King Derrick seeing the queen who was standing right beside me,rushed forward and pulled her into his arms.
For the first time since the demons had invaded his kingdom, the fear and helplessness he had hidden behind his calm mask finally broke.
"My queen…" he breathed, holding her tightly as though afraid she would vanish again.
Queen Emily held him just as tightly, tears gathering in her eyes.
Watching them, I felt a strange warmth settle in my chest.
At least… she was safe.
At least one thing had ended well.
But before the relief could fully sink in, a figure staggered into the palace.
Everyone turned at once.
Elias.
His clothes were stained with blood and dirt, his body still covered in wounds. He dragged himself forward like every step cost him his life.
He looked up weakly, a faint smile touching his lips.
"Am I… late?" he asked hoarsely.
Gina let out a breath and smiled despite the worry in her eyes.
Then Elias' gaze shifted.
"My lord…"
Before he could say anything else, his body gave out.
He collapsed.
"Elias!" Bruno shouted, rushing toward him.
In an instant, Bruno and Gina were at his side.
Without wasting another second, they lifted him and hurried toward the king's chamber.
The royal healer arrived almost immediately.
By the time I entered the chamber, Elias was already lying on the bed, pale and unconscious.
The healer examined him in silence, his expression growing darker with every passing second.
Then he finally stepped back.
"The dark poison has already spread through most of his body," he said gravely.
Everyone in the room went still.
"What do you mean?" Bruno asked, his voice tight.
The healer exhaled slowly.
"The black substance in his body has gone too deep. I can attempt to detoxify it… but the pain will be unbearable."
He turned to look at Elias.
"If his body cannot endure the pain, the process will backfire."
I didn't know what to say, I don't even know if I belong in the room.
"And if it backfires?" I heard Gina asked quietly.
The healer's face remained grim.
"He may die."
Silence filled the room.
Bruno clenched his fists.
"There has to be another way to fully save him."
"There is," the healer said after a pause. "A pain-binding ritual. Another person can form a link with him and absorb part of the burden while I detoxify the poison."
My eyes widened.
"And if anything goes wrong?" Gina asked.
The healer's gaze hardened.
"Then both of them will suffer the backlash."
Before anyone could say another word—
"I'll do it."
All eyes turned to Dylan.
Bruno frowned. "My lord—"
"I'll do it."
His voice was calm, cold, and final.
The healer hesitated.
"This is not something to decide lightly."
Dylan's expression did not change.
"I've made my decision."
Gina looked like she wanted to say something, but one look at his face made her stay silent.
The king held his queen tight for the fear of the unknown.
The ritual will begin at once.
The air in the room suddenly felt colder.
Dylan sat beside Elias on the bed and took his hand.
The healer began chanting in a low voice.
"Everyone should leave." He said.
The king nodded and guided the queen toward the door.
Bruno and Gina followed in silence.
I turned too—
But suddenly, a hand caught mine.
I froze.
Dylan.
I looked back at him in surprise.
"Stay," he said quietly.
My heart skipped.
I didn't understand why, but something in the way he looked at me stopped me from asking.
So I stayed.
The door closed behind the others.
Only the healer, Dylan, Elias… and me remained.
Dylan shut his eyes.
The ritual began.
A strange force pulsed through the room as the bond between Dylan and Elias was established.
The healer placed his hands above Elias' body and began the detoxification, using series of needles.
Dark smoke-like energy slowly rose from Elias, twisting in the air as though it were alive.
Dylan remaind calm
His fingers tightened around Elias' hand.
I stared at him as sweat gathered on his forehead.
The blackness beneath Elias' skin slowly began to fade in some places.
"It's working…" I whispered to myself.
But then—
The healer suddenly stopped, the needle he had injected into Elias body flew away forcefully.
His eyes widened.
His hands trembled before he quickly pulled them back.
Dylan's eyes snapped open.
"What happened?" he asked, trying to understand what had happened.
The healer stared at Elias in disbelief.
"The poison is too deep," he said.
I felt Dylan eyes twitch.
"What?"
"I was only able to detoxify part of it," the healer said, breathing heavily. "The rest has already rooted itself too deeply into his system. If I continue, he will die."
Silence filled the room.
Dylan looked at Elias, then at the healer.
"How much remains?"
The healer hesitated.
"Most of it."
To be honest I wasn't understanding the discussion going on but with the look of it, something was wrong.
"What do you mean most of it?" I asked
"The poison has spread too far," the healer said grimly. "Needles can't detoxify it, we need the sacred flower."
The sacred flower? The scared flower is said to be extinct. Dylan said.
He turned sharply to Dylan.
"We have to stop here."
"No." Dylan said.
The healer stiffened.
"My lord, if we continue—"
" I'll absorb the rest."
The room went still.
I looked at him.
"What?"
The healer's face changed instantly.
"No!" he said sharply. "That is too dangerous."
Step back Dylan told the healer.
Before the healer could stop him, Dylan shut his eyes again.
Immediately, the energy in the room changed.
A much darker force burst out from Elias' body—thick, violent, and almost alive.
This time, it did not drift slowly.
It rushed straight into Dylan.
My breath caught.
The black liquid could be seen spreading across his veins almost instantly.
His fingers curled tightly.
His body jerked.
Blood spilled from the corners of his lips.
"Dylan!" I called.
He didn't respond.
The black poison continued pouring into him, moving as if it has a life of it's own.
The healer stumbled back in horror.
"He's forcing the remaining poison into his own body…"
I looked at the healer in panic.
"Why is he bleeding? What's happening to him?"
The healer said nothing.
I stepped closer, my heart pounding.
"What is wrong with him?!"
Still, he remained silent.
"Tell me!"
His expression darkened.
"I am not in a position to explain the situation to you," he said quietly. "But all I can say now is this…"
His eyes fixed on Dylan.
