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PHYSIENTS WILL ALWAYS OFFER BEST STORIES AND LIVE STREAMING ALL TIME
Chapter 451 Planned
Outside the mansion, Riev and the other vampires who just stepped out of the house were utterly shocked to see their master. They never expected him to arrive and show up.
"Y-your highness," Riev blurted out and Zeke just glanced at him, passing him by without a word.
Riev and his comrades fell into a trance that Zeke had already walked through the entrance door before they snapped. Riev could never forget that masked man they saw fight against Alexander and his suspicion about that man being their Prince Ezekiel still lingered within him.
But Zeke was his master and his loyalty to him wasn’t something that was so easily broken from mere suspicions. Despite their doubts, Riev and the other vampires could never turn their back on their master and future king. Besides, they had no proof that the masked man was indeed their Prince Ezekiel. There was still the possibility that someone else out there studied their Prince Ezekiel and impersonated him the way that witch impersonated their Princess Mira. The possibility of there being another immortal was so small and yet, it had happened which made their theory seem not that far fetched after all.
...
Charles, the butler, closed the door after Zeke walked into the living room.
Everyone turned their heads in his direction. It was obvious in everyone’s faces that they didn’t expect his arrival. Only Alex, it seemed, wasn’t as surprised or bothered by this unexpected visitor.
Alex simply glanced at Zeke as the man made himself comfortable before them without saying a single word.
The living room became silent. They all could have heard a pin dropping on the lawn outside. Alicia was staring at Zeke while Abi’s gaze looked at all their faces, waiting to see who would speak first. She felt that Zeke’s arrival made the atmosphere somewhat awkward. She knew exactly what was on everyone’s mind because she thought the same thing. If he had betrayed them, then why was he here, blatantly flaunting his presence?
After a minute of silence and people giving each other confused looks at the new arrival, Alex finally broke the silence.
"So? Why don’t you speak first, Zeke." Alex said. Abi was watching Alex as he spoke and then she looked at Zeke, expectantly waiting for his answer. It didn’t escape her that everyone else’s eyes were also locked onto Zeke, just as curious as she was.
"I believe that the new witch queen definitely has more valuable pieces of information to relay than me, Alex. So why don’t we start with her?" Zeke finally spoke as his gaze fell on Alicia.
The new witch queen could only sigh. She somehow expected that this vampire prince wouldn’t speak. But she wasn’t bothered by Ezekiel’s suspicious silence anymore. Alicia had already seen everything through the former queen’s memories and she found out that almost everything that Ezekiel had been doing in the last three months had a reason. She now knew why he was doing all these things. Although there were still things that were questionable and incredibly shady about him that Alicia couldn’t understand, Alicia decided not to stick her nose into Ezekiel’s business because she was now more than convinced that everything that this man was doing had a purpose.
Even now, she would bet her life on the fact that he was here for a reason. His actions were never uncalculated or impulsive and she was sure that this sudden appearance wasn’t because he just felt like visiting.
Moreover, Alicia now knew that Alexander was never unaware. The reason why Alexander had never forced Ezekiel to explain anything was because Alexander understood Ezekiel’s way of dealing with things more than anyone else. Alexander knew that this man wouldn’t do anything without a reason and he completely trusted this man, even with his life, it seemed.
The silence dragged on as Alex’s gaze on Zeke became even sharper, causing Zeke to continue speaking. "Well, the only valuable piece of information we gathered from last night’s encounter is the fact that that woman can be killed and the one who can kill her is your dear wife," Zeke said, stating the obvious.
Alicia and Alex weren’t surprised with Zeke’s words but Abi was, and so were Kai and Raven. The three of them creased their brows in confusion.
Alex leaned his face on his knuckles, his eyes sharp as he gazed at Zeke.
"Your plan put my wife in grave danger last night, Zeke," Alex told him with an unhappy and ominous voice but Zeke was unfazed and faced Alex’s sharp gaze head on, as usual.
"There was no other way, Alex. You know that. And don’t forget that you entrusted me with this. If things didn’t get to that point last night, I don’t think you would have ever drank Abigail’s blood and finally got cured," Zeke argued. "Last night needed to happen for many different reasons. Don’t expect me to easily fool that woman without fooling every single one of you first."
Abigail’s gaze could only dart back and forth between Alex and Zeke. What were they saying? What happened last night was part of Zeke’s plan? Did Alex know about it? What the hell was going on? Abigail looked at Alicia and noticed that she didn’t look confused or worried or anything of the sort. It seemed this really was all part of some grand plan that Zeke and Alex cooked up.
"That woman is shrewd. She would not easily fall into anything but a well planned trap. I have spent the last three months trying to bring her out of her lair and planning this trap," Zeke continued.
"So you gained her trust by experimenting with those hybrids?" Alex asked.
Zeke fell silent for a while. "Yes. I used the bodies of the rogue vampires you killed in the last three months. But even that wasn’t enough for her to fully trust me so I had to be careful and resort to last night’s plan. My only miscalculation was that I didn’t know that that woman actually wanted Abigail’s blood. She wanted Abigail’s blood and wanted you alive at the same time, Alex."
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Chapter 452 Change
"Wait!" Abigail finally cut him off. She was so confused at this whole conversation. "Are you guys saying that you both already knew about the existence of that immortal woman?" she asked both Alex and Zeke.
"Yes. Alex told me that night of your surgery three months ago about that woman’s existence before he lost his memories," Zeke answered her, causing Abi’s jaw to drop in surprise.
Abi looked at Alex. "The late witch queen was the one who informed me about that woman," Alex said to Abi.
Abi felt like her head was going to burst. "You mean, ever since I stabbed Alex, everything that happened next was already part of your plan?" she asked, curious and confused to her bones.
