Artemis Unveiled:The Descent

Untitled Part 4: The Shadow of Escape

Time passed, ten days went by.

Aria was on the verge of collapse. Xander's screams continued unabated, echoing through the tower every day, leaving her feeling utterly miserable. She believed Xander's stay at Echo Tower was accelerating his mental deterioration. But what worried her even more was Hawk's failure to return on time. Time seemed to accelerate abnormally fast, and even without venturing into the depths of the Northwood, Aria could keenly sense the disturbances in the seal. In the town, incidents of wild beast attacks occurred one after another, causing many messengers to frequently request leave due to fear. She and Oliver were busy every day until late into the night, sometimes even until dawn.

One day, Aria delivered a message to the Royal Post located south of Sovereign Bastion. Walking down the winding road with an empty bag slung over her shoulder, she was knocked to the ground by a tall horse coming at her. The cavalryman was furious, cursing loudly, as behind him was a luxurious carriage.

Angry, Aria sat on the ground, rubbing her sore arm, her dress covered in mud.

Suddenly, the carriage door swung open. As the person stepped out, wearing shining leather boots, Aria recognized the familiar figure instantly.

"Sorry, Your Majesty, I'll get rid of this commoner right away."

"It's okay, she's... a royal messenger," King Magnus gestured. As King Magnus approached her with disdain in his gaze, Aria looked down at the mud, realizing she was just a messenger in the eyes of King Magnus, not worthy of meeting the gaze of the esteemed king.

"Get up."

Aria trembled all over, quickly getting up.

"Accompany me to the graveyard. I want to pay homage to my deceased wife."

"So, you still remember," Aria murmured. But she was astonished, realizing that King Magnus had not forgotten his mother's memorial day.

They walked towards the Royal Cemetery at the foot of the mountain. As Aria passed through the heavy guard, entering the walled cemetery, a mix of excitement and sadness surged within her. The cemetery was filled with pink flowers, and the fragrant scent of flowers wafted in the air. Although it should have been the season of autumn leaves falling, the place was instead a sea of flowers.

They arrived at a lone tree under which stood a polished white jade tombstone. However, Aria quickly shifted from grief to anger. The tombstone bore no dates, no names, not even a single carving. The bleak tombstone only had a single letter engraved on it, D.

"Her name isn't D, she's your wife. Doesn't such status deserve a name?" Aria pointed at the tombstone, her voice filled with anger.

"She was just an ordinary woman. According to royal family law, burial here requires honor and lineage. I cannot go against it."

"Ridiculous. Then why did you marry her?"

"I did it to protect her." Magnus looked at her, his regal demeanor tinged with even more coldness. "Your scales frightened everyone, they thought she gave birth to a demon. It made your mother miserable, and she begged me to do this."

"Royal family law." Aria scoffed. Magnus's words pierced her heart. "Xande doesn't have scales, why send him away too? Because he won't speak?" Aria growled softly, never having vented her anger at the king, but this time was different. Ten years of anger burned in her chest.

"Hawk told you about the seal." Magnus's voice remained cold.

"I don't understand, what does that have to do with sending Xander away?"

"If the Iron Guard cannot hold the seal, Sovereign Bastion will cease to exist. Everyone associated with me will be killed. So, to let you survive, I need you to stay away from Sovereign Bastion. Yesterday, I received a message from Hawk. He should arrive in about a week."