Chapter 106: The Ancient One
Raphael's POV
" You have to decide quickly because it seems, Alasia has something planned out," he said calmly. Too calm for my liking.
" What do we do then?" Caleb asked eagerly. He was eager to find her so the guilt would give way.
" You know what to do."
Drogon’s words settled over the garden like a suffocating fog. How do we know what to do?
Plus, how's Ava’s body; within my palace and I have been searching my kingdom for the past two weeks now?
To make matters worse, she is bound by a curse, held in place by something far darker than I had anticipated.
And Alasia…I had killed her. But, mysteriously, she is still alive. How is that possible?
I had felt the life leave her body and had stood over her corpse as her blood soaked the earth beneath us. She was gone. She had to be.
Yet her name is still causing havoc. If I had not been blinded, then I wouldn't have been manipulated by her.
I turned sharply to Drogon, my voice tensed and filled with disbelief. “How is she still alive?”
His golden-red gaze met mine, unblinking, unflinching. “She was never meant to die that easily. You were in too much haste after the bloodlust cleared from your eyes.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Explain.”
Drogon exhaled slowly, his gaze screaming,' Shut up, you are asking too many questions.' Stepping forward, he sits on the ground.
“Alasia was a child of the coven chosen by the deity to restore destruction brought by Arabelle's accursed love, but she was more than just a witch." He stops and then sighs.
" She was something far older, something the witches had long since forgotten.” He paused, his eyes gazing at Gwen. “She was the last vessel of the Ancient One.”
The name stirred something in me, a distant, almost forgotten whisper from the past. Something familiar but I couldn't remember.
“The Ancient One?” Caleb repeated, his voice tight with suspicion. “What are you talking about?”
Drogon tilted his head slightly, amusement flickering across his face. “There are beings older than Lycans, older than witches, older than even the gods you so foolishly believe in."
"The Ancient One was one of them, an entity bound to the bloodline of witches, one that granted them power in exchange for devotion.” His gaze darkened. “Alasia was the last true vessel of that power.”
I clenched my jaw, my mind running askew. “That doesn’t explain how she’s still alive.”
Drogon’s lips curled into a slow, knowing smile. “Because she was never truly mortal, to begin with.”
My mind went still. Cold air making my back hair stand. What's this?
“When you killed her, Raphael,” he continued, “you severed her from her mortal shell, but the Ancient One does not simply perish. It waits. It lingers. And now, it has returned, through her.”
I inhaled sharply, my grip tightening. First Grey and now, Alasia. Why is everything turning against me?
“You’re saying Alasia is no longer just a supernatural being.”
“She hasn’t been for a long time,” Drogon corrected. “But now? She is something far worse. She has transcended death, and she is using that power to bind Ava’s soul, keeping her from returning to her body.”
A growl rumbled in my throat. “What does she want?”
Drogon’s expression darkened. “Revenge. Or you.”
Silence hung between us all like a curse. Everyone's mind, preoccupied with something else.
Finally, Gwen's voice breaks the tranquillity, her green eyes flashing with rage. “And she’s using Ava to get it.”
“Exactly.” Drogon exhaled, his voice quieter now. “Alasia cannot harm you directly—not yet. But she knows what you cherish. She knows what will break you.”
I did not need him to say it. Ava. She was coming for Ava. The realization sent a violent rage swinging through my veins.
“Then we end this,” I said, my voice cold, bitter. “We retrieve Ava’s body, we break the curse, and we erase Alasia from existence.”
Drogon’s lips curled, almost as if he had expected nothing less. “Easier said than done.”
Caleb stepped forward. “You said we need blood and fae magic to break the curse.” His expression was grim. “What kind of blood?”
Drogon’s gaze flickered to Gwen, then back to me. “The blood of a direct descendant of the witches’ first coven leader.”
A beat of silence. Then, Gwen exhaled sharply. “You mean mine.”
Drogon inclined his head. “Yes.”
Gwen did not speak for a long moment. Then, with a quiet breath, she straightened her shoulders. “Fine. Whatever it takes.”
I did not like it. But I did not have time to argue. There were too many things I didn't like.
“And the fae?” I asked.
Drogon’s expression grew unreadable. “We will need to make a deal with them.”
I stiffened. “Not.”
“You don’t have a choice.” His voice was firm. “The curse binding Ava is fae magic. We cannot break it without their help.”
A muscle in my jaw ticked. “The fae cannot be trusted.”
“Neither can we,” Drogon said simply. “And yet, here we are.”
I said nothing. I did not trust the fae.
But if Drogon was right, if Ava’s body was bound by their magic, then I had no choice.
I would do whatever it took. Even if it meant making a deal with the damned.
" How do we go about it?" I asked. I know it sounded dumb, but we don't actually relate well with the Faes, and they always keep to themselves.
" Go and find them. Strike a deal with them." His tone was like, it's simple but you sound dumb asking.
He makes me feel stupid. I grudgingly thought. ' see why, I wanted to beat him up?' Grey murmured. ' Yes. Maybe you can after we get Ava back.' Grey hummed. I won't be stopping him.
" Your Highness, what about Allora? She dying slowly," Caleb asked. I knew why he was asking.
If Allora died, the Neatherlandals that surrendered would start another war. And there is still councillor Atticus request.
" Is there no healer in the mage clan that heal her?" I asked. My voice filled with exhaustion.
" My king, we have tried all we could," Anastasia answered.
" I can heal her."
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