"We need to stop him."
My chest tightened.
"What?"
"The poison is reacting violently inside him," the healer said. "If this continues, his soul will end up corrupted."
I turned back to Dylan.
His face looks so calm.
Blood ran more freely from his lips.
His hands shook.
And still—
He refused to let go.
"Dylan…" I whispered.
His body too hot, he wasn't responding.
The dark energy exploded around him.
I rushed forward without thinking.
"Dylan!" I called out
No response.
I called again.
No response.
The third time.
His eyes snapped open.
And at the same moment—
The man laying on the bed opened his eyes too.
My breath caught.
His eyes…
They were no longer normal.
The darkness had spread beyond his pupils now, swallowing nearly half of his eyes.
For one terrifying second, he didn't look like himself at all.
Then suddenly—
His hand left Elias.
And before I could react—
It wrapped around my throat.
My eyes widened in shock.
His grip tightened.
I gasped, clawing at his wrist as he lifted me slightly, cutting off my breath.
"D-Dylan…"
His face was unreadable.
Cold.
Empty.
Like he wasn't seeing me at all.
I struggled harder, panic crashing over me.
The healer shouted something, but I couldn't hear it clearly.
Everything blurred.
A droplet of tears left my eyes and landed on his hands around my neck.
Then—
His eyes met mine.
And something changed.
His grip faltered.
For the first time, confusion flashed across his face.
His gaze lingered on me as if he had just woken from a nightmare.
Then he released me.
I dropped to the floor, coughing violently as air rushed back into my lungs.
His eyes slowly returned to normal.
He stared at me in silence.
As if he understood what he had just done.
The door burst open.
Bruno and Gina rushed inside.
The moment they saw me on the floor gasping for breath, their eyes landed on Dylan, they froze.
Shock spread across their faces.
"My lord—" Bruno started.
But Dylan said nothing.
He rose to his feet slowly.
Then without looking at anyone—
He walked out.
The room remained silent for a moment.
Gina rushed to check on Elias.
"So weak" Bruno said looking at me as if I was just a work load.
I was still coughing, my throat burning badly.
"I'm fine…" I forced out weakly, though I clearly wasn't.
Gina turned from the bed.
"He's alive," she said softly.
Relief washed through the room.
The healer let out a shaky breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"He survived…"
I looked toward Elias_ the man I know nothing about.
He was pale, weak, but breathing steadily now.
A few moments later, his eyes slowly fluttered open.
Bruno immediately moved to him.
"Elias!"
Elias looked dazed for a second, then his gaze found Dylan's empty spot.
"My lord…" he muttered weakly.
"He left," Gina said.
Elias looked like he wanted to sit up, but Bruno gently stopped him.
"Don't move."
Then Elias' face tightened.
"Vuno…" he whispered.
Bruno's expression changed.
"What happened?"
Elias swallowed painfully.
"He… he didn't make it."
Silence fell over the room.
Even Gina lowered her head.
Bruno's jaw tightened, but he said nothing.
Elias closed his eyes briefly, pain and exhaustion written all over his face.
The healer stepped forward.
"He needs rest. Whatever happened can wait until morning."
Bruno nodded.
Gina helped adjust the blankets around Elias while I slowly rose to my feet.
My legs felt weak.
My throat still hurt.
Looking at everyone i really felt that I don't belong here.
Later that night, the palace finally allowed itself to breathe.
The kingdom had been saved.
The queen had returned.
And despite everything, Elias had survived.
So the king insisted on a celebration.
Music echoed through the halls.
Food filled the long tables.
Servants rushed back and forth.
The people laughed again after what felt like forever.
Dylan stood outside with cigarettes on his hands.
The night air was cold.
The moon hung high above, pale and watchful.
Dylan stood alone in the shadows beyond the palace grounds.
Still.
Silent.
Like the darkness itself had shaped him.
For a moment.
Bruno approached him from behind.
He stopped beside Dylan, his expression unreadable.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Then Bruno finally broke the silence.
"You shouldn't blame yourself."
Dylan's jaw tightened.
"But he didn't say a word"
Bruno fell silent.
The silence between them stretched.
Then Dylan turned towards him and spoke.
"We will depart by tomorrow."
Bruno turn facing Dylan.
"I will be traveling to the village of Anniston together with her."
We have to find the white witch named Isabel.
She has the answers to how Clover can recover her past memories.
Bruno looked at Dylan worried.
He knew how deadly the village of Anniston is.
A place spoken of only in whispers.
A place no one visited unless they seek death.
Bruno hesitated.
"But if she recovers her memories…" he began slowly, "then doesn't that mean—"
Dylan fell silent.
And ignoring Bruno's words he said.
"You, Gina, and Elias will continue the investigation on the Demons and make sure to rely the informations to me."
Bruno nodded.
Without another word, Dylan turned and walked back toward the palace.
Before leaving the kingdom the following day, Elias returned briefly to the village.
The same place where he had first seen those children drinking that filthy, cursed water.
He walked up to those same children where they were seated with their moms and offered them water.
The children looked at their parents, getting a nod they happily accepted it.
Their parents bowed their heads, tears shining in their eyes.
"Thank you," one of them said, voice trembling. "Thank you for saving us."
Elias smiled.
He later briefed Dylan on everything that had happened.
About the ambush.
About Vuno.
About how he barely escaped.
Dylan listened in silence, his expression unreadable as always.
Then he placed a hand briefly on Elias' head.
A quiet gesture.
Small.
But somehow heavy with meaning.
After that, the groups separated.
Bruno, Gina and Elias disappeared into the Abyss, while Dylan and me travels to the kingdom of the unknown.
I wondered what fate have for us?
Looking at Dylan before me I found myself asking _ what is he? Which dark secret is he hiding?.