In a modern chamber adorned with potted plants and curtains that veiled the windows, a handsome, tall man stood by the window, chuckling at his dear wife. The next instant, a mellow voice rang out in the chamber.
"So you kidnapped the little snake because she is from the place I came from? Hmm."
Damien teased with a smirk, but Elizabeth Thorne didn't seem the least bit affected by his words, making him release a sigh.
"How not fun."
He grumbled, but as he moved, the skin on his hand cracked like fragile glass, causing the Queen to leave the snake in her hand on the table in front of her and rush to his side.
Her blue eyes were filled with so much worry that she never spared anyone else.
"My Dear, why did you leave the bed? You need rest. Why don't you listen to me?"
A wry smile played on Damien's lips, his purple eyes downcast. He knew his time was running out. As a fallen angel, staying alive in the human realm for so long was a remarkable feat. Yet, he never discouraged his wife's tireless search for a cure. He just couldn't bear to shatter her hope, knowing her heart would break upon his passing.
"I am fine. I can walk a bit thanks to your Evol. I survived so long all because of you."
He reached out, tucking a stray strand of her hair behind her ear with a smile.
"Thank you for everything. However, you don't need to do anything more. What you did for me so far is already enough. I am from a distant and high place..."
He glanced at Riruru who watched them.
"This little half-angel is still young, and her soul is incomplete. She wouldn't be able to help me heal with her strength. Just fulfill what you promised to her, okay?"
Elizabeth's eyes reddened as he coughed and stumbled, the harsh rasp of his breath echoing in the silence. Gone was the cold, indifferent Queen, replaced by a ordinary woman consumed by a desperate grief.
"Don't speak."
She whispered, her calm voice trembling.
"We will talk later, okay? I will pour my Evol into your body. So, rest until you feel fine."
Damien smiled faintly and straightened up. Then, he dramatically hissed and wrapped his arm around her waist, leaning against her as she helped him to the bed.
Riruru blinked her innocent eyes. When the Queen suddenly leaned in to kiss the weak, handsome man laying on the massive bed, her eyes sparkled with confusion.
'What are they doing?'
She even leaned her small head forward with narrow eyes to clear her confusion.
Even though the couple separated from each other after the small moment, they had already made the snake curious.
Riruru's gaze darted between the two.
Ultimately, she posed a very innocent question to Elizabeth through telepathy.
The Queen, hearing her query, turned her head back to her with a raised eyebrow.
"You want to know what we were doing? Well, how about you ask your partner? I'm sure he can answer you better about this."
Riruru nodded solemnly. Her innocent mind was already tainted, as she mentally noted that she had to ask Skyler about this later.
She accidentally ended up imagining doing the same to Skyler, and her body, which had always been very cold, heated up, leaving her feeling hot and bothered all over.
She furrowed her brows and tried to clear her mind. This was not good. This feeling was very similar to the urge to mate. While she wasn't familiar with human matters, she understood the instincts of beasts.
But could they experience it too, despite their physical differences? How could that even work? It was strange. Still, she knew she needed to confirm all this with Skyler.
Suddenly, the chamber was disrupted by a knock on the double doors. All eyes turned to the entrance, and Elizabeth quickly rose to her feet. Her indifferent gaze returned.
"Come in."
A familiar figure hurriedly entered the chamber. Alistair Thorne. Her eldest son.
He greeted his mother. Then turned to his father, who had become very ill a few years ago. The illness was severe enough that he was unable to even leave his chamber. His gaze softened as he greeted his father.
"Father. I hope you are feeling better."
Damien nodded with a smile.
"I am fine. Take care of yourself."
His glowing purple gaze traveled to his heart, and instantly his smile widened.
"Congratulations, my dear son. You've reached the final stage of 24-star."
Alistair wasn't surprised his father could sense his strength, even though Alistair was officially the second strongest in the human continent after Guild Leader Argon.
