BXBX NOVEL Chapter 183: Visions of Blood
The night of the party continued to replay in her head. She reached her hand out to him, but he simply recoiled. There was a flash of disgust on his face… as if the thought of her skin touching him was… Adellia turned and threw up into a bucket by her bedside.
"I deserve this. Truly I do." She mumbled. "The things I did were to save his life, but… those scars. The pain he must have…"
Kalivas and her had some time to interact after the party as well. She knew he loved her greatly, and she wished she could return his feelings, but she was incapable of doing so. However, that did not change the fact that they created two children together…
When they spoke together after the party, he informed her of what he knew about Lucius. She already knew that Wayne had passed away a number of years ago, but it wasn\'t until she learned about Rubellia that she realized the connection. He also suffered a major set of injuries during the war against Alorek that nearly killed him.
Kalivas declined to answer what happened, but it was reported to have been a very bad situation. It was lucky that Lucius was alive, much less able to recover to a point to move around as well as he does now.
After his recovery, Lucius trained with Kalivas and Kalliope for a few years before returning to the war front in earnest. It was under the name \'Titan\' that he conquered the city of Alvora only six months after being given command over a team of his own.
Given the way her son acted and carried himself. She realized that much more had gone on than even Kalivas knew. Because of all that, she felt that every ounce of suffering he endured was her fault.
Adellia went to sleep that night with the same thoughts passing through her mind as they had every night. All of them were about Lucius.
*****
The capital looked perfectly serene. Everything was as it should be. Birds flew high over the city, dancing among the clouds in the bright blue sky. The sun warmed the stone streets and reflected off the wide eyes of children admiring toy shops and food stalls while shopping with their parents.
It was a day like any other. Peace and tranquility in the heart of the Kingdom of Arcadios. But something was amiss. There was a strange tension in the air that seemed invisible to the people enjoying their normal lives. There was something they could not see, feel, hear, or understand.
There was a strange buzz in the background of it all. A sensation of a power, ancient and unknown. It was an echo of times long forgotten when powers believed to be buried beneath the sands of time ruled the world. Experience exclusive tales on mvl
No one knew what was about to happen, but the observer knew. The observer could see it. The thrum of this almost alien energy pulsating through the capital. They tried to follow it through the streets and past market stalls. The energy led them on a chase through taverns and inns.
Soon the observer soared through the air, following the source of the power. It settled overtop the Arcadios Royal Academy, then rapidly descended. Left with no other choices, the observer chased it down as well.
When they reached the center of the school\'s facilities, the power mysteriously vanished. Panicking, worried they had somehow lost this energy, the observer began looking around. They looked behind trees, benches, and statues, yet they found nothing.
The observer took a step onto the grass and felt something wet. The land let out a squelching sound as though it had just rained. But that could not be possible; the sky was clear and bright and sunny. To confirm what they thought, they looked to the sky. It was dark and gloomy. The sun had long since vanished, yet there was no rain.
The observer took another step, each movement creating that same uncomfortable noise and feeling as though they were walking on the surface of a sponge.
When they finally reached the stone pathway, they were overcome with the urge to look behind them. What they saw was a line of footprints coming out of the grass and trailing along the stone until they reached the observer. The footprints were a deep shade of crimson, like fresh blood.
After realizing what the liquid was, they heard the sounds of screaming coming from all around. People began to rush by the observer, flailing about wildly. Arrows rained down from the sky and struck several of the students, scattering them along the ground. Their blood mixed with that already soaking the land.
The source of the arrows was unseen for the moment, hidden by waves of people fleeing in absolute terror from the attackers. The observer willed themself forward, through the crowds, to find the source of the attack.
They were met with countless scores of people. Their faces were clouded over, unable to be observed. They were human, there was no doubt about that, but the way they moved felt strange. All of them were mumbling nonsense and letting out maniacal laughter. No sane human would move like that; sound like that…
After several minutes of trying to sort out the haze that covered their faces, the observer felt another pressure. It was similar to the one that led them to the academy. Turning around, the observer was met with a pair of familiar eyes, one silver and one gold. They locked onto the observer, who was supposed to be unseen.
The eyes were not attached to a face or a body, yet it felt like they smiled…
*****
Adellia woke in a cold sweat, panting and gasping for breath. Her vision, or potentially even nightmare, gave her the urge to vomit again. She quickly reached for her feet, desperately hoping that there was no blood on them like in the dream.
She sighed with satisfaction after seeing her hands come away clean. It took her several moments to calm herself, even if only slightly.
"What are you going to do, Lucius?" She whispered, trembling despite herself.