evermore || sebastian sallow

chapter 25 - desires and despairs

chapter 25 - desires and despairs

One hour before Halloween ends

"The lost diadem?" I asked The Grey Lady in disbelief. "But that relic has been lost for centuries, Helena. No one has had any success in finding it."

She floated around the empty common room, moving to one of the opened windows and looking out. "No one without ancient magic has found it." She turned around to look at me curiously. "And no one from our bloodline has found it because it did not need to be found. Until now."

"Why does it want to be found now?"

She merely stared at me. "I can not answer that for you even if I wanted to. I do not know. But it holds knowledge that can not be found in books. Perhaps you will need it."

My heart started beating fast. What knowledge could I possibly need that it would start calling for me?

I furrowed my eyebrows, studying the swirling silver-blue lines under my feet, guiding me outside. "Is that what I'm seeing then? An ancient magic trace to Rowena's diadem?"

Helena gave a slight nod.

As if I was in some sort of trance, I followed the odd trace outside of the common room.

"But be warned, Yn," she cautioned, making me pause by the doorway. "Know the real and the illusion."

I gave a nod, my hands trembling at her warning as I held the doorway.

Perhaps it was dangerous. Perhaps it wasn't a clever strategy to follow it without a plan. But the way it was calling for me seemed desperate. As if I needed to go right this hour.

Once again, I let my eyes and feet guide me. The strange voice muddling my logical thoughts.

My costume was a mess, and it was probably unwise to be seen as I followed the trace outside. I ducked in corners, and ran behind walls whenever student chatter and drunken giggling would echo down the hallway.

It wasn't until I made it to the Viaduct Courtyard outside the Great Hall that I paused at the voices, my mind clearing for a moment at their familiar sound.

"I don't care, Ominis. He hurt her, he deserves more than I'd probably give him," Sebastian was saying.

"Everyone is here right now, Sebastian. Do you really want to cause a scene and ruin all of Y/n's hard work for this dance?" snapped Ominis.

I could feel the tension between them with the way the silence stretched.

A moment passed before I heard Sebastian whisper in despair. "She's been hurting this whole time. And I didn't know. I didn't know at all and he made it worse."

I swallowed, my shoulders tensing at his words. I fisted my dress and shut my eyes tightly, suddenly recalling the things I confessed to him tonight. Mentally cursing myself, I peeked over the wall I hid in, and looked at Ominis and Sebastian.

My head was still buzzing from the alcohol but it was feeling a bit better. I might regret it tomorrow, but that was also tomorrow me's problem.

"I know she has. Trust me," Ominis sighed.

Sebastian frowned. "What do you mean you know?"