Damien was ill, but no one knew just how powerful he was. Alistair and his siblings had only seen him train when they were young, but it always left them in awe. Muttering a genuine thanks, he turned to his mother.
"All the youngsters had entered the tomb. But I have some bad news."
Elizabeth's brows furrowed deeply.
"What bad news?"
"The media had somehow found out about the tomb. Many channels are talking about it and demanding that the royals disclose information about it and who entered it."
Elizabeth's brows relaxed.
"That's it?"
He nodded, and she hummed.
"Let them talk. This was going to spread anyway. Also, release the names of those who had entered. There's no need to hide. I'm sure the Dark Lights already know what we are doing. They are definitely the ones who spread the news about the tomb."
Alistair nodded and left the chamber.
Elizabeth picked up Riruru. Glancing at her husband one last time, the Queen took the snake to her personal treasury, overflowing with glowing treasures of nearly all kinds.
But if one looked closely, they would notice that the space was mostly filled with things that sparkled brilliantly, even if they held no true value and were just ordinary trinkets.
There, nestled amongst the treasures, a leaf of gold, radiating a divine aura, rested. It was something she found in her youth.
"I will fulfill my promise. This golden leaf will help you live a little longer, little one."
She watched as Riruru stared at the leaf.
"After you have consumed it, I will bring you to your tutors who will help you get familiar with everything about humans."
***
Simultaneously, Skyler sneezed softly as a sudden wave of déjà vu washed over him.
He looked around at the barren land he had arrived at a while ago, his eyes narrowed.
"Who is talking about me?"
However, no matter where he looked, he failed to spot anyone. He had abandoned Rasha, Six, and Seven the moment he had arrived inside the tomb. They had actually landed in the same place since the three were acting as his trusted confidants, but he used a silly trick of suddenly asking the trio to look at the sky and disappeared.
He scratched his chin in confusion and resumed walking. He was definitely being paranoid. Yes, definitely. Otherwise, why would he feel like someone was plotting against him? It wasn't a bad déjà vu, not really. It was more like the kind you get when something unexpected happens.
If only he knew his senses were tingling because of his innocent little snake.
Skyler rolled away just as a massive wing swung at him from the side. The starless, moonless sky above him deepened into an even darker shade as he came face to face with a creature composed of Dark Evol.
It looked just like a wyvern. Its lengthy tail trailed behind it and its dark body flickered like the flame above a candle. But its hollow eye sockets burned with an eerie blue light.
Skyler's eyes sparkled with thrill.
"My first prey showed up! Finally!"
The wyvern let out a loud cry toward him, the scratchy sound booming and creating dark waves that made his eardrums ring.
Regardless, it wasn't a living creature, just something made of Evol, so Skyler wasn't going to fight it physically. He had decided to opt for range combat in the tomb.
Jumping back to create distance between himself and the dark creature, he fixed his gaze on its body. Then, instantly he willed the Evol from his space element crystal to stir and come forward at his command.
He was muttering the only space element spell he had learned in the academy library for the first time, so he was really not sure about the results. As he muttered the spell, only two words were comprehensible.
"Cosmic Collapse."
His eyes widened in shock as the wyvern, composed of Evol, lunged toward him, only to be drawn into the field that materialized before him. The gray field not only sucked in the wyvern's whole body but all the Evol in its range, creating a force that distorted the very fabric of space in front of him.
The gray field then collapsed, obliterating everything that it absorbed, including the wyvern. Leaving behind a crackling void.
"Wow..."
He exclaimed as the void vanished.
"This is an Epic tier spell?? So powerful! Why did the academy put such a powerful spell on the second floor?"
What Skyler didn't know was that the space element spell he learned was incomplete. It was him who subconsciously completed it.
Moreover, no student could learn it, even in its incomplete form, due to its difficulty, so it was placed into the Epic tier.
He rubbed his chest softly when he sensed that he had consumed a lot more space Evol than expected just to use the spell once.
"I guess I can't use this spell often."