"Because I knew I would forget everything, I entrusted my life to you and everything else to Zeke, Abigail. Back then, we thought that that woman was waiting for the arrival of the girl in the prophecy to kill me. We thought that her ultimate plan was to kill me using that girl in the prophecy. We thought that she’d been hiding because of me and that when she saw that I had been stabbed and was finally dying, that it would eventually lure her out," Alex explained.
Zeke also spoke after Alex. "That woman indeed made her presence known after that. I managed to cross paths with her and offered to be her ally. That was when I found out she was after you, Abigail. Back then, I thought she just wanted to eliminate you because you were the biggest threat to an immortal like her, after Alex. I managed to make her believe that Alex wasn’t dying yet and that you might not be the girl in the prophecy but the woman still tried to look for you. The witch queen was the one who protected you these last three months. She had concealed you from their sights using her powers and then she was captured by that woman. I couldn’t save her. I didn’t know where they were hiding the witch queen and when I found out, it was too late. So I had to keep going. What happened after that was an orchestrated plan but all I did was bring you to places of my choosing to make something happen. The rest is still the result of your actions."
Abi could only listen, utterly speechless. This was just too unbelievable.
"So your final plan was to bring us to that Ziggurat?" Abi asked again.
"Yes. Because that was where the late witch queen was held and also where all the hybrids I created were kept. I also had to push Alex to his limit. I had a hunch that the cure was in your blood but knowing him, he would never drink your blood unless you were put in a life and death situation. I also wanted to destroy everything I created for that woman and Alex was the perfect one to destroy it all. Now, she won’t be able to use those minions to attack both humans and vampires. And lastly," he paused as he looked at Abigail. "I just wanted to confirm if she could be killed. And we got the answer to that most important question. Just like Alex, she can be killed by you."
After Zeke’s explanation, everyone was silent until Alicia piped up.
"So are you going to go back to that woman after listening to our plan?" she asked him.
Zeke leaned back and tilted his head. "Yes," he answered, his expression one of indifference. "That woman is cautious. I think she’s still hiding something big. But I think I will figure it out soon."
"You’re not going to advise us to attack her now, Zeke?" Alex smirked.
"Don’t underestimate her, Alex. Don’t forget she managed to conceal herself from you all these years."
Alex’s eyes glimmered dangerously. "Well, she managed to do that because she was a coward hiding under the ground."
"I don’t think that’s the only reason why she’s hiding. In fact..." Zeke bent down and leaned his elbows on his knees as he peered through Alex with serious and keen eyes. "I think she’s not really the one we should be worrying about. I feel like there is someone bigger behind her pulling the strings; as if that woman, too... is just another pawn."
Alex looked to be contemplating this new information and Abigail turned her attention to her husband, wondering how he would react to this piece of news.
Abigail looked at Alex and she frowned. She didn’t notice this for a while because of everything that was being revealed but now that she was observing him keenly, Abi began to notice that there seemed to be a very subtle change in Alex.
The change was subtle but it was there. It was akin to the changes she felt with Alicia. In just one night, Abi had felt the drastic change within Alicia. Abi felt like Alicia was a wholly different person but she knew it was because she was now the all powerful witch queen. The most powerful witch in existence. It was only logical that this change would occur after she received her full powers.
But why did she feel this same feeling towards Alex? Alex had been cured by drinking her blood. He now had his memories and soul back and consequently, his immortality. So he should be back to his normal old self, right? So how come he felt a little different? His aura was different and his heartbeat had also changed subtly, beating just a tiny fraction faster than other vampires. Did he gain some kind of power as well, like Alicia?
Now that she looked at his eyes again, Abi noticed that golden shade in his eyes wasn’t disappearing. His eyes used to turn black when he wasn’t using his powers. It wasn’t vivid but the golden color was there, lingering, and it didn’t seem to be disappearing anytime soon.
What did that mean?
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Chapter 453 Theory
Abigail looked at Alicia and then Zeke to see if they had also noticed the difference in Alex but they didn’t show any signs. Maybe they were all still too caught up with the conversation to even notice? When Alex started talking again, she directed her attention back to him. While she had questions of her own surrounding her husband, those questions would have to wait until this conversation was over.
"Just another pawn, huh..." Alex’s lips twitched as he echoed Zeke’s words because he had thought the same thing as Zeke. He thought that this was a possibility because to Alex, that immortal woman wasn’t a big threat to him. He was still stronger than her in terms of power and without Zeke’s help, she wouldn’t have been able to amass that army. And an even more important fact was that the woman could be killed by Abigail.
Peering at Zeke, Alex’s expression became challenging. "Mind telling me your theory about this big mastermind who is just using that woman as a pawn?" he asked.
Everyone was curious so they all looked at Zeke with great interest, eagerly anticipating his next words of wisdom.
Realizing that Alex would press for him to speak more, Zeke could only sigh. "That woman isn’t as powerful as you are, Alex," he started. "She might be an immortal, but she is only a human immortal. The only thing she had going for her is the fact that she can’t be killed. However, because she is immortal, others have started to follow her and she was able to gather a huge following of strong and loyal vampires and witches. She was able to command these creatures and become the queen of the rogue vampires and witches because she promised them their freedom from your restrictive rules, rules that would go on forever as long as you lived. Even the current king and queen of vampires have to listen to you. So they listened to her, followed her because she gave them hope. She is very good at manipulating others to get what she wants. I suppose that could also be considered as her kind of power.
But mostly, to her followers, her existence is proof that the existence of other immortals is no longer impossible. There are endless possibilities now. Maybe she talked about a more powerful leader for these rogue vampires and witches, a new leader that could bring about a new kind of world.
This person could be immortal and they could be a pure blooded vampire or a very powerful witch! They could be someone as powerful as you or possibly even stronger. I know that seems like it is an impossible thing but nothing is impossible anymore and even more possibilities have opened up. We just don’t know. All we know is that they are using that woman as a pawn to find out everything about you while they sit back and watch the show. Meanwhile, we know nothing about them." Zeke explained, still as emotionless as ever.
