Endless Enchantment: Secret Of Shadowvale

CHAPTER-12- FAMILY...RIGHT?

LUCIUS'S POV~

"Is it that hard to replace me?" her voice laced in amusement of teasing me. Her soft hand tracing my arm as I sit in my chair, working. The warmth of her touch is igniting every nerve in my body but I can't seem to move my eyes.

I don't say a word.

She repeats the question, more assertive this time, "Will you ever replace me?" But I stay silent, just as before. I can hear her grumbling, murmuring under her breath, but then... nothing. Her voice fades, and the warmth of her touch vanishes. Why isn't she speaking anymore? Why does the air feel so empty, as if she was never there?

"Lucius. brudaaaaa!!!!!" Jasper's voice breaks through the haze.

I blink, reality rushing back to me. "She's not here... is she?" I murmur, my voice hollow. My mind has always been a cruel trickster, conjuring her presence as if she were real-making me believe that Elara is still here, when all I'm left with is emptiness.

Jasper's usual calm exterior cracks, and I catch the concern in his eyes. "You've got to stop doing this to yourself, man," he says, stepping closer and placing a steady hand on my shoulder. "It's been years... you can't keep chasing ghosts."

I force a tight-lipped smile, shaking my head as if to dispel the fog of memories swirling around me. "I'm fine, Jasper. It's just... things have been getting to me lately." But even as I say it, I know it's a lie. I need to shift the focus away from me, away from Elara. "We need to focus on Viana. She deserves to know the truth about her husband."

Jasper's brow furrows, but he lets it slide, sensing the shift in my demeanor. "Right. The truth. But how exactly do you tell a woman her husband isn't actually dead and the story of him being stuck between life and death is a total crap" He sighs, rubbing the back of his neck, and I can see the tension in his shoulders. "It's gonna hit her like a freight train though I don't even give a damn but still." he jumps on my bed like a wild animal. God! he tests my patience.

I let out a slow breath, my gaze hardening with determination. "We don't have much of a choice. If we keep hiding it, she'll find out on her own, and it'll be even worse. We need to approach her carefully, give her some answers without throwing everything at her all at once."

Jasper looks at me, doubt creeping into his usually composed demeanor. "You think she'll understand?"

"I don't know," I admit, feeling the weight of uncertainty press down on me. "But she deserves the truth, no matter how much it hurts."

"My dear lords" Zaphyra marches in my bedroom, soaked in blood.

"Oh my Lord!" Jasper gasps, his eyes wide with shock as he takes in Zaphyra's battered state. Her clothes are torn, hanging off her like ragged shreds, and blood drips from her nose, staining her dirt-smudged face. Bruises mar her skin, dark and angry, telling a story of pain and struggle that's hard to believe. It sends a cold shiver down my spine, twisting my stomach with fear.

"Who did this to you, Zaphyra?" Jasper and I catch her just before she collapses, her legs giving out beneath her. We lower her gently onto the bed, careful not to cause her any more pain, but the sight of her broken state sets my insides ablaze with a mix of fury and helplessness. The bruises, the blood-it's too much. Whoever did this... they didn't hold back.

"Who did this?" Jasper repeats, his voice low and trembling with anger as he grips Zaphyra's hand. "I swear, I'll find whoever's responsible and tear them apart." His teeth are clenched so tightly I can hear the strain, and I know he's on the verge of losing it.

"Jasper," I murmur, placing a hand on his shoulder, "we need to heal her first. That's what matters now."

He takes a breath, and his grip on her hand loosens slightly, though the rage doesn't leave his eyes. "We need Adriana," I say. "She's the only one who can help."

Adriana arrives quickly, the air almost shimmering as she steps through the doorway, her presence bringing a sense of calm and quiet power. She's younger than me, but her skills in healing have always been remarkable, almost otherworldly. Her dark hair falls in waves over her shoulders, and her eyes glow faintly with the soft blue of magic as she kneels by Zaphyra's side.

"Adriana, please," I urge, my voice barely steady. "She needs you."

She nods, her expression calm but focused as she places her hands gently over Zaphyra's wounds. A faint, bluish light begins to radiate from her palms, washing over Zaphyra's broken skin like a soothing balm. The bruises start to fade, and the cuts slowly knit together, but there's something in Adriana's eyes-a flicker of concern that sends a chill through me.

When she speaks, her voice is low and edged with disbelief. "These wounds... they're not normal," she says, glancing up at us. "No mortal could have done this. The damage is too deep, too unnatural. It's as if something from beyond this world tried to tear her apart."

Jasper's face tightens, his anger now laced with a hint of fear. "What does that mean? Who-or what-did this?"

Adriana shakes her head, still focusing on her healing, the blue light growing brighter as she tries to close the deeper wounds. "I don't know," she whispers, "but whatever it was, it's powerful. More powerful than any creature I've ever encountered."

The room feels colder suddenly, and I can't help but glance around as if expecting some dark force to manifest right here. Zaphyra's breathing steadies under Adriana's magic, but the mystery of her attacker hangs over us, thick and suffocating, like a storm waiting to break.

In that moment, something strange happens. Jasper's black and green ring glimmers ominously, its dark surface shining like a warning, while my red ring flares to life, pulsing with a fierce energy that feels almost alive. The air around us crackles with tension, heavy and charged, as if the very world is holding its breath.

Zaphyra looks straight at us, her eyes burning with determination despite her injuries. "It's time," she says, her voice steady but urgent. "Eldranthia awaits for you. the land between worlds is collapsing"

A shiver runs through me at the mention of Eldranthia, a mysterious realm filled with magic and danger, where the rules of reality blur and anything can happen. The atmosphere thickens with unspoken fears and the thrill of what lies ahead, pulling us toward the unknown.

"Dad wants to see us Lucius" the tension emanating from Jasper is hard to ignore. I won't deny I am sweating as well but it's dad at the end of the day. He is family.....RIGHT?