CHAPTER 48

"ARE YOU familiar with the shivering valley, Lord Hakken?" Grath couldn't help asking after two days of crossing the valley. Lord Hakken seemed to know which direction to take to avoid danger and he also knew where the caves were where they stay at night to stay away from the blizzard.

Hakken nodded at Grath while they were inside a cave, taking shelter. "Yes. Kind of. But as we reach the center of the valley, beats will come for us. There is no route that we can take to avoid them. It's the only way." He looked at Zassia who was in the corner, wrapped in a blanket. "Lady Zassia, please ready some simple, but powerful attacks. Though not so powerful that it will cause an avalanche. The center of this valley is a mountain of snow."

Zassia nodded. "I will."

Hakken's gaze went back to Grath. "Since we both fight head on, we will be on the front and Lady Zassia will be on the rear."

Grath nodded and summoned his fire on his hand. "For Her Highness, we have to safely cross this valley."

Hakken nodded before he closed his eyes and leaned on the cave's inner wall. He was not sleeping, just resting his eyes, so he heard when Zassia spoke.

"Lord Hakken, may I ask you something?"

Hakken nodded without opening his eyes.

Seeing Hakken nod, Zassia asked. "Do you personally know the queen?" When Hakken didn't move to answer, Zassia added, "It's just that, I know you like the Queen, but the way you look at Her Highness... It feels like different somehow." When Hakken remained silent, Zassia look down. "I'm sorry for prying." She immediately apologized, thinking that she asked something she shouldn't have. "Please forgive me. I won't ask that again."

Zassia thought Hakken was angry because he continued to be silent, until he finally opened his mouth while his eyes remained closed.

"Yes. I know her," Inside the silent cave, Hakken's whisper sounded crystal clear. "Death is not the end when you are a descendant of Sappher, especially me who came from the first lineage of Sappher. I lived a long life and died so many times that I could count. As I continue to exist through rebirth after every death, life became monotonous to me. My life had no purpose—no meaning. I was just living... Existing. So, I made a pact with my trusted aide to only resurrect me if there was a change in Azitera— something that will entertain me," Hakken's lips formed into an amused smile. "And that day finally arrived. I went through a rebirth and as I reached adulthood, my life started to mean something again. Especially when the Sappher finally decided, after long deliberation, to wage war against Yther and its queens.

"But just when I was ready to go to war... I saw her," Hakken's face softened. "One of the queens of Yther. The Mistress of flame. Hair as vibrant as firestone and eyes as fierce as lava. She was beautiful. Not only that, but she was also benevolent, compassionate, and merciful. She bestowed flame on humans so they could protect and provide for themselves. She protects the weak and very friendly to every race. She believed in balance, in co-existing and peace. She was a queen in every sense of the word. And I fell in love.

Hakken took a deep breath and slightly opened his eyes like he was reminiscing. "I couldn't make myself fight her, but I swore an oath that binds me to my promise. So, I fought with her and lost. I don't think my lady remembers me. I was but an insignificant warrior whom she crossed blades with. Nothing special. Losing the war, the descendant of Sapphers scattered, leaving a vow that they would one day come back and take revenge on the queens of Yther."

"So... You're going to get revenge?" Zassia asked with her shaky voice.

Hakken chuckled at Zassia's conclusion. "A descendant of Sappher only falls in love once in all their lifetimes— it was our race's greatest weakness. So, how could I possibly hurt the woman whom I waited for three lifetimes?"

Zassia's lips parted in astonishment. "Three... Lifetimes?"

"What a devotion..." Grath muttered under his breath.

"How... Does it feel to finally be with her?" Zassia was curious. Three lifetimes were no joke.

Hakken smiled as a little bit red tinted his cheeks. "It feels like being blessed by a deity every day."

Zassia blushed at those earnest and profound words, but Grath had a different question in mind that destroyed Zassia's smile.

"Where were you, Lord Hakken, when the humans betrayed our queen?"

All the soft emotion on Hakken's face disappeared and his expression became cold and dark. "Chained to the wall and imprisoned. My father didn't take it kindly when he found out that I'm in love with the Mistress of flame. When I managed to escape, with the help of my trusted aide, all I found was the burnt kingdom of Yther. And that's when I received the news that my lady has died. That single news brought me to my knees, and I was overcome with grief, sorrow, and hatred that I have never felt before. The pain was excruciating. That's when I understood why all of the descendants of Sappher who lost their beloved chose eternal death than rebirth. Because at that moment, I wanted to follow my lady, but alas, I have things to do. I decided that before I choose eternal death, I will bring the human race to its knees, and I will burn everything they hold dear. An eye for an eye."

But he couldn't do it— his grievance with humans were too deep that he couldn't bear to be near them without losing his wits. Therefore, he made a perfect arrangement where he could slaughter them while walking among them. It was a perfect arrangement— a perfect cover.

