376: A dreamlike truth (part 3)

A dreamlike truth (part 3)

Displeasure took over Egon's expression, leaving Adela more puzzled about the cause. Furthermore, he surprised her with his following slurred words.2

"What do you mean 'yes'? She was in the heart of Lanark, in your mines, your territory! Why would your people let the witch live after she assaulted their Queen like that?"

Manipulation; that was the forte of Larissa's enemy. But Egon's visible agitation left Adela wondering once more about what troubled him that much about the story she was telling him. As she silently contemplated, he made a noticeable effort to regain composure, his brown eyes expectant.

"I am waiting, Adelaide."

All right...

"Emorians have always followed the Monarch, that hierarchy was established back then. You ask about my people as if they had authority, when in reality, they simply followed the Queen's orders without question."

"She lost her hand!"

"Losing her hand became a symbol of the rebellion. Throughout the years, aside from Father, she remains the most celebrated monarch of all."

Her initial explanation left him visibly puzzled, prompting her to provide a better one.

"Do you believe that I am an Oracle, My Lord?"

He nodded without hesitation. "If you say so."

"Then wouldn't you do anything I tell you about the future that you desperately want to reach?"

"Yes, I would."

It was typical of her husband to take things to the extreme.

"The Oracle told the Emorian Queen that by willingly severing her hand and sending it to the Empress, the Emorians would eventually subdue their tyrants."

"So she lied to the Emorian Queen, who believed the witch solely because she was an Oracle?"

Not exactly.

"The Emorian Queen was told a prophecy. The Oracle foresaw Kaiser de Lanark defeating The Empress's descendants and taking the throne. An event that would have occurred regardless of whether the Queen lost a limb or not."

The woman was far worse than a mere liar; she was wicked enough to manipulate people's lives for centuries to come.

"The rest was her own embellishment—how the man named Kaiser had always believed in and followed the Emorian Queen, a handless warrior whom he had a statue for outside the place where he kept all his hidden knowledge."

Did the Oracle have the true power to change destiny, or did it change by itself according to the choices that she implanted in others' minds? That was something Adela could never be sure of. One thing was for sure: that woman was brilliantly evil.

Egon's eye twitched, his face contorted with repulsion.

"The two of them make me sick to my stomach."

Adela took a deep breath, reminding herself that what she was about to disclose was for the sake of Noctavian and no one else.

"Give or take, every Healer is an Oracle, and every Oracle is a Healer. The magic that flows within us is the opposite of that of warlocks. Ours arises naturally, never sabotages, and is limited, leaning more toward the defensive side. Warlocks, on the other hand, possess magic created by the First Empress who infused it into herself and then passed it down to her descendants, continuing through the bloodline in Varinthia."

Egon shook his head, the crease between his eyebrows persistent. "A tainted bloodline, much like ours."

"Never utter those words again!" Adela lashed out.

His eyes widened, and he raised his hand defensively, as if about to argue, but she refused to entertain the notion.

"Can you cast a spell or manipulate elements?" She asked to prove her point.

"No."

Indeed, her son's blood was pure.

"That's because Andreas's blood completely cleansed the dark magic from your system. Other than your colors, you haven't inherited anything from her."

"Good. The less we have in common with the mother of everything evil, the better."

The mother of everything evil?

Noctavian. Noctavian. She repeated her son's name in her mind, reminding herself of the woman who meant so much to him.

"...The First Empress ended up repenting, My Lord. Her Empire was established, her children were grown, she had reached an age where she could no longer bear children, and she knew that her blood could only mix with Andreas through one of her female descendants with no way to predict when..."

What drove the First Empress to seek redemption? Was it empathy for the man she loved, or was it jealousy of all the women Andreas would be with over the centuries because of her? Adela could never be certain.

"...When the First Empress discovered that her sister was not Andreas's true mate, she desired to kill her sibling and break the Oracle's spell over him... But she never reached Lanark, for the desert people in Latora...They buried her alive."

While Adela found it hard to say the words, Egon's expression remained unchanged as he heard her.

"She got what she deserved," he said with a cold tone.

Adela firmly believed that determining whether someone deserved a certain end or should receive a new beginning were matters that humans were too short-sighted to judge.

"...Though her efforts were in vain, the First Empress died trying. Does her attempt at redemption not count?"

All the lines in his face vanished as his expression softened. "It's challenging for me to see things from your perspective, Adelaide."

That was a fair and mutual acknowledgment.

"Everyone deserves a second chance, and people can change, I believe that no one should be denied the opportunity to correct their ways."

There was a long moment of silence between them, and his eyes held a secret glint.

"...Can you tell me more about the dynamics between the First Empress and Noctavian?"

Adela gave a nod of consent.

"That mana stone on his wrist helps him contain his Healing magic internally rather than channeling it outward, just like it does to me... But to be honest, I still get uneasy whenever Noctavian approaches me with a dream that she made him experience..."

"Does it happen often?"

She shook her head.

"It's been two years since the last one. I think she has conveyed everything she wanted us to know. What I would like to do once he gains control of his magic with Rauul's assistance is to properly bury that mana stone... I believe Noctavian would want that too."

Egon frowned again hearing the tenderness in her voice.

"His attachment to that woman, I can't accept it."

"You don't have to accept it. You just have to understand it," she suggested. "Noctavian is the realization of the First Empress's dream, and the two of them share a bond that no one could ever break."

She took a deep breath, giving herself a much-needed mental break before releasing it, then gave him a meaningful look. It was her turn to confirm something Egon might know about the First Oracle.

"We will bury the Empress's Heart... We need to give both twins a proper burial."

Will you try to stop us?

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