Thethia: Royal Grounds, Underground Cell

• Elianna •

She watched as Wynston stared at her. A second ago, his face was full of emotions but all was wiped away in an instant. Then, he held the same expression he had when he saw her for the first time ten years ago. The more she looked at him, the more turbulent the burning hatred seethe at the back of her eyes.

Glancing across Wynston's shoulder, she found Thunder standing behind him. His body was straight and stiff, and when he caught her looking, he shook his head slightly. His movements were unnoticeable to others but she knew him too well as he used all the small gestures to communicate with her. 

"Theron," Wynston called in a commanding tone.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Thunder replied calmly though the expression on his face reflected that he was feeling otherwise.

"Jab the tranquillizer in her," Wynston ordered.

Thunder flinched slightly and she immediately felt a stung in her chest. There was pain in his expression and he remained where he was, not moving. 

"Theron?" Wynston's jaw ticked with annoyance.

"Why not just kill me now? Why bother with tranquillizers?" she challenged.

"I didn't know you're in such a rush to die," he scoffed. "Don't worry, you will die tomorrow."

Dark emotions pooled within her chest when she clenched her fists tightly and she channelled all her shadows towards the tyrant. Her shadows grew excited at her murderous intent but even with a hard will, the kill attempt had failed. The chains locked against her wrists absorbed all the dark energy the moment they left her. She was left weak and empty before her shadows seeped back into her, slowly filling her up again.

"Do it, Theron," Wynston demanded. The smirk of his face was brimming with a revolting guise of triumph.

Thunder pursed his lips into a thin line before grabbing onto the tranquillizer from his pocket. She looked at him and noticed the shaking fear within his eyes. Maintaining her eye contact with him, she conveyed all her confidence in him. Please call Rowan. The thought floated in her mind, hoping that Thunder would understand. A feeling of helplessness caused her to sigh mentally. She never wanted to drag anyone into this, but she really needed help now.

Each step that he took closer to her, she could see the resistance and reluctance dulling those emerald green orbs. When he lowered himself and knelt down in from of her, he cocked his arm with the jab in his hand. She smiled slightly and closed her eyes, expecting a painful pierce but Thunder had been exceptionally gentle. The needle pierced through her neck with a small prick before her head felt heavy and her body fell to her side in the absence of her consciousness.

━━━━━━━━━━

Thethia: Mt. Plytois, On the Way to the Portal to Lyx Palace

• Thunder •

I swear Elianna is an idiot.

He recalled the way she looked at him when the needle pierced into her neck. Those amber-coloured eyes were filled with absolute trust and warmth. She didn't even attempt to struggle or flinch when he swung his arm with the jab. She simply allowed him to do it. But what if he couldn't save her? His heart squeezed tightly in his chest when he thought about how helpless he felt at this current moment.

Wynston didn't do anything to her after she fell to the ground unconscious. He was also ordered to leave the underground cell immediately. From that moment, he hurriedly left the Royal Grounds. Sprinted as fast as he could towards Mt. Plytois, the unease in his heart was consuming him in whole. Something was definitely wrong and he needed to get to Rowan and the rest to call for help.

He kept running and he would not stop.

Your Divinity, I need time. Please have mercy on that poor child and protect her with your blessing.

━━━━━━━━━━

Iftia: Lyx Palace, Study

• Rowan •

"Ro! What exactly are we waiting for?!" Alec exploded. Even for a usually composed man like Alec, he was capable of snapping when pushed to his limits. Rowan watched as Alec slammed his palms on his desk, demanding him for an answer. There was so much desperation but it could never compare to the insurmountable intensity of his powerlessness he felt within.

"Alec!" Ilias warned, pulling him by the arm to hold him back.

Rowan raised his hand to rub against his temple. A dangerous mix of anger and fear stirred within him. That's it. He pounded his hand on the table and shot from his seat. His knights all turned sharply to look at him.

Just then, someone tackled forcefully on the door and Thunder appeared behind. He hissed at Rowan and turned to leave the study, signalling for everyone to follow him.

"Let's go," Rowan said, sounding grave.

They grabbed onto the hilts of the sword and hastily followed behind Thunder.

※

• Thunder •

The moment they travelled through the portal and arrived in Thethia, Thunder leapt forward and transformed into his human form.

"Thunder?!" Alec baffled

"Don't be so surprised," he tutted. "I don't have time to explain now."

