Avoid The Lead! [[COMPLETED]]

31. Dark Flame

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The room remained quiet, as Celia and Taze glanced at each other.

It was no longer an issue of whether to tell Grand Mage Sidian anything...

They needed the ancient book, and Grand Mage Sidian was a powerful ally that could help.

But now, there was a matter of HOW MUCH to tell him!

~"Should we tell him everything?!"~ Celia asked.

~"No! It's not so easy to accept you've been stuck in a life and death cycle for twenty-six lifetimes!"~ Taze squeezed her hand. "And besides, the Time Spell is..."~

He didn't need to say more... they both understood.

Taze didn't want anyone else knowing what Celia's Ice Magic was capable of. It would either be praised, become a source of fear, or become the target of blind ambition...

Like with Vitav.

In the end, they used Celia's Foresight as a shield!

They explained everything  to Grand Mage Sidian, but carefully left out any mention of the time spell or previous lives, making it seem like Celia had 'foreseen' these events.

"So you mean to say," Grand Mage Sidian began. "...that Prince Vitav intends to overthrow his own father?!"

"It's one of his grander plans." Taze explained. "For now, he's after fame and recognition. He will do everything expected of a perfect prince."

"He will insidiously approach anyone aggrieved with the current rule and make promises he can't keep." Celia added. "Soon, he will have their support, and they will never believe him capable of any evil.

"Grand Mage Sidian, I can project my visions for you, if you want to see." Celia offered.

Of course she would be showing him memories, not visions...

Momentarily torn between trust and doubt, Grand Mage Sidian executed the mind-reading spell again.

This time, Celia projected the discussion between King Vien and Lord Scarlett, from her last life, and she even revealed the few fairy spies she had managed to identify back then.

This was followed by visions of how Vitav had arrested her and the entire Scarlett Estate, how he became King and forced her to marry him, and how she had finally died by Novia's hand.

Grand Mage Sidian ended the spell, his head hung in dismay. "Where was the Crown Prince in all this?" He quietly asked.

"He was already gone two years before then..." Celia squeezed Taze's hand. "This year to be exact! Which is why we must act quickly!"

"I won't die so easily." Taze soothed, patting her hand.

Grand Mage Sidian sighed. "I always personally believed Prince Vitav was manipulative..." His irises moved to Taze. "First, he was the perfect brother to you, but he nearly cut you off completely after you became Crown Prince.

"Back then I discarded my worries, because His Majesty hoped he would change... But through the years, Prince Vitav's mouth says one thing, while his body does another.

"I began to... notice subtle shifts in his expressions, or demeanor... The littlest of things! But I never thought he would veer so far off the right path! It's understandable to be a bit envious and competitive... even understandable to be a little manipulative. But joining hands with enemy forces?!!"

"That's not all. He and Lady Flora are likely using dark magic to control the poison within my body." Taze said, and he held up his free hand.

An orb appeared above his palm, hovering in place. The orb itself had a shimmering green surface, but in its center was a stark black wisp which somehow moved like both air and fluid, pulsing slowly.