Chapter 29
Julian's POV
Sage and I entered Ella's mental realm together.
It was a gray, hazy space filled with floating fragments of broken memories. Some were clear, others blurred—like torn scrolls scattered across the void.
"Being a voyeur feels pretty good, doesn't it?" Sage remarked.
We passed through layer after layer of memories, witnessing Ella's days in Blood River territory. By the frozen lake, a thin girl and an equally frail boy huddled together for warmth. The boy took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders, leaving himself shivering in the cold.
In the hostage camp, the girl was bullied by other slaves. The boy rushed forward to shield her, getting beaten black and blue himself.
By the campfire, the boy handed her the best part of the grilled fish, gnawing on the bones himself.
And that snowy night—the boy running a high fever, yet pulling her hand close, talking about completing a "mate ceremony," promising to take her away from that hellhole...
"Seen enough?" Sage said coldly. "Her feelings for Kane run deeper than you imagine."
I said nothing, just quietly observed these memories. An indescribable emotion stirred within me—jealousy? Resentment? Or something else entirely?
Just then, I saw a different set of memories.
These were from earlier times, before she met Kane.
The memory showed a massacre.
Flames lit up the sky, blood stained the earth red. A little girl crouched in a corner, eyes wide, watching everything unfold. Her relatives fell one by one, blood splattering across her face, yet she couldn't even cry.
A warrior in battle armor charged forward, standing before her. Fire blazed in his hands as he struck down the approaching enemies one after another.
"Run!" the warrior roared.
But the little girl was paralyzed with fear, pupils unfocused, frozen in place.
The warrior glanced back at her, eyes filled with grief and unwillingness. Blood poured from his wounds, yet he stood straight as a mountain, unyielding.
"I'm sorry... Ella..." he said in a low voice. "I can't protect everyone anymore. But at least... at least I'll protect you."
He turned around and pressed both hands against the little girl's forehead. Blazing flames flowed from his body into hers.
The little girl's body began to glow, wrapped in crimson light.
"Remember..." the warrior said weakly, "you are... the last bloodline... of the Scott family..."
Before he could finish, he collapsed heavily to the ground and never rose again.
The little girl knelt beside him, tears finally streaming down her face.
"This is the truth," Sage whispered. "She's a descendant of the Crimson Flame Warlord."
Just as I was about to delve deeper, suddenly, a pitch-black thorn chain shot out from the void, stabbing straight toward my face!
In that split second, an ice wall crystallized before me. The chain slammed against it with a piercing crash, ice shards flying everywhere.
I fixed my gaze on the source—a shadow witch draped in black robes hovered in midair, her face obscured, only the corners of her mouth visible in an evil smile.
"Foul creature," I said coldly, "daring to run rampant within Silver Moon territory. Seems you truly don't take the power of ice seriously."
The moment I finished speaking, I shifted into my wolf form. Gray fur shimmered with ice-blue light in the hazy mental space as Sage took full control of my body. The witch let out a shrill laugh, her form flickering through space as thorn chains rained down relentlessly.
Her shadow-shifting was eerily unpredictable—each attack followed by disappearance, then reappearance elsewhere. Every time I lunged to attack, I hit nothing—she had no physical form, merely an illusion.
"Sage," I said internally, "she's just a projection. We need to find the connection point to her true body."
"I know," Sage growled, deliberately slowing down.
A thorn chain seized the opportunity, wrapping around our neck. The witch laughed triumphantly, thinking she'd succeeded. But the next second, ice-blue frost raced along the chain, freezing everything in its path. She tried to break free in panic, but it was too late—the ice followed the chain's trajectory and froze her figure solid.
"Ice Burst," I said calmly.
BANG—
The frozen witch shattered into countless fragments, dispersing into black mist.
I shifted back to human form, taking a deep breath, and surveyed my surroundings. The broken memory fragments still floated in the gray space, but farther ahead, I saw an open meadow.
I walked toward it. Passing through the final layer of mist, the view opened up—sunlight bathed the grass in warmth and serenity. Yet the sight before me stopped me in my tracks, shock flooding through me.
A massive crimson wolf lay imprisoned there.
Silver chains and dark thorn chains wrapped layer upon layer around its body, pinning it firmly to the ground. The thorns were barbed, embedded deep into its flesh, blood trickling slowly down its fur. It lifted its head, amber eyes fixed on me—not with hostility, but with profound sorrow. It whimpered weakly, as if pleading, as if warning.
"This is her wolf spirit," Sage murmured in my mind. "Sealed so thoroughly, no wonder she doesn't even know."
I approached slowly. The silver chains gleamed coldly in the sunlight—some powerful sealing technique, likely cast by the Blood River Pack.
And those black thorns—I frowned—that was shadow witch dark magic, recently added.
"Kane," I said his name through gritted teeth.
Not only had he failed to break the seal, he'd layered on another shackle.
I walked to the giant wolf's side, reaching out to touch the chains. The moment my fingertips brushed the silver, a powerful force repelled me.
This seal was far too strong for my current power to undo.
"This is Blood River sealing magic," Sage said. "Only the caster or their direct bloodline can break it."
Not far away on the grass, Ella lay there. She wore a white dress, eyes closed, as if asleep. I walked over and gently called to her.
"Ella."
Her eyes slowly opened, amber pupils filled with confusion. When she recognized me, she sat up abruptly, backing away in panic.
"Your Highness..." her voice trembled.
"Don't be afraid," I tried to soften my tone. "I'm just examining your memories."
She bit her lip, gaze drifting to the crimson wolf, eyes full of pain and guilt. Pointing at the chains, she choked out, "Your Highness, can you save it?"
I shook my head. "It appears to be shadow witch dark magic. I can't dispel it for now."
Just then, a commotion from outside consciousness reached me. I felt myself being forcibly pulled back to the real world, the scene before me blurring.
The last thing I saw was Ella kneeling beside the great wolf, crying helplessly.
I snapped my eyes open to find myself lying on the bed with Ella. She remained unconscious while I was positioned over her, maintaining the posture from when I'd been probing her memories.
Outside the door, I heard Fiona trying to stop someone, but she was quickly shoved aside.
The door burst open violently.
Kane, Victoria, and a crowd of servants poured in. When they saw the scene on the bed, everyone froze—me positioned over Ella, the two of us in a compromising pose that certainly looked like...
"Brother, how desperate you must be," Kane said through clenched teeth, eyes burning with fury, "to fuck my servant right here in the maids' quarters!"