Eadlin stood at the balcony of his room.Calling it a room almost felt wrong. It looked more like a private penthouse built inside the mansion. The space was large, modern, and expensive. Glass walls stretched from the floor to the ceiling, giving him a full view of the compound below, with thick curtains big enough to make it look like it does not exist. The lights from the mansion reflected against the polished black tiles while the city glowed faintly from afar, but Eadlin wasn't looking at any of that.His mind was elsewhere.The day the news of his mother's disappearance was announced replayed in his head again.The panic.The shouting.The guards running around.His father trying so hard to stay calm when he was clearly losing it.And him...Standing there not understanding why everyone suddenly looked terrified.
Eadlin leaned against the railing slowly.From above, he could see movement downstairs.Nurses.Doctors.Maids moved around quietly through the mansion like they had been trained never to make a mistake. Their uniforms were spotless, black fitted dresses with long white aprons neatly tied at the back. White gloves covered their hands while small silver name tags rested against their chests. Their hair was properly packed into low buns, not a single strand out of place.Even their movements looked rehearsed.One carried folded towels carefully against her arm while another arranged flowers into a crystal vase without making a sound. Their heads stayed slightly lowered whenever a member of the Yungie family walked past, especially around Erica or Ashley.Most of them looked young, probably in their early twenties, their skin glowing and their faces puffy.
The normal movement was calm and gracefully but this day was different. They kept moving in and out of the mansion hurriedly. At the centre of it stood Erica and the head doctor speaking in low tones. Even from that distance, they both looked concerned.
Eadlin frowned.His father was at the hospital for treatment.So who exactly were they attending to in such a hurry?Did a maid get hurt? he thought. "Na, Erica won't care that much," he muttered.
Then,His room door behind him opened.Two maids walked in carrying freshly folded clothes. They didn't notice him immediately. One was tall and a bit chubby, while the other was around the same height but slimmer."…I heard she appeared at the front gate herself," one said, gesturing."I swear I nearly fainted when I heard the story of her capture.""The old maids said it was Madam Bella"
Eadlin froze when he head the name.His fingers tightened slightly against the balcony rail.
The maids continued talking in hushed voices."But how is that even possible? They said she disappeared years ago.""I don't know o. This house has secrets… I heard that Madam Erica was the"
One of them turned, saw him, then tapped the other to stop her from talking further.Immediately, both women went silent.
The atmosphere changed instantly.Fear.
Eadlin slowly turned to face them.His expression remained calm, but his eyes didn't.
"Who was the woman that came in?" he asked quietly.
The maids exchanged glances.
"We... we don't know, sir," one answered quickly.The other tapped her leg nervously.
Eadlin stared at them."Tell me," he said. "Or both of you lose your jobs."
Their faces changed immediately.
"We really don't know her sir." one said almost desperately. "We started working here two years ago.""But the older maids said she had Mrs. Bella's pendant," the second maid added carefully. "Miss Ashley is looking into it."
The moment Ashley's name was mentioned, Eadlin relaxed slightly. A small sign of relief crossed his face before disappearing again.
"If Ashley was handling it... then maybe things were still under control," he told the maid.
Without another word, he turned back toward the balcony, but his heartbeat had already changed, fast.For the first time in years, hope felt possible.
The maids went back to arranging his room, changing the curtains. They picked up the handcuff on his table to keep in the drawer. The sound…
"What was that?" Eadlin asked as he entered his room again.
"An old handcuff, sir," the slimmer maid said.
He walked over to her, collected the handcuff, and went back to the balcony. He held on to it like it was a well cherished bracelet.
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At Gabrielle's house, Ariel disappeared into thin air.
One second she was there, and the next second not any more.
Gabrielle remained frozen where she stood. The paper in her hand shook slightly. She held onto it tightly like if she loosened her grip even a little, it would disappear too.
Unknown to her, Joan was watching everything through the small glass window. Her expression slowly changed. At first she was shock, then confusion.
"Did Gabrielle consult a witch for me to be well?" She muttered as tears dropped from her eyes but she quickly cleaned it before Gabrielle could notice. She stayed quiet.
Gabrielle finally entered the ward slowly, still holding the paper carefully.
"What paper is that?" Joan asked immediately so eager to know what it is.
Gabrielle paused.
"Oh... nothing," she replied quickly. "Just some weird invitation stuff." Her voice cracked slightly from nervousness as she hurriedly folded the paper and kept it away.
Joan watched her carefully.
"Of course she'd lie," Joan muttered under her breath.
"What did you say?" Gabrielle asked immediately, turning toward her.
"Nothing," Joan replied quickly. "I'm just wondering how someone who was stuck in a coma and had a forty percent chance of survival is awake and moving around in less than forty-eight hours." Her voice weakened slightly toward the end. Tears gathered in her eyes again.
Gabrielle's expression softened.
"It's a miracle, Joan."
Joan laughed softly. "So is your room being organized."
Gabrielle tried holding her laughter in, but failed.
Both girls burst into laughter almost immediately.
"Let us make something to eat," Joan added.
At the same time, far away from the human world, far beyond what normal eyes could see, a different place existed.
Cold, as though the sky had no sun, yet the environment glowed faintly with silver light. Mountains floated in the air while streams of light moved like rivers across the atmosphere. Strange symbols drifted slowly in the air like they were alive.
At the centre of it stood a palace. It was large and ancient, so beautiful.
Tall silver pillars stretched upward endlessly while transparent curtains moved even though there was no wind. Guards dressed in dark armour stood at every entrance, holding staffs that glowed faintly at the tip.
Ariel appeared there instantly, one second she was gone from Gabrielle's house, the next she stood inside the palace halls. Her playful expression disappeared almost immediately; her face became serious and respectful.
She walked through the long hallway quietly, her heels making soft sounds against the crystal floor. As she walked, different magical beings bowed slightly at her presence.
Finally, she stopped in front of a large door.
The guards pushed it open.
Inside sat a woman bound with chains, though she still looked elegant.
She looked young, but her eyes carried something ancient inside them. Her silver hair flowed freely down her shoulder while a dark blue robe wrapped around her body. The room itself reacted to her presence, small particles of light floating around her fingers naturally.
It was Queen Neta.
Gabrielle's mother.
She is believed to be a seer, one of the strongest magical being that ever existed. She had the powers do make rain and withdraw it, make it go in the direction that she wants. I know you wonder, hy the chains?
Well, she was asked to close the veil that she tore but she refused.
Queen Neta stood near a floating mirror, watching something inside it.
Gabrielle.
Where she was kept looked nothing like a cell but a less refined room.
Ariel lowered her head slightly.
"My Queen."
Queen Neta didn't turn immediately.
Instead, she kept watching Gabrielle and Joan laughing together inside the mirror.
A small smile appeared briefly on her lips.
"She laughs like me," she said softly.
"Not even close," Ariel muttered.
The smile disappeared from Neta's face almost immediately.
"What did you say?"
"I… hope they don't find your mirror," Ariel replied to cover up.
Neta cackled. "This magic is so strong, they will never find out."
"How is her body reacting to the magic?" she added.
Ariel hesitated slightly.
"Not stable yet."
That made Neta finally turn.
"What happened?"
"She had no idea of magic for over 18 years of her life because someone put it on hold"Ariel replied trying not to raise her voice.
"I did it to protect her." Neta yelled.
Silence filled the room.
Neta's fingers tightened slightly beside her.
"She is still human," Ariel continued carefully. "Half human. Just give it time."
Neta looked away again, toward the mirror, at Gabrielle.. "That is one thing we don't have."
The ground shook like it was having a great earthquake like their whole world was about to fold up.