Silence followed Zeke’s words. Indeed, the existence of other immortals was no longer impossible at this point.
Abi looked at Alex and the golden shades in his eyes glimmered dangerously.
"But if someone as strong as Alex existed all this time, why did they hide themselves, especially if they are immortal, too?" Kai finally spoke. His question was something that ran through everyone’s minds.
"That is something I have yet to figure out. Why would they wait so many centuries to make a move? If someone like that really exists then they should have made a move by now. I have a couple of theories. One is that perhaps they are not quite sure if they are more powerful than Alex. After all, I don’t think even you really know the extent of your own power even now, Alex," Zeke paused, gazing at Alex so seriously. Zeke had closely watched Alex yesterday, for many reasons, and it didn’t escape his notice the way Alex looked like he was about to transform into a different creature. His eyes, his talons, his aura were so different to the immortal vampire that was Alexander.
"Another theory is that he did not come out because even if he was able to defeat Alexander, the world would become a place of constant chaos and destruction from a never ending war because, well, immortals are immortal. They cannot be killed. It would become an endless vicious cycle of one of them trying to gain the upper hand.
"So my last theory is this: that they waited for the woman from the prophecy to be born to kill Alex. That theory makes the most sense especially since they only came out of the shadows the same night that Abigail stabbed Alex," Zeke finally finished.
Another silence followed as everyone contemplated Zeke’s words. It was Raven who broke the silence with a frown on his face.
"But if they wanted Alex dead, then why did the woman order to kill Abigail and not Alex?" Raven couldn’t help but ask.
"Well, my best guess is that she saw that Alex was already dying so she had no more need for Abigail. Maybe she wanted Alex to watch Abigail di-"
"Shut up, Zeke," Alex cut Zeke off sharply, not wanting to relive that moment. Alex’s eyes blazed like the golden sun. He would never let anything like that happen again. Now that he had his full power back, he would protect Abigail himself.
Zeke could only sigh at being interrupted and then he looked up at Alicia.
"Now it’s time for you to speak, witch queen," Zeke said.
Everyone looked at Alicia and she nodded.
"Like all of us, my queen didn’t have any more information about the existence of other immortals other than that woman so I know as much as you in this case. But," Alicia looked at Abi. "My queen told me that the answer to all our questions about the immortals might lie with Abigail."
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Chapter 454 Necklace
Alex creased his brows and Abi just looked very confused. What could she possibly know? She didn’t even know about the existence of vampires and witches until she bumped into Alex!
In the next second, Alicia brought out the necklace she had been keeping safely with her. Now was as good a time as any to hand this necklace to its rightful owner.
"The late queen gave me this, Abigail. She ordered me to give this to you at all cost."
Alicia placed the necklace in Abigail’s palm.
Abi looked at the necklace which held a small bottle and stared at the yellow liquid inside it.
"What am I supposed to do with this?" Abi asked Alicia, unsure of what it was she was holding.
"Unfortunately, the memories about this necklace are quite protected so even I couldn’t see anything about it yet. The former queen had sealed it so I need to perform a ritual to dissolve the protective spell first. I believe the memories could only be seen by you through your dreams." Alicia explained.
Abi looked down and stared at the necklace again before she lifted her face to Alicia. "Are you going to perform the ritual now?"
Alicia glanced at Alex. She knew just by seeing Alexander’s expression that he was not happy with all these things involving Abigail. Alicia somehow felt that something huge will happen after this, especially to Abigail. In fact, she felt great unease about what was waiting for Abigail or what would happen to her after this. That was why she understood the displeasure that Alex was exuding. But they didn’t have a choice. They had to know the truth and there was no time for them to delay.
"I will need to perform the ritual once the full moon rises tonight." Alicia finally said and as expected, Alex’s face turned even darker.
Clasping the bottle in her hand, Abi took a deep breath. There were so many things going on and she could barely keep up. She was having a hard time digesting all this but she had to let everyone know about the fact that that woman also looked like her mother. She had to tell them now.
"I... I still have something to say," she said weakly. Alex noticed her hesitation and he took her hand and held it in his.
"Say it, my wife. Don’t hide anything from us," Alex encouraged her.
Abi nodded at him and she looked at everyone in the room.
"That... that woman," she paused. "She looked exactly like my mother," she confessed. Everyone was shocked. "But I don’t believe it is her. It can’t be. My mother is dead."
Alex glanced at Zeke and the lines on his forehead deepened.
"She’s just an imposter, right?" Abi asked no one in particular.
Everyone was surprised. They didn’t know that the immortal woman actually looked like Abigail’s mother. Even Alex’s expression changed upon hearing her.
"I was still very young when she died but I know what she looked like from the photos we had of her. But... that woman was calling my name like she knew who I was," Abi continued, almost in a trance, but then she shook her head again as she stared at Zeke, as if the answer was somehow written on his face. "Please tell me... she’s just an imposter, right? Did she somehow make herself look like my mother so that she could fool me? That was just part of their plans, right?"
Abigail was almost begging Zeke for the answers. A part of her didn’t want to hear Zeke’s answer. What if he said that the woman was her mother? She was so afraid that the woman might really be her mother because how could there be two people who looked exactly the same down to the scar on her hairline from her brain surgery?
Zeke was silent for a while. "I am not certain if she is using a different appearance. It could be that a witch has cast a spell on her to make her look like that but I am not sure. She has looked like that ever since the first time I met her. But rest assured, I will investigate that. For now, don’t let her trick you. Whether she’s an imposter or not, don’t forget that she tried to kill you and wanted you dead," Zeke answered, as blunt as ever.
Alex held Abi’s hand and intertwined their fingers together. Abi’s heart felt heavy but she nodded.
"I understand. Even if... even if she..." Abi stopped. She just couldn’t bear the thought of that woman being her mother. "No, my mother is long dead," she said with a bit more certainty as she clenched the necklace in her hand.
