Chapter 48 Power Awakens
My struggles were useless, she touched my chest. I gasped as I felt warmth building up inside me, like something was boiling there. What is this mermaid doing to my body?
“I won’t hurt you, chosen one. I’m a friend, and I would never go against the women from the mirror. It’s time for your power to wake up. Do you still not know what abilities you have?”
I frowned at her words. How does this mermaid know so much?
“Who are you?” I asked, watching her hand glow softly on my chest. I was having trouble breathing with what she was doing.
But instead of answering, she said something that caught all my attention.
“As I thought, you have a very pure heart. The mirror has never been wrong about the women it chooses. No wonder you helped me.”
She pulled her hand away and started unfastening the necklace around her neck.
“What is that? I’ve had bad luck with necklaces before. I can’t take that,” I said firmly.
She just smiled and put it on me anyway.
It wasn’t as fancy as the one my grandma gave me, but it had a small pendant with some yellow liquid inside.
“Use what’s inside this pendant the first time you use your power.”
I just stared at her.
“Power? Do I really have one?”
Sometimes I think healing is all I can do.
“Yes. And it’s rare for a vampire to have this kind of ability.”
“What kind of power? Fire? Wind?” I asked nervously.
Will I be as strong as Kaizer? The mermaid laughed a little at my question.
“You can dispel curses, Saera. You can break any curse in this world. Your power is as pure as your heart. It doesn’t hurt, destroy, or harm any living thing, exactly what a chosen woman should have.”
I just froze at her words, feeling the plants slowly unwrap from my body.
A pure heart? Do I really have one? I’ve hurt the prince I’ve loved for hundreds of years so many times. I’ve made so many wrong choices that almost hurt my prince and the Lancasters too. How can this mermaid say I still have a pure heart?
“I tied you up not to hurt you but to help you. Your power will be a big help with the chaos at the palace. And it’s up to you how you use it.”
I just closed my eyes as she breathed on me, and suddenly a bubble formed around my head.
“The Avirife palace is surrounded by water connected to every body of water in the empire. Mermaids can swim freely here, and we can use this to get you to the palace fast.”
I was amazed at what was happening.
“Tell me, mermaid, were you really stuck under that rock? You’re way more powerful than me, so why did you need my help?”
From what I can tell, she could have easily freed herself even if there were more big rocks on her tail.
I heard her laugh softly at my question.
“What else would I expect from the beautiful goddess from the mirror? You’re all so smart. A chosen woman helped me once before, Luciana helped me long ago. I’ve been waiting for you for so long, goddess from the mirror. I’ve wanted to repay that huge debt for ages.”
I almost gasped at what the mermaid said. Was grandma also a chosen woman back then?
“Hold on to my shoulder now.”
I wanted to ask how grandma helped her, but I just held her shoulder and we dove into the water.
Breathing was easy because of the bubble around my head.
She swam so fast, but I noticed other mermaids bowing to us as we passed, like they were showing respect to the mermaid with me. Now I was sure the princess I helped had a high position.
As we swam to the palace, the mermaid said something that stuck in my mind: Why does my power have to come with this kind of weakness?
We shot up from the water and found ourselves right in front of the palace. The mermaid was right, the whole palace is surrounded by water. How did I never notice the palace’s design before?
I climbed out quickly but turned back to the mermaid who’d helped me.
I had so many questions for her, about my power, how to use it, how grandma helped her but it seemed like I had more important things to do right now.
“May I know your name?” I asked the mermaid, who smiled gently at me.
“Queen Esmeray. You just saved the queen of the mermaids. I hope we meet again, goddess from the mirror.”
She didn’t wait for me to reply before diving back into the water. I just smiled briefly and ran into the palace.
The Avirife and Wisteria guards were panicking. As I ran, I saw two familiar vampires running with me.
“Long time no see, Saera. It’s been… what? 4 months? That’s way too long, no wonder Kaizer’s been such a pain in the neck,” Randall said, shaking his head.
“Why did you decide to go swimming now?” Travis asked when he saw I was soaking wet.
“So you two are here,” I just said as we kept running.
“Wherever Kaizer is causing trouble, Travis and I are always there. That’s what you call brotherhood,” Randall said proudly.
Travis and I both grimaced since when did they start calling each other “brother”?
“What the hell is with ‘brother’ and that damn ‘brotherhood’?”
Travis looked like he was about to throw up at what Randall said.
“Where’s Kaizer?” I asked the two of them.
“Upstairs? He’s already killed eight people,” Randall said simply.
“Ten, Randall,” Travis corrected him.
“Twelve now,” Randall shot back.
“Randall, throw me up there.”
It would take too long to run all the way up.
“Alright! We’ll go first, Travis.”
Randall picked me up and jumped high. I quickly spotted Kaizer, he was holding the necks of two of Princess Tatiana’s brothers, who were floating in the air.
“Kaizer!” I shouted loudly.
When Randall set me down, I didn’t hesitate to run to Kaizer and hug him tightly from behind, his hands were still on the two vampires’ necks.
“I was wrong, Kaizer. I made a mistake. I should have believed you, I should have only listened to the Ice Prince…”
Tears streamed down my face nonstop.
“I’m sorry, Kaizer… sorry. Sorry… yes, I’m so cruel. You do nothing but love me, but here I am, blinded by bits of my past… Forgive me… forgive me, Kaizer. I’m sorry… I promise I’ll only believe you from now on. I was wrong, my dear prince.”
“I don’t know if you’ll ever forgive me, my dear prince. I’m asking for your forgiveness. Please forgive me… my dear prince,” I kept saying, hugging him tighter as I cried harder.
I heard bodies fall to the ground, then felt Kaizer’s hands on my arms. He gently pulled me away and lifted my face so our eyes could meet.
I didn’t expect to cry even more when I heard what the most handsome prince I’d ever seen said to me.
“Let’s go home to Wisteria…”