An eternity of stifling silence had passed within the large hall.
Lost in self-loathing, Draven did not even realize when or how he left. He had been wandering like he lost his own soul. By the time he snapped out of his daze, he was standing outside the entrance of the clan building. A familiar face with a cane was coming towards him from the opposite direction, causing his hollowed gaze to regain a bit of clarity.
Black Witch Zelda.
The old witch did not expect to chance on the King, and though she had the heart to attend Morpheus' wake, she dared not face Draven with a clear conscience.
Their gazes met but neither acknowledged each other, both sides not saying a single word.
Leaving her witch companion outside, Zelda entered the wake where her poor vision found not a single soul, except for a young winged man standing in front of Morpheus' corpse like a stone statue.
The scene coincided with the vision she had about Aureus back on his first visit to Millow Circle. Back then, she saw his future—it was a scene where Aureus was crying for someone and that someone turned out to be his uncle.
Zelda let out an exhausted sigh. She had seen countless deaths, outlived many loved ones, but it did not make grief any easier to bear.
'If you can see the present, won't you regret your choice, Commander?' Zelda could not help but ask in her heart. She looked at Aureus once more and hobbled to his side, putting a hand on his shoulder to console him.
Only then did Aureus seem to realize her arrival. At first, his face was slack, not recognizing the witch. Seconds crawled by before his red-rimmed eyes stared at her with growing anger.
Zelda coordinated with his uncle to pull off this scheme! If not for her help, Morpheus would not succeed in sacrificing his own life. He wanted to blame her, but not a single word could come out of his throat. He could only brush off her hand from his shoulder.
Towards his show of hostility, Zelda simply lowered her head.
"I accept whatever you want to say. I don't expect your forgiveness."
Aureus didn't reply, purposely ignoring her. His gaze landed once more on Morpheus' cold body.
When Zelda came out of the hall, her companion Ursula hurried to her side. The senior witch waved at her. "You go ahead. I still have some matters to attend to."
"Sister…"
In the end, Ursula watched Zelda walk away on her own before turning away with a complicated expression.
Given the nature of its residents, Redcrest was a forest city built on the side of a steep mountain. Not only were the ancient trees with nest abodes tall and lofty, even the ground had a complex terrain where only people of the feathered race could move freely. For an elderly with a deformed body like Zelda, trekking through the winding paths was a difficult task. However, her expression remained tranquil as she walked.
At the end of her path was a ridge at the outskirts of the city. Below it was a cliff that would prove deadly to anyone who could not fly. A certain figure with a lonely back was standing at the edge, patiently waiting for her arrival. With the support of her cane, she approached that person.
That person was Draven, the King of Agartha. Zelda knew the King had things to talk about, and she herself desired to come clean about her participation in Morpheus' grand scheme. No matter how justified it was, the fact remained she agreed to sacrifice Morpheus to save this man along with this kingdom. The least she could do was to not let his heroic sacrifice be buried.
Zelda bowed to Draven. "Greetings, Your Majesty."
Draven wordlessly turned around to look at her. Zelda dared not meet his gaze.
If one were to think of it in another perspective, Zelda helped save Draven's life. However, was that a feat the King would be grateful for?
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