The necklace suddenly emitted a golden yellow light, blinding Abi and the others.
The next moment, Abi’s eyes turned blank and she passed out.
Alex caught her in time but his heart started to race. He placed Abigail on his lap and he looked at her unconscious face. Alex instantly took the necklace from Abi’s hand because it was obviously this thing that made her pass out! One second she was fine and then this thing lit up and suddenly Abigail was unconscious!
"Abigail!" he called out her name but there was no response. His hand went straight to her forehead and to his dismay, she was starting to burn up. Alex started to panic and his golden eyes blazed at Alicia.
"What is going on?!" Alex burst out, frustrated and angry and afraid. He didn’t know what this necklace did to his wife to make her like this!
Alicia was just as shocked as everyone else but was still calm. She didn’t know this would happen, however, she knew that her witch queen wouldn’t have given that necklace to Abigail if it was dangerous!
She moved closer to Abigail to check her temperature and heart rate.
Before anyone could say or do anything more, a strange mist began to appear inside the room! Alex’s eyes widened in shock because he remembered this; this was the same white mist that had covered the forest floor that night he found her in the forest.
"Give her the necklace back, Alex," Alicia told him. When Alex remained hesitant, Alicia quickly took advantage of his shock and snatched the necklace from Alex’s hand and put it in Abigail’s hand.
Just like that, the mist began to disappear.
Alex’s gaze sharpened as he looked at Alicia.
"What the hell is going on?"
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Chapter 455 The Long Lost Tale Part I
Alicia looked at Alex. His face was full of concern and worry.
"Alex, take her back to her room. Let me check on her there, okay?" Alicia tried to persuade Alex.
The man gave her a hard stare but gladly, he followed her instruction. Alex headed towards Abigail’s room and Alicia followed, leaving the other men behind.
Kai looked at Raven and Zeke with a frown on his face. He had no idea what was going on anymore so he couldn’t help but ask.
"Zeke, what just happened?"
Zeke just shrugged as he stood up and left the room. Truth be told, he had no idea as well. For the first time in what seemed like a long time, he was actually just as in the dark as those two men he left behind.
---
Back in Abi’s room, Alex gently placed Abigail on her bed.
The necklace in her hand was still glowing and Alex still looked extremely worried.
"Don’t worry, Alex. She’ll be alright. I trust the late queen and I know you do as well. She wouldn’t have given that necklace to Abigail if it was dangerous," Alicia assured him after she checked on Abigail.
Alex was silent as he held Abi’s hand, looking at her face. His face was dark, his unease evident in his expression and body language. It was obvious that he didn’t like this thing that was happening to Abigail. His reaction showed how much he disliked that Abigail was becoming more deeply involved in his dangerous world, in this hell that he had inadvertently drawn her into.
"I thought I needed to wait for the full moon to come out but it seems I don’t need to do that anymore. This is the sign for me to perform the ritual now," Alicia explained.
Alex glanced at her, still hesitant despite her reassuring words earlier. He straightened up and still, he said nothing.
"Please trust me, Alexander. We need to know why the late queen gave this necklace to her. We need to know everything. We can’t be stumbling around in the dark again not knowing what’s waiting ahead of us. And I truly believe that Abigail herself would want to know everything as well. We all need answers or we will never be able to live peacefully, knowing there is an unknown threat looming over all of us. You know how badly she wants to help us so trust her this time, Alexander. This will not harm her. She will be alright."
Alex’s grip on Abigail’s hand tightened. His golden eyes blazing calmly like molten lava. Alex had been feeling this unease since that night he found Abigail in the forest with all those dead bodies around her. If he had a choice, he would have gladly whisked Abigail away to a faraway land where they both could live that peaceful and mundane, married life. But, she wouldn’t be safe until this threat was eradicated.
So, as much as he wanted to just spend the rest of his days with Abigail on an island of their own, Alicia was right. As much as he wanted to keep Abigail from being more involved, what if keeping her out of it ended up hurting her instead?
That thought made Alex clenched his jaws and he could only give in. He stood up and let go of Abigail’s hand. He stepped away from the bed and gave way to Alicia.
Alicia stood next to the bed with her hands over Abigail. She started to chant a spell and a silver light slowly enveloped Abigail. As Alicia kept chanting, the silver light became brighter and brighter and the necklace glowed brighter as well. Then, the yellow potion inside the small bottle wove its way out of the container as if it turned into yellow smoke, and was now enveloping her along with the silver light.
Abigail’s face looked peaceful as Alicia continued with the ritual.
After a while, Abigail’s fingers twitched slightly and her eyes moved from under her eyelids as well.
...
Abigail opened her eyes and the first thing she saw were yellow lights dancing before her eyes.
She creased her brows in confusion, trying to figure out what these lights were and where they were coming from.
She felt like she was floating. Was she dreaming? Where was she?
Abigail looked around her when suddenly, her feet landed on the ground and the yellow lights were replaced by darkness. She blinked and she saw a light appear in the darkness a hundred meters in front of her, getting closer and closer to by each passing second.
With creased brows, Abi narrowed her eyes towards the light before her. She could see that the light was coming from a lamp in someone’s hand.
She realized she was in a forest. Was this another dream like the one she had when she met Alicia or that veiled woman?
She waited for someone to call her name but it didn’t come so she focused her eyes on that person holding the lamp. She could tell that the person was a woman. She was wearing a golden-colored cloak as she walked in the forest alone.
Abigail observed the woman, waiting for her to approach or speak with her, but the girl in the golden cloak didn’t even look at her and just continued to walk past Abigail.
Curious, Abi went after her. At first, she was careful but when the girl seemed to not notice her, she began to move without hiding her presence.
When the girl still seemed oblivious, Abi ran after her and stopped right before her to show herself. She didn’t know why she was doing this but she was curious to see who the girl was and why she was seeing her in this dream.
