly, and the girl winked at Alex nonchalantly.

    " Emmy, this is the last time ˇ­. I''m warning you, don''t ever leave me for a second also. You don''t know what was going through my mind. "

    Instead of showering Emmy with words of love and care, Alex hollered at her, surprising the others who were watching him cry just seconds ago.

    Mike suddenly ran out to call the physician and Juliet gave water to Emmy to wet her sore throat. After drinking the water, Emmy nodded at Juliet who understood her cue and walked out of the room closing the door.

    " Alex, I had a good sleep that''s all. I feel so energetic now, trust me, dear"

    To reassure himself, Alex kissed her like there was no tomorrow, savoring her mouth and tongue at the same time. This abrupt attack made Emmy blush and she reciprocated his kiss enthusiastically. After both of them had their fill, Alex tidied up her clothes as well his robe to call the physician waiting outside.

    " This is miraculous, there is no trace of any drugs on the Miss''s body, she is perfectly fine and it is like Navjuan has revitalized her body completely. The internal wound of the past has also been cured completely. Congratulations crown prince, the heavens have shown mercy on you at last."

    The physician was the senior-most one in the Salian clan and his work is marvelous, so everyone was shocked to hear his statement but nevertheless, the news was relieving.

    After some time, the glutton Emmy decided to join back the feast with Alex and their friends as she did not want to miss the delicious food at the banquet. After making the girls comfortable at the elder''s table, Alex and Mike went to the backyard to see Jordan waiting there for them.

    " These three are in cahoots with the Agnartic princess but they know nothing about the involvement of the second prince. According to them, they have spiked the second prince''s as well as Emmy''s drinks with aphrodisiac but due to confusion between them accidentally spiked one more glass. I think the princess took that glass or else she would not dare to act like this which spoils her image of a virtuous battle queen. "

    " So if these three only put the love drug then what about Navjuan which was present in Emmy''s body? "

    Hearing Mike''s doubt, Jordan tensed up, " Did you say Navjuan? How is Emmy now?"

    " She is fine, I think the Agnarticans need to know who is the boss here, they are using this lethal stuff which was prohibited from our ground ages ago."

    Meanwhile, seeing Emmy without the protection of Alex, the Salian king and the queen decided to question her.

    " Greetings, being the goddaughter of the Esbertraz clan, don''t you think that at least you must pay respect to your in-laws."

    The king made sure that Emmy would get frightened after hearing his unfriendly tone but to his disappointment, not only did Emmy not stand up, she did not even bother to mind this royal couple at all. She conversed with Juliet and Janet taking the king and queen as invisible.

    " How Atrocious!! Who do you think you are? This is the respectable Salian king, Envoy Salian Valeriander. Even if you are the goddaughter of the almighty god, you have to bow in front of this son of heavens as you are standing on his land."

    The queen''s words were noticed by the other elders who stood up to defend the fiancee of the crown prince. As Emmy didn''t want any attention on her, she asked the elders politely to return to their seats while sternly looking at the Salian king and his wife.

    "I shall not respect both of you even if you are my husband''s father and stepmother. From the time he was born, you two had only thoughts of killing him and how can you even be worthy of being his father, you made his life hell for your selfishness. Mark my words !the great Salian king and queen, from now onwards who dares to let him suffer shall have to face my wrath."

    Just as Emmy finished her warning, she was pulled into a warm embrace. The unique odor from this man, made Emmy calm down and she rested her head to his chest keeping her arms tightly around his waist.

    " Why are you arguing with these people? Let us go and thank the Agnartic princess for her generous gift, my love!!"

    The way Alex pampered the lowly woman made the king lose his final ounce of patience, he glared at the shameless couple who were laying in each other''s embrace and not respecting the seniors.

    " Hmm, I know what you are thinking right now, So I''m welcoming all of you to show how the most virtuous prince of the Salian clan should behave in terms of our great king!! Please, everyone, follow me."

 Chapter 49 - Like Father, Like Son!!!!

    Within a blink of an eye, the Salian clan members followed their crown prince and friends straight to the pearl courtyard where Princess Arona was staying. Reaching the entrance, people started to hear muffled sounds of moaning from inside the princess''s room.

    King Valeriander glared at his queen as both of them understand who was inside the Agnartic princess''s chamber at this late time. The maids and servants could not hold up to the increasing crowd. The shameless couple enjoying the rumpy-pumpy relation was relatively unaware that their act had a large audience outside.

    " Guards, Barge-in and bring the man outside right now!"

    Elder Begontrix roared at the Salian guards, King Valeriander wanted to stop the elder but even before the Salian guards could move, the man was pulled out of the chamber by Jordan and he smiled at Alex after doing so.

    Jordan was even kind-hearted to provide the blanket for the person to cover his naked body while Janet came outside pushing another person cocooned in the blanket. Seeing the couple, the elders could only sigh!

    " Like father, like son..."

    The crowd started to tittle-tattle about the second prince and the princess of the Agnartic clan. To solve the problem at the earliest, elders asked the guards to escort all the guests back and officially ended the banquet. The Agnartic King was invited to the Pearl courtyard late at the late night.

    " Elder Begontrix, what we see might not be the truth, I think the second prince as well as the princess Arona were set up by some others. Please think about it before taking any actions."

    The queen pleaded with the Salian elders because she was sure that this time her son was instigated by Alex and his friends. If glaring could kill people, then the queen would have killed Alex a thousand times on the very same night.

    " Enough!!! We already knew the second prince had some shady business with the Agnartic princess but this time, they crossed all the limits. Usage of aphrodisiac for their pleasure and trying to plot against the crown princeˇ­ never would be allowed in our clan."

    Elder Floretren hollered at the queen making the latter keep her mouth shut. Her husband had warned her before that whatever they do, never incur the wrath of the Salian elders because out of all the clan elders, those four were the extremely powerful ones only secondary to the Esbertrazian clan elders.

    Turning to face the Agnartic king who had lost all the pride on his face while arriving here and watching his only daughter caught in such a state. He wanted to strangle her but in front of these elders, he kept calm.

    " Ragnaran, these two started to have illicit relations for long and we Salian elders cannot let this matter side as this woman''s chastity was taken by the second prince of our Salian tribe. So he will be taking responsibility for your daughter from now on. We shall send the betrothal gifts with a proper apology when this guy sobers up."

    " Valerian, ask your wife to teach your son properly or else we might make the decision for final withdrawal for him."

    " Elder Begontrix, I admit my mistake in not educating my son but please don''t make any rash decisions, he will take responsibility for the princess of Agnartic clan. Also, their marriage will be taken place within one week by now."

    Hearing the king''s pleading, all the four elders looked at each other and came to a decision.

    " Alright, within one week, these two should be husband and wife. Anyways, the couple needs to be banished to the north tower for 1 month to repent their actions. After marriage, they will be staying in the north tower for 1 month."

    The queen could not believe that the elders would banish her son directly to the north tower for exactly one month. The living condition at the north tower was unbearable to even the common people, then how could two persons who were born to royalties be able to strive there for one month. She wanted to plead for her son but watching him lying on the ground she kept quiet.

    Soon after the elders left, the queen charged directly to Alex intending to slap him but was stopped by Emmy harshly.

    Emmy held the hand which the queen had raised to slap Alex and gave a tight nudge on the middle area of the thumb finger of the queen''s right hand. The queen could feel a sharp pain being transmitted through her veins starting from the point where Emmy had poked

    Even after withdrawing her hand, the queen could feel that her right hand was feeling numb.

    " This is just a warning dose if you ever try to raise even your eyes on him. I will make you a living dead person within minutes. Now Scram, take this pervert also with you."

    The words which Emmy used to insult the queen were deeply carved in the latter''s heart, in near future, this particular person''s hatred will be twisting Emmy''s fate again.

    " I know it has been your idea to destroy my son''s reputation. I will never let you go, if I was able to overthrow your mother''s presence from this clan, you are only an ant in that case."

    The queen huffed in anger and asked servants to take the second prince to his courtyard.

    King Valeriander looked at Alex and the hatred between them was clearly visible in their eyes.

    " I will make you suffer this time also."

    After warning Alex, the king also set off from the Pearl courtyard. The maids took Arona inside while Emmy and friends watched the drama get unfold.

    " Alex, do not fret, she cannot do anything to you. From her words, I think it is more clear how your father could get a hold of such poisonous stuff but princess Arona mentioned before that she even disposed of her sister as she considered Agrona as an eyesore because of the friendship between Agrona and the crown prince."

    " We will look into it shortly, but it is time for rest, do not overexert yourself.." Alex patiently answered Emmy.

 Chapter 50 - Shattered Dreams Of The Past

    The group reached back to their respective courtyard only to find the Esbertrazian elders waiting for them in the garden area. Elder Lathodore and Miandrake were drinking the pepper tea which was good for digestion while others arrived.

    The calm expression on the faces of Emmy and Alex told the elders that this couple was expecting this visit.

    " We want to talk with you all, please spare your time."

    The tone which Elder Miandrake used, was clearly stating the authority of a senior elder but still, the youngsters were amazed to see the great elder near to them.

    " Before everything, I want to ask this girl a question, I know that we have a blood connection and you are truly related to the Esbertrazian clan but then why to use the identity of goddaughter?"

    Faced with such a strict elder, even Alex stood with his head low whereas Emmy did not budge a little. She fiercely looked straight into the elder''s eyes.

    " You may have forgotten your closest kin but I''m here to avenge my parents. I need to know why they were murdered and some clues led me to the land of VilmonArk. I may have Esbertrazian blood flowing inside me but I won''t be pledging my life to your clan."

    Accompanied by the fierce attitude and the confidence in her eyes, Emmy stood before the elders making her point clear. Elder Lathodore met her eyes and unknowingly, his legs stood up. When Jordan and others thought elder Lathodore would be lashing his anger at her, surprisingly the old guy smiled.

    " You''re not at all like your parents, your father was fierce, deadly in action but had a gentle heart while your mother was docile and timid but with a strong heart. Whereas you, in contrast, might look docile and gentle but are sharp, vicious, and ruthless. Your eyes cannot lie, your outer shell is not enough to fool me. "

    Emmy stood still, even though she was yet to retrieve her memories back but she felt that whatever the elder Lathodore said might be true. If she wasn''t vicious and ruthless, then how could she save herself from that assassination which caused her parents'' death.

    The sounds of Katydids were clear as there was pin-drop silence in the garden, Elder Lathodore and Miandrake were waiting for Emmy to answer.

    " I lost my memories after that incident. Elder Rotrigues tried to bring it back but he said there is something which is shielding my memories."

    " Shied in memory?"

    Elder Miandrake frantically stood up and rushed in front of Emmy. For a few seconds, he looked her in the eyes. The only person calm in the scenario was elder Lathodore, all others including Emmy were stumped at this elder''s action.

    The vinegar pot inside Alex''s heart was on the verge of breaking but still, he kept quiet as he knew that the Esbertrazian elders would never harbor any ill intentions towards his little lass.

    The expression change on elder Miandrake made the calm elder Lathodore surprised. He never thought the history would repeat itselfˇ­ so the documented statements were true after all. The search must be made quickly or else if the disaster strikes the land of VilmonArk before Lady Vilmon is found, the consequence will be total destruction.

    The elder Miandrake could not underestimate this girl before him, she was the only child of the four pillars of the dark power. This strange prodigy could be the breakthrough in their search. If their Miss was here, she would have treasured this girl any cost. Both of them decided not to make it hard for this child anymore. Even though she was hard to be read, they could see the potential of their brother reflecting on her.

    " Strange enough, child!! do you not have any kind of memories from the past?"

    " I still see some nightmares during my sleep other than that few fragments which master Rotrigues helped me to retrieve."

    " No wonder, that old chap asked us to come here. Hmm, it is time to search for our hidden secret and this punk will lead us to it. "

    The youngsters were surprised as the elder Miandrake pointed out Alex would be the one who would lead the Esbertrazians to their own hidden secret. Alex widened his eyes staring at the elder Miandrake and he wanted to ask why though he was the chosen one.

    " You punk, do not give this innocent face. Our missus was so lost in you that she gave up all treasures and secrets under your name. You are the only one toˇ­."

    " MIANDRAKEˇ­.!!"

    Suddenly elder Lathodore roared at the elder Miandrake who was on the verge of spilling the beans. Even Juliet could feel something wrong with these Esbertrazian elders.

    " Quickly disperse to your rooms and one word to the Salian crown prince, this is our daughter if you dare to bully herˇ­ there won''t be any next time."

    Soon the elders disappeared from the garden and left the young people confused.

    " Was it only me who had the feeling of those elders behaving strangely?"

    Mike was utterly confused with this meeting so were the others. Janet and Jordan found something else was wrong too. The elders who started to be stern with Emmy at first, just after watching her eyes, had a total opposite behavior in them.

    " Emmy, your memories have some important connection with the great dark clan. It is not just your relationship with them, either they feel endangered with your presence or your presence can attract the most dangerous enemies of the dark clan. "

    Hearing what Jordan concluded with the strange behavior of the Esbertrazian elders, Emmy was shaken a bit.

    " Enemies of the dark clan???"

 Chapter 51 - The Black History Of The Dark Clan

    " Enemies of the dark clan???"

    The question from Emmy was the same as what others had in their mind. All eyes were on Jordan who stood there with a blank expression.

    " The answer to this question, I cannot enclose much. When I was trained with the Esbertrazian dark force, once master reminded me of such an issue. He said once they have found out about the book, no power can destroy the land of VilmonArk. "

    " I guess it is time for me to visit my father''s place."

    Emmy took her next step towards the Esbertrazian clan, which others followed without any doubt. The next day with the consent of the elders, they set their journey to the place which once was hell for Alex.

    Arriving at the other side of the mountains which secretly guarded the entrance of the dark clan, Janet, Juliet and Mike had their mouths wide open in awe. The scenery around them was breathtaking, the waterfalls, lush forests, and the sea of red flowers made the place heaven.

    " Is this heaven? Brother, you never told me that the grounds of the Esbertrazian clan was this alluring. I would have begged to become an Esbertrazian for living in such a heavenly place."

    Alex stared at his brother who was behaving like a child, still he smiled. The previous time when Alex sneaked in here, his mind didn''t have eyes to enjoy these attractions. His mind drifted to that drastic day when he barged in their territory and pushed that girl to the infinity well. He was feeling guilty over his actions now.

    Sensing the change in Alex, Emmy took his hands in hers. Her warmth slowly cheered up Alex. Jordan smiled looking at the couple in front of him intertwining their hands and then he looked at his woman who was going to smell a pink flower in the bushes.

    " NOˇ­."

    Jordan quickly pulled Janet away from those bushes which had pink flowers on it. He sighed in relief and hugged his little woman tight in his embrace. Others turned back to see the terrified expression on his face.

    " Look, the scenic beauty of this place may be mesmerizing but there are hidden dangers behind this attractiveness. Those bushes are the first trap for outsiders, these are called Alvish herbs."

    " Alvish herbs? I haven''t heard about such a dangerous herb. Is it only found in the dark clan?"

    Janet''s curiosity piked up earnestly to pick up a sample of that particular herb but Jordan gave a big no for her request, killing her curiosity at its peak. He then slowly explained the various traps which were surfaced on the way to the dark clan. Mike patted over Jordan''s back as an acknowledgment for safeguarding all of them in the journey.

    " So you are saying that all these dangerous things were invented by the elders of the dark clan. No wonder, other clans could not even plant a spy inside yours. Thank god, with us Jordan was there to lead the way, or else I would have seen the real heaven by now. Brother.. but how could you pass all these dangerous traps without any scratches. "

    " Power of love, someone blindly loved your brother so much that even the elders of the great dark clan could do nothing to him when he broke their precious miss''s heart."

    Emmy''s comment made Alex flabbergasted but he firmly held on to hands and smiled because he knew she was jealous that someone loved him to such an extent. He had specifically asked Jordan to set their journey on foot because after reaching the dark clan, he knew that the elders would keep Emmy out of his reach always. So he tactfully planned this journey to spend some quality time with Emmy.

    Feeling a person''s gaze on her, Emmy pinched Alex by his waist and whispered, "I do care about these petty things but I trust our love more than anything in this world. "

    " Little lass, you know what is there in my heart now. No amount of power can change my love for you. "

    Alex kissed on her cheeks and made his statement clear once again. Slowly approaching the destination, the group made the whole journey much lively.

    Finally, they reached the main tower where the elders were waiting for them. The clan members were notified only about the arrival of an important person and when they saw it was the Salian prince, they scoffed.

    A large crowd was watching the group of youngsters arrive at the entrance. They recognized Jordan as he was the best disciple of master Rotrigues who was allowed to roam around different places. The scrutinizing gaze made the young women in the group frown, it was after the warm welcome from the elder Miandrake , did they feel comfortable.

    Leaving the crowd in suspense, the elders welcomed the group inside the castle. Emmy held Alex''s hands tighter as she was feeling ecstatic to visit the place with her father''s presence whereas Alex was thinking about his last visit here.

    Before settling down, Emmy straightly bombarded the elders with questions that were bugging her all along. Elder Lathodore was reluctant to answer her queries but still, to face the danger, he also wanted to know the roots.

    "Child, I know you have a lot of questions. But why start with this one ?"

    " My parents were murdered by unknown people and no clues were left by them. So I want to start with the black history of your dark clan."

    " I don''t know where I should start from, alright. I think you have to know from the one lord entity that ruled the whole Ark. We know about these as our great lord had trained us in order to teach our miss about her ancestors. The lord entity was the supreme power, which then got divided into two powers. The pure sorceress and the black enchantress were the prodigies of the lord entity. As the name itself suggests, both of the young women became proficient in their powers, one was the purest form and the other retained the evil dark forces. They considered each other as sisters and competed for the best always."

    " The fate of VilmonArk started from such a competition between them."

 Chapter 52 - Overthrowing The Black Power

    " Competition between sisters?"

    Elder Miandrake could be calm anymore, he stood up and faced the youngsters. He never wanted to bring Shawn''s child to this mess but their only hope was this extraordinary offspring. However, he was afraid that after knowing about the truth, the harmony between the clans will be destroyed forever as the greed for power shall arise.

    " Child, we don''t know the specifics but when our Lord appeared here, the black enchantress was regaining her supremacy over the land of VilmonArk. The pure sorceress with the aid of our great lord demolished her reign and destroyed her army forever. "

    Emmy suddenly felt chills running through her body, her mind kept flashing those memories which she saw before, the angelic beauty and herselfˇ­ if what elder Miandrake said was true, then that conversation which took place was between the pure sorceress and the black enchantress.

    " Where is the black enchantress now ?"

    Everyone was surprised to hear Emmy''s question. No one could read the thoughts going inside Emmy at that moment. Elder Miandrake and Lathodore exchanged glances and agreed unanimously to tell them the whole truth but before they could utter another word, the next sentence from Emmy''s mouth shocked them hard.

    " It is a pity that both the black enchantress and your princess share the same experience with love. Both of them sacrificed their everything for the person they loved crazily. "

    " How do you know that? Did your father tell you these things, wait! Can you recall your memories now? "

    Elder Rotrigues got excited and he chimed in the conversation only to find Emmy shaking her head. His face got withered like a bloomed flower in strong winds but the other two elders caught something which was out of the box.

    " Then how do you know about it ?"

    Emmy couldn''t answer elder Lathodore as usual, she wasn''t sure of herself, then how would these people believe her. Alex who was watching Emmy backing out and standing there idle riding in her own thoughts walked to her and grasped her shoulders tightly.

    " Emmy, I know you are hiding a lot of things in your mind. It is time to open your mind. We will be able to help you only if you disclose what your thoughts are."

    " I am sorry Alex, those fragments never had any meaning to my past neither can I recollect any of those memories from my past. You remember I used to have panic attacks rights, it was actually me having nightmares. My brain gets a dull pain and I lose my consciousness. Every time that happens, I can see some fragments of scenes."

    Everyone kept quiet and gave Emmy ample time to open up herself.

    " I might have seen the pure sorceress in one of those fragments and I clearly remember that the sorceress was not actually as the elders had portrayed her. She was scheming and berating her sister with disgust in her eyes. "

    " If my assumptions are correct, then the black enchantress lost everything because she gave up everything for the great lord mentioned by the elders."

    " What Emmy said is absolutely true! Our great lord and pure sorceress had laid a plan where the lord acted as if he was in love with the enchantress and made her trust in him before executing the sudden attack on her shadow army. If she had fought against our great lord that day, her victory was a sure case but she accepted her defeat even before they could hurt her army. She only requested to let go of her people but great lord as well as sorceress thought it as a dangerous idea and hence demolished her army once in for all."

    " Wow, she was backstabbed by her own people. If I was in the place of the enchantress, I would create havoc in the land of VilmonArk."

    Emmy commented on the behavior of the enchantress, to see all the elders frowning.

    " Yes, my child. We all would have created havoc because of the betrayal of our own close kin. But our great lord admired the enchantress for that particular reason. When she loved someone, she would give herself to fulfill his wishes and there was the enchantress who stood beside him when he was training on the grounds of VilmonArk."

    " Then what happened ?"

    " On the death bed, the great lord wanted to unite both sisters, so he called both to give an heir irrespective of their power. It is said that after our death, we will visit the dimensional world to reincarnate. Both great lord and pure sorceress left the souls here and went to the dimensional world but we don''t know about the black enchantress anymore"

    Hearing of such a powerful character in the history of VilmonArk, Emmy admired this black enchantress. But now, she had to search for clues which lead to the enemies of the dark clan.

    Alex was utterly struck with excitement when he saw that the elders had arranged only three rooms and they were allotted for each couple, the elders were so generous that they even put Jordan and Janet in one room. Master Rotrigues pulled Jordan by his collar and in a low tone reminded him something. When Jordan joined back his group, everyone could see Jordan was blushing like a cranberry.

    " What did that old man whisper on your ears to make your face red?"

    " Nothing, the master said, take care of your friends while they are here."

    After answering Mike, Jordan rushed to his room leaving his friends laughing out loud. When Janet entered their room, she could see Jordan grinning like a silly man in the mirror.

    " Jordan, you are really happy to return back to your clan, right! look at your face, I''m afraid that no woman can let you go if they see how handsome you are now."

    Although Janet was teasing Jordan, she could feel that Jordan had regained that lost spirit and it showed clearly in his shining eyes.

    " Yes, this is my happy place. But I''m happier because of the new task that the master had given me just now."

    " What new task?"

    " He told me to work hard so that he could start to train the small Jordan within the next five years."

    Janet nodded her head but then her mind buzzed, she turned around to face Jordan and his wicked grin told her what was this teacher and disciple plotting together.

 Chapter 53 - Will Be Waiting For You In The Land Of VilmonArk

    Janet smiled at him confirming her decision in her heart. She also wanted a small Jordan running to her arms and give Jordan a complete family. Although she had a family Jordan had lost everyone in his childhood itself.

    Jordan couldn''t help but take her in his embrace. He knew his woman the best now, she was thinking of giving him a complete family. His life had a meaning, to protect and live till old with this pretty woman. When Jordan was planning their life, Janet broke his chain of thoughts.

    " I would love to help you complete the task given by your master but even if you propose to me now, I will reject you straight away. My priority is you and your goalsˇ­ First, let us avenge our parents, then we will make our ancestors proud by giving them at least two little Jordans and one cute Janet, okay?"

    The couple hugged each other till they heard Mike''s voice at the door. Jordan opened the door to find the other four were actually waiting at the door to hear what was happening inside.

    " You all are sooˇ­." Jordan was trying hard to get angry but he found it difficult to hide the happiness on his face. The girls barged inside the room and swiftly closed the door after pushing Jordan out.

    Alex and Mike had planned to help Jordan in the proposal stunt but then only he told his friends about everything that they needed to do first. Alex promised his buddy that after settling the matters with the revenge plots, the very next thing will be their marriage at Eros beach. The men were discussing the future with the partners whereas the women were plotting the scheme to find more about the secrets of the Esbertrazian clan.

    " Juliet, can you hear what the elders are talking about at this moment?"

    "No... I can only hear them when they are approximately within 2 yards. Janet, tell Emmy what your intuition is."

    Emmy looked at Janet who was sharp in observing everyone in a crowd. Janet took three tumblers from the table.

    " We have three missing persons, the real Lamia, the Agnartic princess Agrona, and the Esbertrazian princess, Lady Vilmon."

    She marked each tumbler with the first letters of each person''s name, then placed it on the table.

    " Look at the connecting link between Lamia and Lady Vilmon is the other girl, Agrona. So first we have to find out the whereabouts of Agrona. I find her very suspicious because she suddenly popped up between Lamia and Alex, then gave him the most bizarre idea to fake an engagement. Before we are going into the field of investigation, Juliet, take out those which I had asked you to prepare."

    Juliet nodded her head and headed back to her to fetch her completed tasks leaving Emmy confused.

    " You two are doing a lot of things altogether. When do you spend time with your man then?"

    Hearing her friend''s comment, a gentle smile bloomed on Janet''s face. She poked at Emmy''s head as Juliet returned with lots of parchments in her hands.

    " These are the portraits made by Juliet, you have to know the main characters of each clan before we start to look for clues."

    Slowly, Janet and Juliet introduced Emmy to the various characters of the Dagardian and Posei clans. Then Juliet slowly took the Salian clan members'' pictures.

    " You are already familiar with these ones right, king, queen, second prince, and the main elders. Finally, the time for the Agnartic family, you might have seen the king and queen at the banquet. There are two main elders in the Agnartic clan but they live in seclusion after the disappearance of their princess. These are the main characters of that family, the two jewels of the Aganrtic clan, Agrona, and Arona."

    Emmy took the particular parchment on the left from Juliet''s hands, her hands were slightly trembling on seeing this face. Emmy felt as if the time froze, she again looked at the name of the person written on the top of the parchment.

    " Agrona Agnartic."

    Juliet thought that Emmy was feeling upset over the fact that once Agrona and Alex had an engagement even if it was a fake one. Soon Emmy calmed down and hid the parchment inside her robe.

    After discussing and memorizing all the figures inside her mind, Emmy returned back to her room. Shortly after, Alex came back and found Emmy partly disturbed.

    " Emmy, what made you upset?"

    Emmy stood up without giving Alex any answer and raised her hand which had the parchment containing the image of Agrona. Alex took the sheet and he slightly frowned looking at it.

    " This is Agrona, the eldest princess of the Agnartic clan. She was my childhood friend."

    " I don''t want to hear any excuses from you. Why were you acting intimate with her on the Orchard back gardens of the Acasta Palace? "

    " Me and Agronaˇ­ at the Orchard !! But how do you know about it? Emmy, you have to believe me! That day .. but it was her ..."

    As Alex was panicking, none of his sentences came out in complete form, he stuttered and stammered. As he thought Emmy would burst out in rage, he could hear Emmy laughing out loud. Alex stood there wondering if she got out of her mind.

    " You thought that I won''t believe you huh! Even if I see things with my eyes, I would wait for you to say it directly to meˇ­ Alex, for me trust is the important thing in a relationship but now I trust you more than anything."

    " I love you, Emmy..."

    Alex was excited to see the trust his woman had in him, he never thought that God would give him another chance to find pure love. He thanked the gods and they slowly decided to call it a night. He kissed her forehead and both of them drifted to their dreamland.

    " YOU ˇ­.. I trusted youˇ­ I loved youˇ­ but then why??? let whatever happen, understand one thing, I will be waiting here for you in the land of VilmonArk ".

 Chapter 54 - True Love Will Never Fade Away

    " I will be waiting here for you in the land of VilmonArk."

    Alex opened his eyes, his chest was rising up and down fast and heartbeats racing to catch the rhythm of his breaths. He looked at his side to see Emmy who was sleeping peacefully.

    Alex pulled Emmy into his embrace as the nightmare had washed away his sleep completely. Yes, he dreamt of a desperate woman crying out loud in the midst of a garden of red roses. Alex could not understand why he had such a dream. Although the woman in his dream was quite distressed and looked dishevelled, she was extremely beautiful.

    At the dawn break, Emmy opened her eyes to see Alex staring at the ceiling.

    " Didn''t catch sleep???"

    Alex woke up from his stupor when he heard Emmy''s gentle voice, he naturally kissed her cheeks and tightly wound his hands over her little waist.

    " I had a strange dream, a woman was crying as she was betrayed and she said that she will be waiting for that person in the land of VilmonArk."

    " Was it Mia?"

    " No, I haven''t seen such a woman here, but still her face felt so familiar in some way. Her words entered deep into my heart. It was like that woman was saying that to me. Do you believe in dreams Emmy? Is it a sign that I have missed out something crucial? "

    Emmy sighed in relief that Alex didn''t dream of Mia and wasted his sleep over his previous love. She smiled and kissed his forehead, " Look, we cannot predict things but listen to your heart. Everything will come in order at the correct time."

    Watching Alex nod his head, Emmy tried to get up but was stopped by him.

    " Emmy, can you tell me how did you come to know that I hugged Agrona at the Orchards?"

    Emmy was hesitant to answer this question as she still was confused herself about this. At the time when Juliet showed her Agrona''s picture, she was shocked to the core. That fragment which she thought of was Alex and Lamia meeting secretly, turned out to be Alex and Agrona. If it was like that, then why would Alex say that please don''t misunderstand them.

    Emmy wanted to ask Alex about it but she was reluctant to question him. Before she could tell anything, Alex interrupted her train of thoughts.

    "Dear, I know you trust me but today let me tell you some other thing which is hidden from others. On that day, just after our engagement, Agrona came crying to my study, she requested to meet me at a place away from the Palace. I felt she was scared of someone from our place, so we met secretly at the Orchards. "

    Emmy patiently let Alex finish what he wanted to tell her. From Alex, she came to know that Agrona was pregnant with a man''s child who literally forced her to commit the deed with him. Later, that man threatened her many times and that''s why Agrona asked to fake an engagement. She wanted to protect herself from that man but she didn''t know that man would trap her with his seed.

    " Agrona was thinking of ending her life and as I was consoling her, suddenly saw Lamia watching me from the opposite side. I tried to explain but she slapped me hard and simply left."

    " Lamia ???"

    Emmy felt troubled because she saw herself there peeking at the couple, so why was it Lamia? Perhaps, she got the knowledge of this incident from Lamia when she stayed with her at clifftop manor.

    Emmy believed in this conclusion and slowly told the truth to Alex. Even if he was prepared, still Alex was stupefied thinking of such a possibility. After clarifying things out with each other, both got ready to start their day.

    After discussing all these matters with the friends, they arrived at the decision to ask the elders about why they were considering Emmy to help them and what thing was actually making the great Esbertrazian clan scared of.

    The chosen elder to clear their doubts was none other than their master Rotrigues.

    " Youngbloods full of vigour huh, good! I would never underestimate any of you but the things which you are going to unravel are out of this world. When our great old subdued the enchantress, she demolished her devious powers and her evil army inside the dimensional world. She sealed the dimensional door but after the reign of enchantress and sorceress, there is a major chance of the evil power aggregate to form clusters if the evil army and the ways of defeating such a force is written inside the dark force book called the Ravenic. "

    " Master, where could we find this Ravenic book?"

    " I must disappoint each one of you as that book was under the custody of our princess, only she can read and use the powers of the Ravenics. Our miss was a result of the combination of three powers combining, great lord, sorceress and enchantress. The pure sorceress never wanted the evil power to win so she asked our great lord to seal the enchantress''s powers inside our princess''s body."

    " So that indirectly means the sorceress was asking your lord to eradicate the enchantress even at the last moment, why do you even call her the pure sorceressˇ­ I bet she would be the most scheming one of them all."

    The way Alex commented on the pure sorceress made master Rotrigues blood boil. If it was not for the daughter of his brother Shawn, he would have kicked Alex out of this world a long time ago. Master Rotrigues looked at Emmy wondering how could such a delicate and smart girl be interested in this arrogant fellow.

    " I admit the same, the sorceress knew that she was weak before the enchantress, so she tried every way of keeping the other under her control. Why must the most powerful person be stupid with the brain, she went and truly loved a person who betrayed her completely"

    Master Rotrigues spat out a huge amount of blood hearing this couple''s version of their self made theories.

    " Child, true feelings will never fade awayˇ­ always true love will find its correct one."

 Chapter 55 - Getting A Pig To Slaughter For My Future

    Here Emmy and friends had decided to start their own investigation which leads to the hidden mysteries of the dark clan but they had totally forgotten the situation at the Salian clan.

    The king was extremely furious at his son Victor for his actions and also getting caught for adultery in front of all the esteemed guests, especially the dark clan elders. It was the first time that the ordinary clan members could see the Esbertrzian elders in real life and his son had messed it up completely.

    " Dezo, have an eye on the first and third prince when they return from the dark clan. Now the crown prince is being supported by the elders as well as the other clan members also have notified me, to crown the prince as soon as possible. I cannot let him take the throne, this seat is rightfully Victor''s and I will safeguard it for him till the day he is ready to take this seat. "

    The guard Dezo was the right man of the Salian king, he is the only person in this clan who knows why the king hates their first queen to this extent and why he treats the crown prince like a prodigal son.

    " Majesty, according to the investigation of the banquet matter, it was neither the elders nor the crown prince who had staged the doping of the second prince and the Agnartic princess. Our guards had reported that on the banquet day, it was princess Arona who messed up with that woman''s drink and later drugged the second prince also".

    " We have caught the princess''s maid who committed adultery with the people in the kitchen in exchange for drugging the second prince. Majesty, what should we do about the maid ?"

    " Kill her, anyways the elders have decided the marriage, we will follow it up. "

    Just as Dezo left to take care of his king''s order, another guard announced the queen was asking permission to see the king. From the day of the banquet, King was in a cold war with the queen and she tried every possible way to cosset her husband but this time he was not at all planning to move from his decision.

    After receiving permission from the king, the queen entered the study chamber and knelt down hitting her head on the floor. The king sat at his chair unfazed.

    " If you want to kill yourself, please go outside and die. It is better for you to kill that offspring of mine before you die rather than letting him roam in front of my eyes every day."

    The queen was sure that this time, the king had flipped over his last grain of anger. She tried to think about any ideas which can make the king calm down.

    " King, our son was deliberately framed by that woman. She was jealousˇ­ that he started to have genuine feelings for another girl."

    The Salian king, Valeriander was not a person who would believe things without proper evidence, but his queen, Samorea was the only woman he loved in this life and in his mind, he also wanted his son to be innocent in front of the elders.

    " Samorea, I also want our son to be innocent in this case but the evidence is against him. You mentioned two women, who framed my son and which woman had he started to have true feelings?"

    The queen Samorea started to panic as she knew her husband believed the white lie she formed under pressure. Seeing the queen being silent, Valeriander summoned up the guard to call Victor to his chamber.

    " Samorea, I''m sorry, as a father I might have never given our son the justice which he deserved. But if he was framed, I will fight with the elders to change their decisions... don''t worry my dear, our son will only marry the one whom he loves."

    " Now you go and take a rest, in the evening I will be returning back to our chamber. Let me talk with our son."

    The King asked his servants to escort the queen back to her chamber. On the way back, the queen was trembling because what if her son exposes her lie. No, it shouldn''t happen, she quickly asked her maid to convey her message to the second prince before he goes to see the King.

    After a while, the maid returned to deliver the message that the second prince was heavily guarded while coming to the king''s chamber so she could not convey. The queen''s last hope got burst and she punished the maid harshly.

    Meanwhile, Victor was accompanied by Rasber and the palace guards while being escorted to the palace. He entered the chamber leaving Rasber and guards outside. Half of the joss stick had been burned by the time Victor came out.

    His eyes and forehead were red, but his demeanour had changed drastically. Rasber could feel that the plot which Victor had planned is going to be successful soon.

    On the way back, Rasber asked Victor about marrying Arona as he knew that Victor won''t be satisfied with such a woman by his side and because of her stupidity, their brilliant plan had backfired them.

    " Rasber, don''t use your brain unwantedly. Just think that I''m going to rear a pig which has to be slaughtered on the feast of my victory."

    Rasber didn''t mind the second prince insulting him, they were eagerly waiting for the news of Alex and his woman but when they returned to the courtyard, they saw the queen waiting anxiously for them. The queen pulled Victor inside the room and shut the doors tight.

    " What did you tell your father?"

    " Mother, just stay calmˇ­ go back to your courtyard. Father might look for you soon. I will settle these matters here, stay fresh and eliminate the tension from your face.. make arrangements for my marriage."

    " Your marriage, but you don''t like that arrogant woman right! I won''t allow you to sacrifice your happiness for settling your father''s pride. You don''t need to do anything.. Your mother shall find a way to solve it."

 Chapter 56 - Hatching Plans To Snatch The Beauty

    " I will talk with your father, he will find a way but I told him a lie to reduce his anger towards you ."

    Victor knew something was amiss when he was suddenly summoned by the king directly to his chamber. So it was due to his mother''s pleads that his father was able to enquire about the other days'' matter.

    " Mother, I think father thought Arona framed me and then set me up in order to make me marry her. Fortunately, this time I was really innocent. Father might have investigated this matter and the results showed him that I was drugged by her, so that''s why he gave me a promise that without my consent, no one could force my marriage. "

    Samorea sighed in relief as the thing which she was scared about, didn''t happen. She decided to lay her plan with her son.

    " Son, I told him that the princess Arona set you up and wanted to make you lose your pride in front of the elders so that they would decide your marriage as soon as possible. I said she might have felt jealous as you found your true love. "

    Victor raised his eyebrows, now he got the reason why his father was suddenly gentle with him after the banquet day matter. So it was because the mother played her sympathy card, good! Although that stupid woman trampled his plans unintentionally his mother gave way to another wonderful idea.

    Thinking of her son, Samorea was heartbroken many times. This son of her was the only one for whom her heart hurts, he was not given any priorities in the court as the elders saw him as an illegitimate son, for the reason that he was born out of wedlock, whereas the other son of the king was praised every time and was even given the title of the crown prince.

    After the queen went back to her place, Victor asked Rasber to meet up soon.

    " I want more details about a person, pack your bag and set for the journey as soon as possible. I want the results before Alex comes back."

    " May I know who the person is?"

    " Lamia Shagues."

    " Who? You mean that woman who is the goddaughter of the Esbertrazian clan elders, how can I visit the dark clan? "

    Victor looked at the setting sun and from the first day he saw her, he knew something was amiss.. her mysteriousness attracted him towards her. Victor had played with a lot of beauties but this one gave the feel of completeness. Her attitude and manners reminded him of a sleeping lioness. He wished to possess such a woman but again it was his stepbrother who was blessed for it.

    " Yes, it is the same girl. You are not making a journey to the dark clan instead go to the Salian Envoy College and check out how Alex met this woman there."

    " Yes, I will make preparations straight away but why check the family college? Why do you think that they met only there? "

    " I have seen how distressed Alex was when he was here but one day he suddenly asked the father to let him go to this particular place and then his life changed. Look at him now, there isn''t even a bit of sadness left in his eyes and his soul is as if it was revitalised. I''m sure that something inspired him there."

    " Okay, will do that.. But what about your marriage which is going to take place in five days? Elders are adamant this time. What should we do about princess Arona? I heard that she has locked herself inside her room and is stubbornly requesting a visit from the crown prince."

    Victor scoffed thinking about that stupid woman, she tried to harm his little lioness with poison. Also, her over smartness made their plan spoiled and put the Agnartic clan into turmoil. The usage of the banned poisonous items was now exposed as she used the highly lethal Navjuan.

    " I will marry her because one person needs to be there to take up the blame for the grave sins I commit. You handle the task which I have given you and rest, I will be taking care of."

    " Yes, there is one more thing which I need to report. Princess Arona mentioned something about hurting her own sister as a rival in the banquet. I bet that woman, Lamia, would be soon checking on this thing."

    "Alright, you may leave. I know what to do about that problem."

    Returning to his bed-chamber, Victor glanced at the bed and smiled lustfully. He really wanted to snatch his elder brother''s woman and keep her locked inside his chamber forever. In his mind, he began to hatch the perfect plan to snatch the bride.

    " I want to make you my queen but before that, I need to depart some people to their afterlife or else they could possibly be an obstacle for our life."

    Lying down on the bed, Victor thought how he plotted against the two princesses of the Agnartic clan. He instigated misunderstandings between the sisters taking into the fact that the eldest one was close with Alex and the youngest one was head over heels for the same.

    " Alex, your good days are numbered from now."

    Meanwhile, Alex was sitting with Emmy telling her things which he knew about different clans and his past at the Salian clan.

    " Your mother would have been proud of you if she was alive now."

    " Yes, she will be, isn''t her son looking much handsome and he even found her a beautiful, charming little daughter-in-law who looks timid but is highly vicious."

    Emmy tickled Alex as she always found it weird the way he used to give her compliments, sometimes she feels it as if he is directly insulting her but nevertheless, Emmy was happy to the bliss in his eyes, they had found their lustre back and was looking lively.

    " Have you ever tried to ask the elders why your father treated your mother and yourself unfairly ??"

 Chapter 57 - Entry To The Dimensional World

    " Father?? I don''t know what happened between them but one thing is for sure, my mom was not at all disheartened when he married the illegitimate daughter of the Agnartic clan head. I have some doubts about this matter but cannot question anyone because my mother''s honour is on stake here."

    " I think you might have taken your mother''s lineage right! You are nowhere looking like the Salian king."

    " Yes, I''m very thankful for that. If it was the other way, I would be disgusted every time when I see myself in the mirror."

    Emmy smiled and hugged him tight while Alex ran his fingers through her flocks of hair. He wanted to settle these matters as soon as possible and live a peaceful life with his woman. He suddenly thought of the life after their marriage, with little Emmy and little Alex disturbing the time of the couple...what a blissful family.

    " Do you prefer a boy first or a girl?"

    Emmy raised her head from his chest, hearing this strange question, she became more confused. Alex pulled her cheeks and asked the same question again. Now his naughty eyes gave Emmy what he was referring to.

    "I prefer a boy first."

    " Why, are you jealous that if it is a girl popping out first, it will snatch my love for you ?"

    " I cannot say completely no to that but if it is a boy, he will be helping out his father in shouldering the responsibilitiesˇ­ and I would get a lot of time to spend with you.."

    Both of them laughed and slowly drifted into their dreams together. The next day Emmy and Alex wanted to visit the dark tower which made the elders reluctant for a bit. After master Rotrigues explained how Alex was able to break the Esbertrazian seal, the other two elders were dumbstruck. Their princess must have loved this boy to such an extent to give him all the access to their world and this imbecile made them lose their princess.

    In the gardens, Juliet and Janet were discussing what recent things were happening outside the dark clan.

    " The second prince thinks that he is smart, but his actions cannot be hidden from my eyes. He is sending his pauper Rasber to our college to check on Emmy''s background."

    " On the day of the banquet, Jordan told me that the way the second prince looked at Emmy was a little dissolute. I think he is trying to win over Emmy to his side as now the latter has the identity of the goddaughter of the great dark clan."

    Juliet sighed, " I wonder how Mike and brother Alex has been coping up in the Salian clan. Have you got any clue over the Agnartic clan using the Navjuan? I heard after this matter had blown up, not even a trace of that drug was found in the entire clan. It is as if that drug came from nowhere. "

    As the two were conversing, they heard a ruckus from behind. They could see a bunch of men approaching them and leading the group was none other than Mike. It looked like they were carrying something.

    " You can put him here." Just as Mike gave his instruction, a sack landed in front of the girls. Janet had a premonition that Mike was bullying someone, quickly she untied the sack to let the fellow out. From the sack, emerged out Jordan who was perspiring and veins on his head were even bulged out.

    Seeing Jordan like this, Janet looked at the bunch of men accusingly but then Mike intervened.

    " Jane, don''t blame them. They wanted to see their sister-in-law but this guy was adamant to not let them even meet you. He said that his woman can be only admired by him. He was just boasting about you, so they tied him up and we marched our way to find you."

    " Sister-in-law, helloˇ­ sorry, hmm .. we all trained up together and are brothers now.. but this fellow found a girlfriend and now won''t even let us meet you. So we brothers took at him and were even thinking of sacking him"

    Janet closely observed the man just now, he had a strong built but small face. His eyes said about the painstaking journey he had crossed. But he hid those well underneath the facade of a cheerful person.

    " LEON DEMARˇ­ !" Jordan roared and punched him right on his face. The poor guy who was drooling over Janet, couldn''t dodge Jordan''s attack and got badly bruised by the latter''s fist.

    The other men laughed it off, and one of them said to the girls who were standing shocked seeing the violence among brothers.

    " Sister-in-law, greetings, I''m Houlson Demar, the one who is getting beaten is my little brother. Don''t worry, these two are always like this."

    Janet smiled politely but her eyes were on Jordan who was attacking as well as dodging Leon''s attack. After exchanging a few punches, both settled down for rest.

    " Brothers, I''m sorry, it was me who declined his proposal for the time being. That is the reason he didn''t want you all to see me now. He must have thought suddenly meeting you all would make me uncomfortable. Please accept the tea and forgive this sister."

    Janet made tea for everyone and Juliet served the snacks. The team members were astonished to see the misses of the great clans were serving them with tea and snacks, this was totally opposite of what they had heard and seen. These two women totally lacked the haughty air which usually surrounds the young misses of the great clan.

    " No problem, no problemˇ­ We are happy that one of us found his true love finally. We had thought that this man would be the last to find a woman but he defeated us. Anyways, our blessings are with you two."

    Everyone was enjoying themselves when the elders visited along with Emmy and Alex.

    " Good, all the alpha team members are here. There is a new task, so Lean and Houlson will be following these people from now on. The others should stay guard outside our premises strictly. We might be having a spy attack soon."

    " Leon and Houlson, it is time to take your revengeˇ­ your new task involves the dimensional world."

 Chapter 58 - The Black Core Guardians

    Janet looked at the two men who had a murderous aura surrounding them now. No one would tell that these two were the most cheerful people before the elders arrived. Janet turned to Jordan who blinked his eyes asking her to keep her curiosity low.

    The elders assigned the tasks and asked the Demar brothers to take special care of the women in the group. Shortly after, they reached the dark towers, as the name suggested, the tower was eerie and gave an evil feeling.

    Alex stood in front of the door of the dark tower, he clearly remembered the way he barged in on that day and those memories gave him shivers. He held Emmy''s hands tightly to keep his emotions stable. Watching Alex trembling at the sight of the tower, Emmy could imagine what thoughts were running inside his mind.

    " Alex, don''t feel guilty, we will feel to sort it out. "

    The group of eight people stood in front of the heavy door of the dark tower. Leon and Houlson were confused because previously when they asked how to enter the dimensional world, none of the elders could find the key to unlock the dark tower.

    " Umm, who was tasked to hide the key of the dark tower? The elders were tight-lipped till today, they haven''t even given us a clue about it."

    Listening to Leon''s murmuring, Alex took the flight of stairs and kept his hands over the door. His action bewildered both Demar brothers letting them know that the key was a person, no one could ever think of such a possibility. The brothers were feeling proud of their masters, as this rare idea was one in the world. They would have slapped themselves if they knew the mastermind behind this idea was a poor little woman who was forlorn in her lost love.

    The door slowly opened and the group entered the tower. The sight which greeted them was a dark and dusty space surrounded in complete darkness.

    " First, we need to lighten up this tower, then only we can find which door leads to the entrance of the dimensional world."

    The Demar brothers and Jordan set into action and they lit up the whole tower. Except for Alex, all others were mesmerized by the decorations inside the dark tower.

    " The history of the dark tower starts from the time when the core power was divided into two. The separated power was given the shape and attire of women. If one was an angelic beauty, then the other was incomparably a devilish enchantress, both of them reigned this place. But slowly, the evil power was found to be increasing and thus the enchantress became the queen of the dark world. Then the sorceress together with the great lord overthrew the dark regime. This tower was used to be the nest where the great lord and enchantress usually met. Hence, even after becoming the lord of the whole VilmonArk, the great lord didn''t want to make any changes to this tower. "

    " He also liked her, otherwise why would he keep this tower after she left the land of VilmonArk."

    Although Emmy was not familiar with the Demar brothers, still she directly asked them about their revenge story.

    It was Houlson who took initiation to tell the others about the Demar clan and how they were eradicated. Leon kept his silence as he was quite young when these happened.

    " I told you about the core power right, our clan ancestors were the black core guardians. After the power separation, our great grandfather was assigned to be the guardian of the enchantress but in order to protect her during the wartime, he sacrificed himself. But later on, after the defeat of the black army, they were condemned to the dimensional world and don''t know where it started, but one day a rumour started to circulate among them, that it was the Demar family who betrayed the black army and made the enchantress believe in the great lord. The lovesick enchantress came late to the scenario and could save only our father before the whole family was killed by the riot."

    As Houlson finished their story, everyone patiently let him open up his feelings. This time the silent Leon continued, " Even on his deathbed, our father had only requested to avenge his family."

    " So this means that, after the rise of the great lord, the enchantress''s army was divided into two, half of them staying with her and the rest turning into her enemies."

    Answering Janet, Houlson replied, " Yes, we can believe that. The highlight is after the defeat, the enchantress totally sealed her powers till she was again asked by the great lord to give him an heir."

    "What an irony??? first betraying her feelings then asking her to help to give him an heir. The great lord surely had guts to do that."

    " We don''t know much about the relation between the great lord and the sisters. Our elders said all of these can be found out from the Ravenic. That book contains all the information about them."

    " So if we find that book named Ravenic, everything becomes easy peasy right!!"

    Killing Mike''s enthusiasm, Jordan revealed that the book was long lost with their princess three years ago.

    " When the elders tried to manage her, she left the castle two-three times, no one knew where she went. Our miss used to return after a few days but as the days of the engagement neared, she once disappeared for straight two weeks."

    " Didn''t the elders ask her, where she was disappearing to? She might be seeing some allies outside, right!"

    Juliet got super excited thinking of such a case but she forgot that it was Alex who pushed the princess to the infinity well.

    " Elders didn''t dare, our miss from childhood showcased the temper of our sorceress but after meeting the crown prince of the Salian clan, she started to behave differently. Elders thought it might be due to the feeling of love but later on, they discovered that the power of enchantress was starting to emerge. When he broke the engagement, that day elders were truly terrified and locked her inside the dark towers. "

    " And that''s why I found her hereˇ­. but I thought..."

 Chapter 59 - The True Villainess Of The Trio

    Everyone turned to see Alex who was gazing at a portrait on the wall at the end of the hallway. Emmy walked to him and looked where his sight was, after seeing the picture, she felt nothing impressive. Others joined them to check out the portrait as they thought it was the picture of the acclaimed and preeminent person, Lady Vilmon.

    " Is this your miss? She is truly a heaven-defying beauty."

    Although Mike was drooling over the portrait, his wife Juliet had almost the same reaction. As she was checking out this extraordinary person, on the corner, there was a label and it read "the black enchantress".

    " Alex, I told you, stop thinking of that incident. We will find her and bring her back, okay!"

    This time Emmy comforted him in a stern way, her voice contained some authoritative tone which surprisingly stirred Alex from his thoughts. He quickly held his woman''s hands and kissed it.

    " Dare to think of it anymore?"

    " No, my dear, I will only think about you..."

    Mike had never seen Alex behaving so coquettishly and he was pampering Emmy to the limits. Watching his brother, Mike thought of his relationship with Juliet, he decided to start taking tips from Alex on how to pamper women. Marking it in his mind, he turned to see Jordan also standing there with the same expression. They both nodded at each other and smiled.

    " If this is the black enchantress, in the tower, aren''t there any pictures of the great lord or the pure sorceress?"

    Juliet''s point made others excited to check for other portraits on the walls of the dark tower. Most of the spaces were decorated with artefacts and sculptures. The group got exhausted after checking just two floors out of the seven.

    " Everyone, check this out."

    Leon shrieked to catch their attention and everyone made way to the third floor. On the wall, there were three portraits, with one look it was clear who the three people were. The portrait in the middle was labelled as the great lord, the mighty leader who had overthrown the dark regime, the pride in his eyes was evident and the blue robe matched his elegance figure. On the right side, it was the enchantress in her green-black dress, she was looking lovely and gentle in the picture. On the other side, the picture showed a white figure. She was the angelic beauty everyone had mentioned, the pure sorceress.

    " Hey, is it just me who is feeling that the pure sorceress is giving off a vibe of viciousness and there is a glimpse of cunningness in her eyes?"

    The Demar brothers as well as Jordan, who had heard the prominent stories about the gentle and calm sorceress, were feeling confused. Although they haven''t ever seen the sorceress before (not even a portrait), had heard the elders praising the good qualities which their miss inherited from the sorceress. Now, after seeing her image, the questions that arose in each of their minds were contrasting the pure, gentle character of the sorceress.

    Suddenly Emmy felt the same dull pain rushing into her brains. She held on to Alex and tried to take deep breaths to reduce the pain. Alex, who saw Emmy''s reaction, quickly massaged her temples. For a split second, Alex saw that Emmy''s eyes had shades of green which made him shiver. He hugged her gently and gave her his warmth.

    Janet and Juliet had sensed something wrong with Emmy just as when they were observing the portraits. Emmy drank the water which Leon gave but it was Alex''s warm embrace which comforted her much. She looked at everyone with her sweet smile and winked at the worried Alex.

    " Sorry to bother you all, I require some rest to replenish my energy levels. Let''s call it a night "

    Emmy tried to joke about her condition which except for Alex, others accepted without thinking much. Jordan had arranged rooms in the building just beside the dark tower. The building was the guest house but after the clan went to seclusion, no one had bothered to stay here. After calling it a night, everyone dispersed to their own arranged rooms.

    Even after reaching the room, Alex was terrified to see Emmy in this manner. He felt there was something else which is the reason why she had lost her memories and had these dull pains.

    " Alex, what do you think about the trio?"

    " Trio? Are you talking about the great lord and the core sisters?"

    " Yes, the same. I want to know what you think about each one of them?"

    " How can I judge any of them just by seeing their portraits? Emmy, the most important thing for me is you. I''m more worried about the sudden pains you are having? Although the physician told me that everything is perfectly good with your body conditions, then why do you faint and have these minor lapses?"

    Emmy silently walked straight to Alex, she clumsily laid down on his shoulders and said in a low tone.

    " I think the pain shoots up when my memories are being triggered. A part of my memories is sealed, which when I force to open, makes this pain. Alex, I''m getting negative feelings about this expedition."

    " Emmy, tell me the truth. What happened to you when you saw the portrait of the enchantress?"

    " Not enchantress, it is the figure of the sorceress. I have seen her in my memories and my heart says that she is not the one who she says to be..."

    Alex raised his brows to listen to what Emmy had in her mind. He held her hands tightly and asked her to continue.

    " I believe that pure sorceress is the true villainous of this trio. Her eyes are saying a lot of things."

    " Why do you think so ?"

    To answer Alex, Emmy took some time and then slowly explained to him that memory fragment in which she saw the pure sorceress taunting her for being foolish and giving up everything for love.

    " If this fragment is true, Emmy, I think you have some strong relationship with the enchantress.. We have to meet the elders as soon as possible."

 Chapter 60 - Existence Of Such A Coincidence

    "We have to meet the elders as soon as possible."

    Alex was worried about Emmy''s lapses but now he became more disturbed. If there was such a possibility, then the enemies of the dark clan would directly attack her without any doubt.

    " Emmy, if your suspicions are true, then there is a great possibility of those power directly involved in your parent''s murder. Just think, your father, who was the more powerful shadow guard, was defeated in that attack. The Agnarticans are using embargoed drugs and the sword which was pierced into your father''s chest might be revealing that they were secretly supporting the other dark force."

    In contrast with Alex getting hysteric, Emmy was thinking about something else. In her mind, still, the portrait of the great lord was wandering around. She quickly stood up, pulling Alex she ran to the dark tower. Although her petite figure didn''t have the strength to forcibly pull a built man like Alex, he himself had loosened his body and now he was following her like a kite whose string was in the woman''s hands.

    After reaching the third floor, Emmy found it difficult to catch the breaths while Alex was staring at her strange behaviour. She, while taking deep breaths, was looking intently at the portrait of the great lord.

    " Alex, why do I think there are some features which are similar in both of you?"

    All of Emmy''s intuitions were right till now, this made Alex shiver in his heart. He looked at the portrait of the great lord and he too found out that once we look closely at the great lord, there are some faint resemblances between them. But the Salian clan had no relation with the Esbertrazian clan and he had never heard his mother having any connection with them either

    " Emmy, this must be sheer coincidence, some faint similarities are common between people right! Don''t overexert pressure upon yourself, come let us take rest for the day.".

    Emmy accepted his decision and turned back after glancing at the picture once again. Alex also followed Emmy''s steps but his eyes were locked on the picture on the wall. Even if he had simplified this as a coincidence, his mind started raising questions about his parentage.

    If what his mind was saying was true, then the reason for the hatred in his father''s heart for him will be clear. All these thoughts were putting his mind in turmoil. He needed to find the answers but first, his main priority was Emmy and her safety.

    Getting into bed, Alex tucked in Emmy with a blanket and lay beside her with no wink of sleep at all. Emmy could sense the change in his behaviour and she knew he must have guessed the same tension that was inside her mind.

    " We will find the required answers with the elders of the Esbertrazian clan. Do not let your thoughts run wild until we confront them. "

    " Emmy, if that is trueˇ­. then who am I? What is my real identity? My mother, why did she marry the Salian king instead of the great lord?"

    ?? I don''t have words to comfort you Alex, but believe me, there must have been some relationship between your mother and the great lord. No one knows from where both of them came, the time of him getting sick is within a short time of your mother''s death? "

    Emmy embraced Alex and heard his heart beating fast. She knew this kind of feeling, the feeling of hopelessness surrounded by lots of confusing facts. The fact that if their assumptions tend to be true, then it would be destroying the very foundation of Alex''s parentage. Both of them didn''t sleep the whole night and at the early dawn, went straight to meet the elders.

    The three elders were quite surprised to see Alex and Emmy early in the morning.

    " Child, what happened? Did you all find something important?" Elder Lathodore could not remain calm after seeing how dishevelled the children were looking just after one day.

    Upon receiving complete silence from both of them, elders were sure that they might have come across some truths about the Esbertrazian clan. But for that, they must find the Ravenic first, as Ravenic was the book of the core power, later on, the great lord edited a few parts in it... It contained all his life secrets and strategies. Even the formation of the dark clan was recorded in it.

    As the three elders were sweating thinking about that, Alex opened up his mouth to ask the question which was killing him inside.

    " What is the relationship between the great lord and me ?"

    Hearing the question from the Salian crown prince, the three elders suddenly had a change of expression. From this itself, Emmy and Alex could understand what they were afraid of, had some truth after all.

    " What nonsense are you talking about? What relationship can the great lord have with you ?"

    Elder Miandrake tried to divert the topic using his fake arrogance behaviour but sensing the adamant attitude of the two young people, he kept silent afterwards.

    " Is heˇ­.is the great lord ...my..father ?"

    " NO."

    For Alex''s question, all the three elders shouted unanimously. The elders might don''t know, but this answer calmed down Alex and Emmy greatly. Alex went forward and bowed in front of the elder Lathodore, making the latter shocked greatly.

    " I felt that this was all false, but now I feel that I''m not Salian blood. You all might be knowing my real identity, I promise to fulfil whatever conditions you might have, please let me know the truth."

    Elder Rotrigues could not help it anymore, he rushed in front of Alex and pulled him up. Just as Emmy thought that master Rotrigues was going to hurt Alex like before, she saw their master was consoling Alex.

    " You were the pearl of our great lord''s eyes. I clearly remember on that day, when he received the news of your birth, he was over the moon. But child, he is not your father but your uncle."

    " My uncle???"

    This time, it was elder Lathodore who did the explaining part.

    " When we asked our lord, why he did choose neither the sorceress nor the enchantress, his reply was simple, that in one lifetime, a person can only truly love another one. He had already lost his real love and so could not replace it with anyone else. After a few years only, a woman appeared here and her entry made the great lord shocked to his core."

    "We didn''t know what they conversed but after the long conversation, the great lord asked to pass a decree to the Salian head to marry off his eldest son with that woman.. She also agreed without any problem."

 Chapter 61 - A Personal Journal That Hides Many Secrets

    Emmy was pleasantly surprised to hear the truth, deep down she felt so relieved after hearing that Alex was not the great lord''s son.

    "Why do you think that we didn''t kill you until now for breaking our princess''s heart and even if you are the cause of her disappearance? Our great lord had secretly assigned to watch over you, from your birth, we were keeping a watch over you. That is why the that Valendrian couldn''t do anything to you unless giving you some mental torture."

    Elder Miandrake chimed in, " Do you remember that day when you barged in and was caught by the shade guards, I could have killed you in one stroke but I didn''t. It is all because of our great lord and our miss, both of them valued you more than you imagine yourself."

    Alex clearly remembered that day, after pushing the woman, he laughed like a lunatic and screamed aloud that he wants revenge, he will revenge. Then the shade guards caught him and brought him to the elder Miandrake. That day, with bloodshot eyes, elder Miandrake could only punish Alex with few slaps to vent his anger but those few slaps made Alex feel complete body ache for the next few days. Then he was grounded in the Salian palace for a few months.

    " Elders, sorry to interrupt. But if the great lord was already here, when did you guys join him? From where Alex''s mother and the great lord came? Are they brother and sister?"

    Listening to Emmy''s questions, all the three elders sighed. Their past was a mystery, only they remember from the time they met their great lord, but why they joined the great lord and helped him to create the land of VilmonArk, they didn''t know.

    " Actually, after the birth of our princess, the great lord made us clear our memories. We only know about things which happened right after we met him. We must find the Ravenic to know the answers about the history of the core powers and the dangers existing for VilmonArk. "

    Nodding their head, Alex and Emmy returned to their room. Elders'' words were still ringing in their ears, the only way to find the answers was to locate the Ravenic, but its location was unknown.

    At the morning meal time, Alex hesitantly explained the story with others. Mike instead of being disappointed, he felt happy because his brother finally knew the reason why their father was cruel with him since childhood whereas Alex thought Mike would burst out in anger as he was not related with him now.

    " Brother, from my childhood, I have seen only you as my brother, so even though we are not related by blood, we will be brothers forever."

    Alex and Mike gave each other a brotherly hug. Alex then clarified their next plan and made the hunt for the Ravenic their priority.

    " We cannot initiate an attack as our enemies are in dark and we are visible to them, it will make us more hazardous. So, without alerting others, we have to execute the plan. but the dimensional world is new to us."

    " Even elders do not have a clear idea about it, but how do they know that the Ravenic will be found in the dimensional world?"

    Jordan was feeling agitated thinking about the unknown enemies, he tried his level best to make Janet understand the risks involved but she wanted to follow him. Even Mike wanted to let Juliet stay at the dark clan rather than following them to the dimensional world but she also rejected the idea.

    " The Ravenic is the personal journal of the supreme lord, first it was with the core power lord and then he gave it to enchantress as he was biased to her side, finally when VilmonArk was created and our great lord became the head, the enchantress gifted him the Ravenic. "

    Houlson''s conclusion again stirred confusion inside Emmy. She felt not only the core power lord but even the great lord was a bit biased towards enchantress.

    " The relationship between the great lord and the sorceress, have you three ever heard about any stories regarding it ?"

    To Emmy''s query, Jordan replied quickly, " No, our elders told us that both of them never crossed the limits. The great lord was living like a monk till he died and that is why our elders are following his pathway, only elder Shawn did marry amongst the four shadow guards. "

    Listening about her father, Emmy lips curved up into a sweet smile to which Leon was mesmerised without any doubt.

    " If you look at her like that again, I don''t mind gauging your eyes out."

    The vinegar pot Alex burst up at Leon who was still gawking at Emmy. To save his brother, Houlson suddenly popped their first step towards the entry dimensional world.

    " Our father had researched the dimensional world and the infinity well a lot. Some say that once if we get trapped inside a dimensional world, it is impossible to come out of it unless you are really powerful but my father clearly opposed that theory. He believed that if we set a goal while entering the dimensional world, it would take us to that specific place where we are focusing."

    While explaining and walking through the fifth floor of the dark tower, Emmy was observing the walls to see whether they are any other portraits of the trio. Her feeling of getting a negative vibe from the sorceress was increasing tremendously.

    Houlson led the group and stood in front of the door before turning to look at Alex. Except for the Demar brothers, others recognised this as the same pattern in the door that they had found in the cellar of Emmy''s manor.

    Emmy looked at Alex nervously, she thought that he was still feeling guilty but in contrast, Alex felt relieved after listening to Houlson''s fathers'' theory. Now he knew that the chances of the princess Lady Vilmon alive were really higher.

    " Open it up, Alex."

 Chapter 62 - The World Of Black Demons And Devils

    Alex touched the emblem on the door, the creaking sound of the door opening was then heard. Each one of them entered the room slowly, and still, there was ample space to accommodate another fifty people inside.

    Looking at the darkroom, Emmy felt strange, she walked over the walls and opened the thick curtains which stopped sunlight from entering inside. Once the light came, all were shocked to see various portraits of Alex on the room walls, almost every corner of the room had his pictures. Emmy smiled seeing the images but in Alex''s eyes, that smile was little crooked, filled with jealousy.

    " Emmy, your smile is making me sacred."

    Before Alex could say anything, Leon cut in with his statement. But the truth was her expression was really scary at that time.

    Emmy scoffed, " I''m glad to make you scared."She said her reply so bluntly that all were astonished, never in months had any one of them seen Emmy this angry. Others turned to look at Alex, who was grinning like an idiot.

    " My wife, I don''t know about others but in my heart now there resides only one person and that is you. Let any other women show their devotion towards me, I won''t even take a glance at them. Please, don''t let your mood off and scare others."

    Emmy nodded and smiled at Alex. She then walked straight towards Leon and apologised, but this act made Leon feel shivers all over his body. He turned and saw his brother standing behind him with the same expression. While others were happy to see Emmy back to her cheerful self, the Demar brothers lost their cool once in for all.

    " Houlson, what''s the next step? Can you give an outline of the dimensional world according to your father''s findings?"

    The still shocked Houlson found it difficult to answer Mike. In his mind, the scene still played where Emmy was apologising to his brother but her eyes strangely gave the green shade making his hair stand on the end.

    His father had clearly mentioned this type of green eyes in his findings. The evil power which had empowered the black enchantress and her followers had green eyes. That is correct, the people from the world of black demon and devil have green coloured eyes. But how can he verify it? The elders told that this lady was the only daughter of the fourth great elder Shawn Esbertraz, the confused Houlson again looked at Emmy who was inspecting the infinity well with her friends.

    "Brother, I think we should not let her enter the infinity well. If she is one of them, our whole Esbertrazian clan will be endangered. The enchantress had made this infinity well as a one-sided portal, but if someone opens it from here, others can enter it from the other end."

    " We will see, whatever happens, keep others safe and that is your duty. If she is one of them, her death is in my hands."

    Jordan and Emmy who had sharp listening ability could very well hear what the Demar brothers were talking about. Jordan looked at Emmy apologetically but she asked him to be quiet.

    " You two, come here and discuss the whole plan with us instead of murmuring in between yourselves."

    " Brother Jordan, according to father, the infinity well leads to the world of black demon and devil, the enchantress had sealed this entrance before she left here. Our father had a chance to visit this portal twice but he thinks of other possibilities as well."

    " Other possibilities, what do you mean by that?"

    " Answering the third prince, our father thought it could possibly be a portal to other places but that is just an assumption."

    Leon answered in a polite manner, " We, in turn, have only theoretical knowledge from our father''s ledgers but one thing I must warn you all. We are going to the devil''s den, where only evil power prevails. Although our princess was named after this power, she never showcased their characteristics but the people down there are purely evil. They will straightly kill even before attacking. "

    " So whatever steps we are taking should be careful enough, we do not know the present situation there. Let us hope for the best. All of you come to the edge when you jump to the well, think of the name ''Vilmon''. It will make us travel to the black world."

    " Vilmon???"

    " Yes, our princess got her first name from the sorceress and second name from enchantress. The back power is the deadly combination of the demonish and devilish powers, hence the name Vilmon was given to our miss."

    Emmy could not be surprised at the fact that such a powerful being had been thrashed, tarnished and finally got banished from her own clan due to the feeling of love and what did she get in the end? Betrayal, broken heart and feelings. Emmy started to admire the enchantress''s character, such a personality was rare to be found. Especially even when she knew that her own sister had plotted against her, she still forgave both of them and did no harm irrespective of her losses.

    " What was your princess''s complete name? I have only heard people referring to as Lady Vilmon."

    As curious Juliet was, others were no less. Even Alex, who had no interest in the Esbertrazian princess, was eager to hear her full name.

    " Our princess was named as ''Anittemme Vilmon''. From her childhood, she didn''t like elders calling her Anit, Anne and all. Finally, when she was twelve years old, she told everyone to call her Lady Vilmon. From that day, no one had ever called her first name"

    " Let''s not waste any more time talking about the past, remember the word Vilmon in your mind when you jump. Close your eyes if you are feeling afraid."

    The three couples held each other''s hands and they jumped together into the infinity well.. When everyone thought it would be like falling into a deep pit, it was nothing like that. They felt their bodies were floating through a pathway where some force was pushing them to the destination

 Chapter 63 - Indeed, It Was Wrong Speculation...

    After floating near a time of burning two joss sticks, they were engulfed in a smoky cave. Everything was hidden inside the fog and even the highly trained Demar brothers found it difficult to cope up with the white fog.

    Juliet quickly sensed a water source nearby and with her powers, she cleared the fog leading the others towards the water source. Arriving near the water source, now everyone could see the limpid atmosphere of the place known as the black world of demons and devils.

    The place was filled with greeneries, the cave in which they had landed was actually inside a waterfall, the group moved forward and crossed the wall of water to see the land more clearly.

    " This is heaven Brother.."

    Leon was lost in the scenic beauty but others kept on their vigilance. They decided to camp over inside the cave and Juliet started to use her power to know the surroundings. The Demar brothers, although were mingling with others, kept a strict watch over Emmy''s each and every action.

    " Jordan, we cannot begin the journey with people who are putting their guards with their fellow mates. Either ask them to give me the reason for their behaviour or ask them to return now. "

    While Emmy was conversing with Jordan, Alex heard their conversation. He intervened before Jordan could interrogate his brothers.

    "Jordan, don''t ask them anything. It will create more problems for Emmy."

    " Problems for me? Alex, they think I have infiltrated into the Esbertrazian clan. Accompanying people who do not trust me, I''m sorry, would not be comfortable all along."

    Alex pulled Emmy to his embrace and signalled Jordan to excuse them. Just when they were alone, Alex explained how the brothers were shocked to see Emmy when she became angry and the green eyes must be the reason why the brothers were guarded against her now.

    " Emmy, whatever is the reason, I believe that there is some kind of connection between the enchantress and yourself. I hope we will find answers here on the land of Vilmon."

    As the couple returned, Jordan had warned the Demar brothers who then quietly apologised with Emmy. They spelt out the reason why they believed that Emmy could be the espionage of the Vilmon people. Houlson also mentioned the threats that the Vilmon people gave the followers of the great lord before returning to the Black world.

    "Instead of thinking about it as a disadvantage, can you not think about it as an advantage for us in the unknown land?"

    Janet made her statement more clear which fascinated Emmy by heights but Alex strictly denied it. Her idea stated that if Emmy had any characteristics similar to the people of the black world, then she could communicate with them in disguise and try to understand the situation directly. The black world people won''t detect any abnormality with Emmy and might accept her to the clan also.

    Surprisingly, Houlson also rejected this idea as this could directly put Emmy in danger, as they couldn''t be sure of Emmy having dark energy inside her body. So if the people find out that Emmy came from the portal, it will be giving them an opportunity to take Emmy as bait to open the portal.

    Alex beamed with happiness as this idea got rejected but then Juliet came in with news. Mike and Juliet looked at each other, as they couldn''t believe what they found out and Mike wanted it to be fake in his heart Because if it was true, then it is not only the Esbertrazian clan but all the other clans except for one would face annihilation.

    Alex could read Mike''s grave expressions and he looked over Juliet, her hands were shivering and she was looking a little pale after using her much energy.

    " Sister-in-law, take rest. Mike, take care of her."

    Alex gave instructions to Mike and asked others to follow him to the other side of the area.

    "Indeed it was the wrong speculation."

    " Alex, what do you mean by the wrong speculation?"

    " The Demar family head had got it wrong, this world is not waiting for this portal to open. They are preparing for an ultimate war and they have spies over our world."

    Others including Emmy were shell shocked listening to his words, the black world had already infiltrated among the clans and they didn''t know about it, how pathetic!

    " We must warn the elders as soon as possible." Houlson was getting tensed, their revenge was secondary but for the Demar brothers, safeguarding the Esbertrazian clan was their priority.

    " Brother, but didn''t father tell us that not even our elders are strong enough to defeat the black world army. Now, what can we do ?"

    " The only way is to find our lost princess and that book, if she combines her inner power with the knowledge of the book, no one can ever defeat her ever."

    Alex stopped the brothers from thinking further as Mike entered the scene with Juliet.

    " The Black world won''t be launching any attack soon as they are waiting for someone to come back. But I didn''t know that the Agnartian clan were the puppets of such an evil force. They have infiltrated each clan except for your dark clan. They want to spread their evil powers to our world and make the land of VilmonArk under their name."

    " WHAT ??? " except for Alex and Mike, others gasped at the shocking revelation. No one could ever imagine the Agnartic clan had connections with the banished black world.

    " No wonder, now everything is getting into order. We were surprised at the Agnartians having Navjuan in their possession. But how long has this connection been started? "

    Juliet shook her head because she couldn''t answer many things. Janet patted Juliet''s back and praised her confidence back.

    " If the Agnartians knew the way in and out of this place, how come no one knew about it? and what about the person for whom the entire black clan is waiting for?"

    " I don''t know. We must camp near the town to get more details but how can we get out of the place?"

    Leon smiled at Juliet and handed over a small pill type sweet."Our elder Miandrake had concatenated medicinals, using this, our eyes and demeanour will be changed according to this place for three days."

    Everyone took the pill-shaped sweet and set out to explore the land of evil but just as they got near the town, they were surprised to see a familiar face.

 Chapter 64 - Never Underestimate The Feelings She Has

    The group hid quickly in the crowd and observed that familiar person''s action. That person was none other than Victor, he was comfortably walking over the pathway leading to a mansion.

    Alex and Mike looked at each other because they had never thought that Victor was the one who linked the Agnartians to the black world. But how come Victor knew this place? He never went out of the Salian clan and father always had his guards follow Victor everywhere he goes but then how?

    " That is the mansion of the current leaders of this place. There reside the three integrated powerful leaders, no one is saying their names. They are addressing each other as leader 1, leader 2 and leader 3. The second prince is talking with the guards outside, he said the leaders asked him to meet them today."

    Juliet was using the water source in the mansion premises to hear the various conversations happening inside the mansion. Her complexion was becoming worse due to the overexertion of power, so Alex asked Houlson and Jordan to get rooms in an inn nearby.

    Meanwhile, Emmy and Janet were trying to know the surrounding people and their culture. Thankfully, most of the activities of daily life were common in both worlds except for a few things. They went out in disguise and bought some food as well as enough fruits for the next few days. Both parties returned one by one and they got settled inside the inn which Jordan had found nearby.

    The inn''s owner was really mysterious but his voice was very friendly. He wore a robe with a veil which covered his body completely. He showed the youngsters their rooms and arranged the servants to prepare food for the guests. As the old man was returning, he stopped in front of Alex and whispered such that both of them could only hear it, " Wise decision you took at last but do not try to protect her always, also never underestimate the feelings she is having for you. She is your protective shield and will protect you at any cost. "

    Alex shivered after hearing this sound, his mind was frantically searching for the owner of this voice inside his brain but he couldn''t remember where he heard this voice before. Before Alex could enquire about it, the old man went downstairs leaving the former baffled.

    Emmy couldn''t see this interaction between Alex and the innkeeper as she was busy taking care of Juliet who had collapsed before but Leon saw it clearly. Afterwards, Leon walked towards Alex to enquire about it.

    " Get Jordan and your brother now, I think this innkeeper is from our world, I have heard his voice before."

    Leon was worried after hearing Alex''s uneasy tone, he quickly called his brother and Jordan. Mike stayed behind with the girls as they might need help in between.

    " That old man, he knows me well I guess. He said that I made the correct decision at last, and he referred to a woman, he said that that particular woman was my shield and to never underestimate her feelings. "

    " Was he referring to Emmy or our princess?"

    Alex raised his eyebrows hearing Leon''s words. Every time someone praised Lady Vilmon''s love towards him, he literally felt guilty of pushing such a woman inside the infinity well. Even if she was alive, only God knows where.

    " I don''t know before I could ask him anything, he went away."

    " Alex, we have to be alert, if there is someone who could recognise you even after taking the pill, he must be really powerful. Now, our main priority is to check that old man as well as we must know why the Salian second prince visited the leader''s mansion?"

    When the men reached the room where Juliet was resting, the women were busy writing something on various parchments. Mike was holding Juliet who was sitting with her eyes shut and cross-legged. Again, without resting, she was concentrating over the conversations which might give them some vital information.

    The other two women were noting down points which Juliet murmured in between. Alex sternly looked at Mike who was helpless between his brother and his wife.

    After a while, Juliet opened her eyes and saw Alex standing in front of her in an angry mode.

    " Enough! Do not use your power today anymore. I cannot let you exhaust yourself for our task. Okay, replenish your energy levels first. Emmy, fetch her food and give plenty of water first. "

    Juliet was so touched that her eyes started to tear up which made Mike more confused.

    " Hush, don''t cry my dear wife, even if my brother is a bit stern, he cares for your well being. Do not take his behaviour in mind, please."

    " I am lucky to have you as my husband and such a caring brother too. I have never experienced sibling love in my life. I know that your brother is genuinely getting angry at me as he is worried about me, the tears are flowing from my eyes because here, it is feeling complete bliss."

    Juliet pointed toward her heart and replied. Emmy heard what Juliet had said about Alex and she smiled. Indeed, that guy has a rough exterior but a caring heart. After having food, Juliet wanted to talk with everyone, so everyone came inside the room, Janet gently crossed the door.

    " The second prince was assigned a task of finding a valuable jade for the leaders. He hasn''t yet found it but the leaders came to know about the goddaughter of the Esbertrazian clan that is why he was summoned here to know the truth about it."

    " He said everything he knew and also mentioned that he had sent his man to get more details about the goddaughter of the Esbertrazian elders but requested something in return from the leaders."

    " What did he request ?"

    Jordan asked nervously to which Juliet looked over Alex nervously.

    " He wants Alex to be dead as soon as possible because he is ˇ­..."

 Chapter 65 - The Epitome Of Power Must Arrive

    Juliet was hesitating to complete her sentence, her ears could not believe that the second prince had such a disgusting wish in his mind for which he even planned to kill the crown prince to achieve his motive.

    Mike pacified her to take time as he thought there would be some nastic reasons but he was thoroughly shocked when he heard the reason for such an act.

    " The second prince wants to make Emmy his woman."

    Alex and Emmy looked at each other because they had a premonition that the second prince would try to snatch the goddaughter of the Esbertrazian clan to his side while Jordan and the Demar brothers got infuriated at this thought. How dare the underlying rascal can have fantasy over the only goddaughter of the great Esbertrazian clan?

    " Relax, you all don''t have to worry for the time being," Juliet replied suddenly.

    " By the way you are speaking, I guess, the black world leaders might have declined his request."

    Juliet was happy because Alex still had the potential to think rationality before bursting out, unlike the others. She was impressed by this behaviour as it was the profound quality to be a ruler.

    " Brother-in-law, you are correct in some way, they replied that when the epitome of power arrives in this land and takes over the throne, then only they can launch an attack on our world. Till that they are powerless, absolutely powerless."

    " That explains why even if they had infiltrated our clans, but not initiated any attacks by now, but the Agnartic princess couldn''t control herself and accidentally used the banned drug which made their heinous crime known to everyone.

    While others were thinking about the infiltration, Emmy was thinking about the person they were waiting for and the mission they commissioned to the second prince.

    " Juliet, did you hear anything more about the second prince''s mission?" Emmy asked curiously.

