Prince Caelan

14. Past

Transylvania

2 years ago

3rd person POV

The priest shakes in fear, holding an ancient book that reads 'Shadowlands.' protectively against his chest, "Prince Caelan, you must understand our reasoning, any more and you will di-"

The Prince slams the desk hard with his fist, his anger can not be held in anymore, he knows he is running out of time. "ENOUGH!" He barks out, his eyes are flaming red and his veins are visible on his forehead. "Do it again or I will make you." He demands, his eyes are wild and flaming red. The prince is rolling up his sleeve and holding his arm out as the priest who cowers behind the book he dearly holds against his tight hold.

The book of shadowlands. Curses, cures, and secrets from a Kingdom once ruled by vampires, now overthrown by demons or 'Renoan'. The Renoan are legendary for their healing and fighting abilities, their power is a match of those with werewolf blood.

The priest prepares the needle. Caelan Black tightens the belt around the top of his arm in preparation, he knows this is the only option he has left, he did not want to die, but he was running out of time.

The priest in waiting holds a vial, swirling with black contents with yellow specks that glow inside the concoction. The priest inserts the needle into the vial and pulls the liquid straight out into the syringe, his hands tremble. A single drop would burn straight through his skin.. but to the prince.. "M-My Prince, please reconsider this, you need to-".

Caelan Black snarls deadly towards the hooded priest, he takes the syringe from the hooded priest's hands and holds it firmly in place. If the priest was not going to do it, Caelan had to do it himself, his birthday was in two days, he wanted one more year, just one more to find his mate, he refused to die like this. "P-Prince!" The man calls out as he watches in terror as Caelan stabs his arm with the syringe, he had to do something, even if it meant resorting to something like this... he knew he had deserved the pain he was about to go through.

The priest watches on helpless as 'The Tears of Tris' travel through his veins, burning his whole body as his skin begins to turns black. The venom is strong and wants to kill, but the book of shadowlands promises redemption. To survive the venom, you live another day, maybe months or if you're lucky- a year.

That was all he needed, he begged for more time, anything at all.

He just needed time.

Caelan Black screams out in torment, his painful traumatizing, and blood-curdling screams can be heard throughout the castle. Everyone who heard his tormented screams stand still and give a silent prayer for his soul to survive the amount of suffering he is going through. Suffer he did but he never gave in to the venom, through tears and screams he held on, not once did he beg for mercy, his skin begins to turn to its original color meaning only one thing, he passed the test.

But Caelan knew at that moment he was not getting another chance, this was his third. You don't get a fourth, to attempt would result in a very painful death with no afterlife.

Prince Caelan Black passes out from the strength he had used up to fight 'The Tears of Tris'. He was strong, possibly the strongest wolf to date, taking after his father, King Kane Locus Black, but the power it takes to fight through the pain is harsh on your body, if you survive you will not be able to move as you become paralyzed for hours until the venom is out of your system.

The hooded priest holds a dry cloth in his hands, dunking it in cold water he places it on the laying prince's forehead. Steam can be seen coming off the prince as he sets the cold compress against his skin, the priest works the best he can to tend to his future king. The priest was interrupted by voices coming from behind the doors.

Kane had flown to get his son, knowing full well why his son, his heir was laid lifeless on the wood table. Kane had come here every time to collect his son, praying each year that he would find his mate so he could not witness the torment his son goes through each time. He had never heard screams or a person suffer as much as his son did, he would give anything to make it stop, but he allowed it to happen, Caelan had every right to do this, and not even a king or a father can stop the prince when he had made up his mind.

He did it for his mate.

"How is he?" The king asks the priest as he enters the room and sits beside his son, unable to look at him as his body was burnt and black, trying to heal itself. Kane could not bare to see his flesh and blood, his son, go through such things without his stomach churning at the sight. He was proud of his son, he was becoming braver than any other he had seen before, perhaps more so than himself.

The priest dampens the cloth again with cold water and reapplies it to Caelan's body. "He is weak, he will not survive this again your majesty, he fought the venom but his body could not accept much of Tris, he has a month- maybe two months left if he doesn't find his mate." The priest says simply.

Kane could not listen to this, he knew everything already, he just could not sit and watch his son suffer like this, not when he was turning 100 in two days.

The king watches silently as his men come into the room and carry his son away in a stretcher, they travel out of the room in sorrow at the state of their prince. Kane had dreaded the day to come when his son would outlive his time before he even had a chance at being happy, he too knew of the pain his son faced every day, he had once felt like he was running out of time.

No father should outlive his son.

Kane raises his head high, he wouldn't dream of anyone seeing his weakness so clear, for that was saved for private in the arms of his mate, the queen. He follows his men down the dark candle-lit stone hallway that leads him outside of the old monastery castle. The plane he traveled patiently waits for their departure, everyone on board knows this is the last time they will come here, they knew the prince was running out of time.

No words were exchanged as everyone sat silently on board. The soft wheezing of the prince as he struggles to breathe, occasionally groaning out in pain as the venom tries to leave his system.

The king closes his eyes and prays to the moon goddess, to save his son.

At that moment the man who fears nothing sat in silence as a single lone tear drops from his eyes.

Not once were words spoken amongst the people on board.

They all prayed silently, not once uttering a sound.