Caeruleus holds me tightly, his arms strong and steady as he carries me back toward the others. I cling to him, my gaze fixed on the scene behind us—a sight of ruin and devastation spreading across the landscape. Flames lick the broken edges of the tavern walls, smoke curling and billowing into the sky, blocking out the stars. My heart clenches, the echo of screams and shattered glass still ringing in my ears, but Caeruleus's presence grounds me, his warmth a small shield against the chaos.
His hold is gentle yet firm, as if he knows how fragile I feel. As I watch the disaster unfold, I can't help but wonder why Mother loathes me to the extent of sending people to take my life. What did I do to deserve such hatred from the one person who should protect me? It's a question I can't escape, lingering like a curse that's seeped into my bones.
How could she want me gone so badly that she would go to these lengths? A part of me wants to believe there's some misunderstanding, some reason hidden beneath the surface—but I know better. Her bitterness runs too deep, and now, I'm left wondering if I was ever anything more to her than a burden, an obstacle she was waiting to remove.
"William is not the one responsible for this" Caeruleus utters under his breath like he finds it difficult to tell me it wasn't her fault. if she is not the one then who? unconsciously I place myself in a more comfortable position with my legs wrap around his waist which startles him and makes me realize what I just did I try to scramble back down but he holds me tighter. "You don't have to I like it this way" He whisper with a grin, and all I can do is place my face in the crook of his neck to burry down my embarrassment.
"I don't understand" with a muffling voice I voice out still embarrassed at our current position
"Huh?"
"I don't understand," I murmur, confusion thick in my voice. "She said Mother was the one who sent them to kill me, but you're saying it's not her. So, whose mother are we talking about? And why did she call me a traitor?" I sigh, frustration and doubt swirling in my chest. Deep down, I sense he knows more than he's letting on, but a part of me can't shake the fear that he won't believe me—that he might think I'm somehow tied to those women. "I swear..."
"Shh... it's alright, I know." His voice is soft, soothing as he takes my face gently from where I'd buried it against his chest, his eyes meeting mine with steady reassurance. "You don't have to say anything. If anything, we should be the ones explaining what we've gotten you into. Let's find somewhere safe to rest, and we'll make time to tell you everything."
"Who is we" I ask
"Let's head to other's first and find a place" he says but stop when I give him an annoy stare, I know he is trying yet again to avoid answering.
I cross my arms, narrowing my eyes. "You're dodging the question, Caeruleus."
He looks surprised at the mention of his name, his eyes widening just a bit. For a moment, he seems taken aback, as if hearing it from my lips startled him.
"Did you... say my name?" he asks softly, his voice almost uncertain, as though he's not sure he heard right.
I nod, meeting his gaze. "Yes, Caeruleus," I repeat, feeling the name roll off my tongue with an unexpected familiarity.
A flicker of something—maybe relief, maybe something deeper—passes over his face. He clears his throat, his surprise giving way to a small, almost tender smile. "I... I wasn't expecting that," he murmurs, his tone softer now, as if my saying his name meant more to him than I realized.
I brush off his look of amazement with a small wave of my hand, unwilling to be distracted. "Are you going to tell me or not?" I press, my tone edging on impatience.
His smile fades, he lets out a soft sigh, a flicker of something unreadable passing over his face. "I'm not trying to keep you in the dark," he murmurs, his gaze steady but gentle. "Just... trust me for a little longer. I promise, you'll understand everything soon. But right now, you need rest and a safe place—nothing else matters more than that."
"Before you, I never really had this kind of encounter before" I start after we walk in silence towards the other, he is now carrying me on his back after many debates on the previous way he held me.
"Is it a way of saying you were at peace before me?" he asks not annoyed but amuse and I shake my head afraid he will misunderstand.
"No," I say quietly, my voice carrying the weight of my frustration. "I somehow feel embarrassed at the fact that I clearly don't know the place I've lived in, these witches and all these strange things happening. I never would have even thought people possessed such powers. My father, my mother, and even my own brother never told me about this kind of life... even my late..." I stop myself, realizing what I was about to say, the words dying on my tongue. I know how much he dislikes hearing about the late Duke, and I don't want to push him too far.
