Chapter 27 'Who Is Watching Who'

Chapter 27 'Who Is Watching Who'
🌋 Seraphina 🌋

I froze, my hands clenching the fabric of my skirt. My throat tightened as I realized the truth: he just revealed. the assassins weren’t here for Elias or even me in the way I had thought. They were here for the Curse Bearer, they were here to precede his arrival.

I didn't know what to think, how to react. My mind was just blank, subsequently the pain hit me again which made me frown and twirl slamming my hand on the curse which was now glowing.

I glanced at the small pouch by my feet—the broken Sunstone—and my stomach twisted. My lifeline, my leverage, the one thing I had counted on to channel my powers, now in pieces, useless. Without it, my abilities were raw, untempered, unpredictable. The extent of that realization pressed on me like stone.

There's no way I can flaunt my magic without having the Sunstone back in the shape it has always been. Why did it shatter? How did it shatter? The magic captured in it wasn't to be trifled with, how did it end up being broken?

Those were the questions running in my mind, because I've always believed it was unbreakable and it would have to be passed from generation to generation.

Since it's broken now, I need to find a solution, I need to think of every possible way to repair it

The Curse Bearer observed my hesitation, a cruel amusement playing across his features. “Ah,” he said, voice low and smooth, “I see the dilemma you’re in. You think yourself powerless without the Sunstone, but you are more than useful without it. You can do, and undo, more than you realize.”

His gaze swept the room, lingering on each shard of the broken gem with an almost reverent appreciation. “But,” he continued, voice carrying a subtle edge of warning, “before you can wield such power fully, you must unlock the magic that sleeps within you. Until that moment, the true Sunstone remains with me.”

My breath caught. More than useful? Without the Sunstone? The very thought made my head spin, but the mention of the Sunstone being in his possession ignited a flare of fear. How? How did it get in his possession? Meaning the Sunstone wasn't broken, instead it was with The Curse Bearer. How did it get to him, had he showed up here before this day?

I wasn't thinking straight, I was relieved to know the Sunstone wasn't broken, but I didn’t know whether to trust him or suspect further treachery. It was in the hand of the Curse Bearer, can I trust him not to use it against me? Can I trust him not to turn the magic in it into black magic?

I was of a true blood.

My eyes narrowed instinctively to Elias to check what was going on in his mind. And he was just the way I had expressed him to be, he stood frozen with confusion and helplessness written plainly across his face.

I'm sure he has the same thoughts running in his hand. Just how did it get in the Curse Bearer's hands?

He would be more shocked because he'd feel like he wasn't in the right state of mind. He'd always believed the Sunstone sleeps and drinks with him, only to realize he'd been living with the fake one.

But still, my anger towards him didn't subdued, I glared at him furiously, unable to mask the torrent of frustration coursing through me.

The Curse Bearer clapped his hands once, the sound echoing like a whip crack through the room. His interruption broke the awkward stern glare I directed towards Elias.

“Enough bickering,” he said, and with a subtle gesture, a glow of light emanated from his palms, washing over us both. I gasped as warmth filled my body, easing the burn of pain I had felt from the curse.

Elias sagged slightly, tension leaving his muscles as the physical pain drained from him. I could see relief flash across his face, fleeting yet genuine.

The Curse Bearer’s eyes softened for just a moment, and he leaned slightly closer. His voice dropped, as if confiding something long kept. “You’ve felt pain, Princess… injury, trauma, and yet no healing came. You wondered why, didn’t you?”

I leaned forward, curiosity and caution warring in my chest. My mind raced—was he about to explain? Was this the moment of revelation I had been waiting for? It was, I have always been curious ever since that day to know why my injury doesn't heal on its own anymore, rather Elias feels the relief I am supposed to experience.

I believe the only thing binding Elias and me should be the curse, he should not feel the comfort I am supposed to have.

He smirked, a knowing, infuriating smile. “Perhaps… you should find out for yourself,” he said, voice dropping to a tantalizing whisper. “Or I could tell you… but only if you agree to my condition.”

I hesitated, brow furrowed, trying to gauge his meaning. The condition? What could it be? My pulse quickened with both dread and calculation. Was this the time he'd ask to turn me to a black soul?

And then, practicality outweighed hesitation—if keeping him close meant retrieving the Sunstone, learning the truth, and unlocking my full magic, I had little choice.

“I’ll agree,” I said cautiously, my voice firm despite the fear coiling in my stomach. “Tell me what I need to know.”

The Curse Bearer’s smirk widened, his eyes glinting with mischief. “Very well,” he said, “but first… we play a little game. A hand of ‘who is watching who.’ Only then will the knowledge—and the Sunstone—be within reach.”

I blinked, confusion and apprehension ticking in my mind. A game? Watching? My thoughts raced to Elias, who looked on, equally perplexed and wary. I opened my mouth to question him, but a familiar, low chuckle echoed through the room.

He's been here for just a few minutes, and I know already when he's chuckling. And who else would chuckle in this kind of situation? He's got the whole situation in his control.

The sound pulled me back to reality. I turned sharply to the window and saw him—fading, slipping through it like smoke, the last traces of his presence lingering in the air like a tangible chill. The room seemed suddenly colder.

I exhaled, letting out my frustration, awe and tension knotting in my stomach through the heavy breath. The Curse Bearer had vanished, but the weight his words carried still thrummed in my heart like the sounds of drum playing. I know very well how every decision I make can change the game,my life and the fate of two Kingdoms.

I wasn't in this alone, Elias had a part in it, his decision, thought conjoined with mine can be the turning points of our lives.

The Curse Bearer definitely didn't appear to play with us…he's either here to destroy us or to save us.

My gaze slowly wandered to Elias. Elias stood motionless as if a magic stunt was playing in front of him. He glanced at me also, and I could see his eyes questioning and searching mine for answers to his numerous questions.

His lips twitched as if he was ready to say something but the room's atmosphere held him in place.