    " Sorry, they just said- ''bring the item as soon as possible'', the jade must be here when the true owner arrives."

    After the conversation, Juliet again wanted to use her power, but others strongly opposed her and asked Mike to keep her busy. Leaving the couple to one room, the other six people returned to their own respective rooms.

    Alex was feeling so tired by this time, both physically and mentally, he was exhausted, till he got hold of Emmy and was playing with a few strands of her hair. Emmy could feel that Alex was much tried by seeing his actions but he was stubborn not to sleep before she sleeps.

    " Alex, I believe that what you said the other day might be true, there is some energy flowing into my body from the time we came out of that cave. All-day we didn''t rest at all but I feel so refreshed now."

    " Do you think that I may have some connections with the enchantress?"

    When Emmy looked at Alex for an answer, she saw he was already sleeping with her hairs on his face. She smiled and hugged him, drifting slowly to sleep.

    "My oh my, you are a good looking flower, but desperate to find something which you lost, right young man! ˇ­.

    Hmm, just consider this old man as a soothsayer. You have come to this place because the great one wanted to help you. Heed to this advice young man, in this world, nothing is kept hidden for long and you might need to sacrifice your love to find the fated one...

    Young man, I won''t disclose much but believe your heart as the one whom you seek is right near you. Open your heart instead of eyes to seek."

    Alex woke up with sweats running over his forehead, He was completely drenched and his clothes were pasted across his chest due to the perspiration. When Emmy arrived with morning tea for Alex, he was still sitting on the bed dazed.

    " Good morning my love!!!"

    Emmy kept the tray of food and tea over the table and turned to look at Alex. She was surprised to see Alex sitting on the bed like a lost soul. His eyes clearly gave off the feeling that even if his physical body is present here, his mind was somewhere else.

    " Alex, what happened?"

    This time Emmy raised her voice a bit, startling Alex out of wits. He looked at Emmy confusingly then his mind got adjusted, waking him up from the nightmare.

    " Emmy, now I know how the inn keeper''s voice was so familiar to me. I have seen him in a dream, you remember I told you Lamia showing me my true partner. Before that, an old man was saying about taking the correct decisions and to save my love at any cost."

    " Here at the inn, he asked neither to lose hope nor to underestimate a woman''s feeling. We have to find the innkeeper as soon as possible."

    Before Alex could rush outside, Emmy stopped him and reported.

    " That old man has already disappeared, he left a letter back here addressing us. it was found out by Leon, get ready and have breakfast. We will go together to check the content of the letter. "

    Alex got anxious but calmed down after hearing what Emmy told. He got freshened up and after breakfast, they went to find others inside Juliet''s room.

    "Mike, what is written in the letter? Did you find him?"

    Alex found the whole room silent after asking the question. Without saying another word, Jordan handed over a letter to him, which on the cover read like - ''For Alex''.

    Alex looked at Emmy who supported him to read the letter while holding his left hand, she read the letter aloud.

    " Dear boy, I know you will recognise me soon. Just understand, I''m not your enemy but a mentor more accurately. This inn, you can stay as much as you want. No one will dare to question you here but beware the leaders may get furious if they come to know your real identity. Stay away from trouble and one more thing"

    .

    ..

    ˇ­.

    ".... your father is still alive".

 Chapter 66 - Heartbeats Racing At First Glance

    " Your father is still alive"

    Alex read the last line of the letter again and again. So everything they guessed was true, he was not of this world and now he learnt that his father is still alive. But who was actually the innkeeper and why was he here? was he waiting for Alex to come to the land of black core power?

    " This is exciting news Alex, that means there is a possibility of this land being the junction of different worlds."

    Jordan and Mike were super excited knowing about the letter. The Demar brothers decided to go out inside the town to search for any information regarding the innkeeper.

    Meanwhile, in the leaders'' mansion, leader 1 and leader 2 were having a serious discussion.

    " Brother, do you think that Salian boy has the capability to find our master''s treasure?"

    " That boy is cunning and sly in nature, we would need such a person in that world to update us about the happenings of those disgusting people. Our Evildarian has predicted its presence over that world around the Salian clan, that is why I targeted this boy out of all. "

    The leader1 thought about the past when he saw Victor for the first time, that day the second prince was coming out the pine forest followed by a girl who was still crying. Any adult would know what kind of things this young couple must have done inside the pine forest.

    The leader1 asked his lackeys to follow these two and summoned them directly to his hideout. With the first glance, the leader knew this young man was greedy for power and lust. The leader1 decided to make this man his pawn by giving the latter hopes of becoming the supreme leader of the VilmonArk.

    Later, Victor made his move to make the Agnartic clan his sacrificial clan instead of infiltrating the Salian clan. The silly people believed in the white lies and welcomed the physicians from mountains who were actually the people from the black world.

    Hence, the Agnartic clan slowly became the stepping stone for the black world under the guidance of vicious Victor.

    On the other hand, Victor was thinking about the conversation he had with the leaders.

    " Heard you are going to marry that silly woman, having a stupid teammate who can betray you at any time, can make you fall even from the high pedestal."

    " Answering leader1, Yes, I''m aware of that fact but I was surely trapped by my brother and his fiancee."

    " So how are you going to punish your brother? You have to know, we can bully people at any time but should not get bullied at any instance. Okay, leave it for now.. have you got any clue of the object I had mentioned?"

    "leader1, I''m trying my best to check on different clans. Now only two clans remain, the Posei and Dagardian. You will be receiving it soon, but this time I have a request"

    The two leaders looked at each other and nodded after a while.

    " I want to kill my brother as soon as possible, especially as he is going to get married. I can never allow him to take the goddaughter of the Esbertrazian clan as his bride."

    " Hmmˇ­ it is an easy request but now we are powerless, we can only revive the black power after getting those three seals, then only we can complete the rituals ."

    (Till here only Juliet heard things after that she collapsed.)

    The leader1 suddenly hit the words which Victor said, " What do you mean by the only goddaughter of the Esbertrazian clan?

    Victor just mentioned that Alex met her when he went to college and from there, their love story began. He had planted some spies to enquire about their love story in college days

    After assuring the leaders that he will return with genuine evidence, he set off back to the Salian clan. He decided to find the jade within the next four days as, after four days, it would be his marriage with the Agnartian princess.

    The Demar brothers were roaming along the market area, suddenly a shrieking voice was heard and before they could register what happened, a beautiful woman ran straight to Leon.

    She hid behind his back and requested him to save her from the situation. He turned to look over the area from where she came and saw three-four goon looking ladies were shouting something and cursing all the people over the market area.

    Just as the woman thought she might be found out, Leon pulled her to the nearby trees and swiftly carried her off the ground. In the next second, the woman''s eyes got wide open in amazement. He had lifted both of them and positioned themselves over a dense branch where no one would be able to spot them.

    At this close proximity only, the woman had a chance to look clearly at the countenance in front of her, at the first glance itself, her heartbeats started to race and her face was starting to get shades of red.

    While Leon was assessing the situation down, the woman was drooling over this handsome face. Leon could feel her hot gaze over him but he remained quiet. After the rouge ladies passed the tree area, Leon could hear the signal from his brother. He quickly jumped down from the tree with the beautiful woman in his hands.

    Reaching the ground, the woman had no intention of leaving her arms which she had put over the handsome guy''s shoulder. Then it was Leon, who forcefully freed himself from her clutches.

    " Hey handsome, mind if you tell me your name?"

    Before Leon could reply to this little woman, another woman rushed suddenly out of nowhere. When Leon thought this might be one of the previous rogue women, he turned very serious but before this woman could reach them, she was stopped by Houlson.

    Her hand was tied at her back and was made to kneel on the ground. All this happened within seconds.

    " Don''t hurt her, this is my sister."

 Chapter 67 - Those Decisions Shaped Our Destinies

    Houlson let the woman free just when he heard this woman meant no danger but the woman stared right into his eyes as if she wanted to kill him right there.

    " Hello, I am Eliza and this is my elder sister, Kiara. Actually, I''m sorry, before thanking you properly I behaved inappropriately."

    "Thank you so much for saving our lives, we cannot think of what would have happened if you didn''t save us today. "

    Leon couldn''t help but to notice this woman''s beautiful lips, he never felt these feelings before. Even if occasionally he flirts but never had a woman made his heart fluttered. While the woman was busy thanking him, he was concentrating over her pink lips.

    " It must be really softˇ­. Hmm, I mean don''t be bothered to say thanks. By the way, who were those ladies? I thought they were goons at first look, but must say, you two found big trouble."

    Eliza blushed when Leon smiled at her whereas her sister, Kiara rolled her eyes seeing her little sister''s behaviour. Although this was the first time, her sister was getting interested in the opposite sex, still, Kiara didn''t put her guard down in front of their saviours.

    " To tell you the truth, we are orphans and our house got robbed by thieves two days before..So we came to look for a place to stay and in the town, it will be much easier to find some jobs to earn money. However, after reaching here only, we came to see the evil faces of humanity. Those dirty women wanted my sister and me to serve their guests. At first, we thought it might be the job as maids but later by evening only we came to know what it meant to serve guests."

    " In the ordeal of escaping, we hid inside the wine cellar throughout the night but while at dawn break when we tried to escape, those women found us."

    Listening to the story of these sisters, Leon wanted to take them with him to the inn where the sisters would be safe. Houlson could read his brother''s expression and he pulled his innocent brother towards the other side of the tree.

    " Hey, don''t you dare to have any ideas about that woman, those two are creatures of this world so we cannot trust them. What is with you today? usually, you are not clumsy over your actions or is it this time, my brother fell for that woman just by sitting over the branches of the pine tree?''

    Leon could feel although his brother was making sarcastic comments, indirectly he was saying a big ''NO'' to his idea.

    "Brother, I feel pity over them. Just think what would have happened with them if we didn''t come across here andˇ­. I don''t know how to explain it but yes, there is some kind of ecstasy when I see Eliza. "

    This time Houlson got really furious and he rejected his brother''s idea. Leon was disheartened by his brother''s firmness but still, he valued his brother more than anything else in this world. Then Leon stepped towards the sisters to say goodbye.

    " It was nice meeting you two. We must take our leave. Be safe and do not accept jobs easily."

    Leon could not meet Eliza''s eyes. Even while he was talking, he stammered. But before he could turn away, Eliza caught his hands.

    " I''m sorry but please help me for onceˇ­ We just want a shelter for a few days in this town. I can feel that you both are upright men and could you just show us a place where it is safe for women? "

    Leon once again looked at his brother who shook his head notifying his rejection again. Before he could reply to Eliza, she added more to her plea.

    " Look I understand, saving two women who are totally strangers to you is a big thing but please just this one request, pleaseˇ­. my sister who is mute cannot even scream if she is met with dangers, I beg you.

    " Just follow us, we will show you a place where both of you can be safe."

    Leon raised his eyebrows at his brother who suddenly became an angel and offered the sisters their place to stay. Asking the ladies to go in the front, Leon stopped his brother.

    " Brother, now who fell for a woman just like that? You were rejecting them till now, what made you change the decision all of a sudden?"

    Houlson smiled at his brother, without replying he walked forward. While walking he remembered what his father made him promise to do, "Houlson, my child, forgive me if your father had crossed the limit but my friend was on his verge of death trying to save your father''s life. He just asked me to betroth my son to his daughter. She is mute by birth. I promised him that she will be my eldest daughter-in-law. Go to the shaft, there you can see the child and her mother."

    When Houlson reached the shaft, he could see lots of blood and soaked in it was a small doll which had two braids. He took the doll with him and kept it as a memory of his unseen wife. He never had disclosed this promise to anyone. Every day he would talk to the doll as if it was his wife''s toy. Also, he found pity towards children who were born deaf or mute by birth. In his heart, that little girl, alive or dead, was his wife forever.

    Meanwhile, Kiara was a little disturbed thinking about the man who vanquished her before. From her childhood, she was trained in combat and had a good amount of strength which she only showcased under emergency conditions. But that man could easily defeat her every move. Seeing her sister with an angry face, Eliza held Kiara''s arms.

    " Sister, I know you are truly mad at me but think, our ancestors made those decisions which shaped our destinies. Now we need to fulfil the promise we had made. Trust me, these guys are perfect gentlemen, they won''t harm us at any cost. Believe me, my intuitions are never wrong. "

    These four would never believe that fate gave them a chance to do something impossible in the near future and at that time, they would see that the different goals they had in life, reached to the same point.

 Chapter 68 - Knowing Inside Out Of This Place

    All along the way the two brothers and two sisters did not have any conversation. Just before reaching the inn, Houlson took the lead and led them inside the inn.

    At the front, Jordan and Alex were surprised by the entry of the two women. Silently, Alex stood up and went inside without even looking at the four people who entered the inn. This reaction of Alex made Eliza a little scared whereas Kiara had a questioning gaze on her face.

    While the situation turned really awkward when Alex went away, Jordan was simply staring at the Demar brothers. In his mind, Jordan was asking them whether they were crazy to invite two women from this world straight to their safe zone.

    " Jordan, the situation is not like the way you think."

    Houlson tried to explain but Jordan didn''t heed to the innocent looks of the two women. As Leon was trying to tell Jordan about the two sisters, Alex returned followed by his brother and the other three women.

    Kiara felt much better when she saw the other three women. For the first smile, Houlson saw Kiara''s smile, now it was his heart beating fast but he firmly looked away.

    Emmy saw the two women and she welcomed them warmly. She introduced each one of them and before the newcomers had any ideas, she also let them know about the couples of the group.

    Eliza felt like she was finally safe, from her childhood, she saw her sister training hard to safeguard them but now after meeting this group of youngsters, she sensed a secure feeling but she was over the moon for another reason.

    The group had allowed them to stay here till they wanted, that meant she could see Leon as much as she could. Although she didn''t know anything about this handsome guy, she knew that this time she had fallen bad for this guy.

    Looking at her sister, Kiara knew that this girl was going to be lovesick soon. When Janet came forward to show the sisters their room, Kiara stopped everyone. She then took a parchment from the desk and wrote something over there and gave it to Emmy. Even Eliza was wondering what her sister was trying to say to these people. Her sister is never a person who takes initiation for meeting people. This was the first time, even Eliza was seeing this face of Kiara.

    Emmy took the paper and after reading it, she was surprised. She gave the note to Alex, who circulated among others.

    " Who are you then ?"

    Eliza was shell shocked and quickly turned to face her sister. She used sign language, communicated with her sister.

    " Why did you tell them about us?"

    " Trust me, Lee, these people are not from here, I believe they are coming from our father''s place. They can help us to get back andˇ­ for the first time, I saw my little sister wishing for something. Lee, our parents always told us, to win a relationship, be truthful always."

    Eliza looked at her sister once again, her eyes by now had glistened due to the unshed tears. This was her sister, always thought about others and did things courageously.

    Eliza then slowly explained them to the group. How their ancestors dared to go against the leaders of the black world, each and every member of their family was hunted down. Their father had fled to some other place with their mother and Kiara was just four years old then. His friend had helped him to escape from here but he too was killed for helping them.

    "Later, after three years, these people had found out their family and killed their father too but mother and my sister were spared from the killing but captured and brought back to this place. Here our mother also passed away after four years after giving birth to me. My sister has been training from a young age and she knows the in and out of this world. Her reflexes are pretty sharp, that is why she was able to recognise you aren''t from this world."

    Alex and his friends looked at each other, finally, it was good to find someone who was in their league and knew well about the Black world.

    Now the group had a total of 10 members, the next day, they split up into four groups and went in search of more details about jade as well as Ravenic book in four directions respectively. Mike and Juliet volunteered to stay at the inn listening to the voices inside the leader''s mansion.

    Emmy and Alex decided to take the area towards the South while Janet and Jordan took the North. To give Eliza more chances, Kiara volunteered herself to go with Houlson to the East area where the leader''s mansion was located. The Final pair, Eliza and Leon took the west area which was the community area.

    Alex and Emmy wandered amongst the market area and after walking more towards the southern direction found the iron bars separating out the land and dense forest.

    " I think we should see what this dense forest is hiding from us. Just by breathing this air, I feel so refreshed."

    Alex also felt that the dense forest in front of them had many tales to tell them. Without wasting any time, both of them crossed the iron bars.

    Just as they kept their foot on the grounds of the forests, in the nearby mountains, a scream was heard. A man sitting next to the unburnt fire pit looked towards the entrance of the cave and then summoned his follower quickly.

    " Tell leader1, the person for whose blood the leader is thirsty, has set his foot over our land."

    However, when the person finished his sentence, suddenly the firepit inside the cave was on fire with green flames. The blazing green hot flames slowly encircled him. It squeezed his neck and a whispered tone was echoed inside the cave.

    " Evildarian, it is time for you to die."

 Chapter 69 - Kill His Happiness Again

    Yes, this was the same person who the leader mentioned before, the ''Evildarian'' was the possession given to the most powerful psychic in the group. The Black world people respected the Evildarian and did things according to his advice.

    " Evildarian, it is time for you to die."

    The previous voice echoed again, making his follower faint on spot. The power squeezing his neck slowly decreased but the voice echoed through the cave making his hair stand out.

    " How is this possible? The third leader had already killed that witch sacrificing his ultimate power. Then how can she be alive ?"

    The Evildarian had never set his foot outside the cave for the past four years but now he couldn''t help to break his vow as he had to meet the leaders as soon as possible. For all the heinous sins he did, never once had he felt guilty about it but that voice made him lose all his pride over his power because once that woman had created havoc in their world, even the whole black world was on the verge of complete destruction. Then it was the third leader who plotted against her and killed her mercilessly but it did cost him, ninety per cent of his life.

    " It means she is not dead. I must inform the leaders right away."

    Leaving the follower on the ground, the Evildarian walked quickly towards the leader''s mansion. By this time, Alex and Emmy had followed the shrieking sound and saw one person coming out of the wall of creepers.

    Seeing a person having a strange appearance with all the multi-coloured beads hanging over him, coming out from the dense forest made both of them surprised. Emmy suddenly took Alex''s hands and hid behind a large tree.

    The Evildarian whose mind was in frenzy now, couldn''t detect the presence of two people behind the large tree. After making sure that there was no other person around their vicinity, Alex decided to check the wall of creepers with Emmy.

    Passing through the wall, they saw it was actually a cave and a man lying down there. Emmy quickly took something from her bag and pressed it over that man''s nose. Suddenly, he flinched but after that, there was no movement at all.

    " What was that ?"

    Alex was petrified seeing her actions, it was like she had prior experience. Seeing his reaction, Emmy wanted to laugh out loud, but in the situation they were, she decided to skip the explanation part.

    "Kiara gave it to me to use in an emergency situation, this herb would actually knock out a person for some time. Quick, let us search, what is this place by the way?"

    Even if Alex didn''t like the intrusion of those women into their group, her techniques deeply impressed him. Alex and Emmy didn''t waste any more time, they quickly searched each and every corner of the cave. They didn''t find anything much interesting until Alex discovered something wrong with the fire pit. He looked at the pit and found it had a small area underneath the bricks. He removed two bricks which revealed a small lever when pulled, it opened a tiny compartment revealing some spiritual texts and a journal.

    Emmy quickly collected those items safely and they placed the bricks just as it was before. Before the dusk, both of them returned to the inn, happy with the loot.

    Arriving at the inn, the other pairs had already returned. Each of them had a lot of things to share. So Juliet started her piece first, " Nothing special happened at the leader''s mansion till there was an entry of some strange man. The leaders addressed him as an elder, so I couldn''t get a hold of his identity. But the things he said were really strange. He mainly mentioned two things, first, the leader''s most wanted enemy had set foot on this land and the other was much weirder."

    " What was the second thing?" Janet curiously asked.

    " He just said the witch is back to kill them."

    Juliet''s style of portraying things made it thrilling for the ones who were hearing her out. They were more intrigued by the strange man now but his identity was unknown. However, the next pair was Houlson and Kiara, they thought they didn''t find much but after hearing Juliet, Kiara was sure of one thing. She started to show some hand signs which only two people understood.

    Before Eliza could translate, Houlson explained it well, "Today when we were roaming around the leader''s mansion, she thought that she had seen a familiar person but since the chances of seeing that person was very low, she left it out. hearing what Juliet said, it is clear, that she was correct. There is only one person in this black world who is addressed as an elder by the leaders, it is the Evildarian. The most powerful psychic of this place."

    Suddenly Jordan interrupted, " Is it a tall old man wearing an irregular pattern of dressing with a huge amount of bead accessories ?"

    Kiara nodded earnestly making Janet and Jordan more excited.

    " We saw this person while returning to the inn, he was walking quickly and murmuring someone was coming to end his happiness. We took notice of him because people were giving him the way and bowing their head in front of him. But honestly, I thought he was just a mad man."

    Alex and Emmy looked at each other, it was amazing that even if all of them went to separate places, they all found out clues pointing to the same person. Alex explained what they found out today while Emmy silently kept their findings on the table.

    Seeing the spiritual texts on the table, Kiara''s blood began to boil, she clenched her fists and banged at the stone slab nearby with all her might. Everyone including Eliza was stunned watching the silent Kiara''s violent behaviour.

    Houlson quickly stopped her, she looked terrified when he held her hands.. However, he slowly comforted her and soon she was crying in his embrace.

 Chapter 70 - Cause Of Family Annihilation

    After calming down Kiara, Houlson took those spiritual scripts and showed it in front of her.

    "You have seen it somewhere right if you want I can destroy these at this moment."

    Leon had never seen his brother taking care of any other woman in their life, from the day of the death of their father, his brother had matured up quickly. Since then he had not even noticed any women folk in the whole Esbertrazian clan. But Leon was sure, his brother was getting much concerned over this woman here.

    Kiara gestured to Houlson to follow her, leaving others confused.

    "Looks like we are going to get another sister-in-law soon."

    Jordan again spiced up the situation and all of them began to look through the journal.

    The entries written in the journal revealed that the present Evildarian clearly came into this position by cheating and in his scheme, the leader3 supported him immensely.

    Their plan was to overthrow the other two leaders and establish a monarchy in the land of Vilmon but the plan was put on hold due to the sudden attack by a power source. In the whole journal, that powerful entity was termed as a witch. From the descriptions, it was clear that it was a woman who could cause total destruction and she intended to destroy the black world but later the leader3 courageously stopped her but it cost him his life.

    " Who was this woman? Even if I don''t know her, I really admire her. Wow, a powerful woman who decided to finish this dirty land once in for all."

    Eliza could feel bliss in her heart and the admiration towards this supreme woman was clearly visible on her face.

    " Eliza, what do you know about the leader3, did he die?"

    Eliza then explained to them about the tales of heroic leader3, it was said by the old folks that the witch was killed by the leader3 but in order to achieve that victory, he had to sacrifice his conscious mind and body. Now, he was living dead, a completely paralysed situation.

    So it explained why the Evildarian''s wicked plan didn''t work out. The main strategist was awaiting a miracle to happen to fulfil his dream. Never shall the darkness prevail, the light will shine at last.

    Houlson returned with Kiara, her face was red in colour and with her puffy eyes, she bowed in front of all.

    Further, Houlson explained why Kiara suddenly lost control over her emotions after seeing the spiritual texts. These texts belonged to her family and when the previous Evildarian was found to be dead, the leaders put the blame over her grandfather and imprisoned all the men of their family.

    Later on, her father was the only person who could escape from there but even after a decade, he was also hunted down. The leaders and the present Evildarian had caused the annihilation of her family.

    Emmy had felt something was off about this Evildarian but now she understood that this person was the architect and the leaders were simply the builders of his plans. So they finally got a target to hit, she asked Janet and Kiara to look into the texts and journal whether they can find useful information about the location of the Ravenic or the jade, which the leaders are trying to find.

    As two days had passed, after Victor had left the land of Vilmon. He couldn''t find the jade as instructed by the leaders but his lackey Rasber returned with a bomb blasting news. Victor, without wasting any time, arrived at the leader''s mansion to share the news.

    " The Salian prince, what makes you come here on the eve of your wedding?"

    The leader2 loved teasing this young lad. Watching the excitement on his face, leader1 thought that he might have found the important artefact but Victor shook his head indicating he failed again.

    " Leaders, I may not be successful in finding the artefact as you had instructed me but I couldn''t help myself from coming here to announce some important news. The woman who Alex is going to marry has a special status which will be intriguing to you.

    " Who is that lady? Didn''t you tell me that she was the goddaughter of the Esbertrazian clan, what another special status can she have ?"

    " Answering the mighty leader1, she is none other than the only daughter of the shadow guard of the Esbertrazian clan. Shawn Esbertraz''s daughter ''Emmetina Esbertraz''."

    " What? How is this possible, I had heard that his whole family was assassinated, so how come the daughter popped up from? "

    Victor didn''t reply to the complaints raised by the leader2, this leader always used double meaning foul language. There was a rumour on the land of Vilmon, that the leader was a paedophile too.

    " My lord, the lackey whom I sent to their place returned with shreds of evidence which pointed that,, Emmetina is the only daughter of the great shadow king, Shawn Esbertraz"

    Hearing the murmuring tone, the leaders looked at each other.

    " Interesting, now we might have a bargaining chip against the Esbertrazian clan" The leader1 chimed in happiness.

    " Victor, it''s time for you to go and start preparing your wedding. Leave the crown prince and the clan goddaughter to us."

    After Victor left the mansion, the leaders quickly summoned their guards to transfer the message to the Evildarian.

    " leader1, do you think that lad is genuinely saying the truth"

    " He doesn''t need to lie, we have to see that child first. Such a prodigy can be really powerful, in that case, we must pull her towards our group. "

    The leaders planned their scheme once more but unknown to them, their whole conversation was being monitored by our Juliet.

    " Emmy, the second prince had returned but this time he had cracked your identity as well, his lackeys have recognised your portraits, the leaders had asked him to leave here and just work on the preparation of his wedding. The leaders are plotting to make you join them."

    Meanwhile, inside the cave, a pool of fresh blood was seen on the grounds of the cave. The Evildarian understood his most important possession was stolen. He killed his assistant thinking that he may have been cahoots with the enemies.

    " Who dares to steal it from here?"

 Chapter 71 - The Hidden Core Powers

    The Evildarian even used his psychic power but it showed nothing in vain. The person who came here should be of powers greater than him or else he could have easily detected her presence within the place. When he was pondering on it, he heard the leader mansion''s servant outside the cave. He neatened his dishevelled attire and went to the entrance of the cave.

    " What makes you bring here, spit it out soon and quickly vanish from my sight."

    His bad mood worsened when he saw people entering his territory but as this servant was from the leader mansion, he could only behave arrogantly. If it was any other common man, he would have killed this person even before the latter could open the mouth.

    " Greetings oh great one, the leader sent me to deliver the news from Ark place, the crown prince of the Salian clan is actually marrying the only daughter of the Esbertrazian shadow guard, her name is Emmettina. The leaders are asking your appearance as soon as possible."

    Hearing the news, the Evidarian trembled. He could remember the prowess of the shadow guard named Shawn, he was able to fight off the Vilmon leaders easily but lacked the cunning mentality. He was plotted and killed in a neat accident.

    " I will come in half a week time. Meantime, ask the leaders to meet that woman in disguise, she will surely attend the wedding of that Salian boy."

    The servant went back after getting a well-detailed scroll reflecting the instructions by the Evildarian to the leaders.

    " What is happening here? First those journals and then the return of the girl who was once killed. Impossible, the third leader would never lie to me. I need to return to my masters."

    Without wasting any time, the Evildarian opened up a large pathway well hidden inside the cave by moving seven rocks in a strange pattern. The stone wall opened up and after he entered the pathway, the stone walkway completely vanished inside the walls of the cave.

    Meantime, Janet and Kiara figured out a lot of things from the scripts stolen from the cave. The supreme power lay hidden at some part of the black world. Houlson could provide a better picture of these hidden core powers because his father had lost his families and whole ancestor because it was these very core power leaders who had ordered to banish the whole Demar family.

    Everyone was pondering about how long they might have to stay here, suddenly Eliza ran out of the room. She looked left then turned right, following her all girls rushed to the place where Eliza had runoff.

    " Hey Eliza, don''t scare us like that, for quite a few seconds , we got really scared. What happened, why did you run away from there ?"

    " Emmy, the portal has been opened, I could feel the negative energy, we need to escape from this place as soon as possible."

    Kiara looked at her sister and she knew that her little sister had this secret for years, she could feel the negative energy in her vicinity. Emmy looked at Kiara who then nodded her head approving what Eliza had said.

    " Alright, Juliet and Janet, hurry and inform the men right away."

    After Juliet and Janet rushed inside, Emmy gravely looked at the two sisters. Eliza was silent but her eyes were looking at the southern area of the Vilmon.

    " I know that some things you both have still kept hidden from us, however I feel we have something in common that is our goal, to avenge our parents respectively. But in order to do that, please do not put anyone else in a dangerous situation. You both can come with us but now our priority is to find the way out. "

    After listening to Emmy, Eliza and Kiara both were shocked but in their heart, the respect for Emmy soared up greatly. After adjusting her emotions, Eliza and the other women reached the hallway where others were waiting for them.

    " Eliza, what is the situation you talked about ? Who are you scared of?"

    Leon had a frowning expression when he asked this question. In his mind, thousands of other thoughts were running such as a powerful rogue who wanted to abduct Eliza or her fiance coming to claim her.

    The other Demar brother was also worried but not thinking such silly things, he could read Kiara''s face like paper now. He got to know that Eliza was giving a warning of the upcoming powerful source and also his lifetime enemy.

    " Leon, I think our time is ripe. The source which is making Eliza scared is none other than the core power leaders. They might be coming back to launch their attack. "

    Hearing the word core powers, Leon''s blood began to boil and his playful nature disappeared soon. Even Eliza was surprised to see such a change in the Demar brothers but no words escaped her mouth.

    "Houlson, this is not the time for revenge. We don''t have the strength now, take two steps back to strike farther and fastest."

    Alex took control of the situation and successfully comforted the Demar brothers. Then together, all of them started to search the journals for the opening of the portal. But the search was in vain, they could find nothing. As they sat hopelessly inside the inn, a glow was seen from Alex''s pocket.

    The greenish glow caught the attention of the whole group whereas Alex felt like someone was pulling him to a direction. He decided to follow the force where it was taking him. He thought the glow might lead them to the leader''s mansion instead, they stopped near the lakeside where everyone sat down to rest.

    Alex took out the glowing object from this pocket, it was the same pendant which Lamia had usually worn. He looked at the pendant which had stopped glowing when they reached the lakeside, he couldn''t help himself rather than sighing about thinking about that missing girl.

    Then Alex turned to look at Emmy who was busy observing the surroundings with her other two friends.

    " Alex, don''t you think that showing such intimacy to this object could hurt Emmy''s feelings. Even if she doesn''t say it aloud, no woman would ever want her lover to keep his previous lover''s possessions. "

    " You are right buddy, but I want to give this back when I meet her. Although she has some kind of relationship with Emmy''s family, I am sure that she will bless us. Jordan, I really love Emmy.. Iˇ­ have no words to explain .. about the feelings which I have for Emmy. When my sister-in-law mentioned Victor having his eyes over my woman, I felt to skin him alive and soon if he tries any of his dirty mind games with her, I would never hesitate to kill that lowly rascal."

    Just as both of them completed their conversation, they could hear Janet shouting. Jordan rushed to the spot followed by Alex. What they saw was really spectacular, besides the lake, there were few big rocks assembled like pillars but it can be found out with many clear observations. Inside those pillars, the same infinity well was there,

    Kiara and Eliza were super excited, just before they jumped, Leon took Eliza''s hands and held it firmly. Eliza could feel her heartbeats racing which resulted in her face being blushed

    " Finally, my sister could meet her husband."

    Passing the remark the sisters along with Leon jumped into the infinity well leaving Houlson shattered. Although he had promised his father to consider that friend''s daughter as his wife, Houlson had some sparks towards this stranger.

    The group reached successfully back to the dark tower. The Esbertrazian elders were much glad that every single one of them returned safely but they were more curious about the two new faces. Still, they warmly welcomed the newcomers.

    After reaching the clan, Houlson went to meet his squad, leaving Leon all along with the sisters. This sudden change in Houlson''s behaviour made Kiara a bit upset but she didn''t show it on her face.

    " Alex, are you youngsters intending to attend the second prince"s wedding, the function is tomorrow and on your behalf, I asked the Salian elders to allot you seats."

    " Yes, you all must go but before that tonight we will have a small banquet to celebrate your triumph return."

    Getting permission from the elders, the youngsters retired back to their respective rooms with Kiara and Eliza getting separate rooms.

    " Alex, what are you worried about?"

    " Emmy, look even if I have her jade in my possession, believe me, I have changed totally, it is only you who is there in my heart now"

    " Yes,I know it dearˇ­. by the way, Alex what did you tell just now? repeat it.."

    " That you are the only one inside my heart?"

    " No, what you said in the previous sentence."

    Alex bushed a little while he was answering Emmy,

    "look even if I have her jade in my possession, believe me, I have changed."

    Alex hugged her tightly in her embrace but Emmy was thinking about another possibility. If what she thought was true, then how were the women connected?

 Chapter 72 - Scheming Against His Own Brother

    Emmy was spot on with her guess, this was the same thing which showed them the way to escape, the same thing which made her trigger the fragments of her memory. She sat up suddenly jerking off Alex who was still thinking that Emmy was upset because of his previous feelings.

    But before he could open his mouth, Emmy asked him to take out the jade and Alex did just the way she asked. Then she asked her friends to come inside the room, even Kiara and Eliza rejoiced as they were also asked to come and except for Houlson, all others came happily inside the room. However, just as Kiara entered the room and saw the item on the table, her expression changed.

    Emmy could confirm her guess was correct by seeing Kiara''s expression. This woman knew more about the black world but why is she hiding like a white flower, Emmy could not ponder on it anymore so she directly asked it straightforwardly to Kiara.

    " Kiara, we both know why I made everyone gather here. About this artefact, it was my guess but I could see that you know better about this jade more than any of us. Kiara, it is time to come clean. Tell us about your family completely ?"

    Kiara looked at her sister who also did not know the complete story of their family. Kiara slowly started to explain the past which Eliza had to translate but by the midst, Eliza could not continue as she started bawling out loud.

    These two were from the once-famous Lazarian family of the core world, but after the banishment of the black powers, the Lazarian family was punished in the name of helping out another family whose general was accused of betrayal. Although their family was taken out of power, they were spared and the Lazarian family migrated to the mountains to survive.

    Kiara''s father was against the core powers and the conceptual attributes of the black world, so he secretly helped his friend to visit their black world and during such a time, he recognised that the other members of Lazarian family were killed one by one by the leaders of the black world. Once he managed to escape out of the black world with his family, but in order to save his friend, Kiara''s father had to lose his life.

    Kiara and her mother were helped out by the severely injured man and before he could return with help, the black world guards captured her mother and the little Kiara. From there onwards, their lives turned hell. Her mother was kept as a maid in the leader''s mansion where she gave birth to Eliza and Kiara disguised herself as a weak child but secretly underwent vigorous training. After the death of their mother, the leaders did not find the weak child and 2-month-old girl as a threat anymore, so they left the children on their way. From that day onwards, the seven-year-old Kiara fought mercilessly to safeguard her sister from dangers. She didn''t say much of her family history to even her sister.

    When Eliza calmed down, Houlson also entered the room and saw Kiara as well as Eliza with puffy red eyes. Seeing the tears from Kiara''s eyes, Houlson felt bad inside but he calmed down. This love interest could result in breaking his promise, so he did not dare to think about this woman anymore.

    " Houlson, please translate what Kiara has to tell, Eliza is emotionally not stable right now. "

    Listening to Jordan, Houlson started to translate whatever Kiara was telling about the jade but in the midst, his eyes widened and he could no believe the things she said.

    " Are you saying this piece of jade is the artefact of the supreme lord? and this was kept reserved for the black enchantress ?"

    Kiara nodded and looked at Alex with a confused gaze. It was heard, before four years, a powerful witch had stolen this artefact from the core power and till this day, the leaders were frantically searching for this piece of jade everywhere. It was predicted by the Evildarian that the rightful heir would be returning soon to regain the throne.

    Alex was staring at the piece of jade which had motivated him once to live and fatefully gave him the chance to meet the true love of his life. His mind was racing now, joining all the pieces of information, it was crystal clear that Lamia, his previous lover, was never a simple woman. She is not an innocent mountain girl but they had no way to confirm whether Lamia was the same powerful woman that had the guts to steal the most important artefact from the black world.

    " Emmy, I can''t believe all these things, the little innocent girl whom I saw in the mountain valley cannot be such a powerful person."

    Watching Alex break down, Emmy straight away hugged and comforted him while others gave this couple their space.

    " Alex, Lamia was not any mountain valley girl, she might have disguised herself to get close to you. I cannot state specific reasons but if she is the powerful witch as per the Evildarian''s journal, then everything falls in the correct way. "

    " What do you mean by the correct way, Emmy ?"

    " If Lamia is a powerful witch, then after she was heartbroken by your engagement she must have travelled to meet my parents while the core powers were hunting for her. At the clifftop mansion, the war between the core powers and herself must have resulted in my parent''s death. "

    Alex was shocked to believe that there could be such a coincidence and the way Emmy connected the dots, everything actually is falling into correct places.

    " Emmy, what you said maybe right but then what about the Agnartian sword you mentioned previously. Why should they join hands in this war?"

    For a second Emmy stood silent rephrasing what Alex had asked. Yes, she remembers her father giving her the sword and asking her to avenge his family but what might be the connection between the Agnartian clan and the core power to join hands to kill the powerful woman.

    Alex could feel Emmy losing her strength and he embraced her. He could only pat her back when her quiet sobs turned into an endless flow of tears.

    " Alex, we have to attend the second prince''s marriage tomorrow. Now everyone will be knowing my real identity so I don''t need to hold back anymore. We have to find the answers as soon as possible. "

    Meanwhile, Janet decided to give the Lazarian sisters a tour of their land to which the two men agreed easily. Jordan and Leon were plotting something and the poor lamb who was going to be sacrificed was curiously watching Kiara over a distance.

    " Houlson, what happened to you? You were okay till yesterday but now the air around you is so fierce that even I can''t come near you."

    " Nothing much Jordan, I feel to go back and fight those underlying dogs to avenge my father."

    Jordan could say that this man had even started to lie but he didn''t expose his friend. Then, Jordan winked at Leon who initiated a request towards his brother.

    " Brother, after we achieve our goal, can I marry Eliza?"

    Houlson was astonished by Leon''s straightforwardness, he was happy for his brother but what about the other woman?

    " Yes, you can. After we avenge our family, first reunite her sister''s life and then you can marry her. I will talk with the elders. "

    " Thank you so much brother, but there is a tiny problem. I don''t know whether she would accept me? "

    Houlson stopped walking and turned to face his brother. Even Jordan, who was on Leon''s side was surprised, so this young man had real intentions to marry the young Lazarian girl, Jordan thought.

    Houlson chuckled and answered, " Well in that case, during today''s banquet, ask her out and talk face to face about your feelings. If you love someone, instead of hiding it, let the other person know how much feeling you have for that person."

    " Thank you brother, please you also have to come for giving me moral support."

    Houlson nodded and walked away from the two men. Jordan and Leon could never tell that Houlson was such a practical person, he had never been seen with a woman but knew what is best for a relationship.

    " Leon, your prank might be crossing the limit, have you thought about it clearly?"

    " Brother Jordan... there lies the twist, my brother started behaving strangely from my father''s death. Even though we haven''t seen him with any woman, there is a doll in his room that he thinks, is of his wife."

    " His wife ???"

    Jordan was surprised to know such a secret, it was then when Leon said that he had accidentally heard his father talking with his teenage brother about his friend and his brother''s betrothal. After their father''s death, his brother had returned with a doll covered in blood.

    Leon remembered how his brother took care of the doll and talked to it clearly. Yes, Leon knew everything but he never asked his brother.. Today after knowing the whole story of the Lazarian sisters, he decided to matchmake the fated but separated couple.

 Chapter 73 - Being Afraid Of Fierce Sister-in-Law

    " Are you telling me the truth, you are one of the descendants of the Demar family?"

    Eliza was jumping over the moon, she never thought that fate would let them meet the man who she was looking for, but then another thought suddenly hit her. If he was also from the Demar family, then who is her sister''s husband? The initially excited face fell into despair and Leon could read her face without any words.

    " Relax, do not fret." Leon wanted to tease her more but seeing her eyes brimming with tears, he simply smiled and kissed her forehead.

    " Look, your sister''s engagement with the son of the Demar family is true but that fated one is my elder brother. Now that your sister has found her husband, it is time for me to keep my wife busy. Eliza Lazarian, be my woman, we will together avenge our families and then I promise to cherish our love till the day I dieˇ­."

    Towards the last word, Eliza''s lips covered those unsaid words and thus one more new couple bloomed on the land of VilmonArk. After the long kiss, Leon was still thirsty for more, but Eliza''s mind was in frenzy. She could not register how much time they kissed each other wildly but she was happy that Leon did respect her as a woman and did not take any advantage of her.

    As Eliza lay over his chest, Leon slowly said about his plan to her.

    "Don''t you think that prank can be a bit cruel to your brother and what if my sister gets hurt in this act?"

    " We both have to talk with your sister first, if she doesn''t have any kind of feeling towards my brother, I can''t force her to be with him for just the sake of fulfilling the older generation''s promise. Before we met, did your sister have any suitors in that land?"

    " Not actually, my sister may look like an innocent little woman but in fact, she is a tough nut. No one dared to approach her and those who dared had only some disgusting thoughts in their mind but soon got beaten blue by her."

    Leon thought of his brother getting beaten by his sister-in-law, and later little munchkins who would call him uncle. He was grinning stupidly but his eyes showed immense happiness.

    " Tonight after the banquet, ask your sister to meet my brother at his courtyard, I will make him see his separated wife."

    The two of them cuddled each other and spent their time together while on the other side, Kiara was feeling nervous. As she sat near the lotus pond, she remembered her mother asking her to find the Demar family when she grows up as she was betrothed to the eldest son of that family.

    She still remembered that man who saved her mother and herself but was terribly wounded. He said to wait near the shaft as he would send his eldest son to help them and he de-routed the enemies away from them but later some of the guards caught them and sent them back to the black world.

    Kiara looked at the white and pink lotuses in the pond and suddenly she heard someone coughing beside her, she turned around and saw it was none other than Leon.

    " May I have a word with you?"

    Kiara nodded her head but looked on her either side, a small part of her mind wanted to see another man right now. She quickly observed the surroundings but got no glimpse of the man. She felt as if someone had placed a heavyweight over her heart. She smiled at Leon indicating to continue what he had to say to her.

    " I hear about your engagement, congratulations! Before giving you the biggest surprise of your life, I have to ask your permission."

    Kiara confusingly raised her eyebrows and she felt this guy was setting her up. Her guess became correct with his next sentence.

    " I am in love with your little sister and I have given her my word to make her my one and only woman. Please, let me marry your sister, I promise to love and protect her till my last breath. Don''t worry, even after my death, our sons will take care of her."

    Kiara was rejoiced to hear Leon''s serious confession but towards the end, she laughed her heart out. This man could protect her little sister and would pamper like a princess. Eliza would get all the love which she missed since her childhood. Thinking about her sister''s happiness, Kiara slowly nodded her head but then her eyes turned ice cold. She made a simple gesture that Leon could understand without any translation.

    Kiara simply took her secret pocket knife and showed the action of cutting Leon''s throat. It meant that ever if Leon tried to bully her sister, she wouldn''t mind taking his life.

    Watching his fierce sister-in-law, Leon swallowed his saliva and politely bowed in front of her, " Sister-in-law, thank you for letting us be together. Now it is time for your big surprise, for that let me introduce myself properly, I am Leon Demar, the second son of the existing Demar family."

    Kiara first nodded simply but on the next second it hit her, she couldn''t believe what she heard, this lad said he was the second son of the Demar familyˇ­ the DEMAR family. So, it meansˇ­ it means that the one who she was searching for, was right there in front of her.

    Before she could recover from this shock, Eliza also joined the conversation.

    " Sister, his brother doesn''t know it yet that we are from the Lazarian family. He is also waiting for you, Leon, please show her how much your brother loves her."

    Leon swiftly checked whether his brother was in the training ground or not. After confirming that Houlson had just started his daily training which usually takes 1 hour to complete, Leon led the Lazarian sisters to Houlson''s courtyard.

    The courtyard was a simple building with a beautiful garden on its front, a total of four rooms and a kitchen. The simplicity of the house attracted Kiara pretty well, it was as she would have dreamt of her future house, a simple, quiet place with lots of flowers.

    " The left-wing is where my brother resides and the right-wing is my area. He usually doesn''t like anyone entering his area and has even banished me from entering his room. So do not touch anything in the room because he keeps everything accurately. Last time, he detected the pillow on his bed had a small change in its position and the culprit had to run ten lapses around the training ground at midnight for a month."

    " Sister-in-law, beware ˇ­ that guy is a mad man sometimes but good to heart always."

    Listening to Leon''s blabbering, Kiara was observing the neat and tidy room, on the table she then saw a doll neatly kept. Her eyes teared up and before others could detect it, she wiped her tears and smiled. She was fortunate that the heavens found this man for her. This was the same doll which she had on her hands on the day of escape but one of the guards snatched it away from her and threw it away. Who knew that years later, her destined man would keep her favourite toy safely. Kiara could not deny that ripples were formed inside her heart. The feelings which were foreign to her suddenly rushed to her brain.

    Watching Kiara standing there looking at the doll with her face blushing red, Leon could guess what she was thinking of. His half plan was successfully executed, now the other half was to be done by his sister-in-law.

    Kiara was then taught how to surprise Houlson with this news, Leon and Eliza even gave her a wonderful dress matching with the Houlson''s dress which he was going to wear to the wedding tomorrow.

    As the banquet time neared, Leon was shattered at the news of elders asking his brother to go for a rain check over the borders tonight. This was mandatory because of the recent happenings. Hence, Leon''s plan flopped and the main surprise was postponed for the next day.

    The next morning arrived quickly, the elders guided the youngsters to be wary at the wedding, the wicked black world leaders could play any dirty games to achieve their motive.

    Three sedans were waiting for them at the entrance, the Salian brothers along with their wives boarded one sedan and in the other one, purposefully, Jordan and Leon planned to dump Houlson and Kiara into the same one.

    From yesterday, Houlson had not looked at Kiara even for once, but today when she was boarding the sedan, he couldn''t help himself getting lost in her beauty. She was wearing a peacock coloured gown which matched his peacock coloured robe and clothes. Together they were looking just like newlyweds and this thought made his blood boil.. But all along the entire journey, neither of them initiated any talks.

 Chapter 74 - Accept My Blood As Apology

    In the other sedan, Emmy was looking out of the window while Alex and Mike were on some heated discussion. Juliet woke up after a short nap and smiled sweetly at Emmy, " Nervous of meeting everyone as the only daughter of the great Esbertrazian guard?"

    " Juliet, now my enemies are slowly coming into the light but I was thinking of my future, after avenging my parents, I don''t know what I should do ?"

    Juliet could feel that Emmy was anxious over these relationship things because her calm brain had started to panic. Starting a family and being bonded to one forever requires patience, love and great trust. In Emmy''s case, she had a great rival, close to her family and really powerful. There are a lot of questions that needed to be answered before they could start living their lives.

    " Emmy, past you don''t remember, future we cannot predict. Just ensure one thing in your mind, in the present you are never lonely and in future, never would I allow anyone to bully you. Mark my words in your brain, my brother-in-law only has you in his heart."

    "What if the one to bully me is your brother-in-law ? "

    Juliet shook her head in defeat but she was glad that Emmy could overthrow the feeling being lost from now onwards. Seeing the women teasing each other, both Alex and Mike also joined the fun. Soon they reached the Salian clan, just minutes before the starting of the ceremony.

    The guests were not allowed to see the groom and bride before the ceremony so Victor was absent from the scene but as his hawk eyes, Rasber had been in the lookout for the arrival of this particular group. He wanted to skin Alex alive but his train of thoughts got interrupted when he saw a woman getting down from the last sedan. Although she had a companion on her side, they didn''t seem to be close.

    Rasber''s lustful eyes observed Kiara from head to her toes, his perverted mind had even started imagining this beauty on his bed and himself riding over her mercilessly. If Houlson came to know about what was going in Rasber''s mind, the latter would have his skin roasted already by now.

    After arrival, Alex and Mike straight away went to the Salian elders to pay their respect. On the way, the Salian brothers met the Salian king, Valeriander and his wife. Just as the brothers were going to turn away without greeting the king, the queen gave her sarcastic comment.

    " You unfilial child, how dare you not to give greetings to your father, the great king of the Salian clan."

    Alex did not turn back whereas Mike did, " first ask your husband whether he is fit to be called as a father. You have only one son and that person''s marriage is taking place outside."

    The flabbergasted queen looked at her husband who remained calm as if he hadn''t heard any nastic comments passed Mike.

    " That child has been brainwashed, let this marriage be over, I will personally take care of these two."

    Assuring his wife, the Salian king went to see elders but he started to plot against that destitute once first. From the behaviour of the elders, it was well known that they all were standing on the crown prince''s side

    Meanwhile, at the altar, the guests were seated properly and everyone was talking about the attractive line of people sitting on the front row.

    " Do you know that she is not at all a country bumpkin as it was rumoured, she is the daughter.. the only daughter of the great dark clan''s most powerful guard."

    " Oh really, no wonder the crown prince did not even look once at the battle princess."

    God knows who started it, another round of rumours had started to pass stating about the affairs between the second prince and the Agnartic princess. While entering the venue, Victor along with Arona heard what all things were people telling them. Just as Victor was to move forward, his eyes stopped at Emmy who was sitting beside the Posei girl and the other end was free.

    Victor literally left his new bride over the platform to talk with Emmy but his conscious mind made him realise his limits. He quietly clasped his wife''s hand and walked forward on the pathway of red roses whereas Arona''s eyes were searching for the person whom she was waiting for the past few days. She was still thinking that after proper explanation, Alex would take her as his wife. All the guests could see the bride daydreaming and the groom pulling his bride towards the first row.

    Janet could see that the second prince was rushing towards them so she decided to warn her friends.

    " Look, the second prince is coming for Emmy. Kiara, if he has other plans, we both will be taking care of him and Juliet with Eliza, please escort Emmy safely back to the Esbertrazian clan."

    Emmy''s heart was warmed up seeing her friends getting worried for her safety. She felt so fortunate to meet this bunch of people in her life.

    " Girls, listen ˇ­ with my identity now known, he would not dare to act openly. But beware of any drinks or food they are serving."

    All five women nodded their heads and sat there watching the groom paving way amidst the crowd of guests.

    " Lamia, you are looking more beautiful day by day, I can''t believe it is probably just one week that we met last. Look at you, a piece of heavenly beauty. Oh yes, sorry to address you as Lamia, I must call youˇ­ Emmettina, right."

    What Victor thought was seeing Emmy getting worried and surprised all together but the truth was neither did Emmy get surprised nor any of her friends.

    " Well, you shouldn''t be calling me neither Lamia nor Emmettina, just call me sister-in-law with due respect. There comes your brother, we can together bless you to live long."

    Alex was well prepared to tackle his stepbrother but seeing Emmy beating the shit out of him made him arrive little late. He wanted his brother to see that never mess with his woman.

    " Congratulations little brother on your big day". Alex gave a hug to Victor but slowly whispered in his ears, " Your end will arrive early, stop siding with the black world."

    Victor was now sure that this woman was totally extraordinary, watching Alex take her away from him made Victor feel to strangle Alex then and there itself. The same expression was seen on the face standing near to Victor, here Arona wanted to kill Emmy on the spot because she could see Alex was behaving very intimately with that downgraded woman.

    Making their wedding a disaster, both of them didn''t have a mood to entertain the guests anymore. The ceremony was concluded soon and elders pronounced Victor and Arona as husband & wife.

    Then the wedding feast began, after checking the food over the table, Mike and Jordan asked others to dig in the tasty, mouth-watering dishes. Suddenly Rasber came out of nowhere and casually tried to chat with Kiara but she didn''t even bat her eyelids towards him. Leon and others were watching how Houlson would react if someone tries to woo Kiara and they didn''t see that before leaving Rasber had completed his task of coming over the table.

    Houlson excused Rasber saying that Kiara was unable to talk and she was accompanied by them so there was no need of Rasber lending hands to take care of her. After making him leave, Houlson finished off the wine from the glass kept in front of Kiara. Not only Leon, all the other members of their group understood that Houlson had some hidden feeling towards this woman.

    Finally, after crashing the Salian wedding, the group decided to get back to the Esbertrazian clan before getting late. Similarly to the way they came, the last sedan had only Houlson and Kiara in it. Before boarding the sedan, Leon asked Kiara to confess everything to his brother and said they will be waiting for them in the castle.

    Inside the sedan, Houlson was feeling a bit disoriented, he was sweating profusely and his body temperature started to rise. At first, Kiara was scared about how to start the conversation with Houlson but after his abnormal behaviour, she stopped the sedan and touched his forehead. She was surprised that Houlson was running a high temperature but why suddenly? He was really okay in the feast but then what happened?

    Just as Kiara was going to get him some water, he grasped her hands tight and pulled her into his chest. Afterwards, the sedan was shaking violently and loud gasps were heard from inside.

    The next day early morning, Houlson woke up and he had his heart ripped out just as he opened his eyes. He could not believe what his eyes saw in front of him, the beautiful woman which made him forgot breathing, was now sitting stark naked in front of him with her head stooped over her legs. On her body, there were clear marks of the intense battle and her white porcelain skin now had blue-black bruises all over.

    Houlson hurriedly looked over his body and he was also the way a newborn would be, on his chest, there were several teeth marks combined with scratches. Without thinking Houlson could imagine what had happened between them. Houlson quickly took his outer robe and covered Kiara with it. Still, she did not lift her heads up.

    Houlson got dressed fastly and then also there was no response from her. Houlson gathered up his courage and placed both of his hands over her shoulders. She trembled and shivered at his touch, her reaction gave him the clear idea of how beastly was his performance.

    She looked up and Houlson felt as if his heart got squashed because her neck and lips had brutal bite marks. His brain stopped working and there was a sudden pain over his chest. Without thinking, he kneeled down in front of her and slit his both arms.

    " Forgive this sinner, accept my blood as the apology."

 Chapter 75 - The True Owner Of My Love

    Kiara still could not register what had happened to this upright gentleman all of a sudden, she saw he was behaving abnormally. so, she stopped the sedan and went near him, he was sweating profusely and clothes were dishevelled. Houlson was on the verge of losing his patience and just as he saw the beautiful woman he desired in front of him, it didn''t even give him a second to think, he directly showed his prowess before her. All night she was brutally loved and he left his imprints all along her body.

    After an intense intimate battle, Kiara felt exhausted and her whole body was paining like someone had broken her limbs and ripped it apart from her body. She dragged her body away from his clasp but losing her balance again fell on him. Kiara was really scared that he might wake up and start torturing her again but he was sleeping like a dead pig. She looked close over his face, thick eyebrows, tiny stubbles on his face. It was her first time being close with a man and she was happy that although he behaved like a beast, she had waited for this man in her whole life.

    Anyways this man had owned her love for decades and now he managed to take her body too. Even laying naked over him, Kiara had immense happiness in her heart. If it was some other man, he would have lost his life just when he dared to pull her but Houlson was not any other man for her. Kiara after confirming that he was still sleeping, kissed him hard on his lips, soon she tasted blood in her mouth as he had bit her hard on her tongue even while he was sleeping.

    " Husband, from the next morning onwards, I will make you suffer hard for this torturous night you presented me." Kiara thought about their sweet future and smiled. However, just as she was going to spit out the blood in her mouth, now that her senses were back to its place, she understood what made Houlson behave like this with her.

    Kiara started to rewind her memory back to the dining table where Houlson was seen perfectly fine.

    Yes, after meddling with that perverted man, Houlson had chugged down a glass of unattended wine. Then while they were departing, Houlson asked her to drive the sedan so it means that a depraved human had drugged that particular glass of wine and his target was her but instead, Houlson accidentally drank the wine and all this happened.

    Kiara knew so much about such drugs from her past training and these kinds of drugs make a man delirious while a woman shuts her brain out. She looked up at Houlson and checked his whole body, she sighed in relief only after feeling his normal heartbeats.

    The only antidote for such drugs is to have intercourse with the opposite sex and well, if the drug gets acted upon a man, he will have immense pain and might be poisoned if there are residues of the drug inside his body, but judging by his normal body vitals, Kiara could conclude that they had neutralised the drug successfully.

    Lugging her tired body, she sat there thinking of a situation if Houlson was with some other woman after having the drug, she didn''t know when she drifted away to sleep due to fatigue. While in sleep, she was dreaming about the steamy encounter of Houlson and a woman, just as she was going to see the woman''s face, she was jerked up.

    The first thing Kiara saw when she opened her eyes was Houlson''s anxious face before she could register what was happening, he had slit his arms and fresh blood started to flow, freaking the hell out of her mind.

    Forgetting about her exhausted body, she quickly tore up the fabric and bandaged his arms. She wrapped several layers to make sure that it could stop his bleeding. All this time Houlson was kneeling down without raising even his eyes. He was completely broken down both mentally and physically but never in his life, he thought that he would commit such a sin towards a woman. Breaking his father''s promise was one thing but forcing a woman out of her will was unpardonable.

    "Kiara, I don''t have any words with which I can ask your forgiveness. I''m your sinner please let me take the responsibility for you. I promise to cherish you till the day I die. Please, Kiara, give me a chance."

    Kiara was heartbroken to see Houslson on the verge of crying, she removed the robe which Houlson had used to cover her naked body. Right now, she was completely free without any piece of clothing on her. She knelt down in front of him and with her hands, she pulled his face up to see each other properly.

    With one hand, she showed hand gestures saying, " I had considered you as a trusted ally till now but not anymore. You don''t need to take any responsibilities for me because I have a man waiting for me only. I will make sure to confess everything that has happened between us, he can understand."

    Houlson clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. " No, I can''t let you go like this. Regardless, what your so-called husband thinks, you are my woman from now onwards."

    This time Kiara really wanted to hug this stubborn man but she remained calm, again she showed hand signs, " No need for any charity, a relationship without love is the same as wine without taste."

    Houlson could not forgive himself and he again tried to persuade Kiara but she was adamant as a rock. She was keen on waiting for her husband and Houlson was losing his patience as time flew.

    But he took a deep breath and slowly told his story, his father''s story and the promise he made to his father.

    "Kiara, you have a husband and I have a wife who I don''t know whether she is alive or not. But fate designs something else for us. Please, I will talk with your husband .. please Kiara, give me one chance to prove my true feelings towards you."

    Without giving any chance for Kiara to retaliate, Houlson got ready and helped her to get ready as well. What he didn''t notice was that the way Kiara was looking at Houlson had completely changed, now her gaze was totally filled with tender love.

    Starting the sedan, Houlson drove into the opposite direction of their destination, along the way never once did Kiara ask him where he was taking her. She sat beside him eating the berries which were kept inside the sedan before they had started the journey.

    After sometime Kiara could hear the sound of water flowing and at a distance, there was a small cottage. A simple yet beautiful cottage beside the brookside, Houlson after stopping the sedan, straight away carried Kiara inside the cottage.

    " For the next few days, we will live here. We will only return when you say yes to my proposal."

    Kiara gave him a dull expression but he could not understand it at all, what she meant was simply, " Duh, when did you even propose?"

    After settling down, Houlson went out to fetch some firewood and some herbs. He later lit up the fireplace and squashed the herbs to apply over her wounds. Kiara winced at his touch over the bruises but the cooling effect calmed her down soon.

    While applying the medications, Kiara didn''t feel shy to open up her dress in front of Houlson but his hands were shivering when he applied the mix. He quickly went out of the room, to get a cold shower leaving Kiara stunned.

    In the evening, Kiara asked him whether he had notified their friends about the sudden disappearance, Houlson nodded their head but he couldn''t tell her that her friends, as well as her sister, had sold her to him. They said, " We are keenly waiting for our nephew and niece".

    Houlson couldn''t keep silent anymore, his hands still had the feel of the soft porcelain skin which he had touched a while before. He decided to again talk with Kiara.

    " Kiara, I know, rushing you through these things might not change your mind, but I want to know who is your true love?"

    Without answering Kiara stood up, and sat on the brookside, on the crystal clear brook water she saw her reflections. She smiled at her own reflection and just then Houlson also came into frame, the reflection was of the perfect couple.

    " Kiara please, just let me know once."

    " Houlson, I am Kiara, the eldest daughter of the Lazarian family, you wanted to know who was my husband right, the man standing in front of you is my husband "

    Houlson''s brain stopped working just as he learnt that Kiara, was the little girl who was innocently betrothed to him in their childhood.

    " Yes, Houlson Demar, the true owner of my love has been always you,...."

 Chapter 76 - It Is Just The Appetizer

    (Sorry readers, read till the astericked line, the correct chapter is updated in the next chapter...)

    Soon the simple brookside cottage became the love nest of these two. However, somewhere else, the man responsible for their union was pulling his hairs out.

    "What kind of guards are you ? I had drugged the wine with my own hands and you couldn''t even keep track over that woman."

    Rasber roared at his guards, he had set his eyes on that pretty butterfly who came with the Esbertrazian clan members. Upon enquiry, his subordinates reported that she was the common friend of Emmy and a mute by birth. From the moment she arrived, his mind made plans to get her underneath him, on his bed. He had shown the audacity to drug her drink as he knew that once she was in his grasp, a commoner like her would never the sky anymore.

    Rasber was deadly set on making that woman his bed slave but poor him, didn''t know the surprise which was waiting for him. Kiara had already told Houlson about her guess on how he got drugged during the wedding feast.

    " That son of a worm thinks that he is the cunning man in the locality, we have to give him a present which he likes the best."

    Houlson made a mind blowing plan and grinned while enjoying massage from those soft delicate hands. Houlson had nursed her body bruises with utmost care making her bloom into an attractive flower who anyone would dare to steal.

    " Hey, you are getting beautiful day by day, if not for your wounds, I would have eaten you completely by now."

    Kiara blushed hard and gave him a small punch, the first time she had an intimate moment was the day he was drugged and gave her the tormentous form of pleasure ever. Kiara could say that she was scared a bit now.

    Loving an unseen woman for decades and now he could read his woman like water. She was as perfect as he had imagined and from her expression, he could read the anxiousness written all over her mind.

    *********************************************************************************************************

    Yes, after meddling with that perverted man, Houlson had chugged down a glass of unattended wine. Then while they were departing, Houlson asked her to drive the sedan so it means that a depraved human had drugged that particular glass of wine and his target was her but instead, Houlson accidentally drank the wine and all this happened.

    Kiara knew so much about such drugs from her past training and these kinds of drugs make a man delirious while a woman shuts her brain out. She looked up at Houlson and checked his whole body, she sighed in relief only after feeling his normal heartbeats.

    The only antidote for such drugs is to have intercourse with the opposite sex and well, if the drug gets acted upon a man, he will have immense pain and might be poisoned if there are residues of the drug inside his body, but judging by his normal body vitals, Kiara could conclude that they had neutralised the drug successfully.

    Lugging her tired body, she sat there thinking of a situation if Houlson was with some other woman after having the drug, she didn''t know when she drifted away to sleep due to fatigue. While in sleep, she was dreaming about the steamy encounter of Houlson and a woman, just as she was going to see the woman''s face, she was jerked up.

    The first thing Kiara saw when she opened her eyes was Houlson''s anxious face before she could register what was happening, he had slit his arms and fresh blood started to flow, freaking the hell out of her mind.

    Forgetting about her exhausted body, she quickly tore up the fabric and bandaged his arms. She wrapped several layers to make sure that it could stop his bleeding. All this time Houlson was kneeling down without raising even his eyes. He was completely broken down both mentally and physically but never in his life, he thought that he would commit such a sin towards a woman. Breaking his father''s promise was one thing but forcing a woman out of her will was unpardonable.

    "Kiara, I don''t have any words with which I can ask your forgiveness. I''m your sinner please let me take the responsibility for you. I promise to cherish you till the day I die. Please, Kiara, give me a chance."

    Kiara was heartbroken to see Houslson on the verge of crying, she removed the robe which Houlson had used to cover her naked body. Right now, she was completely free without any piece of clothing on her. She knelt down in front of him and with her hands, she pulled his face up to see each other properly.

    With one hand, she showed hand gestures saying, " I had considered you as a trusted ally till now but not anymore. You don''t need to take any responsibilities for me because I have a man waiting for me only. I will make sure to confess everything that has happened between us, he can understand."

    Houlson clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. " No, I can''t let you go like this. Regardless, what your so-called husband thinks, you are my woman from now onwards."

    This time Kiara really wanted to hug this stubborn man but she remained calm, again she showed hand signs, " No need for any charity, a relationship without love is the same as wine without taste."

    Houlson could not forgive himself and he again tried to persuade Kiara but she was adamant as a rock. She was keen on waiting for her husband and Houlson was losing his patience as time flew.

    But he took a deep breath and slowly told his story, his father''s story and the promise he made to his father.

    "Kiara, you have a husband and I have a wife who I don''t know whether she is alive or not. But fate designs something else for us. Please, I will talk with your husband .. please Kiara, give me one chance to prove my true feelings towards you."

    Without giving any chance for Kiara to retaliate, Houlson got ready and helped her to get ready as well. What he didn''t notice was that the way Kiara was looking at Houlson had completely changed, now her gaze was totally filled with tender love.

    Starting the sedan, Houlson drove into the opposite direction of their destination, along the way never once did Kiara ask him where he was taking her. She sat beside him eating the berries which were kept inside the sedan before they had started the journey.

    After sometime Kiara could hear the sound of water flowing and at a distance, there was a small cottage. A simple yet beautiful cottage beside the brookside, Houlson after stopping the sedan, straight away carried Kiara inside the cottage.

    " For the next few days, we will live here. We will only return when you say yes to my proposal."

    Kiara gave him a dull expression but he could not understand it at all, what she meant was simply, " Duh, when did you even propose?"

    After settling down, Houlson went out to fetch some firewood and some herbs. He later lit up the fireplace and squashed the herbs to apply over her wounds. Kiara winced at his touch over the bruises but the cooling effect calmed her down soon.

    While applying the medications, Kiara didn''t feel shy to open up her dress in front of Houlson but his hands were shivering when he applied the mix. He quickly went out of the room, to get a cold shower leaving Kiara stunned.

    In the evening, Kiara asked him whether he had notified their friends about the sudden disappearance, Houlson nodded their head but he couldn''t tell her that her friends, as well as her sister, had sold her to him. They said, " We are keenly waiting for our nephew and niece".

    Houlson couldn''t keep silent anymore, his hands still had the feel of the soft porcelain skin which he had touched a while before. He decided to again talk with Kiara.

    " Kiara, I know, rushing you through these things might not change your mind, but I want to know who is your true love?"

    Without answering Kiara stood up, and sat on the brookside, on the crystal clear brook water she saw her reflections. She smiled at her own reflection and just then Houlson also came into frame, the reflection was of the perfect couple.

    " Kiara please, just let me know once."

    " Houlson, I am Kiara, the eldest daughter of the Lazarian family, you wanted to know who was my husband right, the man standing in front of you is my husband "

    Houlson''s brain stopped working just as he learnt that Kiara, was the little girl who was innocently betrothed to him in their childhood.

    " Yes, Houlson Demar, the true owner of my love has always been you,..."

    Soon the simple brookside cottage became the love nest of these two. However, somewhere else, the man responsible for their union was pulling his hairs out.

    "What kind of guards are you ? I had drugged the wine with my own hands and you couldn''t even keep track over that woman."

    Rasber roared at his guards, he had set his eyes on that pretty butterfly who came with the Esbertrazian clan members. Upon enquiry, his subordinates reported that she was the common friend of Emmy and a mute by birth. From the moment she arrived, his mind made plans to get her underneath him, on his bed. He had shown the audacity to drug her drink as he knew that once she was in his grasp, a commoner like her would never the sky anymore.

    Rasber was deadly set on making that woman his bed slave but poor him, didn''t know the surprise which was waiting for him. Kiara had already told Houlson about her guess on how he got drugged during the wedding feast.

    " That son of a worm thinks that he is the cunning man in the locality, we have to give him a present which he likes the best."

    Houlson made a mind blowing plan and grinned while enjoying massage from those soft delicate hands. Houlson had nursed her body bruises with utmost care making her bloom into an attractive flower who anyone would dare to steal.

    " Hey, you are getting beautiful day by day, if not for your wounds, I would have eaten you completely by now."

    Kiara blushed hard and gave him a small punch, the first time she had an intimate moment was the day he was drugged and gave her the tormentous form of pleasure ever. Kiara could say that she was scared a bit now.

    Loving an unseen woman for decades and now he could read his woman like water.. She was as perfect as he had imagined and from her expression, he could read the anxiousness written all over her mind.

 Chapter 77 - It Is Just The Appetizer

    Soon the simple brookside cottage became the love nest of these two. However, somewhere else, the man responsible for their union was pulling his hairs out.

    "What kind of guards are you ? I had drugged the wine with my own hands and you couldn''t even keep track over that woman."

    Rasber roared at his guards, he had set his eyes on that pretty butterfly who came with the Esbertrazian clan members. Upon enquiry, his subordinates reported that she was the common friend of Emmy and a mute by birth. From the moment she arrived, his mind made plans to get her underneath him, on his bed. He had shown the audacity to drug her drink as he knew that once she was in his grasp, a commoner like her would never the sky anymore.

    Rasber was deadly set on making that woman his bed slave but poor him didn''t know the surprise which was waiting for him. Kiara had already told Houlson about her guess on how he got drugged during the wedding feast.

    " That son of a worm thinks that he is the cunning man in the locality, we have to give him a present which he likes the best."

    Houlson made a mind-blowing plan and grinned while enjoying massage from those soft delicate hands. Houlson had nursed her body bruises with utmost care making her bloom into an attractive flower who anyone would dare to steal.

    " Hey, you are getting beautiful day by day, if not for your wounds, I would have eaten you completely by now."

    Kiara blushed hard and gave him a small punch, the first time she had an intimate moment was the day he was drugged and gave her a tremendous form of pleasure ever. Kiara could say that she was scared a bit now.

    Loving an unseen woman for decades and now he could read his woman like water. She was as perfect as he had imagined and from her expression, he could read the anxiousness written all over her mind.

    " From the day I promised myself to be the husband of my father''s saviour''s daughter, I had always thought of that girl as my wife. Still sometimes after seeing you, the whole me was thoroughly disturbed by a spark. I even tried to keep away from you but look at our destiny, it was you who was fated for me and yesterday''s matter, this is from my heart Kiara, I won''t let you get hurt anymore. Everything in my camp says I''m a man of actions so no more wordsˇ­".

    Houlson stood up and swooped Kiara off her feet, carrying her in a princess style, he entered their love nest. Kiara''s heart was thumping loudly, she was feeling nervous and scared thinking about the pain which was inflicted on her body the previous day.

    Sensing the nervousness oozing out of his beloved, Houlson smiled. After removing his clothes, he entered the blanket under which Kiara was hiding and slowly started to kiss her body. He made sure not to touch her bruised parts and well, it worked. Kiara loosened her constrained muscles and relaxed her body, as his smell entered her nose, she could not focus properly anymore. She gripped on either side of the duvet tightly and her body showed the reaction which Houlson was waiting for.

    Slowly he caressed her and made her ecstatic at the other moment. After teasing her a bit, he undressed her piece by piece. This time Kiara was drowned in the immense pleasure of being loved and he successfully erased the fear of that horrible night from her mind.

    The next day, Leon arrived to meet the new couple with daily groceries. He was completely taken down by the change in the woman standing before him.

    " Sister-in-law, in just one day what magic trick did my brother do to you? You are looking magnificently stunning. Aah, I need to go back quickly and doll up my pretty little wife."

    Kiara felt so happy seeing that both of the Lazarian sisters got the perfect husbands for themselves. Just then when Leon was going to go, Houlson had pulled him towards the kitchen area and started to prepare food for all of the three.

    Literally, Kiara was just watching the brothers doing the tasks simultaneously and beautifully cooked four dishes and one base soup. While both brothers were freshening up, she plated the dishes and served it on the table.

    At the time of having food, Leon seriously asked his sister-in-law to eat more as the chances of having his nephew was larger. Both Houlson and Kiara now knew that the intercourse done after taking the drug won''t result in the woman being pregnant. Kiara was blushing like a red cherry hearing the comments.

    " My dear brother, why are you bothered about us giving you a niece or nephew. Go and check on your woman for birthing you babies."

    After finishing his words, Houlson chased Leona and the brothers rolled over the grass.

    " Kiara, this is the place which our father had last lived with our mom. He wanted us to live here when we get ourselves our partner. That is why I brought you here to meet my parents, even after they are not with us anymore, I feel they are here surrounding us and giving blessings."

    Kiara had her eyes teared up but she quickly regained her composure. Later, Houston explained what had happened to Leon clearly.

    " Brother, we will not let this go. I will kill him myself, this is a promise to my only sister-in-law. Thank god, it was youˇ­ but why on the earth, would he sabotage your drink ?"

    " Leon, he is targeting your sister-in-law, I was jealous that he was trying to get close to Kiara that day, so we both had a heated discussion and at the end, I drove him away successfully and then downed the drink."

    Then Houlson told the plan he had in his mind to his dear brother, to which Leon had a devilish sneer as he heard the idea.

    " But brother, this is too little for that jelly-belly, isn''t it and won''t it be calling the enemy directly into our territory?"

    " Leon, remember one thing, on our territory, he is just a lousy scumbag. Don''t worry, this is just the appetizer for him."

    Leon bid farewell to his brother shortly after he was assigned to do some urgent tasks while Houlson returned to Kiara who was simply watching the amazing nature around them.

    " What are you thinking?" Houlson kissed her on top of her head and embraced her.

    Kiara turned to look at him then signalled, " After settling the scores with the core power, let us stay here for life long."

    He couldn''t be much happier than anything, his woman was happy in such a small space which was close to his heart. Heavens really makes the couple even before they are born.

    " Yes, my love. Tomorrow, we must return back to the Esbertrazian clan. I have prepared a small present for you."

    Kiara raised her eyebrows, she had guessed it right. The mouse was being set up by these cunning cats but in this case, the mouse was not all innocent, so it deserves to be roasted alive.

    She smiled and kissed her husband over the cheeks. On the other side, the three couples along with Eliza were waiting for the update from Leon. They were happy to let Houlson and Kiara start their life together but they had a mission before them. When Leon gave the report and the strategy which his brother had plotted, the men in the group got much excited whereas the girls were feeling awkward.

    " I don''t believe that Holson could come up with such a brilliant idea, killing two birds with one stone, wow !!!, the catastrophe of the great Esbertrazian clan belongs to him from today. Also separating out Rasber from Victor can give us the biggest advantage but we have to make sure that before Victor does not gets even a glitch about this. "

    Jordan and Leon took the responsibility of fetching the disaster of the dark clan while Alex and Mike decided to write the mushiest letter to which Rasber would come running to their door. They thought of writing the most sensual letter a girl would ever write but they forgot that the concept of sensuality was different for women and men.

    After reading their accomplishment, the letter group called the women to review the letter. Eliza and Janet could not hold their laughter while Juliet and Emmy got embarrassed due to the content of the letter. They both looked at their husbands respectively and both asked the same question simultaneously.

    " Are you totally nuts?"

    When Jordan and Leon returned after completing their tasks, Janet gave them the letter.. When the ladies thought these two men would start laughing out like them, but to their prime surprise, the other two were totally satisfied with the completed current letter.

 Chapter 78 - Open The Gates For Him

    By evening, Houlson and Kiara arrived at the dark clan to see it was completely decorated in red colour. Both of them looked at each other, wondering about which celebration was going on.

    " It has been almost 4-5 years that I have seen such a celebratory mood in our place. Last time it was for our princess''s birthday."

    Houlson remembered the princess becoming adamant to change all the white and pink decorations to black and green leaving the elders worried. Even though everything went along with her wish but after that day, elders were being a bit strict with the princess and she even started to throw more tantrums. To marry the Salian prince was also one of her such wishes.

    Kiara was mesmerised with all the redness around her, feeling the love in every decorative item out there, she pulled Houlson''s hands.

    " Can we make it like this for our wedding?"

    As her hands signalled those last words, Houlson kissed those beautiful fingertips and whispered over her ears.

    " Actually I was thinking the same. In fact, we four can get married on the same day, Leon and Eliza would love this idea. Well, then there will be another big problemˇ­ our brothers will make us both drunk and we might not even be allowed to enter the bridal chamber at all that night."

    Kiara smiled and gestured that she would fight to kidnap her groom that day. Both of them laughed at their marriage day and just as they were going to enter the courtyard, the sound of trumpets and drums were heard. Houlson was shocked when he saw that the esteemed elders were waiting on the front for them.

    Houlson bowed to the elders and just as he turned to look for Kiara, he saw the evil grin on the elder Rotrigues face. He knew that the elders had come to know that he found out his wife and he was out spending with her, did they come here to punish him for getting lazy on his duties?

    " Miandrake, don''t you think we should punish this fellow for not considering as his masters? Well, I think he hasn''t taken us as his elders also.."

    It was rare that elder Lathodore used to joke, so all the colour vanished from Houlson''s face. From the elder Lathodore''s words, it was sure that all of them were angry for his inappropriate behaviour.

    Houlson knelt down and kowtowed three times, " Masters, never once have I disobeyed your orders. This time I had to take responsibility for my life. I won''t repeat it anymore and as punishment, I will stay one whole month in the training grounds."

    All the three elders looked at each other and finally after some time, master Rotrigues answered him, " Yes, your punishment serves you best, be away from the Esbertrazian grounds and enjoy your days at the clifftop manor with your friends and ˇ­ wife."

    Houlson stood up straight and bowed to the elders, but then master''s words got registered in his slow brain. Wait, whatˇ­ enjoy your days at the clifftop manor with your friends and ˇ­ wife.

    He quickly pinched himself to check whether he was dreaming or not, " That hurts, it means ˇ­ it meansˇ­ you all knew about Kiara and myself."

    Listening to their alpha guard stammering, instead of getting raged, the three elders smiled. The strict elders treated their subordinates as their own family and hence, they were happy that Houlson found out his right one soon.

    " Man in love loses all his senses, I guess. Lad, get up fast and be ready, today is your big day. "

    The three elders left Houlson confused, what did they mean by big day and where did Kiara go, just as he was going to search for his wife. The men group surrounded and carried him away to the nearest room.

    Looking at the dress which his alpha brother handed him, Houlson knew what was happening in the dark clan today and what the elders meant by big day for him. His eyes became reddish in no time.

    " Brother Houlson, it was Leon''s idea to give you a surprise. You have a lot of things for us and this time, it is our duty to welcome our sister-in-law properly."

    " Where is he? Please can you tell him that I want to meet him urgently?"The other brothers were hesitant to leave but upon his order, they went to fetch Leon. After others gave space for brothers to speak, Houlson just hugged his only family member in this entire world.

    " Brother Leon, how could I thank you for all of these? You made it possible in just a short time. Heavens did bless me with the best brother of this entire world. You gave the prime respect to your sister-in-law. God bless you my dear brother. Thank youˇ­ thank you so much"

    The stubborn tears fell at last, both the brothers were weeping on each other''s shoulders till Mike, Jordan and Alex came to fetch the groom.

    Yes, the whole clan was going to celebrate their first-tier alpha guards general''s wedding.

    " Houlson, your idea was truly exceptional but we four decided to give another twist to the plot. Today we have sent a spy out to inform Rasber that the girl whom he is waiting for, is going to get married today."

    " So are you sure that, that man wants her really bad even if he needs to barge in here?"

    "Let us see it!! Anyways, elders have opened the gates for him. Don''t know why but the elder Rotrigues mentioned that he is one of the strong contenders. So if he is on our side, then half of the work is already finished."

    Meanwhile, Rasber got to know the news about the girl being married and although he didn''t want to go his ego had taken over his rationality. In any case, he wanted to tie that woman on his bed for once at least. Rasber couldn''t involve Victor in this as he was busy handling his wedding aftermath.