All the knights stared at him with disbelief in their eyes. If the situation weren't dire, he would never show anyone else this form. Therianthropic beings had stayed away from the human race for centuries, never revealing themselves. The human desire was the root of all evil and greed was the driving force that pushed the therianthropic beings into hiding. He definitely had gone against his kind and if they were to find out, it would be an inevitable death for him. Therefore, as much as possible, he had to reduce his use of therianthropy, staying in one state or the other.

"Thunder, what happened to Elianna?" Rowan broke the silence and asked, his voice edged with wild panic. "And where is she now?"

"I have no idea what that bastard wants with her. She was struck unconscious and left to be," Thunder replied, annoyed at the uncertainty of the situation. "She's now in the underground cell just beneath the Royal Palace."

"What do we do now?" Ilias raised the question.

"I am going to bring everyone into the Royal Grounds and it's too risky to travel by magic without being tracked and traced. Do not use any form of magic at any point," he cautioned.

"Let's get moving," Kaylon rushed.

"Stay on my call," Thunder warned. "I won't hesitate to kill anyone."

"Move." Rowan stared at him with his piercing blue eyes, expressing the displeasure toward his threat.

He tutted again before turning around, leading them in the direction towards Thethia's Royal Grounds.

━━━━━━━━━━

Thethia: Aster Palace, Foyer

• Elizabeth •

It's already way past midnight and she was just getting ready to turn in for the day when her knight announced the presence of the King. Elizabeth frowned as her mind wondered what the sudden visit was all about. Draping a thick scarf across her shoulder, she rushed to the foyer to greet her father. Then, she realised that he wasn't alone. Father arrived at her palace together with the Priest and a few Temple Keepers.

"Father?" Elizabeth called out, puzzled at the situation.

"Elizabeth," Wynston raised his palm up, holding it towards her. "Come, my child."

"Father, may I ask why?"

"Your answer is waiting for you," Wynston smiled slyly.

Elizabeth knew that he had something up his sleeves, but she still placed her hand in Father's palm as he led her through the main door of Aster Palace. Behind them, the Temple Keepers followed closely behind and they kept their eyes on her as though they were trying to keep a watch on her.

At this point, her senses were screaming at her to run but she dared not disobey her father and she must learn what is he planning all these years. So, she walked with him till they reached his carriage. Each step she took up the small steps into the carriage, she couldn't help but remember her encounter with the Second Prince of Iftia back when she visited the Royal Grounds of Iftia.

※

"Your Highness, the Second Prince of Iftia has requested a visit," Quinn mentioned.

"Invite him in," Elizabeth waved nonchalantly.

When Quinn pushed opened the door and entered the receiving room once again, a tall figure followed behind. The Second Prince of Iftia was just like how she had heard of him. Tall and lean, with striking hazel eyes and a head of wavy honey-brown hair. He emits a different kind of air around him, very much different from his brother. Prince Matthias was a lot warmer and had a much kinder aura surrounding him. She watched as he stepped into the room. Everything about this Prince was perfect, except for the fact that he looked slightly pale and the faint frown between his brows had bothered her.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Your Highness." Elizabeth took the courtesy to greet first.

"It's my pleasure too," Matthias said in a dismissive tone.

"How can I help you?" she asked, raising her brows in curiosity.

"Leave Elianna alone," he warned. "It's for the sake of both of you."

"Why?" The mention of the Royal Doctor's name had alarmed her. She wasn't expecting that even the Second Prince of Iftia would try to defend her.

"Please just heed to my advice." For a person with an open demeanour, his current tone was simply indecipherable. "You don't know what the King of Thethia is trying to do and I am here to warn you."

"Why should I listen to you?"

"Because if anything happens, you're the one to suffer for the rest of your life," he smiled sadly towards her and it caused a pinch in her heart. Yet, before she could ask him more about the meaning behind his words, he had already turned around and left the receiving room.

※

By the time she was jarred out of her thoughts, they had already arrived at the Royal Palace. She was brought through long hallways before reaching a large door that led to the underground. Never had she stepped foot into this part of the Royal Grounds before. Her pulse hastened and pounded achingly against her temples when the surroundings became dark. The deeper they went, the air became staler and warmer. She always thought that underground dungeons were cold, but this walk down into the unknown darkness had proven her totally wrong. The place was warm, humid and suffocating. Drops of sweat trickled from her forehead and her entire back was now drenched.

When they finally reached a door, the Priest had unlocked the room and the Temple Keepers pushed the heavy door open. The hinges of the heavy metal door screamed in an unwelcoming screech, but she didn't even try covering her ears because nothing bothered her more than what she saw ahead of her.

Elianna.

Her sister was chained within an engraved magic circle, unconscious. 

※