However, the moment the girl lifted her face, Abigail was stunned in shocked surprise.
Her eyes stretched out and her lips opened and then closed in utter astonishment.
How? Why? Why was she looking at herself?
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Chapter 456 The Long Lost Tale Part II
Abigail was frozen as she stood in front of the cloaked girl, simply staring at her face. This girl looked exactly like her when she was 17 or 18 years old.
Abigail was mesmerised and couldn’t help but just study this girl’s face. She looked at the cloaked girl’s face closely, looking to confirm her suspicions and although the girl’s hair was longer than hers had been at that age, the color of her eyes, the fullness of her cheeks, the length of her nose were exactly the same! She was her exact replica! There was no way this girl could be someone else. Was this girl supposed to be her?
But how? And why was she wearing such an ancient looking cloak?
It made Abigail look back through her memories of when she was 17 or 18 and wondered if she had ever worn a cloak like that before. But she had no recollection of such a thing. She didn’t own anything remotely like the clothes this girl was wearing and she never went to any dress up parties at all.
Abigail was certain this wasn’t her memory.
Confusion struck Abi once again. What was she seeing?
"W-who are you?" Abigail asked the girl, stammering. The girl didn’t answer her question but shock suddenly registered on the girl’s face as if she just saw a ghost.
Abi thought that the girl was shocked to see her but then she, all of the sudden, ran forward and went through Abigail’s body.
It was Abigail’s turn to look shocked. It seemed that Abigail was invisible to this girl. Abi felt a feeling of deja vu. This dream now felt like that time Alicia’s showed her memories of Alex using the crystal ball, meaning, she was just watching someone’s memory this time? But this girl was her!
Abi’s head snapped towards the girl and what she saw this time made her freeze again. She felt like her body had been bitten by a snake, paralyzing her, as she looked at the girl kneeling on the ground as she helped a wounded man who was leaning against the tree trunk.
Abigail’s eyes zeroed in on the man’s face and one glance was enough for her to tell that the man was none other than Alex.
Abi stumbled backwards, the shock releasing her from her paralysis.
This dream was so weird. It was so strange! Just like her younger self, this Alex looked to be younger as well. Although his face looked younger and he had longer hair, his facial structures, the color of his eyes and the angles of his face and nose, were exactly the same. There was no mistaking it. What was going on?
"Are you alright?" the girl’s voice pulled Abi’s attention back to the scene unfolding before her.
The young Alex seemed badly hurt. "Here. Let me help you take that arrow out," the girl added. An arrow was stuck on his left shoulder, with the arrow protruding behind him and the tail end of the arrow protruding in front of him. The girl held the arrow with both hands on the shaft and with a quick movement, broke the arrow in two.
"Okay, I’m going to pull this out now," she warned and in the next second, she quickly pulled the arrow out behind him.
He gritted his teeth and didn’t say a word. She then took a bottle out and poured its contents over his wound, causing him to hiss from the pain, before she ripped up a long piece of fabric from her skirt to use as a tourniquet for his wound.
"Don’t worry. You’ll be alright," the girl said, and the young Alex slowly opened his eyes to look at her.
The moment her face registered in his blurry eyes, the young Alex suddenly pushed her away.
The girl was surprised but she was quick to crawl back to him. "It’s okay. Don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you," she told him gently, like a little rabbit coaxing a fox.
The young Alex smirked. "Human, you are definitely getting the wrong idea here. I’m the one who is supposed to be telling you that. Get away from me if you want to live," he hissed but the girl just blinked at him and retracted her hand.
"I know you’re a vampire but... you’re not a normal vampire, are you?"
The girl’s question made his eyes widen and then narrow, instantly suspicious of her.
"How do you know?" he asked, his gaze at her now sharp as that arrow she just pulled out of him.
"I can hear it... your heartbeat. It is different to normal vampires but you’re also not a royal blooded vampire. I know what their heartbeats sound like too," she admitted and then she looked at him with deep, contemplative eyes. "Hmm, so if you’re not a full vampire, does that mean you’re a half vampire? Half human, maybe?" the girl spoke, more to herself than to him as she pondered the reason for why his heartbeat sounded different.
Alex kept silent.
"Well, it doesn’t matter because vampire or not, you’re still wounded and it looks like you’ve been poisoned too. That’s most likely why you are not healing," the girl continued.
The girl slowly moved closer to him again but the young man forced himself to stand to get away.
"I told you. Get away from me before I make you my dinner," he warned her but in the next second, he fell on his knees and passed out. It seemed his body couldn’t take it anymore.
The girl helped him lie under the tree. She checked on his wounds again and started pouring liquid potions and what looked like medicinal herbs on them. She seemed very skilled in treating wounds.
As Abi just stood there, watching quietly, unable to figure out what was happening yet, someone suddenly landed behind the girl.
Another young man appeared. This young man was so good looking with his smooth, angelic face and silver hair - the male equivalent of Alicia’s goddess-like beauty.
The silver-haired young man wore a grave and displeased expression as he spoke. "Abigail. What do you think you’re doing?"
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Chapter 457 The Long Lost Tale Part III
"Zeres," the young Abigail said as she turned to look at the silver haired young man. "Let’s take him to my house," she continued.
However, the young man, named Zeres, didn’t move. His beautiful face was filled with displeasure. "No," he told her, looking away. "We will not take him with us."
Young Abigail was quick to puff her cheeks and she immediately walked towards him, cupping her hands together in front of her as she looked up at him. "Please Zeres, we can’t just leave him here. He’s going to die if we don’t do anything!"
"You already helped him Abigail. That’s enough. Besides, that guy is... he’s a vampire! He’s dangerous!" Zeres argued, still avoiding looking at the young Abigail’s pleading face.
"Look at me, Zeres," she urged.
"No," he refused, even closing his eyes to avoid seeing her face.
