Chapter 125

Chapter 125
"Be safe, Mom." Lady Nathalia approached and kissed the back of her mother's hand. "I'm sorry..."

"You really don’t want to come—"

"Please keep her safe," Lady Nath said to a soldier of the Phoenix Clan.

Lord Oscar also approached to kiss Lady Grenda’s hand. "Take care of yourself."

"You’d better get going," said Brix. "Thank you very much for coming—"

"Let's go." Lady Grenda cut Brix off, pulled her horse forward, and left ahead of everyone else. Her attendants followed immediately.

I couldn't take my eyes off Brix. He turned his back and walked away.

After all… he still wanted to be noticed by her.

"Dinner?" Erikson offered. "I’ve been looking for you."

"Me too!" Randolf slung his arm around Erikson. "How about you, Mr. Hezuera?"

I glanced at Nigel, who was speaking with his soldiers. He excused himself and walked toward us. "I’ll pass for now. We're still waiting for several more comrades to arrive tonight."

"Whoa. Okay, Lord Nigel," Randolf teased.

"Is that for real?" Erikson added teasingly.

"Yeah—"

"Why do you look nervous?" Erikson asked.

Nigel swallowed. "I’ll be fighting beside my idol. It would be embarrassing if he sees me trip, right?"

Erikson and Randolf burst out laughing and lightly punched Nigel on the shoulder. Even though we were from different factions, that didn’t stop us from forming a strong bond.

I just smiled. Kidding aside, I knew he was doing it for his sister. You've come a long way, Mr. Hezuera. Your father must be proud of you. Even Magda and her son.

"Lady Astralla Martin!" I looked toward the one who shouted my full name. It was so loud even the others turned toward the source.

My eyes widened when I saw who was arriving, riding a horse alongside her group.

"L-Lady Celeste!"

"Milove!" Randolf shouted too.

Celeste jumped off her horse and ran toward me for a tight hug.

"Wow. You missed Astra more than me?" Randolf pretended to be hurt.

Lady Celeste faced me, tears forming in her eyes.

"I was worried. I know you're strong, but sometimes you make reckless decisions," she said, squeezing my hands. "I’m so happy to see you again."

"How about me, Milove?"

"Why are you here?" I asked.

She laughed and flipped her hair. "Adventure time."

"Yowoo! Your Milove is here too!" Randolf stepped between us to face Celeste. "What the heck? Are you just going to ignore my existence?"

Celeste smiled and hugged him. "Of course, Mr. Wenson. I missed you too!"

"Not another pair of lovebirds," Erikson yawned.

"Join us for dinner!" I invited them.

"Sure. This will be a long night..." Randolf smirked.

"Damn it. Another night of bed creaking!" Erikson complained loudly, ruffling his hair in frustration.

"All night long, Mr. Nadija!" Randolf bragged.

"Idiot. Find somewhere quieter!"

While they were bickering, I looked around. I could no longer see Brix. He was probably with the other leaders making preparations. From what I heard, the enemy moved suddenly, so we had to stay alert.

We weren’t just up against The Five Cloaks, but even the retired leaders of other clans. This would be difficult—those elders could still fight. To sum it up, this was a battle of past and present... shaping the future.

"Cheers to our last peaceful night!" Erikson raised his wine glass.

"We will win this!" said Lady Celeste.

"For S..." Erikson began.

I raised my glass too. "For the next generation..."

Nigel joined us. To our surprise, Lady Vienzara also joined in. What started as a small gathering grew into a celebration. It was... a fun night. I was anxious that something might happen, but thankfully, it was peaceful.

Just like Erikson said, that was our last peaceful night.

\---

The next morning, a messenger arrived. We rushed to the Dome. From what I heard, the message came from the higher-ups.

We found a man standing before the leaders, holding a piece of paper—probably the message regarding our request.

"If you came here to threaten us, we can fight," said Brix.

The soldiers were on high alert in case it was a trap.

I frowned. I couldn’t sense the man’s presence. I could see him, but I couldn’t feel him. I wasn’t sure that was even possible.

"They heard you..." he finally spoke.

"Then you know you won’t win us over like this," said Lord Oscar. "If that letter speaks of rejecting our cause, we will not accept it."

"Erikson..." I whispered. "Who is he?"

"An elderly vampire. One of the retired leaders."

That confused me more. Why couldn’t I feel this vampire?

"You may leave," Lord Oscar said, standing up. "Tell the higher-ups we will not back down from this fight."

I searched for Elder Entiango. He was staring hard at the man, likely sensing the same strange feeling I did.

"But I have a message you haven’t heard yet..."

I saw a flicker of light from the paper he held. I stepped back in shock.

"Astra? Are you okay?" Erikson asked worriedly.

"T-the paper..."

"What?"

No. They couldn’t see it.

"Stop right now!" Elder Entiango stepped forward, raising his hand in case the man continued. "You are not their messenger."

The man smirked.

Just before the explosion, Elder Entiango managed to trap us inside a protective barrier. From within, I watched the giant stones fall from above... until the entire Dome collapsed.

Elder Entiango dropped to his knees as the barrier dissipated. He was clearly weakened from the massive spell. Soldiers helped him away.

"Astra! You okay?" Erikson asked again, concerned.

I looked up. The Dome was gone.

"Close all the gates!" shouted Lord Sentero.

All the soldiers sprang into action.

Erikson tried to take my hand, but I pulled away.

"Let’s go. It’s not safe here..."

"You go ahead," I said.

"What? Not again!"

"I’ll follow right after!" I shouted as I ran after the soldiers escorting Elder Entiango.

I was sure there had been a light in that man’s paper before the explosion. What puzzled me was why only Elder Entiango and I could see it.

"May I come in?" I asked the guard outside Elder Entiango’s room.

"He’s resting—"

"Let her in," came Elder Entiango’s voice from inside.

The guard had no choice but to let me through. I found Elder Entiango sitting on the bed, sipping what looked like herbal medicine.

"This is what I feared," he said.

"Sir?"

He looked at me. "Brix is not only fighting the higher-ups. Even the healers will now target him. They’ve found the perfect moment to strike..."

I swallowed. "I-Is it because of that?"

He nodded. "What I fear is that the healers and higher-ups might join forces to bring down Brixton. And now... it seems that’s already begun."

"Him..." I said bitterly with a smile.

"I wouldn’t be surprised if they took away my powers too. Every time I defend Brix, I turn my back on where I came from." He smiled sadly. "I won’t be able to stay by his side much longer."

"Brix will make it. He has healing powers, too!"

He stared at me. "It won’t last anymore..."

"W-What do you mean?"

He stood up and pulled back the window curtain. From there, the collapsed Dome was visible. In an instant, one of the tallest landmarks was gone.

This was just the beginning. I felt like this place would be wiped out before the war even ended.

I swallowed. "How do you know Brix’s powers won’t last?"

"Because they’re borrowed!" Elder Entiango turned to me. "That power was never meant for him."

"I-I don’t understand..."

"Now that the true heir of the mist is born, the power will slowly return to them. Slowly, your child will reclaim the ability that rightfully belongs to them."

My heart sank after hearing that.

"Fate truly plays tricks..." he said with a bitter smile. "Who would’ve thought the true heir of the mist and the one who borrowed it would fall in love and marry?"

I stepped back. My lips trembled.

"That’s right, Astra. You are the true heir of the mist, but your body chose to accept being a vampire. So when you had a child, the power found another way—through your bloodline."

"H-How did he borrow the power from my father?"

He stared at me intently.

"You know it’s not something willingly given..."

That’s when the tears fell from my eyes. I felt like I’d been doused in cold water.

"It was never freely given..."