    So Rasber without notifying even his lackeys set off to the Esbertrazian clan on his own. He never knew the path he took on this day, changed his life for the better and he even found his true meaning of love.

    Emmy was arranging the bridal chamber while Eliza and Juliet were getting Kiara dressed up. Seeing the bruises over Kiara''s body, Eliza could not hold up any more, she cried over her sister''s shoulder. Juliet also felt bad looking at those bite marks which were looking much horrible over her smooth white skin.

    Kiara could feel the two women''s feelings, she then caressed her little sister''s head and slowly moved her hands, " These marks on my body are something which I am proud of, even when he was completely drugged, he tried his level best to calm down his beast. Do any of you think that I would have been alive if he had shown his complete dominance the other day?"

    Emmy also joined the conversation and was rejoiced to meet a person who took everything in life with much positivity and Kiara was a gem in that. Just then Janet hurriedly approached the four women.

    " Listen, there is a small change in the plan. Men have sent news of Kiara getting married, to let Rasber come here and see the Esbertrazian disaster on the way."

    Emmy was confused, from yesterday onwards she was hearing this fact, that someone was a disaster to the Esbertrazian clan. Juliet got heated up and replied. " Umm, how could I tell it to you in short? Okay, listen, there was a girl who loved to do various experiments with herbs and once while combining some tonics, only she knows which all.. it resulted in a big blast. Later, no one knows what happened, she crushed every man who looked at her with lusty eyes."

    " Is she that dangerous? How does she look? Will Rasber fall for her at first sight??"

    For Emmy''s curiosity, Juliet and Janet started laughing. They didn''t want to spoil the fun which they were going to watch soon.

    Rasber was quick and he reached the gates of the Esbertrazian clan in a short time. He was curious to see that there were no guards to check and the whole place was decorated in red. He slowly covered up his face and walked into the crowd overhearing the two women in front of him discussing something about marriage.

    " Did you hear, these whole festive decorations is for the wedding for our honourable first-tier alpha guard and his lover. You must see her dear, even if she is mute by birth, she is a stunning woman. Let rush to the bride''s courtyard, it''s over there."

    Rasber had an evil smile on his face and he also stepped forward towards the bride''s courtyard. After he was out of sight, the two women took out their veil, and it was none other than Janet and Juliet.

    " The fun begins in no time...."

 Chapter 79 - Twisted Plan Backfired

    Rasber quickly entered the bride''s courtyard stealthily but he didn''t know that 4 pairs of eyes were locked on him only. Mike, Alex, Emmy as well as Eliza were standing on the balcony of the building near to the house which Rasber had entered.

    The bustling crowd didn''t know but Juliet and Janet who also entered the courtyard heard the noises of cracking potteries and utensils. After some time, as no noise was heard from inside, Juliet used her powers to analyse what was happening inside.

    " Now, be a good girl and let me go."

    " Why are you so adamant, if you dare, release me from these shackles."

    " You shameless wretched woman, release me this instance."

    Juliet could only hear Rasber shouting and there was no other sound at all. She could make some chain shackling noises, so it means that Rasber was chained and he won''t be allowed to go out soon.

    The smile bloomed over Juliet''s face and she quickly showed a thumbs-up signal to her friends on the balcony. Emmy was still not getting why others rejoicing to put Rasber on that woman''s hands. She stopped Alex and questioned him as she knew throwing a little tantrum can make him spell out anything.

    " Who is the woman inside that house? Juliet told me, some experiment went wrong and that woman crushed men who looked at her with perverted eyes and all. Do you know about her? "

    Alex laughed at the way Emmy was getting curious over that little hussy. He wanted to let her know what really happened with that experiment but even if they had been together for months now, he had never initiated that step towards her. When Alex was thinking of their intimate moments, Emmy got much vexed.

    " Who is that woman, Alex?"

    Jolting back from daydreams, what welcomed Alex was Emmy''s fuming face. His wife was getting impatient lately, he smiled and started to explain what had happened to that woman.

    " Elder Miandrake''s priced student, Ms Gabriela eagerly tried different experiments with who knows what things. Once, she was experimenting on a drug used to seduce men and then accidentally added the herb Alvish to her creation resulting in some kind of blast. From that day onwards, rumour has it that she had become venomous. Literally, even her touch inflicted a horrible effect on men. Those who dared to stand as her experiment tool ended up in a poor condition."

    " When she wanted to marry, no one stood up for her and from that day, she was waiting for her prince charming. Last day, Leon had volunteered to be a messenger for going with Rasber''s proposal and she accepted it."

    Emmy was stumped to think of such a situation, so that means what Juliet meant by fun was the torturous night for Rasber. Although he deserved it, Emmy felt sorry for the woman named Gabriella.

    In the sunset of that evening, the whole Esbertrazian clan welcomed the new couples and Houlson was gleaming proudly while Kiara under her veil was blushing like a tomato. Eliza and Leon followed them in their white attire.

    Yes, Houlson and Kiara had been adamant to have their siblings also get married on the same day. Finally, Eliza agreed to tie the knot with Leon. So the four got ready to get going and their fate was sealed forever. The ceremony was short and quickly completed, the elders blessed the new couples and the feast began.

    While the feast was continuing, on the table, the group of friends were chatting and having drinks leisurely. The men were thinking about how to get the two grooms drunk whereas the women were talking about Rasber and Gabriella. Suddenly, Juliet''s expression changed and she asked her friends to be quiet.

    " Impossible..."

    Concentrating with her eyes closed, Juliet whispered under her breath. Houlson signalled his subordinates to check Gabriella''s courtyard at the same time. He was worried that if Rasber met any fatal attacks then Victor might get a reason to strike against the Esbertrazian clan directly.

    Juliet opened her eyes and her cheeks were flushed in red colour. She looked at the girls at her table and nodded her head. All women including Emmy at the table were surprised as their hunch became true in such a short while.

    A little while earlierˇ­

    " Emmy, what do you think? How much Rasber can withstand Gabriella''s torture ?"

    Emmy thought for a while, and replied seriously, " I think she won''t torture him at all."

    Janet and Juliet smiled looking at Emmy while Eliza and Kiara were feeling confused. The Lazarian sisters didn''t know that our Emmy''s train of thoughts always differed from normal beings.

    The curious Eliza chimed in, " Why do you think so? Julie told us previously that he had been chained inside the house."

    "Think about it from the viewpoint of Gabriella, she wishes to have a man in her life but till now no one has dared for it and as it was Leon who had gone with Rasber''s fake proposal, I''m quite sure that he must have added his own version of the story. When a woman needs love, she can go to any heights to achieve it."

    Kiara nodded indicating that what Emmy suggested can happen in this case. She also felt that the woman must have chained up Rasber just not to let him escape.

    " Okay, let us see what happens in that case. However, is the rumour true that she is venomous and could perish any man with her touch?"

    " It is heard that whoever tried to have a way with her, had met horrible accidents thereafter. Our cunning men came up with this idea to torture Rasber so that his perverted mind would never dare to harm any other woman in his life again."

    At present, Juliet discussed the situation to her group, all men had their eyes popped out after hearing that the venomous lady of the dark clan also known to be the disaster of men, ended up in falling in love at the first sight with that lousy man. Their plan had backfired them terribly and now the men were scratching their heads to find a solution.

    ??? If Rasber takes this opportunity well, he can use Gabriella against the whole dark clan."

    " Emmy, how is that possible? She just met him now, do you think that she would dare to go against her master and the whole dark clan in the sake of newly founded love?"

    Emmy gave a smug look to Alex just as he finished his words. Her gaze was having a sarcastic meaning, "Look, who is criticising newly founded love."

    "Alex, do not underestimate a woman in love. She can create or destroy anything under the sun for the sake of love. But here our question is will Rasber would use this opportunity or not?"

    The backfiring of their plan had put everyone in a dilemma but still, they enjoyed the wedding feast and the married couples retired to their bridal chambers soon.

    Inside the room, Alex was reading the spiritual texts which they got from the black world and Emmy had already entered her dream world. At first, she was having pleasant dreams about Alex and herself at the clifftop manor playing on the beach and all. But suddenly, she saw a woman standing far away from them. Emmy started walking towards that woman, she was surprised to see that it was the same woman who was in those portraits. Yes, the woman was none other than Lamia.

    Emmy was getting restless but Alex was engrossed in the text that he didn''t see her frowning and mumbling something in her sleep. In her dream, as she approached Lamia, the latter''s eyes were locked on Alex who was still playing on the sea waves. Emmy looked along her line of sight and remained quiet.

    Breaking the silence, Lamis asked Emmy, " Do you think that you can live with him peacefully in the future?"

    Emmy looked at Lamia''s eyes, it clearly showed her feelings towards Alex but Emmy felt as if Lamia was trying to warn her about something else.

    " Cut straight to the point, what do you intend to say?"

    " Quick one huh!, no wonder he could love your personality more... Emmy, just remembers, the black world would kill Alex at any cost, the only way to protect him is to let him sacrifice his ˇ­.."

    Before Lamia could finish her sentence, she was engulfed in a black spiral force. Emmy tried to pull Lamis''s hands but she couldn''t touch them. Within seconds, Lamia got sucked into the black hole just like that and Emmy walked straight towards the black hole.

    At first, Emmy could see nothing but darkness however then at a distance, a pair of green eyes appeared. She couldn''t understand who it was but later the owner of the eyes slowly walked towards her and only a voice could be heard in the complete darkness.

    " Your time is up....prepare for the redemption soon."

 Chapter 80 - The Supreme Heir Has Finally Arrived

    Emmy jolted up from the sleep, those eyes would haunt her in her dreams from now onwards. Alex rushed and wrapped her up in his embrace. Emmy could naturally calm down hearing his heartbeats but in her ears what Lamia said was ringing up.

    "Emmy, just remember, the black world would kill Alex at any cost, the only way to protect him is to let him sacrifice his ˇ­.."

    Why should the black world kill Alex, how is he linked with them? and what she meant by the only way to protect him was to sacrifice something. As Emmy calmed down, her brain began to react more rationally. Even if what she saw was just a dream but she believed that it was some kind of sign.

    Emmy slowly explained things to Alex about what she saw in her dreams, omitting the part where Lamia asked Emmy whether she can live peacefully with him in future.

    "There is some connection between you and the black world, why must they want to kill you that badly? "

    Alex had also previously thought about the warning the old man at the inn gave him, he subconsciously pulled out the jade from his pocket. He looked at it and raised the hand which was holding it towards Emmy.

    " Do you think they want me killed because of this? They have detected its presence over the Salian clan right."

    Looking at the Jade in front of her eyes, Emmy felt it emitted some kind of energy, she dared not to touch it because the past two experiences gave her chills.

    " I don''t think so, if they knew about it they would have directly launched an attack on you. I think we are missing to recognise something which is right there in front. Any luck with those texts? "

    " These are nothing but references about the core power. Emmy, that day you told me you are sure that the evil one was the sorceress right, so if that is true, do you think there is a possibility for her to incite the black world against their own mistress and the great lord. "

    Yes, there was a chance of such a situation but why would the black world people believe a person who was the main protagonist in the destruction of their supreme power. When they were lost in that particular area, Jordan rushed into their room.

    " Alex, come out, you need to see this."

    Alex and Emmy without wasting any time went out to see a couple walking under the moonlight hand in hand. The woman had her head rested over her companion''s shoulder while her companion carefully held her as she was his priceless possession.

    When the couple was out of their sight, Jordan turned to look at Alex and Emmy who were standing there with complete opposite expressions on their face.

    Alex was surprised and tensed at the same time whereas Emmy was smiling gently. It clearly displayed that she was happy for this couple. Those two people under the moonlight were none other than Rasber and Gabriella. Jordan was notified about this by his subordinates so he rushed to seek advice from these two.

    Alex and Jordan were equally fried up and they were in their low spirits. Emmy could sense what these two men were thinking about, their perfect plan had backfired at them, so naturally, them being in low spirits wouldn''t be surprising.

    " Relax, Rasber might have shown his A-game, we still have a chance."

    Emmy went inside the room without giving a proper explanation of the comment she made just now. Jordan urged Alex to go inside and ask his wife about it. Anyways watching Emmy this cool and comfortable, Jordan could sleep properly as he knew that she had already prepared the counterplan for such a situation.

    As Alex went inside the room, he saw Emmy was staring at the Jade which was kept on the table. She was hesitating whether to take it or not. Alex smiled and walked forward before Emmy could protest, he picked up the jade and enclosed it between their right hands.

    Suddenly, darkness spread and they both felt like a jolt of electricity was striking their bodies. Amidst the complete darkness, Alex held Emmy??s hand tightly and the jade was crushed in between their palms bursting out with a light.

    As the light was restored, both of them regained their vision, and they were shocked to discover that they were standing over the old graveyard at the premises of their college. Emmy knew where to go because she had seen the same scene in one of her memory fragments previously.

    Emmy pulled Alex along with her and started walking towards the lake. This time she could see the person awaiting her more clearly. The once angelic beauty was now looking like a ragged old witch. Although the person was still white clothes, the pride in her eyes were long lost and in it now there was the only hatredness.

    " You ˇ­ Did you think I was a fool like the enchantress? Never, after his death, I needed to perish her once in forever. The deal I made with him was to kill her forever but heˇ­ haahaa.. had some softness towards my sister. Do not be happy looking at my haggard state, your clan will receive an enormous blow soon, not even his four lackeys could save your Esbertrazian clan from my people. "

    " And you, young lad, although you were never his son, because of your mother, he treated me like nothing but an ally. But I gave them the most beautiful gift of all, you will know about it soon. Now it is enough, I will make sure to kill you slowly and painfully you will beg me to end your life."

    Emmy roared, strangely Alex also felt as if he was watching a stranger when Emmy took steps towards the old lady in front of them. He had only seen her portrait but with one glance, he had recognised the old lady as the sorceress but what happened to Emmy, why was she exuding a powerful aura.

    Walking straight towards the sorceress, this time Emmy was not muddle-headed like it was on the previous encounter. She boldly stood in front of the old lady and scrutinised the latter.

    " I may not know how I am related to the enchantress but let me tell you something which I know clearly, one more time you raise your voice against him, none of your people nor any extreme powers can save you from my hands."

    Just as Emmy finished her line, the old sorceress started choking and then she vomited a mouth full of blood. Seeing this scene, Alex remembered the words that the innkeeper told him on the first day they met in the black world.

    " Wise decision you took at last but do not try to protect her always, also never underestimate the feelings she is having for you. She is your protective shield and will protect you at any cost. "

    Those words turned out to be true, so that means he was closely related to the core powers in some other way. He dashed towards Emmy and hugged her tightly from back. With his action, he totally missed out the part where Emmy''s iris of eyes was completely green in colour. Slowly it dilated back to the previous black shade.

    The Sorceress who got choked due to the extent of Emmy''s aura was now watching the couple enviously. She stood up and backed off a couple of steps.

    " I had not let them live together nor will allow you both to live peacefully."

    She vanished in front of their eyes and when Alex, as well as Emmy, opened their eyes, they were back inside the room. Both of them were completely exhausted and decided to call it a night. Alex had a lot of questions whereas Emmy had a lot of things to clarify but both of them laid down silently.

    Both of them would have lost their sleep if they knew that the next morning, the first news reaching them would be completely sweeping them off their feet.

    Meanwhile, at a place where no one had entered for decades, a man opened his eyes from his long-termed meditation. In his eyes, there was immense bliss which could bloom over thousands of flowers.

    " My master is backˇ­. the supreme heir has finally arrived."

    He quickly got up and came out of the cave where he had punished himself for letting his master fail. From the long meditation, he had achieved what others thought was impossible, he remembered once when everyone bullied the weak him, only his master believed in him. His master had mentioned that focusing over our own body meridians for a longer time can make those powerful.

    " On that day, I made you fail, master but now I promise to let you watch that evil witch dying a thousand deaths."

    The man washed up properly and set his journey to meet the supreme heir of his master.. This time he was confident, to safeguard his master''s heir and it was time for him to avenge his master.

 Chapter 81 - Visitor From The Core Powers

    The next morning Alex and Emmy were called by the elders. The three elders observed the two youngsters from head to toe. It was the master Rotrigues who broke the silence first.

    " We know that we shouldn''t meddle into youngsters'' business but you are our only goddaughter, so I wanted to ask this punk, when do you both intend to get married?"

    By the word marriage coming out of this master who had once threatened him to stay away from Emmy, Alex''s face lit up quickly whereas Emmy was thinking whether elder Rotigues had hit his head somewhere.

    When Emmy saw her lover boy''s expression, she knew if given the chance, this wolf would get ready to devour the poor lamb as soon as possible, so she quickly replied.

    " No rush, first let me avenge my parents, then he can come with the gifts for the bride''s family."

    The bliss on his face faded to some degrees, but Alex stubbornly made another proposal.

    " Let us be engaged before that, in that case, no one would dare to steal you away from me right!"

    Emmy raised her eyebrows questioning why he was adamant about getting engaged before knowing the truth. There was another reason why she was delaying their union because she was not sure after opposing those hidden powers, will she return safely or not. Also, she didn''t want to implicate Alex into this war as they could use this opportunity to kill him.

    In contrast to Emmy''s serious thoughts, Alex was thinking that she would leave him if Lamia returns so that now it was the elder who initiated the proposal, Alex wanted to use this chance to tie down Emmy with him forever.

    When this couple was drowned in their own thoughts, elder Lathodore took the final decision.

    " Being engaged is a good option but for this lad, I don''t think that''s a great idea. Let them be like this till they get married. We won''t interfere with it at all."

    Alex looked at the elder Lathodore with a goofy expression, then sadly turned to face Emmy who was now in all smiles. Just as he wanted to poke those rosy cheeks, a guard rushed inside. He was finding it difficult to even breathe and taking a large amount of air through his mouth, he turned to Alex instead of facing the elders.

    " Man from Core World..."

    Before the guard could finish his sentence, he fainted while pointing over to the door. Everyone turned their attention towards the direction the guard had pointed, soon a man in his late fifties appeared at the entrance. He stood there watching each of the elders and then the fainted guard. Finally, his eyes fell over a similar face to the portrait he was holding in his hands.

    With a smile on his face, he walked straight to the familiar face while his left hand lighted the portrait using the lamp kept nearby. Emmy was looking at this handsome and strange man who barged in suddenly to their clan. By the man''s attire, he was not from neither of the VilmonArk clans nor the Vilmon world.

    The man reached in front of all, who was wondering who this person was and the elders were on guard as their guard had mentioned '' Man from the core world''.The surprising factor which was confusing them was how come the guard knew that this person was directly from the core world?

    Watching another person having the same facial aspects, the man was overwhelmed with guilt and unconsciously he kowtowed before the dumbfounded Alex. From the time, the guard looked at Alex and pointed out the door, Alex was feeling confused over many things. What did the guard want to convey directly to him even before paying respect to the elders of the dark clan? Now even the last link connecting Alex to the core world, the jade was destroyed yesterday night, so now what must have happened for a man coming alone here and is even courageous to come straight knocking the Esbertrazian clan door?

    " Can you please stop this, get up and tell who you are first?"

    Alex stepped back at once pulling Emmy with him. The man stopped his action and stood up firmly. His eyes were stuck on the way Emmy was holding Alex by his waist and their closure stated about their relationship.

    " I am Galstorie, the humble servant of the Zucathore family. The whole clan had perished under the attack of the evil supreme powers but our queen managed to escape and I am here to rightfully find our queen."

    He wanted to complete his sentence but swallowed back to his throat, "rightfully find their queen as well as the supreme heir of their clan."

    " Your clan queen? Our Esbertrazian clan haven''t received any refugees for the past twenty years, We don''t think the person you are looking for is here."

    Before elder Rotrigues could ask this uninvited guest to leave, he felt a choking force over the throat and his airflow was blocked completely. In his ears, a whisper was heard, " do not meddle in my business."

    Elder Lathodore and the elder Miandrake had already sensed the intense powerful projecting from this man''s body. Just as the elder Rotrigues thought he was going to choke to death, the force was nullified suddenly and he could breathe freely. The three elders looked shockingly towards the stranger, who was also standing stumped there.

    Galstorie had used his maximum strength to strangle the sly elder of the Esbertrazian clan. On the way, he had heard the tales of enmity between the Salian and Esbertrazian clan. He wished to unroot this whole clan but watching the heir in front of his eyes, he totally got lost in sheer happiness.

    But he could feel another force contradicting his powers and enclosed his wild aura around himself. He tried to check who was the powerful force hidden from his eyes in the hall. However, he failed to recognise that now inside there was another person who was even more powerful than the masters of the Zucathore clan.

    Galstorie humbly bowed in front of Alex again, " I can truly understand my position here, but our queen escaped two decades ago, please help me."

    All this while, Emmy was silently watching the expression of the elders as well as this stranger who from the time of his arrival was trying to curry favour from Alex. His gaze hid so many emotions but the way he was behaving with Alex was different. Emmy pinched Alex''s waist slightly which tickled him.

    Upon catching his attention, Emmy slowly nodded her head and although Alex didn''t want to get meddled with any new problems, he knew Emmy had something in her mind. So, Alex politely asked the dark clan elders to let this man stay over their courtyard for the next few days.

    Emmy then purposefully let Alex show Galstorie the place to stay and she decided to meet the elders in secret.

    " Elders, what do you think about that strange man ?"

    Emmy asked sincerely to the elders where they were still thinking about the powerful aura that had counterattacked Galstorie''s attack on Rotrigues. Emmy had to cough thrice to awake them from their thoughts and she explained her doubts to the elders.

    " I feel that this man can be connected with that woman."

    " Which woman?"

    Emmy curiously asked while elders looked at each other before replying. The memories of the past still made the elders feel sorry for their fourth brother, if they had been a bit more strong, then Shawn would never have been killed.

    " I meant Alex''s biological mother, she also came out of a blue moon, remember when she had entered our castle to find the great lord, we all felt a strange force passing over our body. Emmy, it will be best if you don''t interfere in that business."

    Emmy didn''t like the way elder Lathodore was indirectly poking his presence to their lives. She remained silent but then again questioned the elders about Alex''s mother.

    " I want to know more about her. Can you all please recollect what happened on that day when she arrived here the first time?"

    Elder Miandrake looked at Emmy and out of the window, it was like he was recollecting the memory of that particular day on which he had seen the great lord crying for the very first time.

    " An early morning, the great lord was strolling near the lakeside. We four were recruited to the dark clan fresh, so we didn''t have any connection with him at that time and we were on alert every time. "

    " Hold on, what do you mean by you were recruited to the dark clan and all? Weren''t you with the great lord from the beginning?".

    The three elders remained silent for some time.. Emmy knew then and there that these elders including her father were not at all a part of the great lord founded dark clan. But then why did they support him so much and raised his heir as an apple of their eyes?

 Chapter 82 - Not A Person Waiting To Be Loved

    Till noon, seeing no traces of Emmy coming back to their courtyard, Alex went in search of her in the elder Miandrake''s yard. On the way, he met Jordan who was gazing at Alex weirdly.

    " Buddy, are you seeing me for the first time or what? Hey, stop circling around me and tell, have you seen Emmy with Janet."

    " Alex, you won''t believe it at all."

    " Jordan, cut short what you want to say, you know right, I don''t like being a curious cat."

    Jordan circled around Alex one more time, then from his pocket, gave Alex a paper of newly drawn image. After looking at the image, Alex wanted to hit Jordan''s head but as he was his closest friend, he couldn''t dare to hurt this fellow who was jumping all around him.

    Seeing Alex getting irritated instead of being surprised, Jordan took a look at the image again. Alex closed his eyes and sighed. What had happened to his intelligent friend after falling in love?

    " Alex, don''t tell me you are not surprised at all after seeing this?"

    Alex''s last chord of patience snapped, he shook Jordan by grasping him over the shoulders.

    " Jordan, have you gone nuts? I haven''t seen Emmy from the morning and when I am enquiring about her, you are showing me my own pictures? What should I do with you?"

    After being shaken violently, Jordan''s eyes took some time to focus on his surroundings. When he heard Alex''s opinion about those images, he felt excited.

    " Look, you yourself couldn''t recognise, then why should we blame the guards of our alpha squad. This is not you Alex, the man who came to visit the dark clan early in the morning showed our guards this portrait. He was asking whether any of them have seen the person by showing this paper to each one of them.

    Only one of them dared to say that the person who he was searching for is the current crown prince of the Salian clan and the fiance of the only goddaughter of the dark clan. But as that man introduced himself as a person from core power, all the guards got shocked. The one who reported it to you fainted on the spot, isn''t it?

    Alex also remembered that instance when Galstorie entered the hall, yes, he had burned a piece of paper in his hands. So it meant, he came specifically for Alex but from his attitude, Alex didn''t feel that he could be a threat.

    " Jordan, he only mentioned that he wanted to find the queen of their clan but never once admitted that he came here in search of me."

    Jordan then explained what the elders had concluded about the only possibility of such a person coming after almost two decades for finding their queen.

    " Alex, I think, combining all the points in front of us. Your father might be the clan head of the Zucathore clan of the core power. The Supreme lord''s direct bloodline, his only son. Janet told me that Emmy had a heated argument with the elders in the morning and she has been sitting with the girls after that."

    Alex rushed to meet Emmy with Jordan. Upon arriving at the Lotus pond in the garden, he saw Emmy was lying down on Juliet''s lap and taking a nap. On her face, there was happiness and her pink lips were like it was waiting for its lover to come and tease it.

    Juliet felt as if someone was thinking bad about her, she turned to see Alex standing at a distance irritatedly. She looked at her lap and wanted to wake up Emmy as she didn''t want to enter her brother-in-law''s bad book but was stopped by Alex.

    In a very low tone, Alex said, " This calmness on her face is rare to see, let her rest for some more time." Saying this, he quickly gave space for the women and went to the lakeside with Jordan.

    " Do you think the queen he mentioned is my mother, if so, where is my father and what connection does the Zucathore clan head have with the great lord? "

    " Alex, before we think about that, we have to understand another main problem, the elders had mentioned that the supreme lord divided his power to create Sorceress and Enchantress but if he had a son, why did he create another two powerful beings and give them the whole clan. There are still some things which are hidden, we need to find those as soon as possible."

    " Where should start from Jordan, my power who was supporting me till now suddenly turned to the opposition. Although I knew that the Salian king truly hated me but never did I think that he was never my father, to begin with. I can imagine his feelings when he was forced to marry someone who didn''t love, but he did. However, how can he accept a child which was not his? And the elders even forced him to make the fake son the crown prince and the real son as a backdrop. No one can accept it and I am thankful to him in keeping me alive till now."

    Alex finally broke down his emotional barrier at last, till this day he wished to know the exact reason why his father never liked him and always saw him with disgust.

    Just then Alex felt a strong hand over his shoulder, sensing the familiarity, Alex hugged the person and made his mind more strong.

    "Brother, don''t be upset over petty things. I will fight with you against this world if you want so, but I want my stronger brother back, please "

    Watching the brothers support each other at times of their needs, Jordan was little envious but here once again it was proven that blood relations do not account for trustworthy companionship.

    " Brother, remember what that old housekeeper at the inn had mentioned of your father being alive, we have to start solving from that point of view."

    Alex tried to remember the exact words from the letter that the old man wrote for him the day he disappeared,

    "No one will dare to question you here but beware the leaders may get furious if they come to know your real identity. Stay away from trouble and one more thing.. your father is still alive."

    " Mike, do you think I should question that man who came from the core power directly?"

    Before Mike and Jordan could answer Alex, they heard a voice from behind. The firm, decisive sound was enough for them to identify the person.

    " Thinking of me, young lad?"

    Alex and Jordan looked at each other while Mike held Alex by his shoulders confirming his support. Galstorie looked at Mike and Alex, but he smiled because his master''s son had a brother even if they are not related by blood. The same bond that was present between his master and that person.

    " Mister, tell me the truth, who are you? I know you came especially in search of me, if you still try to deny the truth, then you may please return to wherever you came from."

    Galstorie saw Alex''s eyes filled in with curiosity but to achieve his aim and to avenge his master, he decided to keep quiet. He cannot tell their Zucathore heir that their whole family perished due to the feelings of unconditional love.

    "Son, the famous Zucathore family was the core power once, the clan head who was called as the supreme lord was the evilest power anyone could have seen. He had only one son who was the exact opposite of this character, an innocent yet upright gentleman.The tragedy of the Zucathore family started when your father met the woman of the Yalasgue family and wanted to marry her. "

    Suddenly Galstorie could feel a strange power from distance, he checked his surroundings and left in a hurry. Jordan and Mike did not like this man''s demeanour at all whereas Alex finally knew who was his real father.

    " Investigating without me, huh?"

    Alex turned around to face Emmy who was looking at him angrily, he wanted to explain so much but no words came out of his mouth.

    " Dear wifey, you were having your beauty sleep when I came, so thought of finding things on my own. Come, let me love you properly."

    Emmy gave him a friendly punch but in fact, it hurt Alex badly. He raised his head to see Emmy was not at all joking.

    " I am not a person waiting to be loved, as my life partner, do come and spend time with me pleaseˇ­."

    Before Emmy could finish her sentence, Alex silenced her with his deep kiss. All their friends standing beside them blushed hard. Giving this intimate couple the space they need, others left the premises quickly.

    Later, Alex explained the whole thing to Emmy and Emmy decided to tell Alex about the real truth behind the formation of Esbertrazian clan

 Chapter 83 - Search Into The Roots

    Emmy slowly started explaining about the enchantress and why the supreme lord was biased towards her more than that to the sorceress.

    " The elders do not know the specifics why the supreme lord decided to create and divide his powers when he had his own son to continue his legacy. Anyways, he passed on the rule of the core world to the new powers, the sorceress and the enchantress, till this point whatever we have heard and found is true."

    Emmy could feel that Alex was getting more curious, so without beating around the bush, she continued.

    " But the eviler and deadliest supreme lord was little patient towards his son who never even can harm anyone. So, no matter how many times the supreme lord tried to make his son powerful as him, the latter could only use his powers for the well being of others. Hence, his only son, Byron Zucathore was given the head position of their family clan only."

    "So my father is Byron ˇ­ Byron Zucathore. My roots are from the core power and my uncle is the great lord of the dark clan. Wow, in short, both my parental families were much powerful but then what happened to them ?"

    Alex got excited thinking about the fact that he had found his roots now but later his mind the feeling of loneliness again surged up. Emmy felt downhearted seeing Alex like this, the things which happened with his family later, will surely make him paranoid.

    " Alex, your father was banished from the clan itself after two years."

    Alex was shocked and his whole body shivered, getting banished ˇ­ that too a clan headˇ­ What did his father do to get banished from the top position? He looked at Emmy with his mind full of questions.

    "After becoming the clan head, your father who was in his youth had many women admirers but he was not interested in anyone as he had already locked someone else in his heart. He only wished to marry that one particular woman. However, that woman was none other than the fiancee of the Yalasgue clan''s next successor. "

    " Yalasgue clan, that is my mother''s clanˇ­ that means, Emmy, are you saying that my father broke her engagement with their crown prince and married her."

    Emmy took some time to answer Alex as she knew that the answer for it might hurt him very badly. The anxious Alex could not wait any more, he directly knelt before Emmy and taking her hands, he pleaded.

    " Emmy, I need to know about my family, even if it will hurt by tons, I don''t care, look because of my family''s past, I have now hidden yet very powerful enemies, so please whatever you know, don''t hide it from me."

    Alex then hugged Emmy tightly, she knew that he was on the verge of breaking down but how could she tell him that even the pure innocent man can show his beastly character to possess what he wanted.

    " My dear, I don''t know how to tell you and what to tell you. After one year, your father had attacked the whole Yalasgue clan and even kidnapped your mother. He literally extirpated the whole clan by leaving them to be burnt alive."

    Emmy let Alex lie down on her lap and his hot tears soon made her skirt wet. The evening slowly lit to moonlight and the temperature was getting less minute by minute.

    After a long silence, Alex looked up to see Emmy sleeping with her hand supporting her head with him on her lap. He had cried a lot today and amidst slowly went to sleep letting Emmy to sit like a pillow for him. Alex felt terrible in his heart after seeing how Emmy was taking care of him.

    " I know now mother why you didn''t hesitate to marry another man without thinking much. That was your last straw to save me and yourself. But you received death while trying to save me. I wish that man would also have loved you the way this girl is loving me."

    Alex slowly stood up, stretched his limbs and carefully carried Emmy. With a sudden movement, Emmy opened her eyes but then later saw that she was in his embrace so silently closed her eyes and leaned over his chest to sleep like a cat.

    With tormenting emotions on one side and the irreplaceable feeling of being trusted, Alex walked towards their room to catch a good rest. Although there was no physical work, the emotional baggage which he had loaded today made him exhausted. The woman in his embrace was his only hope to live long now. He took steps forward promising that he would never repeat his father''s actions ever. He was the son of his mother only and didn''t want to get tagged on his father''s qualities.

    The next morning, Emmy woke up fresh to find Alex hugging her waist while sleeping. She gave kisses all over his face and tried to remove his hand which were placed over her navel without disturbing his sleep.

    However, her attempt failed and Alex woke up quickly. He was having a dream where his dear little wife was cajoling him by showering with kisses and suddenly just as he was going to touch her, he woke up.

    Rubbing his eyes, Alex kissed her twice on her lips. Then, he got up and went to get ready for a fresh start. Emmy was a little surprised as this was not the reaction she expected from Alex after he had heard about the roots of his family.

    Just as when Alex came after grooming himself up, Emmy hugged him and started to listen to his strong heartbeats while leaning over his chest. She made sure that he was okay and Alex also needed this pampering to get recovered.

    " Emmy, do not worry, I can survive this. With you on my side, no other news can hurt me anymore. We will solve all our problems together and then will live happily at your clifftop manor for lifelong."

    " So do you want to know the rest of what happened ?"

    Alex nodded his head. He wanted to be strong to protect his woman and so decided to overcome his problems instead of running away from those.

    " So the only person who survived that annihilation was the Yalasgue''s heir, Maaran, later who was known as the great lord of the VilmonArk."

    Alex was again stumped, so the great lord was not his uncle but the prime enemy who actually should have wanted to kill him however chose to protect his mother and himself. After his mother''s death, gave him an invisible layer of protection. The great lord was a real man just as his name meant.

    " Then after one year, he returned predominantly defeating the black enchantress and the core power even if he had chosen the cunning way. He attacked the Zucathore clan but couldn''t find your parents. Later he came to VilmonArk and then all these diversions happened. This is what I came to know after talking with the elders. "

    Alex nodded his head but later he was confused about another thing.

    " Emmy, the Esbertrazian elders and the years you mentioned do not match. If the whole Yalasgue clan was terminated, then from where did they come."

    Emmy took a long breath and answered, " Alex, the four elders are actually created by the supreme lord for safeguarding the enchantress after his death. They will be only loyal to their master, later after the war, when she went to seclusion herself, she asked her shadow guards to be the elders of the Esbertrazian clan and protect her love. That''s how they started following the great lord. "

    Just as Emmy completed her sentence, she remembered that day when the jade broke what the sorceress had said to them.

    "Do not be happy looking at my haggard state, your clan will receive an enormous blow soon, not even his four lackeys could save your Esbertrazian clan from my people... "

    " And you, young lad, although you were never his son, because of your mother, he treated me like nothing but an ally. But I gave them the most beautiful gift of all, you will know about it soon. Now it is enough, I will make sure to kill you slowly and painfully you will beg me to end your lifeˇ­."

    So it means that the sorceress still didn''t go to seclusion nor did she die. The creation of the Lady Vilmon was the powerful combination of those three but according to what she said, it meansˇ­ Anitteme Esbertraz is the real daughter of the two powerful entities, the great lord and the black enchantress.

    " Alex, quick! We need to meet the elders soon, also ask someone to fetch that man from the Zucathore clan. If he is so devoted to his master, it means he is an enemy of the dark clan, We need to stop him as soon as possible."

    Alex also remembered the threat which the sorceress gave, "not even his four lackeys could save your Esbertrazian clan from my people..."

 Chapter 84 - Friend Or Foe, Its Time To Forget The Woe

    The group gathered at the dark towers early in the morning. The group consisted of Alex and his friends including the new couples as well as the elders of the Esbertrazian clan along with Galstorie.

    From the time he arrived, Galstorie was just observing how Emmy and Alex interacted with each other. He was sure that this woman in front of him was no simpleton and was a good match for his master''s son but is she trustworthy? what if she also turned out to be like that wretched woman who made master pioneer those nasty things. As Galstorie was submerged in his own thoughts, Emmy suddenly addressed his name.

    " Elder Galstorie, we know why you have come here in the pretext of finding your queen who never wanted to be the queen of the Zucathore clan. Judging your attitude towards the search, it is evident that the one who you are searching is right in front of you, isn''t it? You might have wanted to search the queen first but then you enquired and came to know the person you call as the queen, Lady Triana Yalasgue died years ago but her son Alexandrian Envoy Salian is the current crown prince of the Salian clan. So you came straight to seek him for various reasons. What do you think, am I correct?"

    Galstorie wanted to appreciate Emmy for her straight to point talk and he looked at Alex, who was standing there with a cold expression. After seeing his important person staring at him with such an expression, Galstorie knew this time if he decides to remain quiet and hide all those secrets, the master''s son would pay no attention even if anyone throws him out.

    " Girl, isn''t it a bit rude talking to an elder like this, that too, the only elder left in your future husband''s family?"

    Hearing Galstorie all the elders felt anger inside but before they could protest against him Alex took control fiercely.

    " Did I even consider you as my elder? One more thing, you might be the only person left of the Zucathore family but I don''t care for a family which I had no connections from the day I was born. This is my woman, disrespecting her would make you face my wrath, remember it while you stay here."

    Emmy loved the way Alex stood for her, a smile bloomed over her lips and glistened her eyes. She held his hand softly and leaned over his shoulders. By her actions, Alex knew what he did was the right thing. Standing up for your loved one is much better than leaving her lonely for her safety. He had learnt from his past mistake, this time he won''t let go of the precious woman ever.

    The love birds totally were in their world while the Esbertrazian elders admired seeing Alex taking action. This young man was just like their great lord in taking actions but their lord lacked only the courage to let go of his past. If he had let go of first love and accepted either sorceress or enchantress, their life would have been so different now

    " Hmm, young man, I think before you also get lost in feelings, you have to know what had happened to the Zucathore clan in real life. I thought of avenging my master alone as making things known to you may put your life in danger. However, you are just like your father and have no ability in choosing what is right or wrong when in love. "

    Galstorie stopped for a moment and then after looking at the intertwined hands of the couple, he slowly walked towards the window.

    " Our Lord was not satisfied with his only son being naive but he didn''t know that his son was training in secret. Apart from him being soft-hearted, physically he was unbeatable but gets emotionally weak. His emotional state shattered the day when he heard his father chose someone else over him to be the leader of the core power. "

    "However, our lord had different plans, he had actually created two beings and gave them half of his powers. While the two women he created were treated with pride, my master was given the position of the head of the Zucathore clan. He was happy and life passed just like that. In spite of having all the powers, one of the women was keen on controlling the whole core power to which my master, as well as our benefactor, raised their concerns from time to time. Finally, on the day of the coronation, our supreme lord passed all his powers to the black enchantress. Our clan was celebrated that day grandly but we didn''t know that it somehow made us enemies in someone''s eyes.

    She frequently started my master and slowly due to her interaction, the first love which he had hidden inside his heart bloomed once again for the girl whom he met in the forests. That witch, incited ideas to my master''s head which resulted in the whole annihilation of the mysterious Yalasgue clan. The rest of the things you know very well."

    Elder Lathodore and elder Miandrake were utterly shocked, they wanted to present this Zucathore slave with a punch on his face but kept quiet whereas elder Rotrigues was more rebellion. He directly shouted at Galstorie''s face.

    " How dare you say about the black enchantress, what can a measly man like you know about the real enchantress."

    "Enchantress, never would I dare to lift my eyelids against her, you are just hopelessly uttering absurd things."

    Now everyone in the room except Galstorie was looking at each other with their eyes open. Even if the four elders trusted the enchantress but they believed the other person was more angelic and innocent when compared with the vicious and cunning enchantress.

    " So are you saying that the Sorceress was..."

    " Yes, Lathodoreˇ­ she was the evil one.. she did everything. First, she tried to destroy the beautiful relationship between my master and the enchantress, whom we considered as our benefactor when she couldn''t do that. She schemed well and my master couldn''t see through her. After the brutal war, when I saw my master for the final time, he just said one thingˇ­ protect his wife, but I could only let her escape from the clutches of the sorceress."

    Alex was looking at Emmy as he remembered how she had guessed this result before, but how could she possibly know things even when it was hidden from everyone for years.

    " I believe that pure sorceress is the true villainous of this trio. Her eyes are saying a lot of things."

    Emmy was also thinking about the same scenario where she had mentioned this before.

    " This means every fragment is true but still some pieces are still not matching properly. Galstorie, if the enchantress was the benefactor of your clan, why didn''t she help the Zucathore from the verge of extinction?"

    " I don''t know, maybe she was busy with her own mattersˇ­ and..."

    Alex slowly raised his eyes, which made Galstorien a bit shivered. He opened up his mouth to speak but no words came.

    " Lad, after your father kidnapped your mother and forced on her, the enchantress had broken all ties with him but still she came after fighting over her side. "

    Alex nodded his head but Emmy raised a question, " A Zucathore person came here to seek help even if his master. Just tell me are you a friend or a foe to the Esbertrazian clan?"

    Galstorie now completely admired Emmetina as her sense of observation was much farther than any other girl of her age. He silently prayed for their well being and wished that his master should have also got a companion like this little girl.

    " Can you please tell me about the relation between mother and our father " Alex requested?

    The Zucathore elder felt ashamed of himself to answer this young man''s question. How can he say that his mother was kidnapped and brutally forced to marry the Zucathore clan head? How can he say that his mother never once loved his father?

    "Complicated, it was good that your mother never intended to kill the fruit which she bore with him. Your mother could never love your father as he had crossed his limits on their day itself."

    Emmy felt Alex should not take any more blow today, so she apparently asked the elders to excuse them and they walked away. But with every step she took, Emmy looked at Galstories with a threat in her eyes.

    " Dare to lie, you will meet the devil soon. Her green eyes shone freaking Galstorie out completely"

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author''s Note

    Hello All, sorry for missing out a couple of days of uploading the chapters. Please message all your comments on how you view different characters of the story. Also, vote for your favourite couple in the story. Whichever couples win, a special episode about them and their life will be published.. Few of our esteemed readers had raised a few doubts about the storyline, please be patient and read the upcoming chapters to know more about it.

 Chapter 85 - Promises Are Made To Be Broken

    Alex clenched his fists, a little more force then he palms would bleed. He decided when he will meet that man who mistreated his mother, as a son he would definitely take revenge.

    After the meeting, the group of friends met in the garden discussing their future plan, in one week time, all six of them had to return back to college with master Rotrigues.

    " Emmy, how can you be sure that within one week, we will come to know about the next lead. Well, we will be returning back to our college in just 7 days right."

    Emmy had thought of dropping out of college but then Alex mentioned an idea to her. She knew that Alex wanted her to be stress-free but his idea was best in this situation.

    " Janet, when the enemy thinks that we have kept our guard down, they will come in the light to strike. The fact that we are still powerless in front of the core power is a great disadvantage to us. While we wait for them to strike, let''s strengthen ourselves. I have asked Juliet to form the plan for it. By the way, did you inform your family about the things?"

    A cold expression suddenly washed over Janet''s face, she shook her head indicating that her family didn''t pay attention over her words. Emmy and Juliet looked at each other, then Juliet added, " I guess, none of the clan will believe about the core power or the black world. We still don''t know who all are in cahoots with the black world."

    " Also, my grandfather requested us to visit the Posei family once before we go back."

    Everyone agreed with Mike on the front, they decided to visit the Posei family the next day. Eliza and Kiara wanted to join them but their husbands were put on another important task. So they left for the hunt for the book Ravenic with the group of alpha guards.

    Meanwhile, at the Salian tribe, dark clouds gathered around the second prince''s residence from the day of his marriage. Every day the servants heard their prince and his wife arguing. None of them liked the Agnartic princess, she had a bad temper and always blamed each and every servant inside the household.

    Once the servants of the second prince manor met those from the residence of the crown prince at the market, while discussing their mistresses, the maids from the crown prince were in all praises making the second prince manor''s maids jealous. They heard that all servants, from cook to the lowly maids were considered as a family at the crown prince''s residence. Every day it is fun and life was much enjoyable there, it was clearly seen from their countenance. All looked well-groomed and healthy, happiness was shown in their faces as they were waiting to welcome back their master and mistress.

    Returning back to the residence, one of the maids commented, " They are going to celebrate the return of their master and mistress tomorrow. All were blooming happily. "

    " When will they be returning ?"

    Suddenly a voice startled all the maids who were engaged in gossiping about the crown prince residence. All became silent at once but the maid who had commented was made to kneel down and answer their mistress. Arona hated when these lowly maids showed their respect to Victor over her and stood silent when she enquired something.

    Arona roared again, " When will they return, you, the one in the yellow dress, answer what did you hear about the crown prince ?"

    The shivering maid without raising her head, she answered her mistress''s questions one by one. Later she was gifted with a tight slap on her face, cutting her lips and on spot, bleeding was seen.

    " You, from today onwards, will send me news about the crown prince and major activities happening at his residence. Also, you will be visiting the residence to give that vile woman a present. Deliver it straight to her hands and pass her a message that she is just a substitute for time being."

    The maid nodded her head with tears flowing over the face. When Victor received the news of Arona treating the maids like slaves, he didn''t mind at all. The number of young maids disappearing from his residence was no less and no one dared to raise a voice against till now. He was glad that now the blame of his mischiefs can be directly pointed to her head.

    He summoned his blackguard, " Any news on Rasber? Where was he last seen."

    The blackguard was ashamed as this was the first time he didn''t have answers to his master''s questions. He was scared whether his master would belittle his credibility and remove him from the head position, so he lied, " Master, Rasber was last seen at your wedding day. He had assigned his lackeys in checking the people around the crown prince on that day. He was keen on finding the information about the crown princess and her friends."

    Victor didn''t feel anything amiss, his mind was over the mission from the black world. He tried to find clues from the Dagardian and Posei family but had no further leads. Just as he was planning his next move, an owl landed on the table and on its leg was a note tied. He took out the note and freed the owl through the window. Later, he checked his surroundings and after making sure that there were no suspicious persons, he opened the note.

    " STOP FINDING THE JADEˇ­

    Separate that woman from the serpent...

    She must be with us in any way."

    Victor destroyed the note and sat there in half relief, finding that Jade was hard but now dealing with a woman was his left-hand play. He again summoned his blackguard who was now sweating profusely but after hearing his master''s orders, he quickly left the study room happily. He was assigned the new task of spying on the crown prince and his friends. He thought it was a simple task but he didn''t know that Jordan was the best of a spy in the whole land of VilmonArk and with him around the crown prince, no one would be able to check on him.

    Victor after getting relieved from the tension decided to enjoy the night today with his new bride. He left the study room and reached his wife''s chamber in no time. Just as he was about to enter, he heard a conversation between Arona and her personal maid discussing how to plot against him.

    " Wow, I didn''t know that she was this cunning, hmm.. alright, let me see at what all length will she go for getting onto that imbecile''s bed huh.."

    Victor smiled and made sounds like someone was approaching. Inside the room, the maid adjusted the blanket over Arona and pretended that her mistress was sick.

    Victor entered the chamber and saw his healthy wife pretending to be in poor health. He asked the maid to go out and he sat over her bedside.

    " This woman is acting well. I wonder what if I didn''t come here before, she would have tricked me easily. it is time to enjoy some new ones, I guess"

    Victor thought it in his mind and smiled to himself.

    " Dreaming about him right, do not worry, I will make your dream come true. Be ready tomorrow, we will visit the crown prince residence together."

    Arona laid there saying anything but Victor''s next sentence made her frantic.

    " He will be gone for the next half a year, so this is your last chance to meet him for now. Now that you are so sick, I can go alone. "

    " Okay, I will be ready after the morning court, we will go together ".

    Arona was getting ecstatic but she forgot that her ploy was destroyed just the moment she opened her mouth. She looked at Victor who was grinning cunningly observing her chest. She quickly adjusted the blanket and sternly asked,

    " Although I''m ill, I should pay him a visit and you, please go to your chamber. I need to rest."

    Victor stood up after hearing Arona and just as she thought that he was leaving, he rudely pulled her out of the bed and forcefully entered her private space. For the next few minutes, Arona saw what was hell. After the deed, Victor slowly whispered over her ears, " This is for plotting against me, Envoy Salian Victorian. I have settled the score with you and next is your maid."

    Arona, in the midst of gasping for air, turned her naked body around to face this monster.

    " You promised to the elders after marriage only I will be the woman in your life."

    Victor laughed out loud and said, " What elders, those puny men cannot stop me from doing whatever I want. For me, Promises are made to be broken. Go and complain if you dare."

    After saying his piece, Victor went in search of his next prey.

 Chapter 86 - I Didnâ€™t Like You From The Very Beginning

    The next morning the personal maid of the new lady of the second prince residence was found dead in the lotus pond. It was rumoured that she had tried to seduce the second prince and when the mistress knew about it, she declared to execute the maid by drowning her in the lotus pond.

    While the court people were discussing the colourless atmosphere at the second prince''s residence, the common citizens were busy in getting ready for the arrival of their crown prince. The whole north side where the residency resides was decorated in flowers and garlands. The people wore new dresses and prepared gifts for the prince and his wife.

    When the sedan reached the gates, Emmy was shocked to see the sea of people gathered around the area. She saw Alex getting down the sedan and chattering with the common people. His demeanour had no presence of the highly sophisticated royal heir, along with him he walked through the crowd, eating the delicacies they had prepared for him. Emmy felt happy to see such a personality of Alex, she never thought this haughty, ill-tempered prince could have a soft approach to his subjects.

    Emmy also got down from the sedan and walked towards Alex, who was busy stuffing his mouth with all those delicious food. When he saw Emmy approaching, smiling sheepishly offered her a cream stuffed cake.

    All the people surrounding them watched this interaction and waited for Emmy''s reaction. For them, a down to earth crown prince was already a rare gem for them and they wanted to see how their new crown princess would be. They had heard a lot of praises of this only goddaughter of the great Esbertrazian clan.

    Surprising everyone, Emmy directly sat on the stool and ate the cake from Alex''s hands. Smiling at the old grandma who was serving tea, Emmy took a cup and drank it without any complaints. She also praised the food and decorations done by the citizens making the whole crowd cheer up. Their efforts didn''t go in vain and they liked their new mistress a lot.

    Meanwhile, at the gates, the sedan from the palace as well as the second prince''s place arrived together. Alighting from it, the King and queen were both disgusted by the way Alex was behaving. When people noticed the new guests, they quickly presented the same to the guests.

    The King Valeriander had to keep up with his good image amongst the commoners so he took a small piece and pretended to eat. He wanted to puke but maintained the smile on his face and swallowed it whereas the queen straightforwardly rejected their offer. The subjects of the Salian clan were used to the tantrums of their queen, so instead of being dejected, they backed off completely.

    When Arona saw Alex and Emmy enjoying the food and enjoying themselves, she wanted to run there and pull off Emmy who was sitting beside Alex. She hated any woman who went close to her charming prince. In her mind, the battle princess had already killed Emmy for multiple times. She took her anger towards Emmy on the poor citizens who offered cakes and tea to the second prince and his wife. Both of them rejected the food rudely.

    Alex saw his so-called parents arrive, so thanking the people for their mouth-watering delicacies, he held Emmy''s hands guiding her through the crowd towards the gates. Watching the couple holding their hands and coming slowly, the king felt that Alex had changed his approach somehow. Instead of seeing mental anguish, in his eyes, the Salian king could see a new light. it was as if Alex was respectful towards him and genuinely wanted to apologise to him but how could it be possible. A boy who was mentally and physically tortured from his childhood, how could he suddenly be a dutiful son?

    Valeriander stepped a few steps backwards and signalled his son, Victor to take handle Alex''s vile comments. Just as Victor was going to greet the crown prince, Alex and Emmy bowed in front of the king.

    " Paying respect to the highness!"

    " Father, thank you for allowing our subject to arranging such a grand welcome. It was so refreshing to know that my family is waiting for me."

    The queen stomped her feet and returned to the sedan while the king nodded his head and before returning back to his sedan, he announced to the whole crowd.

    " The coronation of your crown prince shall be taking place in the two days before he goes back to complete his studies. "

    The whole crowd cheered and shouted slogans in favour of the king while the Victor as well as Emmy were shocked with this unexpected news.

    " You knew about this?"

    Emmy asked Alex who was still standing without any emotions of being surprised by this news. He nodded his head and walked towards Victor who was standing with his clenched fists.

    Seeing Alex, Victor faked a smile but Alex could read his expression clearly. He knew what Victor wished for and he turned around to Emmy boarding the sedan.

    " Brother Victor, I won''t take whatever is yours in the first place, if it was before I would have openly fought for the throne with you but then my world changed, my goals are different now. So, the throne of the Salian clan will be yours but one more thing, if you are adamant in getting what is in your eyes now, I will make sure you won''t be ever sitting over that throne in your life."

    Victor, who was watching Emmy board the sedan, suddenly looked at Alex. He also felt that Alex had changed his perspective. It looks like Alex had been bestowed with blessings from the gods. Victor sneered and nodded his head but for the sake of the crowd, he shouted cheers for his brother and hugged him.

    "Congratulations brother, finally your day has come. I am so happy for you."

    Victor then whispered his second sentence in Alex''s ears, " What I wish for will be mine eventually, the kingdom and the woman. I will make sure to thrash you in front of her."

    Alex smiled but this time, his eyes had the complete prowess of a lion. He held Victor by his shoulders and squeezed both sides hard. Then in a low tone, Alex warned, " No black world nor the core power can separate me from my woman."

    This time Victor was stumped, the knowledge of him having connections with the black world was known to none, then how did this rat know about it? While Victor was burning inside with this question, Arona reached beside Alex and started to play her white flower image/

    " Brother Alex, how are you?. I wanted to meet you alone, please can I make the arrangements of inviting you to the dinner tonight. It will be just you and me."

    As her tone was not that low, the people surrounding the brothers and herself heard what the second prince''s mistress had said to their crown prince. All of them felt disgusted and wanted to strangle this woman then and there. In their mind, only Emmy was suitable for the position of wife for their crown prince. They felt sorry for their prince for having such a brother and sister-in-law.

    Alex sneered and replied, " You are now my brother''s wife, stay and spark from your limits. Well, there is no need for us to talk and let me make it clear with you, I didn''t like you from the very beginning. I kept silent for your misbehaviours just because your sister was my childhood friend. Now I won''t be calm if you throw your tantrums to my people. Victor, ask your wife to behave properly. Also, if your wife is not satisfied with you, send men to her place to satisfy her instead of herself searching for any in the daylight."

    Victor had his mind out already because of his biggest secret getting revealed so this insult from this wretched man blown up his last straw of patience, he directly slapped Arona in front of the whole crowd and she fell down in front of the upcoming Sedan.

    The sedan abruptly stopped and from it alighted the Salian clan elders, they were fed up with the dramas staged by the second prince and his people across their clan. Watching this scene enclose, the elders angrily looked at the second prince and said to Alex.

    " I hope that the king must have informed you about the coronation. Congratulations for saving the Salian clan from complete destruction. We have acknowledged you as the final heir who has the capability for taking this clan to extraordinary heights. "

    Victor''s blood was boiling already and on the top of that, these praises to Alex was direct insults to him. He just stood there staring at those elders venomously. Watching Victor''s vicious gaze, Elder Floretren could not stop himself, " And you, the second prince ... what about the banishment for you two ?"

 Chapter 87 - Search For Agrona Agnartic

    Victor silently bowed in front of the elder and left without answering the crowd. While he passed, he pulled Arona who was looking at Alex with her mouth open. She was still hoping that Alex would help her and make her his crown princess, the future queen of the Salian clan.

    After excusing himself, Alex boarded the sedan and left for his residency where others were waiting. Soon the celebration began, a grand feast, as well as many activities, were also staged. Arona was sitting there beside the queen watching Emmy viciously. She wanted to kill Emmy then and there but her ears were ringing because of Victor''s slap, but Arona felt more disheartened because of Alex''s insult towards her.

    " Killing with your stares won''t help you much, I know you are in love with that witch''s son and someone had plotted against my innocent son to do the deed with you on that horrible day. What if I say that I have a plan to make that man yours forever and he won''t ever rebut back at you. what do you think? Want to try ?"

    Arona was engulfed in the sea of jealousy that her skills were diminished to such an extent that she couldn''t see that the queen was plotting against her. The queen wanted her son to be free from this evil woman''s clutches. So she tried to play mind games with this stupid woman.

    Meanwhile, Juliet had heard all this scheming conversation, she signalled Mike and Janet at the same time. They had reached the residence beforehand in checking traces of the black world amidst the Salian clan.

    On the other side, Victor as well as the king were sitting at the same table thinking about two different things. Victor was thinking about the message from the black world,

    " Stop finding the Jade, separate that woman from the serpent...She must be with us in any way."

    He wondered why the leaders of the black world who never have once left their patience, were rushing to separate Emmetina from Alex, but why? She was just the daughter of the shadow guard who died years ago. If she was a dangerous prodigy then why can''t the leaders finish her off instead of asking her to join hands with the black world and how come Alex knew the matters of him being allies with the black world? All these thoughts were frying Victor''s brain whereas the king was thinking about the sudden change in Alex. Valeriander was sure that Alex had changed his mindset towards him. The way he talked to the king today, it was genuine respect.

    "Dezo. watch the crown prince more closely. I feel some danger is going to strike soon."

    The trusted aid of the Salian king quickly dispersed into the crowd and the table again became silent. Jordan, who was spying over this table, smiled inwardly and left to meet his friends.

    " Dezo is going to spy on you whereas the queen along with Arona is aiming at Emmy. I think she is going to use the same thing again."

    " What is the same thing you referred to ?" enquired Emmy who was leaning over Alex''s shoulders. When she looked over Alex, she found him lost in thoughts, so she poked him softly with her index finger. Alex playfully held on to it and kissed her fingertips.

    " When I was denying all the proposals from various families, the queen had mixed a particular medicine in my food every day which increased my male hormones at an alarming state. Although the amount of it was small the effect was enormous, it was to make me a pervert I guess.. but after three intakes of that drug, I missed the dosage as I got stuck inside the mountain for a day. Then the physician observed the abnormality in my body and warned me about the same."

    Emmy knew what had happened on that day when Alex was trapped inside the mountain with Lamia. She shook her head to release her thoughts dancing over in her mind. Alex saw her reaction and understood that his wife was brewing a jar of vinegar for him. He slowly whispered in her ears,

    " Do not worry, I was guilty after that day but when it is our time, I will stop or straight one week."

    Emmy was trying hard not to think about Alex and his ex-lover, as a catalyst, Alex''s words successfully brought her out of that day but in turn, dozens of fantasies rushed into her brain. Emmy choked on her saliva and blushed hard but others thought that she was going to be sick because of travel. Janet quickly gave her a glass of water.

    Emmy drank the water in one go and thanked Janet. Just as all of them were going to continue with the feast, they heard three women voices.

    "Hey sister, how are you? Mother was saying that she misses you. Now the vacation is going to end but still, you haven''t returned home for even one day."

    All three women in the group recognised the voice all at once. It was none other than Juliet''s elder sister, Feona Posei. Even the men who were seeing this vapid woman for the first time understood that she was here to poke Juliet.

    But how could Mike let anyone bully his woman in front of him, he smiled and replied before Juliet could answer,

    " Please tell your mother that Juliet is happy wherever she is now and has no need of showing fake empathy as well as motherly love when she has already been married off. "

    Feona has always watched the cheerful side of Mike during college days but she never thought this man would be so fierce when he wanted to protect his loved ones. She felt envious towards her sister who was always the best amongst them. She tried to portray her curvy figure in front of Mike who was disgusted seeing the way she was twisting her body. Even Juliet was ashamed of her sister who was openly trying to seduce her sister''s future husband.

    " Sister, what are you trying to do?"

    Not able to control a second more, Juliet burst out. Feona then had her eyes in tears and looking over Mike, decided to play the white flower card.

    " Brother Miran, look how Julie is trying to scare me. I just wanted to talk with you but she is getting possessive simply. Please, I think my legs are hurting because of these new footwears, can you please escort me back to my seat."

    Just as she came forward to take Mike''s hands, he moved closer to Juliet, making Feona lose her balance to fall to the ground. However, luckily a servant who was serving the drinks quickly held Feona by her hands.

    When Feona saw that instead of Mike''s hands, it was some cheap servant''s hands, she screamed aloud and scolded the servant who helped her just now.

    " How dare you touch me with your filthy hands, I will ask my father to cut your hands as well as your head for this action."

    She was still hollering at the servant who looked at Alex and as Alex nodded his head, the servant irrespective of whether Feona had stabilised her footing, left her hand. Now Feona really fell over the muddy ground and dirt was all over her body.

    " Now you are the filthy here, hey you, make sure to disinfect yourself before night or else we might don''t know what kinds of disease you might get."

    Alex instructed the servant and insulted Feona at the same time. Even Emmy wanted to give thumbs up for Alex''s word. After the drama, Feona stood up and quickly ran off. However, Juliet was feeling low because of her family members. The next day they were supposed to visit the Posei family and now Feona had been insulted in front of the whole group. This meeting would create the usual drama of the Posei family where her parents would point fingers at her and only her grandfather would side with her.

    Emmy nudged Alex who then looked at Juliet, " Sister-in-law, now this is your family. Let us see who will bully you tomorrow." Juliet hid in Mike''s embrace to hide her tears, after a while, she smiled at Alex.

    " Emmy, it is time to tell the men the real reason why are we visiting the Posei family."

    Jordan, Mike and Alex together turned to their respective partners, they were all together always so where do these women find time to plot their ideas without their knowing.

    " Well, it is time to search for the long lost princess of the Agnartic clan, Agrona Agnartic needs to come to light."

    " But why searching for the Agnartic princess in the Posei family."

    Emmy looked at Juliet, who then drew a map on the table with water.

    " Because the Posei clan has a secret pathway which connects the northern sea to the sea lines besides the cliff-top manor. "

 Chapter 88 - You Are Going Nowhere With Him

    " The Posei clan has a secret pathway which connects the northern sea to the sea lines besides the cliff-top manor."

    This was a major breakthrough in their investigation, so it meant that some of the clans had connections in the clifftop manor assassination. Alex looked at Emmy who stood there unfolding a scroll, he moved closer to her to see what it was. The scroll was actually a map of the Posei family clan, portraying the area and the borders of the clan.

    " Juliet, how did you get this map? Every clan map scroll is the top-secret element of the clan. Won''t your grandfather be blamed if this is leaked outside? " Janet curiously peeked over to the scroll in Emmy''s hands.

    Juliet smiled and looked at Mike who was grinning evilly. " Why should anyone blame grandfather as he himself doesn''t know that the top-secret map has been stolen from the family vault."

    This time, all the other four including Juliet had their mouth opened in a wide '' O''.

    " Youuuuuuuu, You said that you will ask grandfather about it, but how were you able to open the family vault without his permission? "

    Juliet asked scratching her head, this lady was more concerned on how Mike opened the chamber instead of thinking about the consequences of the action staged by him.

    " Never mind, he is talented in attempting all crooks and thefts from childhood. It is no wonder that he would not be able to crack any lock which has been locked with a key. He is an expert in cracking chests."

    Alex proudly explained how Mike had the talent in picking locks and attempting thefts in the palace from his childhood.

    " Mike, you should thank this brother as it was because you wanted to steal food for me, you became so proficient in this skill."

    Although Mike and Alex laughed at this joke, deep down they knew how grave those days were for them in the palace. Emmy coughed twice to grab the attention.

    " Look, we have only one day to check this passage. According to Juliet, it might be a passage or a tunnel, it can be thorough the littoral caves, so Juliet''s presence is inevitable and if this passage is also an Esbertrazian architectural plan, then Alex can open any doors. So these two are going in for the action whereas Janet and myself will be in charge of knowing more about the allies of the Posei family. Mike and Jordan, you both have to guard the entrance at the beachside till they come out of it."

    " Sister-in-law, we both will safeguard the beachside but we have a situation here. Tomorrow Victor and Arona are going to visit the Posei family together with us."

    Thinking about the lustful gazes which Arona shoots at Alex, Emmy felt as a headache was coming.

    " It is good that Alex will be out with the plan and I can manage the second prince but this battle princess has many skills in her hands. So Jordan and Janet, you both need to keep a watch over all the servants as well as the guards accompanying them tomorrow."

    After finalising the plan, the group was going to rest but was summoned by the Salian king to the palace on a sudden note. The guard who came with the message was surprised as Alex without any scene accepted the invitation and treated the guard pleasantly.

    " Time to say goodbye to the Salian king, I wanted to thank him for letting me live even after my mother passed away. This is the last time, I will show mercy towards him ...next time it will be his ..."

    Before Alex completed his sentence, he looked over Mike because the Salian king was no one to him now but for Mike, it was his birth father.

    "It will be his doomsday."

    Mike completed his brother''s sentence. The anger literally fired up Mike and gave him the confidence to overcome all the emotional barriers of his mind.

    " Brother, even if he is the cause of my birth, I never see him as my father. He killed both of our mothers for their selfish reasons. He should know the wrath of motherless children. I will make sure that he will know what my mother felt when she was on the verge of her death."

    Before Mike could explode in anger, Alex held by his shoulders and said, " We may not be brothers by blood, but we are brothers for eternity."

    In the evening, the group of six reached the palace where the Salian elders were also present. Elder Theodore was in high spirits watching the group of highly skilled youngsters making way to the Salian Palace. He had predicted that it would be women who would protect and rule the Salian clan in future. Now he could see why he had a premonition like that, the confidence on the faces of these three women was reaching the skies.

    " What battle queen or battle princess, the second lady is just like a corpse flower in front of these three sugarbushes. "

    Elder Theodore''s comment made the other elders laugh, yes, it was true. Watching the three young women, Arona''s prowess faded to low values in just one glance. Juliet was wearing a pink floral dress with white prints on it while Janet was more in the colour of the evening skies, her orange gown had streaks of yellow, lifting her aura into a majestic appearance.

    Totally opposite was what Emmy was wearing, she matched the night sky, with a black full dress with little beads embedded to it. It was as if she took a piece of the night sky and wrapped it around her.

    Arona watched the three women entering the Palace with their partners beside them. She turned to look at her husband who was keenly observing Emmy from top to bottom. Arona wanted to kill this pervert along with Emmy and she even thought of abducting Alex after killing them both.

    Just as Arona was going to blow up on Victor, Samorea, the Salian queen pulled Arona to the side.

    " Try to behave with proper etiquette at least in front of the king and elders. If you want your plan to be successful, they must find you pitiful. Remember, later during the dinner, I will give you a chance to be alone with your dream man and use this time wisely as a woman. I will make sure that he won''t be able to move his limbs nor hands for a duration of burning one joss stick."

    Arona looked shocked as well as surprised by the queen''s initiation to help her achieve her dream. But her rational mind was long lost in the war of love, so she didn''t see the actual scheme of the queen.

    " Emmy, the Salian queen is going to make Arona a puppet for her scheme, I guess," Juliet informed Emmy while they were preparing to sit on their corresponding seats at the dinner feast.

    " Keep an eye on Alex and his food. I think they are going to plot against him tonight."

    Janet gave her piece of advice and the three women sat silently watching Alex talking with the elders. The dinner got finished without any dramas but Emmy never left her eyes from Alex the entire evening.

    " What happened? Are you finding me that handsome that you cannot take eyes from me, huh?"

    Emmy smiled and slowly whispered what Juliet had warned her. Alex laughed it off and as he was going to kiss Emmy on her forehead, a guard informed Alex that the king wanted to meet Alex at his study chamber soon. As Alex also wanted to talk with the Salian king, he went away without thinking much.

    Just as he turned towards the corridor, Emmy felt something was amiss. She stood up quickly and followed Alex, but before she could turn towards the corridor, Victor stopped Emmy pulling her hands.

    "You are going nowhere with him, come with me. "

    Victor thought that a petite woman would be no match for a strong man like him but as he tried to pull her, he couldn''t even move a bit. Emmy shook her hands off him and walked straight to the corridor. However, Victor didn''t admit defeat, he ran and tried to grab Emmy by her waist. But before he could even touch her, his right hand was broken but a tremendous force and Victor could only see two green eyes in the dark.

    Emmy reached the place where Alex was supposed to meet the Salian king but could not find him anywhere in the vicinity. She then itself knew it was the queen''s scheme to trap Alex and she might use the same trick which she used before.

    Just as Emmy wanted to scream Alex''s name aloud, a kiss was planted over her cheeks.

    " Do you think I am still that teenager who would fall to her traps, I needed to know whether it was only that woman or Valeriander also had taken the part in poisoning me with the dosages of the love drugs? "

 Chapter 89 - This Child Belongs To Himâ€¦

    Emmy sighed in relief and poked Alex in his chest. A while ago she was so anxious that her brain didn''t register that she had broken Victor''s arm just like that but now she suddenly remembered it.

    " Great, because of your untold plan, you might have to face another problem."

    Alex was confused at first but seeing the mischievous expression on Emmy''s face, he was sure that she had done something which could land him in big trouble.

    " My dear wife, I can handle any trouble created by you but you can tell me about it after we hide or else how can the dear queen mother enjoy the gift I have prepared for her. "

    Alex pulled Emmy and hid behind the rose bushes where already Jordan was waiting for them. In a low voice, Emmy asked Alex what was happening to which both the men gave a wicked smile.

    " Later, when the fun begins make sure to close her eyes, I don''t want my sister to see such things ever."

    Alex nodded his head and just as Emmy was going to bombard them with a set of questions, they heard footsteps approaching. Alex made a keep quiet gesture to both Emmy and Jordan.

    " Oh my prince, come and savour my forbidden fruit on this moonlit night. Take me to the peak of pleasure where love and lust meets.. "

    The trio could see Arona was in the hands of a man who was trying his best to control himself by shaking his head. From the first glance itself, it was crystal clear that it was not the second prince but one of his lackeys. That man was continuously stopping Arona from placing her hands over his body. Finally, when he was not able to control his desires, he pushed the mistress and ran as fast as he could. As he tried to turn towards the corridor, he collided with Dezo who was accompanying King from his chamber.

    Looking at the panic-stricken lackey of the second prince and his dishevelled clothes, King signalled Dezo to make the former confess what he was up to. The man upon seeing the king felt as if he was going to lose his life any time soon, so vomited all truth that he knew.

    " Lord, the queen asked me to let our mistress wait at your study chamber to wait for the crown prince who was called by a guard in your name. She had given our mistress a drink to be given to the crown prince and asked me to make him drink it forcefully. However, along the way, our mistress wanted to taste the drink a bit and so she drank it..but after drinking it a little, she couldn''t stop herself from drinking it completely. Then she started messing up and as I couldn''t take it anymore, I ran ... "

    The blackguard, Dezo could feel the drop of temperature surrounding him and saw the cold expression of the king. How could a lackey complain of the royalties, that too, the queen as well as his daughter-in-law? To ease the situation, Dezo suddenly made the lackey knelt down by pressing his pressure points.

    " Do you know the ramifications of lying to the great son of the heavens? How dare you voice out against our queen huh, I shall your tongue before severing your head."

    Before Dezo could take his action, the king roared, " WHERE IS SHE NOW?"

    The lackey quickly for saving his life, pointed his hands towards the direction where he had left Arona a little while before.

    The King along with Dezo and the lackey marched towards the area to find Arona roll on the ground and most of her body parts were in a revealing state. The scene had the blood boiled up in Valeriander''s brain. He turned around to see Dezo as well as that lackey both standing there with their heads down.

    " Quickly summon the queen and the second prince here, make this vile woman return to her courtyard and make sure no wind must let the guests know about this sitch. Also, let this man free and fetch court physician to look at her. "

    Dezo was quick in his action. Soon there was no one left in the compound and the trio emerged out from the rose bushes with Alx looking irritated.

    " Judging from your expression, this was not the outcome you wished for, isn''t it."

    Alex looked at Jordan who also had a sulking expression on his face. He soon left to check why the queen hadn''t made the entrance as they had planned.

    " Yes Emmy, we thought that the queen would also come to check the results of her scheme but she didn''t, if she had, then her false facade would have been shattered in front of her dear husband once in forever. Before we met, I had found out that Valeriander was clueless about her schemes and he simply hated me as I wasn''t his son as everyone claims."

    Emmy also felt that the Salian king may not be that villainous when compared to his wicked son.

    " Alex, I think I know why the queen didn''t make an appearance here tonight as she might have known what happened to her son."

    " What happened to Victor?"

    Alex looked at Emmy, then he remembered the trouble which she had mentioned before.

    " Actually, when I was coming here in search of you, Victor had tried to lure me into his arms and when I tried to walk away from him, he tried to stop me. So in defence, I justˇ­."

    " That son of a dog wanted to touch you... I will break his hands today."

    Alex wanted to rush to make Victor lose his hands tonight, but Emmy stopped him, she whispered something in his ears, making him laugh out loud.

    " You did itˇ­ great, fantastic. He must know what will happen if he dares to touch my tigress. Huh, Emmy.. why are you so cute."

    Alex took Emmy in his hands and swirled over multiple times to fall to the ground. Laying on the grass, both of them laughed. Alex held Emmy in his embrace and kissed over her cherry lips, then her forehead, eyes, cheeks and neck. How much he kissed her, it was not enough for him.

    " Emmy, I want to have you as soon as possible. I want to be your man, in soul and in the body. I swear, I will only do it with you after marriage but promise me, it will be soon, right!"

    Emmy smiled at Alex and hugged him tightly. She was already ready to take their relationship to the next level but it was just Alex who never wanted to do the deed before marriage.

    Folding all the dramas of that night, the couple returned to their residency to call it a night. Late at night, Emmy had a weird dream.

    In the dream, she was standing over a cliff which she hadn''t seen before and on her side, there was a woman weeping.

    " You don''t know how much he loved me and still he loves me. From childhood, never once we fought with each other and everyone was jealous of our relationship. Then why did you seduce him? He changed his mind only after meeting you. He said that you had seduced him and made him sleep with you that day. Now, you are even threatening him to marry you? How could a woman be as evil as you? Look, the child in my stomach has completed one month by now, so you can understand that we had been in love even before he met you."

    " You can have any other outstanding man in this universe but I want him. I want my Alex back."

    Emmy couldn''t believe whatever that woman was saying, she just closed her eyes and listened to the crashing waves.

    " I don''t believe a word you said, let me hear it from his mouth. We will meet at the orchards of Acasta Palace tomorrow. Make him confess and accept that this is your child in front of me. Then I will leave him forever but if I find that you are lying, Agrona.. even if you are Alex''s best friend or ex-lover ..whatever it may be, I will feed you to the sharks."

    " How can I be lying, is the child in my body a lie? This child is his..this child belongs to the crown prince of the great Salian clan, Envoy Salian Alexandrian."

    Emmy jumped up and was struggling for air to breathe. Alex also woke up sensing the sudden movement from Emmy''s side.

    " Emmy, are you alright? What happened? did you dream about the nightmare again?"

    Emmy looked at Alex and asked him to fetch a glass of water. However in her mind, what Agrona had said in her dreams kept rewinding, the child, the orchard, the scene where she saw Alex and Agrona hugging each other. Alex had confessed everything but not about the child.

    After drinking the water, Emmy rested her head on Alex''s lap.

    "Was Agrona pregnant while you met her at the orchards that day?"

    Alex felt a bit surprised as Emmy correctly found the reason why they had met each other at the orchards.

    " Yes, she was..it was the upshot of Victor messing with her and she didn''t know what to do. As her friend, she could only discuss it with me.."

    " Well, I think that was stagedˇ­.. you got played."

 Chapter 90 - The Truth Which Lies Under The Sea

    Emmy got up and opened the windows of their room, she didn''t know why she was feeling that the way Agrona suddenly popped up in the scene to suggest Alex about fake engagement and then later telling Lamia about she being pregnant with Alex''s child, could have been a dirty play staged under the direction of either Victor or the black world.

    " Alex, the misunderstandings between Lamia and yourself were made by Agrona. I believe she was asked to do so but who, I don''t know, maybe Lamia had told me all her stories because I dream about instances of people whom I have never met. So, it might be her stories that are showing me these dreams. Anyways, we have to ask Leon and Houlson to make their search fast."

    " Emmy, don''t you think that we are missing out something important. Have you wondered if Lamia had stolen the jade from the black world and Agrona had concocted her story to her, don''t you think that the black world had already known the location of Lamia through Agrona, then why did they wait till she went to the clifftop manor? Also, remember what Juliet told us about leader three of the black world, she said something about that leader being paralysed after killing the powerful witch... "

    " But according to our finding, Lamia should be alive since the jade could only communicate if the present owner of it is alive, so the person who died may not be Lamia but Agrona. What do you think about that?"

    The weighty details pointed out by Alex to put Emmy into deeper thoughts. She couldn''t understand the connection between all the three missing women.

    " Alex, we need to find the real enchantress soon, remember what the elders had told, sorceress and the great lord, left their souls but the enchantress just went to seclusion. I think she could help us out."

    Both of them couldn''t catch sleep anymore, so they discussed tomorrow''s plan once again. The next morning, the news welcomed was too good to hear.

    Alex looked at Emmy who was grinning mischievously at Jordan who came with the news. Emmy turned to see Alex''s heated gaze over her body.

    " Well, he deserved it and please. it is not like you are a pure angel one. If you were in my situation, you would have killed him."

    Emmy said to Jordan who after listening to her words about the incidents that happened yesterday night, even he wanted to kill Victor and he started blaming Emmy for only breaking his hand.

    " Well, I must admit because of both of you, that couple will soon meet their end. But that woman, Arona, she is a snake, she had been muddled up because of love but I think she woke up clearly this time. The battle skills in her are deadliest, so we have to be on our guard always."

    The trio discussed their plan and soon all of them set out to the Posei family which was on the north-eastern side of the VilmonArk. A land which had beautiful hills over one side and the other side had the beautiful sea which was always calm. The soil was rich in all the nutrients, hence there was no shortage of food on the land of the Posei clan.

    The people were harmoniously cohabiting the land but only the main elders knew the tension in the clan head family. The clan head had only one son who was always interested in extending his in-laws gambling ideas.

    Yes, the clan head was none other than Juliet''s grandfather and the gambling family refers to Juliet''s maternal family.

    " So, my grandfather hated my mother''s family and after my father got into an argument with him for marrying my mother, he has never once allowed my parents to set foot into the Posei Palace. Some say that after I was born only, even my sisters were allowed inside."

    Juliet''s family story was worth listening on their journey to the Posei clan. When Mike thought of seeing her stupid sisters, he frowned.

    " What happened, if you are thinking about how to face my parents and sisters, do not worry, grandfather has made strict arrangements for us. For two days, not even my sisters are allowed inside the Palace. Well, I guess he is much impressed by his grandson-in-law but what if he comes to know the notorious side of you, stealing the map. I wonder how he will feel? I would love to see the expression on his face at that time."

    Mike heard the teasing tone in Juliet''s words but he kept quiet. He was determined to give her a pleasant surprise that night before her mission started.

    Mike smiled inwardly but didn''t forget to tease her back, he simply blew over Juliet''s neck and whispered in his ears, " my dear Julie, I will make sure to show you how notorious I can be tonightˇ­ on the bed. Today it is our night."

    Although Mike had whispered it in a low tone, the highly trained Jordan could hear it well, he tried his level best to control his laughter. He then held Janet''s hands close to his heart.

    " I promise to love you as no one had ever done in the world."

    The sudden declaration made Janet feel uncomfortable but she knew that he would never step back from his words but the words which her father said were ringing in her ears.

