ALL NOVEL Chapter 52: THYRA
Azriel’s heated glare contrasted the mixture of the warm rising sun and cool wind that kisses our skins. My legs became frozen in place, and my throat felt like it was being choked. The grand duke seemed to have understood the situation and broke the silence, ordering his men to take a rest. Azriel turned his back to walk away from us, while Raleigh just nodded as I looked at him to say that I should follow Azriel.
Despite the fear that coursed through me, I summoned the courage to sprint towards him, desperate to catch up with his swift pace. As I closed in, my steps gradually slowed, ensuring I remained just behind him.
The silence that enveloped us felt weightier than a thousand spoken words, hanging heavily in the air. Eventually, we reached the lower portion of the forest, where the trees gave way to the expanse of the seaside, and there, we finally turned to face one another.
I gritted my teeth, and I felt my face warming up. I looked back to the nearby forest where we came from and saw Raleigh watching us from a distance.
"How long do you plan on avoiding my eyes?" he asked, and I looked back at him. I know deep down that the man that I used to hate is in front of me, but I felt weak with the idea that I love him, yet I’m afraid of him. What is this feeling?
“Are you scared of me?” I hung my head as I heard the obvious, and hearing his voice for the second time caused pain in my heart. How can I even manage to handle all these mixed feelings at once?
"I don't know, should I?" he let out a long sigh upon hearing my answer and ran his fingers into his hair. "If you want me to be honest, I feel pain now that I see you again, but at the same time, your reaction earlier was terrifying – for once you looked like a predator watching your prey. What has gotten into you?"
“I can’t stand seeing you smiling with the grand duke ever since the banquet. But I know I shouldn’t be angry because I’m the one who told him to take care of you. I can tell that he did his job well,” he admitted, but even with the relief he was supposed to be feeling, it sounded more like sadness to me.
“He didn’t tell me that you were the one who insisted that. I thought he was being nice since he knows that Eurhyia is not a safe place for me.”
"Of course, he didn't. I told him not to tell you anything. Even so, I know he will do the same thing even if I didn't ask. I have a theory that you're his first friend so it's expected for him to take care of you. Let's drop that topic. I'm not here to express my ill feelings toward him. I went here because I sensed you in danger since you used the powers I gave you.”
Now that he said that, I remembered the empress’ words the last time we met – that this hand chain will make Azriel and me inseparable because he'll sense where I am especially when I'm in danger.
“It’s not that I’m ungrateful, because you’ve done a lot for me. If you didn’t share your powers with me, I’ll still be stuck in that cell Hervouet locked me in. I manipulated them to set me free and told them that I wanted them to kill each other after. As for Hervouet, I dealt with him using my poisoned hairpin," I shared because I know it's something he should know.
"I don’t hate you, but it feels wrong to be with you. I can’t stand that feeling. Those are the words I’ve been holding back to say for some time now.”
Feeling the need for solace, I distanced myself from the spot and crouched down, reaching out to immerse my hand into the cool seawater. With a glimmer of hope, I anticipated that this simple act would help soothe the turmoil within me, offering a moment of respite.
The beams of sunlight became brighter as it rises on the horizon, making me feel better. I washed my face with water with my eyes closed to avoid its saltiness. It was refreshing, but the one from behind didn’t fail to give tension.
From behind, Azriel spoke. “I annulled my marriage, and the empress’ health became a big issue. Kathrynne wasn’t real, but an imposter sent by House Chavalleve. She tried to kill the empress using liquid mercury, so her condition is quite critical. Because of that, I acted as her proxy since Hervouet wasn’t around recently. I’m not crowned as emperor yet because she’s too weak to do it, but by then, I’ll be needing an empress,” His tone sounded sorrowful yet hopeful, but even if it’s the perfect chance to be with him, something inside me tells me that I shouldn’t pursue him.
I can’t find the right words – because I want to be with him, yet at the same time, I didn’t want to.
Feelings surely cloud people’s judgment. Thus, I have to use my head for this one, for I always have my entire life.
As I contemplated my next course of action, a slippery creature emerged from the depths of the sea, coiling around my hands and forcefully pulling me beneath the water's surface. Azriel's panicked scream echoed in the air, but it was too late.
I was being dragged deeper into the water. In the midst of the chaos, melodic voices, reminiscent of songbirds, filled my ears. But instead of finding them soothing, they only intensified my dizziness, causing searing pain that threatened to split my head open.
As my breath dwindled, I clenched my fists in anticipation. Just as I neared the point of suffocation, a protective bubble materialized around me, allowing me to breathe despite being submerged in water.
So, this is how the shield of an Alexandrite Izavene can work, and they can’t see that.
“The last piece of our puzzle is here, my liege,” A female voice said, and I noticed that their upper body was like of a human’s, but they have octopus-like suckers as their legs and feet.
With their features of having mahogany hair and gray eyes, it could only mean one thing – that they’re Izavenes, and this is their power opposite from the others.
“It looks like you’re close to the crown prince. If you remember well, he’s the last one we took, and you were with him as well. I won’t make the chatter long, because you’re the key for the entire Izavene race to end – for you are the last Alexandrite Izavene, and completing the seven forbidden Izavene jewels placed on the crown of Ezrania will end the race. All humans in the empire will have their lives back and our existence will be forgotten. Now, hand it over if you're not selfish. You know how much trouble Izavenes caused in the lives of humans.”
I don’t know all the details of what they were talking about, but one thing is clear – once they get my ring, all Izavenes will die.
At least that’s what they believe in. But what if they’re wrong?
This isn’t the time for me to give it so much thought. I must act now if I want to keep my life intact and return to the surface.
Summoning every ounce of strength within me, I unleashed a potent surge of lightning, causing a powerful explosion beneath the water and impacting my assailants. Despite the tremendous exertion, I felt the harrowing consequences as blood began to trickle from my mouth and nose.
I mustered one final surge of energy to propel myself upward, aided by the unexpected persistence of my lightning, warding off any pursuit from my adversaries.
Truly, an Izavene’s lightning is different from what we’re seeing in the sky – for it defies logic. But in effect, the strength is useless if it takes away the life force of the one using it. It was rather disheartening than satisfying.
Ascending towards the brighter light beaming from above, I watched as the protective shield surrounding me shattered into countless fragments, dissolving into darkness.
Gradually, I too faded away into the obscurity, leaving behind only a lingering sense of uncertainty.