Of course. Why wouldn't it be? He spent two lifetimes arranging that perfect façade. Even though he lived for so long before he met his lady, he liked to believe that his life truly started after meeting her. Four lifetimes. Yes. His monotonous life from before didn't count.

Ah, father would curse me to the depths of Azitera for even thinking about it.

"Does the queen know about this... about you?" Zassia asked again.

Hakken shook his head. "Maybe one day. But for now, I want to help her and be of use to her."

Grath nodded at Hakken. "That's a good idea, Lord Hakken. I admire your devotion and loyalty, I'm even rooting for you, but what the queen needs right now is not love, but assistance. I do not believe that meeting the queen is just a big coincidence. We have important roles to play as Her Highness' companion. Whatever that is, I don't know. But that's what I believed in."

Hakken smiled and nodded at Grath. "I believed that too."

Zassia tightened the blanket around her. "Maybe you're right about the queen needing assistance more than love, but when she's with you, Lord Hakken, Her Highness' face brightens. She smiles and laughs often. She looks happy. Maybe it's just me, but I like Her Highness' more when she's with you. As much as I want to avenge what happened to Her Highness, I also want to see her happy."

Grath sighed and used the firewoods they took from the valley of bones to keep the fire of their campfire going. And from the corner of his eyes, as the campfire glow brighter, he caught a sight of engravings on the cave's wall.

"What's that?"

Hakken, who was leaning near the engravings turned to see what it was.

He had already seen it when they entered the cave, but he acted like it was his first time seeing it.

"I can't read it," Zassia commented in surprised while narrowing her eyes on the cave's wall. As a proud scholar, Zassia knew every language known to Azitera, but not this one. "I think it's an ancient language. More ancient than all the languages I know." Then Zassia turned to Hakken, "you're an ancient being, right, Lord Hakken? Can you read it?"

Hakken shook his head. "I'm maybe an ancient being, but I was gone for seven centuries before I went through rebirth again." It was against Hakken's nature to lie, but the words on the wall was meant only for him. A message written in archaic language of Sappher that only he could read because he was the only one left from the first lineage.

'Safe and secured. Every item is in position. Continue the hunt.'

Hakken's eyes lingered on the words 'every item is in position' and inwardly smiled. That was good news. Now, his worries will lessen.

"I wonder what that means..." Zassia took out a pen and parchment from her satchel and copied the writings on the cave's wall. "This is my first time seeing this language. I have to document it."

Seeing Zassia copying the writings on the wall to her parchment, Hakken was not worried. There were no documents from the archaic time of Sappher— the first lineage— that could translate it. He already burnt it all just to be safe.

"We should rest," said Hakken as he closed his eyes again. "We'll be reaching the center of the valley tomorrow. We need all our strength."

Grath nodded, followed by Zassia after she finished writing on her parchment.

When Hakken felt that everyone was asleep, he opened his eyes and looked at the words written on the cave's wall again before he got up, took a firewood from the campfire, and went deeper into the cave.

Looking around, Hakken smiled when he saw a burnt soil in the corner as if an angry someone burnt it.

After making sure that there were no other messages on the walls, Hakken went back and closed his eyes to rest.

♕ ♕ ♕

FOLLOWING XEKE'S dagger, Cira safely passed Ashmire and now entered the wide plain valley that separates the town of Ashmire and the entrance to the sacred forest. Xeke, who was the scout arrived first and waited for Cira to catch up.

"What took you so long?" Xeke immediately asked Cira when she saw her enter his line of sight.

Cira's face became sour, and she answered with thick sarcasm. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe because I can't teleport?"

"But you can run fast, right?"

Cira rolled her eyes and snorted. "And running could beat teleportation?"

Xeke didn't argue with Cira anymore and just turned to face the massive and extensive sacred forest few kilometers away from where they were standing. It covers millions of kilometers in size, spreading towards the ocean on the other side.

"This is the largest forest in Azitera," Xeke sighed. "I got lost before and that's how I found the elven warriors who escorted me back." Xeke turned to Cira. "Before we enter the forest, let me ask you one time. Do you remember the way?"

"Yes," Cira answered so confidently and that scared Xeke.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course!" Cira exclaimed. "I lived there for more than a century."

Xeke exhaled. He didn't want to voice out that he was worried since Cira was not exactly known for taking the right route. "And if we got lost? You have a plan if that happened?"

"No. But we'll be fine. Just ready your daggers."

Xeke frowned. "What? Why?"

Cira pointed herself as if to answer Xeke's question, but when Xeke still had that confused look on his face, Cira explained further. "I've been kicked out, meaning, not welcome. And since I'm entering the forest uninvited, you might want to ready your daggers. Just in case."