    " A lowly guard? Never will I allow my daughter to get married to another Esbertrazian dog. Once your aunt had spoiled our clan''s name but I will make sure that history never repeats. Instead of killing you, I will kill him and marry you off to any man in our clan."

    That day, Janet was forcibly locked inside her room but late at night, her mother secretly freed her and asked her never to return to this hell. Janet clearly remembered what her mother said last to her.

    " Being a wife is common if you are born as a woman but getting a husband who loves and respects you is rare. I won''t let anyone stop my daughter from getting this fortune, so go, dear, love your life with the man whom you love."

    Janet hadn''t disclosed these to her friends but she wanted to confess it to her love, Jordan. But he already lost his family in his childhood and he won''t allow Janet to lose her family due to their love.

    How can she say it to Jordan? How will he take it?

    These thoughts were killing Janet inside but she still maintained a calm expression and kissed those hands which were tightly holding her hands.

    Reaching the grand palace of the Posei family, all of them were quietly shocked. The giant Palace had only roughly 25 servants while only the master was living in such a big house.

    The sea-facing Palace reminded Emmy for her clifftop manor and she felt a similarity among both buildings. A place for large families but destined to stand-alone facing the sea. Alex felt Emmy was thinking about her house as he also felt the same familiarity between the two structures.

    " I will make sure that our house will be filed with children, you just decide the number"

    Hearing Alex''s comment, Emmy blushed hard but upon seeing the grandfather Posei arriving to welcome them, she focused on him.

    " Welcome, welcome. All of you can see the beauty of our Posei Palace later, now come inside and take rest. Shortly we can meet up for brunch. "

    Quickly they were shown their rooms, after freshening up, Emmy stood on the sea-facing balcony of the Palace.

    " Isn''t it amazing?"

    Emmy recognised the Posei grandfather''s voice as soon as he said the first word. She politely nodded her head but her gaze was still on the vast ocean.

    " Child, you must be thinking of your parents and your home at the clifftop, isn''t it? I don''t know how to help you in your revenge but let me give you a tip. The sea in front of you holds answers for the questions you are trying to seek ."

    " Have you ever seen my parents ?"

    Grandfather Posei smiled and walked awayˇ­

    After a few steps, he stopped..

    " It was me who helped them to escape to clifftop manor on that day."

    This new information piqued curiosity in Emmy, she followed grandfather Posei to enquire about her parents.

    "Child, I was always impressed by your father and even wished that if I had a daughter, I would surely ask him to marry her. But fate was always pre-written, once out on an outing day of the great princess of the dark clan, your father had seen your mother. Then, even though she was just two years old, she asked elder Lathodore to let Shawn go and acquired education at the college built by the supreme lord. There Shawn had shared a room with your mother and their relationship started but after three years, the Dagardian family knew about Lilian being pregnant with you, at that time, the princess had come here to ask me to transfer your parents to the clifftop manor without anyone knowing."

    Emmy knew the rest of the story, she smiled but then it struck her.

    " If you knew my parents well, have you ever heard of a woman named Lamia?"

 Chapter 91 - She Is Long Dead, My Lover Boy!!!

    " Lamia ?"

    " Yes, Lamia Shagues."

    Grandfather Posei was silent for a few minutes, he tried to remember this name but alas he heard this name only on the arrival day of Alex and Emmy.

    " No my child, before your entry to the Salian clan on the day of your arrival day banquet, I had never heard of this name. I knew about your parents till they left but after that princess had sealed all the entries and exits to that world."

    Emmy felt disappointed but still, she thanked grandfather Posei and proceeded for the brunch. The group enjoyed the brunch however towards the end, a servant came with a message that Juliet''s parents wanted to see Juliet and her group. Also, they wanted the clan head to make justification for their action of insulting Feona the other day.

    Juliet knew that her parents had made her grandfather much angry this time. He never liked anyone messing up in front of respected guests especially the ones he liked.

    The clan head stood straight up and marched outside to see his prodigal son.

    " Rest of us can enjoy the delicious food, don''t worry about it. This usually happens every time I visit."

    Although Juliet was cracking jokes about it, deep down she always felt amiss thinking about her parents. Her parents had all daughters but still why they especially hate her only. From the day of her birth, it was said that her grandfather took care of her always. Her parents never let her visit their home even once. She saw her sisters when they came to visit their grandfather. So having a family for the sake of name was torturous for Juliet. That is the main reason why she trained hard, working on her powers from her childhood. She let her frustrations and emotions to her training and turned out to be an excellent water princess at a very young age.

    As they had a long day for tomorrow, the group decided to call it a night and dispersed to their respective rooms. But Janet was waiting for her time to speak with Emmy and Juliet alone, so she asked them to meet for a short talk.

    " I had been wanting to tell you both that the Dargardians are in cahoots with the core power but the black world leaders do not know about it. My clan leader had asked my family to lock me up so that I would not go against them as well as... "

    Janet burst into tears before completing her words. It was the first time that Emmy and Juliet had seen Janet crying, Juliet couldn''t decipher what other thing was bothering Janet this much. Janet only had a soft touch for her mother and the rest of the Dagardian family was like strangers for her, even for her father, she didn''t pay any heeds. Then what happened now?

    " My dear, please let us know what is bothering you. We are you okay. They will never touch a hair on your body with us here"

    Janet calmed down a bit as she realised that seeing her cry had freaked out her two best buddies. She hugged them together and all of the three started laughing.

    " Actually, the main problem of them retaining me was because of the involvement of the Esbertrazian clan as well as Jordan. They think history shall repeat."

    " Ouch, now they poked over my limit. Well, the history shall repeat, of course, our young dashing alpha guard will marry our dearest little Janet. Make sure that within 10 months of marriage, you both have to present me a little Janet or cutey Jordan."

    Janet who was crying a little while before now couldn''t stop laughing, with Emmy''s advice, the guilt over her heart washed away quickly and it gave her the courage to discuss this topic with Jordan.

    Meanwhile, Jordan, who was dead tired by the physical work, was still waiting for Janet. As his adamant eyelids were going against him, Janet entered the room. Jordan sprang up with her entry and patted the other side of the bed.

    " Jordan, let us go for a swim."

    Surprised by the sudden request of his beloved, Jordan still dragged his tired body and lifted Janet in a princess style. At that time only, he realised she lost some pounds of her weight and was always in low spirits. Still, he didn''t ask her anything because he trusted her more than anyone else so when it was time, his Janet will surely tell him her tensions.

    After reaching the beach, Janet without saying a word, dived into the sea freaking Jordan to his core. All his sleep was long lost and he too dived after her.

    After swimming for another ten minutes, both of them returned to the shore. The cold waters combined with the sea breeze made Janet shiver. Taking the chance, Jordan enclosed her in his embrace. The heat from his body was enough for Janet but she wanted more tonight.

    " My clan is against our relationship and they will try to make us separate in all possible ways they can. They don''t want the history of an Esbertrazian guard marrying a Dagardian girl in their clan, so they locked me up on my previous visit. In the clan, only one person stood up for me when the leader asked my father to lock me up without food and water till I agreed to what they wanted. it was my mother, she set me free and said to live life with the one I love. I want to free her from their clutches."

    Jordan was sleepy but still, he heard everything she told. He replied nothing but nod his head. Slowly, the tired Janet drifted to sleep but Jordan was still awake.

    He took her to their room and changed her clothes. Even though they weren''t married, he had long taken her as his wife. He smiled at his sleeping beauty, and whispered, " Your problems are mine also, your mother is already in a safe place."

    The next morning, the group told the grandfather that they are going for a sea venture and as grandfather was still pondering over his son''s matter, he allowed the group to do as they wished.

    Just as they hit the beach and reached the sea cave, Alex and Juliet took the lead and checked the inside of the place whereas Mike and Emmy acted like they wanted to swim over the area. Janet and Jordan were guarding both the sides simultaneously.

    Suddenly, Alex heard a faint voice whispering on his ears.

    " The one who you seek is long dead, lover boy! Mark my words, cherish the one in your life now."

    Alex stood fixed without even breathing, he tried to concentrate again on his surroundings but further, there was no sound. Juliet had already cleared half the way as per the map and soon they saw an Esbertrazian emblem but in front was not a door but a heavy wall of stones.

    " This dead-end can''t stop us, there must be a way."

    Juliet was searching amidst the rocks whereas when Alex reached the stone wall, he saw visions of someone who was drawing on the stone wall. The person had his back turned so Alex could not recognise the person. He walked a little closer and was shocked to see the drawing on the wall.

    It was him and Emmy in some weird clothing and a strange triangular tower in the background. Under the drawing, there were three words written - '' beyond the time''. That person then tapped several rocks on the side of the stone wall and lo behold !! thereby the heavy wall slid open.

    Before passing through the gap, the person turned to look at Alex, it was none other than the old innkeeper who he met in the black world.

    Alex quickly tapped the rocks on the same pattern which he saw in the vision. Juliet was looking at which all rocks had he touched and then marked it safely for future use. After several taps, the wall moved and a pungent smell made both of them choke.

    " Blood, it is the smell of dried blood," Alex said.

    Juliet passed the lit torch on her hands to Alex but they both couldn''t even enter the other side due to the heavy smell. Juliet as there was no other way, used her power to push water into the gap. The water which came out had skeletons and some other wastes.

    " This means, these things were stuck here for years I guess." Juliet looked at the waste and dumped it into the ocean, whereas Alex already entered the space.

    ?? Julie, it is just four yearsˇ­ these are the guards who were gone missing in that year."

    " You mean to say the year when all the three women went missing? and the search party for Lady Vilmon and the Agnartic princess never returned.. But what were they doing here? We Posei family didn''t give hands in the search at that time."

 Chapter 92 - Bloody Hands- The Result Of Being A Renegade

    " You mean to say the year when all the three women went missing? and the search party for Lady Vilmon and the Agnartic princess never returned. But what were they doing here? We Posei family didn''t give hands in the search at that time."

    Alex kept thinking about all the possibilities to answer Juliet''s question. He also knew that the Posei family never liked to be involved in a war against the great Esbertrazian clan. They were totally in support with Lady Vilmon but it was the elders who asked them to stay put from the war,

    Alex thought of all the ways but could not link the secret passage to any of the other clans.

    " Juliet, can you think of any person knowing the secrets of all the clan areas apart from the respective clan elders."

    The plan of VilmonArk and its route maps were made by the enchantress. It was her reign and she personally designed each plot. However, after the war, under the rule of the great lord, clans were introduced and he gave the most beautiful clan to the Posei family as they were naturally gifted. He made sure that no clan members will know the area secrets of the other clans. The Salian clan was given the largest territory with the power of taking the final decision when some argument was raised amongst the clans.

    The Agnartic clan was the farthest, it was located on the barren side of the VilmonArk followed by the land given to Dagardians, that is why they got the best place to construct arenas and polish their battle skills.

    " The Dagardians, it is..."

    Alex and Juliet came to realise what was the major mishap that happened after the great lord died and the Esbertrazian clan went to their own space. The Dagardian family was given the sole right of safeguarding all the important persons of each clan, including the family of clan heads and even the residences of all elders. Hence, guards got migrated after proper training and thus, they blended inside the respective clans.

    " So after the war, the core world had commenced their plan very well, does that mean.. in the clifftop manor assassination, the core world had used the clans as their puppet to kill the great shadow guard of the great lord."

    Alex was also thinking the same but he didn''t want to upset Emmy anymore, so he didn''t disclose his doubts to Juliet.

    " Juliet were they behind Lamia who stole their precious jade or the powerful warrior of the dark clan, we don''t know yet. Let us not waste any more time, I guess, this path is going to tell us more things than what we thought was true till now."

    Alex moved inside the gap and there was a small chamber with no windows but only a door. On the walls, only blood was smeared with a message,

    " HELP!!!!"

    Alex touched the blood-stained walls and it gave him an eerie feeling as those messages were directly asking him for help, what had happened here, what made the mighty A-guards of the different clans to be this hopeless as they got down to their death and even while taking the last breath, they asked help.

    " These messages are so confusing, all the guards who came for the expedition were well-trained A-guards but they were squashed like an ant."

    Juliet looked at the remnants of the skeletons and some bones were crushed very badly. She could imagine the torment and pain these bodies went through, amidst the bones, Juliet found a token. She took it and cleaned it, but after seeing the token which she had collected, she wanted to scream.

    Juliet quickly poked Alex and tried to speak. However, due to anxiousness, no word could be heard from her mouth. Alex saw her condition and then his attention went to the token in her hands. Even his eyes opened widely after seeing the token, he took the token in his hands but it weighed more when they realised that this was the token of Esbertrazian guard leader who was in charge of finding their lost princess.

    " It can mean only one thing, that the core world still had people inside the Esbertrazian clan, they had infiltrated all the clans and they sabotaged the shadow guard while siding with the enemies. "

    Juliet wanted to warn her friends as soon as possible but first thought of completing the mission. She took long breaths to stabilise her racing heart, even Alex was finding it difficult to believe that the core power had laid their vile plan along before.

    Why were they waiting?

    Who was the supreme heir for whom the whole core power world was waiting patiently?

    Alex didn''t know when they could find the answers to these questions, the hunters had laid the trap long ago and they were still trying to find who were the hunters laying inside the same trap.

    Finally, coming out of the great shock, Alex and Juliet decided to go further. Surprisingly, the door was not locked, he pulled the door and got the next shock of his life.

    On the wall across them was a pair of hands hanging, beneath it there was a message written.

    " THESE BLOODY HANDS REPRESENT THE FATE OF A RENEGADE"

    " The one who was killed might have discovered the people who treacherously changed allegiance but who can be it to handle such a powerful and vicious army single-handedly."

    " I''m sure whoever it is, that person is on our side I guess."

    " What a wishful thinking, Juliet!!"

    Alex laughed it off but as a woman, Juliet got her attention to the pair of hands hanging over on the wall.

    " Hey Brother-in-law, look here, these hands are of a woman, I am sure, see this ring, this was the work of the finest of the great jeweller who was named as the ''Gold Beader''."

    Alex rushed to the spot where Juliet was pointing, he looked at the ring which hadn''t lost its lustre. He removed that ring and his action had made the decayed fingers withered down.

    He remembered a girl ranting over his ears about this ring and how she wanted this particular ring to be on her wedding ring. He thought of once the woman, talking about how she had ordered this ring for herself on the account of her engagement and she wanted Alex to fetch it for her. That day when he reached the shop to meet the infamous '' Gold Beader'', Alex was mistaken by the craftsman to be the fiancee of the woman but he didn''t bother to correct the busy jeweller. On her engagement day, Alex saw how happy she was and that was the last day he saw the owner of these hands alive.

    Judging Alex''s reaction, Juliet narrowed her eyes, it felt like her brother-in-law knew these hands closely but who could be it?

    " Brother-in-law, do you know whose hands these are ?"

    Alex shivered at that thought, he never thought that the person had a hand in the whole massacre staged. He took the ring and gave it to Juliet.

    " This is Agrona''s hands, this was the ring she specially designed for her engagement. I remember fetching it for her just days before the fated day."

    " Wow, so one is down.. "

    In contrast to Alex''s emotions, Juliet was totally happy after knowing that the haughty first princess of the Agnartic clan was dead. She put the ring safely in her pouch and decided to check for any other clue. But now it was a total dead end and she got flustered. Alex stabilised his emotions and started helping her out in checking the place.

    " Juliet, look, the odd-shaped stones form something but I''m not able to decode it. Check these stones."

    Alex pointed out to the odd-shaped stones which made Juliet smile broadly. The next moment, she asked Alex to move a bit away from the wall with strange stones. After Alex moved away, Juliet squatted down and sat in a meditating position. After a few minutes, Alex heard the sounds of waves crashing and soon his saw, violent waves coming their way.

    Alex remained calm as he completely trusted his sister-in-law and his brother. Mike had already given Alex an idea of how powerful can Juliet be when she is in close premises of water bodies.

    The violent waves suddenly got floated in the air, and in turn, started crashing over each odd-looking stone on the wall. Even with the splashing of water, Alex clearly saw strange symbols appearing on the stones which got splashed with water.

    At last with the final splash, the last stone showed the symbol and the wind whooshed down the gap formed by the opening of the wall. Excited Alex looked at Juliet who was gasping for air.

    Alex quickly opened the water bottle which they had prepared and gave it to Juliet. After drinking water, Juliet relaxed.

    The wall gave way to a flight of stairs in the front and instead of pungent smell, they were welcomed with a pleasant odour.

    " It is Lamis''s odour."

 Chapter 93 - The Ravaging Black Swirl

    Alex rushed inside to find nothing but a huge structure of a spiral staircase. The other end of the staircase was not visible and Alex stopped his steps. Suddenly it hit him, just now he wanted to see Lamia so badly. A sudden guilty feeling arose from Alex''s heart but his mind still supported his enthusiasm.

    Turning around, Alex saw the expression on Juliet''s face, she too never thought Alex would be this excited to see his old love. Juliet could understand his feelings of wanting to see the person whom he lost all of a sudden, but then what was Emmy for him?

    Both of them didn''t say a word but started to climb the stairs, it felt as if these stairs were enclosed inside a tower, a very big tower. Alex walked robotically taking each step but inside his heart, the guilty feeling started to rise. He wanted to explain it to Juliet as she is one of the two important persons for Emmy.

    Yes, he was feeling guilty of Emmy, Lamia was his past but Emmy, that woman who was the most irritating, hopeless and adamant woman he had ever met, changed him totally. Now it was all Emmy for him still how he had the audacity to get excited over his past lover, even remembered her smell so evidently. He couldn''t blame Juliet, anyone who saw his reaction will be suspicious of him. After ascending another three layers, Alex decided to come clean before Juliet.

    " Sister-in-law, I have only Emmy in my heart, yes, just now my mind got excited but it was not a feeling of bliss for finding the lost lover, instead it always reminded me of the wrong things I did to the two women who suddenly went missing and if I get to meet them again, surely I have to apologise to them."

    Juliet, although had twisted thoughts about Alex a few minutes, felt reassured after Alex explained his part.

    In her mind, she praised Emmy, " this is why you always told, do not judge a man by their outer look, I didn''t know that my grumpy brother-in-law would be this filial towards his woman just like my husband."

    The words on her mind made her lips curve up and she smiled at Alex.

    " I knew my friend cannot trust people easily. I''m glad that you both are together." Both of them smiled at each other and continued to climb the stairs.

    Finally, they reached another chamber, but this time, Juliet sensed a water body nearby.

    " I guess, on the other side of this wall might be the sea but I could feel it well, so it means this chamber is under the sea."

    " Under the sea? we climbed a hell of a long spiral staircase and still reached under the sea. How is it even possible?"

    Alex got perplexed while Juliet got confused, she never heard of a building built under the sea and according to the map, only they needed to walk approximately 3000 yards to reach their destination. Till now they had walked over 3000 yards so how come they are still under the sea?

    While Juliet was busy sensing any other empty plot around them, Alex decided to check the chamber they entered. This chamber had nothing, it was a totally empty space, not even a piece of old furniture. Alex squatted down to feel the temperature of the ground, it was a bit cold.

    " Brother-in-law, this place is approx 1000 fathoms deep in the sea, I really can''t find another way out."

    Alex also felt that this chamber was a dead-end to their trip as if they tried to break the walls, they might meet the wrath of the sea. As Alex stood up, Juliet pointed to the place where he had touched previously.

    " See, this is blackened ash. Something was burned in here."

    Alex touched the place where Juliet was pointing and he also felt the same. Now it dawned to them, that whoever had created this havoc, had done something else here. That person then set the whole chamber in the fire.

    " That''s why we couldn''t find anything here, so that person could have destroyed the remaining end of this pathway."

    " Yes, you are correct, but I feel something strange about this ash."

    Just as Alex said those words and took his hand back, suddenly from nowhere wind rushed inside the chamber, Alex and Juliet backed against the wall but still, the winds revolving around them were too strong and then they saw something extraordinary.

    The winds turned into a violently rotating column of air with the funnel cloud sucking up all the black ash. It turned into a swirl of black mist and rose up in the air. Watching the black swirling air, Alex and Juliet got scared out of their wits.

    " Juliet, can you use your power to control these winds."

    " Sorry, I don''t know why I feel powerless in front of it, I guess, it might be another trap from the core power world but I will try to slow it down. "

    Juliet concentrated on the water across the wall and tried to push it in the form of waves just like she did it with the strange stones but in vain it backfired. Neither any waves rushed in nor made the speed decrease but instead, it attracted the black mist towards her.

    Seeing the black swirling mist advancing towards Juliet, Alex couldn''t find anything to throw at it. He then saw Juliet''s sack of things which they had prepared.

    " Juliet, throw something into the vortex of the wind, now, fast," Alex screamed and without wasting any time, Juliet threw the whole sack into the ravaging wind.

    Juliet literally saw the lightning bolts getting created inside the swirling wind and it completely destroyed the sack which entered the vortex.

    Juliet felt her heart was now in her mouth wanting to jump out and reach Mike no matter what. With only a few steps from the approaching death, Juliet looked at Alex.

    " Tell Mike, I loved him so much and will wait for him in the next birth."

    Alex remembered his brother and clenched his fists. The pain, the despair which he felt when he lost his love, no one knew other than him and he was sure that his brother could live that pain. Without thinking any further, Alex rushed in between the destructive winds and Juliet.

    " Noooooooooooˇ­.."

    Alex screamed. He faced the black mist swirling power and looked straight inside it. The tormenting winds slowed down but Alex stood without moving. Juliet could see the black coloured mist slowly fading away but she got scared watching Alex standing like a statue in front of the fading wind.

    Alex couldn''t believe what he saw just now, the smell was strong and the eyes, he had seen it before. Yes, It was herˇ­ it was Lamia, this smell he won''t ever forget it but those eyes.. green coloured eyes, made him insane twice.

    " Lamia and Emmy are connected somehow. They have a strong common link, I feel it. "

    Alex and Juliet rushed back to inform their friends of mystical findings. Meanwhile, at the seashore, others were waiting for Alex and Juliet as per the plan. However, they had few guests at the beach.

    The opposite party who came to the beach had five people in total. The Posei sisters and their three friends. Feona and her sister Bianca wanted to see Mike, they thought they would be able to seduce Mike and break her sister''s engagement. The eldest one Feona was insulted by Mike at the Salian clan but yet she again came shamelessly. Juliet''s other sister, Bianca was more sly than Feona, but after seeing Mike for a few times, she also started having ideas to be his woman.

    Watching Mike enjoying with his friends without Juliet, the sisters smiled at each other.

    " See Bianca, I told you no man would want to love a single woman throughout his life. The crown prince is a crack, but this guy, he wouldn''t be satisfied with just one. I am sure."

    It was Jordan who saw the group approaching them and he was quick to inform others about their arrival. The secret guards watching the esteemed guests of the Posei family straight away went to inform their clan head.

    " How audacious? Did he think that I am dead? That woman had spoilt the blood of the Posei family but good heavens, I got one intact. Go and capture those two impudent brats before they ruin everything."

    Meantime, at the beach, Emmy and Janet didn''t bother to greet these sisters of Juliet and the other party shared the same feelings. They had targeted Mike specifically and their friends were swooning over Jordan.

    " Girls, I think it is time... Let me go and fetch our pearls."

    Jordan wanted to escape from those scrutinizing gazes, so he left his friend Mike alone and quickly went to the boat.

    " Hi, I am Bianca and this is my sister Feona, you two might have a bad beginning but as we are going to be a family soon, please for my sake, forgive her."

    Janet whispered to Emmy" See the way she twists up the story, she is making others think that he is her fiance."

 Chapter 94 - The Fragrance Of Revenge

    " Hi, I am Bianca and this is my sister Feona, you two might have had a bad beginning but as we are going to be a family soon, please for my sake, forgive her."

    Mike heard what the woman had said but he didn''t bother to answer it. He was watching the waves as he felt something was wrong suddenly about these waves. It was like the calm and gentle waves suddenly were trembling as if it were scared of something.

    Mike shivered involuntarily, " Juliet, are you okay? I feel so uneasy, please return to me safe and sound. I promise to never let you go alone ever again. Brother, you promised me that both of you will return safe but my heart suddenly is saying that you both are in grave danger. Please return soon."

    While Mike was lost in his own thoughts, the Posei sisters were standing there beside him, actually, if Emmy and Janet could see their faces, they would literally say that these sisters were drooling over him.

    When Bianca didn''t get any reply from Mike, she tried to use her charm to win over his attention. Out of the three sisters, yes, Bianca had been termed as the most beautiful Posei daughter by the clan members. Juliet usually never tended to focus on her appearance, so her real beauty was often hidden. With all praising her pretty face, Bianca always thought that she could seduce any man she wants. With that confidence, she moved a little closer to Mike and said seductively.

    " Mike, would you like to have tea with me? I have special herbal tea at my place. We can have a private meeting such that no one will be there to disturb us. I can promise that it will just be you and me."

    Already Mike was anxious thinking about his woman and he easily gets pissed off when someone tried to test his patience. However the woman standing in front of him was his beloved''s elder sister, so he glared at her maintaining proper distance between them.

    Bianca got flustered at his reaction but she tried to close the distance between them again. " Mike, please give me a chance to understand you. I would love to spend time with you."

    This time his last ounce of patience was lost, usually, he ends up the person who annoys him with one stroke but he couldn''t do it now because it was Juliet''s sister, secondly, he didn''t want to hurt any women unwantedly.

    " Please leave."

    He gritted his teeth and spat out two words. This was his last show of courtesy, Emmy and Janet who were watching the show could understand the change in Mike''s attitude but the delirious Bianca didn''t mind it. However, Feona understood the seriousness of the situation and backed off as she saw the special guards approaching them from far,

    "Poor sister, let her taste a piece of humiliation just like what I encountered at the Salian clan banquet. "

    Thinking this in mind, her own sister didn''t notify Bianca who was pestering Mike. Her legs took steps forward each time when Mike adjusted the gap of 3 persons between them.

    " Miran, I really like you. When I saw you for the first time, God knew when, I felt that in the entire world, only you were worthy of me. I didn''t know your title then, still, I fell for you. Then I saw you at the college but then only I realised you are the infamous third prince of the Salian clan, I was heartbroken. I asked several times to break the engagement but that hubris woman said she started loving without even seeing your appearance, so will not back off till you say no."

    Hearing Bianca insulting Juliet, Mike snapped out. He would have tolerated Bianca''s silly fantasy and harassment but never any insult towards his woman. He stopped his track and turned to face Bianca.

    Bianca was happy seeing Mike stopping and turning around to face her. it meant that what all she said reached his heart and even started fantasising over her future as the third daughter-in-law of the Salian clan. " Now let me see how grandfather pampers me instead of the gifted shrew." Bianca smiled thinking to herself.

    However, her fantasy got broken when she saw Mike''s eyes raging fire. She was surprised and didn''t know what made him angry. Was it Feona? Bianca turned back and saw there was no one behind her.

    " Mikeˇ­ I want to.."

    " STOP YOUR NONSENSE, will you?"

    Mike roared at Bianca who was trying to explain her feelings towards him. With her eyes brimming with tears and red nose, she stuttered.

    " Mike, please I love you.

    " I said stop it, call me Brother-in-law. We will only have that relationship, and what did you call my wife,'' shrew''? She is the most beautiful and charismatic person I have ever seen in my life, I am proud to have her as my wife. It is me who is fortunate to have such a woman in my life, the only woman who can complete me is your sister, Juliet Posei. Understand that, the next time, don''t you dare to even show up in front of me nor your sister."

    Bianca started bawling but Mike didn''t care, she shouted again, " Do you think without my parent''s permission, you can marry her. Just wait, I would never let that vixen to marry you."

    Mike wanted to bash her teeth out and this time the air around him turned cold, even before he could raise his hands, a strong wave came and created a wall between Bianca from Mike.

    Mike closed his eyes and his lips turned to a curve, he quickly turned over and hugged the person who was standing there. His heart was beating fast and Juliet, who was suddenly hugged, was feeling so happy.

    He could understand even her presence, the two Salian brothers gave their all when loving their women, isn''t it? She remembered how Alex explained about his feelings towards Emmy and now hearing Mike''s heartbeats, she understood he was really worried about her. The hug turned to a passionate kiss when Mike captured her lips all of a sudden, the wave separating out Bianca crashed down. Now everyone could see how Mike and Juliet were kissing each other in broad daylight.

    A few moments earlierˇ­.

    Jordan reached the place where they had dropped Alex and Juliet, suddenly the boat started jerking against the waves. The waves were turning violent and he was losing control of the boat. When he thought that the boat was going to topple over, he saw Juliet surfing along Alex using her power.

    Upon seeing Jordan, she controlled the force and they both landed on the deck safely. Jordan quickly passed them water which they gulped down fast.

    " We can do the talking after reaching to the Palace, now before Mike murders your two annoying sisters, let us get back"

    Hearing Jordan, Juliet was confused as her grandfather had clearly instructed every one of the Posei clan that the Palace and its vicinity were off-limits for every one of them till the guests go, then how could her sisters disobey it? This time, they were done for, thought Juliet but as she heard the comment of Mike being harassed by her sister, her rage quickly showed up.

    The journey of fifteen minutes ended in just one, and before Jordan could even down the anchor, Juliet jumped into the water.

    Mike couldn''t stop kissing his alluring woman and a good amount of time went by. Finally, after hearing Alex shouting out, Mike carried Juliet and returned to the Palace while Bianca and Feona, as well as their three friends, were captured and put to house arrest. They had to wait till grandfather Posei announced their punishment for disobeying the clan head.

    In the room, Juliet rested while Alex explained their findings to the group. Mike was totally scared hearing about the part where the swirl was going to devour his woman. Thank god, his brother was able to stop it.

    " Wait, Alex, what did you mention about the smell?"

    " It was Lamia''s smell, I do remember it, she always smelt of Hyacinths."

    " No way..."

    Jane and Jordan screamed out simultaneously. They could never believe that Alex thought of it as his past lover''s smell, whereas the smell of Hyacinths actually was known as the fragrance of revenge. After hearing the actual meaning of it, Alex was feeling confused, he clearly remembered that smell but never thought in that point of view.

    " So it means, what we encountered there was an aftermath of a revengeful day."

    " Alex, don''t you get the irony of it, the smell of Hyacinths and green eyes, indicates the same thing that Lamia and Emmy are connected to the same entity"

    Jordan then started laying out his complete knowledge about what he knew about the fragrance of Hyacinths. But Emmy got pretty curious about the same connection which was revolving around Lamia and herself."

    " Which entity are you referring to, Jordan?"

    " The Black Mist Enchantress..."

 Chapter 95 - The Prodigy Of The Wild Son

    " Lamia and Emmy are connected to the same entity"

    " Which entity are you referring to, Jordan?"

    " The Black Mist Enchantress.."

    The whole group was astonished hearing Jordan''s explanation. This was not the first time they all felt the similarities between Emmy and Lamia but no one expected the two to have a direct connection to the main protagonist of the whole story.

    Emmy was so shocked that she forgot to breathe for a few seconds, it was only when Alex held her close to his chest she could relax. She knew that something was mysterious about herself, but who could tell that now she was connected to the very root of the core power world.

    " Emmy, I promise you to solve it as soon as possible, you know when I went inside the pathway, I encountered a vision in which both of us were in front of a triangular building. The picturesque was filled with lots of happiness, do not worry. I will safeguard you from any of those core powers."

    Emmy put her hands around Alex''s chiseled chest, when everyone thought that she might be holding it hard in her mind, Emmy was worried about something else. Seeing her so silent and depressed, Alex couldn''t take it anymore.

    " What is in your mind Emmy? Please, you do not need to keep things to yourself anymore, I am here, I will be there with you always to share every burden and happiness that you have. Do say, what is going inside your mind?"

    Emmy looked straight to his eyes, she did not care about anyone besides them. Yes, she was getting nervous, what if ˇ­ what if the suspicion arising in her mind came true, no , she could not think of such an outcome. Emmy hugged him tightly and when Alex thought she was going to speak up, instead he heard slight sobbing. His outer robe became wet with her tears rolling down. He felt as if his heart was suddenly ripped apart and his breathing hitched.

    Alex tried to calm Emmy down by patting her back and stroking her head yet Emmy had no intention of stopping her tears. Finally, Alex could not take it anymore, he forcefully separated her hands which were wound over his waist and knelt down in front of her.

    " Please dearˇ­ tell me, what is bothering you this much ?"

    Emmy looked at the pained expression on her beloved''s face, she calmed down. Then she wiped her tears and cupped her hands over his face.

    " Alex, you are the only heir to the supreme lord''s legacy and now if I am also connected directly to the black enchantress, does it not make us siblings?"

    Alex had run a thousand hurdles thinking what was bothering Emmy yet she gave him the totally opposite reason which he would never think of. He couldn''t laugh seeing her expression but still, his laughter broke the silent surrounding.

    " Emmy, my sweet little wife, even if I am the only heir of the Zucathore clan, how come we can be siblings huh? If you are even directly connected to the enchantress, then I can count you as my aunt''s relative. Relax, we know you are the daughter of the great shadow guard of the Esbertrazian clan, Shawn Esbertraz and Lilian Dargardian, so no need of getting worried about being siblings."

    Alex poked her head and pulled her close to him. With their lips almost touching each other, Alex held her both sides and said, " Emmy, we are destined to be together. Nothing can separate us now. We will solve all the mysteries about us. I feel we need to search for the Yalasgue family details, why were they mysterious and in what aspect? Nothing has been recorded about the existence of such a family clan."

    Emmy nodded her head and before she could stand up on her feet, Alex sealed her lips with his. That kiss lasted long enough yet it didn''t stop even if they both started having lack of air.

    Finally, when Alex left her lips, Emmy''s face was deep red in colour and her legs were softer but thanks to Alex, he carried her before she fell. The lovely couple then happily started packing for their return journey.

    Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the ancestral hall of the Posei family was thunderous. Juliet''s parents were summoned and they saw that their precious daughters were held captives inside the hall. Both of them were asked to kneel down and it has been continuous three hours that they had been kneeling in front of the ancestors.

    " How can your father be so merciless towards our precious daughters?"

    Grace couldn''t keep her sound lower and every other clan member was disgusted before of her shrew behaviour inside the most spiritual place of the clan. All others knew why the Posei daughters were asked to kneel down, this was actually the minimum punishment for those who dared to disobey the clan head''s orders.

    " Guards, release my daughters now itself."

    Their father, Walter Posei roared at the guards yet no guards even paid attention to him. They treated this couple as smoke because they knew that the clan head had issued a decree to remove this son and daughter-in-law from the clan.

    Seeing the behaviour of the guards, it infuriated Waltren more. He tried to push the guards who were standing in between the entrance of the hall. Before any fight could start, the guards trounced him and locked his meridians. Now Walter could move his hands nor legs, he was like a statue who could speak.

    Watching her husband being taken down by the guards, Grace started screaming cursing words to the entire Posei clan.

    " SILENCEˇ­."

    A sudden roar echoed in and out of the ancestral hall.

    Grandfather Posei walked through the crowd and saw his only son and wife behaving impertinently. He sat on the head throne and asked guards to release Walter''s meridians.

    After getting the ability to move, Walter rushed into the front row and shouted, " Father, they are your granddaughters, how could you punish them like this, what fault they did do, can''t they come inside their own place"Respected clan members, hereby I announce that Walter Posei and Grace Beeters has no relation to the Posei family. They are cut off from our familial tree but their daughters will be taken care of."

    Walter could not believe that his father would issue a decree like this, being cut out from the family clan, what respect would he have in the society now. He glared at his father but chose to remain quiet because he knew once his father takes a decision, he won''t ever budge.

    Still, Walter was confused, whatever mistakes he committed in the past, his father had compromised with it but what happened now, just because his daughters took a stroll along the beachside won''t infuriate his father. He looked at his kneeling daughters and asked "Bianca, my dearest. Tell father what happened at the beachside."

    Walter and Grace thought that their daughters would answer their question swiftly but both Bianca and Feona kept silent with their heads low. Grace knew her daughters well, with their reaction, it was clear that they had done something wrong.

    " They are punished for two things, firstly, for disobeying the decree of the clan head, secondly, I am ashamed of saying the second reason but since they have no shame in committing the sin then why should I bother. Your daughters tried to seduce their brother-in-law openly. I should have thrown these two also out of the clan but thinking about Juliet, I reconsidered my decision."

    Hearing grandfather Posei siding with Juliet and for her sake, being generous to her daughter, Grace couldn''t take it anymore. Her rational mind snapped out, anger made her blind and she spilt out the confidential secret that was kept hidden for long.

    " How dare you punish my daughters for the sake of that prodigy of the wild son. You want to make your wild son the next heir, no never, I would not allow for it till my death. These properties and royalties are for my children. Whatever you may try, I will make sure to kill her the next time I see her. "

    When the unspeakable truth of the great clan leader was spoken out in public, Grace thought all clan members would side with her but who knew that even her husband looked at her with complete abhorrence.

    " What did I tell wrong here huh, why are all of you glaring at me?"

    The members looked at the clan leader who sat there without any expression, everyone knew what was going inside their clan leader''s mind now. All of them wanted to shred this shrew woman into pieces for making him remember the past.

    Grandfather Posei stood up, " Walter, take your two daughters away and ensure that till the day I die, I should not see you four people ever."

    Just as he raised his head, he was shocked and he even missed his next step.

    On the entrance stood Juliet, who had said everything her so-called mother had said previously. Mike held her protectively in his embrace but still, the pain was clearly seen in her eyes.

    " Whatever mother said, is it true grandpa??? "

 Chapter 96 - Showed Amity Rather Than Hostility

    Juliet was mentally breaking down inside even if her parents hated her from the early days of her memory but she could never think of this possibility.

    Leaving Mike''s embrace, Juliet steadily walked forward to face her grandfather. Each step she took was heavy, her eyes brimming with tears and she was even breathing heavily.

    " Grandfather, why is mother saying that I am not their daughter? From my childhood, I believed that you never lied yet you have broken that trust now. Am I not a member of the Posei family ? Was I picked up from anywhere?"

    The clan head and the elders knew the truth but they stood there with their heads lowered, lying to a child for their selfish needs, now the result was absolute mortification.

    Juliet could read her grandfather''s thoughts still she adamantly believed the white lie which she had been force-fed from childhood, that she was the third daughter of Walter Posei and Grace Beeters. She looked at her father and asked, " Father, I know you hate me because of the inherited power but please don''t tell me that I am not your daughter. "

    Even if Walter didn''t like this child he had seen her as his own daughter but due to grandfather''s special treatment for Juliet, made him distant from her. Her pitiful eyes naturally worried him and he could not speak up properly.

    However, when Grace saw that her husband was getting kind-hearted over the girl who almost destroyed all her ambitions, anger erupted inside her mind.

    " Youˇ­ are the daughter of the illegitimate son of the great clan leader and his lover. For power, your grandfather had abandoned his lovely son and killed his lover to marry the daughter of a prestigious family."

    The venomous words from Grace''s mouth directly stabbed grandfather Posei''s heart, he glared at the elders but remained quiet.

    Juliet could understand that now Grace had a relationship of only an aunt with her, and no one should completely believe her words as she usually exaggerates things for her benefit. Still, she wanted to know where her real parents were but she was hesitant to talk with her own grandfather.

    Mike knew his woman well, so he took the lead. He held Juliet close to him and viciously looked at the motherly figure standing across him. He hasn''t experienced motherly love, now when he thought of Juliet''s situation, it was much better for not having such a mother in his life. Even Samorea (the Salian queen) hadn''t been this cruel to him.

    " Grandfather, I apologise if the question hurts you, but I really want to know about the whereabouts of Juliet''s parents. Wherever they are, I want to find them for Juliet, please.."

    Grandfather Posei raised his head and saw Mike''s determined eyes, getting approval of the clan elders, grandfather decided to share the past of what really happened then.

    Grandfather Posei had been the youngest one in the family and only he was born gifted amongst the siblings. At the age of twenty, when his father asked him to take the position of the next clan leader, he disagreed. Later, he married his childhood lover from an ordinary family inside their Posei clan but then as the war began, to safeguard their clan, the elders forced him to marry the daughter of the prestigious family while his lover had already given birth to his son.

    Knowing it was for the sake of the clan, his lover urged him to get married to another woman who was powerful but it was the gravest mistake of his life. After marriage, when the other woman came to know the existence of the first wife and son of a lowly family getting priority, she was envious and jealousy rose in her mind. Finally one day, under the pretext of being called by her husband, his lover was killed inside the Palace while his only son was kidnapped.

    Later Walter was born, the Posei family thought he would have powers like his father but no, he couldn''t control water at all. Meanwhile, inside the woods, a boy was practising well in and out of the water sources and one day, accidentally grandfather Posei identified his long son. When asked, the boy replied that he needed time to think. The other clan elders and members were happy that someone in the next generation had extended the power.

    The problem arose when Walter married Grace, she wanted the power and luxuries be given to them instead of sharing it between brothers. She tried her level best to make the elder son''s and wife''s life difficult. After giving birth twice, it was the third one for Grace whereas Juliet''s mom was delivering her first baby but her baby was abducted just after giving birth. This caused her mother mental stress and lately, all medicinal experts had said there were no chances of recovery.

    " My son who went inside to save his kid never returned..."

    "Afterwards Juliet was thrown into the sea but then her powers surged up, no woman in the hierarchy had been born gifted, so grandfather Posei decided to take special care of her to overcome his guilt feeling towards his son.

    However, when Grace knew that Juliet was accepted to their familial clan, she tried difficult ways to stop Juliet from becoming the next heir. But then Juliet was provided with the protection of the Esbertrazian clan suddenly.

    But how was it possible?

    No one knewˇ­

    Even several attempts of Grace to kill Juliet from childhood were taken care off smoothly and finally, she became so frightened that she never dared to strike against Juliet even once.

    The only possible reason for sudden protection from the great dark clan pointed towards only one thing that her father must have asked them help before he died.

    When grandfather Posei completed his story, all clan members and Mike wanted to kill this vile woman. What kind of name was given to this devil, ''Grace''.. she was totally a blood-sucking monster, her behaviour was totally opposite to the meaning of her name.

    Suddenly the floor started trembling and everything around shook for a while. Mike paid attention to Juliet''s emotional balance and he knew that she was on the last stage of losing her control.

    The clan elders as well as members looked at Juliet who was trying to calm out her emotions.

    " Julie, my love, please do not stress on this shameless couple. They don''t worth your time, now let us try to find your father. I believe Jordan will help us out this dilemma."

    Juliet looked at Mike and saw how much he was concerned for her, unlike her family members. She raised her head and asked, " Who was my mother?"

    Before grandfather could reply, it was Walter who gave a clear reply, she was from our clan only and her best friend was Lilian Dagardian. She was a woman with self-esteem and never backed down from anything. A totally fun-loving and innocent woman in this entire clan. Only Lilian showed Amity towards her when others were quite hostile due to her outgoing character.

    While Walter was describing Juliet''s mother, the inner peace and admiration were clearly seen in his eyes, in contrast, pure hatred flashed in Grace''s eyes.

    " Hmmˇ­ see, he still thinks about that slut. Even her daughter, just like her, seduced the third prince of the Salian clan." Grace thought in her mind. She always thought that her daughters were the prettiest and worthy to be the queen. She even forgot the fact that it was the Salian elder who came to ask for Juliet''s hands.

    " Mike, let us go from here. From today onwards, if the Posei clan requires my help in an extreme emergency situation, then only I will come back. Thank you for taking care of me till now."

    Juliet turned around and walked away with her heads high along with her better half. This was the last time she entered inside the Ancestral hall with unhappiness in her mind. The next time when she returns back to the Posei family, she will have a wonderful gift for her grandfather.

    Grandfather Posei had his eye filled with tears and he glared at the elders who were watching Juliet leave.

    " I hope you all wanted this outcome right! Everyone is happy nowˇ­ and you, Walter, take your wife and get never ever let me see your faces again till the day I die. After my death, only Juliet can take the position of the clan leader."

    "SCRAM NOW..."

    The last sentence was echoed inside the whole Posei Palace. Juliet and friends didn''t wait to say goodbye to anyone in the Posei clan. All were with Juliet and Emmy was excited to know that their mothers were best friends.

    " Alex, Mike, we have news from the Demar brothers, they found the way to the Dimensional world and ask me, where it is?"

    Others curiously asked, " where is it?"

    " Inside the Envoy Salian College- old graveyard!"

 Chapter 97 - The Sealed Power

    " The Demar brothers, they found the way to the Dimensional world. "

    Others curiously asked, " where is it?"

    " Inside the Envoy Salian College- old graveyard!"

    Alex and Emmy now knew why all of their crazy dreams directed them to the old graveyard. This was the key which was hidden right in front of their eyes, but how come none of them including elder Rotrigues had seen the abnormality of the land till now?

    " But that graveyard is just a barren land and some say it is haunted..."

    " Haunted?? What do you mean by that?"

    Janet then told the local news that circulated before a few years that some people had seen shadows approaching the land on full moon nights and after the Salian family had taken over the college, no one was allowed to go out to the area as it was restricted.

    " But when I asked Dean to allot me that room but he didn''t say anything and handed me the keys quickly."

    Alex coughed and Jordan rolled his eyes. Both of them knew that the Dean was in bad airs with the Salian crown prince and party and he knew that Alex didn''t like anyone to enter his area. So when Emmy asked specifically for the room opposite to Alex''s room, he happily gave the keys.

    ( A/N - only a few know the real reason, remember Emmy came to this college due to the family will.)

    " Emmy, there is one thing, there was a protection layer which I had cracked for us, see only our group members are seen at the lakeside beside the old graveyard, right, it is because others won''t be able to even see the path. They will see the barren graveyard only, you can Janet as she was not able to see it before, then one day Juliet had shown her with her that place. "

    " But what about me then, I was able to see it on the first day itself."

    "Yes, you were, it might be due to your powerful aura. Remember, I told you about your aura is different from others, even I couldn''t penetrate through it."

    Emmy nodded, but still, she had some other doubts inside her mind. The group were happy that Alex was being crowned before they returned, so it meant they could do any kind of investigation at any Salian lands as the Salian king is one of them.

    Soon they reached the crown prince residency, the head servant who Alex respected the most, came to receive the group.

    Emmy greeted the head servant while she was entering the building, " Uncle Neshag, how have you been?"

    The person named Neshag was not any ordinary servant, he was the most skilled guard beside Alex, he was a lone fighter whom Alex met accidentally on the mountains. When Alex had found this man 10 years ago, he was badly bruised and lost his memories. So feeling pity about him, the young Alex welcomed him to the Palace to be his bodyguard.

    When Neshag recovered, he could only remember his name and his combat skills, nothing else, so Alex took him in and when he was made the crown prince, Alex made uncle Neshag all in all of his residency.

    Uncle Neshag was delighted to have his master and his friends back. He gladly smiled at Emmy, " Welcome back, this time you gave me a big trouble, isn''t it a big girl?"

    Emmy nodded her head like a child while apart from Jordan and Alex, all others were confused. What trouble can Emmy give to the head butler?

    Uncle Neshag then told everyone that the Salian queen had sent her guards to summon Emmy thrice but finally was stopped by the second prince. The King was angry after knowing it was Emmy who broke Victor''s hands, however, Victor asked his father to forgive Emmy because she was the woman he loved and he confessed that he tried to misbehave with her, so she attacked him.

    Alex couldn''t figure out why Victor took all the blame instead of pointing at them. This was indeed a great opportunity for him to strike yet he didn''t cause any troubles.

    " Then what happened?"

    " What can happen? The elders got involved and Victor was banished to the northern tower again, this time it was for 6 months."

    The group were happy, so Victor won''t be able to collaborate with the black world till they finish the course and come back.

    The next day, the whole Salian clan were present for the great day. To celebrate the grand day, the people had decorated the place in a golden colour. They made their crown prince''s favourite delicacies and the crown residency was bustling with people who came to give the prince the gifts.

    Yes, Alex was officially to be crowned as the king and each one of the Salian tribe wanted to see the function. On the stage, the elders gave the speech and asked the king to remove his crown. Then afterwards, Alex was called to the podium to be crowned.

    Alex walked towards the stage and looked at the elders as well as the former king. Finally, the time has come to disclose the biggest secret of his birth. Alex closed his eyes and with determination, he opened them.

    " Dear people, the love which you all have given me is not small. I will always be respectful and show my gratitude for it. But, I am not worthy to be your king as I am not one of you."

    The whole crowd gasped, then followed by it was complete silence. Everyone was confused by hearing their lovely prince who grew up in front of their eyes saying that he was not one of them. But they knew that Alex never said things unwantedly, there must a strong reason for it, so they patiently waited for Alex to complete his words.

    On the stage, all the four elders as well as king were shocked upon hearing Alex revealing something which only they knew. Emmy was watching all of them closely, literally except for their group, all the others were shocked except for uncle Neshag.

    " You knew it right!"

    Uncle Neshag smiled and didn''t deny it. Emmy believed that he must be from the core world but why would he act as losing his memories?

    " Child, what you are thinking is right, I am not from here but cannot disclose my identity as after knowing who I am, Alex wouldn''t hate me and ask me to leave."

    " Don''t tell me you are his father."

    This time uncle Neshag laughed out loud, he found it weird when this girl guessed things. However, not all guesses were correct but real close ones.

    " Child, I am not worthy of that position but you are close, I am the person who was designated to be his godfather but that witch trapped us and tried to harm Triana. Byron could only seal his powers to safeguard her and send her to Maaran. We both were trapped and prisoned. Ten years ago, my friend freed me but caught himself under her clutches while trying to escape and rest you know, how I came here."

    Emmy could see the pained expression of uncle Neshag''s face whenever he mentioned Alex''s father. She didn''t want to break the bond between these two men, so she decided to keep it as a secret from Alex.

    Emmy then remembered what elder Gastorie had mentioned to them about Alex''s parents.

    "Complicated, it was good that your mother never intended to kill the fruit which she bore with him. Your mother could never love your father as he had crossed his limits on their day itself."

    " If his father really loved his mother, I will make Alex accept him but not now, we need to find the dimensional world."

    " What did you say? The Dimensional world?"

    Sensing the unusual expression on uncle Neshag''s face, Emmy knew that he wasn''t new to this world. Accurately, he knows about it well and is scared.

    "Yes, we are going to the Dimensional world."

    " Never, I won''t allow it, you can not go to her regime now. You are powerless and she might kill you all. That''s what she needs..."

    Author''s Note

    " HAPPY NEW YEAR"

    I wish all my sweet readers a prosperous new year. The year 2020 locked me up inside the room and encouraged me to write this novel which I had seen in my dreams fours years back.

    Yes, I dream a lot and some dreams usually are very scary. So after getting up, I quickly used to write about it as a snippet in my diaries. During 2020, I got a lot of time to open my old diaries and read thoseˇ­.

    Finally, I was inspired to write it into a novel. Hope you are enjoying this story, please if you have any comments about it, please comment it on the chapter comments.

    Also, what about publishing two chapters a day? Please let me know your opinion about it.

 Chapter 98 - Opened Only With Special Blood

    "Yes, we are going to the Dimensional world."

    " Never, I won''t allow it, you can not go to her regime now. You are powerless and she might kill you all. That''s what she needs..."

    " Silence..."

    Alex who stood on the platform shouted, with that the conversation between Emmy and uncle Neshag got halted. Neshag knew that stopping these two would be difficult as one was adamant like her father and the other, revengeful as his mother. However, he decided to follow these youngsters wherever they go as it was his last promise to the woman he loved.

    On the platform, with the Salian king glaring at him, Alex watched the whole crowd becoming quiet. He took a long breath, then he looked at the respected elders.

    " It is time, folks but before I tell you the reason. I would like to abdicate my position and cut all ties from the Salian clan. Years ago, the elders received a task to marry off the heavenly goddess who came to the Salian clan and all happily arranged her to be married to the crown prince whereas he was forced to marry her due to the throne. "

    " Later, the heavenly goddess gave birth to a baby boy and you all, gave him the name Envoy Salian Alexandrian but one person hated the mother and the newborn baby. The person who was forced to leave his lover and then had to be the father of a child who he had no connection with."

    This time the whole crowd gasped as they couldn''t believe their heavenly goddess was such a woman. No, it cannot beˇ­ the Salian king must have done something to her, she is a pure woman. Naturally, everyone still believed Alex''s mother and some had the opinion that Valeriander must have falsified her innocence.

    Hearing the crowd supporting his mother even when this time the Salian king was really innocent. However, Alex had to take revenge for murdering his mother as for the sake of his brother, Alex was determined to spill the whole truth today.

    " Please, let me complete, yes, I have no Salian blood flowing through my body, in fact, I cannot disclose my real identity for your safety. I decided to confess everything today because I want to avenge my mother who was poisoned by the great Salian king as well as for an innocent woman, who first lost her innocence due to this person''s lust and then her life, for giving him an heir."

    From the audience, a pair of bloodshot eyes glared at the Salian king who was trembling with anger on the platform. Valeriander felt that someone else was looking at him but at this time, he only wanted Alex to stop talking as he was spilling the king''s sins one by one.

    The elders knew this time they couldn''t help Valeriander at any cost, so they stood back without interfering.

    " I am not worthy to be your king and sorry for deceiving such great people. Even though I didn''t know about my parenthood and only recently I came to know the whole truth. Please fo, then he turned give me and my mother. She only wanted to keep her son safe..."

    Before Alex could complete his speech, Valeriander tried to attack Alex in front of the whole clan as well as the elders. Even Emmy couldn''t reach Alex at the correct time and the whole crowd screamed.

    " Noooooˇ­.."

    "Ahhhhhhhˇ­."

    Instead of Alex, the one who fell down on the ground and was rolling on the ground due to immense pain was none other than the Salian king, Valeriander himself. Alex also was shocked due to the turn of events. First he looked at the figure who was swaying on ground, then he turned around to see who had helped him out of this predicament.

    Although Alex knew this person had humongous anger towards the king yet he was shocked to see the person in this form. Emmy aa well as the whole crowd including the elders never thought this person would have such a murderous aura in him.

    Yes, this person was none other than the third prince, he listened to Alex''s speech and was bubbling with hatred towards his father. When he saw that Valeriander was no more listening to Alex nor staring at him, Mike knew that he might be plotting to attack Alex. Just as Mike reached the platform, the king had taken out his hand knife to attack Alex and Mike''s final control snapped out, he directly took hold of the hand which had the knife and broke it without any resentment.

    Valeriander, who saw that it was the third prince who had attacked him, started cursing Mike aloud .

    " You brat,, you are just like your mother, an ingrate being. How could you attack your own father? Aren''t scared of the heavenly punishments? You have to finish this imbecile creature first. He is not your brother and will be your enemy soon. Mark my words, he won''t show no mercy in killing you and our family. "

    Due to pain and anger, Valeriander had lost all his rationality and he didn''t see the murderous aura in his son''s eyes. He was still believing that his third son would help him to kill Alex.

    " Father? Just by giving seed, doesn''t make anyone worthy of being a father. A father is that person who protects his wife and their children without expecting anything. His sweats and hard work gives their children''s happiness. His love must warm the children and importantly , he shall cherish and respect his own woman. But you took my mother''s innocence just because you found her attractive on one fine day. Then when you came to know she was having your baby, for your greed and selfish reasons, tortured her for another 9 months to give birth to the child. After she gave birth to the child, she couldn''t even see her child for once, you killed her mercilessly.

    Yes, that womanˇ­ the beautiful maidˇ­ was my mother "

    Mike hollered the last words at Valeriander who was stiff now. So, his son knew about the heinous thing which he had done to his mother. Now, he lost it and he started laughing out loud like a mad man.

    "Yes, I did it. It was me who had entangled her neck and killed her in a minute. Even when she was dying, she only wanted to see her childˇ­ pity her.."

    Mike''s anger reached the peak and he strode forward with the knife which he had snatched from Valenriander but Alex stopped him.

    " Mike, don''t do things on an impulse, we will let him die slowly but it is not time yet."

    The elders who watched the whole drama came forward and asked the guards to put the former king in the prison. Also , they assured the people that whether the queen had any hands-on these murders would be also be investigated.

    " Alex, now that the former king has been thrown to the prison, the Salain clan needs a leader, a true king. Please, we all know who you areˇ­ your identity is not a problem for us, but don''t leave us like this."

    The crowd started hailing both the brothers'' names with pride and from their faces, it was clear they wanted them back as their princes.

    Alex looked at the crowd and bowed sincerely.

    " I won''t be able to take care of you all but I can present to you, your true king."

    After finding his words, he lifted Mike''s hand which was holding the dagger ˇ­

    " Envoy Salian Mirander shall be your next king, he will guide and protect all of you from any danger that you may have to face. My whole support will be there for him as well as for you all."

    One of the commoners came forward and said, " We accept your decision oh crown prince but promise us that you won''t abandon us ever. This is your place, your family, each one of us has considered you as a part of us, so we won''t change ever."

    He then turned to face Mike, " Oh majesty, Please, give your brother a special place in the kingdom that he will always live here with us in the Salian clan. "

    Mike couldn''t react to any of their words and none even got registered inside the brain, Alex pulled and along with Emmy and uncle Neshag, returned to the residency. Along the way, Alex made Mike promise that he will take the position and guide the kingdom well.

    At the residency, Jordan was pacing all around like a mad man. Just as the trio returned, Jordan showed them a piece of paper which had a message.

    " It can only be opened with special blood."

    " Special blood What is that ?"

    Emmy never knew about special blood so she was highly curious to know about it.

    " Special blood is simply the blood of Lady Vilmon, as per the books we found in the black world, special blood is the blood of the supreme heir of their clan."

 Chapter 99 - You Are The Supreme Heir

    " Special blood is simply the blood of Lady Vilmon, as per the books we found in the black world, special blood is the blood of the supreme heir of their clan."

    Hearing Jordan''s knowledge about the special blood all lost the hope again. They wanted to find Lady Vilmon but where? How? They had no idea as there was not even a clue from the black world about Lady Vilmon. Alex didn''t know where could have the infinity well taken Lady Vilmon.

    Just as the group were standing at the entrance, a small kid came to meet Alex with a few roasted nuts packed nicely inside a small basket.

    He stood in front of Alex and tried to catch his breath back as he had run from the celebration place till here. Emmy asked Jordan to fetch water for the kid and he happily drank the water which Jordan had brought for him.

    " Prince, my godfather had painstakingly prepared this gift for your coronation day but due to fever, he couldn''t attend the ceremony. However, I couldn''t see him sad so I thought of giving it to you, please accept our small gift."

    Alex knelt down and received the small basket and politely said, " I am not the crown prince anymore nor the king. My brother, Mike is the next king, okay."

    The kid stood silently and others thought that the kid was thinking that his gift was wasted because he had an expression of disappointment on the face. But what came next from his mouth dazzled everyone.

    " Prince or king, positions are just a decoration. You are a good human being, that only matters. Anyway, not having a family is not a big deal, just love those who are loving you back. See you have a lot of friends, enjoy your life with them instead of thinking of your lost ones."

    Watching the positive attitude of such a small aged kid, Alex cheered up. Also, Mike''s playfulness also returned. Age doesn''t matter, experience does - this proverb was true to the point in this case.

    " Kiddo, you are smart and keep up this positiveness in your future also. Now I will arrange my physician to check your father''s sickness, okay!"

    The kid smiled at Alex and prepared to leave, but after walking a few steps, he turned back, " I also don''t have parents, my godfather got me from the dumpster. So, I don''t even know my identity yet I am happy. Prince, you are fortunate enough to know your real identity, believe in yourself and move forward."

    The kid ran away leaving a smile hanging in everyone''s faces.

    " You are fortunate enough to know your real identity" Emmy repeated what the kid had just said.

    " What did you say, Emmy?" Alex asked.

    " Alex, your real identity, you are the only biological heir of the supreme lord. As Jordan said, the special blood is the blood of the supreme heir of the clan. So your blood is special."

    Alex and Mike were astonished by the fact which Emmy termed up, he quickly called Jordan and asked him to let the Demar brothers come to the Envoy Salian college after three days.

    The friends packed up and bid farewell to the Salian elders. To Alex''s surprise, his best comrade, uncle Neshag also followed under the pretext of being the Combat master at the college. Emmy knew the reason well but she didn''t interfere in his business.

    Coming back to the campus, the group of friends rushed to the old graveyard which had barely a few old debris of tombstones left. The land was not fit to be even irrigated and the soil was unusually dry. No one would believe that land would so be dried up although it had a lake so close to it.

    Seeing the sun-baked soil, Juliet used her powers to bring some moisture to the surface but how much she tried, the land was still dry. Still, Juliet was adamant and kept on trying to wet the land. Finally, the land was still dry but Juliet was looking pale after exhausting a good amount of energy on it.

    " Child, this land will never be wet."

    Juliet and the gang turned around to see their new combat master, Master Neshag.

    (A/N - Yes, he is the head butler of the crown prince residency but now as there is no crown prince, he needed another job, LOL...)

    All of them bowed and showed respect even though he was their uncle Neshag, Alex smiled as he was happy that this man took a job where he can practice his skills well.

    " Why won''t this land be wet?"

    " This piece of land is known as the land of death, this is the same place where the sorceress and enchantress had the biggest fight. It was said that the fight was fierce and took place continuously for three straight days... on the third day evening, the enchantress was going to achieve her victory and finish off the evil sorceress once in forever but then he came... "

    " The great lord?"

    Jordan curiously asked to which master Neshag smiled, " The great lord huh, good! Yes, Maaran was a great person but in the fit of vengeance towards the supreme power, he too became blind."

    " Then what happened?"

    This time Juliet was the excited one, she forgot about her failed attempts and enthusiastically chimed in the conversation.

    " Enchantress was head over heels for that guy, how could she ever take a sword against him? When she was facing the betrayal pain, the sorceress and Maaran attacked her together. As on the front, it was Maaran fighting, the enchantress did not dare to attack, she defended all the attacks but never raised her powers in front of him. Thus, that day, the enchantress and her army lost the war."

    " Further, the sorceress asked Maaran to banish the defeated army and to kill the enchantress but he only banished the army. Enchantress didn''t return ever again to this world till he called her back."

    Emmy listened to the story which master Neshag had told, for some reason she had a strange feeling inside. Something was not right if the great lord waited for his only woman, then when Alex''s mother came to him, he could have simply accepted her. However, he married her off to another guy who was completely out of the whole scenario. With days of Alex''s mother dying, the great lord also surprisingly fell sick and the disease turned to be fatal.

    Alex felt a chill suddenly and he looked around. Apart from Emmy, all others also felt an unusual cold feeling all of a sudden. Master Neshag then asked everyone to get inside the rooms and also he walked back to the buildings. Just as everyone left, in the barren land where Juliet had poured water, a breeze began to blow lifting the black ashes which were resting in the soil, round and round it swirled, finally becoming the black swirl.

    If Alex and Juliet had seen this swirl, they would have recognised it as the same black swirl from the secret pathway chamber which tried to attack them. The black swirl turned to a particular direction and stayed there for some time. After a while, it slowly advanced towards the direction and when it reached its destination, the whole mist disappeared.

    Inside the room, Emmy was in deep thinking while Alex was still trying to decode the manuscripts from the black world. He also tried to draw the picture which the old man was drawing on the walls, the same in which Alex and Emmy were standing in front of a triangular building.

    " Emmy, have you seen any triangular buildings in your dreams or visions?"

    Hearing Alex, Emmy jerked up from her train of thoughts, She heard his question which he repeated patiently for her sake, but she too didn''t know.

    " Why do you ask?"

    Alex slowly explained his vision about the painting the old man was painting on the wall inside the sea cave they entered. He was sure that he wasn''t imagining stuff as he could open the wall as the old man had shown.

    " I believe you but we want proof for all that."

    " Emmy, the strange triangular tower had a strange symbol on its top as well as under the paintings it was written - Beyond the time. I think we are fated to be together for the seven births."

    After Emmy heard Alex flirting with her in broad daylight, she turned scarlet red. Alex knew that she was shy but still loved to tease her like this.

    " Complete your work, I am going to sleep."

    Just as Emmy came near the window to close it, she saw something lurking over the graveyard. Emmy quickly called Alex to see what she saw.

    " What is it my dear sweety Emˇ­."

    " Shush ...look at that, are you able to see it."

    Emmy pointed to the place where she saw the shadow lurking, Alex wanted to rush towards the graveyard but then changed his mind after seeing the shadow clearly.

    " My dear brother wants good beatings from this great brother."

 Chapter 100 - I Know Where It Is...

    Emmy just heard Alex mentioning dear brother and at the next instance, he jumped through the window.

    Alex reached the graveyard in a jiffy but he was very quiet to not alarm his dearest stepbrother who was banished to the northern towers by the Salian elders, now searching something here on the old graveyard.

    " Dear brother, would you need some help in searching for whatever thing you are searching for?"

    Victor wasn''t expecting anyone on this land at this particular time, so he freaked out when Alex surprised him from his back. Victor who already had his hand broken, couldn''t balance his body from this sudden fright and fell down on the ground landing on his butt.

    Alex wanted to laugh but still offered his hand to Victor who had fallen down. But to his surprise, this was not Victor at all, this person was just an imposter. Alex was able to identify it from the eyes, Victor''s eyes always had viciousness and hid all the emotions well in his eyes but this man was really frightened after seeing Alex.

    It was like someone else wanted to use this imposter to do his dirty deeds and then blame Victor or the Salian clan for it. Before the man tried to escape, Emmy and master Neshag came to the scene but preferred not to interrupt Alex with his interrogation.

    At the first glance itself, both of them could recognise that this man was just an imposter and only resembled Victor in body shape, the facial feature was normal and there were no special features like Victor at all.

    " Just one answer, who sent you here ?"

    The person didn''t seem to be anxious, he laughed all of a sudden after hearing Alex''s question. He carefully sat on the rock beside him and scrutinised Alex carefully.

    " Do you think I am scared of you? Even if you try a thousand times, I won''t tell you my identity nor you can find me after today. I may look like your stepbrother, don''t you want to know why?"

    Alex felt something suspicious from the very beginning, as he knew Victor well but this man had a great part of resemblance to Victor''s body structure. Although, he didn''t bother to ask because this type of tricks was not found in this world but the Demar brothers once had mentioned that the core world usually made impersonators in order to infiltrate the clans and destroy them with one blow.

    " Who is your master then ?"

    The man sneered and tried to walk away from Alex with pride and Alex couldn''t move at all. It was like someone had cast a spell on him. Watching the other man walk away and Alex not moving, master Neshag and Emmy made a pact quickly. He followed the man whereas Emmy rushed towards Alex.

    Alex couldn''t move a muscle but he could hear well, he felt someone was approaching him and by the sound of footsteps, he knew it was a woman. Emmy came and shook Alex''s whole body. Just with her touch, Alex could move his body but Emmy both hands were suddenly numb. She tried to open and close her fists to release the numbness feelings but it was strangely giving her hands more strength.

    " Emmy, are you alright? That person isn''t Victor, he is an imposter. I bet he is not one from our clans. Where did he go ?"

    Emmy felt a chill suddenly and she turned back to see nothing. However, she was sure that there was something behind her at that time but in order not to spook Alex, she kept quiet.

    " Master Neshag is following him, let us go quickly there."

    Emmy and Alex rushed to the path where she saw master Neshag went before they separated, a fierce fight was what welcomed both of them. Alex was surprised to see the full vigour of master Neshag and he couldn''t believe such a strong person was playing dumb with him in the past years. They used to spar and Alex thought that he could match up with his uncle but now he knew that the combat master was just letting him win. The person he saved was the supreme combat master and never once took his complete strength out.

    " Neshag ˇ­ Neshagˇ­ I never thought you would side with the person who killed our families and even forced himself on the woman you loved."

    Amidst the fight, the other man ( now in Victor''s looks) was trying to hit Neshag''s bottom lines. The person knew that every time the woman has been mentioned, then Neshag would lose all his rationalities. Yes, that man was absolutely correct, by mentioning the woman he loved, Neshag lost his focus and soon the other man was winning the fight.

    Finally, the man struck Neshag''s chest directly but before Neshag could dodge it, he saw Alex and Emmy standing in front of them and the strike perfectly landed on his shoulders.

    "Ahhhhhˇ­."

    Neshag hissed with pain but he couldn''t accept defeat anymore. He tried to stand up, however, his opponent raised his foot and kept it over his chest, squashing him to the ground with force.

    " Demetrick, never will you nor that witch would win this time. The gods have listened to my prayers, our supreme heir has returned and will wipe out that witch and her army once in for all."

    The person named Demetrick was also from the Yalasgue tribe but he sided with the sorceress and fight against the Zucathore clan and the black army.

    " Neshag, sorceress has successfully killed the main obstacles from her way years ago, now just left are those three old fools. Once we find the Ravenics, then the young lad who is under their protection will be killed mercilessly. I wanted to kill him today but until we find the Ravenics, we won''t strike anyone."

    Alex suddenly felt a chill all over his body whereas Emmy was losing her control on her emotions, the dull pain on her head was increasing and she was losing focus of her eyes.

    From Demetrick''s words, Neshag knew that he hadn''t spotted Alex and Emmy yet but he didn''t know how to make those two leave and reach master Rotrigues''s protection fastly.

    " I won''t allow it Demetrick, you have to kill me first to hurt him. "

    " Haa..haa... " Demetrick''s cruel laugh echoed in the land, the setting sun made his appearance scarier.

    " I will fulfil your wish today Neshag, I know the Ravenics is here ...where its reflection can be seen on the frozen waterfall and no sun is powerful to warm the hall. It is hidden in front of your eyes but no one knows correctly where it lies..."

    Demetrick applied force over his foot and it made Neshag spit out blood, blood started oozing out from his nose and mouth.

    " It is your end Neshag, die and be with your woman." Demetrick laughed evilly and raised his foot for the last strike but just as he wanted to squash his dreaded enemy, he was thrown away by a large force.

    Alex quickly helped master Neshag up and started giving him first aid.

    " Emmy, we need to take him to the infirmary as soon as possible, he is losing heartbeats."

    " You go..."

    " Emmy, but please that guy is from the core world, we aren''t powerful enough to take him down. Let him go this time."

    " I SAID YOU GOˇ­.."

    Emmy then shouted at Alex, the fierceness in her eyes clearly showed Alex, those green eyes covered her usual brown eyes. Alex gulped and couldn''t say anything more. The frightening look made him obey Emmy without any objections and he left quickly with Neshag on his shoulders.

    Demetrick who was kicked on his abdomen suffered quite a heavy blow, he never knew any person who could have this much strength even to defeat him. He got up and looked at the field where he saw a petite girl standing with her head lowered.

    Walking over towards the petite figure, Demetrick sneered. He would never believe that it was this frail-looking girl who kicked him a little while before.

    " Woman, I have no grudges with you, now scram from here."

    Still, the woman had no reaction and she still stood there with her head lowered, Demetrick was never a good man from the very beginning, so he thought of even playing with this weak woman tonight.

    " Okay, I guess your friends must have left you here alone. Come, tonight I will give you protection on my bed."

    Demetrick came forward and raised his hands to touch Emmy''s shoulders.

    Just then strong winds started blowing, Demetrick was shocked to see the scene in front of him. He couldn''t breathe for the next few seconds and unconsciously knelt down before the petite woman.

    The woman raised her head and her lips had a sneer pasted on them. Her green eyes shone brightly and a murderous aura slowly surrounded the petite figure.

    " Long time no see Demetrick."

 Chapter 101 - Tell Her That I Am Backâ€ť

    The woman raised her head and her lips had a sneer pasted on them. Her green eyes shone brightly and a murderous aura slowly surrounded the petite figure.

    " Long time no see Demetrick."

    Demetrick who was kneeling down could not believe his eyes anymore, the one who was the most powerful and evil of all the entities present in the world, was standing in front of him.

    The woman who could just destroy the whole universe with her power was defeated once due to the power of love. Her army was completely banished and her lover betrayed her feelings. This was the same woman who had sealed her iniquitous self for the sake of her love and then lost everything completely. The sorceress even forced her to go to seclusion. The last time when Demetrick had seen her was when Maaran ( the great lord) refused to accept her love. He clearly remembered her eyes that day as it showed immense pain implying the grave delinquency of herself in not protecting her people.

    Now those eyes only showed viciousness and were blaspheming. She regained the iniquitous power which had been sealed away long back. The sorceress had also prepared a great farewell gift for her at the Dimensional world, the place where nobody dared to go, once entered one can never return but then how could she return back?

    " Enchantress..."

    Yes, the woman who was blazing in power was none other than enchantress, the great black mist enchantress of the supreme power. Although the countenance was different, those green eyes shone with absolute power and it lacked the gentleness which Demetrick had seen before.

    " But you were thrown to the Abio world, you can never return. Hey girl, did Neshag get an imposter to scare the sorceress, huh...girl, keep in mind, Esbertrazian people are just ants and soon they will be squashed mercilessly. So don''t meddle in our business, run away from here as soon as you can.."

    Suddenly a gust of wind circled them and Demetrick could a black swirl forming behind the woman. He opened his eyes widely to see what he saw was true or not.

    " Enchantress...no no ..Lady Enchantress.. "

    The rest of the words were stuck in his mouth as he was shell shocked to the old vicious enchantress back in here. If it was true, then the sorceress was doomed this time and their plan won''t succeed even if they find the Ravenicks.

    " Well, how is my sister doing? Hope that she enjoys living her life because this time I care not for anyone. Whoever hurts him must die...and you dared to do soˇ­ "

    Before Demetrick could understand the person who the enchantress was referring, the black swirl started advancing towards him. It entrapped Demetrick inside it and soon, the sound of his bones breaking could be heard along with his screams.

    "Don''t kill him. He must live till she sees his condition clearly, dump him in front of her whole army and pass the message to her that I am back."

    Soon the black swirl disappeared along with Demetrick and the winds stopped blowing. When Alex and others came back to the graveyard to find Emmy, she had already fainted and was lying down on the ground. Her whole body was ice cold in contrast with the surrounding which was unusually hot.

    "Jordan, inform master Rotrigues now."

    Alex shouted out to Jordan and quickly carried Emmy to see the physician. The physician informed the group that Emmy was perfectly fine on the outside but internally she is very weak, her subconscious mind is weak and unable to wake up the conscious mind. So, she needs to boost up her confidence and wake up on her own. No medicine could help in this situation.

    Just after the physician completed his consultation, master Rotrigues rushed inside the room where Emmy was resting.

    " Alex, what happened to Emmy and Neshag ? How come people from the core world can infiltrate here?"

    Alex then slowly explained how Emmy and himself thought it was Victor and then how he confronted him.

    " The person cast a spell on me I guess, I was not able to move my complete body and Emmy came to rescue me from the numbness. Then we followed the path which uncle Neshag must have taken. There both uncle and that person were fighting and as uncle Neshag sensed our arrival, he lost his focus and was brutally beaten. "

    " So are you saying Neshag knows that man?"

    "Yes."

    This was an answer which the master Rotrigues never wanted to hear. A lot of questions still need clarification.

    " How can a person in that world come here?"

    " But why did he dress like Victor, is there any connection behind?"

    Master Rotrigues could not answer the questions in Janet''s mind as well as Juliet who mentioned it.

    " Let us wait for Neshag to be awake tomorrow."

    Master Rotrigues quietly returned to his quarters.

    " Alex, I think the banned core world armies also know about the connection between Victor and the leaders of the black world. The leaders might be the actual puppet of the core power. so they know the whole things about VilmonArk including us all. "

    Alex kept silent whereas Mike had another opinion of the same situation.

    " Jordan, I think it may be staged to deviate us from finding the Ravenics, spies are all around, so they might have come to know that we found the location of the Ravenics. "

    Hearing the conversation between Jordan and Mike, Alex remembered what that man had told uncle Neshag while fighting.

    " Where its reflection can be seen on the frozen waterfall and no sun is powerful to warm the hall. It is hidden in front of your eyes but no one knows correctly where it liesˇ­"

    Others became quiet once Alex started murmuring these lines again and again.

    " Brother, what are you saying?"

    " Mike, this is exactly what that man told uncle Neshag, he said that he knew the Ravenics are in the campus old graveyard, where its reflection can be seen on the frozen waterfall and no sun is powerful to warm the hall. It is hidden in front of your eyes but no one knows correctly where it lies."

    " Anyone ring any bells?"

    All of them started thinking about these lines, reflection..waterfall.. the sun.. hall, these lines directed to a puzzle but how to decode the puzzle, they couldn''t think of anyways.

    Meanwhile, Emmy opened her eyes and was startled to see everything was white around her. Was she having another dream or nightmare? Then she saw a woman walking towards her smilingly, Emmy was shocked to see the person.

    A stunning beauty, she had attractive eyes and gentleness covered her whole body. Just by seeing her, your mind would feel calm and serene. Emmy observed the woman who was approaching her from head to toe. Emmy sensed a strong familiarity and involuntarily her lips curved up.

    The woman reached Emmy and caringly asked, " My dear angel, did you recognise who I am?"

    Emmy actually couldn''t recognise her but knew the owner of this face was an important person in her life.

    So, she slowly shook her head indicating she didn''t know who she was. The woman opposite laughed her heart out after seeing Emmy''s adorable expression.

    " My daughter, I know everything that happened to you but I am helpless in love matters and your mother was an utter failure in love but still I haven''t told anyone what happened between us and I can''t tell you either. Just remember, fight for love but never get defeated like your mother. I am leaving all my sealed powers with you, it will help you in dire situations. No one would be able to defeat you when you use those powers."

    Emmy tried to remember this face but she failed to remember that face. All she could feel was the non-stop tears from her eyes. Yes, she was crying uncontrollably now.

    The woman came near her and hugged her, " Child, never blame yourself. The Yalasgue people will be reborn in the Abio world after they die here, so I am going there to find my love. You take care foreverˇ­ Miss you, my child "

    Emmy hugged the woman and surprisingly called her, " Mother, don''t go pleaseˇ­ "

    Afterwards, Emmy could hear only a voice, " My child, I rested here only to give you the power which you deserved. Now, I have to go. You be with your friends and I am glad, they are all very trustworthy as well as my son in law, good choice."

    Emmy slowly opened her eyes again, then she could see the most worried face, Alex never left her bedside even for once. As Emmy slept for a complete day time, she woke up due to hunger.

    " Emmy, how do you feel now?"

    Alex helped Emmy with a glass of water which she drank in a jiffy. Alex could notice that her heartbeats were abnormally fast.

    " Emmy, you frightened me yesterday dear, you looked so ferocious and I got pretty scared. Luckily, you are okay."

    "Alex, I love you."

 Chapter 102 - The Abio World

    "Alex, I love you."

    The words which Emmy said first after waking up was her confession of love to Alex and hearing it, the man sitting beside flushed red. He got excited and kissed his adorable woman hard on her lips.

    Emmy also craved for his kisses and touches, so she didn''t resist his crazy passion in any manner. Sensing that she voluntarily agreed to his advances, Alex could not stop himself. He pressed Emmy on to the soft mattress and continued missing her feverishly.

    Meanwhile, outside Mike received the news of Victor missing from the northern towers of the Salian clan while the Demar brothers also arrived along with their wives. After welcoming them to the college, the group consisting of Mike, Juliet, Janet, Jordan and the guests decided to visit Emmy.

    Juliet and Janet rushed to Emmy''s room with food while Mike along with Jordan decided to explain what happened yesterday to Houlson and Leon. Both of them got astonished after hearing that a person from the direct powers of the core world had come to investigate here.

    " They are becoming restless I guess. Also, did you ask master Rotrigues about the clue given by that man ?"

    " No, Alex remembered it after he had left, sp we are waiting for uncle Neshag to wake up. He knows that man well. "

    Hearing everything the Demar brothers also thought that it was better to wait to take action after knowing about the enemy well. A person who could cast spells was considered to be even more powerful than the alpha guards of the Esbertrazian clan.

    Just as Juliet and Janet entered the room, they saw an intimate kissing scene, Suddenly, both of them turned red and without disturbing the couple, they quickly closed the door.

    " Did you see that? Finally, I am going to get a sister-in-law." Juliet was so happy for Alex and Emmy,

    "I am glad that she now has a person that she can trust and have a family. I was worried that she might stay alone even after getting revenge. Alex has done well, I never thought he could be this caring and romantic. "

    " No, I must say that he is very caring. I remember that on our expedition when that black swirl was coming to attack me, he directly jumped in front of me and protected me well. Although it was for his brother, I still felt that under that arrogant and cold face, there lies a person who knows to only love and care for his loved ones."