But when I glance up at him, I'm surprised to see a smile on his face, something subtle but real. His gaze softens as he watches me, almost amused.
"Continue," he urges me, his voice low and encouraging.
I hesitate for a moment, then, unable to stop myself, I continue. "He never told me, and now that I think about it... it's even more puzzling. If everyone else possesses that kind of magic, why would they hide it from me? I still remember how ignorant I was when I first asked about the meeting at the palace. They called themselves hybrids, and I thought it was just some strange name for employees and..."
Before I can finish, he suddenly bursts out laughing, his laugh ringing out clear and unrestrained. The sound catches me off guard, and I freeze, staring at him, a mix of confusion and slight irritation flooding me.
He catches his breath, still chuckling, and wipes a hand over his face as if trying to regain composure. "My apologies" he says, still laughing lightly. "I just... I didn't expect that."
I frown, not quite sure whether to feel embarrassed or annoyed "I don't remember them explaining to me what it was"
"Why not ask, then again how will you ask with how frighten you were, but you still proceeding with the meeting while still not understanding is so beautiful" he says turning slightly to give me a smile.
"With all of this," I continue, my voice tinged with uncertainty, "I wonder how Manta looked at me. Did she know, or did she just feign not knowing? And as for my family... the truth is, I don't know if they'd even care to tell me if I were to ask, considering how they've kept so many things hidden from me."
I pause, the weight of everything pressing down on me. "How did you meet my mother?" I ask suddenly, a question that's been nagging at me for a while. "You always call her William, or I heard Richy or Charlie, never mother-in-law or even just mother. And... she never seemed like someone who disliked you when it was announced that I was to marry you."
"For Manta, you don't have to worry," he says gently. "It's true that she voiced her concerns about not detecting any ignis in you, but despite that, I think you managed to win her over. She loves you, regardless." He pauses, his gaze softening as he reflects. "As for your mother... she and I met a very long time ago. There's more to our story than you realize, and, as I said, we'll need to find a better place to discuss it. She has a major part in all of this"
"Then... could you tell me what Ignis is?" I ask, feeling the unfamiliar word linger in my mind, mysterious and unsettling.
He studies me for a moment, as if weighing whether to answer fully. "Ignis," he begins slowly, "is the core of magic, the energy that flows within certain bloodlines. It's rare, and only a few possess it naturally. Those with Ignis have unique abilities—powers that others don't."
He pauses; his expression thoughtful. "In your world, it might have seemed like just stories or myths. But here, Ignis defines everything. It shapes alliances, families... even destinies."
A chill runs through me as I take in his words. "And... I don't, have it?"
"Our case is very different, Ignis are only for the people who did good deeds, obtain immortality through gifts from the moon and the twelve creators or worse mystical ways, Ignis is a gift while in our case we were born with our own kind of Ignis, call Vires. Ignis is used to somewhat differentiate humans from gifted because a person without an Ignis is a human and a human with an Ignis becomes a weapon" He explain still looking ahead of us where we could hear the shouting of other knights.
"But why can't people sense that in me and Lady Celia ask me about my Ignis not Vires, what is the difference between the two? and what is the need of me to suddenly have it when I lived my twenty-five years of existence without one" I ask, and he lets out a sigh which makes me wonder if I am being too much, but this is the only time I know he will tell me anything before he starts avoiding questions again.
"You certainly have a lot of questions in that little brain of yours," he says, a faint smirk in his tone. "First, Lady Celia, as you call her, was once human herself. She had the rare opportunity to claim one of these... gifts. That's why she asks everyone about theirs—to brag about having hers." He shrugs dismissively. "She's a confused Gifted, no more, no less. But I'll give her some credit. Without her, we wouldn't have discovered why we couldn't sense your Vires." He pauses, spotting the tavern we were in just moments earlier, now engulfed in flames. "To put it simply, the difference between the two is, Ignis is a kind of gift, while Vires is the source of that gift."
...