Chapter 219: 219 The End… or the Beginning?

"My name is Naufal," the dark-haired man introduced himself, and only then did I really get a good look at him. He was tall and powerfully built, with jet-black hair. Young, devilishly handsome, his sharp black eyes holding a kind of animal magnetism.

"You’re two-faced, metamorph, like… a skirefen," the realization suddenly hit me. "But you’re light. Not like Bahira was…"

"Yes," the man sighed somehow wearily. "There are many two-faced beings in this world, just as there are many of our kinds.

Then why didn’t you fight in your second form?" I couldn’t understand it. I had read that a second form could be many times stronger than a human one.

"Believe me, Your Majesty, it’s better for everyone when I stay in human form," I saw him tense. The topic was clearly unpleasant for him—perhaps even painful.

Looking at him more closely, I could tell there was a lot weighing on him. Everyone carries their own secrets, fears, and deeds they’re not proud of—burdens we drag with us through life.

"As I understand it, you have a lot to tell us," Kays said seriously. "Let’s help the people first, and then we’ll gladly and attentively listen to you."

As curious as we were, chaos still reigned all around us. There were many wounded—and, sadly, not without casualties. People needed help, and we immediately got to work. Laverna took on the most severe cases, while Kays and Naufal handled the less critical injuries.

Later, Naufal told us that he was one of the descendants of the ancient mages who safeguard peace and order from skirefens who had lost their restraint. These were the very mages who once rose and fought back when the skirefens tried to enslave the world. It turned out they had formed something like a guild or an order, passing their power and magic down through generations, quietly protecting the balance of society.

The dark-haired mage admitted that skirefens had long kept a low profile and gone into hiding. Some had even managed to integrate into normal human society, voluntarily relinquishing part of their power.

But there were others who could never accept such an outcome.

Like Bahira.

She had long dreamed of restoring skirefen dominance, acting either from the shadows or disappearing for centuries at a time. To do that, she needed a high position in human society—so she began ingratiating herself with royal families, carefully choosing her prey.

Of course, Kays’s brother—Vielfdem—would have been the most advantageous target, since he was next in line for the throne. But his brother was far more rational and not so easily led by emotion, preferring calculation and common sense.

Unlike Kays.

Back then, his blood was boiling, demanding reckless choices—exactly what a skirefen needed.

Most likely, Bahira had planned to get rid of Viel once he ascended the throne, so that the ruling elite would become Karadeylis and Bahira next in line. After that, she might have disposed of Kays himself as well, becoming the sole queen of Virolia—because unlike Zergedia, in our kingdom a woman can rule without a husband. That way, the creature could openly support the skirefens and help them seize more power, finally stepping out of the shadows.

But the hot-blooded temper of the dark-haired man both helped and ruined all her plans. He wanted to prove himself, to assert his strength! And contrary to all her expectations, he and Laverna not only survived, but gained immense power—power that became an open threat to Bahira.

She followed the expedition closely, sometimes subjecting everyone to additional trials and hardships. In the end, when her friends were accepting their gift, the creature managed to poison their minds with her lies for long centuries, setting Laverna and Karadeylis against each other and cursing them. She might even have cast an irreversible curse—but the Caves of Power gave the friends a chance at liberation, because their souls were pure. And their curses were bound through blood: as children, the two had sworn eternal friendship to each other, pricking their fingers and mixing the drops of blood that welled up.

While the mages hated each other and tried to kill one another, the skirefen was perfectly satisfied and felt no danger. Outside the palace, Kays possessed only half his strength, and Laverna was mostly a healer, with not nearly as much combat magic. Bahira did not truly expect keys to be found to break the spells—too much time had passed, and everything had remained unchanged for centuries.