    Both of the women were discussing the sudden behaviour change in Alex when Mike and group joined them.

    Looking at the food utensils on their hands, Mike asked confusingly, " You two rushed here to give my brother and Emmy food, but I can see that you haven''t done it yet. Watching your expression, Julie, why do I feel you had been naughty just now? "

    Juliet never expected Mike to tease her in front of her friends, her cheeks were blushing and even though she opened her mouth, no words escaped out from it.

    To free Juliet from her awkwardness, Jordan smiled and said, " Mike, let us go, we need to tell Alex the news quickly."

    " NO."

    Juliet and Janet stopped the group at the same time, now this behaviour confirmed that they were up to something mischievous.

    " Hey, we need to meet Alex, it is important."

    Janet scoffed at Jordan who was not understanding her signal from the beginning. She politely smiled at the Demar brothers and pulled Jordan''s ears.

    " Alex is boosting up Emmy''s confidence, let us not disturb them for some time."

    While the Demar brothers understood what Janet and Juliet were trying to say but Mike was standing clueless and Jordan rolled his eyes at Janet.

    " So what, let me also see how to boost up confidence, he never shares his techniques.."

    Before Jordan could take another step towards the door, Janet forcefully pulled Jordan towards their room and shut the door.

    Mike was flabbergasted seeing what happened to Jordan. He turned to see both Houlson and Leon were laughing their hearts out. Still not getting the meaning of what was happening, he looked at his woman with his puppy eyes.

    Houlson could see that Juliet was being shy in front of them so tactfully he excused himself,

    " Let them take their time, Emmy needs Alex now. We can wait, Juliet, you can just inform us when the boosting session is finished."

    Juliet opened her eyes wide as she knew Houlson and Leon got the correct meaning of Janet''s comment earlier.

    She smiled politely and replied, " Sure, Kiara and Eliza are resting at rooms 11 and 12 respectively."

    Soon after they left, Juliet pulled Mike to the opposite room, closing the door, she looked at her husband who was still showing her the puppy expression.

    Watching Juliet''s glare, Mike knew these mushy techniques won''t work at his woman, so he changed the tactic.

    "I really didn''t understand why you two were stopping us. I am totally innocent my dear."

    Juliet wanted to laugh but still maintained her cold expression, she stared at him intensely and moved forward towards him.

    As the distance between them decreased, Mike stood still at last and finally, she stood on her tip and toes and kissed him hard on his lips.

    " This is the meaning of boosting confidence, are you feeling confident now?"

    " I amˇ­ but I guessˇ­ it is not enough, come here."

    Mike pulled his woman close to him, her fragrance excited him. He slowly kissed her cheeks, eyes and even in between her brows. Just as he was going to catch those alluring lips, Juliet pushed him.

    " Now we have other things to worry about, come let us go out."

    Mike sighed, looking at the sudden change in his body, he wished to punish his woman on the cosy bed but he smiled.

    " One day I will let you taste the pleasure and then you would never push me away.."

    He didn''t say it loud but still, Juliet could see the lust in his eyes which overshadowed his love for her for a few seconds. When she saw Mike going to take a cold shower, she felt guilty. even though it was he who wanted to complete the deed after marriage but Juliet knew that it was not good for his body.

    " Tonight I will let you punish me, my dear husband".

    Juliet made the decision to let her wolf devour her tonight while the poor wolf who was taking the cold shower sneezed twice.

    Inside Emmy''s room, actually, nothing happened as others had expected, Alex only kissed hard and played with her tongue for a few seconds. He was scared as the physician had reminded him that she might look healthy outside but inside she was not okay.

    " Alex, how did I end up here? "

    " So you don''t remember anything that happened after I left with uncle Neshag?"

    " You left me there alone????"

    Now Alex was sure that Emmy must be having a double personality or else she should have remembered that it was her who shouted at him to leave the place.

    Alex then slowly explained what had happened that evening after uncle Neshag was brutally injured. Emmy listened to everything and even marked the clue in her mind. She was shocked when Alex told that she shouted at him to scram away and he was afraid of seeing her like that. Then Alex also told how they saw her lying on the ground in a fainted condition afterwards.

    "Alex, I don''t remember what happened there but when I was in sleep, I saw a lady but cannot recognise her. She called me her daughter and said something about power transfer. She even mentioned your mother''s clan."

    " She said - Child, never blame yourself. The Yalasgue people will be reborn in the Abio world after they die here, so I am going there to find my love."

    " The Abio World," Alex stressed this topic as he has never heard about it.

    " Yes, she talked to me as she was my mother and asked me never to repeat her mistakes"

    Emmy clearly then told what all that lady had said to Emmy in her dream. Alex heard everything and stayed silent. Already, they had to find answers to plenty of questions and now what was this Abio world?

    After Emmy got freshened up, a large group of people were waiting for her. Kiara and Leona took admissions to their college and the Demar brothers were allocated the task of guarding the old graveyard area.

    Master Neshag didn''t tell a word till he heard that Emmy had woken up. He quickly reached Emmy''s room, followed by master Rotrigues.

    " Emmy, how are you feeling? Did Demetrick do anything indecent towards you? " master Neshag looked at her whole body, as there were no signs of any assault, he sighed in relief.

    " Who was that guy?" Alex asked.

    Master Neshag knew he wouldn''t be able to keep his secret anymore, so he spilt everything which he had told Emmy before. Alex glared at him but watching Emmy, he kept his cool.

    Emmy was more curious about something else, so she directly blurted it out.

    " What do you know about the Abio World?"

    Master Neshag and master Rotrigues were astonished and simultaneously asked. " How and what do you know about the Abio world?"

 Chapter 103 - The Awaited Tempest

    " How do you know about the Abio world?" Master Neshag and Rotrigues asked simultaneously.

    " I heard in a dream. Tell me all about the Abio world, it is really important."

    Even if Emmy''s voice felt as if she was ordering them, the two masters did not feel bad about it. Their disciple was far brilliant and she was the daughter of their brother Shawn, so his daughter can be a bit arrogant.

    Rotrigues looked at Neshag and nudged him to say whatever he knew about the Abio world.

    " The Abio world is the place where the non- living rules the world, in our Yalasgue clan, there is a belief that the ones who die here, will be reborn there. Our ancestors had migrated here but after them , no one knows how to come back from that place, so in our clan , whoever commits the biggest sin is punished to be sentenced to the Abio world and... "

    Master Neshag hesitated to continue his words, because the final thing which he had heard of was something which no one in the room wanted to hear.

    Alex remembered what master Neshag was hesitating to say out aloud.

    " and the enchantress was forced to go to the Abiotic world by the sorceress. Isn''t it ?"

    Others were amused as the powerful enchantress was tricked by her own sister, how could the sorceress force her to the Abio world?

    Whereas master Neshag knew that Alex and Emmy must have heard his conversation with Demetrick yesterday but still as Alex didn''t show any disdain towards him, master Neshag felt happiness surge inside him.

    Alex was the child of the two people he cared most in his life. One was his best friend and the other was the woman he loved. Yes, Neshag loved Trianna the most, first he got disheartened when it was decided that she will be married off to Maaren. So, when his best friend said about his love towards Trianna, he still chose to give the woman he loved to his best friend rather than seeing her with Maaren.

    Neshag had thought that Byron would love Trianna and take care of her forever but his plan was turned upside down when Byron directly went and attacked the whole Yalasgue clan. Although it was done under the instigation of the sorceress, Trianna truly hated Byron from that day onwards. Later, when Byron came to know that Trianna was still waiting for Maaran to rescue her. He forced his love upon her which made her lose hope forever.

    Alex had already seen his uncle Neshag watching over him with gratitude filled eyes but he just stood there without noticing it. Then it was master Rotrigues turn to tell the tale of the Abio world that he knew,

    " The entry to Abio world was created by the enchantress on the day when she came to know about the belief of the Yalasgue clan. When she had gone to seclusion for two years from the great lord, we saw him getting less enthusiastic day by day. It was like a part of him was missing from him. Then after the Salian king married Trianna only, our great lord started laughing"

    " Then we got our princess shortly after his death, but she gave us all the bliss which we wanted and the rest of the story you know."

    Emmy silently heard all the various possibilities but still she could get any hold of the second clue. Instead she got anxious as now the enemy knows more about the college and who all are involved. The sorceress is the most mysterious character in this plot, she played an innocent and pure angel role till all turned against the enchantress, then silently started her army against the Esbertrazians but why?

    "How much is Lady Vilmon''s power?"

    Emmy directly asked master Rotrigues who himself didn''t know how powerful she could be.

    " Actually, We thought that she is a prodigy of all the three powers so lrd had sealed the enchantress''s evil power , so she showed only traits of pure sorceress till she saw this fellow. Afterwards, when she had heartbreak, her behaviour started swaying so Lathodore controlled it with the Ravenic Jade."

    " What jade did you mention ?"

    " The Ravenic jade. Why, there is no chance that you may have heard about it as it is a top jade of the Esbertrazian elders. ?"

    Alex and Emmy looked at each other, they were ninety percent confirmed about it but still they wanted to know its speciality.

    " Master Rotrigues, would you mind showing the appearance of the Ravenic Jade that you have mentioned to me before? Is there any reference in your special library?"

    Emmy already thought of getting a negative response from master Rotrigues but to her surprise, he quickly asked Jordan to fetch the History of Esbertrazian Jades book.

    When Alex and Emmy saw the Jade, all their suspicions disappeared, either luck or ability,anyways.. the jade which the guards had given Alex was the same as the Ravenic Jade as mentioned by the master Rotrigues.

    " So this clarifies the link between Lamia and Lady Vilmon. Either they must have been thick friends or great foes. All in all , both of them knew each other well. Master, where does usually Lady Vilmon spend time much alone?"

    Master Rotrigues took some time to think and said, " Till the age of two, she never left Shawn. Then, she either came to see Shawn or play in the plunge pool of the northern mountains. Later, when she reached age of eighteen then only she was allowed to roam outside once in a while amongst common folks."

    Emmy looked at Juliet and she nodded back, then Juliet quickly left from the group, making all others confused except Emmy. Even Janet was not able to understand what both of them comminuted.

    "Sister-in-law, where did she go ?"

    Mike asked concernedly, after Alex and Emmy had experienced the warth of a person from the core world, all others were a bit shaken from inside.

    " Only she can find the answer to the puzzle.. wait for her return."

    Emmy said it directly to everyone present in their group. After some time, Juliet returned gleaming with a plastered smile over her face whereas Mike hugged Juliet tightly.

    Juliet let Mike hug her and she confirmed that what Emmy had thought turned to be true.

    "Emmy, what are you planning? What did Juliet find now ?"

    Emmy smiled and replied, " Tomorrow morning, we shall find the reflection of it in the frozen waterfall. "

    " So you mean that you have cracked the first clue, wow! amazing! " Master Rotrigues couldn''t be happier yet. Each step towards the Ravenic was like reverting back the awaited tempest.

    Soon all had dinner and called it an early night as tomorrow morning they needed to go for an adventure of life.

    Back in the room, Mike laid down on his bed while noting what all things must he prepare for tomorrow''s adventure. Just as he was going to write his list, the lights went out.

    " Hey, Julie, what happened, why did you turn off the light ?"

    Amidst the darkness, Mike waved his hands but suddenly it touched a soft mass. Mike retracted his hands swiftly . He knew what was the soft mass, but why?

    " Julie, what do you mean? If you have taken me seriously earlier, then I am sorry. I just wanted to tease you my dear. "

    Mike took the blanket off the bed and wrapped his woman with it. With the blanket on her, Mike hugged her tight and kissed on her temples. But he sensed that his beloved was not happy.

    " Hey Julie, what happened my dear?"

    " I know that you love me.. but I want to feel it Mike. " Juliet stuttered but still finished her sentence, for saying which she had taken up the full courage which she had in her heart.

    Hearing it Mike felt as if his woman was feeling a bit insecure about their relationship, he also wanted to taste her forbidden fruit but he was an upright man. Before marriage, he wouldn''t eat his girl up but now he also wanted to satisfy his woman.

    Mike slowly kissed his woman over her eyes , cheeks and his kisses trailed along her nape to her back. As Juliet had shredded off her last piece of clothing and was naked as a still born baby, Mike could not help but take his hands to grope those soft masses in the front and captured her encaptivating lips with his.

    Soon Juliet entered the peak of pleasure as she witnessed her husband''s hand agility. That night even though Mike fulfilled his promise still he satisfied his woman to the maximum.

    Meanwhile, in Alex''s room, Emmy was laying down on Alex''s chest. She was thinking of the past.

    " Alex, Lamia and lady Vilmon might be having a solid connection but what about Agrona,did she play any role and will she give up?"

    " You don''t need to worry about her, she is long dead."

 Chapter 104 - Never Step Your Foot In Here

    " You don''t need to worry about her, she is long dead."

    Emmy got up getting shocked and saw Alex staring at her face expressionlessly, Emmy could not believe that he didn''t even bat an eyelid when he mentioned that his childhood friend was dead.

    Emmy felt relief somewhere, a tiny spark of bliss was also forming inside her and she, herself found it weird. Hearing the news of someone''s demise, gloating over it is not good yet Emmy''s lip curved up.

    Although Alex was sitting there without any expression on his face, he quite well understood that Emmy felt a relief that one of her rival counts were down according to her. Emmy had a habit of noting down what happened on each day. So, one day Alex had accidentally read a page where Emmy had written about her possessive mind whenever his engagement with Agrona is mentioned.

    " Alex, what do you mean by Agrona is dead? Why are you so sure of it ?".

    For a brief moment, Alex remembered those cut hands over the wall with a ring on it and how Agrona asked him to fetch the ring specially designed for her and she put it on her hand on their engagement day. She made sure to make everyone believe that this particular ring was gifted by Alex to her. That time, Alex didn''t mind it as he thought she was helping him out in everything but now thinking about it, it was all her scheme to separate Lamia and him.

    " Why am I sure of it?" Alex sneered.

    " Emmy, remember when Juliet and myself went to that cavern, after entering the second room, there we saw two hands perfectly cut and hanging on the walls. Also, there was a message on the wall written as - " THESE BLOODY HANDS REPRESENT THE FATE OF A RENEGADE". Upon inspecting those hands, I confirmed those to be of Agrona''s as it had a ring which she had pre-ordered herself and then asked me to fetch it."

    Emmy thought about it calmly, then asked Alex who was now staring at the ceiling, " Did you find her body there because just by seeing those pair of hands we can''t be sure that doesn''t mean that she is dead, right? "

    This time Alex looked at Emmy and answered seriously, " Emmy, I know you might find me cold-blooded, but now her death doesn''t concern me anymore..We, ourselves were not able to understand who actually mass killed all the top guards of the different clans. By the way, we found the token of the head guard of the Esbertrazian clan but when the black swirl attacked Juliet, we lost it."

    Alex skillfully omitted the part where he jumped in front of the black swirl to protect Juliet but what he didn''t know was, Juliet had already shared everything with her friends,

    "Anyways whoever did that deed, I guess, he was on our side as that person killed all of the guards. I think that person might have given Agrona''s body as food to sharks in the sea."

    Although Alex said the matter as a joke, Emmy had a sudden glimpse of a dream which she had seen once.

    Inside the glimpse, Emmy could see her foot was over a woman''s fair neck, throttling that lady to death. In her hand was a sword with a strange symbol covered with blood completely.

    " This is the end of the arrogant worm, well! Her body shall never be sent back instead will be given to the sea creatures, so let this be the final warning to the family clans of Vilmonark. Salian or Agnartic, Anyoneˇ­. I repeat, if anyone comes to hunt me down. I don''t care about sending them back to hell."

    Emmy''s brain then reverted her conscious mind back to reality, Emmy was unusually breathing much to adjust her irregular heartbeats. She looked at Alex who had already slept but her sleep was long gone.

    If her guess was correct then the woman whom she had crushed under her feet was none other than the first princess of the Agnartian clan, Lady Agrona Agnartic.

    " Oh dear, so it means Agrona is already dead and all those glimpses were true."

    Emmy got up to get herself a glass of water, taking the glass, she opened the window and stared at the old graveyard. The piece of land from where it all began and tomorrow morning, they will step into a place where no one has stepped into for the past four years.

    " I know something dire had happened here before and this land had seen it. Whatever it was, I will uncover whatever is being hidden from the outer world."

    Suddenly Emmy saw as a shooting star over the sky and she was mesmerized by it, she gazed at the moonlight night sky even after that star passed away from her sight. unbelievingly, Emmy saw a familiar pattern in the stars. The design looked like the combination of a straight and inverted cone with a star in the midst.

    Emmy tried to think where she had seen such a pattern but suddenly a dull pain on the left side of her head made her stop struggling to continue. She sat on the chair and started to draw the pattern of the design. Paper after paper, she crumpled up and threw away drawn images.

    Next morning, when Alex opened his eyes, he was surprised to see the side of the bed where Emmy slept was vacant. Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he touched that side to find it a bit cold.

    " So she didn''t even catch a wink of sleep yesterday night."

    Alex stretched himself and got out of the bed to see Emmy sleeping over a pile of papers. With just one glance, Alex knew that Emmy was trying to draw some strange symbol. He took a parchment in his hands and looked at the design clearly.

    It was a combination of two cones, one straight and other inverted joined together to form a hollow star and in its middle, there was another star. Surrounding the complete design was a black snake and it looked like the snake was staring back.

    Chills ran through Alex''s body after seeing the design. He then looked at his beloved woman, who was tired and had light shades of the dark circle over her eyes.

    Alex took Emmy and made her lie down on the bed. Then after freshening up, he took the parchment to master Rotrigues and master Neshag.

    Both of them were shocked to see the design. Although master Neshag never left his cold expression, the panic in his eyes was clear whereas master Rotrigues hands trembled while receiving the parchment from Alex.

    " Brat, did you draw this picture?"

    Master Rotrigues carefully asked Alex. Sensing this design must be of utmost importance, Alex told the truth which truly shocked both masters.

    "Neshag, how can Emmy foresee things which she has never seen in her life. I don''t know whether you remember it or not, but the last time when I saw this design was at the battlefield when the great lord had pressed his sword on our enchantress''s neck and warned her never to step her feet inside VilmonArk."

    " This is the sword of Rahasy, only the true heir of the Yalasgue clan can use this sword. In our clan, always the sword finds the next heir, so it is considered to contain the entire mysterious power of our clan. After Maaran, the sword hadn''t chosen any heir, so it is freaking me out now. How can Emmy see the symbol of the sword of Rahasy? She is not at all related to the bloodline of the Yalasgue clan. "

    Masters and Alex decided to keep this information as a secret until Emmy finds out more herself. This idea was suggested by Alex as he has seen when Emmy tries to remember something by forcing her memory, she experiences pain and faints. So, both masters decided to keep it as a secret for the time being. They also believed in Emmy.

    Soon the group got ready for the answer reveal of the first clue for the hunt of the Ravenics. Emmy asked Juliet to explain things to others.

    "The reflection of it in the frozen waterfall is actually the plunge pool just on the opposite side of the waterfall. Yesterday, after Emmy asked to check the lakeside, I discovered this plunge pool and why it is called the frozen waterfall, you can see it after you reach there. "

    Juliet along with Mike started walking to the northern side of the lake while others followed them quietly. While walking, Emmy could feel a different sort of energy in the air. It was revitalising her whereas draining energy from others. Master Rotrigues was looking at Emmy who was beaming with energy as they were reaching near the waterfall.

    After walking almost a thousand yards, Juliet pointed to the plunge pool from the top of the waterfall and except for Emmy and herself, others were amazed to see the effect of the frozen waterfall even if the waterfall was healthy and flowing intact.

 Chapter 105 - The Overshadowing Darkness

    The plunge pool was green in colour with white-coloured pebbles surrounding the whole pathway to the place. Wildflowers and bushes have grown all over the area but still as the sunlight falls over these whites pebbles, then only the path becomes visible to the viewers.

    " Wow, this place is a beauty hidden in the wild! I wonder why no one bothered to find such an astounding place here till now."

    Listening to Janet praising the whole place, master Rotrigues was feeling proud. He still remembered how their little princess had asked them to create a place exclusively for her, where the foundation of the buildings must be on four pillars only. When they enquired she was adamant on building the whole structure on four pillars, she replied beautifully, " I need a place where I should feel secured. The four-pillar beams represent each one of you, so I shall feel secure even when you all are not with me someday."

    Hence, master Rotrigues had painstakingly designed this plot for her, here there was already a tower which was the private space for the enchantress. Although sorceress had tried numerous times to open the tower, she couldn''t open it. Finally, the great lord had asked no one to step on this property but once accidentally, little Lady Vilmon saw this place and she was able to enter the tower. Only she was able to enter the tower which was overshadowing the darkness and always the elders were curious about it.

    Therefore, master Rotrigues made four big beam pillars representing the four brothers of the Lady Vilmon and after the work, it looked just like how she wanted it to be. The tower was surrounded by four big pillars. She even had named each pillar by their names, she used to call the pillars Rotri, Latho, Mian, Shaw. Thinking about those days, master Rotrigues had tears in his eyes as he still could remember the giggling sound of the young enthusiastic girl.

    Only Emmy saw this emotional change but acted as nothing happened. As the group decided to proceed, master Rotrigues decided to lead the team as going down, the place became trickier. When looked from the top, this place may be built on an easy design but when you start walking through the plot, there are several turnings on the path which can make anyone feel much confused.

    While walking, Rotrigus slowly explained the importance of this tower and why four pillars were built here.

    " Our princess in her childhood was so innocent and lovable. Sometimes we felt that she considers us to be her real family as she referred to all of the four of us as brothers. See the three pillars on your front, the right one is named as Latho, towards its right is Mian. See this tall one, it is named under my name, Rotri and the last one is across the tower, so you won''t be able to see it until you stand in front of either Mian pillar or Latho pillar."

    After walking a short distance itself, except for Emmy, all others including Neshag and Rotrigues found it difficult to catch their breaths. While others were panting, Emmy felt so refreshed and anyone could see Emmy''s countenance now having a faint glow of the pink shade. Her skin was looking very healthy and there were not even a bit of those dark circles which Alex had seen in the morning.

    Meanwhile, Alex and Jordan decided to check the surrounding whereas Mike and the Demar brothers were given tasks to decode the next clue. Alex wandered south and saw a small waterfall directly from the rock slits, he took a sip of the freshwater from the waterfall and instantly felt re-energised, so he took a bottle and filled it with water to give it to his friends and masters.

    Drinking the water brought by Alex, the group members instantly felt the coolness of the water vitalising every nerve inside their body. Master Rotrigues explained this phenomenon as only positive energy was filled here for many years, so all items shall give us good energy. Suddenly Jordan who had gone north came running towards the group, Alex quickly gave Jordan the water as his face was as pale as a white sheet. The cold water made Jordan feel better to an extent but still, he was panicking.

    " This place has been attacked before."

    A little while before only Rotrigues said that this place contains only positive energy as no one has stepped here but Jordan''s findings were in contrast to what he told.

    They quickly walked to the place Jordan had gone before and looked at the spot in front of them, all were speechless.

    " That is the pillar Shaw."

    Finishing his sentence, master Rotrigues looked at Emmy who was surprisingly calm after seeing the whole pillar was flattened to the ground. She walked over the destroyed pillar and touched the debris. Alex also followed her as he was scared that she might not be able to balance her emotions after seeing it.

    Unexpectedly, Emmy just touched the debris and afterwards, dusted off her hands to walk back towards the group. Alex was stunned after seeing Emmy like this but was relieved to see she was okay. Master Rotrigues couldn''t understand what Emmy was thinking as her face was not at all readable. Also, no one saw how her gentle eyes turned to be cold and slowly green colour started to replace those black pupils.

    " Now the second clue -no sun is powerful to warm the hall. What does it mean ?"

    Talking about the second clue, Emmy successfully changed the attention of her friends from her.

    " As far as I can see, the sunlight can reach all the pillars and the tower here but as it is talking about a hall, we must check out the tower first."

    "Juliet, how is it possible for us to check out the tower. Remember what our master told, only Lady Vilmon was able to open the tower."

    This time master Neshag and Rotrigues kept silent as they wanted to see whether Emmy had any connection with the enchantress, if she had any then her presence can open up the tower easily. This was just their theory, so they waited to tell others about this idea. Alex knew from the expressions of two masters that they were expecting that Emmy would be able to open the tower.

    " Men, let us try to figure out the changes in the location first and you five, check out the premises of the tower. We will come there once we finish exploring here."

    Master Neshag gave the women group the task to check out the tower whereas the men will be responsible for checking out the whole area. However, both masters chased the youngsters away by asking them to clear the debris of the tower Shaw and hid behind to see what Emmy was up to.

    Kiara and Emmy started to check the front door of the tower whereas Leona, Juliet and Janet were asked to check whether there were any other passages around the tower,

    While Kiara was trying to figure out the door lock pattern, Emmy stood in front of the dried water fountain. She looked at its surroundings and saw this piece of land was utterly barren, lacking moisture to a great extent but the other places were filled with greeneries.

    Sensing there was some abnormality here in the water fountain, Emmy just touched the water fountain and suddenly her vision got filled with darkness. Emmy knew that this might be a premonition, so she didn''t get panicked.

    Using her hands, she tried to check for any obstacles in her way, then she saw a blurry image. Emmy was sure that the image was of a woman. She was crying her heart out and was sitting in a pool of blood.

    Yes, a pool of bloodˇ­ the blood flowed to the water fountain and the whole water turned red. The woman who was bawling out stood up suddenly and slowly washed with the water in the fountain.

    " I will make you pay for it sister.."

    Then those tearful eyes hatefully glanced at the water fountain. The anger in it was quickly replaced by sadness...

    " This blood is oursˇ­ it was you who destroyed the fruit of our love. I know you will love me forever but this sin cannot be washed off from your handsˇ­ This fountain you made it here as a token of our love which you had no value of... So from now onwards, let this fountain be empty just like your empty love and sweet nothings. "

    Emmy opened her eyes to see the dried-up fountain again, as the vision was a bit blurry, she couldn''t identify the woman.. but that voice and the pain in it got deeply pierced into Emmy''s heart. Subconsciously, Emmy turned over and started to walk towards the front door of the tower.

    With each step, Emmy was losing her emotional control and now her eyes blazing in green colour. By this time Kiara had cleared the shrubs and bushes from the front door and as she saw Emmy approaching towards her in an unusual manner, she stepped backwards. Then she saw the masters signalling her to move away from the front door.

    Kiara quickly hid behind a column and she could see Emmy walking over the door and she was like walking dead, with a cold expression on her face and viciousness in her eyes. Kiara closed her eyes and even held her breath for a few seconds to not to catch the attention of the devilish Emmy.

    A Few minutes later, Kiara felt a heavy hand over right shoulder and she screamed but no voice was heard outside and as she was hiding behind a column, masters could not also see her state.

 Chapter 106 - I Can Talk Finally

    Kiara screamed with her eyes tightly, but she knew that she was helpless. She didn''t have a voice, so she opened her eyes to fight. Just as she opened her eyes, she felt a powerful beam of energy hitting her body and she fainted there itself.

    The masters who were hiding behind the shrubs got an uneasy feeling as they could see neither Emmy nor Kiara.

    " Neshag, I don''t feel good, let us go and check where the girls are."

    Master Neshag also felt as seniors, they shouldn''t just hide and see things, they need to lead the younger generation correctly, so both of the masters rushed towards the front door.

    " Alex, Houlson come quick..."

    Neshag screamed on top of his voice, luckily the other three women were nearby and they reached on the spot soon.

    " What happened to my sister and Emmy?"

    Eliza squatted down and placed Kiara''s head over her lap while on the other side, Janet placed Emmy''s head over her lap.

    " Elder, she is burning hot... Juliet, pass me the water quickly please."

    Juliet gave water to Eliza and another one to Janet but she refused.

    " Julie, Emmy is dead cold, you rub her feet and I will rub her arms."

    Watching the girls take action on their own, masters felt they were useless in this scenario. However, Neshag and Rotrigues could not believe within a few minutes what had happened here.

    After a short while, the men returned after removing the debris but still, they didn''t find anything informative. They hadn''t heard the scream of their master so all of them didn''t rush to complete their work.

    Just the five men reached the entrance, they felt something was amiss here. Seeing Emmy and Kiara unconscious, Alex dashed towards them followed by Houlson. Janet moved to let hold Emmy in his embrace. The strange coldness from her body was not new to Alex, so he directly hugged her tight.

    " How long has she been unconscious ?"

    With his imperturbable calm, Alex questioned the masters. Under his cold glare, Neshag kept silent whereas Rotrigues answered him gingerly.

    " Just five to seven minutes, We saw Emmy looking at that fountain earnestly then suddenly she turned over to start walking towards the door. Kiara was clearing the door premises so we signalled her to move away from Emmy which she did. After that, we decided to check here as there was no response from here."

    When Alex was busy warming up Emmy, Houlson looked at master Rotrigues. He was scared about the hidden specialities of Emmy. He still remembered how her eyes shone when they joked on Alex. To confirm his suspicion, master Rotrigues nodded his head.

    A sudden feeling of happiness sprinted in Houolson''s mind, if what his father had mentioned was true then Emmy would be able to help them in revenging the core power.

    When Houlson was submerged in his thinking, Eliza found her sister twitching her eyebrows.

    " Brother-in-law, look here."

    Houlson took Kiara in his hands and slowly started to talk with her to make her feel secure as she was shocked. Slowly Kiara opened her eyes and saw the worried expression over her husband''s face. Her eyes teared up and she initiated to hug Houlson in front of the whole group. At first, Houlson also hugged her tightly but then he saw his master smiling, it made him shy and blushing.

    Houlson stroked his wife''s hair and softly asked, " Kiara, do you remember what happened before you fainted?"

    Upon Houlson reminding her, Kiara felt chill thinking about it and her body trembled. She looked at Emmy who was still unconscious but was breathing, so her tension was gone in a jiffy, but before telling about it, Kiara wanted water, so she looked at Juliet who was holding the water bottle in her hands.

    " Julie, please pass me the water."

    Houlson, Kiara and all others were thrilled to hear this voice. Even Kiara was astonished by hearing her own voice for the first time. She touched her throat, she could feel a strange power in there.

    " I can talkˇ­ I can finally talk ˇ­ Eli, Houlson... I can talk.."

    With tears in her eyes, Kiara then slowly explained what had happened before she fainted.

    " Actually, I heard someone walking with gravy steps, so I turned around to see Emmy approaching here with an unusual expression. Luckily I saw the masters signalling me to move away from here but even before I moved, a sudden powerful beam hit Emmy and myself. "

    " What do you mean by powerful beam?"

    Master Neshag was sure that he didn''t sense any sort of power source in here so from where could a powerful beam arise? He looked at Rotrigues to check whether he knew something about it but he also denied it.

    " I am quite sure that it was a dynamic force which if touched, would burn us alive. The beam escaped from the door when Emmy opened the door, but then I think it sensed my presence here and turned into a vigorous force to attack me"

    " Kiara, are you okay? Where else did you get hurt? "

    Houlson lifted her up and asked Eliza to check her body but Kiara fiercely refused it. She then slowly pacified Houlson and her sister.

    " Listen to me completely dear, I am okay. When I thought that everything was finished, I shut my eyes tight but then I felt a heavy hand over my shoulders which pushed me back. I opened my eyes to see Emmy taking that beam hit to protect me."

    Now all the eyes were on Emmy, being able to open the door and protect Kiara from the powerful beam attack, master Rotrigues was getting more confirmed towards the conclusion the elders had drawn about the only prodigy of the four elders of the Esbertrazian clan.

    However, was it possible? The inheritance of power? But then how could she dream about the secret of the Yalasgue clan? Now he was getting worried, Emmy had already lost her memory and there was no way that he could help his Shawn''s doctor in regaining her memory now.

    " What did you say, Emmy was able to open the door?"

    Mike chimed into the conversation making the group focus on the major problem, oh yes, the tower can be opened by Emmy, an heir to the power of enchantress. Master Rotrigues was glowing in pride which Alex read clearly from his face.

    " Master, I think you must clearly know how Emmy is connected to the enchantress. Well, when Emmy wakes up, let us all have a proper conversation."

    Alex''s voice was smooth but cold as ice and the ones hearing it may think that he was threatening the masters at their faces. In fact, he was to an extent threatening these two, because both of them knew Emmy had some abnormality but still they didn''t try to stop her and now his beloved was unconscious.

    Jordan and the Demar brothers volunteered to check the tower but they failed to open the door.

    " Hey Kiara, are you sure that Emmy opened this door before you both fainted."

    Kiara nodded her head as she was sure of what she had seen before. Left with no choice, the masters suggested breaking the door open. Moreover, time was flying, so they decided to stay in the tower for the night.

    The four men along with the elders tried to push the door but it didn''t budge. Finally, Alex decided to give a hand in the door breaking task but just as he tried to pass Emmy over to Janet, she woke up.

    Emmy who was in an unconscious state felt as if she slept for a good amount of time, when she opened her eyes, the handsome countenance of Alex made her happy. As she advanced to kiss him, he cleared his throat and smiled cheekily.

    First Emmy got pissed as he refused her kiss but then she noticed the surrounding. The thought of her friends watching along with the two masters, made Emmy want to dig a hole and hide inside it.

    " I didn''t know that you were so proactive Emmy darling!!"

    Juliet loved to tease her sister-in-law and she never wasted a chance to do it. Emmy glared at her and rolled her eyes. Seeing Emmy back to her normal self, Alex felt relieved. He loved this Emmy who smiles and behaves as a cute innocent woman but he entirely admires the strong and willful devious Emmy, who never accepts defeat.

    " Girls, let us open this door or else the cold will make us faint soon."

    Master Neshag tactfully changed the topic which made Emmy think of what happened before she fainted. She stood up and walked towards the door. Emmy''s hands were shivering but she knew that she could do it. In fact, amongst them, only she could do it.

    Seeing Emmy coming towards them, the men moved away and waited to see how she was able to open the door. Emmy stood in front of the door and knocked the door three times. A soft breeze suddenly made way to them and the door opened slowly.

    " This was the infamous technique to open this great door ?"

 Chapter 107 - Hate The Sweet Nothings

    " This was the infamous technique to open this great door ?"

    Mike was completely surprised with the twisted logic of the enchantress as well as of the Esbertrazians as Alex could open any sealed entrance related to the dark clan and here Emmy opened the great mystical door by just three knocks.

    Not only, Mike, even master Rotrigues were flabbergasted by seeing the way Emmy opened the door, but they didn''t know that it was not in the technique of opening, it completely depended on the person who was standing in front of the door.

    As the setting sun waved off, the temperature started to fall. Naturally, the whole tower was also pretty cold at night so when the door was opened after years, the air concentration required some time to match up with the temperature outside.

    " Jordan, Leon.. both of you get enough firewood for lighting up the tower for a day. Girls, just follow us inside as we don''t know what is inside, Alex and Houlson, guard them from behind. "

    Just as they entered, a foul smell made everyone want to puke. Neshag quickly opened the windows and slowly the smell got diffused away in the cool breeze flowing inside.

    " Why must the smell be this bad? It smelt as rotten flesh."

    Mike decided to check the room in which they just entered, though it was a tower, the ground floor was really big enough to fill around fifty people. The stone walls had no decorations and the floor had three doors long with a staircase on one of the sides.

    Before anyone could properly look at the interiors of the entrance room, Emmy opened the door which was on the corner most position of the tower. Emmy walked inside without turning back and her behaviour was a bit weird. Not only Alex, but others also noticed it.

    Master Rotrigues asked Alex to follow Emmy as he thought now Emmy needs some time to think about whatever Kiara them about. Alex straight away followed her inside the room.

    Just as he reached inside, Alex was stupefied, never in the whole wide world could this much of toys be kept neatly inside the room. Most of the toys had been degraded and corroded due to time, but still, it sat on the shelf giving out happiness.

    "Emmy, can you tell me what is bothering you now? After you fainted, you seemed to be moody. Did you encounter any past memories which made you upset? "

    Emmy stared at the toys keenly, she remembered how sad as that woman, she must have loved that man sincerely, even to have his child in her. Yet she was betrayed and her child was killed. Whether that man knew about or not, doesn''t matter, because once he did the deed with a woman, it is his responsibility for the woman as well as the child.

    "Have you wondered what Lamia could have done if she was impregnated by you on that day?"

    Alex was stunned after hearing the question, but as he was an upright man, he had thought about this possibility accountable times. He wanted to keep her safe before he could give her a family. However, his calculations went wrong and they were schemed against each other by other forces making them split forever. Now Alex loved Emmy more than anyone else, his affinity towards her was way more than what he had felt for Lamia. Eventually, Alex did forget about Lamia completely.

    Alex closed his eyes and took a few minutes to answer Emmy''s question. He was sure that the answer in his mind would hurt Emmy but he wanted to be truthful in this relationship.

    " In future, if I come to know that she was impregnated on that fateful day, I will take full responsibility for her and that child. However, even though this decision is the right one, I could love only you now. If you would leave me because of such a crisis, I would happily respect your decision but I promise you one thing, that Lamia and her child would be safe and secured under my protection but never would they get a complete family with me."

    Emmy felt relieved after hearing Alex''s view about a child with Lamia and he had thought about it well. She would have hated him if he had denied the responsibility and tried to pacify her with sweet nothings. Emmy felt much proud about Alex at this moment still she wanted to tease him more.

    " Don''t you think that giving them a complete family is under your responsibility?"

    Alex felt hurt as Emmy was being so cold and different towards him. He felt as if she was interrogating him for the sins he committed. Moreover, now she was his girlfriend, so he even wondered whether Emmy was going to break their relationship.

    Alex walked towards Emmy and grabbed her by her shoulders. He looked straight into those curious black eyes and answered with utmost sincerity.

    " Emmy, I know what happened was just because of my indecisiveness and ignorance but for the past four years, I was regretting as well as repenting for the past events. Do you think that I had everything accordingly? I was also a part of their scheme and we were both plotted by them. The friend who came to help me also sabotaged me. But impregnating her without giving her a proper title is my fault, so I would take responsibility. However, if a child was formed on that day, how could she make a father away from his child just because of some misunderstanding? It takes ten months for a child to be born into this world, so even once in those ten months, if she had enquired about me, then she would have known that I was searching for her like a mad man. So, now when I have another woman who loves me, trusts me a lot more than her, why should she have a complete family after years. When I choose over my love for my responsibility, she must also adjust with it."

    Emmy could not stop herself anyways, she hugged her man tightly and kissed him as if there was no tomorrow. Alex also needed this warmth much as a support to his aching heart. He also kissed her back with force, he didn''t mind whether it would hurt her or not. When both of them needed air to breathe, they stopped but still, the closeness between them didn''t decrease an inch.

    "Alex, I am sorry if those questions hurt you much but earlier when I was checking out the fountain, I had a strange vision. In it, a woman was sitting in a pool of blood and was crying over her lost child. She was betrayed and sabotaged by her sister and lover. Although, I didn''t see the woman''s face properly yet I am sure that it was the enchantress."

    "Emmy, do you know the seriousness of this vision? if what you had seen was true, then why would the great lord never accept her as his wife? Later on his deathbed, why did the enchantress give him an offspring?"

    Emmy then discussed with Alex that it might be the sorceress who plotted against these two as she had once schemed against Alex''s parents also. The hatred towards sorceress was increasing by leaps along with the fondness towards the enchantress in Emmy''s mind.

    "Hey Alex, have you wondered something?"

    "I am always wondering, you tell !"

    " I was thinking about what if Lady Vilmon and you got married, then how many people would have been happy about."

    Alex sneered, first his little naughty woman was asking him whether he would turn towards his previous love and now she was asking about a situation where he is being married to another woman. Why does she want him to be with other women?

    " Hmmˇ­ are you asking me to have an affair even after marrying you, then my answer would be NO. "

    Emmy raised her eyebrows, men would always be men, when a woman talks about something seriously, man will only hear the beginning and the ending, rest would be blown away with the wind.

    " Never, I was just saying if you and Lady Vilmon got married, your mother who wanted to be with her father would be happier, isn''t it?"

    " My dear Emmy sweetheart, let us not discuss any more matchmaking for today. Come, everyone is worried about you."

    Alex asked Emmy to go out of the room but he stayed back. Looking at these decayed toys, Alex felt a pang of pain scratching his heart.

    "Could this be the happy news that she wanted to share with me ?"

    Taking a damaged toy, tears pooled up in Alex''s eyes. He remembered that he was a beast that night and there was a full chance of impregnating her. Feeling cornered, Alex was losing his calmness. Never would he want to leave his Emmy now, but if Lamia returns with his son, then what about Emmy?

    Alex shivered thinking of such a possibility. Suddenly, a cool breeze touched Alex, as if it was soothing him and comforted him to a great extent.

    " Lamia, is that you? Are you comforting me that I am worrying for nothing? Please provide me with a sign if my worries aren''t true"

 Chapter 108 - She Had Regained Her Powers

    "Please provide me with a sign if my worries aren''t true."

    For the next few seconds, there was no movement nor any breeze. Alex felt disappointed but decided to leave this room. For last time, he looked at all the items inside the room,

    " If what Emmy said was true, then how much pain would the enchantress have felt when the person she loved the most kept the sword on her neck and asked to leave the place forever."

    With a heavy heart, Alex also left the room, but as he closed the room, from the dark, a black swirl was created and it disappeared after remaining there for quite a time.

    Outside the room, Jordan was firing up the firepit whereas the ladies were busy lighting up the whole living space. Since it was night time and as it was the unknown mysterious place for even the great Esbertrazian Master, all of them decided to spend their night in the living area together.

    Janet was adjusting the torches such as it would keep them warm throughout the night also.

    Juliet and Leona were fetching food from the backpacks which they had already prepared before the journey while Kiara and Emmy were discussing what had happened before both of them had fainted.

    " Emmy, you were behaving in a scary manner at that time. I was in your way but then I noticed the masters asking to back off from your path. Next what I saw was the energy beam."

    Emmy was stupefied to hear it from Kiara, although she knew that there was some abnormality in her, stopping energy beams and protecting Kiaraˇ­ she didn''t have any clue about it. Alex, by now, has told her multiple time of the green eyes which she has when she turns into another weird character.

    " Did you see my face at that time? Did it show any peculiarity?"

    "No, but your eyes showed determination and courage however there was a strange glint of anger in it. "

    Emmy then concluded one thing about her strange behaviour. All these instances had a common factor, that she was angry at these situations.

    Firstly, when Alex was attacked, then when master Neshag was in danger and now after seeing the state of that woman drenching in her sorrows. After the massacre of her family, her anger could not be controlled by her. She had tried several ways to subdue her inner demons when her mind blew out but nothing was working till she met Alex. He could pacify her more easily than any other methods she had tried.

    "Anger issues, hmmmˇ­ I must have a word about it with the masters and well, there is one thing that is quite surprising. You told that master signalled you to stay away from me at that time, so they knew at that time that I was being strange and acting strangely. Yet, they didn''t come forward to check on me. Isn''t it?"

    Under the scrutinizing gaze, Kiara couldn''t side with the masters, so she nodded her head earnestly. Emmy found Kiara''s behaviour cue as she herself was a bold and well-trained woman but now behaving as a kid in front of her.

    "Kiara, the way you behave with me makes me as if I am your commander and you are my subordinate. Are you scared of me, huh ?"

    Kiara wanted to escape from Emmy''s gaze. Although she was almost four years older than Emmy, she felt that Emmy was much more mature than her age. Also, today she had protected Kiara without any fear. So, in Kiara''s mind, Emmy was already a superior but she loved to have her as an elder sister.

    "Emmy, actually, you are too good to me.. to usˇ­ I feel that you are just like my true master who taught me skills and helped me as well as my infant sister when our mother died."

    " True master??"

    Emmy had also wondered that if the black world people had trained the little Kiara, she would have pledged her devotion towards the black clan but she was different, totally different. So it was because of her true master who trained her before she was taken by the black world people for the demon training.

    (A/N - about the demon training, I will let you know in the upcoming chapters. )

    "My master was just a girl like me, I met a few times in the black world. First, she helped me get a shelter, then on the further meetings, slowly she started to train me as I had to take care of my younger sister. I couldn''t see her face as she always wore a black cloak and a green cloth to cover her face. However, her eyes were really lively just like..."

    Kiara suddenly stopped and stared at Emmy''s eyes, in which Kiara'' reflection was clearly seen. Emmy also felt curious about her master''s eyes. As Kiara had no intention to continue, Emmy lost her patience and poked Kiara who was still staring into her eyes.

    " Emmy, not the colour but your eyes resemble my master''s eyes. My senses cannot go wrong and I am sure of it."

    Emmy smiled and replied, " Now. there is another resemblance"

    Emmy slowly explained that her friends thought she resembled Lamia to a greater extent when Juliet had drawn Lamia''s portrait first. Then the Esbertrazian elders had sensed resemblance of her demeanour with that of Lady Vilmon. Both of them were laughing after talking with each other.

    Houlson and Alex watched their respective beloveds laughing and enjoying each other''s company. Instead of getting jealous, they were happy that it was a good thing after today''s incident.

    Soon Leona and Juliet called everyone as the food was ready and all of them sat around the firepit arranged by Jordan. Even amidst a serious mission, the youngsters felt it as a campfire while masters also enjoyed the night.

    During the dinner, Emmy decided to talk freely in front of the masters as she wanted to know more about the great lord and enchantress''s relation. She wanted to confirm whether the wailing woman was, the powerful enchantress or not. Alex didn''t stop Emmy as he also wanted to know more about it.

    "Masters, I think you two must already know about my other personality which shows up when I cannot control my anger. Today, actually you both wanted to test it but unfortunately, Kiara got involved in it. Anyways, the dangerous situation turned into a blessing and Kiara could talk again. But there are a few things which are making me more curious. Can we talk about it now?

    Master Neshag also thought it was a good idea to come clean whereas master Rotriges felt a bit worried. He was worried that Emmy could have premonitions of what had happened here before. Even though he had only heard about it, but it was sure that it was because of what had happened that day, their great lord couldn''t agree to marry his love when she came back."

    Both masters looked at each other and approved Emmy''s idea.

    "Please ask whatever you want to ask."

    " Let us start from the beginning, what is your connection with the enchantress, I am sure it is more than that of a simple master and disciples link. "

    As the question was directed to master Rotrigues, he answered without hiding anything, " The supreme lord created the enchantress and a part of her power was used to create us, the four-winged guards. We four were pledged to take care of the enchantress in four directions but later it was her who asked to take the great lord as our master. So that is the reason why we think you could have inherited a part of the enchantress''s powers as you are the only child of the four-winged guardians."

    " Secondly, you said Lady Vilmon''s dark powers were sealed but she disappeared occasionally after my father was away from the Esbertrazian clan. Why didn''t you all at least ask about where she went? "

    " Our princess had issued her order that no guards must follow her nor must report her activities to the elders. If someone dared, she would kill him. We thought an innocent girl would never dare to kill a person. But we were terribly wrong as she killed seven guards who tried to stop her from going near the mountains situated near the borders separating the Salian clan and the dark clan. Lathodore asked the guards to move away from her way as we were sure that the sealed powers were surfacing again. But now if I think about that then I believe that she had regained her powers even before that day."

    Emmy never thought about it but it wasn''t strange also whereas Alex''s memory was drawn to the days when Lamia came to meet him, she also mentioned her four brothers. He also thought about the day when they did make love on that rainy day. His train of thoughts was stopped when he heard the next question from Emmy.

    Not only, Alex, but all the others were also shocked to hear such a question directly on their face.

 Chapter 109 - Never Can Accept Such Pain

    Emmy looked at the astonished master Rotrigues, then she saw the face of Alex blushing like a red tomato. She felt helpless in this situation, she was curious about her vision so without any hesitation, she asked the only person who knew few things about the extent of the relationship between the great lord and the enchantress.

    Her question was exactly like this, " Master you said that after the great lord settled the Esbertrazian clan, he vowed for celibacy and denied the feelings of the enchantress as well as the sorceress. But was he a virgin from the beginning?"

    Master Rotrigues was sure that the great lord never had any connections with women after he broke up with the enchantress. As the great lord was an upright man, he must have only played with the enchantress''s feeling and would not dare to take things forward physically. But he was still unsure of the great lord''s connection with Triana and subconsciously, he looked at Alex who was still shy thinking about Emmy''s question.

    Seeing master Rotrigues watching Alex with uncertainty, master Neshag knew what was going inside the former''s mind. So before Rotrigues could answer Emmy, he blurted out.

    " No, Maaran had no love interests with Triana. Although Triana liked him from childhood, he never even once had seen her through that kind of feelings. He agreed to marry her purely because of the family''s arrangements."

    Neshag defended Alex''s mother properly so Emmy felt respectful towards this person. But when she saw that master Rotrigues''s eyes, she felt that he was hiding something from others.

    Seeing Emmy''s gaze on him, master Rotrigues too answered vaguely that the great lord was an upright man so he might have been celibate throughout his life.

    "Then what is making your mind curious? Master Rotrigues, I am not doing a chit chat with you two, the answers I require are of great importance, so please don''t hide things any more."

    The sudden change of tone in Emmy silenced the whole group, they were afraid that Emmy might show her indifferent behaviour right now but afterwards nothing much happened.

    " Child, it is not that I am hiding something from you, this information is what I had heard of, so I don''t know whether it was true or not. I cannot guarantee the genuinity of this piece of detail."

    "Actually, we are a part of Enchantress''s powers but when she fell in love with the great lord, she made us promise to protect him before her and to stay loyal to him in future. For that she asked us to do the dark clan alpha training. "

    "Alpha training?"

    No one had heard about such a training schedule, even the alpha guards of the Esbertrazian clan haven''t gone through such training. So Jordan and the Demar brothers were quite shocked to hear about such a training schedule in their clan.

    Looking at the questioning faces of his disciples, master Rotrigues stood up. He walked to the windows and let in the cold air inside for some time. Then after closing the windows, he waved his hands, a faint black smoke arose from the ground. At once, both Alex and Juliet were startled as they remembered the black swirling mist at that moment.

    " This is the alpha training space, I can show you only the images which are stored inside my memories as this space is exclusively under the enchantress''s power. She created this space and only we four were trained in it. If she had informed us about the war and let us out that day, we would have won for sure. But for the sake of protecting him, she locked us up. We four didn''t know what was happening outside. After 3 months of the brutal war, one day she opened the portal and we were not the teenagers anymore who went inside the portal."

    " Seeing her state, we felt devastated but more we hated her for being selfish. We thought that she had let down her people because of her love and we joined the forces with the great lord as per her choice. So mentally we didn''t have any emotional baggage for leaving her on her own way."

    By this time, when everyone was deeply focused on the illusion staged by master Rotrigues, Emmy had clenched her fists and tears pooled up inside her. A voice wanted to shout out from inside her body, but Emmy controlled it. Emmy could feel her hands were turning unusually cold but her mind was getting sharper. After hearing what the voice was saying, Emmy closed her eyes and the voice was silenced.

    When Emmy opened her eyes, her cold hands were already warmed by someone and that person was rubbing her feet. Alex who was rubbing her feet felt water on his shoulders and as he looked up, it was his beloved''s tears. Emmy couldn''t bother much about her friends nor the masters, she kissed Alex on his head. Alex was also happy but a bit shy and continued to warm her feet.

    Rotrigues who saw these actions was happy for this couple. But he then continued,

    " After the great lord was bedridden due to sudden sickness, he called the sorceress and the enchantress together to talk about an heir. Not biologically, but with powers. Don''t know then what happened, till the day Emmy had told her guesses we thought that our princess was born out of the three powers but now we are sure that it was just the powers of the great lord and the enchantress "

    Hearing the last words, suddenly Alex turned emotional. He couldn''t control his anger towards the great lord anymore. Alex believed in Emmy''s visions so he was sure that the great lord was not much of an upright man as these masters were suggesting.

    " Upright manˇ­ he was a cruel selfish man. I cannot think of any other shameless man who once killed his own child and then again went begging to give him another child from the same woman. God is great that he got his punishment soon."

    " What did you say, Alex?"

    " Alex, don''t dare to disrespect the great lord!"

    Both of the masters shouted at the same time. They wouldn''t swallow any contempt towards that person. Before both masters could vent their anger on Alex, Emmy stood up. Her manners were like a powerful lady and the rage in her eyes was like she returned from war after killing thousands of people.

    " What did he say wrong, masters? Don''t think that what you both know, is the whole truth. Today, when you were watching me while hiding, do you know what I was doing? I had a vision of a woman wailing out loud, sitting in a pool of blood and just asking what wrong she did that her own child was killed but the same person who fathered it. Do you all want to see that pain? "

    Emmy opened her clenched fists and then a dark black swirl raised up from the ground and then it showed the same scene as what she saw near the fountains. Master Neshag and master Rotrigues were shell-shocked whereas the youngsters felt their blood was boiling. They couldn''t believe a woman could love a person this much that she never blamed him whereas that man had torn open her heart and stabbed it in all angles. Not just the young men, the women folks also couldn''t accept another woman to bear such a pain.

    Just as the woman''s face was going to be seen, Emmy collapsed. As Alex was standing just next to her, he held her safely. Juliet used her powers to put water over Emmy''s face but there was no response.

    " Juliet wet a towel for me and keep it over her feet. She will be fine after she takes rest."

    Janet swiftly went to fetch a towel whereas Juliet made it wet and did as told by Alex.

    " How can it be true? Our enchantress was in such a pain and we misunderstood her. She had fought for us but what did we do to her..."

    Master Rotrigues finally choked on his words. He wanted to meet Lathodore and Miandrake now. Without wasting any time nor explaining anything to the group, he left them asking Neshag to look after them.

    Master Neshag could not believe his eyes as he was wondering how powerful Emmy be if she was able to use the black visionary power.

    After asking the women to look after Emmy, he asked the men to assemble near the staircase.

    " Alex, I accept that no one could never accept such pain and although it was a blurry image, I am sure that it was the enchantress on the day after the battle. But I am scared about Emmy."

    " Why are you scared of her?"

    Neshag still didn''t know how to explain it, even if a five percent of the real powers that the enchantress had was transferred into the prodigy of the four guardians, then it would result in a catastrophe.

 Chapter 110 - The Light Of My Life

    "Alex, I don''t know how to explain these things. Look, the four elders of the Esbertrazian clan are directly formed from the power of the enchantress and only one of them got married. Our Emmy is the rarest of all. So, there is a high chance of her being inherited with the enchantress''s power"

    " So what if she has got the power inherited? What the scariest part of it?"

    Master Neshag helplessly looked at Alex. He knew this trait of pride mixed with curiosity, Alex gained it from his mother. Trianna was also like this, she never believed things until solid proof was provided, but she always liked to hear new things and question them.

    " The scariest part is not about inheriting power but Emmy didn''t go through any intense training so she won''t be able to control the power correctly and it might harm others. Today, we were actually trying to see whether she would be able to control it or not but we couldn''t see what happened at the entrance properly."

    Alex knew about Emmy''s abnormal behaviour and how powerful she could be at those times so he didn''t argue with master Neshag anymore but he would never allow anyone to hurt her in the future.

    Little did he know that in the coming future, Emmy would be hurt and plunged into the state of despair by him only.

    " So if she cannot control her power, in case she has any, what are you going to do about it?"

    Alex knew what the masters would do in such a situation because that day when he had barged into the dark tower, on the way he had heard the guards mentioning about their elders locking up the princess as she could not control herself. He didn''t want anyone to restrict Emmy, so he wanted to be sure of what these masters were up to.

    Neshag contemplated his thoughts for some time, then his expression turned grave.

    " There are only two solutions, first, teach Emmy to control her powers and the second.. "

    Even before Neshag could complete, Alex completed his sentence, " Lock her up with the jade power."

    The Demar brothers were surprised to hear Alex talking about the jade power as it was only known by the top alpha guards and they were sure that Jordan would never disclose such secrets even if Alex was his best buddy.

    Mike and Jordan could very well sense that Alex''s mood was turning worse, they hadn''t seen him like this for a very long time. After Emmy came into his life, he never had shown this particular side of him.

    The outside freezing temperature was nothing before the cold expression on Alex''s face. Even Neshag who had seen all shades of this young man was astonished by such a fierce expression on his face.

    With a dull but threatening sound, Alex enunciated each word on master Neshag''s face.

    " I don''t care whether she has the ability to control her powers or not, let me make one thing clear to everyone. She is my woman, the light of my life. No one can hurt her nor force her to do things which she doesn''t accept. Well, if she agrees, then she will take the required training but don''t even think of locking her up when I am alive."

    After saying his piece of mind, Alex strode back to the living area to check on Emmy whereas master Neshag stood there dumbfounded. However, none of the other men felt that Alex had gone overboard as defending their beloved was their priority.

    After the youngsters left, master Neshag looked outside the window and sighed, " Oh, Bryon, your son is just like you. The perfect gentleman towards the people but crueller than any devil to your enemies. Only I have seen your version and now your son can directly threaten me on my face. "

    Soon all the men came back to the living room, Emmy was still unconscious but it felt as if she was sleeping. Alex was sitting beside her quietly holding her hands. He knew that master Neshag wanted to apologize but Alex didn''t give me any face.

    " Did you all crack the second clue?"

    Jordan shook his head and Janet understood that the discussion the men had was not related to the clue whereas it might be due to the strange questions which Emmy asked.

    Mike decided to ease the atmosphere, so he tried to engage everyone in a conversation. Finally, except for the moody Alex and sleeping Emmy, all others felt cheered up before drifting away to sleep.

    Only Neshag was left out, he couldn''t sleep at all, in his mind, the scene kept rolling where the woman was crying out loud and asking for a reason for betraying her. Losing a child could make anyone heartbroken but the child being killed by the hands of the same person who was responsible for it, could make anyone go insane.

    " How could Maaran not know that the enchantress was carrying his child? Or did he do it even after knowing about the baby?"

    Neshag could never accept that Maaran( the great lord) was such a brutally cruel man. No, it won''t be the truth, Maaran didn''t know about it. But in terms of his revenge, he was ready to go to any length to kill those who had killed his family.

    Meanwhile, Emmy who was exhausted and tired suddenly felt as if she was falling into a deep hole. After some time, she could open her eyes and she was scared to see blood everywhere. She stumbled and fell down the next second she decided to walk.

    Emmy could not believe that the ground was filled with dead bodies and she ran towards the north direction. Her heart was beating so fast that she felt that it might rupture in the following seconds. While running she understood where this place was and this wasn''t any dream. It was the same vision which she had in the morning, so she ran towards the tower near the plunge pool. There she saw the woman more clearly this time, it was the same woman who had called her daughter.

    Emmy recognised this woman quickly as it was none other than the great, powerful enchantress who was wailing out loud after getting defeated in the war. Precisely, she wasn''t crying because of losing in the war but at last when the love of life kept a sword over her neck and kicked her hard, asking her to get lost from his life forever.

    Emmy walked near to the wailing woman but then Emmy could see that the enchantress quietly stood up and went inside the tower. Emmy followed the crying enchantress and soon reached the second floor of the tower. Inside the room, the enchantress took out a book wrapped in red silk, she wrote something inside it and kept it directly over the table. She then looked over the bed and again cried her heart out.

    If it was before then Emmy would not be able to figure out why was the most powerful woman crying over a man but now after being in love with Alex, she knew how painful betrayal can be!

    She remembered what the enchantress was murmuring all along -

    " This blood is oursˇ­ it was you who destroyed the fruit of our love. I know you will love me forever but this sin cannot be washed off from your handsˇ­ This fountain you made it here as a token of our love which you had no value of... So from now onwards, let this fountain be empty just like your empty love and sweet nothings. "

    Emmy closed her eyes to let down her tears, then walked over the table to see what the enchantress had scribbled over the book. She reached the table but before opening the book turned to see the crying woman who now lay on the bed hugging the pillows.

    Emmy opened the book and was shocked to see what was written inside it. She couldn''t believe that the enchantress had punished her own sister like this and that too with just a limited amount of time. So, how powerful can the enchantress be?

    " Well, do you think that whatever she did, I would take it and run away quietly? No way, I will make her pay for all the sins she has committed. I still love Maaren so would not dare to raise even my eyes against him but the sorceress, she would rot inside that place within her lackeys from now on."

    Emmy stood there shocked, she didn''t know to whom was the enchantress talking to. She gulped her saliva and did not know whether to keep the book down or to read the other pages.

    " Why are you standing there like a dummy? Read it if you want, anyways you are inside my memories, so there is nothing which I can keep as a secret from you."

    " Can you see me?"

 Chapter 111 - They Had Met Again

    " Why are you standing there like a dummy? Read it if you want, anyways you are inside my memories, so there is nothing which I can keep as a secret from you."

    " Can you see me?"

    The Enchantress smiled at the girl who was standing shell shocked in front of her. The eyes in which hatred and sorrow were filled, turned gentle as a flower. Emmy calmed down after seeing the sudden change in the enchantress attitude.

    " Child, I cannot disclose many things to you even though I want to, but as my sealed power is actually resting inside you so your memory will get triggered by some things which have importance in my life. Now also, the fountain outside has triggered your mind a lot but if you hear someone criticizing me, you are sure to lose control over your mind because that sealed energy will start to invade your conscious mind. "

    Emmy still couldn''t believe that she was talking to the great..one and only ˇ­ the most powerful enchantress, the woman who was known to be the epitome of evilness and cruelty turned out to be a gentle and caring person. This gave Emmy the courage to talk freely to the enchantress.

    "Lady enchantress, I am sorry to ask as my curiosity is not letting me keep quiet. May I know how I am connected to you so as to have the sealed power inside me ?"

    This time, the enchantress stood up and walked towards Emmy. She observed Emmy from head to toe and raised her hands to caress the little girl. Just as her hands touched Emmy''s head, the latter felt a soothing effect over her brain and she soon closed her eyes as she felt much relaxed.

    " My child, you don''t need to know what happened to me but you have to kill that cunning vile woman before she reaches him. I am willingly giving you all powers but you will be able to use them only after you regain your memory. Shawn, she will get revenge for all of us. You have done a pretty good job of raising her."

    Emmy could hear the fading voice of the enchantress as she was drifting away to deep sleep.

    The moment she opened her eyes, she felt the coldness. As she tried to move her body, she saw Alex was sleeping at her feet and it seemed as if he had fallen asleep while rubbing her feet.

    Emmy could not be happier after feeling his love for her. She was also a woman who ached for love, and she always regretted that Alex''s first love was someone else. All her friends Juliet, Janet, Leona and even Kiara had been the first love of their corresponding partners. Moreover, If Lamia comes back, she would need to leave Alex forever, this thought irked her heart. Emmy knew in her heart that Alex also loved her much more than she loved him but she couldn''t be adamant. However, she was also determined that if Lamia didn''t have a reason to tie down Alex, she will fight for love.

    Emmy quietly moved her legs and let Alex sleepover a small bolster. She then saw all of her friends were sleeping like logs whereas master Neshag sat near the firepit and slept leaning on the pillar on his side. Around his eyes, the shade of dark circle was much dark in colour as well as there was no sign of master Rotrigues, so she understood that he might have returned to the Esbertrazian clan to tell the other two elders about what happened here and he must have asked master Neshag to look after all of them.

    Without alerting anyone, she quietly went to the first floor and scanned the whole floor, she observed that here four rooms were prepared which were similar in shape and size. Even the damaged furniture looked like.

    " So the enchantress wanted to make this tower as her base, interesting."

    Moving forward she saw a room on the right-side end, she tried to open the door but it was jammed so she left it. But there was something which attracted her to that small room.

    "Hmm, I have to open it later alone as I feel a strong affinity towards this room. Wonder whose room it might be?"

    Emmy didn''t waste any time but moved forward to check the second floor, she had seen it already so wasn''t surprised to enter the enchantress room. All the items in her dream were just the same, bed, table and chair. Wait, where was the book then?

    Emmy checked all over the room but it wasn''t there. " I should have just read the book when she had asked me to do so, wait a minute, wasn''t it wrapped up in red silk? So it was the great Ravenics for which they had come here. The book contains the secrets of the supreme power as well as the journals of the great lord."

    Emmy pulled her own hair, she was so stupid. The enchantress had clearly given her permission to read it while she stood there gawking at the enchantress.

    " What were you thinking at that time Emmy? You little fool.."

    Emmy squatted at the floor and was pissed off at herself for missing out on such a beautiful chance. But then the thought dawned on her mind.

    " Waitˇ­ waitˇ­ wait, if after the war, the distressed enchantress punished the sorceress to a dire place and daringly wrote about it inside the book of Ravenics. I have seen it clearly there were no entries after the message enchantress had written about the sorceress and lackeys, then how would the great lord have it to Lady Vilmon. According to the elders, the great lord had the Ravenics from the time he had taken over the Esbertrazian clan."

    " No way" Emmy screamed inside her mind. The guess was wild but if it was true then how foolish was the enchantress to believe that man again.

    " It only means one thing that they had met again after the war, even before he was on his deathbed."

    Emmy rushed down to find all her companions still sleeping, so she calmed down. She went out and got freshened up under the waterfall. While she was taking shower, she saw something shining over the curtain of the waterfall. She wanted to check what it was but suddenly thoughts of Alex invaded her mind. So she returned back to the tower, changed her dress and waited for her friends to wake up.

    For changing her dress, she had used the toy room. Hence, while he was waiting inside the room, she thought of looking through the toys which were kept inside the room.

    Meanwhile, master Neshag woke up from his sleep. Although he caught sleep in the early morning, he couldn''t sleep more as he was mentally disturbed. Neshag stood up and didn''t check on his students as he thought no one would have woken up as it was so silent here.

    Rubbing his eyes, he stood up and just as he wanted to get freshened up, he heard a slight noise from the other room, so without glancing at the students, he rushed to the source of the sound.

    Opening the door, master Neshag felt as if his soul was pulled out and crushed with a large stone. He saw the view of a woman dressed in dark green and black dress sitting inside the room with a powerful aura surrounding her. Hearing the door opening sound, the woman had turned to look at Neshag and then he could not take it anymore.

    Before Neshag fainted, he just murmured " Lady Enchantress..".

    Emmy was stupefied to see master Neshag opening the door and on the next second, getting faint. She didn''t care about her friends''s sleep anymore, Emmy directly screamed at a top of her voice.

    All the men who had much acute hearing sense than the women understood that it was Emmy who had screamed. They looked over the area where she had slept and then they noticed master Neshag was also missing.

    Alex''s mind snapped out from the present moment, he remembered the way Neshag had warned him before. He sprinted towards the toy room to find master Neshag lying down on the ground and a gorgeous beauty sitting inside the room.

    Alex felt that he had missed quite a few heartbeats after seeing his woman so beautifully carrying the majestic aura around her. It was like just over a night, Emmy had transformed into a superior commander of the great army.

    The men who came following Alex opened their mouth wide in aw. No one had seen Emmy looking so dazzling and gorgeously. Mike and Jordan looked at each other, they were reminded of the day when they saw Emmy for the first time when she walked inside the classroom. Such a tremendous change was unbelievable in other''s view.

    " Sister-in-law, is it really you ?"

    Mike was only the one who had the courage to ask the question.

 Chapter 112 - Wonderful Mistake In My Life

    Emmy wanted to shout at these men who were gaping at her instead of helping their master who had fainted. Master Neshag had hurt his head while he fainted and it was slightly bleeding now.

    " Yes, I am your sister-in-law only. Now hurry up, dress his wound."

    Houlson and Jordan were quick in action and they carried their master to the bed they had made. Soon master Neshag regained his consciousness, the first thing after waking up, he did was to look for Emmy.

    When Emmy appeared in front of him, he noticed the aura surrounding her was different from yesterday. Today, she was beaming with positive energy and maintained the gentleness in her eyes. Her demeanour reminded him of that woman who had loved Maaran with all her heart.

    " Emmy, I think you are looking refreshed today and must say, you are dazzling in these colours."

    The smile of master Neshag''s face was a genuine one and hence, it made him much handsome. Alex sneered as he felt that his uncle Neshag was flirting with his woman with him standing aside.

    Emmy could sense the vinegar was boiling inside her husband''s mind, so she just gave a nod and smiled at the master. Later, after they had settled with breakfast, the Esbertrazian masters also arrived, they too were stunned after seeing the magnificent Emmy.

    Master Rotrigues looked at the elder Lathodore with a cautious expression, he was determined that only the elder Lathodore would be able to detect the presence of the sealed power inside Emmy if it was inherited. Elder Lathodore spent some quality time with Alex and Emmy in the morning and when he returned, he shook his head indicating there was nothing to be worried about.

    " Now what''s next ?"

    " Let us all have a tour of this tower. I bet there must be a hall where the Ravenics is kept."

    Hearing Leon, even the elders felt they had to explore the tower which they had only seen from outside for years. Actually, elders Lathodore and Miandrake were ecstatic to visit here when Rotrigues informed them that Emmy was able to open the tower. However, when Rotrigues told them about the vision which Emmy had about the enchantress, they hated themselves as they had also abandoned her at that particular time when she had to be taken care of.

    Therefore, they started from there at the earliest and reached here within a few hours. The three elders had decided to safeguard Emmy as she was directly linked to the enchantress is away and this was the only way of atoning their sins toward their creator.

    " The Ravenics was here but till the time of enchantress, after it was in Lady Vilmon''s possession, it was moved from here."

    All looked at Emmy for explanation and as she could not elaborately say about meeting with the enchantress, she diverted the topic effortlessly.

    " I managed to observe something under the curtain of the waterfalls, today morning when I went to take a bath, there was something shining in there. Let us go there and check first."

    As the plan was decided, all of them got busy in preparing while Alex pulled Emmy outside for a walk. From morning, he didn''t get a lonely time to spend with his woman.

    " Hmmˇ­ yesterday night, you fainted all of a sudden and the whole night my heart was mining in pain. But youˇ­ cared to take a tour of the surrounding without me after waking up huh. I think you need to be punished"

    Emmy knew that Alex was just teasing her and it made her happy that he was possessive over her. Now she understood why the enchantress would have forgiven the great lord again and again. Yes, if we truly love a person, we won''t be able to hate that person even if he takes you for granted.

    " My dear, I saw the fatigue over your face and knew that you were rubbing my feet the whole night, so how can I disturb your sweet sleep while you were dreaming about me?"

    Emmy was acting all spoiled in front of Alex, she even put her hands around his neck and kept Alex''s hands over her waist. Seeing the active side of Emmy, Alex felt immense happiness surge inside his heart. He wanted to stop the time now and freeze this moment forever.

    " And how did you know that I was dreaming about you? "

    Emmy felt heated watching Alex''s eyes which were filled with desire, she gave a quick peck on his cheeks and hid her head on the crook of his neck. Alex laughed at her shyness but then pulled his beloved to his front and cupped her cheeks in his hands.

    As Alex was going to taste her alluring lips, suddenly both of them felt something odd. The wind started to blow and they both felt a couple was standing under the tree, just a few yards before them.

    Alex became alerted at that instance and noticed that Emmy''s eyes were unfocused, so he knew that she was having a vision but he was holding her, he also got dragged into it. So, Alex stood there holding her but did not dare to disturb her.

    Under the tree, the couple was none other than the great lord and the enchantress. Emmy could feel that it might be the time when the enchantress had given him the Ravenics. The couple stood there silently. Afterwards, Maaran started to speak,

    " Enchantress, I am not in a position to accept you. You must understand that I never loved you and for the sake of revenge, I had to divert your attention from your people. Now everything is over, okay and whatever happened between us was just a mistake. I can accept neither sisters. I haven''t told that to the sorceress yet as she just got disappeared after the war. I already have a woman in my life who loves me more than anyone else."

    The enchantress who was standing without any expression all this time, looked up as Maaran said the last line. He broke her heart once, then again returned after a few months. Finally, after spending time with her, again he wanted to leave.

    The enchantress laughed out loud suddenly but soon calmed down, then she looked at the man who she loved the most once, " Whatever happened between us was just a mistake? Really? Then I must say that it was the most wonderful mistake of my life or should I say wonderful mistakes in my life. I don''t care about whom you are anymore. I have loved you enough, now I won''t repeatedly harass you anymore. "

    " Andˇ­ I hope that we won''t meet ever again. You can live your life as you wish. Take this, it will make you powerful enough to become the great lord of the Esbertrazian clan."

    Saying this a black mist suddenly devoured the enchantress and Maaran stood there shocked. He had never seen her powers so he thought that what she showed on the battlefield was her powers.

    " It means she was always holding it low in front of me."

    Maaran quickly opened the book which was covered in red silk and he started reading it. As outsiders, Emmy and Alex could see the changes happening in the aura of the great lord.

    He sat under the tree and read pages by pages, he had a photographic memory, so he didn''t read it again and again to understand. The first few chapters were about the supreme powers, then the following chapters were talking about how to exercise the innate powers of the body. According to the Ravenics, each and everybody could be trained to specialise in their specific elements.

    Then the second half of the book was scribblings by the enchantress, she had written about the alpha training and its sub levels named as devil and demon training. Then slowly, the notes suggested that the enchantress met a handsome man and Maaran knew that she was writing it about him.

    Reading what was her true feelings , Maaran regretted hurting her this much, but he knew that he was betrothed to another woman, so he must wait until the woman walks out of the marriage.

    Suddenly, Maaran screamed, " NOˇ­.This cannot happen."

    He knelt down on the ground and read it once again that too loud. The words written on the two pages suggested something and the enchantress had scribbled, that she was going to surprise her man soon.

    Maaran could not take it anymore, as in the next page, the entry was written in blood but it was dried up. The man who did not know to cry cried for the first time. He had done an unpardonable sin and the main perpetrator had been punished by the enchantress while she had forgiven him multiple times.

    He screamed into empty air, " Enchantress, come backˇ­ I am sorry, I admit my mistakes.. Please forgive this sinner, I should have never underestimated your love towards me. "

 Chapter 113 - Only Unintentional Sins Are Forgiven

    How much he cried and screamed, only the waterfalls and the mountains heard his voice which echoed through the entire valley.

    Soon, the heavy fog lifted and Emmy fell on to Alex''s embrace. Even though Alex was stunned to be able to see the vision, now he knew why Emmy was struggling to control her emotions. He looked at the woman in his embrace and carefully caressed her.

    " I will never let you go away, even if you go away from meˇ­ I will follow you forever. Only cowards will sit and cry like him. But he deserved it, he couldn''t cherish the woman who loved him unconditionally and hurt her repeatedly. He deserved to be left alone..."

    Alex then carried Emmy to the small spring and sprinkled its water over her face. Gently patting over her cheeks, he woke her up and made her drink the freshwater.

    "Alex, sorryˇ­"

    " Relax, please calm down first. Here, drink this water also. You need rest after seeing such a melancholic vision."

    Alex tried to persuade Emmy who was worried that she might have made Alex tensed up. However, to her surprise, Alex was not at all worried about her condition and was comforting her about her vision. Wait, he said about the vision, Emmy looked at Alex with both her eyes wide open.

    " How do you know that I had a vision just now and that too, a melancholic one ?"

    Alex smiled and kissed over her head, and slowly whispered in her ears.

    " Actually, I am also surprised about that. I was holding you then suddenly could see the couple under the tree and rest you know."

    Emmy noticed that Alex had his eyes a bit reddish, so she understood even his mood was affected after watching the meeting between the enchantress and the great lord.

    " I had some respect for that man but seeing him treat the woman who loved him facing all the odds, I wish to kill him on her behalf however the malefactor was punished by gods to die suddenly. Only unintentional sins are forgiven, he has to bear the consequences of these sins for all his lifetimes."

    Emmy felt bliss in her heart after seeing Alex getting temperamental thinking about the enchantress and the great lord.

    " If it was me, I wouldn''t have forgiven him ever but love is love. The enchantress, not only did forgive him but also painfully gave him an offspring also. Let us not think about it anymore."

    Ale and Emmy then joined back their group who were ready to explore the inside of the waterfall. Elder Lathodore saw the five young couples walking in front of the masters. They were all innocent and loved each other with all their hearts.

    " I wish that my princess also had found her real love and is living peacefully in some part of the world." Elder Lathodore could not say it openly but had this thought in his mind. Not only elder Lathodore, Miandrake and Rotrigues also had the same thinking. They realised that Emmy was the perfect one for Alex, even better than their princess.

    Reaching the plunge pool of the waterfall, Emmy felt unusually nervous. In the morning, when she came here, it was okay but now there was something different about the atmosphere. She felt as if a negative power was lurking around this area.

    " Elders, please I don''t feel too good about the surroundings. Just check whether you are able to detect any unknown presence in the surrounding."

    Just as Emmy finished her line, the elders and the Demar brothers focused on the outer area of the waterfall whereas the Salian brothers along with Jordan and master Neshag checked near the plunge pool''s vicinity.

    Juliet used her power to check the presence of any strangers near the water bodies and then her body trembled violently.

    " Emmy, I can feel a powerful source of negative energy towards the top of the waterfall. Even the positive energy is getting dried out from that particular area."

    Knowing it might be another lackey of the sorceress, Emmy asked Janet and Kiara to lead Juliet and Elina inside the curtains of the waterfall whereas she went out to check what Juliet had told.

    Watching Emmy coming out alone, the Salian brothers and Jordan joined her along with master Neshag. Then, following her line of sight, all of them could see, a man standing over the top of the waterfall.

    Master Neshag clenched his fists as he clearly knew who it was. Even Alex felt as if his blood was boiling. The only person who was not surprised was Emmy, she directly sneered at him.

    When Demetrick saw the little woman amongst them, he wanted to leave but then thinking of his mission, he tried to encourage himself. It had taken painstakingly long years of constant hard work to be able to escape from that dimensional trap and now he would not be able to return without the power of Ravenics.

    The sorceress powers were limited now as she was brutally attacked by the enchantress just as when she thought that she had won the battle. The attack made her power drain and the sorceress was half dead after the war. Then, she was locked inside a dimensional trap along with her most trusted lackeys. Demetrick who was at her side from the very beginning helped her to get revived to some extent as he was also from the Yalasgue clan.

    Demetrick jumped down the cliff and landed in front of the group. Seeing the unknown powerful source approaching their teammates, the Esbertrazian elders, as well as the Demar brothers, reached the spot soon.

    Sensing no presence of the powerful aura of the enchantress, Demetrick got relieved. Now he was confident that he would be able to defeat all the people in here.

    " A woman leading all the other men of your group, I must say kid, these old fools are again creating another enchantress but this time our sorceress will return with full vigour."

    Emmy stood there without losing her composure but it was not the case of the male members behind her. They wanted to kill this man who was supporting the sorceress to the heights.

    Emmy walked three steps forward towards Demetrick who was beaming with confidence. The elders wanted to stop her but master Neshag and Alex stopped them from disrupting Emmy. Only both of them knew Demetrick''s power clearly and were aware that even the combination of the three elders was no match against Demetrick.

    " Girl, you are so good at acting huh!, that day I really thought that you might be the enchantress reincarnated but you turned out to be the daughter of one of the loyal dogs of the enchantress. I heard that your father and mother perished under an unknown attack. Let me say, it was some who had instigated the whole plan but the plan was to kill your father and that unwanted guest at your home. However, you and mother had connections with them, so we had to finish you both also. Anyways, must say, the astonishing thing is, you survived that attack."

    This time Demetrick had touched the topic of Emmy''s weak point. Her mind buzzed and the dull pain started to surface again. She could hear screams and striking of metallic swords.

    Emmy screamed all of a sudden, holding her hands over her head, she sat down on the ground.

    Last time when the black swirl had devoured Demetrick, it was not much powerful to complete the mission given to it as Emmy had fainted in the midst.

    Alex and master Neshag started to get worried but they still had faith in Emmy. The Esbertrazian elders could never believe that the culprit behind the assassination of their beloved brother was again the sorceress and her army. They wanted to lash out but Alex and Neshag maintained their position, not allowing them to attack Demetrick.

    Suddenly the wind started blowing and Emmy stood up. She turned back to see the people behind her.

