Evelyn fell silent for a few moments, mulling over Ivan's warning. Then, with a hint of curiosity she asked, "Why did it surprise you… the way I was able to melt them like that?"
She tilted her head slightly, her brow drawing together. "I mean, is that not how it usually happens? Do they not melt like that?"
Ivan's lips curved up in a faint smile. "No…they don't. Your powers were strong enough to not just fight them, but to cleanse them completely, to the point of melting them to nothing."
He added, "Darkrots were once humans who extended their lifespans by channeling their powers through dark magic. They're able to live more far beyond their natural years by offering soul sacrifices to the devil and consuming the raw blood and flesh of others. The stronger their victim's powers, the more powerful they become.
Usually, we have to either separate a darkrot's head from its body or rip out their heart before setting it on fire to completely destroy it. Only then do their bodies turn to ash. No one has ever been able to melt them the way you did."
Evenlyn's voice trembled and she asked hesitantly, "I saw what they did to… that small child. Were they going to…eat his h-heart?" A lump formed in her throat just thinking about it.
Ivan became silent for sometime, contemplating how much more he should reveal to this lumen princess. Then he spoke, his voice laced with silent fury, "No, they weren't going to eat it."
He paused, then asked, "Do you remember seeing them hold an obsident stone during your encounter?"
Evelyn only needed a second recall. "Yes! It was pulsing with this sinister energy. I saw red, veiny roots spreading across it."
"Hm, that was a dark stone," he said quietly.
"They are also a result of forbidden magic. But what truly makes them powerful are the souls of the innocent. The stone absorbs these souls, either to grow stronger or to act as a vessel for storing them for sacrificing it to the devil later."
He paused again for a brief second and then decided to tell her "It isn't confirmed, but I've heard whispers… they use the hearts of children and women to craft dark potions. Potions capable of masking their decay, to look like one of us. To walk among us without raising suspicion."
Hearing this, a cold shiver ran down her spine and Ivan heard her heart tremble. He continued, "This is why you cannot trust anyone princess."
He took the last step into a pitch-dark room where not a sliver of light remained. Releasing her hand as she reached the bottom of the stairs, he scanned the space and found a half burnt, dusty candle with a matchbox beside it on the nearby table. Striking the match, he lit the candle.
The small flame flickered to life, casting long shadows on the stone walls. He turned to face Evelyn with his serious expression. The flicker of flame reflected in his eyes, cold and unreadable.
"And this," he said, in a calm voice, "is why you must never let anyone know what you're capable of."
"I brought you here because I need you to see…" Ivan said, his voice low, "and for me to see… for both of us, to understand things, before we move forward."
The dim candlelight flickered across his face, casting long shadows on dark stone walls around them. Evelyn swallowed hard. There was a weight in his words, a tension in the air that made her pulse race.
A cold dread coiled in her chest. She didn't know what scared her more, the secret that awaited… or the fact that things might change for her after hearing them.
"What…what are you going to do?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
Ivan stepped closer, the soles of his boots brushing against the dust covered floor. "I need you to remove your locket," he said quietly, "Just for a while."
Her hand instinctively rose to touch the familiar chain resting against her collarbone. Her eyebrows furrowed and she asked, "Why? What does my locket have to do with any of this?"
He looked at her, something intense flickering behind his cold gaze."Because it's the key to understanding your power. It's not just disintegrating for no reason, it's reacting to something inside you. And if I am right… we need to know what."
She froze, the panic rising now like a wave. "But I was told never to take it off. That it's meant to protect me."
"Protect you… how Princess?" Ivan asked, his voice softer now, but no less serious.
"Have you never wondered why you, who were always told your powers were faint…. suddenly had enough strength to melt those Darkrots out there? Why does your locket keep cracking, every time your power slips out of your control or after the?"
His eyes searched hers in the flickering candlelight.
Evelyn's fingers trembled against the metal. It felt cold and heavy now. A war raged inside her between the fear of what she might discover… and the need to finally know something.
She looked down, her thumb brushing the fractured lines etched across the stone. She had worn it her whole life. She was told it would protect her. But from what and why?
Her voice trembled when she finally spoke.
She then looked up at Ivan and finally spoke in a soft voice,"A part of me wanted to run, pretend none of this is real.." Then her eyes became firm with resolve. "...but I can't keep hiding. I want to know. I'll take it off."
Ivan held her gaze for a moment, then he gave her a single nod. "Good." He stepped closer, just enough to feel his calm presence. "If anything feels wrong…I give you my word, I'll put it back on you myself."
Taking a deep breath, Evelyn exhaled slowly. She lifted her trembling hands to the back of her neck slowly to reach the cold lock of the gold chain.
Her eyes looked up at Ivan, searching his expression for reassurance. He gave her a steady and calm gaze. With her heart thudding like a drum, she finally unclasped the lock and the chain slipped from her neck in one slow motion. The moment it left her skin, there was a stillness in the air for a millisecond until both of them felt the air around them shift.
And then the both of them saw…