The young Abigail bit her lip but there was no sign of her giving in. She glanced at the wounded young man before she returned her gaze to the silver haired man before her. "Fine," she puffed her cheeks like a willful little girl, turned around and walked away.
Zeres slowly opened his eyes when he felt her leave but what he saw made him clench his fists. It was because the stubborn girl was trying to carry the young man on her own.
Utterly frustrated, Zeres could only give in and he hastily took the man from her. He carried the wounded vampire on his back silently which made the young Abigail smile.
"Thank you, Zeres!" She thanked him happily as she began to lead the way, looking back every now and then to check on the two men.
"This guy is dangerous, Abigail. Please listen to me and don’t take him home," Zeres urged but Abigail just couldn’t be persuaded.
"It’s okay, Zeres. He’s not a pure blooded vampire. He’s just like you," she told him, her eyes twinkling while the silver-haired young man creased his brows and halted.
"Just like me? What do you mean?"
"He’s half human too, just like you. You’re a half-witch while he’s half-vampire."
What the young Abigail explained made Zeres look at her with a shocked expression. He looked like he was having a hard time believing what she just said. Half vampire? He had never heard of such a thing! It was common knowledge that if a vampire mated with a human, the human would always die from the vampire’s thirst for blood.
"I think you two could become good friends, Zeres," the girl continued and Zeres’ attention was pulled back to her. He just frowned at her words, not convinced that what she said would ever become reality.
"Why would you say that?" he asked, his tone extremely doubtful.
"Hmm... cause you guys are similar. He could be going through the same thing as you because of who you are. It isn’t very common for a half witch to be born and I have never heard of a half vampire being in existence. He might be feeling ostracised and it could even be that the ones who attacked him were vampires!"
"You know nothing about him, Abigail. Regardless of whether your theories are true or not, he is still a half vampire and vampires are dangerous. What if he bites you?"
"Hehe," the young Abigail grinned at him as she twirled. "Don’t worry, he won’t," she said plainly, sounding very certain.
"How can you say that?!"
"Well... I can just feel it, you know? He’s different from the rest. He seems... nice."
Zeres could only shake his head and didn’t speak anymore, as if he knew that once the girl made up her mind, no one could change her decision anymore.
They arrived in an old house made of stone and wood. The house was situated near a small stream at the foot of rocky Hills. The mountain rocks were so black that they looked like they were made of black crystals.
Zeres helped young Abigail by changing the wounded young man while the girl prepared some more ointments.
When she entered the room where the wounded man lay, young Abigail started cleaning his wound and treating them while Zeres just sat there, leaning against the wall as he watched. Jealousy and displeasure were evident in his eyes.
However, when his eyes were drawn towards the quiet moon peeking through the window, his expression changed again.
"It’s okay, Zeres. Don’t worry about me and go home. This person will not harm me, I promise," the young Abigail suddenly said. "And even if he tries to do something bad, I can take care of myself. You know I don’t like playing the damsel in distress."
Zeres pressed his lips. He stared at the sleeping half vampire and his expression darkened again. But in the end, he still stood up to leave.
"If he does anything funny, I will come back and kill him, Abigail," he warned her seriously but Abigail just walked towards him and playfully pushed him out of the door.
"Geez. I said it’s fine. Go, your family is probably looking for you right now."
She smiled encouragingly at him but Zeres didn’t look relieved at all. He looked like he didn’t want to leave.
"I don’t even know if I can call them family," he mumbled when the girl held his hand and pressed them.
"Hey, don’t say that. They’re your family, so you have to be there for them. Understand?"
Zeres silently stared at her before he finally sighed.
"I’ll be back as soon as everything is over," he said and after landing his hand on her head, he finally disappeared like a phantom.
Abigail watched her younger version walk back inside and stare at the wounded young Alex. The young girl’s eyes were completely focused on the young man’s face as she sat next to him. She brushed his hair away from his face and made sure everything was as it should be before she also closed her eyes to sleep.
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Chapter 458 The Long Lost Tale Part IV
Abigail walked closer to the sleeping figures. She couldn’t explain what she felt as she looked at them. She didn’t know what was going on. She attempted to touch them but her hand just went through them. Her body didn’t have any substance to it. She wished she could speak to them, or at least to this younger version of herself. Was the girl really her? She still found it hard to believe.
She could tell from the style of their clothes and the way their houses were built that she had been drawn back into the past, way, way, way back in the past - she had watched many old era movies.
She was sure that what she was seeing weren’t her forgotten memories because when she was this young, Abi spent most of her days at the hospital after her diagnosis. So these really weren’t her memories at all. But... How was Alex here?
Abi tugged her hair in frustration and her eyes fell on the young Alex’s face. His face looked more human compared to her husband’s face now, as if this Alex was his human version. He also looked vulnerable and pretty darn cute in her eyes. Even in this life, she still couldn’t help but admire her husband’s handsome features. She felt so giddy that she wanted to pinch his cheek.
But the longer Abi stared at him, a realization finally dawned to her. She remembered the story Alex had told her before. About the outcast prince. Were these memories of Alex before he became immortal?
Abi gasped. It seemed pretty logical, but then, why was her younger self here? How? Was this girl actually someone else?
Questions just kept piling up. Abi recalled the story Alex had told her but none of those things he said helped her answer any of her questions. She remembered that he had told her that the prince was ruthless but he never mentioned meeting a girl that looked like her.
Abi could only crouch down beside the bed. It seemed all she could do now was wait and see how things unfolded. She knew there must be a reason why she was seeing all this so all she could do now was wait patiently for the story to continue.
By the time Abi lifted her face again, the sunlight had already painted the morning sky. Sounds of chirping birds could be heard. She looked around and the young Abigail was no longer inside the small house.
Her eyes fell on the still sleeping young Alex. His complexion was a lot better than the night before. That girl seemed really skilled in the art of healing because Alex’s wound had already healed.
The young man woke up groggily, looked around and then looked down at his body. His wounds were gone.