    " Good job, now leave this one to me."

    Watching her like that, except for Alex, rest of all was dumbstruck. The Esbertrazian elders had never seen the full-powered up enchantress nor their princess, so seeing Emmy walking towards Demetrick with green eyes and an evil demeanour, sweats drenched up their clothes.

    Demetrick wanted to escape after sensing the change in the petite woman but the winds actually had trapped him in it. He could only see the woman approaching him with a dangerous smile over her lips.

    Therefore, Demetrick launched an attack even before Emmy could reach him but she dodged it very accurately. Instead of attacking Demetrick directly, Emmy was just playing a game of cat and mouse with him. Finally, when Demetrick''s energy was starting to drain, Emmy launched her attack, making him spit a large amount of blood. He fell down onto the ground with a large sound.

    " Now you don''t need to visit here anymore as I will be coming soon to visit my sister. Tell her, I had punished her only lightly then, but this timeˇ­ I will make sure to kill her after torturing her in the cruellest manner."

    Then a more powerful black swirl opened up from space and devoured the man who was lying down on the ground.

    Emmy closed her eyes to calm down, this time she knew that her body was reacting to something inside and it made her do a lot of things.. When she opened her eyes, everything was back to normal.

 Chapter 114 - Way To Control Her Powers

    Demetrick was long gone from the vicinity and Emmy could come back to normal before losing out her consciousness. Alex wanted to hug his woman tightly but stopped himself as the Esbertrazian elders were all present here. Still, he grasped her left hand tightly in his hand and appreciated her effort.

    Meanwhile, all the others had seen Emmy showing her inner powers for the first time. Although Leon and Houlson had seen the faint green shade in her eyes the other day, they couldn''t believe that she was powerful enough to use the ultimate black swirl power. Even the Esbertrazians elders were dumbstruck and each of them was feeling much happier inside.

    Now, they had support to stop the enemy without the empowerment of the whole clan using the Ravenics.

    " Child, you did a marvellous work now. Are you feeling tired?"

    Alex was ready to lash out if the elders were planning to lock her up but surprisingly, elder Lathodore seemed to be very supportive and was even worried about Emmy. He sighed in relief. Elder Miandrake quickly opened his hand pouch and took a small herb, he squashed its juice out and mixed it with water. Then he made Emmy drink that water, soon she felt refreshed and energetic.

    The Salian brothers and master Neshag were relieved to see the paleness fade away from Emmy''s face but the Esbertrazians members present there again were flabbergasted.

    Elder Rotrigues shuttered with his eyes wide open, " Mian.. drake.. did you just feed her with Alvish herb?"

    Hearing the name of the herb, both Emmy and Alex looked at each with concern but both of them had different opinions in their minds. Emmy was thinking that poisons were able to make her body re-energised. This was the same result when that day Arona had made her drink the poisonous drug - Navjuan and now the master made her drink the poisonous herb Alvish. She remembered Jordan explaining about the weird fantasy of the Lady Vilmon in creating such kinds of stuff with the Elder Miandrake.

    Alex glared at this Esbertrazian elder, he wanted to strangle this man but seeing the pleasant expression on Emmy''s face, he decided to keep quiet. Feeling glared by the couple, Miandrake laughed enthusiastically, since he knew that there were some residual powers of the enchantress inside Emmy, he was sure that any poison would help her stabilise her body well and help in maintaining a healthy body. Still, he wanted to test it but the other two elders might not approve of his idea, that is why he took this god-given chance and made Emmy chug her drink down quickly.

    " Relax, the powers need these poisonous things to make the owner of the power powerful. See her face, it is glowing now. That means, my theory is true."

    " What if it backfired? How could you carry out your experiment on our child? Miandrake, this is not funny anymore."

    Elder Lathodore looked at his two brothers who were going to have a fight, if it was inside either clan, then as usual elder Lathodore wouldn''t mind them. However, it was in front of their disciples and even master Neshag was there. So he asked both of them to stop their bickering.

    " Relax Rotrigues, he knows what is best, isn''t it? Now we have to find a way to make her control these powers. I don''t think that what she showed was exactly her full power."

    Emmy and Alex knew what was the only possible and the easiest way to control her powers was to recover her memories.

    " Hey the girls are waiting, let us go in quickly."

    Mike was concerned about his beloved using her powers, so he didn''t wait to hear the elders bickering. Now even Leon and Jordan were getting impatient with these elders lagging them in their adventure.

    Elder Lathodre could read these youngsters faces clearly and he also admitted that they were dawdling unwantedly. Soon, all of them reached under the waterfalls, where Juliet was radiating positive energy. She had used the positive energy in the water to replenish her power and it worked well. Now her countenance was gleaming and poor Mike could not leave his eyes off her for a second. He was glad that here no one was available to rob her away from him.

    Reaching inside the cave-like structure, Emmy felt her heart was beating unusually fast. She wondered why she was feeling so excited to visit here. Naturally, she leaned on Alex''s shoulders to calm down her racing heart. But this action directly put Alex on tense mode, he was worried about the Alvish herb effect on her body, so just as she leaned over him, he got concerned rapidly.

    " Hey Emmy, are you okay?"

    Emmy winked at Alex and seeing that she was perfectly fine, he also calmed down. Anyways, although Emmy was powerful and didn''t need his protection, as a man, Alex loved the moments where his woman wanted his support. He patted her back and walked behind the elders.

    Upon reaching the place, Emmy along with Alex went to check the shining thing which she saw before while the rest got busy observing the interiors of the space. They were checking whether any secret doors were there in here.

    Soon Emmy saw a trinket amidst the rocks, she picked it up and showed it to Alex. He also found it strange because the design was a bit weird. Not only them, but the others also haven''t ever seen or heard about such a design or trinket.

    "Has anyone managed to find any clue here?"

    Jordan asked the others, while elders took the trinket to observe it under the light. Yes, the inside of the cave was a bit dark, so they need to go out for proper light.

    " See, this way leads to a stream and I guess it is a dead end so I didn''t go inside as it is very cold and dark in there," Mike commented.

    " What did you say?" Janet became interested suddenly.

    Mike was confused but repeated what he said before, " I felt it was a dead end."

    " Not that Mike, what did you say after that."

    " So I didn''t go inside."

    " Uh, Mike.. be serious.. what did you mean by cold and dark?"

    Mike thought about the place once again, " Well, the narrow path was really cold and dark, as the stream was flowing outside. I thought it would be rocks ahead, so I didn''t go inside much."

    " Janet, what happened? why are you getting restless?" Juliet asked with concern.

    " Juliet, the second clue, do you remember what it said? "

    All of them clearly remembered the second clue - "no sun is powerful to warm the hall". So, the narrow path which Mike referred to as cold and dark can be the place. Jordan excitedly went to call the elders whereas master Neshag quickly began to work on the required torches to light up the pathway.

    As soon as elders reached, they gave the trinket back to Emmy and decided to lead the group inside the narrow path whereas the young men would safeguard the women from behind. As they entered the narrow path, it was very slippery and cold.

    "It is amusing that even if this place is cold and dark, the amount of air inside is high."

    Leon looked at Elina who was getting exhausted easily compared to other women in the group, Kiara also saw her sister was not looking good, so she offered her the water from the brook. Elina felt energetic but her face was still pale. Finally, they reached a corridor with three doors.

    " Whoah, what an architecture?"

    With the sudden exclamation of amazement from Leon, all others also looked at the place where he was pointing. On the roof, the stones were carved into the shapes of women with wings and men bowing to them. The scene was beautifully sculptured on the rocks and it was quite mesmerizing.

    "This is a new style, I have never heard about rock carving or stone sculpting to draw portraits. Do you think what I am thinking, Lathodore ?"

    Elder Lathodore and Rotrigues, both of them looked at the Demar brothers simultaneously, but master Neshag interrupted them.

    " No, this is not the work of the supreme power either... I haven''t seen this style ever when I was there."

    Living with them, now Neshag knew about the Demar and Lazarian families. So he knew when the elders looked at the Demar brothers what they were thinking.

    " Elder Lathodore, do you remember, on our first meeting, you mentioned about the dimensional world right, do you think other than the worlds we know, there is a possibility of having other worlds right. Another place in the dimension and this place could be a portal between the two worlds. "

    " Yes, it is a possible theory. "

    Checking the two other doors, the Esbertrazian elders got stupefied. they had a hunch but to make sure, they asked the young men to take the first door and the seniors took the second door.. Asking the ladies to wait at the corridor, the men went for their adventure.

 Chapter 115 - Throw Shine, Not Shade

    Seeing the men take the two doors and leave the third one, the women wanted to take it but their respective partners begged them to stay out of trouble until they returned.

    " Is it me the only one who wants to check what''s behind the third door?"

    Juliet was the most curious one amongst them and she shared her opinion just as the men were off through the doors.

    " Let''s go".

    The women soon arrived at the decision as each of them wanted to check out what''s behind the door too. Kiara and Elina were living a nomadic life till they met the Demar brothers, so after a few months itself, they were thriving for an adventure. Janet was totally devoted to her friends now as this was her family now.

    Sadly, their adventure came to an end soon as they found the path was a dead end. it ended in a small room with no door out. They tried their maximum best to find any secret doors or even any clues hidden here but soon were disappointed.

    " I think this room was some sort of meditation room as I can feel much relaxing positive energy here."

    Elina''s pale face was now fully energised and she was beaming just like Juliet. When everyone thought of going back, Emmy excused herself and asked her friends to return as she wanted to check her powers by meditating. Her friends thought it was a good idea as this place was filled with positive energy and no one could disturb Emmy if they guard the third door from outside.

    Soon after her friends left, Emmy took out the trinket which she felt very heavy from the time she had entered this room. However, Emmy didn''t mention it out to her friends as he was worried that if something happened, she may not be able to help her friends out. So she asked them to go out and wait for her.

    Emmy held the trinket which had started to shine now. Its glow was increasing just as she walked towards the big rock wall. Finally, Emmy could see a handprint on the wall which was seen only in the trinket''s glow.

    Emmy didn''t know whether to keep her hand over the print or not, she was clueless of what might be the dangers hidden on the other side of the wall.

    Moreover, if it was the way to the dimensional trap where the enchantress had locked up the sorceress, then Emmy would be delivering herself and her friends directly into the enemy''s lair.

    "Opening it won''t do you any harm."

    A voice suddenly sounded inside Emmy''s mind. She knew about this voice from the time the enchantress had talked to her, so she wasn''t surprised.

    The push which Emmy needed, was given by that voice and Emmy picked up her courage to keep her hands over the handprint.

    "It fits correctly", Emmy thought in her mind.

    Suddenly heavy fogs surrounded her from nowhere, first Emmy was a bit scared but then it slowly faded away. However, Emmy was no longer inside the cave but another hall which was brightly lit by the sunlight.

    Emmy was confused and frantically looked at either side of the hall. It was a new place and the decorations were fresh but strange. She hasn''t seen such flowers nor the artwork inside the hall.

    The hall was well decorated with flowers and had the angels sculptures all around. The hall''s one end was lighted by candles and it gave a serene effect to the on-lookers. At the other end, Emmy could see some wooden benches also.

    Looking at the whole surrounding, everything appeared strange to Emmy and all these were making her anxious in every second.

    " Where have I arrived? How can I go back? "

    She held the trinket hard in her hands but it didn''t glow anymore. She tried to rub it and check whether it would glow again but in vain, that way also didn''t work. Emmy was on the verge of a mental breakdown as she was getting stressed. She didn''t care about being landed on to a strange place if it had been before meeting Alex and her great friends but now there was no way she could live after getting separated from him.

    " Emmettina, just wear it around your neck, it looks pretty, isn''t it?"

    A gorgeous woman was standing in front of Emmy who had a radiant smile on her face. Her face was covered in gentleness and her aura wasn''t weak. Emmy knew that the woman must know Emmy quite well, but who was she?

    " Who are you? How do you know me?"

    The woman laughed, she didn''t reply to Emmy at once but walked towards the area of lit candles and knelt before it. She closed her eyes for a few minutes, then lighted up a candle and fixed it with the other candles.

    "You are living the life which I wanted and you know me well. "

    Emmy got confused but didn''t show it on her face. She looked at the woman who was beautiful, the red coloured dress was enhancing her beauty on to a different level. Her jet black hair was perfectly swaying along with the breeze and her eyes hid the enticing effect, it threw shine not shade. In short, the woman had an angelic beauty altogether.

    " Sister, I might have known you but a few years back, I had met with an accident and lost my memories. So forgive me as I am not able to recognise you anymore."

    That woman laughed and turned to look at Emmy. After fixing the fifth candle, the woman got up and smiled at Emmy. Her radiating smile amazed Emmy and if she was a man, she would have fallen for this smile a long ago.

    " Hi, we don''t need to introduce each other anymore because the voice which you are hearing in your mind is none other than mine. Emmy, this is the modern world, where you will be able to see Maaren, Trianna and even your... Well, I am disclosing many facts as you cannot enter this world for now."

    " Emmy, what you seek will not be seen until you recover your memories and for that you will have to sacrifice your dearest thing."

    The woman was talking very gently but still Emmy could feel that she was hiding something from her. Emmy observed the woman, she was taller than Emmy and more leaner in shape.

    Somewhere inside Emmy''s heart, she felt inferior to this figure before her. Just as Emmy had this thought in her mind, the woman laughed out loud.

    " Emmyˇ­ Emmy, don''t be childish anymore. I can read your mind as back of my hand so don''t bother to hide your feelings. See after you recall your memories, everything will be cleared on its accord."

    " Now it is time for you to go. Make sure that you don''t tell anyone about this world,not even to himˇ­ Well, hang this trinket around your neck till the next time you have to come here."

    Emmy clearly noticed the woman''s expression change when she mentioned him and she knew that the ''him'' was Alex. She wanted to ask the woman what connection did they both share but remained quiet.

    The woman smiled and said, " Well , I know you have a lot of things to ask about this place but not now, you can enter this world only when you are abandoned. There is no single heart which wants you in that world, then only you shall be welcomed here."

    Emmy sneered when she heard the woman talking about being abandoned. With much arrogance, Emmy replied, " Then I shall never visit this place again as I have a person who will never abandon me in this lifetime."

    The women stood still watching the candles flicker in the breeze. She was in deep thoughts and Emmy could not read her expressions but saw her eyes were getting filled with tears.

    " You may go now."

    Without turning the woman walked away, leaving Emmy inside the hall. Soon Emmy felt a breeze upon her and she was back to the cave while on the other world, that woman thought of what Emmy had said last

    " Then I shall never visit this place again as I have a person who will never abandon me in this lifetime."

    .

    ...

    ....

    " Then I shall never visit this place again as I have a person who will never abandon me in this lifetime."

    The woman closed her eyes, letting the stubborn tears and murmured, " I wish that could have happened. Emmy, you don''t remember how he broke your heart once but the next time, the pain you are going to get is tons larger than the pain which I felt.. Do not fall for his trap Emmy, please,, you will be shattered."

    Soon she also disappeared from the room, if the Esbertrazian elders were here, then they would have recognised this woman quickly as this was none other than the long lost Esbertrazian princess - '' Anittemme Esbertraz".

 Chapter 116 - One Simple Decision Is Powerful At Times

    As the heavy fog cleared, Emmy could see herself standing at the same dead-end room, she quickly scanned the surrounding but found nothing suspicious.

    " Was it a dream or another premonition?" Emmy thought in mind but then she noticed the trinket which was in her hands, was on her neck. Emmy subconsciously had put that trinket as a pendant over the chain which she usually wore across her neck.

    " Emmettina, just wear that around your neck, it looks pretty, isn''t it?"

    That woman had said to hang the trinket around her neck and now it lay on her neck beautifully, Emmy felt scared thinking of what all that woman said to her. But deep inside, Emmy wanted to keep this a secret as she believed that angelic woman in her heart.

    Emmy quickly came out of the third door where the other women were waiting for her patiently. Looking at Emmy''s pale face, they didn''t know what to ask as they thought she might have had another disturbing vision.

    "Aren''t they back yet?"

    Emmy broke the silence first, she was getting worried about them as the woman had mentioned that Emmy won''t get the thing which she was seeking until she recovers her memory, so finding Ravenics behind these two doors were practically impossible.

    " Not yet, we were worried that if they returned before you came out of that room, then Alex would fry us for sure."

    Janet still was a bit scared of Alex. The others including Emmy laughed, hearing Janet complaining how haughty and arrogant was the Salian crown prince before he saw Emmy.

    As they had nothing to do and was sitting idly, Juliet started to mention how she met Janet and Emmy. Then they started discussing the beginning of their college days and about how Juliet, as well as Janet''s love stories, bloomed in the short while.

    " I must say, all credits must go to Emmy, she supported us in achieving what we thought was impossible. When I met Janet, she was strictly against marriage and after Emmy entered into our lives, she opened her heart and gave it to the soldier man."

    "Soldier man ?"

    " Oh..ohˇ­ that''s the name which we had given to Jordan as he always roamed around the campus having a stone face. Hey, by the way, do you remember that we had actually mistaken him to be my brother-in-law''s bodyguard."

    Reminiscing of their first meetings, when the women were having fun, on the other side, the men were struggling a lot.

    The group with Alex which included Mike, Jordan, Houlson and Leon, was getting fed up. The damp ground and the musty smell of air had made this group of youngsters crazy. They were walking for at least half an hour now and the path was still stretched out. While walking, they were also exploring the path for more clues but got disappointed until Alex saw a light at the end of the pathway.

    " Hey, men, check that out. I hope that is the end of this pathway."

    Hearing Alex''s cheerful voice, even Jordan and Mike was surprised, both of them ran towards the source of light. Soon, the other three also followed these two crazy fellows.

    It was an opening on a mountain and they were standing at least 5500 yards above the ground. At a glance, everything down was green in colour and the youngsters got hyperactivated to check out the place. However, just as they moved forward, Houlson recognised the place soon.

    " Hey, this is the training ground which had been closed since our princess went missing."

    Leon and Jordan came forward to look at the area where Houlson was pointing, There was an arena which was now filled with shrubberies but the flags which were still hanging there made it possible for Houlson to recognise this place easily.

    " Please could you enlighten me one thing, if this is the Esbertrazian grounds, where are the castle and the usual clan area which we are similar to?"

    Mike was confused and so was Alex, they had thought that they had seen the Esbertrazian clan but looking at this mountainside, they realised that they had seen only a tip of the iceberg.

    Jordan smiled and replied, " This is the northern side and on the other side of this mountain is actually your clan area. This place was specially selected by our princess and only she used to come here. The elders had built this arena after her 16th birthday. Look towards the south direction, can you see the tip of the dark towers? There is our Esbertrazian clan area."

    While Jordan was explaining, Alex''s mind was wandering over Lamia. They also met in the mountains but this side of the mountain was totally new to him. Now he realised that from the very first, Lamia must have known that he was betrothed to Lady Vilmon and she might have had some direct interconnection with the dark clan.

    " Let us return soon and report our discovery to the elders."

    Putting a halt to Alex''s train of thoughts, Leon asked his group to return. But in truth, Leon wanted to see his wife more than giving the elders the report about the expedition.

    Meanwhile, the elders, consisting of the three mighty Esbertrazian leaders - Elder Lathodore, Elder Miandrake and Elder Rotrigues were staring at a brick wall along with master Neshag. They tried to break this brick wall but couldn''t succeed even after multiple trials.

    Finally, Lathodore put his ears on the wall and then he asked everyone to stop trying to break the wall. On his face, there was the expression of huge relief.

    " Elder Lathodore, what happened? Did you feel anything suspicious on the other side of the wall?"

    Neshag curiously asked the Elder Lathodore who had stepped back from the wall and seeing that Elder Miandrake kept his ears on the wall.

    " I feel the sea."

    Suddenly, Elder Miandrake blurted out and both Rotrigues as well as Neshag were astounded by listening to Miandrake.

    "Are you sure, we are standing inside a dry cave, where there is not even a single stream, then how would you feel the sea on the opposite side of this brick wall?"

    Elder Rotrigues started to argue with Elder Miandrake as usual but Lathodore interrupted them again. This was the second time he was interrupting these two oldies'' fight on the same day.

    " Stop, it is not a joke. I could also feel it but I feel it not as a sea but deep under the ocean. Whoever constructed this wall must have connected this path to some other place but might be due to some critical geographical conditions, later this path might have submerged inside the ocean also."

    Chills ran through master Neshag, he wondered who could be its architect, to build such a pathway near the beds of the ocean.

    " Let us not ponder more into this path for the time being."

    All the other elders also approved master Neshag''s idea and they also started their return journey.

    The first group to reach back was the seniors'' group and later after another half an hour, the youngsters'' group also returned.

    "So the door one leads to the devilish training ground of the great Esbertrazian clan, well the door two lead towards a dead end. There was a huge brick wall which was blocking us and the elders felt the other side might be under the sea?

    " What ?"

    All the young people inside the space were equally surprised. How can it be geographically possible? They all decided to go back to the campus before it was late. The elders were quite disappointed as they still couldn''t find the Ravenics while the youth were gloating over the adventure they had.

    Alex felt Emmy was unusually quiet after returning back to their dormitory. After freshening up, he saw her gazing out the window, watching the night sky. The scene outside the window was a bit creepy. With the eerie graveyard and the hooting of the owls, also the sound of crickets with the dusty breeze made the view look pretty scarier than usual.

    " You don''t remember how he broke your heart once but the next time, the pain you are going to get is tons larger than the pain which I felt... Do not fall for his trap Emmy, please, you will be shattered."

    Emmy''s mind was buzzing with the voice repeating the same sentence again and again. Just as she wanted to scream loud, Alex hugged her from the back. Emmy calmed down and relaxed, the voice was no more disturbing her.

    " What are you thinking of tonight, my dear?"

    Emmy turned around and rested her head on Alex''s chest.

    " Alex, don''t you think that one simple decision is powerful at times to alter our fates?"

    Alex knew that something was disturbing Emmy from the time she had fainted, but he felt that she might open herself up gradually. As her soulmate, he had to understand that she also has a life, wishes and secrets...

 Chapter 117 - Breaking The Promise

    Alex was still pondering how to answer Emmy, she asked the next question, " Alex, what if, once I regain my memory and we might have grudges of the past in between us, what will you do? "

    Alex smiled just as he heard her query, " Well, I will make sure which side is fighting fairly. If I am on the wrong side, I will surely amend my mistakes but if justice is on my side, then I will fight with you. " Nevertheless, Emmy was expecting a cheesy line from Alex and she was very happy when Alex straightforwardly replied to her.

    " Impressive!!! As expected of my husband."

    Emmy rubbed her nose on his chest and Alex who was happy seeing his woman being coquettish with him, suddenly felt as if he was on cloud nine as Emmy had mentioned him as her husband.

    " I remember someone saying that she was just a girlfriend for the time being and I should work hard, in order to achieve the fiancee status. I wonder from where did I hear that ?"

    Alex loved teasing Emmy at their alone times as he enjoyed her blushing face and this cuteness was only seen in their private times. Usually, Emmy bore a cold expression most of the times when they are out with others.

    Late at night, Emmy got up to check whether Alex was asleep or not, she walked near to his bed and slowly whispered, " I am sorry Alex, the promise of trust in the relationship which I highly spoke of, I need to break it. I have to hide a few things from you for your safety sake. Once I get clarity over the happenings, it would be me who will first disclose all my secrets to you. Please have patience in me."

    She put the comforter over him and kissed on his forehead. When she got up, there was strong determination in her eyes. Emmy came to the window side and opened the windows, letting the cool air into the room.

    " Now let''s talk." Emmy thought inside her mind. Yes, she wanted to communicate with the voice inside her mind. From the last time she had met that woman, this voice was disturbing her a lot when she was with Alex.

    " Emmy, I am not your enemy but your benefactor. It is for your sake that it is good to stay away from him."

    Emmy took a deep breath, she wanted to clarify some things but the voice was adamant in just one stand- to leave Alex, which was now making Emmy pissed off.

    " Every time you just say only one thing - Stay away from the man who loves me very dearly. Can you tell me why you are adamant about it? I don''t think there is a need for any benefactor meddling in my relationship matters. If you are really concerned about me and want to help me out, then tell me a way to recover my memories."

    For sometime Emmy couldn''t hear the voice inside her head, so she understood that the sole aim of that voice was to keep her away from Alex.

    " Hmm, seems that my point is clear to you. Next time before you start buzzing, please answer my question and then start bickering about pain, suffering etc. "

    Finally, Emmy also went to bed to catch her three days of lost sleep. In the night, slowly a black swirl was formed near the window where Emmy had stood before and it disappeared after a few seconds.

    The next day, Alex and Emmy went to attend classes. While Mike and Jordan missed their corresponding partners, Alex and Emmy walked hands in hands inside the classroom. The whole class was surprised seeing the stone-faced Alex smiling gently at the arrogant girl Emmy.

    Amongst their classmates, a group of girls sat arrogantly looking at Emmy enviously. From the first day of the college, the leader of this group had her eyes on the most handsome face in their class. Although Jordan and Mike were also handsome, the leader thought that only Alex had the command amongst those three and she wanted the best of any men in their world.

    Talking about the world, where the cliff-top manor and the great Salian College is there, is called the land Capedreaes. The history of this place was not much known, just the name of this place meant ''Escape into Dreamland''. Here, there were no clans but families and it was more civilised than the VilmonArk. But with more civilisation, there increased crimes, poverty and demand for food as well as for living. So when considering Emmy, her family is the list of super-rich people.

    The Capedreaes had a range of mighty hills on its western side and on the eastern side was the neverending sea. The Eros beach and the clifftop side beach all came under this particular sea.

    The leader of the girl''s group was called Talsha Ludacros, as she was the only child of her family, the girl had been pampered from her early childhood and now she had become snobbish as well adamant..

    As Emmy''s real identity was not known to most of the students, they had been thinking Emmy as an orphan as she had lost her parents in an accident but what they didn''t know the assets which she had was beyond their imagination.

    Therefore, Talsha also despised Emmy and thought that she might have seduced her prince charming and robbed him from her. In reality, actually, Talsha wasn''t interested in any men but from the first time she saw the handsome face of Alex, she could not help herself from falling in love with this young man.

    A dangerous glint flashed through Talsha''s eyes, her mind had only one thought, " He is mine and I will destroy anyone who has the courage to steal him away from me."

    Unknown to Emmy, unwantedly a new enemy was created, who was ready even to kill Emmy to move the thorn from her pathway of getting to Alex.

    Luckily, the opportunity which Talsha wanted to harm Emmy came so soon. The next hour was the skill combat section and the master of this session was none other than master Neshag.

    In the session, two students had to spar against each other and master Neshag clearly warned the students to control their strength while attacking. Soon groups were divided and women sparred against women while men sparred against men.

    The opponent for Alex was surprisingly Jordan and his face was darkened. He looked at master Neshag who had curved up his lips when he saw that Jordan was glaring at him. Master Neshag had done it because he understood Alex really well and he also knew that Alex could not control his strength while attacking his opponents even when they are practising for fun. So the only person who could manage Alex''s attacks was only Jordan while Jordan looked at his body worriedly.

    " Hey Jordan, why are you standing there sulking? "

    Mike was gloating over Jordan''s misfortune as once Alex had trained with Jordan and the latter had his shoulders dislocated due to violent attacks from his opponent.

    Emmy wanted to relish this opportunity as she hasn''t seen Alex training yet. However, the girl who was to be the opponent suddenly skipped the session giving an excuse of being monthly sick and her opponent now was the sparring princess Talsha.

    Emmy was feeling nervous whereas Alex had ultimate confidence in Emmy as he had seen Emmy fight multiple times. After taking all the precautions, the session started.

    " Before the session commences, let me warn all students if anyone wants to take out their personnel grudges here and if I feel that you are being unreasonably violent with your opponent, then the next round you have to spar with my assistants here. Meet Houlson Demar and Kiara Lazarian, they will be assisting me in the combat skills sessions."

    Both Houlson and Kiara stepped forward to the arena and gave the students a demo session with sparring sticks. Watching them spar, even Emmy was shocked, she didn''t know that Kiara was this much skilled in fighting. Then she remembered about Kiara talking about her master and the training she received.

    " Whoah, look at that sister, I think that she is not taking her full strength to attack still manages to block every attack from the opponent''s side."

    Hearing the comments, Houlson knew that it was true as he also felt that his wife was amazingly skilled and in front of her skills, his skills were only mediocre.

    " That means if she wanted, she could have stopped me that day". For a moment, his concentration wavered and Kiara took this opportunity to break her opponent''s sparring stick.

    Admitting his defeat, Houlson got down the arena followed by Kiara. When they got down, he whispered in her ears without anyone noticing.

    " So that day, you had already accepted me as your husband and when I forced you, you didn''t retaliate back. "

    Kiara nodded her head.. Houlson felt as if he was in heaven and hell at the same time.

 Chapter 118 - She Is Brilliant But Scary

    All the students who didn''t know these two new assistants of their master were thoroughly impressed by their fighting skills. Then master Neshag started calling each pair into the arena for their match.

    Although Mike didn''t use this actual strength, he could easily win the match.Many students got easily injured but only minor ones which was acceptable. Emmy wanted to see Alex spar with Jordan but as Alex entered the arena, she felt dozens of eyes were drooling over him.

    Emmy got jealous but she knew that this precious man was only for her, hence she felt proud of herself. On the stage, actually Alex had only his eyes on Emmy. He was happy to see his woman looking at him proudly. Unknowingly, he increased his strength in excitement which made Jordan struggle a lot. They were using their real vigour by now and the match was so exciting for students

    Master Neshag wanted to stop the fight in the midst but Houlson asked him to let Jordan practice more.Since Jordan was one of the alpha guards so he should be able to manage such fights. Finally, the fight came to an end when Jordan broke Alex''s stick. He did it knowingly because otherwise Alex won''t stop at all. He had once teased Alex about his stamina and from that day onwards Alex always fought with Jordan with full power.

    Even though Alex lost the match, the onlookers felt that he had won the match and cheered tremendously for him. Majority of them were Alex''s admirers and some even came from other departments, just to watch Alex in action. Jordan was usually used to it so it doesn''t matter for him but Alex got annoyed easily. He did not want to get any attention from other women, so he walked straight to Emmy after the match but before he could reach her, Talsha blocked his way.

    " Hey, that was a pretty good fight. Have you got any professional training before?"

    Alex looked at Emmy who was smiling at him so he did not lash out his anger on Talsha. He politely nodded his head and excused himself before walking towards his beloved. It was the first time Talsha took a step towards Alex and for her , it was a success as he smiled at her and responded to her question. However, as she turned to see Alex again, a cute and decent romantic scene was happening in front of her eyes.

    Alex was smiling at Emmy and in his eyes, the love for Emmy was seen clearly. He adjusted Emmy''s hair and tucked those loose strands behind her ears. They were looking as a great couple while standing together.

    " Just you wait slut, I will punish you for seducing my man."

    Talsha made it sure that when her turn comes up for the match, she will injure Emmy''s face to make her ugly and disapproving of Alex.

    When the time arrived both Emmy and Talsha stood face to face on the arena stage. Emmy felt intense animosity from her opponent but did not why her classmate was glaring at her with hatred in her eyes.

    " Talsha, you have pretty good sparring skills and I know that you are referred to as the sparring princess but Emmy here is an amateur. So go easy on her and throughout the fight provide her proper guidance. "

    Master Neshag felt like giving this young woman a warning because he felt that the change in Emmy''s opponent was a bit strange. Emmy also felt that Talsha had some hidden motive for choosing her as the opponent

    " Sure master."

    Although Talsha eagerly agreed to her master but her eyes lied. When Alex saw Emmy standing on the stage and observing her opponent carefully, he also felt that something was amiss but he didn''t bother to notice the expression on Talsha''s face.

    Emmy saw it clearly that Talsha was checking out on Alex and the latter got annoyed when Alex was concerned for her.

    " So she is one of his admirers. Alright, let us have a fight then. " Emmy sneered at Talsha and even before master Neshag gave the signal, Talsha started attacking Emmy fiercely.

    Sensing the aggressive from Talsha, Emmy only defended her attacks and never once attacked back. Master Neshag wanted to interrupt the fight as he also thought that Talsha was much fierce in her attacks but he got a signal from Alex to not interfere in the match.

    Talsha was surprised to see Emmy blocking and dodging her attacks neatly. This annoyed her more and she increased her strength and began to attack more violently. Evn the students who were watching the match could see that Talsha was brutally attacking Emmy however Emmy was enjoying the fight. Her expression was totally calm from the beginning of the fight and she adjusted her body well with adequate foot work.

    After a few minutes of sparring, Talsha was getting tired and it was shown in her actions. Her whole body was perspiring and she was inhaling large amounts of air whereas on the opposite side, Emmy was still looking energetic and she had no intention to stop the fight any time soon.

    " Brother, don''t you think that this woman is brilliant in sparring but is scary. I feel that she wants to hurt my sister-in-law. "

    Alex heard what Mike said but he chose not to reply. He also had this same opinion but why should this woman hurt Emmy? She had no grudges with Emmy so why was she having such animosity towards Emmy?

    On the stage, Talsha was on the verge of breakdown but still she kept on fighting. Finally, Emmy decided to stop fighting as her feet were aching so she directly broke Talsha sparring stick.

    When the sparring princess was defeated, the crowd burst into loud cheers for the new winner. Everyone who was watching the game understood that Emmy didn''t take her full strength in this match.

    Moreover, Talsha was attacking Emmy with full force still if Emmy could dodge every single attack, it only meant that she was much better than the sparring princess. As the crowd cheered for Emmy, Talsha''s rationality flew over the bridge. She suddenly chased Emmy and wanted to attack Emmy from back.

    Emmy, who was walking towards Alex, saw the sudden change in his eyes. She quickly turned to see Talsha coming to attack her physically. For a second, Emmy felt that the hatred in Talsha''s eyes resemble a particular person''s eyes. Why did she have such a feeling now?

    Emmy without wasting any more time caught Talsha''s legs which she had raised to kick Emmy and on the next second, everyone heard a snapping sound followed by a scream.

    " Ahhhh, my leg, you shameless woman, how dare you break my leg. I will not spare youˇ­ I will kill you.."

    Even if Emmy broke her leg with a snap, Talsha raised her hand to slap Emmy. Emmy caught her hand and dislocated it without any further thoughts.

    Another scream echoed through the whole arena, master Neshag swiftly asked Kiara to take action and she stopped Talsha at once. Kiara put her dislocated arm back to position but still it was painful. Talsha was then sent to the infirmary to seek medical attention for her broken leg.

    Master Neshag asked Emmy to meet him after the session got dispersed. Although what Talsha did was wrong, Emmy also had no right to injure her opponent gravely. However , all the students except for Talsha few friends supported Emmy and even requested their master not to take actions against Emmy.

    When Emmy visited master Neshag at his study, Neshag was checking out Talsha''s records.

    " Do you also think that Talsha had hatred towards you just because she admired Alex?"

    Emmy smiled, as expected of the Yalasgue clan, each member was intelligent. She then explained what she had felt while Talsha had attacked her at the last moment.

    "Why? How can there be such a connection?"

    " I do not know. But her eyes had the same feeling of hatred which I had seen in my visions. Anyways we have to check her family background thoroughly. We cannot simplify her influence in other worlds."

    Looking at Talsha''s records, Emmy didn''t find anything suspicious but still, she thought to be wary of this person as Talsha reminded Emmy of the sorceress greatly.

    At the infirmary, Talsha was surrounded by her friends and they were reporting her about the aftermath of her fight with Emmy.

    " So she was called to master Neshag''s study? I don''t think that it is to take actions against her. Andrea, use your family connections to check the whole background of that slut. I want all of the information about her as soon as possible."

    " But Talsha, I heard that master Neshag had requested your record from the administrative department, don''t you think that master is more inclined towards that Emmetina?"

    " We will see about that.. Spread the news about it to other students but make sure you don''t get caught while doing so."

 Chapter 119 - Back To Clifftop Manor

    The next morning the Salian college woke up with a wild gossip spreading like the fire inside the campus.

    The new combat skill master Neshag had an ambiguous relationship with his student Emmettina and they had even spotted entering his study alone.

    Talsha and her friends thought that this gossip might make things difficult for Emmy and their master Neshag. They were gloating over while coming to the morning class and unfortunately, it was again their combating class.

    " Hey, how come the schedule changed, today''s morning session was supposed to be about Life Science right? How can master Rotrigues change his schedule?"

    Talsha heard her friends discussing the schedule change but she could never imagine that both the masters had planned to teach her a lesson on behalf of the only goddaughter of the great Esbertrazian clan.

    Alex and Emmy didn''t join the fun as they were absent for today''s session. While Talsha had her eyes searching for Alex amongst Jordan and Mike, soon she was disappointed. Slowly, master Neshag entered the arena with his two disciples.

    Talsha felt weird to have a piercing gaze from someone. She scanned the whole students and even observed her master but didn''t find anyone suspicious. The person who was glaring at her viciously was none other than Kiara.

    Yesterday during the shuffle up of selecting the fighting pair, she had felt Talsha was scheming against Emmy but she didn''t think such an aristocrat lady would end up using a cheap trick against her enemies.

    While Kiara was glaring at Talsha, Houlson laughed, " Why? Are your hands itching to beat her?"

    "Yes, I wanted to make her run with her filthy mouth closed yesterday itself but Emmy warned me. She said something about Talsha''s aura having resemblance so she has asked Janet to check her background. This is my chance to teach her a lesson, if Emmy hadn''t gone to visit her house today, she won''t allow me to pick a fight unnecessarily. "

    Houlson looked at the woman named Talsha and then sighed as this woman who was known to be the queen of sparring would today meet her first opponent of real power.

    "Attention students, those who all had passed the fight yesterday are requested to have another round. All of you will have to fight with the winners of yesterday. This is the chart of students, please acknowledge it. "

    Witnessing a sudden change in the schedule and now the competition, Talsha had a bad premonition in her mind but never in her life would she think that she was going to fight against a woman who had taken basics of the devilish training.

    " Hey, Talsˇ­ your name is being matched with master''s Neshag assistant."

    " What?"

    The students gasped when they saw the Talsha was set to fight against Kiara who had kicked the hell out of the male assistant yesterday. Although Talsha was known as the Sparring princess and queen of sparring, all knew if she met with Kiara on the arena, the clear winner will be undoubted, Ms Kiara.

    Watching her fellow mates'' reaction, Talsha thought that it was not bad for master Neshag to put her against his assistant as this was the time to showcase her talent.

    "Master Neshag, thank you for giving me the chance to showcase my talent but aren''t you worried that your disciple will get injured."

    Master Neshag sneered, this young lady was arrogant to the bones

    " Miss Talsha, rest assured, my disciple will not disappoint me."

    Talsha took this as a withdrawal and openly challenged Kiara in the arena. She wanted Mike and Jordan to tell how powerful she was in the arena.

    " Hey Miss, do not think that just because I am coming from the Ludacros family, you need to stay put. Please, I don''t want such a childish encounter. Yesterday with my classmate Emmettina, it was so boring to fight with such a child. So, please show your vigour and attack with all your might."

    Kiara didn''t say a word and nodded her head. Only Houlson knew, as silent, she is, her power will be more deadly.

    Standing face to face, Kiara bowed her head as respect before the fight but Talsha didn''t bother that courtesy. This action made her classmates feel ashamed of such a woman studying with them. All the students were from well off families, so they were brought up with the poise and elegance of the respected families. However, today Talsha was behaving like a proud peacock totally opposite of a poised lady.

    " I won''t be gentle and do not bother me if you get injured."

    " Same here."

    Kiara''s confidence made Talsha go mad and even before the master signalled for the match to start, Talsha started attacking Kiara viciously. But who was Kiara, for her to fight Talsha was a child''s play, First she thought that this woman would be formidable but soon Kiara felt bored to fight an opponent like Talsha.

    Kiara hasn''t even taken one-fourth of her power but Talsha was getting exhausted quickly. It was purely because for the past ten minutes, it was her who was continuously attacking while Kiara was simply dodging or defending herself.

    Finally, Talsha snapped and began attacking Kiara in unprofessional manners. Watching that, Houlson wanted to stop the fight but master Neshag stopped him.

    Even the students who were watching felt that Talsha was performing the wrong moves which were highly unacceptable.

    " Hey, do you see that Talsha is attacking with unscrupulous moves? This is unfair."

    " I am wondering if she became the sparring princess by these underhanded methods?"

    Hearing the various comments by her own classmates, Talsha felt more embarrassed and turned more brutal in her attacks. Just as she wanted to hit Kiara''s stomach, her sparring stick came to a halt.

    " You slut, do you dare to attack, huh!"

    Yes, Kiara had Talsha''s sparring stick with her one hand and she mercilessly attacked the latter with the sparring stick.

    Never from her childhood, did Talsha get such a big blow. The force applied by Kiara was any less and when it kissed Talsha calf muscle, the stick broke into two and the latter screamed with utmost pain.

    Kiara pulled the other stick from her opponent''s hands swiftly making Talsha fall to rough ground. As the force was a bit more, Talsha had bruised her both knees and even some skin from her face had been scratched by the ground.

    Master Neshag raised the flag in his hands and said. " Talsha has lost the game and now the next two persons."

    No one except her friends pitied her state. Talsha was rolling over the ground and she was even cursing and yelling at those who asked her whether she needed their help or not.

    One of Talsha''s lackeys went and bowed to the master but still, she had a foul mouth.

    " Master Neshag, don''t you feel what your assistant did was brutal against a student. It isn''t morally correct."

    Master Neshaged sneered at this student, " Now, are you in a position to teach me what is morally correct and wrong. If that is the case, I should have punished all four of you morally for spreading fake news in the campus. Talking about the fight, who fought in an unprincipled manner, we all know. So please don''t behave as a white flower in front of experienced elders."

    " Take her to the infirmary and ask her to wait for the letter from the dean to continue her classes."

    The four friends knew that this was a plan to teach Talsha a lesson and they decided to keep quiet for the time being. They took Talsha who had already fainted from the immense pain.

    Meanwhile, Alex, Emmy and Juliet were riding a sedan to the clifftop manor. Emmy was sure that last time they had missed something here. Also, Juliet was here to find the other end of the pathway which Alex and herself had explored previously.

    Alex was observing Emmy as he was feeling that Emmy had slowly started to hide things from him. Last time she even asked whether after reviving her memories, what will happen if they split up. As Alex knew that Emmy had some connections with the black enchantress and he wasn''t sure whether Emmy and Lady Vilmon had any connections or not. If they had, it would be sure that before Emmy lost her memories, she would have hated Alex for inflicting pain and cancelling the arranged marriage with Lady Vilmon.

    " Emmy, we had looked almost all corners of your house but apart from Lamia''s trunk, we didn''t find anything helpful. Now, what''s your plan?"

    " I have to start from the place where I lost everything. Alex, you have to help Juliet in exploring the different caverns there on the beachside. I bet you are also connected to these incidents or else how you could probably see those visions."

    Alex nodded and didn''t say anything. As they reached the manor, it was almost evening, and the sun was kissing the skies goodbye.

    Watching Emmy walk in the front followed by Alex, Juliet had already started missing Mike.

    " Hmm, I am so head over heels for that man."

 Chapter 120 - The Ultimate Method

    The trio reached the manor and went straight to the business as they had no time to waste. Alex and Juliet went to the beachside whereas Emmy stood on the balcony first to make sure Alex went away with Juliet.

    " I am sorry Alex, this time I have to do it alone."

    Emmy walked towards the basement but as she approached the place, her head started to pain. This time the pain was unbearable and Emmy had to clench her fists tight to open her eyes. Her nails dug deep into her arms and this pain inflicted made the other one balanced.

    Emmy entered the basement and the pain was now bearable. She scanned the surroundings. Last time, it was her friends who looked throughout this small room while she went away with master Rotrigues to retrieve her memories.

    " I want to know what happened here that day. Speak up, I am sure that you know what took place on that dreadful day. "

    Emmy closed her eyes to let hear that voice inside her mind but she didn''t hear anything even if it was pin-drop silence inside the room. Emmy was losing her patience as she had reached a dead end by now, there were so many leading clues in front of her but all of them led to a single path - recover her memory.

    The three elders of the great Esbertrazian clan tried to find a remedy for her memory loss but they couldn''t. Miandrake had even asked his favourite disciple to come back from her honeymoon days to do research over this.

    As the pain started to become unbearable again, Emmy left the basement and came back to her room. She felt as if that tormenting ache was getting reduced as she left that place. It was like something was stopping her from going to the basement and this made Emmy more curious as well as helpless. The more she wanted to know, the more restless she was becoming.

    Emmy opened the windows of her room which showed the never-ending sea. She stared at the blue waters as her mind was in turmoil now.

    " Dada, please show me a way."

    Emmy''s eyes were glistening from tears but she stubbornly held it up. All she wanted was to avenge her parents and then live a blissful life with the man she loves. Emmy closed her eyes and let the cool breeze relax her body.

    Meanwhile, Juliet and Alex were searching for any hidden caverns along the beachside rocks. The beach rocks were deep black in colour, hard and had no signs of coastal erosion was seen in this area. Finally, they arrived at a spot where Juliet felt something was wrong with the waters. This area was unusually deep and the currents were really strong along the side.

    Juliet walked over to the edge and used her power to check whether anything suspicious was there under the water but she could detect anything after a few feets below. After that it was blank, she couldn''t find the ocean bed. Seeing her perspire, Alex also noticed that the energy level along this area was a bit abnormal.

    This aberrant situation piqued Juliet''s curiosity and she maximised her power level to find what was hidden below. However, the waves became violent all of a sudden and Alex abruptly felt a chill surrounding his body.

    " Julie, stop it now."

    Alex shouted at Juliet and pulled her away from the rock end. Just after Alex pulled Juliet away, they saw an enormous wave washing away the huge rock where Juliet stood before. Both Alex and Juliet were shocked as even the waters were against Juliet this time.

    " Julie, whatever is hidden here is totally out of our league. I don''t think it is time to uncover it yet. Let us head back now. I have a bad premonition about this place."

    Juliet also agreed as whatever was hidden down, could make the waters, which was her forte, turn against her. If Alex didn''t pull her away, she would have plunged into that depth by that wave.

    Both of them left from there as soon as possible for them. If they had waited for another few minutes, they could have seen a big black swirl crushing the huge rock into powder. After crushing the rock, the black swirl disappeared deep into the ocean.

    Reaching the manor, Alex told Emmy what had happened besides the cliff end beach rock side and Emmy wanted to visit there but both Alex and Juliet firmly disapproved of it. They had seen that gigantic wave engulfing the huge rock so they didn''t want Emmy to face such a calamity without regaining her powerful self.

    The feeling of helplessness crept inside Emmy''s brain once again. She determined to seek Elder Miandrake to use the ultimate method he once suggested. She decided not to discuss it with Alex until she consulted Elder Miandrake.

    All three of them set back to the campus without wasting any time. Along the way, Alex was thinking about the chill feeling he had felt before the humongous wave came. This was the same feelings he had felt when Emmy had strangled him that night at the campus. So the powers which are hidden underneath, would it be of the enchantress''s supporting team or of the black world? Alex felt worried about the aftermath if it was the later one.

    Sitting in the sedan, Alex looked at Emmy. He held her hands as an unknown fear was getting on his mind. Somewhere deep in his mind, a thought was arising that in the future, this wonderful woman was going to stand opposite to him, determined to fight against him till her last breath.

    As Alex was immersed in his thoughts, his grip over her hands subconsciously became tighter and Emmy felt pain. She turned to look at Alex to find him frowning. She then understood that what Alex and Juliet had seen today had put Alex into a deep frenzy.

    " Relax. Alex, whatever comes in future, we must make sure to fight till the end. Okay, we will be able to find a solution as soon as possible. "

    " Emmy, just promise me, whatever happens, you will ever leave me, please. From yesterday night, this thought has been bugging me. I cannot imagine a life without you in it. Please, just promise me that."

    Emmy''s breathing fluctuated for a bit but she tried to remain calm in front of Alex. She nodded her head and let Alex hug her in his embrace. However, the guilt feeling in Emmy''s eyes was correctly spotted by Juliet who was sitting opposite and watching the couple.

    Juliet couldn''t think of any instance why Emmy was backing off from such a promise, although she had nodded her head this was not her usual style. Emmy was a woman of her words so judging by her behaviour, it was clear that she was doubtful whether she would eventually end up marrying Alex or not.

    After a three hour journey, they reached back to campus and Jordan was filling up the details of what had happened during the morning session.

    " Was that vile creature thrashed up enough? I hope now she won''t pester my beautiful wife anymore."

    Alex was already disgusted with Talsha drooling over him but how could she dare to provoke his wife?

    " Well, having a handsome boyfriend can make life difficult, isn''t it?"

    Alex looked at Emmy who was smiling at him with a proud face. Usually, Emmy didn''t compliment him in front of their friends, so this time when she openly said he was handsome, two roses go bloomed on his face.

    " Hey brother, I haven''t seen you blushing from the day I remember, now look at youˇ­ no wonder, you have a lot of admirers than any other handsome men on the campus."

    Alex felt uncomfortable when he found his little brother was also teasing him, so he quickly changed the subject.

    " Hey, here I have taken you as my wife but you are still considering me as your lover, not fair Emmy!"

    Emmy punched him lightly and whispered in his ears, "Work hard."

    Unable to watch these two behaving coquettish, others dispersed soon. However, Alex and Emmy went straight to see master Rotrigues and Neshag as they wanted to share what they had found out at the cliff end.

    Master Rotrigues were eagerly waiting for Emmy as he also wanted to tell her a piece of news. Just as he saw Emmy entering to his sight, he blurted out the news as he could not hold this suspense any more in his stomach.

    " Emmy, Emmyˇ­ my child, you are here. Finally, we have news from Miandrake. He has found that the ultimate method which he had referred to, can be successful in your case with minimal side effects."

    Emmy rolled her eyes at master Rotrigues asking him to stop but whatever the suspense was already laid out in front of Alex.

    Alex looked at Emmy and asked seriously, " Hope that now you can explain whatever is the ultimate method that master was saying about."

 Chapter 121 - Never I Have That Heart..

    Upon seeing the questioning gaze, Emmy looked at the culprit who was cunningly smiling at her. Master Neshag was surprised to see this side of the couple. Emmy was so docile in front of Alex and was acting refreshingly pretty as well mannered, no one would say that this was the same woman who had fought with Demetrick that day.

    " Don''t let your prince find you staring at his woman, he might gauge your eyes out."

    Neshag looked at this childish elder of the great Esbertrazian clan. After spending much time with the elders, he had realised that these people were only frightening towards their enemies and they deeply protected their loved ones.

    Emmy tried several ways to make Alex calm down but he was adamantly not letting her use the charm trick on him. He knew once he looked into her eyes, he would give way to let her use the whatsoever method mentioned by master Rotrigues.

    Finally, Emmy lost her patience, she walked out of the room pulling Alex along with her. The masters who were waiting to see a drama unfold felt disappointed.

    Walking out of the room, Emmy reached the forest garden area which was the leisure place of the students. This area was well reserved amongst the lush green trees and the large trees gracefully acted as a blanket hiding the students in it. From outside, if anyone looks at this area, they will think of it as a forest only. But inside there are benches to sit, swings and even a small pond. From the beginning of the institution, this was the only place which had not seen any kinds of modifications. While Emmy was pulling Alex into the middle of this forest area, he could see that a few of other couples were engaged in some intimate actions, hence his mind started to imagine about Emmy taking initiation to do some erotic moments with him.

    Reaching near the pond, Emmy pushed Alex to the bench nearby. As Alex was in his own imaginative world, this sudden force made him land on the bench roughly and now he was half laying on the bench.

    Looking at his position, Alex confirmed that Emmy wanted to pamper using her last technique, so he quickly blurted out.

    " Emmy, don''t think I will fall for your honey trap. What you are trying to force is something sacred and spiritual for me now. Although, I want it badly to do it with you however not in this setting. Let us think about it after we solve issues. "

    Emmy, who was thinking how to make Alex allow for letting her take the ultimate method, was utterly surprised. For a second, she didn''t understand what Alex was speaking about but as her brain worked and found what Alex meant, she wanted to kick him into the pond.

    " Heyˇ­ do the men have only this thought? Listen, Alex, I understand that we both living together in a room makes you uncomfortable as you cannot do it with your woman. I will be completely ready only when I regain my lost memories, so please let me try every possible way of achieving it."

    Alex sat up quickly but his body reaction was much visible to Emmy. She could see Alex was restraining himself to control his desires so much. Emmy observed her surroundings and found no one was near to this place, so she sat directly on Alex''s lap and kissed him hard on his lips.

    If Emmy''s presence was a spark then her actions were similar to a high-grade explosion. The devil inside Alex''s mind was trying to gain control over his body. He clearly remembered once desire and lust take control over his body, what he had done to Lamia and he never wanted the same thing to happen with Emmy. So Alex returned the kiss with the same passion but at some point, he pushed away Emmy from his lap and took deep breaths to control his desire.

    " Emmy, give me a moment, please. I need to calm down first."

    The innocent look on his face made Emmy weak on the spot. She then thought of Janet once saying about the ways that the men torture women for their pleasure and the other ways of relieving themselves without doing the main part. Although that day, Emmy had rebuked her two friends for discussing such things today she was grateful to Janet.

    Alex was sitting on the bench with his eyes closed and suddenly he felt a tug over his waist area. He was shocked but he quickly tried to stop her hands which were at a place where it was not supposed to be. However, Emmy was more agile in her actions, she quickly took hold of the situation.

    " Please Alex, let me help you out. As your future wife, I have the right, only I can do it. Please dear. "

    Alex quickly held her hands to make it stop whatever it was doing but the pleasure he felt, he didn''t want it to end.

    " Are you sure?"

    " I am sure, never have I got that heart to see you struggle and adjust a lot just for my sake. Alex, but I don''t know howˇ­.."

    Alex smiled and guided her hands properly. It was his first time letting a woman serve him like this and as for Emmy who was still virgin, this encounter was pretty weird and strange.

    " I must take lessons from Janet after today."

    Accidentally Emmy blurted out what she was thinking in front of Alex. Although Alex was enjoying himself, he also paid attention to Emmy''s feelings. When he saw that his little lass was staring at his private part, he felt accomplished. He wondered how come Emmy knew about such things and in the next moment, heard Emmy talking about taking lessons from Janet.

    After half an hour, Emmy felt that her arms were lifeless and she went to the pond-side to wash her arms. Meanwhile, Alex got dressed properly and the adonis was happy with the special service of his woman.

    While washing her hands, Emmy felt that something was moving inside the pond but as it was not clear, she thought that it was just an illusion. After splashing the water on her face, Emmy felt rejuvenated. Even this pond water has positivity, she thought in her mind.

    After washing up, Emmy and Alex sat on the bench while Emmy started to explain what had elder Miandrake mentioned to her that day.

    " There is a strange but very difficult method to recover your memories my child, but the price of it comes with immense pain. You will feel that your body is torn up and each of your bones is broken again and again. My disciple Gabriella is trying to find a way to decrease the rate of pain but the herbs always tear open up even the hidden part of your mind. "

    Alex wanted to disagree after hearing what elder Miandrake had told Emmy but looking at the helplessness of Emmy, so he finally said yes to this idea.

    Emmy felt happy after getting consent from Alex, she knew that he would give away to her any request if it was really needed. She raised her head and leaned forward to kiss Alex again.

    Whereas Alex always loved when Emmy took initiations for the acts of intimacy, so instead of taking the control of the kiss which he usually does, he let Emmy control the kiss throughout.

    " Why does your mouth taste as nectar? What is the secret, we both eat the same kind of food, then why do we have different tastes?"

    Alex smiled and ruffled Emmy''s hairs on her head. He gently whispered over her ears, " It is because I taste the most beautiful flower in the whole wide world."

    Emmy blushed, today her hands matured with an hour and now she couldn''t withstand his teasing. They walked back to their room as tomorrow they had decided to visit the great Esbertrazian.

    Leaving the forest, the couple didn''t see a person who was hiding behind the tree trunk. Her eyes were bloodshot and she wanted to kill the wretched girl who dared to be intimate with her prince charming.

    " He is mineˇ­ Hear that he is mine..."

    Her voice echoed all through the forest area and it contained a bit of maliciousness. This woman was none other Talsha who had rushed from the infirmary as she heard that her prince charming was back. However, the scene which she saw was Emmy, seducing Alex and even serving him shamelessly. Anger rose in her mind and now she was more determined to snatch her prince away from that wretched slut.

    " I will make sure that one day you, yourself will not know how you died. I will squash you like an ant, how dare you put those filthy hands over his precious body? Emmettina, you are going to see your doomsday soon. "

    Talsha laughed hysterically....

 Chapter 122 - Because She Must Be The Only Woman In His Life

    Talsha returned to her room with a solemn face, she quickly wanted to drive that vixen off away from her prince charming. Before coming to the campus, she had only seen Alex twice when by chance the Ludacris family was invited to the Salian clan. There Talsha had met the cold looking but the distinct crown prince of the Salian clan and she fell in love with him just like that.

    As the Salian clan was not a place for her to visit as she wished, she had approached her father, revealing her feelings towards the crown prince. Her father, Taran Ludacris was the sole heir to the emerging Ludacris family. It was already suspicious that the family which was on the verge of destruction suddenly blossomed into a big tree. People didn''t know whether it was the master Ludacris''s hands or the elder one, his father Phelixtros Ludacris hands-on amazing growth.

    When Father Ludacris came to know about his daughter''s feelings, he supported her decision and even pulled strings to know about the crown prince''s recent activities. He felt that fate had decided to aid Talsha''s love as the crown prince broke off his engagement and even his fiancee went missing later on. Later on, he asked Talsha to join the Envoy Salian College just because Alex was going there.

    All this while, there was only one person who opposed Talsha''s admiration and that was none other than her own mother, Lady Cynthia, who knew that this love should be tipped out at the budding stage itself. She was afraid that her only daughter would destroy herself for her love. Therefore, when Talsha came back to the Ludacris family mansion in a pathetic state, Lady Cynthia scolded her openly.

    " My child, Tali.. why don''t you understand? He isn''t the one for you, look you might have seen men who love women only at night or those who want to form relationships to become powerful in society. But there are few men who give their heart to only one woman, they will be purely dedicated to the woman in their heart and I am sure, the Salian crown prince is such a type. "

    " What such a type? All men are the same. That punk doesn''t know it yet but I am sure that once he takes over the Salian clan, he will rush to find suitable alliances from respectable families. With what I heard last, now there is no one suitable for him from the Agnartic and Posei families, so next in line is our family. "

    Grandfather Ludacris had always pampered his granddaughter and would even pluck stars from the sky if she asked whereas both her father and mother were a bit strict with Talsha''s upbringing.

    " I understand father, but look at our precious child, she was badly hurt this time. I never want to see even a small bruise on her body let alone her having a heartbreak. "

    Grandfather Ludacris sighed, he waved at his only grandchild and asked her to sit beside him.

    " What happened my dear? Tell me, I never thought you would be bullied up to this extent. Who made my child angry?"

    Talsha wanted to explain what all things happened after the big break but she chose to close her mouth for the time being. She simply mentioned about the combat skill session and told her parents that it was her mistake that she used underhand methods to finish the fight which retaliated as her opponent was the direct disciple of their combat master.

    " Then, it is fine. I thought my precious was bullied by your future husband and his friends. Now Cynthia, dress her wounds properly and let us rest for today, don''t eat her ears till she gets fine. "

    " Okay, father. I understand"

    Talsha winked at her grandpa and retreated to her room whereas her mother was stopped by the elder.

    " Cynthia, I know why you are scared of sending your daughter as the daughter-in-law of the Salian clan, in fact, she has all the abilities to become the crown princess, then why are you always objecting to her? If you are thinking that she will be powerless and might be bullied there, then let me confirm it once again, she is not the person to be bullied easily. Her heart and virtues are much adamant such that it will not stop until she gets what she wants. So stop meddling into her business, okay!"

    Lady Cynthia nodded her head but in her heart, she still wished to stop her daughter from causing self-harm.

    " When will Taran return home? It has already been three days since that fellow is out to have fun."

    Just as the words came out of the grandfather Ludacris''s mouth, the door was pushed open and a middle-aged man good looking man entered the living room.

    From his countenance, it was clear to the elder as well as his wife that the master had met with something terrible and was in a bad mood.

    " Honey, get me a glass of warm milk as soon as possible, this time the journey wore me out."

    "Sure, hey Talsha got injured and she is more resting in her room."

    Father Ludacris jumped up, " my daughter is injured and you are telling me now?" He started to run to his daughter''s room to check on her but was stopped by his father.

    " The kid is really fine, Cynthia, go and get him a glass of water now."

    Cynthia went to the kitchen to prepare a fabulous dinner as the whole family was back today. After serving the milk, she went to the backyard to pick fresh vegetables and fruits for dinner.

    Watching his son frown while sipping the warm milk, the elder had knowingly asked his daughter-in-law to prepare a feast as it will keep her busy for the next few hours.

    " Son, let us talk in the study."

    Soon the pair of father and son settled down inside the study.

    " What is the situation? Did you get a chance to visit the king of the Salian clan? Tali didn''t want to let her prince charming her pathetic state, I think that is the reason she returned home to take proper rest."

    Taran could see his father was over the moon while talking about his daughter but he was not sure how to explain the current scenario to his excited father.

    "Father, calm down first, I want to tell you a few things which are very important. It is good that Tali is back at home, I wanted to call her back home as soon as possible. The situation at the Salian Clan has reversed completely, now the king is the third prince of the clan, Mirandrian whereas Alex is actually no oneˇ­ it was revealed that he is actually not even the son of the former king Valeriander. The whole scene was chaotic but it ended with the king being banished and the queen in the prison. Even the second prince is being sent to the northern towers with alpha guards from the great Esbertrazian clan"

    Grandfather Ludacris was shocked to hear the change in the mighty Salian clan with just a small time period. As he was restricted to travel due to his physical conditions, he normally spent time inside the mansion and it was only his son who had connections outside. Due to the greed of power, both of them had nurtured Tali''s feelings onwards Alex and now he was not even a prince. However, he was more shocked to hear about the involvement of the legendary Esbertrazian clan on the Salian grounds.

    " Son, what did you say? I heard that you mentioned the Esbertrazian clan, is it really the great dark clan?"

    Taran nodded his head confirming what his father heard was correct. Then he slowly explained about the girl who has suddenly emerged into the scenario which actually laid the foundation of all these happenings. He also reminded his father that it was the same girl who had survived the cliff-top manor killings four years ago.

    " Currently, Alex and that girl are in a relationship and it is no secret anymore. That is the reason why I had to call Tali back from college. I don''t want her to be a third party in any relationship."

    Grandfather Ludacris slowly stood up, he was in deep thought. He walked towards the window and saw how cheerfully his daughter-in-law was plucking fruits from the backyard gardens.

    " Do you remember what happened nineteen years ago? On that rainy night, when your wife had given birth to a dead baby girl in the outskirts of the unknown city. You cried and prayed to the god. Like an angel descending to the earth, a woman appeared in front of you and took the dead baby from your hands. Then what happened no one knows, but when I found you and your wife the next morning, the baby in the middle was happily sucking her thumb finger and had a note beside her. "

    Then the grandfather Ludacris took a well-preserved note from the secret compartment in the study. It read as - Make her the only woman in the eyes of the first prince of the Salian tribe.

    " At that time, that boy was only a few months old, but still the angel requested it. It means that your daughter''s life is for him...only him.. He should have only your daughter as his woman. We must fulfil that angel''s condition, no matter what is it clear to you?"

 Chapter 123 - Welcome Back, Master!!

    After the heated discussion between the son and father, the men returned downstairs to have their dinner. Talsha was already sitting and talking with her mother. Upon seeing her father, she quickly stood up and ran towards him.

    " Father, you didn''t even come to check up on me? See your daughter was injured during the combat session in the college."

    Talsha acted like a pampered princess in front of her family and of course, it was because they pampered her to the bones. Right from the day she was born, although her upbringing about family and proper etiquette was strict, her parents as well as her grandfather always fulfilled all her wishes. However, her mother opposed her choosing Alex as her love of the life because Cynthia knew that Talsha didn''t love him at all in truth.

    Basically, she was admired by many youths of prestigious families and never had anyone dared to not spare a glance over her while she was passing by. The only exemption was the Salian clan crown prince, Envoy Salian Alexandrian, he at the banquet never even batted his eyelid to look at her. So Talsha remembered this arrogant man and fell deeply in order to make him her possession.

    Father Ludacris checked all her wounds and confirmed it was all superficial wounds that would fade away within days. He wanted to keep her at home for the next few days and surprisingly she agreed to it.

    The family dinner ended with everyone eating up to their stomach full. This showed that Lady Cynthia was a great cook and a great housewife as she knew each one''s favorite dishes. After dinner, the family of three sat in the backyard watching the moonlight sky. Lady Cynthia signaled her husband to ask Talsha about the college matters and he nodded.

    " Tali, how are your college days? Have you got any contact with the Salian prince?"

    When the Salian prince was mentioned, Talsha mind raced back to the spot where she had seen Alex and Emmy together in their intimate moment inside the forest garden area. The feeling of disgust rose in her mind but outside, she had a calm expression on her face.

    " Father, I think it is time for me to stop looking out for him. He had a girlfriend who is actually a vixen, she seduced him so easily and I think she might be some sort of witch who does black magic. Alex is totally charmed by her and I have never seen so passionate and clingy."

    The Ludacris couple felt happy as their daughter was coming back on the right track instead of creating unwanted problems. So Taran decided to let her daughter know the recent news of the Salian clan.

    " Father, are you saying the truth? Alex is not the Slain crown prince anymore? What the hell had happened there? So now who is the future king to the clan ?"

    Facing the rapid-fire of questions shooted out by Talsha, even her mother Cynthia wanted to know the answers to these questions. Where curiosity was killing both mother and daughter, father Ludacris was silent. He was thinking about whether to tell them Emmettina''s new identity or not. However, soon or later, Talsha would have to get together with Alex. So she must know about what happened during the time of her birth and that girl Emmettina will be his daughter''s number one rival.

    Before he could respond, Talsha sighed, " Then it is great, I could never accept that arrogant fellow if he is someone ordinary. Good gracious, I came to know about it before having any kind of relationship with him."

    While Lady Cynthis was over the moon as her daughter finally realized what was correct for her , on the other hand, Taran could not accept this behavior anymore.

    After keeping silent for a few minutes, Taran looked at his daughter and calmly said, " On the night of your birthˇ­."

    " Dear, no.. why are you saying these things now ?"

    " She deserves to know..."

    Talsha looked at her parents, watching their grave expression, she knew it would be a very important matter but how was it related to her birth?

    " Tali, my dear child, On the night of your birth, we thought we lost you forever as you were born without heartbeats. That night I prayed to god to exchange my life for yours but then an angelic being came for our help. I don''t know what had happened after she took you from my hands. The next morning when your grandfather found us, you were alive and healthy, sucking your cute little thumb and lying down beside your mother."

    " So why does it matter now father?"

    Lady Cynthia didn''t want her daughter to learn about the demand that the angel who helped them had stated. It was to make this girl, the only woman of the first Salian prince. So she interrupted her husband in between.

    " This doesn''t matter at all, your father just wanted to let you know. Child, now it is late at night, go and sleep early."

    Seeing her mother push her inside the house, Talsha knew there was something else too which her father wanted to say but her mother clearly didn''t want her to know about it.

    All through the night, Talsha could not sleep due to curiosity and she woke early to find her grandfather who never lied to her.

    " Grandpa..."

    Grandpa who was sitting at the lawn enjoying the morning fresh air looked at his precious grandchild who clearly had duck eyes after losing her sleep.

    " Child, yesterday did you not catch a wink of sleep after talking to your father?"

    Talsha nodded her head. She wanted to know what else was hidden from her.

    " Tali, come and sit near grandpa, so you found me in the early morning to know what your mother had interrupted yesterday, isn''t it ?"

    Talsha sat beside her grandpa, " I really want to know, even though the angelic being has helped father, in my view, she must have kept some condition, right!"

    "You are a clever child indeed, yes, she had a strange condition. It was written over a note kept beside you when I found you three. The condition was not simple, it was to make you the only woman besides the Salian clan''s first prince."

    "Can I see the note please?"

    " Well, I already had assumed that you would need to see that one day, so I kept it preserved with utmost care. Go and check the secret compartment, don''t let your mother see you do it, alright. "

    Talsha hurried to find the note in the study, she got the note and straight away rushed to her room before her mother found her.

    After closing the room, Talsha kept the note at the table and saw the engraved words. The handwriting was neat and legible. The strokes were flowing like a river and it portrayed the majestic feeling all throughout the note

    "Make her the only woman in the eyes of the first prince of the Salian tribe."

    .

    "Make her the only woman in the eyes of the first prince of the Salian tribe."

    ..

    "Make her the only woman in the eyes of the first prince of the Salian tribe."

    ...

    "Make her the only woman in the eyes of the first prince of the Salian tribe."

    ....

    Talsha kept on reading the note and suddenly it started burning and it made Talsha freak out.

    "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...."

    She threw the burning note to the pure white carpet. After the note was completely burnt, a strange smoke arose from it. The smoke was light white in color and odorless, just as it reached Talsha''s nostrils, it made Talsha faint on the spot. The smoke covered up her whole body and on the carpet, there were no residuals of any note burnt.

    Meanwhile, at the great Esbertrazian clan, Galstorie was waiting for his master. As Alex didn''t reject him but also didn''t give permission to be around him, Galstorie was disheartened. He thought about his master, due to him, his master got caught and now the heavens were punishing him in the form of his master''s son.

    Galstorie was over the moon as the elder Miandrake had called him yesterday to mention the arrival of Alex and Emmy. He specifically asked Galstorie to teach Alex how to strengthen his internal powers.

    Actually, after Emmy takes the medicine, it would not guarantee full rate success and the residual effects could be unimaginable. So, he had to keep Alec out of the scene for at least three days. So he tactfully charted a plan to put Neshag and Galstorie to train Alex to strengthen his meridians.

    When he saw the most awaited person entering the hall, he rushed to the front. Alex knew that Galstorie was awaiting him for him and this time, Alex needed to train himself up. Last time, he had seen the powers which are going to be against his Emmy. So he needed to train him powerful, to protect his woman.

    "Welcome back, Master!!"

 Chapter 124 - Wake Her Up Now....

    " Welcome back, Master"

    Galstorie was a bit anxious to see Alex''s reaction and soon he was surprised as Alex nodded at him.

    " Uncle Gastorie, you might have been my fathˇ­ his servant but now there is no more Zucathore clan. So please here, call me by my name."

    Galstorie found it difficult to believe and he saw confirmation in Neshag''s eyes which made him feel ecstatic. He warmly welcomed Alex and Emmy along with Neshag. After Alex and Emmy went to see Miandrake, Galstorie and Neshag sat near the garden area. They had a lot to discuss the past.

    " How was my master after that day?"

    " Half dead, not physically though! We both know how much he loved Trianna but after they consummate their marriage, the next day, he knew that he had lost her forever. However, the only thing which is keeping him alive is her last words to him."

    Galstorie remembered that day, his master fighting against the army of the sorceress and finally, when he saw that there was no other way to escape, he ultimately showed his true powers. The sleeping tiger had woken up and killed several hundreds of the guards in a few minutes. Just as he was gaining the upper hand, the sorceress had arrived. His master knew that the only person who could win against the sorceress was the enchantress whose location was unknown at the moment.

    At that time, he had shouted to Galstorie,

    " Take her away and if I don''t come back, make sure she reaches the Esbertrazian clan at any cost."

    "Master, nothing will happen to you. I will stay and fight, you two can go."

    Galstorie still had chills thinking about that day when Neshag and his master were fighting with the sorceress. Neshag had taken control of the fight for some time and at that time, his master had sincerely apologised to his queen, Trianna and confessed his love wholeheartedly.

    " I know you hate me so much, for ruining your life, for taking away your happiness. I am sorry and this time I won''t follow you anymore. You have your freedom"

    The acidic look which queen gave was deadly, " Do you think that I can forgive you that easily? The feud inside my heart would want to kill you every day but now God has given me a chance, you must not die here because your death must be by my sonˇ­. the son who has your blood but will be known to be my son only."

    The shock written on his master''s face was visible clearly, he never thought ˇ­ she would actually bear a child from him.

    " Then I will wait for our son to take my life."

    Reminiscing about the past both Galstorie and Neshag could only sigh.

    " From that day onwards, his face never smiled anymore. The only smile on his face was given when Demetrick came with the news that Lady Trianna had given birth to a baby boy. Sometimes, I think a woman''s heart is really cold, stone sculpture. They take time to open up and once they give their hearts, behave clingy as an octopus."

    " Do you think that if they had more time together my master could actually move her heart?"

    " Your master couldn''t, but Alex could. He would have yearned for fatherly love and Triana would have to compromise for his sake. Whatever happened should have never happened. Let us see if Alex will fulfil the promise or not?"

    Galstorie also looked up at the sky without saying anymore word.

    At the Miandrake''s herbal quarters, all the three elders were present and Emmy saw the infamous Gabriella. She was pretty as a fruitcake and the bangs which hoped on her face made her look cute and innocent. She was wearing a green coloured check dress which camouflaged with the plants sometimes.

    As Emmy was observing Gabriella from top to bottom, her eyes fell over Gabriella''s bell region.

    " Don''t tell me please..."

    The sudden comment from Emmy made everyone in the room surprised. The male members looked where Emmy''s line of sight was, but could not understand a thing.Whereas Gabriella flashed a vibrant smile, her hands stroked her tummy gently and she winked at Emmy.

    Alex, who was watching the eye communication between Emmy and Gabriella understood the whole content soon. Suddenly, he was jealous of Rasber and unknowingly he glanced over Emmy''s tummy. He wondered how he would react when Emmy would let him hear the happy news.

    Gabriella, who was concocting the medicine, gave Miandrake a nod and he asked Emmy to lie down on the cot. The two elders stood beside her whereas Alex directly held her hands.

    " Are you sure?"

    " As sure as I am of my love."

    Alex kissed Emmy''s forehead and gazed at the elder Miandrake, who then poured the concocted medicine directly to her mouth. Emmy swallowed the medicine and closed her eyes. She felt the bitter medicine was entering her body and some pricking sensations were arising inside her. After a while, Emmy opened her eyes, she saw no one had changed their positions and were standing at the same positions when she had closed her eyes.

    " Is everything okay? I think this medicine is not working at all."

    Emmy sat up on the cot but still, she didn''t leave Alex''s hands.

    Alex was looking at Emmy with the utmost care and in his eyes, the love for her was clearly visible in them. But Emmy felt something strange, his eyes were not focused on her face.

    " My dear, what happened to you. Look at me?"

    Emmy tried to wave her hands in front of his face but still, Alex was looking down to the cot.

    Feeling dejected, Emmy withdrew her hands from his grasp and got out of the cot. However, Emmy got the very big shock of her life, then and there. She saw that she was laying down on the cot and Alex was still holding her hands.

    " What had happened? Elders.. can anyone hear me ?"

    Emmy frantically rushed towards each one of them but it was like the time had frozen. She gulped down her own saliva and took the courage to walk out of the quarters. She was astonished to see everything frozen and she was the only moving thing on a beautiful painting.

    " Trying to kill yourself huh!"

    Emmy suddenly turned towards the voice which came from behind. There she saw the same woman who she had seen in the chapel that day.

    " Who are you? What is this place? How do you know about all my activities? "

    Instead of replying to any of Emmy''s questions, the woman walked over to the quarters where she saw Alex finally. Watching him hold Emmy''s hands tenderly and the pained expression on his face, the woman sneered.

    Then she turned to face Emmy, " So you want to know who am I right?"

    Emmy nodded her head frantically and seeing this behaviour, the woman chuckled.

    " He loves you very dearly right! Then hear, I am the one who is going to rip his heart and make him bleed tears every day. The one who will be the reason for all the torments he is going to suffer in the future. I am the one and only Anittemme Vilmon, the lost princess of the great dark Esbertrazian clan. "

    Emmy froze. The real Lady Vilmon who was pushed to the infinity well was right standing in front of her. Emmy saw the hatred which flashed in the princess''s eyes when she was watching Alex a while before. Of course, what Alex had done to the princess deserves this wrath but it seems this young lady had much more to say about it.

    " Are you real or is it again a piece of memory you want to show me?"

    Anittemme walked towards Emmy in a sinister manner. Her aura and attitude were a bit scary for Emmy but the latter was smiling.

    " Don''t you want to remember everything, I will help you out but be ready to get separated from him forever."

    As Anitemme raised her hand towards Emmy''s head, Emmy staggered a few steps back. She clearly rejected Lady Vilmon''s help. Watching Emmy backing off, Anitemme smiled.

    " Do you think that without my help, you would be able to get back in your body after drinking that much amount of Alvish in total? Take this chance and listen to me for once."

    " No, if the cost of having my memories back is to leave Alex forever, no, I don''t want either your help or my life."

    Watching Emmy being so adamant, Anittemme wanted to mock this love lost girl.

    " Alright, you don''t have much time, I won''t force you to separate, but you can decide it yourself after getting your memory back."

    As she finished her words, she again raised her hands to touch Emmy''s head and this time Emmy accepted her help. Suddenly, a powerful beam went straight to Emmy''s brain and the dull pain she had before, was now in a thousand folds. Emmy screamed in pain but couldn''t move even a muscle of her body.

    Emmy closed her eyes and all the fragments were flowing and getting pieced together in shape now. Finally, Emmy fainted after screaming a high pitched screech.

    "Quickly, wake her up"

 Chapter 125 - Time Cannot Heal Every Pain

    Alex shook Emmy''s body with all his might. He saw that she was frowning and screaming with her eyes shut tightly. Both her fists were clenched and her body was very stiff. Elder Rotrigues and Lathodore had their hearts in the mouth by now. Elder Miandrake looked at Gabriella worriedly and she also knew that technique went wrong somewhere.

    According to their study, after drinking the concocted medicine which had an immense amount of the poisonous herb Alvish, the patient will be entering into a deep coma. The patient would not have any control of their body and from outside it would look like the person is dead for the following three days straight. However, seeing the changes in Emmy, Gabriella also got worried. She could not think of any solutions other than making Emmy conscious now.

    " What should we do to wake her up ?"

    Rotrigues asked Miandrake who was standing perplexed. Seeing the blank expression on Miandrake''s and Gabriella''s faces, Alex knew that things had gone out of their hands also. He couldn''t blame them right now as it was purely Emmy''s choice to experiment herself with this kind of concocted medicine.

    Emmy after screaming was now moving her body frantically as she was devoid of air. Alex shut his eyes tight and took a deep breath in, then he inched closer towards her lips and blew all the air inside his lungs to her mouth. He repeated this method repetitive times and after the seventh time, Emmy started to breathe calmly and soon returned to the normal state.

    Rotrigues felt thankful to Alex but as a senior didn''t want to appreciate him whereas Elder Lathodore approved of this young man then and there itself. Miandrake quickly took Emmy''s pulse and found it normal.

    " This is strange. Her heartbeats are normal."

    Alex who was stabilising his breathing looked at Miandrake in a questioning manner, "Having normal heartbeats isn''t it a sign of good health, why do you say it is strange?". The question raised by Alex was running through the other two elders'' minds.

    Hearing Alex''s doubt, Gabriella chose to answer this time, " Having Alvish is really tricky, it directly affects the brain and heart as it has the ability to stop the flow of blood into them. So along with the person''s complete consciousness being cut off, it also raises abnormal heart rhythm. Hence, having normal pulses is rather strange in this case.

    "Can you make it more clear, please? Is Emmy in any kinds of danger now? "

    Both Gabriella and Miandrake chose to be silent towards Rotrigues''s interrogation. The later wanted to give Miandrake few beating as he hadn''t experimented it well before administering to Emmy. Alex was also losing his patience but he remained calm and quietly sat beside Emmy holding her hands which were red in colour as she had clenched those really tight under the fit.

    " If my love is true to my words then let my luck shower on her and let her pain rain upon me," Alex thought in his mind. The stubborn tears which were on the verge of his eyes found their way out. Others could see only his shoulders moving up and down as he had buried his face in her hands.

