Miri’s POV

It’s been five days since the council meet, and since I got the scolding of my life by Alira for the way I spoke to Ryden. But he has feelings for me, and I would never be able to live with myself if I gave him false hope, so I just had to make necessary boundaries.

But Alira didn’t seem to share my sentiment and isn’t even talking to me now whenever I communicate with home.

My punishment started three days ago, and I have been working from dawn till dusk with the working crew, trying to fix the barrier to be stronger than it was originally. And I have to say that the idea of expulsion has been getting more tempting with each passing day.

“Miri, focus or you’re going to have to stay even longer today.”

That easily pulls me out of my thoughts as I focus my energia back onto the barrier but suddenly, the main device used for calibration snapped and flew into the forest part of the island.

I eagerly volunteered to retrieve it, as it would serve as a much-needed break for me. But as I move in deeper, I feel the eyes of someone following me.

When I check, I see no one.

I continue searching, going deeper while occasionally checking over my shoulder when I see it. A figure standing in the shadows. He has a lean frame and a height that could rival Tarin’s. He has his back to me while standing at a reasonable distance in front of me.

“Who are you?”

No answer.

“What are you doing here?”

No answer once more.

“How did you get here?”

Silence.

I make my way toward him slowly, already gathering energia, only for him to turn around and face me but instead of a scary face or a face at all, I see a man with a dark mask and a white skull across it.

And as if on cue, memories from my nightmares come flooding into my head. Torven. That man has the same mask as the one who took Torven that night.

I want to chase him, but my airways start to close up as everything comes rushing back all at once. I fall to the ground, taking heavy breaths that never seem to register, my eyes already getting blurry and my consciousness beginning to fade.

Then I feel it a strong pair of arms holding me. They feel foreign but warm. The person says nothing, asks nothing, and just holds me. And I make no effort to look at who it is, as I focus on trying to regain my breath and stay awake.

After a very long hour, I regain myself and stand, ready to thank the person only to see the face of Draven.

“What are you doing here?”

“I missed my fiancée and decided to visit her. I just didn’t expect I would be seeing her in such a state.”

“But you are not meant to be allowed here. How did you get in?” I eye him warily.

“Calm down, lil velka. I snuck in, okay? But now you tell me what that was about just now.”

“Why should I? I neither like you nor trust you, so under what obligation am I to tell you anything about my personal life?”

“We are engaged to be married after graduation. Even if there is no love, we can at least build some trust, right?”

I look at him, unable to hide the disgust from my face. “I am truly grateful for your help, but please keep your hands off me next time and your curiosity at bay.”

As I walk off, I hear him mutter something like, “Interesting,” but choose to pay him no mind.

I just might have found the first clue to finding Torven, and something about Draven makes me uneasy. But I will deal with him on a later date as I plan my entrance to the forest the next day to search once more.

I call home once more and beg Aeren to tell Alira to speak to me that it is about Torven and that instantly earns her attention as she immediately asks:

“What about Torven?”

“I finally found a clue. I saw the mask in the forest at the back of the academy. I intend to go again tomorrow to investigate. If it really is him, then maybe I will finally be reunited with my complete family.”

“Girl, be careful. For him to suddenly appear now, I find it strange. Just please act with caution and update us on all the results, whether good or bad.”

“Alright, Ali. I promise to be good and safe. No need to worry.” And then I end the call.

I can’t wait for tomorrow.

Just as promised, I come back as early as possible and start walking around, looking over my shoulders ever so often. And as expected, he appears once more but this time, his mask is crooked and his stature is smaller. Then I realize something: there is more than one of them.

But before anything further could be done with that information, I heard the voice of Torven calling to me and asking me to set him free.

But I couldn’t find anything, no matter where I checked, and it was starting to get dark.

But one thing's for sure Torven Morvain, as long as you live and breathe, I will find you, no matter how long it takes.

“Please wait for me, brother,” I murmur as I collapse once more only to be caught by Draven again.

“What a stubborn child,” was the last thing I heard as my consciousness faded.

When I finally awaken, I see Draven sitting by my bedside.

“What are you doing here?” I demand.

At my interrogation, he simply stands up, gets me a glass of water, and hands it to me.

“Drink up. You simply fainted due to exhaustion. Even though I know you do not trust me, at least tell me when you go into the forest alone. I’m not ready to lose my newly engaged fiancée people will say I’m unlucky.”

I can hear the tease in his voice, but I pay him no attention.

It’s in times like this that I wish I had Ryden with me. If it was him, would I be able to open up?