"You’re awake!" The young Abigail emerged from the door, holding a small bowl. Her smile was bright as she approached him.
"Here, have some of this soup. This will help to remove all the remaining poison left in your body," young Abigail said as she offered him the bowl, her eyes glimmering like the clearest lake in existence.
The young man just stared at her and didn’t accept the bowl. The girl blinked at him and when he still didn’t move, she slowly put the bowl down on top of the small table next to her.
"I guess I need to introduce myself fir –"
Before the girl could finish her sentence, the young man pinned her down on the bed, his eyes turning slightly red.
"Where am I?" he asked with an authoritative tone.
"My house," she replied, fearless.
"So you, a human girl, actually brought a vampire like me home and even cured my wounds?" he said, his tone incredulous and his eyes burning as he questioned the obvious.
"Yes. Is there a problem with me doing that?" Abigail rebutted, lifting her chin a little in a show of defiance.
Her innocent eyes made him bite his lips but the next second, a wicked smirk flashed on his face.
"What a little naïve rabbit..." he whispered as he brushed her hair away from her neck. "Next time, don’t ever try picking up a wolf and bringing it home, okay?" he added as his fangs lengthened.
He moved to bite her neck but...
"Your heart... it’s beating so fast and loud," she suddenly said. She didn’t even look scared at all, not even a little. And what she said made the young man’s eyes stretch. "Is this your first time biting a human?" she innocently asked.
"Of course not."
"Then why are you so nervous? Is it because you don’t really want to bite me?"
"Who said I’m nervous?!"
The girl stretched her hand and placed it on his chest. "Don’t lie. I can hear it clearly. Your heartbeats are messed up. Look, it even skipped a beat!"
The young man’s ears flushed red and he suddenly jumped off the bed.
"Are you a witch disguised as human?" he asked as he backed off, grabbing his sword.
The girl sat up and shook her head innocently.
"No. I’m human. I’m not a half-blood like you."
The young Alex didn’t seem to be pleased hearing her call him a ’half-blood’ and his lips twitched. He turned and without a word, he stepped out of the room.
"Hey, wait!" The young girl chased after him.
However, the moment he set foot outside the small house and his eyes fell on the black hills before him, he stopped, frozen on the spot.
"This... t-this is the black hills?" he stammered as he looked at her.
"Yes."
"And... you live here?"
She nodded.
"All alone?"
"Hmm... I have company," she answered and then she stared up at the black hills before them.
The young man looked at her like he just realized something terrifying.
"Don’t tell me... you’re living with a dragon," he uttered, eyes filled with disbelief.
The young Abigail stared into his eyes and smiled brightly.
"That’s right!"
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Chapter 459 The Long Lost Tale Part V
The young Alex looked petrified. He couldn’t believe it but as his gaze flew back to the obsidian hills, any hint of doubt was eradicated. This location and the infamous feature of the black, crystal-like mountain range was proof enough and this was it. There was no mistaking it because this was the only place in the world like it.
Dark Dragon Hills.
This part of the world, and most especially the Dark Dragon Hills, was known to everyone in this kingdom and even to people living in the faraway lands. This was the one place no one dared to approach because everybody feared the dragon that resided here.
Everybody except for this girl before him.
He looked at the girl again and he couldn’t say a word. His thoughts were a mess. He just couldn’t believe that this seemingly weak and harmless human girl was actually the one living with the dragon! It seemed he was very wrong when he thought of her as a harmless little rabbit. His mouth opened and closed as if he was about to say something but nothing came out.
"By the way, I’m Abigail. What’s your name?" she asked him, flashing that innocent and alluring smile of hers.
The young man clenched the hilt of his sword hanging by his right hip, averting his gaze from her. He looked around again and he had a faraway look in his eyes as they fell on the thick forest where he had encountered the girl.
"If you have nowhere to go, you can stay here for now," she offered as she moved and stood before him, facing him.
"You want a stranger like me to stay here with you?" his eyes narrowed.
"If I am able to help you in that way, why not? It won’t be the first time I have let my friends stay with me for a while. There have been quite a few before you, you know," she said, matter of factly.
"Quite a few... so I am not the only one you have brought home..."
"Not at all! Mm. Let’s see... there was a wounded piglet, a rabbit, an eagle, a fawn and a half-witch," she listed off, counting with her fingers.
Young Alex looked speechless at her list. He didn’t think that she had been talking about animals when she had said ’friends’. He was beginning to think that this girl probably thought of him as a certain animal as well if she didn’t mention that last ’friend’ on her list. Even so , what she said made his brows knot.
"Half-witch?" he echoed, curiously.
The girl smiled widely as if she had expected his reaction.
"Yep. And he is now my friend, too. He is probably on his way over soon! I want you to meet him, too. He’s the one who helped me carry you back here," she said, sounding so excited as if she couldn’t wait for the two men to meet. "I think you two will become good friends."
"I’m not good at making friends. And you should know, witches and vampires don’t get along."
"But you both aren’t pureblooded. You’re both halflings! You guys have something that is extremely rare in this world in common! I never thought a half-witch existed before I met Zeres. And now, I’ve also met a half-vampire. I heard that this was an impossible thing but it appears that everyone was wrong because you guys exist. It’s really amazing, don’t you think?"
Young Abigail’s eyes were almost twinkling as she spoke, causing the young man to look at her with such deep curiosity.
"You’re a strange girl. Nobody else would think that being a halfling was an amazing thing other than you," he muttered as he leaned against the wooden wall like he had lost most of his energy. His eyes were blank and unhappy.
"But it is!" Abigail insisted.
"It’s not!" he gritted his teeth. "Because I was born a halfling, I am an outcast. The world doesn’t see me as a vampire or a human. I don’t belong anywhere. Even my family wants nothing to do with me. What’s so amazing about that? What’s so amazing about being alone?!"