    Meanwhile, on the other end, Emmy opened her eyes. Those eyes were bloodshot and the red arteries were clearly seen. She had felt that her brain had been stuffed with loads of memories. The suffocation and nightmares once again flashed in her mind.

    " Now, tell me, am I not correct? He needs to scram away from him as soon as possible. No matter how strong you become, your weak point is love. It will affect you soon. That man had only brought hurt for you till now and in the next few decades also, with him in your life, you shall be put in life staking situations. Emmy, understand, Alex only cares for him, he may not even care what happens to him after achieving what he wants."

    "I am Emmetina Esbertraz and this won''t change in this lifetime. I don''t care what had happened before, for me, everything changed when I made the promise to him. You don''t need to interfere in my business anymore."

    Emmy''s voice was cold and sharp at the same, it was as a warning to the precious princess of the great dark clan. Both the women were glaring at each other. Finally, it was Anitemme who broke the silence at last.

    " You will learn only when he inflicts the same pain once again on you. I pity you, how can you support that man even when you know the truth now, huh!"

    Emmy still was glaring at Anitemme as she was watching a mad woman rambling on somethings which she was not concerned about.

    Seeing Emmy standing silently with a sneer on her face, Anitemme understood that Emmy hadn''t believed her at all. She wanted to thrash some sense into the latter''s head but stood there helplessly.

    At last, Emmy spoke, " Don''t think with your identity, I will side with you. No neverˇ­ I will believe what I see and feel. But knowing the past is a good thing and don''t worry, if the past repeats, I won''t be as stupid as you to lose the most important treasure of a woman. "

    " Youˇ­. Don''t forget, it was your own..."

    "Enough"

    Emmy roared. The only offspring of the great enchantress had never been screamed on in her lifetime and today she was scolded by her junior. Nevertheless, Lady Vilmon stood there spitting venom in her mind.

    " I already said, I won''t be such a shameless person who didn''t dare to confront reality and after losing everything pointed the blame to some other''s head. What happened previously, you were also at fault but till now why are you spiked up? It has been so long and you won''t be able to return anymore, so let the time heal everything. Just let it go.."

    " Not even in any lifetime can I forgive that vile manˇ­ and those who say that time can heal everything haven''t felt the pain themselves. Emmy, remember one thing, time cannot heal every painˇ­ some remains in our heart forever and Alex is my only pain."

    Emmy raised her eyebrows after hearing Lady Vilmon''s words. She knew in her heart how much had the young Anitemme Vilmon had suffered due to Alex but the fault lay on both sides and she won''t hate Alex for the past encounters. This life ˇ­ as Emmetina Esbertraz, she loved Alex much more than Lamia and Lady Vilmon had loved him. After recovering the memories, she was in a bliss that whatever Alex said was true and there was more which he didn''t know at all.

    Emmy calmed down after thinking of it and saw the forlorn expression on Lady Vilmon''s face.

    " You still love him, don''t you?"

    " No..."

    A quick response was heard but Emmy knew that it was the woman''s stubborn mind answering. If this powerful being had hated Alex in real life, he wouldn''t have lived after fake engagement day and would have met the same fate as Agrona Agnartic.

    Seeing Emmy smiling at her, Anitemme could not believe that this girl had the audacity to question her and the smile on her face concluded that she hadn''t bought her answer.

    " The question is not whether I still love him or not, but you being hurt. He will hurt you in future and I don''t want that to happen. I cannot disclose what is in the future to you but like to warn you about it. Staying away from him is better."

    Emmy nodded her head and laughed. " Alright, thanks for the advice but I cannot stay away from him because I love him. See he is still holding my hand and crying, he too loves me. Even though in the future, he might hurt me but I won''t get disheartened. I will fight for my love and for my happiness."

    Listening to Emmy''s words, Anitemme decided to leave. Now what the future has for Emmy cannot be changed and this was Anitemme''s last try to change her future.

    " Goodbye, I will reappear here only when you both separate and you are alone in that unknown place all by yourself. "

    Lady Vilmon bid goodbye To Emmy and turned to see Alex once more. In her eyes, there were a lot of questions but after lining the memories she knew, all the answers for those questions which were hunting her for the past years.

    Emmy also closed her eyes and soon she felt again amidst never-ending darkness. After a few seconds, Emmy opened her eyes to see Alex trembling holding her hands.

    " Alex, I am back."

    Alex, who had thought that he had lost his soul heard a faint voice. As he was leaning near to her, only he could hear her voice.

    " Am I hallucinating?"

    Alex asked himself wiping away his tears, then he saw it clearly that Emmy had opened her eyes already. Her smile was radiant and the air around her was so energetic.

    " Elders, Emmy is awake. Check on her quickly."

    Hearing Alex shouting, Gabriella was the first one to rush over. She took Emmy''s pulse and checked her eyes. The three elders also approached quickly.

    "How is she? is there side-effects ?"

 Chapter 126 - The Gamble Of Love

    Gabriella checked Emmy''s pulse again and again. Seeing her actions, all the four men inside the room were getting worried. Finally, after a long five minutes, Gabriella stood up and shook her head at her master, Elder Miandrake.

    "Both master and disciple here, can you open your mouth and say something instead of nodding your heads?"

    It was Elder Rotrigues who had, at last, lost all ounce of patience left in him. This was his brother''s only daughter, the surviving mark of his bloodline. If something happens to Emmy, he cannot forgive himself ever. So he lashed out without even thinking that the other two elders also considered Emmy as the precious daughter of their brother.

    Elder Miandrake raised his eyebrows and stood there without answering Rotrigues whereas it was Gabriella who answered the crowd patiently.

    " Emmy''s body vitals are all normal. The poison which she drank had no effect on her meridians also. Her condition is as if she has taken medicine instead of poison."

    Without caring about the respected Elders, Alex hugged Emmy tightly in his embrace. Emmy who was listening to Gabriella''s analysis carefully found it hard to breathe suddenly but after hearing his racing heartbeats, she understood that Alex had hugged her so as to comfort himself.

    Emmy snuggled closer to him and whispered over his ears softly, " Hey, I am really okay, however, I guess this idea also failed."

    When Alex freed Emmy from his embrace, there was no one apart from them inside the room. All the others had left to give space for the couple. Alex fed Emmy a cup of warm water. Watching her drinking the water calmly but with a tinge of sadness in her eyes, Alex felt helpless.

    " Emmy, please don''t try to pry open your memories forcefully. I think it is remaining hidden for some particular reasons. Whatever happens in our life, happens for a reason, isn''t it? Let the time take its own course. In the time being, let us prepare ourselves for the worst. We both are physically not strong enough to face such evil dark powers, so we shall use this time to strengthen our bodies to fight our unknown enemies. "

    Emmy stared at Alex, she could see the earnest feeling in his eyes. This man supported her decisions and slowly gave her the confidence to revive herself. Emmy kept the empty cup aside and stood up.

    " Alex, what you said is correct, we have to prepare ourselves because before the enemy attacks, we have to strike first. Our enemies are still in the dark whereas we are out, right in front of them, not knowing when we will receive a fatal attack but I have a feeling somewhere something is going wrong."

    The couple had decided to move forward to strengthen their powers and skills whereas the Elders along with Gabriella were talking about Emmy''s body condition in the garden area outside the quarters.

    " Astonishing, I have never thought that the Alvish herbs can be made into medicines, Gabriella, we need to research this."

    Before Gabriella could accept the offer, a clear rejection was heard and the voice''s owner was none other than the cunning Rasber, who was now Gabriella''s lover.

    " Sorry, master Miandrake, Gabriella won''t be partaking in any kinds of dangerous experiments anymore. Please allow her a few months of rest as well as leave from your place."

    Gabriella stood up once she saw the man entering the garden area, her stiff face had now a sweet smile hanging over her lips and eyes were full of love. Surprisingly, Rasber also had the same expression on his face. As the petite figure rushed into his arms, he held her safely in his grip.

    " Hey, why are you running around? Don''t scare him, okay!"

    Gabriella blushed and hid her face in the crook of his neck. Leaning on his body, she remembered that his body had become toned with constant exercises and the pack of muscles were clearly visible when he removed the shirt.

    While Gabriella was thinking about her lover''s exquisite body, the three elders were scrutinising the young man before them. The lad who from his childhood was devoted to the Salian snake, suddenly changed for a woman. No Chance!

    Rasber knew what was in the minds of these three fellows of the great dark clan but he remained neutral because it was Elder Miandrake who had saved his beloved''s life once.

    " Why does my disciple need rest? Are you planning to put her on a house arrest or what?"

    Upon the elder Miandraker breaking the silence, Gabriella stepped back from Rasber''s embrace. She looked at Rasber and then at her master, if she had to choose one amongst them, she wouldn''t be able to think of such a situation.

    Sensing the change in her body language, Rasber smiled warmly and said, " Dear, go and check on your patient for once, then we will go home. I will talk with your master."

    Soon she nodded her head and headed to the quarters while Rasber walked closer to the elders.

    " Apologising for my intrusion to your quarters all of a sudden, but now as Gabriella is already carrying my child, my heart doesn''t rest easy when she is out of my sight. Also, I wanted to meet her master to ask for the permis..."

    Before Rasber could finish his words, a cup of hot tea flew towards him which he dodged effortlessly.

    " You imbecile, how could you impregnate my disciple? Do you think that as she has no relative left you can do what you wish with her? Today let me kill you once in for all. You wretched fellow, how dare you to torture my poor disciple?"

    Rasber knew that Elder Miandrake would get much angry after knowing that he had made Gabriella pregnant before marriage and he couldn''t help controlling himself as she had given heavy doses of aphrodisiacs.

    Before the master attacked, Rasber confidently knelt down and said, " I wish to marry your disciple as soon as possible, I know, here on the land of the dark clan, I might be not trusted but I wish to stay here where my woman is and it is the promise which I have given her for this life."

    " You wish to marry her and stay here lifelong?"

    "Yes"

    " But why? How can I believe a man who could easily throw away years of commitment just for a woman who he had met a few months ago?"

    Rasber sneered. Look who was stating the facts, it was their idea for trapping him and now when he wants to be here wholeheartedly, these three oldies were creating problems.

    " It was your people who trapped me and left me with Gabriella but I took the gamble of love and here, your disciple has successfully captured my heart. I cannot live without her and it is the same for her too. I have severed all the ties with the Salian clan and wish to remain here with her in this lifetime."

    " Capricious!!"

    Elder Lathodore finally stood up and walked towards the kneeling youth. In his eyes, there was one kind of a pain lingering but it vanished as Rasber met those eyes.

    " Young man, we will give away our disciple as your wife only in one condition. When she leaves you, you have to give away your life here."

    A simple but tricky condition but Rasber was happy mode as he knew that he wouldn''t ever let his woman leave him at any cost.

    " I promise to fulfil this condition till I breathe my last breath."

    Lathodore smiled at the young man and turned to look at his brother who had a face as black as a bottom of a pot. Sensing Lathodore''s eyes on him, Miandrake calmed down and he also agreed under Lathodore''s pressure.

    " Well, in that case, go do the necessary things, tonight I shall officialise your marriage. Rotrigues, ask your disciples to prepare a banquet for this young couple."

    As Elder Lathodore made the announcement, sounds of clapping were heard from behind. Gabriella along with Emmy and Alex stood in front of the quarters.

    "Even if you have severed ties from the Salian clan, you are one of us. So, we will make the required arrangements. As you have chosen this path, let me tell you one thing, you won''t be alone on this journey. I will be there with you as your friend but if you walk away from this side, be assured I will also be the one to take your life."

    Alex patted Rasber''s shoulders. The two men who always fought with each other, today stood harmoniously. Rasber had a thousand thoughts going through his mind. Why didn''t he understand the right things before? Why did he dumbly obey Victor to do all such heinous things to Alex?

    Gabriella smiled as only she knew the answer to his disturbing thoughts.

    " Don''t count me in your side for this marriage, please"

    This sudden comment made all others froze as they never expected such a turn of events even before the arrangements started.

 Chapter 127 - What You Guessed Is Right!

    " Don''t count me in your side for this marriage, please"

    Alex was surprised to see Emmy openly despising Rasber for his past deeds. After Emmy woke up, she behaved normal but now some mischievousness was gleaming in her eyes and he thought it strange that Emmy was actually glaring at him instead of Rasber.

    Gabriella also turned to face Emmy as she thought the latter won''t oppose this idea without any important reasons. It was at this time, Emmy who was standing aloof also returned Gabriella a wink.

    " Child, I can also feel that he is true to my disciple. Let them get married, after all now there is another life which is counting on them."

    Rasber was looking at Gabriella with mixed feelings, from the past weeks, he knew that his woman had some special feelings towards this goddaughter of the dark clan. Even though they hadn''t met before, she had all praises for Emmy. Strange.. it was particularly peculiar but he didn''t ask much about it. However, right now, he felt scared. The expression of his beloved''s face was in support of Emmy and subconsciously Rasber looked at Alex who was also looking dumbfounded.

    Emmy took Gabriella''s hands and walked towards the centre where others were standing.

    " Elder, I said that don''t count me in the groom''s side. I am the goddaughter of the great Esbertrazian clan and Gabriella here is like my sisterˇ­. no, she is my sister. So accordingly, I will be on the bride''s side."

    Haaa, this naughty one ˇ­ Rasber and Alex both smiled at each other. Just as Rasber wanted to hold his woman, Emmy pulled Gabriella towards her side, separating the love birds.

    " Ho..Hoˇ­ have little patience and come with proper betrothal gifts and be sincere in proposing my sister. If my sister is happy with your proposal and your gifts, I will give you your bride tonight."

    Seeing the playful side of Emmy, Alex and the elders were happy whereas Rasber was sweating it out. He looked at his beloved for help but was disappointed as she winked at him.

    " Okay, dear sisterˇ­ I will make a huge surprise for your sister that after seeing my gift she will run to my embrace quickly."

    Emmy wanted Rasber to take initiatives to keep her sister happy so she added a few special arrangements for her cunning brother-in-law.

    As for Alex, he was also pushed out of the quarters'' area as he was on groom''s side. By evening, all of their other friends also returned.

    The men were shocked to see Rasber getting along with them quite well. Meanwhile, the women were surprised to find out that Gabriella got pregnant with Rasber''s child and all this happened due to their superficial plan.

    " It feels so unreal!"

    Juliet exclaimed after watching Gabriella''s small tummy. Not only her but the other three were also surprised to see such a change in Rasber.

    " So what about the men dying with just one touch and all rumours?" Eliza asked the rest curiously to which Gabriella laughed out loud. After wiping the tears of laughing hard, she explained that it was because he had poisoned a few men who tried to take advantage of her on various occasions. What she longed for was love which Rasber gave her completely and then in front of his heartfelt care, Gabriella lost herself lowering her guards around him but getting pregnant was totally her idea.

    " You took the risk and sacrificed your body first. What if he didn''t appreciate your kind gesture as he himself still doesn''t know that he was under the drug effect?"

    Janet and Kiara had their mouths opened widely hearing Emmy questioning Gabriella. They thought Gabriella must have drugged Rasber for making him obedient but with Emmy''s tone of asking, it was sure that something else was the real situation.

    " Sharp!.. Emmy, I am shocked to see how your brain works. Yes, what you guessed is correct he was under the influence of a particular drug but of which I have yet to find out. By analysing his blood samples and testing the symptoms, this type of drugs made a person delirious but also would give their full obedience to one person. To crack the drug effect, the only thing which was available to be administered was the aphrodisiac and I did administer it to him in thrice the usual quantity a person takes..."

    Emmy smiled and interrupted Gabriella, " But you didn''t have to sacrifice yourself for him. you had already chained him up, then how did he get freed after he took your counter drug?"

    Seeing Emmy sly eyes, Gabriella''s ears and cheeks were red in colour, she was sitting there and blushing to a high degree.

    " Thatˇ­. I got delirious looking at his body...and wanted to try it. Soooooˇ­."

    " Look, the groom is here..."

    Suddenly the maid rushed inside and conveyed the message interrupting the exotic story which the friends were waiting to hear.

    " Girls, come, let us grill the groom before he can take away the bride."

    Just as Emmy and friends were going out to stop Rasber from entering the bridal chamber, Gabriella softly called out to Emmy.

    " Hey, please don''t be rash with him, he is your brother-in-law now."

    The women left Gabriella who was blushing hard. On her face, now lit up with happiness, finally, she had friends and family now...moreover, she got a sister too and soon her own baby.

    The bride''s side was dressed in red colour whereas the groom''s side party was wearing yellow coloured dresses. The groom Rasber was looking extraordinarily eye-catching and except for Kiara, all the other four women felt mesmerised seeing the groom.

    " Hey, cut it out. It was his day that is why we decided not to be in our best form. However, don''t you think it is a bit rude to drool over a guy right in front of your respective partners?"

    Although it was Leon who was complaining, Jordan, Mike and Alex also had the same thing going in their mind. Since it was a happy occasion, all the men thought of letting it go and moved forward to welcome the bride but were stopped by the girl gang.

    " To fetch your bride, first you must go through a series of challenges. Well, you have to basically do five things demanded by us and if you complete it in an appreciable manner, the chamber will be opened and you can have your bride. You can seek help from your entourage also."

    Rasber agreed eagerly and Emmy looked at Janet wickedly. The first demand was simple and it was raised by Kiara. Rasber had to finish up three bottles of wine in one go and he finished it in a jiffy. Elina made him run 50 rounds around the whole bridal courtyard which was a piece of cake for Rasber.

    The men were gloating on how easy were the tasks given by these bridesmaids. The third task was to drink 10 glasses of freshly prepared special tea again and this time Rasber found it hard after drinking the sixth cup. He looked at Emmy who was discussing something with Janet whereas Juliet who passed him the task had a wicked expression on her face.

    Rasber turned to look at Alex and signalled with his eyes to check on Emmy. The men found it suspicious as from the starting itself Emmy and Janet were hiding something. Somehow, Rasber finished the tenth cup and stood up ready to receive the next task by Janet.

    Janet looked at Emmy and after receiving her signal, she brought out a platter of different puddings.

    " Finish it up."

    Rasber looked at Janet and suddenly his stomach churned. He sniffed the food and made his gang taste a bit of the food to check whether it was okay. On getting their safe signal, he sat on the table and started chugging in the various delicacies.

    After finishing the whole platter, Rasber stood up like a proud peacock and stood before Emmy.

    " Sister-in-law, I have completed all the tasks perfectly and now please tell me your demand."

    " Just wait."

    Till now the men were oblivious to the other party''s plans but actually, even the bridesmaids'' group members didn''t know what Emmy had planned. They just gave instructions to Rasber as per Emmy''s idea.

    Just as Rasber wanted to tease the group for their childish tasks, his throat started burning up and he started coughing. After a series of coughs, he started vomiting it out and Alex rushed to support him whereas Mike and Jordan stood there dumbstruck.

    This Emmy had to be serious, she made the groom so miserable just by a few tasks. Right now, watching Rasber throwing up even the last bit of food in his stomach, Leon and Houlson looked at each other. Thank god, they had married before or else, Emmy might also have dealt with them like this.

    Hearing the commotion outside, Gabriella rushed outside and she was shocked to see Rasber in such a poor state. She looked at Emmy who stood there without an ounce of sympathy. Alex was constantly rubbing Rasber''s back and now the latter had puked even the last juices inside him. At last, he could not hold it up and fainted on spot.

    Gabriella rushed beside him and took his pulse. She was shocked to her core and then with a grave expression, looked at Emmy.

    " How could you do this to him ?"

 Chapter 128 - Take It As My Gratitude

    The expression on Emmy''s face didn''t change a bit. The sudden cheerful environment suddenly turned sullen. Gabriella squatted beside the fallen Rasber and had her hand taking his pulse while the others were standing flabbergasted except Emmy.

    Maybe it was only Alex who felt that Gabriella was not actually inculpating Emmy but instead was admiring her skills. He confusingly looked at Emmy but could not read her expression. Her grave expression was as if she punished Rasber by poisoning him and almost all the spectators had arrived at the same conclusion also.

    When the respectable elders of the dark clan arrived, even they were taken back by Emmy''s frosty face. Elder Miandrake quickly lifted his robes and dashed towards the patient.

    "The physician heart .." scoffed elder Rotrigues.

    Miandrake asked Gabriella to move aside and checked the condition of the patient. The frowning guise on the next seconds changed into amazement.

    " What medications did he eat? Gabriella, you are really amazing. Hahaˇ­ see Rotrigues, haven''t I told you, having one best disciple is better than a hundred ones. Look at my only disciple, she successfully found out the antidote of the mysterious Slavepal drug. Isn''t she fabulous?"

    This time not only Elder Rotrigues was shocked, but all the others who were watching the show were also stupefied. The whole audience had thought the groom was completing tasks to fetch the bride but somehow it turned out to be that the groom was already poisoned and now he was going through a detoxification.

    Elder Lathodore looked at Gabriella and soon realised that she was not the one who had given him the antidote. Also, he was surprised to understand that she didn''t even know about the antidote till Rasber had fainted. Judging the expressions on these youngsters, the person who was standing there confidently was Emmy. So, it has to be this girl, but why was he not regaining his consciousness?

    Elder Lathodore walked up to Emmy and patiently asked, " Don''t you think that the groom must have woken up by now? We old men have to rest early, please wake him up now."

    Emmy was a bit surprised that elder Lathodore could actually recognise that it was she who had made Rasber detoxify the residual drug substance from his body. After nodding to Elder Lathodre, she walked towards the squatting Gabriella and Elder Miandrake.

    "Please move aside."

    The anxious Gabriella quickly moved aside whereas Miandrake stood close by to see how Emmy would wake up a patient who was deeply immersed in the detoxification process of his body.

    Crashing the physician''s heart, Emmy''s foot landed heavily over Rasber''s chest. The unconscious man suddenly opened his eyes and turned sideways to vomit out a black coloured mucky substance. In the history of his medicinal studies, Elder Miandrake would never have seen someone waking up a patient like this. He looked at Gabriella who had closed her eyes as she had expected this outcome. Of course, no wife would want to see her husband being kicked pitifully.

    However, the kick was the required approach and the outcome was truly a success. The groom who was pale and unconscious, now on his face, the pink colour, as well as energy, were restored.

    " Now listen to my demand, never ever make her cry once. I want you to accept her all wishes and make them true. Whatever she demands, it must be done. You break these conditions, I can make you live a life where you yourself will want to die but would be unable to do so."

    Rasber looked at Emmy wondering what had happened to him, the last thing he remembered was, he puking even his intestine juices out. Anyway, he nodded his head and raised his hands toward his beloved woman who was standing behind Emmy.

    Emmy moved aside to let the couple make way to the altar to finish their marriage ceremony but she was pulled into a warm embrace quickly.

    " I wish us to be the ones standing there and exchanging the vows."

    Emmy faced Alex who was jealous of the newly married couple. She wanted to laugh at this guy, who once had the chance wanted to run away and then when he got ready, the bride went missing. Finally, God gave him another chance but the situation was not yet correct.

    " Your wish will become true soon as we perish our enemies together."

    When the couple was thinking about perishing their enemies, they didn''t know that their real enemy had already made plans to strike first.

    After Elder Lathodore pronounced Rasber and Gabriella, husband and wife, the whole audience threw rose petals at the married couple as their blessings. Rasber picked up his wife and walked towards the centre where there was a small circular stage. He placed Gabriella carefully on the platform and winked at Alex.

    Alex who was still holding Emmy in his embrace quickly left her and took something from his pocket to throw it to Rasber who skillfully caught the item in his hands.

    Emmy raised her eyebrows at Alex who smiled back at her playfully, " Someone said that they wanted the groom to be extra special in order to marry her precious sister. Now watch our boy, how he sweeps his lady off her feet !"

    On the dice, Rasber knelt down on his one knee, opening the small box, he presented a ruby ring, small but extra shiny. He wanted to surprise his little bride, although he clearly knew that he didn''t fall in love because of genuine feelings first but slowly he understood that now he wanted this little but vicious woman to be at his side forever in his life.

    " I had despised all womankind but there are only two women in this world who could make me kneel. When you showed me your prowess and locked me at your home, I didn''t know that my heart had already made you it''s master. Now there is no place I can be where you are not present. Can you give this poor slave a chance to love you for eternity?"

    Gabriella had tears in her eyes now and she too knelt in front of him, to kiss him hard on his lips. They kissed each other without minding the presence of the whole guests and of course, none of those didn''t disturb this couple rather all were happy for them.

    " Hey, she isn''t following the script."

    Juliet complained fervently looking at the passionate couple. Mike already had once forgiven his woman for gawking at the groom and now she was watching the intimate scene of another couple in front of him. This womanˇ­

    " What script? I had to knock his head to teach him some mushy words. Now you close your eyes or else don''t even think of walking for the next two days."

    Juliet felt that her hubby was becoming more jealous nowadays. Although they are always together due to the recent turn of events, they hadn''t any private intimate time with each other.

    " Hmm, you are a dog that barks and does not bite. If you dare, prove your words."

    Mike had thought of not eating his wife every day until their marriage but as a man how could he handle such a provocation from his own wife. Each day at night, he had to take cold showers to keep his words but today her comment had broken his last ounce of patience.

    " Very well."

    Suddenly Mike walked away from Juliet, making her anxious. She thought of just poking him as he always runs off to take a shower rather than taking things on to the next level and she knew it was for her sake. So she deliberately provoked him this time to check his patience but who knew this guy would get angry instead of taking actions.

    While Juliet was thinking about how to calm her husband down, Mike straightly went to Alex and secretly told him a few things.

    " You go and enjoy. I will manage everything here, come back with good news brother.."

    Alex patted his brother''s shoulders and teased him as his brother was going to be a man today. Emmy who stood beside them rolled her eyes at these two brothers and silently prayed for her friend.

    After informing his brother, Mike quietly returned and carried Juliet in a princess style outside. Juliet wanted to scream but Mike had blocked her mouth with his lips.

    " Let me show you the outcome of provoking a lion tonight. What did you say previously, If you dare, prove your words, let me prove it for the next few days? Right, don''t fret, I already have informed brother and Emmy about our absence. "

    And the couple vanished into the darkness of the nightˇ­.

    Meanwhile, the new married ones were showered by various gifts and the couple individually thanked each one of them. Finally, they sat down at the table where Alex and Emmy were seated.

    " Thank you for today. I admit that you have done this for your sister but really I am thankful to you. Gabriella had told me about me being poisoned and the residual substance which was clogging inside my body. It gave the enemies a chance to use me again as their puppet but you freed me. I pledge my life to you on that account. "

    Emmy sneered but then shook her head, " No need any pledge nor promises, just keep her happy and the detoxification of your body is what I owe you. Take it as my gratitude."

    " You owe me? What do you mean by gratitude?"

    Emmy smiled and said nothing more but her eyes had the answer to Rasber''s question,

    " Once you saved a person and the person owed you this one."

 Chapter 129 - Jordan, It Is Your Time

    The small wedding celebration ended through the night. All were happy and enjoyed the most moments. The three elders wanted to ask Emmy various questions but as Alex was beside her every time, they thought of a plan.

    The next morning, Galstorie was summoned up by the elders and he accepted their idea eagerly. He also wanted this to happen as soon as possible. The practice methods which had enhanced his powers, Galstorie wanted to use those to rejuvenate Alex''s inner soul powers. As a Zucathore heir, this power will be hidden unless one practice special techniques and at this point, elders knew well Alex''s weak point. They understood that Alex was determined to increase his powers to fight the black powers in order to help Emmy as well as to rebuild the Zucathore empire. Well, saving his father was another thing that only Alex could do and Galstorie actually wanted Alex to make it the priority.

    " Galstorie, if you want Alex to save your master, then I would suggest not to tell him anything about it. The hatred which his mother had in her heart is still there in his heart too, so he won''t be filial to his father who he had never seen till now."

    This was the main thing bugging Gastorie, how could Alex support the whole Esbertrazian clan while bearing acrimony towards his own father.

    "Thinking why Alex supports our lord while despising his own father? "

    Breaking Galstorie''s chain of thoughts, Elder Lathodore explained how their lord had given Alex the protection he required even when the lord was not present near the young Alex.

    " Take it slow Galstorie and one more thing.. if you want to make it happen, better talk to Emmy rather than presenting it to your young master."

    This time it was Neshag who had said his piece of advice. He knew that if someone could make Alex change his decisions that would be only Emmy.

    Meanwhile, the youngsters had their own plans. Janet had a special visitor coming to meet her and her whole friends were preparing to surprise Janet. From early morning, Jordan was missing and as Juliet was away too, Janet was curious all along.

    When Emmy met Janet in the courtyard, the latter was a bit sad. Emmy pulled Janet towards their private kitchen and kept both of them busy whereas Kiara and Elina had gone for an important task.

    After preparing appetising and flavory dishes, both Emmy and Janet decorated the whole table with their delicious dishes. While putting chairs, Emmy came with the fifth chair and adjusted it with the table.

    " Are we having a visitor?"

    Then only Janet looked at the setup, it was not ordinary but fresh flowers were arranged and there was a tinge of familial feelings to the surroundings. Janet suddenly thought about her home and her mother who also liked to decorate the whole courtyard with flowers daily.

    " Emmy, did Alex do these while we were in the kitchen? It reminds me of my mother."

    When Janet was admiring the artistic work, Emmy stood silently seeing her strong friend slowly opening her feelings. Janet was totally hard and unapproachable when looked from outside but she too had a soft heart and while comparing with Juliet, we can say that Janet was less vicious.

    " My dear, look your mama is fantabulous now."

    Janet turned around to see a middle aged woman standing there at the door with fresh tulips in her hands. The red tulips matched her yellow robes which fluttered across the wind. Her jet black hair was braided and years of hard work were clearly seen from her skin.

    " Mamaˇ­ youˇ­ how did you escape from home?"

    Janet could not believe her eyes. Her mother had never once left their house even if father had tormented the past years. Not only her mother, every women who was born and brought into the Dagardian household was like that except two, one was her aunt and the other Janet.

    The clan leader had proposed the idea of letting Lillian (Emmy''s mother) and Janet to go to college as they were born as a trash, without any innate qualities but beautiful, so he wanted to attract the young masters of various families by showcasing the two Dagardian daughter but fate has its own play that both times, it was th Esbertraz clan who managed to swipe the daughters away.

    Watching Janet looking silly and standing there with her eyes brimmed with tears, Rosa moved forward to hug her daughter. She didn''t know how long it had been where both of them opened up like this peacefully. Every time they spent time together, Denzell Dagardian, Janet''s father had his eyes on them.

    " Oh my Jane, everything is going to be alright now. In my life, I haven''t had a hero who could come to save this damsel from distress but now the hero has arrived in my daughter''s life who saved the damsel as well as damsel''s mother also."

    "Mama, I am not understanding anything, please be clear."

    Rosa laughed, the clan leader made the same decision twice and got the result also the same twice. She should be thankful to the clan leader as because of his command only, Janet moved to the Envoy Salian College where she had met this wonderful bunch of people.

    " Jane, I am talking about my son-in-law. He was the one who took action just as you escaped last time. I must admit his courage, he directly warned your father on his face that next time he raises a hand against you, then he can say goodbye to that hand. Wow, you should have seen your father''s ashened expression, it was worth a watch. He directly saved me from that hell hole and brought me to his courtyard. I am living there and truthfully, I found my bliss there. I have approved of my son-in-law even though my daughter hadn''t told me about him."

    Actually it was true that Janet didn''t get a chance to talk with her mother about Jordan as last time she was locked up and guarded by her father itself.

    " Mama..so it was him who saved you but he never once told me anything.. he never ..."

    Janet was extremely thankful to God and Jordan in her lifetime. Her tearful eyes scanned the corridor and found Jordan coming inside with a few flowerpots in his hands. She dashed towards him and hugged him tightly before he could grasp the situation. Although Jordan was the sharpest among the alpha guards, this time he had lowered his guard resulting in the flowerpots being crashed to the ground but he held his precious lady carefully in his embrace.

    " My poor flowers..." scoffed Rosa in her mind whereas Jordan knew that Janet had met her mother and understood what he had done to her family. Janet kissed Jordan on his lips and this time the one who blushed heavily was Jordan as he couldn''t face his mother-in-law anymore.

    " Thank youˇ­ I know showing gratitude to you is just like insulting you but Jordan, what you did, created my worldˇ­. I promise to cherish every moment with you in my life."

    Jordan smiled bashfully and looked at the broken flower pots, then to his mother-in-law.

    "Let the bygones be bygones..now we have an elder in our household, so start preparing for keeping her busy."

    Janet could not understand Jordan completely as she thought he referred to the flowerpots but the other four people clearly knew what he meant.

    After cleaning the mess, all sat down to fill their stomachs full. Emmy and Janet were filling in details of how their life was going whereas the women were watching their respective partners chit-chatting as the real young ladies do.

    " Jordan, It is your time now.. propose to her. I am quite sure that she won''t reject in front of her mother."

    Alex slowly whispered in Jordan''s ears but the latter had different plans. He wanted to kill the butchers first who destroyed his family and then only he can peacefully marry his beloved.

    Just as they were going to start lunch, Galstorie came to give them a visit. He paid respect to Alex and Emmy but showed his arrogant face to Jordann and Janet.

    "Who invited him here?" Emmy asked.

    " I think he self-invited himself for free food but how come he knew that today we are having a lunch banquet today."

    Emmy then saw Galstorie was stealing glances at Janet''s mother...

    " Is he having any ideas towards your mother? "

    Janet was also as confused as Emmy, their partners could not see the depression on his face.

    "Master, Jordan and yourself will be joining the skill development and enhancement techniques which will be good for you. The three elders as well as Neshag also have admitted to the statement. I just came to bring the message.."

    Alex sneered, this old fellow, he called him master and didn''t know how to lie to him.

    Alex nodded his head but said in a sound that only these two heard.

 Chapter 130 - Blessed With A Son At This Age

    " Well, your face says it all. Never mind, I wish you luck in this case."

    Galstorie gulped in fear and stopped looking towards Janet''s mother. He didn''t know why for the past few weeks when he had seen this damsel first watering the flower beds in the courtyard, he felt a sudden urge to give his all to protect this woman. From that day onwards, he would constantly visit the area under the pretext of some casual matters but unfortunately, never once the woman had laid her eyes on him.

    Finally, Galstorie decided to talk with this lady directly today but couldn''t find her at the usual spot and on enquiring, he knew that she was the mother of Janet and her bit of the story. Although he knew that she had a family, his feet couldn''t stop themselves from coming to the place where she was and that is how he came here uninvited for lunch.

    As they were finishing the lunch, a guard came in and gave a note to Jordan. Reading the note, his expression turned sullen and he crushed the note in his hands.

    " What happened Jordan? Whose message was it?"

    Alex took the crushed note from his friend''s hands and he was a bit shocked. He raised his eyes to look at Rosa, who was sitting there like she knew everything long before.

    " He finally got what he wished for.. isn''t it?"

    Hearing her mother speaking about the matter whimsically, even Janet was surprised.

    " Miss, did you really know about this thing?"

    Rosa stood up at once and the sudden change in her attitude spread chill among the group who was watching her walk towards Jordan angrily. Janet was wondering what the hell had happened and how would Jordan make her mama angry to this extent?

    " You brat, do you think that I say words that randomly or casually? If I had the courtesy to accept your goodwill, it is purely because of my daughter, I thought to give my daughter to you and here you areˇ­ still calling me "Miss". Let me rethink my decision once again."

    " Waitˇ­ Mama, you got angry with Jordan because he called you Miss instead of mother? But how is it related to the message which he got now?"

    Jordan, who looked at the flustered pair of mother and daughter, knew then and there that Janet''s mother was serious when she said about rethinking her decision. He quickly knelt down, " I apologise to youˇ­ I.. have lived my 18 years without any familial affections, so I don''t know how to behave with family. Please forgive me ...mother."

    Teaching her son-in-law a lesson, Rosa patted his back. " Hey, you punk, get up. You are an alpha guard, so don''t kneel down in front of unnecessary people. I may dare to disown my daughter but would never take a chance to leave this kind of a son-in-law."

    Janet wanted to act angry with her mother''s playful comment but all left on her lips was a big smile. A man who didn''t have a mother to love and a woman who had no relations other than her daughter now got each other.

    " Motherˇ­. but I won''t consider that man as the father at any cost."

    " Jordan, pleaseˇ­ Although he never gave me fatherly love, my mother loves him. So please take her into account and for her happiness, do not take such promises."

    Janet was nervous about whether her mother had a bad impression of Jordan before they got married, so she quickly tried to explain things to Jordan.

    " My child, there is no need of calling him your father for my sake and there is no love between us at all. You came into my life as once he was drunk and took the chance with me, apart from that..never once have we behaved like a husband and wife inside the room. Well, now that he is blessed with a son at this age, let us cut all ties from the Dagardian family."

    " WHAT?"

    Three people were shocked in the room, Emmy, Janet and even Galstorie could not believe what they heard. Galstorie was feeling a natural bliss for some unknown reasons. A wide smile bloomed across his face.

    While Galstorie''s heart was fluttering, Janet''s heart pained for her mother. She had thought that her mother had adjusted with that man only because of love and now when Janet came to know the real truth, her heart ached.

    " If you knew about this earlier, why couldn''t you leave that man? Why bear all the hardships painstakingly?"

    Rosa exhaled, " The Dagardian family regard female prodigies as a tool for building relationships with different clans. Until the day Jordan came to rescue me, I didn''t have the courage to leave as they might have separated us forever but now with your man protecting us, no ant of the Dagardian family will be able to hurt us."

    Janet had gratitude shone in her eyes while she was looking at Jordan. The latter looked at Galstorie and asked, " Do we want to take action against them?"

    Galstorie who wanted to impress Rosa felt that it would be better if they cut off ties from that family forever.

    " As the concerned lady herself says that she does not like that man and wants to cut off complete ties with him, let us respect her decision. Just make sure, from today onwards he should never meet his daughter and her mother."

    Rosa looked at Galstorie and gave him a warm smile. Galstorie nodded his head and quickly said goodbye to all, leaving the group to discuss their things.

    " Mama, when did you come to know about this?"

    Janet was heartbroken to see her mother''s smile as the thought of her mother adjusting only for her sake in a family without love or care, was itching her heart. She wanted to find the whole family and crunch them into a meat patty.

    " My dear, I knew about your father''s illicit relations after you joined college only. He started bringing a few even home. Anyways even the clan leader has these perverted things going inside his household, so complaining is also not an option. Once I asked him to leave us then he warned me that if I ever leave this household, I would never see my daughter again, so I backed off."

    " But now I am glad that you don''t have to live a life that your mother lived. Anyways, from the day I knew about your relationship with him, I started to prepare myself as I don''t want the history to be repeated. The Dagardians must pay the price of killing their daughter."

    When Rosa finished, the other three were not looking at her instead all eyes were on Emmy. Rosa didn''t know about Emmy''s family background as neither Janet nor Jordan had mentioned it to her before.

    " What happened, did I tell you anything wrong?"

    Janet sighed and patted Emmy on her hands whereas Alex pulled Emmy to his embrace. Janet then explained to her mother who Emmy really was and Rosa had tears in her eyes before she could completely hear the story.

    Rosa walked towards Emmy who was strangely quiet the whole time, Alex also released her from his chest.

    " Child, the last time I saw your mother was when the great Shawn came to fetch her, that day I could only help her to run away from her household but for which they punished me heavily. I wasn''t strong at that time but now I amˇ­ now no one could ever touch a single strand of your hair even.. and one more thing, call me your mother. "

    Emmy had tears in her eyes while hearing Rosa but it was her last line which Emmy broke. She hugged Rosa and wept like a small child.

    " Hey, you remember taking me as your sister and now you really are my sister...wow, Juliet will be super pissed..hahaha.."

    The gloomy scene soon changed into bliss.

    " By the way, why haven''t I seen this friend of yours, she was your roommate right! "

    "Well, Juliet did something which made her husband lose control, so he picked her up and left yesterday. They will return after having their fill."

    Rosa was flabbergasted hearing what her daughter was saying. " Coughˇ­ hey Jane, I am your mother, a virgin in heart, so please don''t bombard me with the lovey-dovey talks of you youngsters."

    All of them laughed the way Rosa was blushing while teaching her daughter a lesson.

    Meanwhile, Mike finally broke his promise as his wife had pulled the last strings of patience the last day. Juliet begged him to stop but he showed his might in a very strong manner. At last, He stopped only when Juliet fainted.

    The next day, waking up near a simple cottage near the hills, Juliet opened her tired eyes. her whole body was sunk in fatigue and she could not even move her hands. Finally, she opened her eyes hearing footsteps near the door.

    " Good morning my love!!!"

    Juliet rolled her eyes at Mike and kept silent. Mike knew that his actions had gone a little overboard yesterday but as a man who loved his woman dearly and gave their first times to each other, his eyes were completely filled with love.

    " I have a surprise for you."

 Chapter 131 - Honour To Take Your Responsibility

    Any girl would never say no to be pampered by her beloved and Juliet was no exception, so even if she was angry, she let Mike carry her in a princess style. Wondering what the surprise would be, Juliet was more furious when Mike took her to the freshening up area and straight away put her in a tub of warm water.

    Enraged Juliet kept her eyes shut tightly but the warm water made her feel good. Along with the aromatic essence poured into the tub, she felt much better after taking a bath in it. Mike, who had gone out while she was bathing, came inside with a cyan coloured dress and he was ready to dry her hair when Juliet forcefully snatched the towel back from his hands.

    " Don''t think that after drilling me a dozen times yesterday night, I would forgive you because of the service you are giving me today."

    Mike was embarrassed when his wife had pointed out his stamina in such a way but anyways as a man he was proud. Smiling innocently, Mike caressed his pretty wife and slowly took the towel from her hands.

    Drying her hair, Mike kissed her white bare neck which had his signature now, the red marks reminded him about the previous night and how wonderful the experience was. He swallowed his saliva and controlled himself, as his wife would throw him out if he would again do it with her today.

    Drying every single drop of water from her body, Mike then gave the dress to her before stealing a small kiss from her and ran off like a timid boy.

    " How can I be angry with such a sweetheart?" Juliet thought in her mind. She knew that the tantrums and small fights between them, both of them were enjoying every bit of it.

    Wearing the dress, she came outside the room to find a well-decorated table with a few plates of delicacies. On the table, there were fresh flowers in various colours. The odour of flowers and the aromatic smell of food combined make Juliet much happier.

    " Hey gorgeous, come and have a seat."

    Mike pulled the chair for Juliet and after making her comfortable, he also took his seat. Juliet looked around her and was mesmerized by seeing the scenery outside the window. The clear blue sky with touches of an orange shade of the sun made the hilltop a peaceful yet beautiful picturesque.

    Juliet silently turned to see the rambling Mike and she did not even listen to what he was saying about her, she grabbed his hand unconsciously.

    " Ouch..."

    Mike gave a low hiss and Juliet looked at the area on his hand where she had touched. A round reddish patch of burnt skin was visible clearly in front of her eyes.

    " Mike, did you cook all this food ?"

    Tears rushed to her eyes and she kissed calmly over his wound. Juliet promised herself that she would never let this guy feel alone ever again.

    Seeing his beloved feeling sad over a small burn on his hands, Mike laughed.

    " A kiss on my lips might give me more relief." Mike teased Juliet.

    Without wasting another second, Juliet took control over the situation and kissed him hard on his lips. The sudden burst of energy made Mike shiver as his lower part was getting proactive. He thought of taking his woman on to the bed again but then she needed to replenish her energy, so he controlled his desires.

    The passionate kiss came to an end and both of them were gasping for air. The couple continued to tease each other after breakfast also.

    " Hey, now that we have done it ˇ­ we should get married right."

    Mike asked Juliet enthusiastically to which Juliet blushed and gave no answer. She also wanted to marry her love as soon as possible but they both had to complete more important things for now.

    " Julie, why are you so quiet suddenly, are you thinking of not marrying me huh? Haha, no worries, you just take my responsibility "

    Actually, Mike was not worried about that, it was he couldn''t read her mind. He had heard that women think something and do the opposite. The thought itself made him frown.

    " It is an honour for me to take your responsibility. I am worried about Alex and Emmy, we have to support them before taking our life''s decisions."

    " Okay, my dear.. let us head back before evening. Soon, we might get busy as per the revenge plan."

    Later in the evening, the couple met Rosa and everyone sat around to listen to Galstorie.  (A/N - Hey , this time, Galstorie didn''t come to woo Rosaˇ­ he is on official duty and even our respected elders are also present there).

    " It is better to strike the enemies first rather than waiting for them to take action. So, it is time to wipe out the Agnartic clan. Before the dimensional door opens, we have to lessen their support here on VilmonArk."

    Hearing about the Agnartic clan Jordan''s blood began to boil. He remembered the anguish and how his dear ones were wailing. He clenched his fists and looked straight at Galstorie.

    " I will be the one taking his head..."

    Galstorie approved because he knew very well the pain of losing their near and dear ones. He was also waiting for the correct time to avenge his master.

    " We will strike after you five complete the training session, we might don''t know what other traps are hidden there. If the dark world people could infiltrate even the Esbertrazian clan, we cannot take any risks. My assistant will be responsible for training you all."

    " Can we join them?"

    Emmy asked Galstorie curiously however he had different plans.

    " Well, women cannot undergo that kind of training, so I prefer you to prepare more medical stuff and necessities for the guards."

    Just as Emmy wanted to ask him to reconsider his decision, from her left and right sides, two people patted her hands. She looked at Janet and Kiara who signalled her to keep quiet, it suggests that they had another plan.

    After calling it a night, the youngsters said their leave and left to their respective rooms but the women gathered around Janet''s courtyard where Rosa was staying.

    " You two asked to stop discussing things with Galstorie. Why?"

    Kiara cleared her throat, " Actually, what he said is true, our body constitution won''t be able to take such powerful and strenuous training but in order to train ourselves, we have asked aunty''s help and she agreed."

    Juliet suddenly felt that she was out of the scene as she couldn''t understand who this aunty was.

    " Well, I was just away for a night, who is this master aunty who could help us not? "

    Emmy patted Juliet''s shoulders, " You were at least outside for a night, staying amidst of them, still I don''t know this aunty whom they are referring to."

    Janet smiled after hearing her two friends. " You two, are you forgetting that my mama is well trained and is so powerful that she can even match the Esbertrazian elders."

    " Wow..."

    This was the reaction on both Emmy''s and Juliet''s faces after hearing what Janet was saying.

    " Your mother is super cool Janet, I really envy you."

    Although Juliet said it in a joking manner, inside her heart, having no family or elder'' blessing over her head pricked her.

    " Who said that Janet is the only daughter I have here, huh.. I have five daughters. Well, it is your choice whether to accept me as your mother or not. Emmy has already accepted me as her mama, isn''t it precious?"

    Emmy smiled and nodded her head whereas Kiara, Eliza and Juliet were surprised. They looked at each other and smiled silly. They both had different experiences with the ''motherly person'' in their lives, especially Juliet, so she was happier to accept this amazing mother.

    "Mamaaaa, I will be your cutest daughter amongst these five..." Juliet hugged Rosa and wept like a baby.

    So the five daughters decided to stay with their mother tonight leaving their partners alone for the night. The big boys looked at Jordan as if they were complaining to him that because of him their wives had ditched them.

    " Hey, I am also a victim."

    Not listening to Jordan''s reasons, others left to their respective rooms as the next day they were going to start the starstruck training. A training pattern which was evolved from the dark world. Galstorie knew about it as his master was well versed in it and had often used to practice it using it.

    The starstruck training was really strenuous and involved the training of the whole body to make it adapt to any rough situation as well as the mind to have a conversation with the fellow mates on the battlefield. The whole training usually takes three to five months but these five were asked to complete such a long journey in just one week.

    While youngsters had gone, the elders along with Neshag and Galstorie were discussing something very grave.

    " Are you sure Neshag, what you heard is true?"

    " I am sure of it. That woman won''t bet her life like that if she didn''t have any trump card with her. When Brian''s attack made her soul injure, she had left a fragment of her soul somewhere and now the signal has been shown..."

 Chapter 132 - Rise Of The Sorceress

    " I am sure of it. That woman won''t bet her life like that if she didn''t have any trump card with her. When Brian''s attack made her soul injure, she had left a fragment of her soul somewhere and now the signal has been shown..."

    " The signal? What kind of signal?"

    Elder Lathodore looked at Neshag and Galstorie who had grieve expressions on their faces. Only Neshag knew what had happened after the sorceress had made Brian her prisoner, the unbearing tortures didn''t kill him but made him feel hell.

    "After we were captured, the sorceress came to know about Alex, so she used the segment of the soul to be directed to find Alex. We don''t know what was her motive but she had it well planned. Brian had made me infuse spiritual energy into her soul that day when he injured her, so even when I don''t know where the source would be but once it takes human form, the spiritual energy would be disconnected from me and it did."

    The three elders were shocked to their core as they never expected that the sorceress would reappear that too for finding Alex. If she is taking a woman''s form, then that would put Emmy in perilous situations.

    "So what can be done now? How to tackle such a problem?"

    " Actually, we don''t have a solution yet, that is why I proposed to let Alex and his friends start the starstruck training, at least it can help them to protect themselves and about the girls, I would request you three to protect them for the time being."

    Elder Rotrigues looked gloomy, " I wish our princess were here now, she could have stopped this new version of the sorceress easily."

    While Rotrigues of thinking about their princess, Elder Miandrake were tracing similarities of two people. Seeing his brother frown, Elder Lathodore asked him what he was calculating in his mind.

    " Lathodore, if the sorceress soul has taken a human body or human form, what about the enchantress. Don''t you remember she said they both were of one power, so if one is regenerated, the other also has to regenerate?"

    It was true, once when they had raised this question why sorceress didn''t dare to kill the enchantress before, she had replied this reason.

    " Well, in that case, we have to find out the one who is reincarnated as the enchantress. However, it is very difficult to find the destined one."

    While the Elders sat morosely contemplating about this matter, the destined one was busy in preparing her beloved for the separation of one long week.

    " It will be the first and last time that I am going to stay away from you for this long duration."

    Alex was playing with the black locks of Emmy''s hair while laying on her lap, he wanted to attend the training to be powerful to protect his woman but his heart wanted to take her with him which was not possible.

    " Alex, it is just for a week, it will just finish in a blink of an eye. "

    Emmy couldn''t say any more words as before she could, Alex had captured her lips in his. The domineering kiss ended when Emmy pushed Alex away as he had bitten her lips.

    " Hey, that hurts." Emmy rubbing her lips which were now like a ripe cherry.

    Alex laughed, " You don''t care about the one week we will be separated right! Hmmm, now that you have your mother, you forget about your lover. The small bite is your punishment and be ready, because when I come back, I will eat you up."

    Emmy raised her eyes to see Alex, her eyes showed surprise but yet it was filled with happiness as if she was also expecting that day. Both of them didn''t know that on the other side of VilmonArk, a wild storm was slowly brewing against them.

    A few days before Talsha had fainted inside the Ludacris mansion after inhaling the white smoke from the note. The next morning, Cynthia came to find her daughter looking out the window staring at the sky.

    " Tali, one whole day you sat inside the room and your father asked me not to disturb you. I know we didn''t say some matters to you about the past and now that man has already got a wife. So let us forget such a thing happened please dearˇ­ we cannot bear to watch you sad and depressed."

    Talsha turned over to see the woman, her mother, she gave the best smile and hugged her mother tightly.

    " Mother, I wish to retrieve what is mine from the beginning. Although I won''t be any third wheel in their relationship. I am sure that Alex will understand that Talsha Ludacris is the one for him and will come to me soon. I believe my fate."

    " Well, in that case, I can only support my daughter as long as you don''t be sad any more. Come down, let us have breakfast together. I will inform your father and grandfather also."

    " Okay mother, just give me five more minutes, I need to change this dress and a quick fresh up."

    As Cynthia closed the door, the playful expression on Talsha''s face changed, " What fate? All are fake and for stupid people. This time I will make you mine at any cost."

    Talsha then looked at the vibrant coloured items of clothing inside her wardrobe, " Is this kind of flamboyant dress the trend nowadays? Disgusting."

    She then took a plain but elegant peach coloured dress from the wardrobe and some accessories. After putting on the dress, she looked at the mirror, seeing her reflection, a disdain crossed her face.

    " Anyways, I have to put up with this body, as time goes, I can make changes to the body after cultivating myself to strengthen up."

    During the breakfast, Talsha appeared as an angel in the pretty peach dress. Even Cynthia was astonished by the change in her daughter''s countenance. Although Talsha was beautiful, now it has been raised to another level.

    " My pretty granddaughter, you are truly the angel of this world."

    Grandfather Ludacris was extremely happy after seeing his granddaughter in this form.

    " Grandpa, but I think the dresses I have are a bit outdated. I would like to get new dresses, please can I go out with my mother to buy new dresses?"

    " Hoho, kid, you don''t need to ask my permission. Go and take as many thighs you want."

    Then the Ludacris family finished their breakfast happily. Later Cynthia and Talsha went out to purchase new dresses for Talsha. While checking the dresses, Cynthia took notice that Talsha was only selecting white coloured dresses, this was her unusual style.

    " Tali, I must say your choice of the white colour is great but you can try other colours also."

    " Mother, I might be more elegant and angelic in white coloured dresses, so I thought of white dresses in different designs."

    Cynthia was happy as her daughter who always used to throw tantrums while she picked dresses for her, was now stating the proper reason for her choice. From the morning, her daughter was showcasing a gentle but peaceful approach. After purchasing almost ten different sets of dresses and required accessories, both mother and daughter walked back to their mansion. As the boutique was near to their place, they had decided to walk to the shop.

    While walking, Cynthia told Talsha about their neighbourhood and family bonds with various places and clans. Talsha tactfully never initiated the topic of Alex nor Emmy.

    Reaching home, Talsha went to the study room to see grandpa and her father was also present there at that time.

    " Grandpa, I would like to return back to finish my studies. I won''t interfere in those two''s relationship unless one person leaves the other one. Within two years, I still am not able to make him my man, I will allow grandpa and my parents to choose the groom for me."

    Seeing the obedient Talsha, how could grandpa Ludacris and father Ludacris be proud of her daughter.

    " Of course, it would be just as your wish, Son! do whatever she wants. My granddaughter has become more sensitive ."

    Just as grandfather Ludacris made a comment, a figure swift rushed towards him and hugged him.

    " Thank you, grandpa."

    Afterwards, Talsha returned to her room and put her favourite colour back. Looking in the mirror, she muttered, "Welcome back Sorceress and this is your time to rise up to the skies without any external powers.."

    She slowly started to prepare for getting Alex''s attention. Currently, as this body constitution is a bit not okay, she had to practice more to rise up to the real sorceress''s level.

    " I have to prepare myself as I need to please all of them for now, exceptionally the elders."

    Talsha smiled.

    Yes, now inside her body, there was a strange sensation and she started heating up. As she was getting more and more nervous, the temperature became hotter and hotter.

    In her room, Talsha again fainted and this time, she slept for two days straight. After waking up, she sat up having a terrible headache. She didn''t notice the changes on her body pattern and voice.

    Opening her eyes, she could see her mother was sitting beside her and father  was talking with physicians.

 Chapter 133 - They Need Urgent Help

    The physicians prescribed some medications for Talsha and asked her parents not to give any basic tensions to her daughter.

    " Tali, you should nourish your body, see the physicians even said that you should work on cultivating your spiritual energy."

    " Okay."

    Talsha nodded her head, she knew better about her body now, the fragment of the soul was weakened by the course of time and what she needed was time to strengthen it up.

    Later, Talsha acted pitifully in front of her family to let her go back to college in order to cultivate her inner energy. After promising multiple times that she won''t be any third party and would never even glance at that man unless he comes up on his own, Talsha''s parents allowed her to go back to college.

    After resting for another few days, Talsha returned to college. If Neshag or Galstorie were in the college at this time, they would have surely sensed her presence by now. Talsha felt more confident in their absence and decided to start strengthening herself before anyone could find her secret.

    Talsha requested a room change and started to cultivate her inner spiritual energy. Just as she closed her eyes, a vision entered from a blank mind. An old woman was smiling at her with utmost love and care, although Talsha had never seen this woman she felt an immense affinity towards this elderly person.

    " You are more pretty than I thought to be intelligent enough. Good, from what I see, the last trump card I had in my hands has been executed successfully. Child, you are now me, the sorceress who was once born to rule the whole dark world. Now I will help you to strengthen yourself, but you have to take revenge for meˇ­."

    The figure then blurred away after reciting some things to Talsha''s ears and a sharp red light was found in her eyes later.

    Talsha opened her eyes and panted for air as she felt strong energy was brimming inside her. The energy was getting evenly distributed all over her whole body and seconds after seconds, Talsha found her vitals were becoming strong and sharp.

    " Alexandrian, you are mine..."

    Some scenes flashed in her mind which she knew was that old woman''s memories. The woman who wanted to b powerful and have a powerful love also. When she found such a person, she helped him to rise to become the head of a whole new clan but was thoroughly rejected at last and all that happened due to that seductress.

    " Your daughter has loved this man in this life and I will make sure that he is mine before she comes back. Before confronting my love, I must be powerful enough to eliminate those old farts from the clan. "

    Talsha laughed inwardly as she knew that in this lifetime, she will be the sole winner. of course, in everyone''s dreams, they see themselves as the main character and the whole plot will be directed around them. Talsha also thought that it was the sorceress who was right in every case and wanted the enchantress to be suffocated in the deepest part of hell.

    " Now it is time for that old man to understand that he had made a grave mistake by supporting her. Dimensional world, here I come..."

    In the room, soon Talsha disappeared into thin air, no one would even suspect her absence as everyone thought she was resting peacefully.

    As the saying goes, pride comes before fall, which is absolutely correct in the sorceress''s case. In the past as well as in the future, only at the prime time, will she realise that she had lost everything from the very beginning itself. Now, let Talsha be haughty in her own speculations.

    Thinking about that man in her memories, Talsha sneered. " No matter what, he didn''t accept you... sister, so we can consider it as even but this time I won''t let the so-called Lady Vilmon steal my man. First, let me revive my army, then I will break the couple apart."

    Talsha was determined to enter the dimensional world and free her army from there then slowly she herself would search for the wretched woman and kill her once in for all.

    " They need urgent help." She thought in her mind.

    The silent storm brewing on the mainlands was unknown to the people in VilmonArk. Emmy and her friends were busy with their special training under Rosa while the men had stated their Saint training as well.

    Galstorie was checking on Alex while he was training on the ground. He should see his master''s reflection on this youth.

    " Master, if you had seen him now, I am sure you would be proud to have a son like him."

    " I don''t think so.."

    The sudden voice carried impressive confidence along with strong commitment, Neshag looked at Galstorie''s line of sight and sighed.

    " This young man is just like him but with his mother''s mindset. Galstorie, have you thought of any way in preventing the outbreak when Alex reaches the ultimate point in the training ?"

    The outbreak which master Neshag mentioned was the same reason why Byron had lost control over his powers leading to the annihilation of the Zucathore clan. The devilish power makes a man do all the sins and does not even care for any single soul, but once it surfaces out, a good amount of determination is needed to seal it inside the person''s body. Byron had the power to seal the energy due to the fear of harming his beloved lady. His deep affection for her had conquered the devilish power but his father lacked this determination, hence was always a slave towards this devilish power.

    Galstorie closed his eyes, he had no answer for the time being but he was sure of one thing that Alex won''t be reaching the ultimate point any time soon.

    " We have time if this is the pace of training. Master''s outbreak was due to his overpowered emotions, he couldn''t control himself when he heard that Lady Triana was going to get married and with the scheming of that vixen, the master had lost all his rationality and attacked the Yalasgue clan completely."

    " So the only way in front of my eyes is to prevent any triggering factor which could disturb my young master. Once we wipe out the Agnartic clan, I have already asked master Rodrigues to look into it. He might find any technique which can actually seal off the outbreak temporarily."

    Galstorie and Neshag had never thought that the awaited battle would actually trigger the outbreak of the supreme power inside Alex''s body and the consequence had to be borne by Emmy alone.

    At the women team''s end, things were a bit different, they were training in a different manner, completely Dagardian style. Even Janet got surprised to see her mother''s combat skills. She could single-handedly defeat Kiara who had a bit of experience in the devil training.

    " Mother, when have you practised these skills, I have never seen you even taking a pocket knife, please tell me, how did you convince that guy to learn combat skills?"

    " Huh, begging that girl would bring more problems hence I didn''t do anything of that sort."

    Gazing at the blue skies, Rosa smiled as if she was seeing a person there. After some time, she turned to face Emmy, " Emmy, I know that you have a terrible impression of the whole Dagardian clan and you should have, after all, they had hunted down your parents. Although the male members are vicious, the women of the Dagardian clan are rather soft and empathetic. You have the example of your mother and Janet here.  My mother-in-law loved her only daughter more than her four sons which were why she allowed me to help Lilian several times."

    " Her hands were tied when the clan leader had asked to hunt down your parents and when she heard about your mother''s tragic end, she blamed only herself. It was from that moment she decided to train every other daughter of the Dagardian clan secretly but except for me, no one agreed with her plan. So your grandma secretly passed me the Dagardian ancient book which holds all the cultivation skills of the clan. From the precious book, I learnt different skills and techniques. I made Janet a strong and bold girl so that she could live her life as she wanted, and see, at least one of the Dagardian daughters is happy in her life."

    Emmy nodded her head and then turned her head towards the sky. Her eyes had a resolute energy bundling up inside her mind. She excused herself for some time from the group and returned to her room.

    Emmy took the portrait resting on the boudoir table and tears soon started flowing from her eyes. She caressed the image of three people smiling and her determination factor shined in her eyes.

    " I will make each of them who had played even a small part in the assassination, pay a hefty price. "

 Chapter 134 - The Newly Blossomed Feelings

    The training was going on very intense and all of them participated enthusiastically. Although they missed their partners, the urge to protect them made the men thrive hard while training. The women team were also not at all slacking behind, Rosa had made sure that each of them was also nourishing their body as these five young ladies have reached the prime time of womanhood.

    Each day it was a different style of soup which was served for the budding beauties, Kiara and Eliza who had lost their mother in their childhood itself, made Rosa their godmother. Rosa was pretty happy with the family she had now. She had five daughters and five sons-in-law but she was waiting for that one person to complete her family.

    One fine day while Rosa was watering the plants, she unknowingly stared at the gate region for some time. Emmy and Kiara who were walking towards the garden area noticed Rosa standing there absent-minded.

    " I think godmother has someone in her mind and the way she waters the garden everyday at the same time is somewhat suspicious. I am sure that she is not reminiscing about that old froggie anymore.  "

    Emmy shared the same thought as Kiara but she didn''t voice it out. She had a person in her mind but was it so simple? Emmy smiled foolishly but it was true then it would have been wonderful.

    Sensing someone approaching her, Rosa became vigilant. She saw Kiara and Emmy had an innocent yet naughty smile on their faces.

    " What are you two up to huh?"

    Emmy was surprised but Kiara had expected this before itself, she had even predicted that their godmother could read their minds as the back of her hands.

    "As expected of our godmother," thought Kiara in her mind. She looked at Emmy and nudged her to ask what was in their mind.

    "Aunt, actually as the training would end in the next two days, so we were thinking of giving the men a surprise feast on the account of their hard work in the past two weeks."

    Emmy hesitated but then continued, "So we thought of calling them as well as their instructors also. Only master Neshag and master Galstorie would be there. is it okay?"

    A gentle smile appeared on Rosa''s face but it flashed only for a few seconds. She even wondered why these young girls were hesitant to ask her permission for such a good thing but then for inviting the masters, Rosa should also have interest right! So their reason was thoughtful and hence as it was a happy occasion, Rosa approved of the idea.

    The smile on Rosa''s face was quickly noticed by the two cunning fellows and they looked at each other as their task was successful. Happily, they returned to their comrades to discuss their further plan.

    " I am excited to check how my mother is when she is romantic but Emmy, how can you be sure that is the Zucathore guy who is in my mother''s mind? "

    Janet was super thrilled to know her mother''s secret love story but who was the hero, no one knew! Luckily Emmy had a doubt and somewhat all were happy with the outcome. Her mother had suffered in her previous marriage and this time, Janet totally wanted her mother''s happiness.

    " Janet, I might be wrong, but I have seen that guy gawking over your mother previously, so I guess he has some ideas on her but is it vice-versa I don''t know yet, that is the main reason I asked you all to help me in arranging this surprise feast."

    Later Emmy discussed her fabulous idea with her friends. They all agreed to it and got into preparation mode soon. Although there were two days more, the girls were super excited to make this newly blossomed love a successful one.

    Meanwhile, on the last day of the training session, Alex had a nightmare in his sleep, he saw the black mist surging around the rocks and attacking Emmy in full force. It fully enveloped her body and then Emmy disappeared completely from the rocks. Alex woke up completely drenched in sweat.

    In the dream, Emmy was not frightened at all instead she was as if welcoming those black mist to engulf herself. Her expression was of confidence and emitted out a peculiar power.

    Alex could not believe that who he saw in his dream was Emmy. His hands were shivering when he woke up and Jordan came quickly to check what happened to Alex.

    " What happened buddy, had a bad dream?"

    Alex looked at Jordan and a sudden relief washed over him. It was a nightmare...just a nightmare.

    " Jordan, how confident are you in the upcoming battle ?"

    Jordan saw the concern in Alex''s eyes and he replied swiftly, " As confident as I am of my love towards Janet, according to the report we have got, the Agnartic clan has been isolated completely. So it will be easy for us to strike but if the Dagardians join the battle, then I guess it would shed a blood bath."

    " Good, I am glad that you will avenge your parents soon but Jordan, I feel that some danger has popped up and it is lurking around us to find a weak spot. Remember those black mist that Juliet and myself encountered in the tunnel. I had a dream of it engulfing Emmy completely. Whatever danger arises, we must keep our women safe and secure. "

    Jordan patted Alex''s shoulders and both of them rushed to the final training lesson. Mike and Leon had the same power whereas Houlson was on the top leveling with Alex and Jordan. The five men were super energetic on the last day of training session. The vigorous lessons never lowered their spirit and all of them were desperately waiting to meet their respective partners.

    Finally the training ended and the men received a special invitation along with a bouquet of roses for each. The most surprising one was for master Galstorie who was shocked to receive a bouquet of red roses along with a message - " I present you the flowers of hard work but it misses the aroma ˇ­.come soon to fill your fragrance in my life - yours truly."

    Master Neshag also received the invitation but not the bunch of flowers. He teased Galstories who received the cheesiest proposal line of the time, he even wondered whether it must be any of those maids who were there in his courtyard. Galstorie got angry at Neshag for making fun of him but the bold handwriting on the card made him feel warm.

    " I wish it was from you but it is just a heavenly dream which I can have." Galstorie was feeling serene whereas the youngsters were trying hard to find out the secret lover. They compared the handwriting and made sure it was not a prank staged by their women.

    Alex walked towards Galstorie who was staring at the words written in that card and his face showed curious expression. Ofcourse, like everyone else, Galstorie also wanted to know who had sent these flowers to him. Even though the roses had few thorns in it, it had pierced his heart in a good way and his feelings were fluttering like a butterfly.

    " I didn''t know that a bunch of flowers could make you this happy. Do you think that it must be from Rosa?"

    Galstorie smiled and kept the card inside his chest pocket. He caressed the rose petals and replied.

    "After years I felt the care from someone. My whole life was in search of pure love and finally I found a woman who could really make me stutter. Her one look gives me immense pleasure and warmth. I wouldn''t lie that I don''t care about these flowers, even if it is a prank, I feel blessed to have these flowers as well as wishes."

    Galstorie walked away after saying his piece leaving Alex perplexed. What if there is actually a woman who loves Galstorie and she isn''t Rosa, that would be tragic for the two concerned persons.

    The day came when the men completed their training and returned triumphantly. The whole courtyard was filled with fresh flowers and decoratives making it a joyous occasion. Although the whole vicinity was lively, the hosts were missing from the fun. Alex was scanning through the crowd to see his beloved woman but she was nowhere to be seen.

    "Can''t see your one right, even mine is missing. Brother, don''t  you think that now our women are more active with the appearance of Rosa into our lives. They seen to be happy and enjoy their moments. "

    " They might be giving their all to make us happy. Mike, no matter what happens in future. Protect your woman before anything else. I have even mentioned this to Jordan also. the enemies which we are going to face are more complicated ones, they may even hurt our loved ones also."

    Mike pondered at this thought and shock filled his heart.

    " Brother, do you mean that the enemies may use our women to threaten us?"

    Alex went silent for a few seconds then with grave seriousness, he replied.

    " They already haveˇ­."

 Chapter 135 - Cherry On The Cheeks

    " They already haveˇ­."

    Mike frantically looked at his brother who was smiling yet that smile never reached his eyes. How lowly can the Agnartic clan be to threaten the enemy with the women folks?

    " Huh, those puny men thought that as they could not win over our army, they could just try to threaten us. Now they don''t even have any kind of support and still don''t know from where they get the ideas brimming with overconfidence."

    Mike was totally agitated after hearing that the Agnartic clan had dared to threaten the mighty power of the Esbertrazian clan. It increased his rage inside to kill each one of those old froggies who had even suggested this sort of rubbish idea.

    Alex could feel the rage inside his brother and he wanted each of their army warriors to have this confidence in winning the battle. Already he had boosted Jordan as Galstorie has already mentioned that the Daargardians are going to help the Agnartic clan and on the front, it would be Denzell Dagardian leading the army.

    Denzell Dagardian was the most powerful person after the clan leader in the Dagardian family. He had practised special skills according to the ancient texts acquired by the ancestors and he could battle with 10 skilled people at a time. Although this guy was powerful, the combined effect of Alex, Jordan and Houlson could easily defeat him but the problem was this person was none other than the next master of the Dagardian clan, and the father of Janet Dagardian. The latter reason was the most problematic thing for them as Jordan might hesitate to attack this person thinking about Janet.

    " Mike, Let me tell you this once more, whatever happens, we must protect our women at any cost. "

    Just as the brothers made the silent vow in their hearts, a piece of enchanting music was heard from behind.

    The warm music was accompanied by the dance of five young beauties, Alex, Mike, Houlson, Leon and Jordan standing stupefied after seeing the performance come into sense when Galstorie and Neshag kicked them on their butts.

    " Buddy, don''t you think our women have become enchanting and a new level of beauty. Is it just me who feels that they have changed a lot within the past two weeks? "

    Jordan wiped away the drool from his face while commenting on the performance. As the dance ended, not just Jordan but the other four men also were standing mesmerised watching the girls.

    Finally, a red figure emerged from the centre, the black jet hair combined with the golden hair accessories made her look much younger. Galstorie''s eyes twinkled at the sight of this beauty, as it was none other than the person he was loving secretly. Watching her walking towards the centre of the platform, small cherries were formed on his face.

    " I, heartily welcome my dear sons-in-law for completing the heftiest training. I admire their courage and endurance in fulfilling their task. Also, I would like to thank their masters who wholeheartedly gave their time in remodelling the skills of these youths."

    She respectfully bowed in front of Galstorie and Neshag, flashing a gentle yet very powerful smile. Galstorie who was staring at his love failed to notice the aura emerging from Rosa at the moment but Neshag who wasn''t love-stricken observed the change and he acknowledged her with the same respect.

    " Galstorie, I feel this woman is different from those usual ones which try to catch our attention."

    " Excuse me, catch your attention... huh!"

    As Galstorie didn''t catch the tone of Neshag, he got thoroughly jealous. His idle mind weaved dozens of weird thoughts within a few seconds.

    Neshag who was still observing Rosa suddenly felt a cold stare piercing him. He looked to his right side to see his comrade glaring at him.

    " What happened? Did you also feel the same as me?"

    " Same as you? Huh, look Neshag, I don''t mind having a decent fight with you on the basis of what you said right now but let me warn you, do not have any wasteless thoughts about her. She is my goddess."

    Neshag was utterly flattened to see his mighty buddy being jealous and thought of teasing him more.

    "Hmmm, what kind of a man are you, Galstorie! You were hugging those bunch of roses very dearly till you reached here and now why are you coveting another lady? This lady appears to be of my taste, so let me try for a chance. You still hug those roses and wait for that beautiful maiden."

    Galstorie had enough of Neshag''s blabberings but couldn''t fight with him so he thought of leaving this happy place. He once again looked at the only love of his life and stepped back. As he quietly retreated from the venue, a small boy came running towards him. The boy stopped the retreating Galstorie and gave him a note. Before Galstorie could ask the boy anything, he ran away.

    " Strange! who would give me a note so secretively?"

    Galstorie looked at the way where the boy had run off to and then opened the note which he received. Shocked and excitement filled his eyes, he hastily walked back to the feast.

    Galstorie clutched the note in his hands which read ...

    " Follow your heart, do not listen to anyone elseˇ­ Come back to the feast and you shall find your love soon."

    Neshag saw Galstorie returning with a big smile on his face, he wanted to tease him more and something else caught his attention. Little girls carrying bunches of roses were running towards Galstorie and surrounded him in no time.

    Alex scanned the expressions on each of the girls who were present there. Everyone including Emmy and her friends was standing surprised at the scene of little girls running with a bunch of red roses. Those girls were looking so cute and just like fairies, their laughter filled the entire venue with sheer bliss.

    Walking towards Emmy, Alex held her by the waist and slowly said, " Whose idea was to prank Galstorie like this, already he was grinning like a fool after receiving the rose bouquet along with the feast invitation. Now this one has gone over the limit Emmy, that guy also has feelings right!"

    " What rose bouquet for master Galstorie? We did send only rose bouquets to our respective partners and what are you implying by the prank and all?"

    Emmy questioned Alex without leaving a gap for him to clarify the situation. Alex who was now perplexed quickly waved at Jordan and Houlson who were nearby. Both of them were also observing the venue to find their master''s secret admirer and quickly came beside Alex to check whether he got the culprit.

    " So which one is the mastermind?"

    Houlson eyed his woman and asked sarcastically. Kiara was listening to Alex and now  was  astonished to hear Houlson''s comment.

    " Hey, what are you both saying? What mastermind? We are also shocked by the turn of events and trust us, we have only sent out five bouquets. Do you think that we would dare to prank master Galstorie? "

    Now it was the turn of the men to get shocked again, the result was something which they had never expected. Now all the pairs of eyes were watching master Galstorie who was drowned in red roses.

    Galstorie by the time had received all the roses from the little girls and his face was glowing like a teenage boy in love. He courteously thanked the girls but was disappointed when they didn''t mention the person who asked them to give away these roses. Neshag, who was watching the scene from the side, felt a bit terrible. He was a person who had also loved a woman, sacrificed all his happiness for her without expecting anything back but now when seeing Galstorie being showered upon with love and surprises, he also wanted someone to love him crazily. It must be a lie that he was thinking this scenario to be a prank staged by the youngsters.

    After a while, the jealous Neshag walked to the place where Rosa was calmly standing, watching the sea of roses in front of her, she had a sweet smile on her face.

    " Don''t you think at this age, Galstorie needs to be more reserved so that he wouldn''t be pranked by the younger generation?"

    Rosa laughed hearing Neshag''s comment. " Why do you think that this might be a prank? Can''t he receive roses at this age? Love has neither any age nor any boundaries, it is just a connection between two hearts which if possible would even turn to connect their souls also."

    " Oh, so you are also a romantic person. hey, can I ask you something? Sorry in advance if I am crossing my limit but if you have a secret admirer who wants to live his rest of the life with you sincerely, what will you do?"

    Rosa glared at master Neshag who quickly knew that she might have felt that he was trying to flirt with her, so he frantically tried to explain his view.

    " Look sister, I literally have no intention of hitting on you. It was just that you were  talking about the feeling so beautifully, so I thought you might be a romantic person and would marry once again if you meet your true love."

    Rosa chuckled. These two powerful masters were much powerful but totally foolish in love.

    " Didn''t you ask what I  will do if I have a secret admirer who loves me sincerely, check this out!"

 Chapter 136 - How Is The Feeling Of Being Loved

    " Didn''t you ask what I  will do if I have a secret admirer who loves me sincerely, check this out!"

    After saying her piece of words, Rosa walked straight to the place where Galstorie was sitting in midst of red roses. Her peach colored dress swayed in the breeze and playing with her long hair , Rosa approached Galstorie with a warm smile on her face. When Galstorie saw this beautiful smile, he forgot even to breathe for the next few seconds. Subconsciously , he stood up and lifted his right hand towards her.

    Watching their master finally showing up his courage to confess his feelings, all the youngsters were dumbstruck. Amongst them, the greatly shocked one was master Neshag, he didn''t know what Rosa meant while she walked away but the sudden change in Galstorie made him believe the wording "power of beauty could even make a kingdom fall". Rosa needed only one smile to bewitch the powerful Galstorie.

    Meanwhile, the hero of the scene came to his senses and was stumped seeing himself stretch his hand towards the woman he loved while she was straightly looking into his eyes. There was a question in her eyes tormenting Galstorie. He averted his gaze but his hand was shivering by now and before he could move his hand away, Rosa raised her left hand to clasp the hand in front of her.

    This time Galstorie was stunned again, never in his wild dreams, must he have thought that the woman he loved would hold his hand like this. The clasped hands made the crowd go silent while Janet was looking at her mother enthusiastically.

    " How is the feeling of being loved?"

    Galstorie didn''t hear anything till Rosa tickled his hand with her index finger. Like a fool, he nodded his head and warmth entered his cold heart. Never had anyone asked him this question, no one had ever loved him ever , so even a drop of love was enough for him. However, the woman in front of him, gave him an ocean of love with lots of surprises in it. He felt blessed, looking at their joined hands, he quickly pulled his woman to his embrace.

    " Finally, my friend is showing his courage to confront his love."

    Neshag sighed, afterall he felt the wind of loneliness hit him at last. He slowly closed his eyes to think about the only woman he had in his mind. In future, when he lay in her lap, taking his last breath, Neshag still showed his perfect smile to keep her happy.

    The one-side love would end up one-sided only in his lifetime and Neshag knew it very well. His sacrifice would let the other couple live together for the rest of their lives. Well, all these would happen in the future, so not spoiling the suspense for now.

    The youngsters were finally amused by  the courage which Rosa showed to express her love. The concept of men confessing their love was shattered and now her action showed that women equally had the right to express their feelings to the opposite sex rather than being a tool for breeding the next generation.

    Amongst them Janet was the happiest one, now that her mother could finally live a life which she wanted. Ofcourse, master Galstorie was far better than her father in terms of power and looks.Moreover, he would treat her mother like a queen.

    "Why are you standing there till now, come and handle our guests. I am going to take your mother for a private meeting. You three, help my daughter out in handling the guests and dare to bully my daughters, I will make sure that next session is going to check not only your strengths as well as the determination to marry your love. Huh, I have to test these guys to the maximum as they want to become my son-in-laws."

    Not only Jordan but the other four gentlemen also glared at Galstorie who now proudly took the position of Rosa''s husband and in turn, he became a fatherly figure for their wives.

    Watching Galstorie take away his wife along with the bunch of roses, the men watched to trip him off but just stood helplessly.

    " How shameless can a guy become after he got the treasure while doing nothing." Leon complained while scratching his head.

    " Not only is he shameless, look at his bossy attitude, does he think we all are his servants? Let me marry Janet, then I would like to see who flaunts his love the most! If I didn''t fall for Janet, would he ever see his love?"

    Jordan was equally pissed like others but compared to men, the ladies were so happy with the current situation. They all felt that Rosa deserved the best and Galstorie would be just the right match for her. They all were overwhelmed as Galstorie had referred to all of them as his daughters now.

    " Now our family is complete." Juliet''s statement put up a smile on each one''s face.

    Meanwhile, a woman was seen walking through a deserted forest alone. Although the forest was isolated for years, the woman confidently walked through the path covered with thorns and shrubs.

    After walking quite a few miles, the woman reached the end of the forest which was actually the starting of a moorland.

    " Just you wait Emmetina, what all is yours, will be mine shortly including your man."