I mentally slap myself. What exactly am I thinking about?

“A penny for your thoughts?” Draven asks as he straightens out the lines between my brows.

“It shouldn’t matter to you what I’m thinking about. And just because we are engaged doesn’t mean we shall get married. Just kindly remember that as you make your way out of my room.”

That earns a laugh from him, and he raises his hand in mock surrender and walks out.

But before I get the chance to get lost in thought once more, I hear the voice I have wanted to hear for the past six days.

“What’s on your mind, Eshkara?”

And for a minute, I think I am hallucinating but then I see him. And before I can stop myself, I run into his arms and give him a tight hug.

“Weren’t you previously trying to push me away? Don’t tell me it took you less than a week to break your resolve,” he teases, striking my back lightly.

“Any other day I would push you away… but I just… I just really need this, okay.”

“I won’t ask, alright? Just tell me once you’re ready.”

And with that, we stay there for several minutes, none of us speaking or even moving. Just simply enjoying the silence and embrace, all while calming our racing emotions.

“Remember my adoptive family I told you all about at the beginning of all of this?”

He hums in response.

“Well… my brother didn’t die. I saw him get taken away by masked people. And recently in the forest, I saw the same mask and even heard his voice.” I raise my head to look up at Ryden. “I once vowed to find him. But I haven’t done anything or made any effort to find him. And now I have a clue, but each time they are within reach, I freeze up.

“Am I too weak? Can I really never fulfill the last wish I made to my adoptive parents? Can I actually even do anything? I couldn’t even stay with the one I love…”my tears were already flowing way too much for me to even control.

“Miri… what did you just say?”

“What did I… what do you—”

He cuts me off.

“You said you loved me.”

“What… when did I—” instant realization creeping in.

I said it without much thought.

I look into his expectant eyes. “I didn’t—”

But he cuts me off once more—this time by capturing my lips.

He holds me tightly in his arms, kissing me slowly, in such a gentle manner that it doesn’t match the first time we kissed. It feels deeper. More real. More us.

It’s almost surreal, and so, just to prove it isn’t a dream, I bite his lower lip gently, giving him more entrance into my mouth. He takes the hint and deepens the kiss. My head spins. My heart races. That sentence “he takes my breath away” Ryden takes it literally, because I have to break the kiss just to take a few deep breaths.

But not wasting any time at all, he captures my lips once more, and we get lost in our own passion.

He kisses me like I’m the answer to a question he’s been asking for years. Like I’m the only air he wants to breathe. Like no time, no space, and no kingdom exists beyond this moment.

And for the first time in days… I feel safe.

Finally, it ends.

“Let me take you home, Eshkara. Allow the family that loves you an opportunity to help you.”

I hum in agreement.

We take the necessary permission and, using the excuse of the barrier being almost completely fixed, leave for the Shadow Empire. We arrive in a few hours and are welcomed at the castle gates by my father, brothers, and Alira.

“Welcome back, my child. You have really been through a lot,” my father says as he pulls me into a hug.

Then I am jumped by Alira and Aeren as we all giggle and head inside.

“King Korrin, I think we should head to the private throne room to speak about something.”

My father looks between me and Ryden.

“Let’s all take this to the throne room, then.”

We file into the throne room, all taking our designated seats.

“So, Ryden, fill me in on what happened.”

Ryden simply looks at me. “Miri is the one who needs to speak about something, so she shall do the briefing.”

“Father… brothers… I found my adoptive brother. Back then, he was taken away by a skull-looking masked figure. And recently, in the forest of the academy, I saw two of them and heard his voice. So… I need help in finding him. Please help me, Father.”

At my words, I look around to see teeth and fists clenching.

Before I can ask for an explanation, Ryden speaks up.

“You told me nothing of the masks being skull masks.”

“Does that detail matter at all?” I ask, looking around in confusion.

“Miri… what do you know about the incident five years ago?”

“What? Father, why are you asking that?”

“Please, Miri, just answer me. What do you know about the incident five years ago?”

“It was said that the Shadow Empire were doing experiments with the rest of the empires to improve their weaponry. But when it failed and was about to explode, the experimental machine was thrown indiscriminately into the human realm because no other empire wanted to risk the safety of their own people.

“It was the explosion that took the lives of so many. And no empire wanted to take responsibility, so the incident was hushed up,” I responded truthfully.

“What happened five years ago is far more complicated than that, my dear sister,” Rian tells me.

And then Tarin speaks up

.

“This is what really happened five years ago…”