The elf then put his hands forwards towards the young woman in a veil. “Please place your hands in mine, Your Majesty.”
Seren obeyed without a word.
“Now close your eyes,” Yorian instructed.
As she did so, Yorian also closed his eyes.
Several seconds passed by without a change, and Drayce and Arlan thought that was to be expected, but all of a sudden, they felt a slight fluctuation in the air. For a moment, they thought that the body of the silver-haired elf and the veiled woman glowed as if embraced by moonlight, but the next second, it disappeared as if everything was but a mere mirage.
There was no runic circle appearing out of thin air, and there was no change in their surroundings. The only thing that was different from when they started was that Yorian’s brows were creased and Seren mirrored his reaction, as if the two of them were connected by something none of those watching could understand.
Both the elf and the young queen were as still as statues, immersed in a different world only they could see.
The first sign of movement came from Seren. From behind her close eyelids, tears had formed before gently escaping her eyes and her grip on Yorian’s hands tightened. Yorian squeezed her hands in response, as if to comfort her.
“Blazing Hellfire…”
The elf mumbled before opening his eyes. They looked bloodshot and dim, highlighting the difficulty of scrying that thoroughly exhausted the magic reserves of a mighty being like him. His back was drenched in cold sweat, but no one noticed this as all attention was on Seren, who still had her eyes closed.
“Your Majesty, you can open your eyes now.”
Seren let out a gasp as her eyes flashed open, her gaze unfocused as if she’s still caught in the fine line between dream and reality. It took her some time to regain her composure and look at the exhausted Yorian. She didn’t understand what happened, and for her, it felt like merely a second had passed.
Realizing that the elf had succeeded, Drayce and Arlan reentered the gazebo.
As Seren wiped her tears, Drayce returned to her side and passed her a glass of water. It was unknown when he left to get it, but she gratefully accepted his thoughtful act and had a few sips to quench her thirst.
pAn,Da n<0,>v,e1 “Are you alright, Seren?” he asked, calling her by name which she found more comforting.
She nodded and put the glass on the table.
“Your Majesty, please have some sweets. Sugar will make you feel better,” Arlan offered. Seren didn’t reject this and had a few bites. She could not deny the sweets melting in her mouth made her feel more energized.
Meanwhile, Yorian silently watched her eat, his expression somber as if he was struggling to voice out his thoughts. In the end, Drayce had to ask.
“When you said ‘Blazing HellFire’, what do you mean by that?”
The elf held his chin, covering his mouth with a finger as he pondered.
“I am confused,” Yorian started. “I feel conflicting powers inside the Queen’s body, and I cannot understand how such an imbalance could exist without her dying.”
At that last word, it was as if the air inside the gazebo froze.
The elf continued, “Far more mysterious was that I discovered that the power which is locked inside Queen Seren is Hellfire, a blazing power so dangerous and destructive, it should not exist in this world. Even I only heard of it from the legends passed on by my ancestors.”
“I have never heard about it,” Drayce said with a dangerous scowl, his hand gripping tightly onto his wife’s trembling hand.
“It’s something that no mortal should know about.”
“Stop acting coy and tell us what it is,” Drayce snapped, losing his composure at the elf’s lighthearted attitude towards an issue that could cause the death of his wife.
“Hmm?” The elf let out a light sigh and said, “Calm down, calm down. I guess it’s a good time to tell you an old story.” He then nibbled on one of the sweets placed in front of Seren, as if in silent complaint that he was also exhausted but no one did not even bother to offer him anything. “After this, you might appreciate my archive of knowledge a little more as other than me, I bet no one can tell you this at this moment.”
Seeing the elf being annoying once more, Drayce gave in, “I look forward to being awed, and I will make sure to praise you for the abundance of knowledge you have, oh wise elf.”
The elf smiled playfully but then turned serious.
“Tens of thousands of years ago, back when the world was young and the realms weren’t separated as they are now…during a time where humankind was but a small race barely surviving on some remote corner and the continent was ruled by children of magic, there was a great war. It was not a war between clans, neither was it a war between kingdoms, but a war… between worlds.
“The heavenly realm and the underworld, a cataclysmic war between gods and demons.
“During that war, when the demonkin were on the losing side, the King of Demons released a power which was buried in the deepest pits of the underworld. Even for demons, it was taboo to touch that power so dangerous it could also ruin hell. But the King of Demons was not ready to accept his army’s defeat and released that dangerous power, not realizing not only could that taboo harm the heavens, but all the three realms.
“Upon touching that taboo power, Hellfire, the blazing flames went out of control and turned the once desolate underworld into a sea of hellish fire, which was said to have become its permanent state. Destruction spread so fast to the extent that even the strongest gods, the Primordials, could not stop it and could only temporarily keep the Hellfire at bay in the underworld.”
“Then?” Seren asked.