The young man bit his lips upon realizing what he just blurted out. He looked away, looking regretful.
But the girl suddenly held his hand, squeezing them, causing the young man to look at her with surprise. She showed him a kind smile and then hugged him silently.
What she did made him freeze. What was she doing this? Why was she hugging a stranger like him? He was beyond surprised but his stunned face eventually relaxed and before he knew it, he buried his head on her shoulder.
They stayed like that for a long while until the girl pulled away and they stared into each other’s eyes. The hatred and pain in his eyes were gone.
"You really are strange..." he mumbled. "You’re the first person who has ever hugged me as far as I remember," he confessed, causing the girl to lift her brows in surprise.
"Really? Ever?" She didn’t look convinced.
But the young man looked away again. There was a glint of sadness mixed with hatred in his eyes. "I told you. Everyone hates me and pushes me away. My father most certainly sent me to fight in the frontlines of this war hoping that I would die," he mumbled, leaning back on the wall again as he closed his eyes.
The girl looked down and held his hand again.
"If... if you want, you can stay here with me if you have nowhere to go. Who knows, you might find that there is one place in this world that you might belong," she suddenly said, serious. The young man’s eyes flew open.
Before he could say another word, she pulled him and led him back inside the house. "Your body is still weak because of the lingering poison inside your body. You need to drink this soup to neutralise it," she said and this time, the young man finally let himself be dragged back inside the house.
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Chapter 460 The Long Lost Tale Part VI
Young Abigail sat the young Alex down by the small table and pushed the small bowl of soup towards him.
Young Alex took the spoon without a word and started to drink the soup. The room was silent and the only thing that could be heard was the young man’s spoon hitting the bowl as he scooped up the soup. Abigail looked pleased at the young man as she sat across him with her face in her palm just watching him. "How is it? Does it taste good?" she eventually asked when he was halfway done, breaking the silence.
"It’s not bad," the young man replied as he peered at her. "My name is Alexander," he introduced himself casually.
"Alexander... what a nice name," she uttered, still staring at him as she tilted her head slightly. "Wait. Alexander... are you a prince?!" her eyes became round. "When I was a kid, I went to the city of Ashteria with my mother. And while we were there, I heard that one of the vampire princes is named Alexander!" she exclaimed.
"You went to Ashteria?" Young Alex seemed surprised.
"Yes. I went there. So, is it really you? You’re a prince, right?"
The young man dropped his gaze and stared at the bowl as he replied. "Yes." His brief reply was emotionless, as if he hated admitting it, but his expression immediately changed as he diverted the topic back to her.
"So does that mean you didn’t grow up in this place?" he asked her.
The girl shook her head. "My family decided to leave me here three years ago," she explained. There was nothing in her tone to indicate that she felt like she had been abandoned.
His gaze at her deepened. He knew about her, or at least about her family. It was common knowledge that there was a noble human family with the title of ’guardians’ and ’keepers’ of the dragon. They were mere humans but they were the only ones who had the ability to control and command dragons. It was said that someone in that noble family bloodline would be born to become the master of dragons and when that master died, another one would be born from that family to take their place.
For years, the young prince had heard stories about how each ruler of vampires and humans and witches plotted and tried to abduct the dragon keeper. Each one of them wanted to take control of these dragons, the most powerful creatures in existence, to dominate the world. Young Alex had heard that humans were the first to try their luck. They tried to control the old master and used him to gain the upper hand against the other races. This move created so much chaos and for the first time since their existence, the vampires felt threatened by these inferior humans.
They too started to plot their schemes on how to catch the dragon keeper. The three forces collided, resulting in the death of the old master. When the new dragon keeper was born, the noble family kept their identity hidden, learning from the past.
A few years ago, young Alex had heard about another attack targeting the noble family because the guardian seemed to always choose to ally themselves with humans. The humans used the dragon to fight against the vampires and the vampires were no match for it. The humans started to gain the upper hand, suppressing the vampire race and this didn’t sit well with them at all.
Three years ago, the vampire king had planned to annihilate the members of this noble family until there was nobody left, saying that it was better for the dragon to be left without a master. Without a master, the dragon couldn’t then be controlled to go against them anymore and the balance of power would switch back to them again. They plotted against this noble family and unfortunately, the king couldn’t be stopped. The result was the massacre of everyone from that noble family line.
From that day forward, everyone thought that the line of the dragon keepers was finally eradicated. Everyone made sure to keep away from this place because without a master to control the dragon, who knew what it would do if it was woken from its slumber. It wouldn’t just be chaos they would have to deal with but most likely the end of all their races!
As Alex peeked at the girl before him, he immediately thought of one question. Did she not know about what had happened to her family? That she was the only one left?
He studied her face and he thought that she might not have known, and the young Alex didn’t know what to say.
"You... what you’re doing right now, picking up people and bringing them home like this... don’t you think you are being too careless? What if they actually had ulterior motives and ended up... hurting you?" he asked her, his voice filled with concern. This girl was too kind and he was afraid her kindness would be the thing that would bring about her demise one day. He couldn’t help but think that way because this world was a cruel one and the weak and kind people were always the first to get trampled on.
"Don’t worry. I am not that naive. I don’t take home every person I see in the forest. You and Zeres are just kind of... different. I don’t know why I couldn’t make myself leave you out there. I am usually able to turn others away. Maybe I just knew that you wouldn’t hurt me," she admitted. "But, if it was an animal, any animal, I always take them home." She grinned.
"Could it be that you’re feeding them to your companion?"
The young girl chuckled.
"Don’t worry. Lexus doesn’t eat such things," she told him.
"Lexus..." he echoed.
"Yes. Do you want to see him?" she was excited while the young man was once again stunned by her offer. He truly thought this not so weak little rabbit was way too trusting of strangers!
"Are you sure you want me to see him?"
"Of course!" she stood and grabbed his hand. "Come, Alexander, let’s go and say hello to Lexus."
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