    Hatred flashed in her eyes, she smugly smiled to herself. Yes, the woman was none other than Talsha who had the soul of the sorceress inside her body. However, she was not powerful enough to defeat the regime of the enchantress yet as her power wasn''t completely restored. For that purpose, she began her journey towards the Dark Palace where once stood her mighty domain but after the war, the enchantress showed her true self. She shut her own sister in the Dark world, making the palace a prison for sorceress and the rest of her people but little did she know that the man whom she considered as her brother was already captured by the sorceress and was kept inside the Dark Palace.

    Walking on the moorland, Talsha felt anxious as according to the memory she had already reached the place but yet she could see, was only a stretch of plain land. She couldn''t confirm whether it was the right path or not. Finally, she broke down and cried in desperation.

    " Everytime I gave my 100 percent but still the luck favored her more, why did our creator always show a soft spot for her , how was I different from her? She is the sole reason why I was always second in line and she even snatched my love. I won''t stop now, sorceress, help me out, with your last piece of soul."

    Talsha screamed and her voice echoed across the vast moorland. For some time, only the sound of the strong wind was heard but then Talsha heard a faint voice in her mind. She wiped her tears and concentrated on the weak yet determined voice.

    " This is the last ounce of help I can provide you, to weaken the enchantress, strike at her core where her heart lies."

    Talsha noted the point but then she was confused even more, " But how can I defeat her without regaining my powers, how can I reopen the Dark Palace?"

    The voice was getting lower and lower with seconds but still it gave Talsha the ultimate clue.

    Soon the voice fainted away completely and Talsha had a deadly smile on her face. She remembered the last line which the voice had mentioned.

    " To open the Dark Palace again, bring back the heir of the Zucathore clan to this land."

    Talsha now had the perfect reason to snatch the man back from Emmettina. Without wasting any of her time, she started her journey to find the bits of help which can make way to her success.

    On the other side, the grand celebration ended with the arrangement of a simple wedding for the couple and Jordan proved his efficiency again. He arranged the venue beautifully and all were set for the wedding within a few hours.

    The three elders along with master Neshag blessed the new couple and the youngsters pulled Rosa out to the bridal chamber. Master Neshag was given the responsibility of making Galstorie drunk which was an easy task for the former.

    After settling their prank, the youngsters stood outside the chamber secretly on how the groom would react after getting drunk. This plan was proposed by the men to get revenge as Galstorie had been eating their brains for past two weeks and now he was acting as their father-in-law.

    Just as the sound of the groom''s footsteps were heard, except for Alex, all faces fell gloomy. It was the total opposite of what they had expected.

    " I had already warned you guys, not to believe that old fellow, he said it was easy to make this man drunk but now seeˇ­ he is active as a horse and he won''t make a fool of himself inside the chamber."

    Mike was complaining to his mates who were also gritting their teeth due to plan failure. They all looked at Alex who had already predicted that Galstorie was not easy to be fooled and this night, especially, he will be extra careful to not to mess up things.

 Chapter 137 - Vowed Vengeance Vehemently

    Mike was complaining to his mates who were also gritting their teeth due to plan failure. They all looked at Alex who had already predicted that Galstorie was not easy to be fooled and this night, especially, he will be extra careful to not to mess up things.

    " That old man is not easy to fool, I had warned you all. Now let us all flee or else our father-in-law will take necessary actions if we meddle in their romantic time."

    Leon and Mike ran off quickly while Jordan and Houlson kept cool. Later the remaining three just sat near the shallow lake and were drinking till a messenger came in to report the important matter which Jordan was waiting to hear for ages..

    The messenger gave Jordan a scroll and left quickly into the darkness. Houlson could detect the sudden change in Jordan''s face after reading the scroll.

    " Is it time?" Houlson asked curiously.

    Jordan sighed but in his eyes glimmered the fire to destroy the whole clan completely. His family were tarnished and killed mercilessly by those blood sucking greedy leaders.

    " Finally, it is time for that young boy who vowed vengeance vehemently with his own life on the threads. Houlson, this feeling had been burning inside me from that day, when I saw my youngest brother who was just five years old being brutally trampled by that old crock, I wished to dismember that man''s body into pieces. My brother cried my name even at his last breath, I won''t leave even one person who played a role in the slaughter."

    Jordan completed his words but had his eyes on Alex by that time. Alex, who was silent till now, slowly nodded his head.

    " Kill without mercy, I shall be your auriga in this battle but Jordan, I have only one condition that no innocent lives should be lost."

    Alex firmly pressed his hand over Jordan''s shoulder, confirming his decision to fight against the Salian kingdom in any case, they got involved in the mud.

    Houlson understood from their conversation that this battle can even restructure the whole clans once again. As he knew the pain of losing relatives, Houlson decided to support Jordan in this fight no matter what but he was stopped by Jordan saying that he needs to be with his wife and the womenfolk here or else they might follow their partners to the battlefield.

    Exactly after three weeks, the men left for the Agnartic clan while Galstorie and Rosa were compelled by their daughters to go on a month-long holiday. Emmy was having a bad feeling in her heart as if something wrong was going to happen, so she tactfully joined forces with Juliet and Janet to make Rosa and Galstorie go on the trip.

    " Emmy, why did you make father and mother go away at a time like this?" Janet was more curious than Juliet this time. She finally had the love of father and her mother was also enjoying a complete family now.

    Juliet could not hold silence anymore, " There was an information that the men received before the battle that the Agnartic clan may capture any one of us to threaten the Esbertrazian force but their provocation failed miserably. Then, I also heard that..."

    " Julie, enough for now."

    Emmy interrupted Juliet, suddenly making Janet more anxious. Janet knew although Juliet was a blabbermouth, she never said anything without confirming the genuinity of the facts she hears. As Janet was busy settling her parents, she hadn''t paid much attention to the other clan affairs. Emmy''s sudden reaction made her realise that she had missed something major in between.

    "Emmy, your face and expressions are usually unreadable but this time your face gave it away. Tell me, what are you both hiding from me?"

    Janet was on the verge of blowing up so Emmy finally revealed what was actually going to happen in a few days time.

    " It is not that we were deliberately hiding it from you but it was Jordan''s request, he has also promised that he won''t make you sad at any cost."

    " How in the world can he make me sad? I am pretty confident in him.Well, he can finish off the whole Agnartic clan all by himself if wanted."

    While Janet was proudly talking about her confidence in Jordan, Emmy coldly stared at Juliet to not let the cat out of the bag as she was worried that Janet wont sit idle when she comes to now that the army, against Jordan and team, is lead by none other than Denzell Dagardian, Janet''s father.

    Although Janet missed the interaction between her two friends, deep in her mind, already the seed of doubt had been sprouted. She decided to play dumb infront of her friends until she gets a clue of what they are trying to hide from her.

    Next day, Kiara was watching Eliza trying hard to teach Juliet to calm her mind so that she could have better control over her power. They were in the backyard of Demar courtyard which was located more to the east side of the Esbertrazian land. Houlson came to the backyard with a cup of hot milk. He was taking care of his precious wife by himself as now their baby was already two months and Kiara was relatively having morning sickness from early months itself.

    " Eliza can be a mentor in the academy if she wants, she is really good."

    Handing over the cup of milk, Houlson carefully sat beside Kiara, watching how Eliza was helping Juliet to achieve the greatness in her.

    " Ofcourse, she can be a great mentor. Whenever I felt low and darkness shrouded my eyes, she showed me light on numerous occasions. Actually , I am thankful to her again, if she had not been smitten by your brother, I would have lost you forever right!"

    Houlson held his wife more close to his chest, his warmth made Kiara''s cheeks go pink but then she looked at his eyes, " Dear, although Eliza can train a person''s inner mind but when negative energy surfaces near her, she becomes hysterical. It was her behaviour which allowed to see the true colors of those black region lords. "

    Kiara trembled upon remembering those days when both sisters had to live in the land of the black world surviving each day.Houlson could understand Kiara''s feelings with a look now, so held her more tightly in his embrace.

    " Hey, are you two going to sandwich the poor chap in her belly?"

    Janet''s cheerful voice echoed near the happy couple. Houlson smiled and loosened his hands whereas Kiara blushed.

    " Aiya, look at her still blushing like a newlywed, dear...after 7 months, your baby will be sitting in between you."

    Houlson left the girls to have their own fun while Janet sat near Kiara, watching the other two practising.

    " Hey, where is Emmy? I didn''t see her from the morning."

    Answering Kiara, Janet smiled crookedly, " I tricked her to water mother''s rose plants as well as those thorny bushes in our courtyard. It was my turn but I am so lazy nowadays but no worries, she will finish it up quickly and will come here soon."

    Just as Janet finished her words, Eliza came up after finishing her part of exercise.

    " All finished?? Why is Juls still lying on the mat? Did she doze off in between the exercises?"

    Kiara curiously looked at Juliet who was peacefully lying on the ground under the shade of the tree.

    "Ahemˇ­ that is the final part of the meditation. She needs to relieve her innermost thoughts, so lying down on the mat, while her body is resting but actually her brain is on fire. Let us not disturb her , she needs peace and a silent atmosphere now.  Come, we can go for a short walk."

    The three women left Juliet alone and went for the walk with Kiara in between Janet and Eliza. Just as they took the left turn, from the right came Emmy, who was tired after watering their mother''s precious seedlings. Combining all their courtyards, more than hundreds of plants were there to be watered. Janet cunningly passed this tiresome work to Emmy and she happily took it.

    Emmy came in and saw only Juliet under the shade of the tree. She knew that Juliet was in the midst of meditation, so quietly she also lay beside Juliet with a gap in between them.

    The fresh air made Emmy''s mind calm out and she was just letting herself go to a small nap, just then she heard Juliet murmuring something in her sleep.

    " Brother- in- law, it is more powerful, I can''t control it. Let''s go back and tell Emmy about it."

    " We need to tell her to never come into this area, it is dangerous, remember this black mist could have killed us both back then..."

    " I am scared of what lies down thereˇ­ my powers aren''t working here on these rock cliff."

    Emmy''s tiredness flew out of her eyes when she heard what Juliet was murmuring about. This was something Alex and Juliet had seen twice but they both didn''t explain much about it to her.

    So there laid something powerful in her own house that Emmy needed to find out for herself.

 Chapter 138 - Reign The Supreme Power

    At the Dark Region.

    A girl, beautiful enough to create a ruckus, was walking alone straight to the leaders'' mansion. Dust and dirt covered herself but she kept on walking, with every step she took, the girl was planning something more dreadful.

    Talsha finally reached her destination, although this was once the enchantress''s turf, after the battle, the sorceress had successfully made this faction hers. The sorceress had goaded the people of the black world against the enchantress and along with her innocent face as well as cunning mind, she easily controlled them to do whatever she wanted.

    Sorceress became so powerful in the Dark region and she established the Dark Palace but after just a few weeks of her reign, the enchantress completely destroyed her power as well as her establishments. In the fire of outrage, the enchantress didn''t even consider her sisterhood and in a blink of an eye, she demolished every single power faction of the sorceress. Although all her powers were destroyed, the enchantress kept the sorceress alive and that was the cruelest punishment any person could get, to sit at the top for a day and then fall to the bottom abyss.

    Talsha remembered those painful memories of her past and closed her eyes. She wanted to tear the enchantress into a million pieces but she couldn''t ˇ­ unless the true heir of Zucathore clan is with her, she cannot even touch the enchantress or her prodigy now.

    "Soonˇ­ I will make him mine and then destroy your precious little daughter through his hands..you just wait."

    While Talsha was indulging in her own thoughts, she reached in front of the mansion. The guards looked at her with disgust but as they met her eyes, they subconsciously opened the gates and welcomed her inside warmly.

    Yes, the power of trance was the speciality of the sorceress, she could easily control anyone and make them do whatever she wants but this won''t work against people who have strong determination and mental power.Once, she had used this technique against the great Lord but failed miserably.

    Talsha reached the mansion within no time, when the leaders came to the hallway, they were astonished and in the second, all the three leaders kneeled in front of the young lady. Watching this scene, the servants of the mansion were shocked, the mighty leaders who had gold in their knees, never yielded to anyone till now but now they were kneeling , that too in front of the young maiden.

    " Welcome doyenne ! We are extremely sorry to let you come find us, but we are confounded with your presence here."

    Leader one was sweating profusely and he did not dare to lift his head up because of the guilt. After the havoc created by the enchantress, none of them actually tried to find or help the sorceress and she had to face the aftermath all alone which led to her complete destruction.

    None of them knew that the sorceress had her trump card hidden well and after years, she appeared again in front of them to recoup her domain. With one glance, each one of them could recognise their miss even after she had changed her appearance as her fiendishly strong aura.

    " Rise"

    Talsha felt that her subordinates were actually chickens and a huge change is needed here. Although she wanted to throw these oldies right now, they could be used as bait in her plan. So Talsha did not show her real emotions on her face instead she behaved as if the leaders were forgiven for their past actions.

    Scrutinizing the three people, Talsha stood up and walked to them.

    " My appearance here is for a reason and I want to know what all things you three have done till now. "

    This was the sorceress''s style, cut straight to the point and kill mercilessly without thinking twice. The leaders rambled about all the previous happenings and how their spies are working on the enemy side. Also, about the recent war between the Agnartic and Esbertrazian clans.

    Till this point, Talsha was only nodding her head but once the war topic came up, on her lips, a curve took shape. The enticing but wicked smile made the leaders stop their mouths running. They knew this topic had attracted their miss''s attention.

    The leaders quickly mentioned the tiniest details about it and how the Dagardians are going to help the Agnartians against the Esbertrazian clan. A little did they know that, Talsha knew another connection which they could make against the Esbertrazian army commander - Jordan Agnartian.

    While the three old frogs were croaking, Talsha already formulated a new plan which made her mission easy.

    " You three just need to follow the plan and do not take action without consulting me. I want him alive, is that clear to you? Even a little injury on him then consider you three as dead, for sure!"

    Under her threatening gaze, the three elders shivered and even their knees were trembling. They had a feeling that this time the sorceress would go any length to have her love back. Last time there was the enchantress to block her up and now a mere human could do no harm in her plan.

    After allocating the leaders their piece of work, Talsha went to choose her own space in the mansion and soon she found that the lakeview room was best for her, it was far on the eastside of the main mansion and a bit secluded.

    The new plan formulated requires a lot of luck factors also. If a small thing goes wrong, then it could also lead to her annihilation but if she wins this chance, then no one could ever stop her growth ever.

    Talsha closed her eyes, in her mind, his face with the most adorable smile popped up.She always fantasized about him and their life together. Although the sorceress also had an everlasting feelings towards the great lord, Talsha genuinely liked Alex at first, then with Emmy''s appearance, she backed off for some time. Afterwards when the sorceress''s power completely controlled her, her arrogance to win re-surfaced.

    Now she wasn''t bothered about the divine love between Alex and Emmy as after her plan was carried out, this couple would never be together. As for the Esbertrazian princess, it will be best if she is lost forever or else Talsha would have to kill her also.

    Thinking about all of these things, Talsha slowly drifted to her dreamland whereas the leaders went straight to the Agnartic clan to refine solutions,also inject the venomous idea into the soldiers of the clan.

    At first, the commander-in-line, Denzell Dagardian did not approve of it but then leader three mentioned about Jordan who was the so called son-in-law, was the one leading the enemy army. This enticed him to act according to the leaders and they also gave a glorious offer which was the supreme power over the Dagardian clan as well as the commanding power of all the clans.

    Finally, after a bit of persuasion , Denzell Dagradian agreed to accept the deal and acted accordingly without thinking twice. What he did not know was that because of his greed for power, it lead to the complete annihilation of the two clans, leaving him no other option to commit suicide in front that only person who always gave away to him.

    The plan was commissioned, leaving the whole side with false hopes and ideas. Meanwhile, in the Esbertrazian army camp, things were well planned but Jordan was still contemplating on how to face Denzell Dagardian. He wanted to give him a bit of respect as he was Janet''s father but still for his revenge, he might need to fight against the enemy chief commander.

    " Still thinking what would you do when you face the commander of the Dagardian family?"

    Alex came in holding a cup of freshly brewed black tea. Jordan accepted it and gave a head nod stating that was the exact thing going on now in his mind.

    "Well, lets see, he may attack you directly as last time when you went to rescue Rose from his clutches, you gave him a great show of your valour. Although you showcased only a portion of your power, he very well knows various strategies of war. In any case, if such a scenario happens, let me take your chance and attack him instead of you. It can save you from feeling guilty."

    Jordan appreciated his friend''s good mind but he was determined that in future, he has to take actions for his benevolence, so this time if Denzell attacks him, he will attack back but not fatally.

    " Thanks! We will see to it but don''t you think that some foul play is going to happen? My mind says they might have changed their strategy for this war."

    " What made you think so?"

    Jordan smiled and showed Alex a scroll in which a message was scribbled out.

    " Beware , the three leaders of the black world have reached and clawed their ideas to the chief commander."

 Chapter 139 - Now You Have Crossed My Bottom Line

    " What made you think so?"

    Jordan smiled and showed Alex a scroll in which a message was scribbled out.

    " Beware, the three leaders of the black world have reached and clawed their ideas to the chief commander."

    Alex read the scroll and was bewildered for sometime, he could say that the dark world was supporting the Agnartic clan in the past but after they stopped it as their involvement was known by the other clan elders. As for now why suddenly they thought of taking action put Alex in a deep dilemma.

    "The Dark world leaders might have found a new master and it was him who might have instructed them to act against us but who could be the new master?"

    Jordan was surprised that Alex''s train of thoughts was really different from any other person. He also hadn''t thought of such a situation which can be probably true. Along with the appearance of Demetrick, the trace of the sorceress had been found out but last time Emmy''s violent attack made him so injured that he won''t be able to make this quick recovery, then who could be it?

    The next day, the war began, Jordan, Alex and Mike did not take any action but Houlson along with Leon wiped out one-third of the opposition army. Their rage was doubled when they came to know about the shadow existence of the Dark world leaders behind the Agnartic  clan.

    Mike was looking at the heroic Demar brothers cutting into the Agnartian army and he commented, " Whoah, I never thought these two had such combat power, if this is the case then we may not even need to take part in it."

    Although the battlezone was in favor of the Esbertrazian army, Jordan and Alex knew that things were not going to be that simple. Jordan felt that Dagardian army trained under Denzell was waiting for an opportunity to backstab them and suddenly he thought of a possibility.

    " Mike , quickly go back and ask father-in-law to return. I bet that Denzell is going to play foul this time."

    Jordan''s tone was very serious and Mike, after getting confirmation from Alex, just left the scene without anyone else noticing. Now in the campside, only Jordan and Alex were left as right and left commanders with soldiers less than fifty.

    When the brothers thought that Mike''s departure was only known to them, they made their terrible mistake. A depraving pair of eyes were looking straight at Alex, her calculations were going correctly and what she wanted took place in the first place itself.

    " Ask the chief commander to get his hurted pride back, make sure that Jordan should never see the next sunrise."

    Talsha issued the command to the leaders and smiled wickedly. The leaders soon left the place to make necessary arrangements.

    "Soon you will be my king, Alexandrian."

    ...........................ˇ­.

    At the Esbertrazian clan, Kiara was under the care of Eliza and Juliet whereas Emmy left to her home at cliffhouse. She made a random excuse that she needs to take some things from her place. No one was suspicious of Emmy and she went away.

    Meanwhile, Janet finally found out what her friends were hiding from her. She was shocked that her father, that vile man, was the chief commander against Jordan. Janet understood why Jordan would keep this as a secret from her and won''t dare to attack Jordan for her sake but Denzell was just her father in name, she never received fatherly love from that man.

    Finally Janet took a decision and without consulting any of her friends, she left for the war zone.(All of these things happened just a few days before the war began).

    At the Clifftop house, Emmy was not sure about this power as in her memory, this wasn''t reflected in those memory surges. She didn''t waste any time and rushed to the rock side area near her house. The sea was unusually calm but with the black rainy clouds in the sky, it looked as if it was waiting for a cloudburst.

    Emmy started to walk to the end of the rock, with each step, her heart was beating faster. She was anticipating that the black mist which Juliet and Alex had mentioned might pop out at any time. Her eyes observed even a minor change in the surroundings and finally she reached the end.

    Looking into the deep calm sea, Emmy could not fathom the situation. According to Juliet, that day she was helpless near the raging sea, her powers were not working and the black mist violently struck Alex and herself. If there was such an unknown power hidden here, where is it now?

    Emmy stood there thinking about it for some time. When she decided  to leave the place, finally a feeling of being stared at rose inside Emmy. She further looked into the deep sea and it confirmed her doubt. The calm water had bubbles rising in it and the intensity was increasing like something was emerging out from the water.  Emmy froze at its sight and finally in front of her was the swirling black mist.

    Meanwhile at the camp, Jordan and Alex were watching the situation at the battle zone when there was a sudden attack at their camp.Out of their fifty soldiers, half of them were already dead and the rest were fighting against the commanding wing army under the Dagardian clan.

    Jordan and Alex rushed out without any delay, starting the fight and soon the lead was on their side. With the two joining the fight, the rest of twenty five soldiers had no casualties but the opposite side were keeping them busy.

    The most awaited moment came when Denzell Dagardian came into the scene. He was watching Jordan intently as a hunter watching its prey. Shortly, he understood that Jordan''s skills were out of his league and if they fought with each other, the victory would be assured for this young man. The wicked eyes gleamed, Denzell decided to go against the rules of war and attack from behind.

    Jordan was desperate to help his fellow soldiers that he stood at the center of the enemy army and totally engrossed in the fight. Suddenly the rival side started evacuating the scene, leaving Jordan alone in that area, the confused Jordan could just turn when a sudden boom was heard and he could only see vibrant golden light coming towards him.

    Although Jordan knew he wouldn''t be able to dodge this attack, he raised his sword and closed his eyes out of instinct. At that time, Jordan thought of only Janet''s face and the promise he gave her. He clenched his hands over the sword and warm liquid filled his eyes.

    Just as the heat of the light reached near him, he just heard someone screaming his name and the person had saved Jordan by taking the explosive attack on themselves. Jordan opened his eyes and was shocked. The person lying unconscious in front of him was none other than his other half, his womanˇ­ Janet.

    "NOOOOOOOOOOO......"

    The scream alerted all the people in the area, stopping the fight, everyone surrounded Jordan protectively. Jordan scooped Janet from the ground and hugged her tightly.

    " Janet, look at me, open your eyesˇ­ No ˇ­ noˇ­ no...you cannot leave me ever." Jordan was crying heavily.  Never in his mind, did he think that Janet would come to the war zone and take such a fatal blow for him. She had sacrificed herself as she knew that he would not attack Denzell for her sake.

    As Jordan was weeping over the comatose Janet, a body was thrown on the ground in front of them. Jordan looked up with his bloodshot eyes, seeing the culprit being captured by Alex, his killing desire sprung up.

    " You have crossed my bottom line, you killed your own blood,my woman, Death is only your punishment."

    Jordan carefully lifted his beloved in his hands and handed the lifeless Janet to Alex.

    "Take her to elder Miandrake. He might be able to save her, from this day onwards this land has only two clans."

    The last sentence was actually roared out by Jordan. His vengeful soul had been healed by this woman but she was hurt because of the same enemy, breaking all his rationalities. Looking at his woman, Jordan kissed her forehead.

    "Alex, I want her back. "

    After saying the final piece, Jordan summoned his horse and let Alex take wounded Janet back to the Esbertrazian clan.

    Denzell, who had been defeated by Alex, was half dead, yet he sat up on the ground. Spitting the blood in his mouth, he laughed, " The worthless daughter saved you, huhˇ­ she and her mother were both good-for-nothing women. If not for the secret technique, I would have never married her and let her give birth to my blood."

    Jordan walked over and smiled but that smile never reached his eyes. He raised his sword and thrusted it on to Denzell''s legs, cutting both of the legs in one strike.. Denzell could think what kind of punishment Jordan would present him but now he was scared.

 Chapter 140 - Repeated History But Different Ending

    " Yes. This time you got it correct. I cannot sin by killing my woman''s birth father but I shall cut off his limbs and let him live in the forest for the rest of his life. Let the animals punish you for the bad deeds you did but I won''t let them kill you fast."

    The viciousness in Jordan''s eyes sparkled and without letting the bleeding Denzell say another word, Jordan mercilessly cut off his pair of hands too.

    Watching the bloody scene, all the Esbertrazian soldiers only had one thought in their mind, "Serves you right."

    " You wretched bastard!! You will die a horrendous death. I am glad that my worthless daughter took the blow for you, her death is the punishment for you. "

    The anger arising inside Jordan reached a level which was out of his control, soon before Denzell could curse with another word, his tongue had been sliced off.

    "Go die."

    The Esbertrazian elite soldiers took care of the rest of the once daring chief commander but greed and pride led to his doom. All the way while he was dragged to the dense forest, he remembered his glorious days but what was it worth for?

    The chapter of Denzell Dagardian came to an end just like that but the rage inside Jordan did not reduce a bit. For the next few days, he along with Houlson and Leon wiped the entire Agnartic and Dagardian armies. Even the elders were not spared, the innocent people were left out from the bloodshed  and the territory was soon named as the area under the Esbertrazian clan.

    The trio accomplished marvellous victory but none was happy with the outcome. Everyone knew that the strike which Janet had blocked could make her dead. Even if the heavens show mercy, she could only be considered half alive. Houlson knew Jordan better as a person who lost his whole family and then found his love but now fate played with him again.

    While racing on their horses back to the Esbertrazian clan, Houlson looked at the grim expression on his friend''s face. No words could make him calm, the pain in his heart during the last few days completely destroyed two ancient clans. Although Jordan could avenge his parents, he lost his one and only love. They never knew that by the time they reached the clan, they were going to hear earth shattering news.

    ---------

    Few days backˇ­

    After Jordan had sent off Alex along with the injured Janet, Alex didn''t even stop for a moment, he constantly checked Janet''s pulse while the horse was galloping as fast as it could. For two straight days, they had a restless journey and finally they were approaching the Esbertrazian territory.

    "Stay in there, you have to be alive for Jordan. Once he had lost everything and now you are the only one who keeps him alive. Please do not give up on his love."

    It was not sure whether Janet could hear Alex speaking but her lips twitched and eyelids fluttered at that time.Although it was a minute response, Alex felt it was far better than having no response and he continued to stabilise her emotions by the power of words.

    Suddenly, the horse reared and froze in his motion. Alex violently tugged the horse to move forward but unfortunately the horse was behaving spooky. The next second Alex saw four people were standing on their route, mainly three old men and a female whose face was covered with a veil.

    Although the beauty in front of him was a seductress, with ample curves and soft skin, Alex didn''t even rest his eyes on her for another second. He shouted at the way blockers,

    " Hey, please move aside. I am in an emergency situation."

    The group acted as if they didn''t hear anything , as Alex temper was finally getting out of control, the woman moved. She walked towards Alex,keeping every step slowly and steady.

    After arriving in front of him, the woman removed her veil and revealed her face.

    " Why is it you?"

    Alex was surprised to see Talsha in front of him and that too in a situation like this. He remembered her because before he met Emmy, this woman used to make appearances before him and Jordan had confirmed that she was the only heir of the Ludacris family but as she never pestered him directly, Alex didn''t bother with her.

    Talsha put on a genuine smile, everything was going according to her plan. The bait was well taken and her prey was standing right in front of her.

    "Your friend is not going to make it but if  I intercede, her life can be saved. You do not need to feel guilty and helpless as you are no stranger to me."

    Although Alex did not bother with any other womenfolks, it doesn''t mean that he was oblivious to the vicious mind set of women. With just her tone, he could see where she was heading to.

    " Cut the sweet talk, say it straightly, what do you want?"

    Talsha had already expected that Alex won''t be taking their help at the first stance itself but she never thought that he could be this cold towards the helping hands and she blamed it all on Emmy.

    " I knew the son of the last Zucathore king shall not be naive to take the bait easily but as far as I can see you are powerless even in front of these dark world leaders, then with confidence are you slithering your tongue against me ?"

    Alex did not waste any other second, he observed the situation and knew that he could not win over these powerhouses while protecting Janet but still he raised his sword and took the defending posture.

    Talsha waved at the leaders to attack and capture Alex but surprisingly Alex could deal with the three leaders smoothly. Watching the fight of one against three, Talsha was entertaining herself when suddenly she felt a piercing pain in her head.

    " Enchantressˇ­ she is back!"

    Talsha''s heart trembled at its thought itself, she felt pity at her weak self and the desire to raise her powers engulfed her all rationality.

    " Back off you good for nothing pigs."

    She screamed at her top voice. Startled by the sudden intervention of their miss, the three leaders stopped the fight, Alex who was totally vigilant at the surroundings also flashed confusion in his eyes.

    This cannot be the girl in his college, the woman changed but what trifle could she have with him apart from liking him and also how did she know that he was the heir of the Zucathore clan?

    One after one questions started arising in his mind but never once he dropped his attention on the devilish woman staring at him viciously.

    Both of them were staring at each other, as the leaders left the battle area, Alex gripped on his sword tightly. He looked at Janet who was lying on the grassy patch of land nearby. The green grass was now red in color due to her blood flowing continuously.Her complexion was getting pale due to lack of blood and it was evident that her condition was getting worsened as time went.. He had to find a way to get away from these troublemakers before Janet lost more blood.

    Looking at Alex, Talsha sneered.

    " No sword skill can help you now. Say goodbye to yourself and be ready to be my slave for this lifetime."

    Before Alex could digest her words, a strong force pressurized him from every angle. He could not even breathe properly, after struggling a bit, Alex raised his head towards the perpetrator.  In front, he saw the weird woman was making patterns with her hands and then an astonishing yet powerful white light shot towards him.

    Boooooooommmmm...

    A violent spark quickly shook the whole area, Alex had covered Janet on the ground but unfortunately Talsha and the other three leaders were severely affected.

    The last scene which Alex saw was a black shadow engulfing the four people lying on his opposite side and disappearing into space. He lost his consciousness and fell right beside Janet.

    The commotion had been actually near the territories of the Esbertrazian clan, so the clan elders and Mike along with Galstorie rushed to the area. When they reached the place, they were shocked by the scene in front of them

    They found the unconscious Alex and Janet right beside a freshly burnt plot of land. Galstorie quickly let the elite team soldiers to search the place for any other fatalities or injured enemy.

    "It seems that the history has been repeated."

    Neshag murmured under his breath, listening to which the Esbertrazian elders were shocked.

    "Do you think that she is really back?"

    Elder Rotrigues had tears in his eyes while asking this question but deep inside his heart, he knew that it was impossible.

    Galstorie sighed, " Neshag may be right on this, it seems that the history has been repeated but this time the outcome is different."

 Chapter 141 - The Haunting Memories

    The whole event was baffling, no one knew what had happened as the two victims, Alex and Janet were unconscious. Elder Miandrake was shocked to see their body conditions especially Janet, her life was hanging on a thread whereas Alex had some burns on his back but that was not what the elders were worried about.

    " Is there any method to save Janet?"

    Juliet and Kiara hadn''t stopped crying since they heard the news while Eliza was trying to help in stabilising Janet''s meridians inside.

    Elder Miandrake looked at the youngsters and shook his head. He did not know what to say in Janet''s case. Along with the loss of blood, the heavy blow which her body took had made her completely paralysed,so even though he managed to save her life, she could be living dead for the rest of her life.

    Elder Lathodore asked everyone to leave the treatment room except for Galstorie, Neshag, Rotrigues and Miandrake. The things they wanted to discuss were not concerned with either Alex or Janet.

    " Galstorie, you have seen it better than us, please tell the truth now."

    Galstorie, who was being questioned, just looked at the sky,watching the light of night rolling the starry carpet. The incidents of the past were not like this at all. His master, Byron, could only awaken his power because the sorceress''s seal was obstructed by the layer of enchantress''s power. The violent reaction had made inner demons awake in Byron and that led to all catastrophe.

    " Well, in master''s case, enchantress had casted a powerful layer around him to protect himself from unseen dangers but on that unfortunate day, sorceress had striked master with her seal technique resulting in his behaviour change. Well, it was just that his evil powers were awakened and you all know what happened afterwards..."

    Silence crept through the room, no one could understand the situation, the energy spread that was felt by the elders at the time of the blast was the same as the past time and exactly due to this reason, they were astonished. If history was repeating , then the only answer would be the return of both sorceress and enchantress.

    "But that''s not possible. According to the last words of the great lord, the sorceress was killed and the enchantress went into seclusion."

    Answering Elder Rotrigues, Neshag calmly said, " The answer is only their powers are surfacing. If the rumours are true then while Sorceress was being killed, she might have leaked her powers to some other source and same in the case of enchantress."

    As Neshag and Galstorie knew the seriousness of this event, they quickly took action to find out the two sources of power which originated the blast while the Esbertrazian elders were given the task of reviving Alex and Janet.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------(On the day Alex was attacked by Talsha and team)

    At the cliff top mansion, rockside areaˇ­.

    Emmy stood there thinking about it for some time. When she decided  to leave the place, finally a feeling of being stared at rose inside Emmy. She further looked into the deep sea and it confirmed her doubt. The calm water had bubbles rising in it and the intensity was increasing like something was emerging out from the water.  Emmy froze at its sight and finally in front of her was the swirling black mist.

    The black mist was swirling like a small tornado but Emmy could feel that the dense air was not affecting her at all. While it was sucking all the rock particles into its eye, none of them even touched her. The waves were crashing violently against the rocky cuesta but it was not wetting Emmy, hence she realised what was happening around her.

    The black mist actually was shading her from the surroundings, the wind could not flutter even one strand of her hair and not a drop of water could fall on top of her. An invisible power enveloped her and protected her all along when she walked towards the black swirl unscared.

    A thousand thoughts were running through Emmy''s mind at that moment, she knew her identity but what happened at the clifftop manor was still a mystery. As she approached the eyewall of the force, the black mist gave off a different vibe, as if it was identifying its owner.

    Emmy watched the black mist diffusing itself with the air and slowly the color changed, from dark black, it became gray and then finally pure white. The intense force suddenly emerged from the center of the white mist, shooting straight to Emmy. Before Emmy could analyse the situation, the white force intensified its strength and hit Emmy''s heart.

    "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhˇ­."

    Emmy shrieked in pain but no one would hear her cries. The force shook her body and her veins bulged as if it would burst at the very next moment. She struggled hard but with each moment the force pressurised her more. Finally, Emmy could not hold herself any more, she knelt down on the rocky surface, bruising her knees and closed her eyes.

    Darkness filled her eyes, Emmy somewhat felt helpless against the power which now had started to control her body. Deep down Emmy felt that this power was not going to be dangerous, instead it was healing her body. She decided to surrender herself to it and see what it was going to do with her.

    The black shade faded away as soon as Emmy started to relax her body. She didn''t budge nor opened her eyes as the pressure spread to various parts of her body. She could feel the energy flowing inside her and finally the surge force dispensed equally within herself. Although Emmy had her memories back, it was at this moment that she understood who she wasˇ­ the power behind  her parents and the mystery of the massacre of the clifftop manor became clear as a picture in her mind.

    Emmy shivered watching those haunted memories rushing into her brain and suddenly at one point she screamed. With her abrupt change in mood, the black mist subsided completely. Light shone through the dark clouds, the violent waves also calmed down but still there was no reaction from Emmy. She was kneeling down on the rocky cliff with her eyes closed.

    Emmy opened her bloodshot eyes and looked at her tightly enclosed right hand. Opening it, she saw a green jade resting in her palms, matching the smooth contour of her white skin. She grasped it tight and then saw Jane covered in blood and Alex fighting with an unknown source. Anger surged inside Emmy and then she waved her hand, letting a powerful force out to help her beloved.

    (Author''s Note - Flashback to the story lines - This powerful strike was the black force which protected Alex and Jane from Talsha''s wild attack .)

    " You have waited for me in the past years lying low but that is enough, show me what you are safeguarding beneath the ocean bed."

    The powerful aura from Emmy was unstoppable and as if the sea understood what she was referring to, the waves gave in to the power and from it emerged a beautifully decorated black metallic coffin. It had various strange inscriptions on it and was pretty grandly made.

    Although Emmy knew what had happened in that fight, the appearance of this coffin startled her. She never expected such a surprise would be hidden underneath the rocky cliff. She walked closer to it but her hands shivered to open the coffin, Emmy''s parents bodies were never found at the spot, so this could be it.

    Gathering all her courage, she motioned her hand to unlock the coffin.As the box opened, Emmy could not believe what she saw inside it.

    Tears rushed in her eyes but it could not put out the fire of wrath building inside her. From her hands , black mist rushed towards the box and Emmy did not think for another moment, burning the beautiful coffin along with the content which it had been safeguarding for past years, Emmy silently took an oath in her heart.

    " The promise I gave you, will be kept till I have my last breath and this secret shall be a secret forever between us."

    Emmy asked the waves to wash away the ashes of the coffin into the depth of the sea and she walked back with unstable emotions to the clifftop manor.

    Standing in front of the manor, Emmy felt foreign as well as a homely touch. She knew deep inside who she was but sometimes, time cannot heal some scars of the past. Everything was clear for Emmy now and with a determined mind, Emmy rushed back to the Esbertrazian clan. This time, she won''t be foolish to get hurted by one person and suffer due to the backstabbing of some ungrateful wretches.

    Rushing back to the clan, Emmy had already put everything that happened in the manor at the back of her head and now her friends were her top most priority.

 Chapter 142 - A Drop Of Blood It Isâ€¦

    You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com

    Standing in front of the manor, Emmy felt foreign as well as a homely touch. She knew deep inside who she was but sometimes, time cannot heal some scars of the past. Everything was clear for Emmy now and with a determined mind, Emmy rushed back to the Esbertrazian clan. This time, she won''t be foolish to get hurted by one person and suffer due to the backstabbing of some ungrateful wretches.

    Rushing back to the clan, Emmy had already put everything that happened in the manor at the back of her head and now her friends were her top most priority.

    Back at the clan, both Janet and Alex were still in the coma state and when Jordan returned, the whole scene became more depressing. Jordan was filled with guilt watching Janet and was looking at his beloved without any rest. He was even afraid to blink his eyes, as the faint breathing and her chest heaving up and down, were the confirmation of Janet being alive, hence Jordan skipped his sleep and food to guard her all time.

    He remembered Janet''s confession to him, " Don''t think of me as a timid frail girl. I can assure you that my physical strength is the top among the Dagardians but I have not bothered to show it. From childhood, my mother trained me without anyone''s notice and made me physically as well as mentally strong. I do not know who your foes are , but I will help you in your revenge but please don''t let go of me."

    Jordon was stricken with guilt and he wished that instead of Janet, he should have been him lying down there.

    Finally, it was Rosa who could persuade Jordan to calm his emotions down.

    "Jordan, although Janet is my only daughter, now you are more than a son-in-law to me. You are her shining knight and do you think that she saved your life by pawning hers only to see that you are not appreciating it well. When she wakes up, you would not be able to see her if this continues. So please, believe in your love, your wife will wake up soon."

    It should be those caring words along with motherly love which he had missed for years, Jordan could not hold up his stubborn tears, he knelt down beside Janet''s bed and cried it out. Later, he collapsed with fatigue and elder Miandrake got another patient in his infirmary.

    Leon returned to his courtyard where Houlson was anxiously waiting for the news. As Kiara''s health worsened due to her emotional instability during the pregnancy period, Eliza and Houlson never left her side.

    Watching Leon returning with a tired yet sad demeanor, Houlson could guess what could have happened at the infirmary.

    "Brother, how is sister-in-law now? "

    Although Leon was completely exhausted, he was more concerned about his sister-in-law. Houlson patted his brother''s shoulders and offered him a cup of water.

    " Kiara is resting now, she was crying the whole night and could only sleep in the early morning. She is feeling dejected over the turn of events. Thankfully Eliza is able to control Kiara''s emotions as if for now. Go and see your wife. In front of us, she won''t show her real feelings anyway."

    Thinking of his beloved wife, a small smile bloomed over Leon''s face. What his brother said was absolutely true, after Eliza heard about her sister carrying a child, she had matured over the night. She hid her emotions and acted in accordance with Kiara''s mood swings. Only in front of Leon, the little tigress became a cute bunny who needed to be protected by her shining knight.

    The Demar brothers exchanged a set of information and separated to their own courtyards.

    Eliza was watering the plants when suddenly a pair of hands covered her waist and a weight slowly rested over her shoulders.

    "You are back."

    Leon did not lift his head to reply, he softly hummed and then continued to rest his head over her shoulders. They slowly sat down on the green grass and silence filled the yard but it was of a peaceful vibe.

    The lonely calm breeze danced through the garden and birds chirping made the surrounding more enticing. After a while, Leon opened his eyes just to see that Eliza had also dozed off to a light slumber. Leon tried to move carefully but the slight movement woke up Eliza from her beauty sleep.

    " Sorry, Let me take you inside and then you can continue your rest."

    No woman can resist the pampering of her husband and so was Eliza, she smiled and let Leon take her in his arms. She rested her head against his chest and breathed in his scent. The sense of security and the smell of his male hormones, made her cheeks red. She hugged him tight and slept comfortably in his arms.

    The next morning, Eliza woke up to find Leon watching her intently and it made her blush even more. The two of them were meeting each other after a gap now and she had slept like a pig yesterday. Under the intense gaze of her husband, Eliza felt shy but still she returned his gaze with the same compassion.

    Early in the morning and a beauty in the bed, Leon could not take it anymore, he completely focussed himself on showering his woman with love. After a round of intense bed battle, both of them were satisfied to even talk their minds out.

    "I think Jordan would regain himself when he wakes up, mother-in-law''s words were quite powerful and it had opened the knots in his heart, it seems.."

    Leon could not finish his words, again the scene where Janet defended the attack and Jordan''s killing spree which followed. He closed his eyes and hugged Eliza more tightly, if it was them in that situation, Leon could never imagine what he would have done.

    Eliza did understand what was going through his mind at that moment, but if she was in Janet''s place, she would have also protected her husband.

    " Jordan is now stabilised but what about Emmy? She went back to her house to get a few things and what awaits her is tragic news. Why is her life filled with such misfortunes? Mother could settle Jordan but who would be able to persuade Emmy?"

    For Eliza''s questions, Leon could only keep his silence. Alex''s situation was bit unsettling, he had  only slight external injuries and elder Miandrake had confirmed that he had not sustained any kinds of internal injuries but still Alex being comatosed was disheartening.

    At the infirmary, Galstorie and the other elders were constantly going through different relics to understand Alex''s situation but none helped.

    "Galstorie, do you remember what happened when Brian was comatosed?"

    The Esbertrazian elders stopped their quest after hearing Neshag''s question, Galstorie closed his eyes to think about what his master had gone through in those days.

    Thinking of those dreadful memories, Galstorie could not help but shiver. He clearly remembered the lord taking his master away for three straight days and then after his master woke up, it was as if the hell master was let loose and caused the complete destruction of the Yalasgue clan.

    Galstorie shook his head to make himself calm down. The supreme lord took care of his master on his own in those three days. However, he remembered his master mentioning about the sacred vial.

    "It is the content of the sacred vial which saved my lord at that time. I remember lord talking about it once but he said it was sacred and the last drop of it was used on him."

    "What is this sacred vial?"

    Elder Miandrake could not be more surprised about hearing about such a medicinal valued thing but the grief expression on Galstorie''s face made his excitement die soon.

    "A drop of blood it is....."

    You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com

 Chapter 143 - The Dead Silence Of A Woman

    "A drop of blood it is...."

    Galstorie continued, after watching the curious expressions of others.

    " However, it is not just any random drop of blood. It is much more than that, the blood of pure lineage of the all clans. Their blood is sacred because of the power it contains. Hence, the descendents of the clan were always hidden."

    Galstorie sighed as he shared all the information that he knew about the Zucathore clan.

    " According to Galstorie''s words, then a drop of Alex himself would cure him, wouldn''t it ?"

    Neshag chided in sarcastically, only to find the other four people in the room were looking at him with a stoic expression.

    The history of the clans was barbarous and the battle for the supreme power had seen its worst in that era. Only the books postulated what had happened and the authenticity of them was still unknown. It is still believed that no history books reveal the actual happening of the past, it just shows what should be seen to others.

    " So according to the legends back at that time, even the powerful clan was on the verge of annihilation and only the supreme lord with his disciples survived the battle?"

    Galstorie patted the astounded Neshagon on his shoulders. The terrible truth was best hidden in ancient history and no one dared to change it yet.

    " So what to do now? The last possible way of reviving Alex is also impossible."

    When the elder Rotrigues voiced his thoughts, the others were also in the same dilemma. Even the powerful elders did not notice a person silently standing along the doorway.

    With bloodshot eyes, Emmy could not utter a word after hearing their words. She had lost everything previously and the same thing was happening now. She rushed to where Alex was resting without wasting any time.

    Although the slight wounds were already healing on his body, Alex was in deep sleep. Emmy caressed his hair and all those memories rushed back into her mind.

    " I would never make the mistake again, Emmy , I love youˇ­. now my heart only has you in it."

    " I would abandon all those powers if it separates us.."

    "I love you with all my heart, you are mine and shall be mine foreverˇ­"

    Emmy broke down, why did the pain of separation hit them again? As she was on the verge of going insane, suddenly a blurry image appeared in her eyes.

    The deserted palace , no more than that of a prison, Emmy saw a vague shadow of a person plopping down in a cell. As the person turned his face in Emmy''s vision, she was shell-shocked.

    " Even if it is impossibleˇ­. I shall make it possible."

    "For you once I gave up my whole being and now I shall wreck the hell out again ."

    With absolute determination in her eyes, Emmy ran out of Alex''s room in a hurry only to see her friends and elders standing outside the room.

    " You have returned my child!"

    Miandrake could say only those five words when Emmy interrupted him, " Please take care of him for a few more days till I come back. All of you stay alert as well and stay within the Esbertrazian clan itself."

    Before anyone could ask or say anything to Emmy, she rushed out like a wind. Juliet wanted to follow but Mike stopped her.

    "Believe in her, I have this feeling that only Emmy knows how to wake up my brother."

    As Mike finished his sentence, his gaze quickly swept over the elders who stood silently watching the path where their little girl had vanished. They all agreed to what Mike said.

    "Her silence is unusual, it is like the calmness of the sea before the storm. I wonder what she is upto."

    Elder Rotrigues was anxious about Emmy, although Shawn was also a bit mysterious but nine out of ten times, he could read Shawn''s thoughts however with Emmy, her face was like a blank canvas. Even the powerful Lathodore could not read her mind.

    Eliza sighed and replied, "The dead silence of a woman is always more dangerous than any storms which we have seen. I shall agree with what Mike said, this time only Emmy can crack this mystery."

    Elder Lathodore felt his surrounding suddenly chilly but more than creepiness, it had a tinge of familiarity. He looked up in the sky and murmured, " Mistress, if you had played enough outside, it is time to return. Our Esbertrazian clan needs you ˇ­.also, he doesn''t have much time left. "

    He clenched his fist but later sighed, although the powerful elder of the clan , he could not do anything to solve the problem. The same helpless feeling washed away through Miandrake''s and Rotrigues'' minds. Three of them held each other''s hands as a support for one another.

    Just as they withdrew their hand, no one noticed a wisp of power had been ignited and got shot straight to the sky.

    Far away, at some corner of the forest, Talsha was staring at the sky with eyes full of hatredness. She never thought that enchantress would be so sagacious. Her plans were flawless but it was not only destroyed but also ruined her body constitution. She had to give up almost all of her power to survive that blast.

    Two of the black world leaders lost their life and the one left was better off dead.

    " I am going to find your descendent and kill her without any mercy, enchantressˇ­ you can never win over me."

    Talsha slowly got up, supporting her frail body, she stumbled on the way to the Ludacris family. Her mind and body needed to recuperate before she could attack the clan again.

    In her mind, the scene when Alex stood out to protect the wounded Janet was playing again and again. The act of valour was something could not be acquired and that guy was born with it.

    "Ohˇ­ Triana , if you had been alive to see your son then you would loved my stupid brother even more ˇ­ anyways it is good that you are dead or else I might need to call you mother-in-law in the future."

    Talsha continued her walk through the road while her evil laughter echoed through the forest.

 Chapter 144 - Plight For One, Delight For Another

    At the Ludacris family.

    "What did you say, the Salian clan''s prodigy is in coma?"

    Although Taran and Cynthia ( Talsha''s parents) were shocked to hear about the happenings, the vibe given by her grandfather made Talsha a bit surprised.Her father had called their family physician and he had given Talsha the required medical aid.

    With most parts of her body bandaged, Talsha quietly stared across the window into the horizon.Grandfather had asked her parents to leave her to rest and no one was allowed to disturb her.

    A while later, the door slowly creaked open, stopping the deadpan stare which had been continuing for hours now, Talsha turned to see her grandfather approaching.

    "Miss, I never expected to see you in such a dire situation."

    Talsha was intrigued watching her grandfather''s behaviour. The man which she admired and respected from her childhood was kneeling down beside her bed with much loyalty.

    " So I still have the chance to reverse the situation." Talsha sneered.

    " Rise Phelixtros.. You are too old for that. I never thought you could hide so well. Good, those three fools have long perished, now with your emergence, my plans can be executed much earlier than expected ."

    "Also, do not call me Miss anymore, we have to continue the role of grandfather and granddaughter, that is going to be the safest way till my powers get rejuvenated."

    "As you wish, Taliˇ­ one more thingˇ­if you could allow Demetrick to join the sect, then the plan would be absolutely flawless and this time , the Esbertrazian clan would be in history forever."

    Talsha just nodded her head as she heard footsteps approaching. Through the opened door entered Cynthia and Taran.

    "My baby girl, are you okay now?"

    Taran always pampered her daughter to the moon, so it was common for him to be worried this much.

    "Yes, father. Your daughter is healthy enough to go on a fishing trip with you now."

    "Haha, that is the power of the Ludacris bloodline, Cynthia, let us all go for a small picnic tomorrow, please make necessary arrangements. Also, Taran! Call the physician to check on her again. I don''t want our precious little one to sustain any hidden injuries."

    Seeing the colours returning to their daughter''s face, the Ludacris family rejoiced. They planned for a fishing trip on the next day as Talsha wished. Cynthia had made the perfect arrangements and she along with her husband were given the task of catching the fish to make a delicious dinner while grandfather- granddaughter pair, were basking in the sun nearby.

    "According to my sources near the Esbertrazian clan, there are no unusual sightings in the clan nor any mysterious person observed. "

    Hearing the report, Talsha''s left eye started twitching.

    "Dig a little more, I have good feeling that my sister might have left her piece of heart somewhere inside Esbertrazian grounds"

    "Piece of heart ? Is that possible?"

    Talsha frowned her brows, her subordinates were powerful but their intellectual skills were straight to the bottom, totally close to nothing.She shook her head and thought to herself, never to use any literal perspective while talking with her minions.

    " Nevermind, I shall explain it to you for the first and last time, a piece of her heart means most precious, invaluable to her. Till now I guessed that it would be her three leftover acolytes but no, it is precisely something or someone else. I could feel her being at the attack and that power was familiar. A little too familiarˇ­"

    "Well , I shall ask my people to explore their side more. Miss, after you recover, is it not easy for us to take that boy straight to our Dark palace and destroy the seal completely?"

    Talsha stood up slowly as if she was in great pain, then she raised her hands to wave to her parents who were looking at her, from the other side of the lake. Turning to face her grandfather, Talsha replied, " yes, it is much easier but if that guy wakes up, he can bring catastrophe. Before he awakes, first I have to restore my power as well as regain my soul power completely. "

    " Last time, when I allowed the fusion of our power on Byron, he was so powerfully evil, a total maniac, that he annihilated the whole Yalasgue tribe in a day. However, due to his soul power , he could regain his wits after some timeˇ­

    But this man.. It is a tough nut, he has the bloodline of both Zucathore and Yalasgue tribe, so the power awakening could make him a formidable opponent or a complete idiot."

    Phelixtros could not imagine the severity of the issue but from the seriousness emitted from his Miss, he knew that the result would be totally devastating.

    "Anyway as it is said, the plight for one could be a delight for another, I hope when he wakes up , he should become the maniac and then the whole Esbertrazian clan would be perished under his power."

    Finishing their discussion, Talsha walked over to her parents side and took the fishing rod in her hand. Taran had fished out quite a few and Cynthia had already started the cooking fire.

    Patting her daughter''s head who was focussed on catching at least one fish, Taran went away to help his lovable wife. Even after trying hard, Talsha could not even catch a fish. Finally it dawned on her, she quietly put her hand in the water and closed her eyes.

    Nothing happened.

    Anger rushed into Talsha''s brain, she could not believe that the attack would take her innate abilities as well. Her abilities to control people and communicate with any living being through telepathy were cut off.

    " You are declaring war against me huh, sisterˇ­ this time I shall crush you harder, making every ounce of life in you to be squeezed out. You just waitˇ­ Maran betrayed me for youˇ­ but my prince charming this time is different, he is the evilest of all evil in the universe.. The ultimate victory shall be mine."

 Chapter 145 - Awaken The Demon Of 18th Hell

    Far away in a deserted area, the wind carried away her footsteps leaving no traces of Emmy''s long expedition. If anyone saw her walking aimlessly in the desert, they would surely mistake her for a wandering ghost amidst the sand dunes.

    Emmy had travelled a long distance by now, although it was her first time here, her footsteps were so steady just like they were so familiarised with the terrain around. With every step taken, Emmy knew that her destination was nearing and the anticipation in her heart started to peak up. The desert slowly changed to barren land and then to marshy area but Emmy did not even care to take rest. She was determined to fetch the only hope she had left in her heart.

    In just a few days, Emmy had lost her happiness completely, her best friend and love were fighting for their lives .Also, she knew an enemy had appeared out of the dark, so she had to take this step now before anything else could happen. Once she had lost everything and now she was ready to awaken the demon of 28th hell for her loved ones.

    A howling wind stopped Emmy and she could feel the energy surging in every tendon of her muscles.

    " So this is itˇ­ "

    Emmy wondered and scoffed as she gazed at the desolated land in front of her. She raised her hands and could feel the barrier.

    " No seal can hinder my journey. You may have started the war but in the end victory shall be only mine."

    As determination filled in her eyes, the energy surging inside her shot up to her palm and struck the barrier, forcing it to be shattered like a thin layer of glass.

    With the sudden commotion, Emmy could not believe it herself. The scene which emerged in front of her eyes was quite astonishing. The barren land was nowhere to be seen, in that place stood a lavishing castle. The grandeur of the building was no less than the Esbertrazian castle but this one had its own creepiness. It looked as if the place itself had a deathly aura.

    Emmy did not hesitate to step inside and walked straight to the magnificent building. She was a complete stranger to this place but somehow everything felt like a dejavu.

    " I found your lair and now you can''t stop me from releasing him."

    As she walked ahead, suddenly few people jumped in front of her, as Emmy was wearing a hoodie jacket, the attackers could not see her properly nor could identify that a woman was actually standing ahead.They only recognised a frail body but powerful enough to break the seal the enchantress had created to trap them. First they thought it would be their miss but as the person neared them, felt a different air surrounding the stranger.

    "You punk, who are you?"

    The one who raised the question was none other than Demetrick, who was once bashed out by Emmy itself.

    Sensing the powerless auras from her front, Emmy did not flinch, she bravely removed the hoodie making her face clear to the crowd.

    " It is you. How dare you even come here? "

    More than being agitated, Demetrick was in fact scared as a few days back, he had observed the weakening of their powers. It meant only one thing, that their miss was in danger. Now as he saw Emmy in their world, chills ran through his body. He was no longer the powerful commander of the sorceress and last time after being beaten by this little lass, his powers were totally destroyed. His body was like an empty shell but he was hoping that when their miss revives her full powers , he could regain his strength back.

    Emmy scanned through the crowd but could not find the person she was searching for, so she directly launched her attack without even Introducing her to the people.

    Soon after Demetrick was found lying on the ground completely defeated along with his men. Emmy scoffed and asked, " I came here for a purpose, neither am I interested in you nor want to claim this land, just give me the person whom I am in search of."

    Demetrick raised his head and in a low weak voice said, " Byron cannot be freed, only our mistress can break her seal which has been draining his powers till now. So even if you intervene, nothing is going to change "

    Emmy knew who this mistress could be and as per the family line, she could call this evil mistress as her aunt. Then again, why should she even call that person her aunt who was dead determined to kill the enchantress. Her eyes had a solemn pain while thinking about the past but she hid it completely before kicking Demetrick again.

    " I do not wish to hear any advice from your filthy mouth. Just let me know where I could find Byron Zucathore ?"

    The kick had landed straight to his abdomen, making Demetrick feel more dead, none-the-less he knew that this girl could not break the seal and free the Zucathore prodigy, so he arrogantly showed Emmy the way.

    Walking through the inner walls of the castle, both of them reached a steep staircase. Emmy knew this might be the entrance to the dungeon which master Neshag once had mentioned. He said that to make way for his escape, Alex''s father had to sacrifice his leftover powers.

    " You go first."

    Without waiting for Demetrick''s reply, Emmy directly pushed him down the stairs. After falling down a flight of stairs, Emmy could hear Demetrick groan in pain. She happily descended the stairs only to see that at the end, there was only one cell.

    It was not guarded but Emmy knew once entered , no one could come out unless the seal was broken. Poor Demetrick had to be landed straight into the seal and now he was also trapped inside the cell. Emmy walked to the cell, raising her guard against any hidden traps of the dungeon.

    Emmy walked to the pavement which separated the cell and stairs only to find that Demetrick had lost his consciousness when he fell. She was contemplating what to do next when she heard a voice.

    "Is he dead?"

    Emmy was on her alert as it was a bit dark inside the cell but she sensed movements along the shackles of chain moving. The voice was deep but enticing and it reminded Emmy of Alex. Her heartbeats raced by the thought of meeting Alex''s father as he was the key to wake Alex up from his deep slumber

    " He better be dead or else I would have to get my hands dirty before we go from here.".

    Hearing Emmy''s reply, surprise flashed in those eyes.The fearless attitude and the bold statement, just like his sister''s but her face was totally different. Byron sighed, " I thought it would be my son coming to my rescue but it seems he doesn''t care. Watching you I am quite surprised though, May I have the honour of knowing who you are? "

    Emmy suddenly felt that all her words were stuck in her throat. She was confident about any answer if the person standing in front of her was someone else but how could she tell him what happened to his son and who she was to him.

    " I am Emmy, Emmetina Esbertraz. Daughter of Shawn Esbertraz and yourˇ­ "

    Emmy could not speak the rest of her words and quietly swallowed them back to her throat. She mustered up her courage once again but spoke something else. " Who I am is not of any importance, the prior thing to do is free you."

    Finishing her line as Emmy was going to take a step into the cell but Byron stopped her.

    "Child, you may be powerful, I can feel that but no one can break the seal of this cell. The one who can do it must be much disappointed with me, so do not get trapped like me here. You can enter and never can exit from this dungeon. Sorceress had put her best in making this seal. "

    Emmy looked straight to the person who was contemplating over his miseries, her body suddenly had an adrenaline rush as she rushed into the cell and touched the shackles of the chain which had been detaining Byron for years.

    " Child, what did you do ?" Byron screamed at Emmy.

    At first Emmy got scared but then she spoke boldly, " You may think that only your son could free you from here but now he needs you the most. Alex is waiting for his father at the Esbertrazian clan and our hope is you. I shall fight till my last breath just for him. So stop protesting and let me help you. You need not bother with who I am and why I am here."

    Byron could not register what Emmy meant by his son needed him the most now because he was shocked to see the black smoke surrounding him .

 Chapter 146 - Appeasing Daughter-in-Law Is Troublesome

    The black smoke shrouded the chain completely while Emmy closed her eyes to concentrate. She could feel  two powerful energies, a white and black one, colliding with each other but as Emmy paid more attention there was suddenly a blast inside her mind and the black energy swallowed the white mist completely.

    Clankˇ­ the chain was destroyed in no time. However, at the same time two people collapsed at two different places.

    At the Dark palace inside the dungeon, Emmy tried to maintain her balance by kneeling one knee to the ground but she tasted blood in her mouth. She was exhausted both physically and mentally. Her whole body was crying out to stop or else it would collapse at any time.

    " No, I cannot stop now. " Emmy gulped down the blood and faked a smile at Byron, who was standing electrified. Within short seconds, years of imprisonment faded away in dust. The marks on his hands reminded him that now he was free. He could finally go and see his son.

    Coming back to his senses, Byron rushed to Emmy''s side. He knew that this little lass was not a simpleton but

    Who was she?

    Why did she come to save him?

    How did she know his son ?

    Various questions rose up in Byron''s mind but the exhausted face made him keep quiet.

    " Child, are you okay ? Look at me."

    Byron supported Emmy to sit on the sideline bench and gave her water whereas Emmy was trying her best not to collapse inside this dungeon. As she closed her eyes to stabilise her body balance, Alex''s face flashed in her mind. All their memories starting from the slap that she gave him to their first kiss, kept on repeating in her brain.

    Alex was her world now and just the past few days, no one knew how much she had missed his smile, his care above all the emptiness she felt after knowing that he was in a dire situation where she could not do anything. Thoughts about him motivated Emmy and soon she opened her eyes.

    The scene which Emmy saw was funny as Byron was tying up Demetrick and other guards. He just piled the tied members in the corner of the cell. He made sure that they got no light or water within their reach.

    Emmy coughed up as she tried to stand up, interrupting Byron''s actions. Byron cheekily asked her, " Lass, you sure frightened the cat out of me. You passed out for straight 2 hours, but had a stable pulse. I have not seen such a brave lass at my time, my sister sure has created four strong pillars well. "

    Emmy smiled but at the same time sighed inside. What will his reaction be when the news of Alex being in coma shall be known? Emmy shook her head at this thought itself.

    At the same time, near the fishing area of the Ludacris family, Talsha screamed in pain and collapsed at the spot. Grandfather Ludacris and Talsha''s parents got ossified at the moment but soon father Ludacris carried Talsha to their manor.

    " What happened to Tali suddenly? She was well just now, happily fishing with us."

    Father Ludacris shouted at their family physician who examined Talsha and confirmed that she was just exhausted.

    Grandfather Ludacris was also not able to conclude what was happening right now. His Miss was already weak and she collapsed all of a sudden. Did it indicate something bad happened? Watching the elder one sitting anxiously, Cynthia came forward with a glass of water. Her eyes were red in colour after crying continuously.

    Watching his daughter-in-law trying to be strong in this situation, Phelixtros finally said, " No need to worry, Talsha is impeccably strong and no illness could defeat her."

    "Father, I hope so.. But my child is suffering inside and the physicians are of no use. I am getting scared from inside."

    " Our Tali has the blessings of our ancestors, so nothing is going to happen to her."

    After getting assurance from the elder, Cynthia went in to check Talsha''s room. Fortunately the physicians confirmed that there is actually no problem with Talsha''s health and she would be totally okay after resting properly.

    Within one day , it seemed that grandfather Ludacris had aged 10 years more. He quietly sat in his room, thinking about various possibilities to restore their miss''s powers as soon as possible.

    A sudden knock on the window interrupted his trail of thoughts, it was a small owl with a message at its foot.

    "Demetrick, it is time for you to act now. Only you are there in our place, so solve it quickly."

    Little did he know that the person named Demetrick was currently unconscious and if unattended , would soon reach the gateway of the afterlife.

    As the duo swept each corner of the castle but could not find anything useful, Emmy just destroyed the whole palace along with guards with an exception of Demetrick. She gave him a modified version of the alvish herb so that he would remain unconscious till they want.

    Finally, before they embark on the next journey, they decided to take a rest for a night. Byron finally opened up his mouth to hunt for the answers which his heart wanted to hear the most.

    " Child, you mentioned something about my son, Can you please let me know what had happened in the past. I think that I have a lot to catch upon."

    Emmy saw the eagerness to quench his thirst of curiosity, hence slowly but attentively mentioned most of the things she knew.However she skillfully skipped the part of her being in relationship with his son.

    Byron was heartbroken to hear about his wife and son but maintained a neutral expression on his face. Also at the same time, he was proud of Galstorie and Neshag. Those two were sworn enemies whenever they met but now were the masters of the great Esbertrazian clan.

    " Would you be able to save Alex?" Emmy eagerly asked. This was the answer she was searching for and she had placed her last hope on him.

    " Whatever you had mentioned, indeed, had taken place when my father was guarding the whole Vilmonark. Of course, at one point of time, I was insanely in love with her, so I did not care about the aftermath. The youth had turned against his sister and eventually became a monster. The Yalasgue tribe perished underneath his feet and he knew that he could never be human again."

    " But you sure are comparatively humanly human." Emmy smiled and ended the conversation.

    The next morning, the duo left the castle along with Demetrik.Soon the trio reached the greatest of great" The Esbertrazian family"

    " My sister sure knew to get the best, look at the whole place." Byron enthusiastically looked all around himself. Emmy thought that he may be acting like this to easen up the silence between them.

    After a while, Byron asked, " Emmatina, what is your connection with my son? You are taking the risks which no one would take. I guess that he still has consciousness after breaking the Esbertrazian princess''s heart."

    Emmy wondered that Byron was just like how masters Neshag and Galstorie mentioned. A good person when it comes to friends and hell of the king to all the rest of entertainment people.

    Without refuting Emmy spilled all the secrets of her past and his past.

    Byron gulped, " Are you sure that you are just a newcomer, sweeping all the way to the dark palace, you sure are gutsy."

    "Well , there is one more thing which I haven''t mentioned."

    " What is it?" again Byron''s curious cat came out. He wanted to know all about his son.

    "Actually Alex and Iˇ­.. We are in love with each other and have decided to get married after revenging my parents. "

    " I know that we need your blessings but everything happened so quickly. After the war with the Agnartic clan, Alex had promised master Galstorie to find you. He still has the shadow of his mother so it might be difficult for you both to get along. But then things changed and now only you can save him."

    Byron could not say as it was a bit shocking to him, his son whom he had never met, got a fiance already and they were even planning to welcome the next generation. What surprised him more was, if this woman was so powerful then how could his son survive when they fought.

    "Appeasing my only daughter-in-law would be so troublesome."

    Although Byron did not voice it out, he was still shocked. He was actually feeling proud of this young lady, from the first moment he saw her, he knew she was different but now to think that this is his daughter-in-law made him excited the most.. When the trio reached elder Miandrake''s courtyard, there was a loud gasp and then Byron was hugged from right and left.

 Chapter 147 - I Want Him Alive

    Byron was sandwiched between two people, hot tears soon rolled down from his eyes. These two people were too close with him. Selfless, trustworthy respect,unbounded or unequalled, no words could be used to explain their bond along the many years.

    Emmy signalled Jordan to take care of the prisoner they had bought with them whereas the three elders had their eyes out of the sockets watching the person in front of them.

    Back in the olden days, they had not much interactions with the Zucathore heir but had multiple times heard his stories from their miss.The enchantress really loved this brother and even fought against the sorceress for him.

    Watching the person in flesh and soul, made the elders relieved after a long time but at the same time, watching their lovable daughter at the verge of exhaustion troubled them more.

    Byron was overwhelmed with his two buddies, Neshag and Galstorie. One was with him through thick and thin while he had given the responsibility of safeguarding his life to the other. Tears washed their faces as they hugged each other and stood still like that for quite a few minutes.

    Finally it was Rose who came forward to interrupt the reunion spirit of the three.

    " Men, take control of yourselves. The younger generation is watching you."

    Although as per hierarchy, Byron was still Galstorie''s master but Rose did not bother about it much.She saw this man only as Alex''s father and her daughter''s father-in-law. Hearing her voice the first person to get out of the reverie was Galstorie, who wiped his tears and respectfully bowed to his master.

    Byron stopped Galstorie and hugged him again. " No amount of thanks could make up for the deed which you have done for me. I owe you my all brother."

    "Neshag, you have become formidable, I am quite surprised with the development of the Esbertrazian clan."

    Byron scanned his eyes through the whole crowd watching him, finally stopping at the three Esberteazian elders. He bowed to them with sincere feelings. They had kept his wife and son safe till now, well most of the time. The smile on his face was actually a facade because deep inside he knew that he had lost everything a long time back itself. He himself destroyed the love of his life and made enemies with his son. Still, somewhere he felt that his role was not finished yet and this motivated to live in that dark dungeon for years without any hope.

    Emmy had long gone to be with Alex and Janet, only the elder party was left in the courtyard now.

    " Alex''s condition is getting worse day after day. His internal organs are corroding as he had ingested something deadly chemical. We are not able to draw any conclusion on this scenario. Do you know anything similar to this? "

    Byron listened to elder Miandrake with a deadpan expression on his face. He knew that all of them had placed their last hope on him.

    " Well, it has been three days already, so the situation is still in our grasp."

    Just as Byron made his statement, relief washed over the audience.

    " Yes, I knew you could have the solution with you. God is great, finally we can sort out the major problem. " exclaimed elder Rotrigues while patting on elder Lathodore''s shoulders.

    " Byron, is there something which is bothering you although you have the cure for Alex?"

    Only when Neshag pointed it out did others observe Byron''s emotionless face. They forgot how the prestigious Yalasgue tribe was annihilated in a day .

    As he watched the troubled expression on the familiar faces, he thought that it would be better to let them know the truth.

    " In the next three days, if antidote is not given, he shall lose his life but by providing the antidote, he shall awaken the other trait."

    "Other trait?"

    The Esbertrazian elders may not know the severity of the issue but the grave aura emanating from Neshag said it all.

    Byron closed his eyes, he still remembered what had happened when his other trait was awakened. The innocent prince became the nightmare of the whole Zucathore clan, ended the ancient Yalasgue tribe in a day and even the biggest regret in his life happened at that time.

    All the time he had been kept inside the dark palace, he always wanted to reverse the time and come back to the moment where the Sorceress had started manipulating him. Byron did remember that day when he had to argue with the enchantress. In a fit of moment, he attacked his own sister and in defence, she launched hers. But before the black mist attacked his body, he saw a wisp yet powerful white mist rushing towards him.

    The two powers suddenly combined and struck him. The other trait could only be awakened by the power combination of the enchantress and sorceress . So that means, Alex had faced them on his way back to the clan with Janet.

    " This cannot be true."

    The realisation hit Byron like an asteroid hitting the planet. The power which was said to be eliminated was reactivated, that means Alex could never be the same Alex from before.

    " What cannot be true ?"

    Everyone was getting perplexed by seeing the different shades of Byron .They wanted to know what was the side effect of the cure suggested by Byron.

    With deep sadness engulfed in him, Byron finally opened his mouth.

    " Alex should never be awakened."

    "Whatˇ­ ?"

    "Noˇ­"

    Byron''s eyes seemed to be red as he was controlling his rage. If he get that sorceress in his hands again, he would kill her a thousand times already. In the courtyard, the elders screamed at Byron demanding the explanation for his decision.

    Slowly Byron explained what had happened to him that day, the infusion of black and white mist, as well as the extreme dangers lurking with the other trait.

    " I was able to control myself only because I inflicted my torture on my love, the pain and disgust which I saw on her face for me, made me realise what sort of a jerk was I. The power of love empowered the power of evilness inside me and I could regain my conscious mind. But it was too late. "

    " But Alex has Emmy with him so it could be helped, isn''t it ?"

    Elder Rotrigues who was against Emmy- Alex relationship was now vouching for them. Miandrake and Lathodore also had the couple, so they also had high hopes.

    "That is the major problem, he already knows that she is his, so he might be hurting her the most. The other demeanour is really tricky, however one thing is for sure, if nothing is there to control him, the world shall be under his evil regime. He shall kill all the pure power and wipe of the last thread of sanity."

    " That is why I mentioned he should never be awakened. He won''t bother to see whether it is master or elder in front of him. My father met his demise while trying to stop me. So it is better to think of a way to keep him in a coma only."

    Silence wrapped up the entire courtyard, no one spoke as they also did not know what to do in this situation. Waking up Alex could lead to destruction of mankind while doing nothing, would kill Emmy to the extreme. She had lost her parents and fought with the darkest power for reviving Alex. How will she be able to cope up with this heartbreaking news? Who shall tell it to her ?

    As everyone was thinking of multiple things, suddenly a stifle laugh was heard from the entrance.

    " I heard whatever you have discussed here. Without looking at the major problem, you blockheads are sure of making Alex die."

    Emmy walked straight to the elders who were looking at her sympathetically.

    " I took the risk for him and now whatever happens, I want him ALIVEˇ­ you hear me right. ALIVEˇ­. The source of the problem is the collusion between black and white power sources, today it is Alex, tomorrow it could be anyone of you. With your powers, first you all try to locate the power source and destroy it. "

    Emmy turned to Byron but this time her eyes turned cold. The chill soon spread to her whole body making Byron shiver.

    " The decision you made, broke the trust which I had in you. If Alex does not wake up in the next two days, trust me ˇ­ I would make your living hell and one more thing, I shall acknowledge you as father-in-law only after Alex acknowledges his father."

    The sudden outburst of Emmy''s temper made the elders quickly change their decision. They had to support Emmy because somewhere they hoped that she might be able to tame the evil traits of Alex.. However , in the long run, they would understand how wrong it was for them to revoke the decision they made today.

 Chapter 148 - Kill Him Without Mercy

    Watching Emmy storming out of the courtyard fuming made Byron more worried. However, whatever she said made sense, they were overlooking the major problem.

    The infusion of the two powers could only be the reason for Alex''s predicament but how was it possible ?

    " The only thing which we can be sure of now is that our little miss is alive and might be even in the vicinity of Vilmonark. When the sorceress tried to attack Alex, Miss could have intervened in order to safeguard him."

    All listened as the elder Lathodore made the conclusion but still it was purely guess from his side.

    " If Miss is nearby then why can''t she show herself in front of us? Doesn''t she care about us even a little bit?"

    Elder Rotrigues was the next closest to their princess after Shawn, he knew how caring and naive she was before the whole fiasco happened.

    " Let us not waste anymore time. Send the undershade guards immediately to search all corners of VilmonArk. Also, search for any person who had an accident in recent days. Do a shady search and do not alert any geezers of the other clans."

    Miandrake instructed the team and others took action straight. Elder Lathore and Rotrigues were given the responsibility of finding the power sources while Miandrake and Byron took the initiative to cure Alex. Neshag and Galstorie were instructed to safeguard the whole clan from meeting the hidden enemies.

    Although heartbroken, Emmy had the concise to think straightly and calm down her emotions after she vented her anger at the elders as well as Byron. She teamed up with elder Miandrake to create medications for Janet. Her case was totally opposite to that of Alex, she was externally and internally torn apart from the blast and the attack.

    Gabriella knew how serious was Emmy when it came to her friends and she in fact was a bit envious of it. She never had any friends and those who had faked to care for her were only for benefits. She simply smiled and took the mortar in which the fresh ingredients were ready to be crushed.

    " The roots of Echinacea and the petals of Chamomile could do the additional healing." Gabriella reported to Emmy who was going through various medicinal texts. Emmy looked up to see a big bellied woman, quietly looking at the medications.

    " Gabriella, that can be used for external healing but the internal injury is what I am worried about. Her body needs to function properly to replenish the amount of blood she has lost."

    " What about we use Radix Angelica Sinensis?"

    " You can make it a paste and try to rejuvenate the dead cells. I am wondering what could possibly be done to make her lower half strong. "

    Gabriella pointed to a shelf where she could reach and said, " Go through those texts at the right side, master once mentioned that it was specially written by our princess but it was all Gibberish to us. We could not understand a word of it."

    Emmy nodded as she collected those texts to return back to her Alex. Just as she passed Gabriella, she said, " You are also my friend." and simply walked away.

    Gabriella stood stunned for some time and only woke up from the stance when Rasber came to fetch her after work. He saw his little angel was immersed in deep thoughts with tears in her eyes.

    " My dear Gaby, who made you cry?"

    What he met was, again tearsˇ­

    Veins popped up in Rasber''s hands as he clenched his fingers together. The last thing he ever wanted to see was her tears, well his woman cried seldomly. She was eight month pregnant but her emotions were still at place.

    Seeing her husband''s worried expression, Gabriella could only hug him sideways and let her tears flow on his chest.

    " It was Emmyˇ­ She said I am also her friend. I am so happy"

    Rasber took in a long breath and sighed, his woman had a tough outer shell but a soft plushy heart. Give her a tiny bit of love, she would present a whole world in return. He could understand well what made her like that. What she had experienced and those mockeries made her create an impenetrable exterior but he was lucky enough to drill through it. He was really thankful to that Salian brat for letting him this wonderful woman.

    "Shhhˇ­ She had already seen you as her family, don''t you remember our wedding. Actually she had asked me permission to be our child''s godmother and here you are, simply bawling because she is your friend. "

    Gabreilla laughed and cried at the same time, but now she was more determined to find the cure for Janet.She will cherish their friendship this lifetime.

    Emmy returned to Alex''s room where Byron stood silently watching his son lay on the medicinal bed. Alex''s body now started to show burnt patches on the exterior of the skin and had a foul stench throughout his body( smell of decaying flesh).

    Emmy did not speak nor paid attention to Byron standing there. She put the texts in her hands on the table and sat near the bed. She stroked Alex''s hair carefully. She kissed him on his cheeks but warm tears soon rushed out from her eyes.

    Byron could not watch it anymore, he knew what Emmy was feeling right now but as he remembered what the wild beast could do to her once he woke up, Byron hesitated.

    " Child, I know you love him so much, but he won''t remember you once he wakes up.. The wild beast is impossible to tame and it would always attack the most loved one of its host body. He shall possess Alex completely, even his memories, so it would be hard for you."

    Emmy looked at Byron and sighed, she knew ˇ­ she remembered everything that had happened but she was selfish for his love.So she was ready to endure anything to be a part of his life.

    Just as Emmy wanted to reply, Mike suddenly rushed inside.

    " Emmy, that guy is awake, we tortured him in numerous ways but he is not saying a word. Jordan asked me to call you for further interrogation."

    Emmy stood and bowed to Byron. Just when both of them were going to exit the room, they heard Byron''s voice.

    " Kill him without mercy."

    Emmy walked away without turning back with Mike but those words were ringing in her ears.

    " Yes, kill him without mercy. The enemy should know what will happen if they dare to touch anyone from the Esbertrazian clan again."

    Emmy voiced her feelings to Mike and he also agreed. In the prison cell, Demetrick was tortured to the extreme but he did not say a word. Just as Houlson was going to whip him again, Emmy entered the scene.

    " Whenever I meet you, why are you battered to the extent that I could kill you by lifting my pinky finger huh."

    Although Emmy was the only woman present inside the dark creepy prison cell, her dominance could easily shadow the manly presence inside.

    " I shall never help you, so just lift your what-so-ever finger and finish me once in for all."

    Emmy scoffed but as Houlson got the whip ready, she took it from him and lashed it straight to Demetrick''s heart. The whip as if it danced to the air, straight away made a thud sound and next scene was Demetrcik vomiting blood and falling on the ground.

    One shot, instant kill.

    The undershade guards were shocked from the powerful attack but they were so proud of their clan again. Even the woman of their clan was so powerful to kill in such a style. The five women had already motivated their womankind of the whole Esbertrazian clan; whenever they practised their skills, the audience were the majority of the younger generation.

    " Hang his body near the entrance of the VilmonArk, make sure to note who all are coming to take note of the body.The message shall be passed successfully to the enemy.".

    The guards did as they were instructed by Emmy, the whole VilmonArk was shocked by the way the Esbertrazian clan had showcased their power. As Emmy had predicted,the enemy took the bait soon leaving traces to be caught.

    Soon news was delivered along with sketches to the Ludacris family, grandfather Ludacris could not believe the sketch he saw. The once perfect face was completely torn and disfigured but he was able to identify the person. His mate and close friend, left hand man of the sorceress, Demetrick.

    Grandfather Ludacris crumpled the parchment as rage filled his eyes. The only hope he had  was destroyed. This clarified why Talsha lost her consciousness yesterday, so it meant the seal had been broken, the Zucathore heir had stepped into their lair to free his father.

    " Alexandrian Zucathore, if I do not avenge my mate, my name is not Phelixtros Ludaris."