A dagger appeared in front of Xeke. "Anything else?"

"No. Let's go." Cira was about to run, then stop and turn to look at Xeke when she remembered something. "We're not entering the sacred forest to be friends with them. We're entering to blackmail and threaten the king. Just so you know."

Xeke's eyes widened. "What the...? Cira!" Xeke called out when in a blink of an eye, Cira was already meters away from him.

Xeke could only sigh and breath in before he followed Cira— The adorable elf who's planning something that could get them killed. But who cares? Definitely not Xeke.

♕ ♕ ♕

LIKE USUAL NIGHT at the shivering valley, Hakkeran and Sollel took a shelter in a cave. Hakkeran made Sollel's bed and Sollel slept on it. Normally, when Sollel wakes up in the morning, breakfast was ready.

But not that morning.

No breakfast. No Hakkeran. No moonrite ring on her finger. Just an old map of the three valleys left on the ground, beside her bed.

And for the first time since she escaped her moonrite prison, she was all alone again, and the silence felt horrible that she started humming to herself. She even hoped that Hakkeran just left for the time being and would come back, but the sun was already setting and there was still no Hakkeran on sight.

When night came, alone in the cave, Sollel decided to sleep early. Come morning, Sollel left the cave, wrapped in a cloak that Hakkeran lent her when she took a bath on the stream and with a map in her hand. She was angry that the warlord didn't leave her old cloak behind. She liked that cloak, even if it was ruined.

Traversing the shivering valley alone and following the direction on the map, Sollel realized how hard it was to make sure that she was on the right track. When she was traveling with Hakkeran, he made it look so easy.

Sighing loudly, bolts of flame erupted from her fingertips when she saw beasts blocking her path. With the moonrite ring nowhere to be found on her finger, her flame could easily penetrate and incinerate any beasts.

Leaving burnt beasts in her wake, the next day, there were no beasts on her path, as if the beats had learned their lesson and was afraid to be burned by Sollel's flame.

Taking a deep breath, Sollel stopped walking and looked at the map. Based on the map Hakkeran left behind for her, she's only a day away from the stream that separates the shivering and the desolate land valley.

One more day.

Sollel pushed herself to move forward to find her resting spot for the night. And to her surprised, someone left a food there. Bread and water.

Sollel just shook her head while eating. If he was this worried that he had to leave food and water behind, why leave me behind in the first place? Sollel didn't want to think anymore and just slept after eating.

Morning came and Sollel was back on the snow. Unlike these past few days, the snow was thinning. That means, she's nearing the stream.

Sollel wanted to celebrate after crossing two valleys, but when she reached the end of the shivering valley, a platoon of soldiers and a group of sorcerers were waiting for her. On the front was General Kar and beside him was the warlord who left her behind. Warlord Hakkeran Adral. And he looks pretty beaten up.

Sensing that the enemy hadn't pulled out their ace against her— the moonrite stone, her fingers subtly waved to call and ready her flame as her eyes peeked at the sky. Then she pulled back her hood and stared at Hakkeran.

"My, my," Sollel smiled at the warlord who was on the other side of the stream, looking handsome and regal on his horse. "What happened to you, my lord?"

Sollel was teasing Hakkeran, but to everyone who heard it, it sounded like she was mocking him.

"How wicked," General Kar spat on the ground in disgust. "You did that to him!"

Sollel raised an eyebrow and looked at Hakkeran from head to toe. He was really a mess, like he was mauled by something nasty. But that ain't her.

"You will pay for killing the kingdom and empire's elite in the valley of bones!" General Kar bellowed in rage, but Sollel was just standing there, calm.

She figured that if she panicked and run, they'll use the moonrite stone to weaken and slow her down. If she fought, they would use the moonrite stone to weaken her as well. There's no way out for her. That's what the enemies think, but that was not really true.

Sollel narrowed her eyes on Hakkeran—the warlord over there has a plan. Hence, why he left her. But she would not wait for the warlord to swoop in and save her, she could do that herself.

"Unseal the stone!" Kar bellowed and the moment it was heard, every sorcerer took out a moonrite stone and threw it to Sollel.

And as if reacting to the stone, the cloak that Sollel was wearing glowed red. Immediately after, she felt the effect of the moonrite stone, but it didn't bring her to her knees like it should. It didn't drain her like always. It weakened her, yes, but not enough to bring her down.

"Ready your attacks!" General Kar bellowed again.

In her weakened state, Sollel managed to speak that made everyone tense.

"Too late," Sollel look up at the sky again and smiled. "My flame is already coming."

With a wave of her hand, the hundreds of balls of flame she prepared earlier peeked on the clouds and shadowed the sky. And without warning, it came raining down like falling stars, but it was neither pretty nor mesmerizing. It was death. Death by the hands of the Mistress of flame.

CECELIB | C.C.