Chapter 46 – The Shadow of Thorneveil
Ethan's gaze lingered on Lirael, the dim glow of the chamber casting soft shadows across her face. For a long moment, he hesitated. His chest felt heavy, burdened with words he wasn't sure he should speak. As it might risk revealing his system.
Finally, he drew in a breath.
"Lirael… there's something serious we need to discuss."
Her violet eyes lifted to him, uncertain, searching.
"When you were unconscious," Ethan continued, his voice low but steady, "your condition wasn't just irregular. Some sort of energy stirred inside you… something glowed in you And then—" He paused, tightening his jaw as if unsure whether to continue. "Then a signal burst out from your body. Not just random energy—it had direction. And it was heading toward…"
He said. "…Thorneveil."
The name dropped into the silence like a thunderclap.
For a heartbeat, Lirael didn't move. Then her face drained of color, panic flaring in her wide eyes.
"W-what did you say?" Her voice cracked. "Thorneveil? Some signal from me went there? No… no, no, it can't be… not now…"
Her breaths came quick and trembling fingers curling into her palms. She shook her head, lips forming half-muttered denials, as if the very thought clawed at her sanity.
"Not now… they can't have noticed… not yet…"
Ethan's chest tightened at the sight. Without hesitation, he stepped forward, pulling her trembling form against him. She resisted for a second, then collapsed into his embrace. His arms tightened around her as he rubbed her back in slow, grounding circles.
"Hey," he murmured, his voice low, firm, steady—like an anchor in storm-tossed seas. "Didn't I say this before? Whatever you carry, whatever burdens you have… I'll bear them with you."
Her shivers didn't stop, but her breath faltered, catching on a sob she refused to let escape. Ethan leaned his chin slightly against her hair, speaking softly into the crown of her head.
"So stop trying to shoulder it all alone. Talk to me, Lirael. Tell me what Thorneveil means… and why this signal terrifies you."
The room felt smaller, the air dense with unspoken weight. Ethan could feel her heartbeat racing wildly against his chest, her nails lightly clutching the fabric of his tunic.
Inside his own mind, another debate raged. He hadn't yet told her about the system—the Hollow Crown, the thing that had guided his every step. If she had chosen to bare her truths, then… was it right for him to still hold back?
His thoughts were interrupted when she whispered, voice breaking:
"If it really reached Thorneveil… then it means they will know. And if they know… Ethan, everything changes."
Her words quivered in the dim glow, a confession laced with dread.
Lirael stiffened suddenly in his arms, her panic surging back with a vengeance. She pushed weakly against his chest, shaking her head.
"No—Ethan, you need to move away. Don't touch me. Don't even pretend to know me." Her voice trembled, each word like shards of glass cutting her throat. "If they trace that signal, if they find me—then you'll…" She choked, chest heaving. "Those people… they took my mother. And now that my curse has been undone, they'll know I've awakened. They will come for me. And if you're near me, they'll come for you too."
Her eyes glistened, spilling a few hot tears she tried to wipe away, but more welled stubbornly in their place. Her body trembled as she whispered, "I need to leave… I need to go now… before I drag you into my fate."
Ethan didn't move away. Instead, he caught her chin gently, his gaze steady and unyielding. When her words faltered, he silenced them—not with force, but with a simple gesture.
He placed a finger softly against her trembling lips.
"Enough." His voice was calm.
Her breath hitched, her tears shimmering as she looked up at him.
A faint, teasing smile curved his lips. "You know, Lirael… there's another way I can make a girl stop talking. But I don't know if you'll like it." He leaned closer, the warmth of his breath brushing against her skin, his face mere inches from hers.
Her heart raced, her body betraying the panic that still warred inside her.
Ethan's eyes softened, though his words carried steady conviction. "Do you remember what I said when we first formed our party?"
Lirael blinked rapidly, struggling to recall through the storm of fear. "Y-you said… that since you had nothing better to do, you might as well jump into danger with me…"
"Yes," Ethan said firmly, brushing away a tear that traced her cheek. "And it still applies. So let me say it again: whatever burden you carry, I'll carry it with you and that I have already promished."
Her lips parted, caught between protest and something else. "B-but we barely even know each other… it hasn't even been—"
"Ooh?" Ethan arched a brow, tilting his head slightly. "So you're saying you need something more between us?" His smile deepened, warm and daring. "Then how about I provide you with one?"
He inched closer, their already minimal distance shrinking, his gaze never breaking from hers.
Lirael's eyes widened, then softened, her face blooming with crimson heat. She bit her lower lip, breath unsteady, finally whispering, "O-okay… I'll tell you. I'll tell you what Thorneveil really is… and why they can never know I've awakened."
Her voice trembled—but now, it was not panic alone that colored it. It was trust.
Lirael's breathing grew uneven, panic threatening to swallow her again. Ethan held her steady and protectively, making her sit on his lap, his one hand at her lower back and the other holding her hand, waiting.
Finally, her lips parted, trembling.
"Ethan… Thorneveil is my home. But it's also the place I can never return to. Because there, I am not… me. I'm a bloodline. A tool and a curse."
Her voice cracked, and she shook her head violently.
"My father… he died under suspicious circumstances. Everyone whispered, but no one dared to say Raenor Thalmyr's name aloud. He's one of the great house heads. Cruel, ambitious—he'd do anything to claim what isn't his."
Her hands curled into fists against Ethan's chest, tears pooling in her eyes.
"When I came of age, when I should have awakened… nothing happened. No resonance. No power. Nothing. They whispered I was cursed, that my bloodline was defective and that I was worthless."
Her breath hitched as she continued.
"But Raenor never stopped watching me. And when he realized I wasn't awakening, he turned to my mother. He—" Her voice broke into a shiver. "He tried to rip the bloodline out of her. Forbidden magic… Bloodline Extraction. I don't know if she survived. I don't even know if she's still alive."
Tears spilled freely now, her voice trembling like a shattered string.
"She must have known something like this would happen… because she had my maid ready to take me away. We escaped the citadel while they were distracted. But we were seen. We were chased. And she… my maid… she threw herself at them so I could keep running."
Lirael pressed her forehead into Ethan's chest, her words muffled by the weight of her grief.
"I didn't even look back. I just ran. Ran until my legs gave out, until there was nothing left of me but fear. And I've hated myself for it ever since."
Her voice broke into a sob, the tears she had fought to suppress pouring out unchecked. "And now… if they felt that signal—if they know I've awakened—they'll come again. Raenor will come. He always does. And this time, I won't be able to run."
---
Ethan's hand lingered against her back, steady, even as his mind burned.
From what I can make out… that sealing must've been her mother's doing. Not betrayal—protection.
His teeth clenched, a sharp edge of fury flashing behind his calm expression.
Tsk… what kind of bastard forces a mother to cripple her own child's birthright just so she can survive?
His jaw tightened, but his voice, when it came, was steady and low.
"Then let them come." He tilted her chin upward, forcing her tear-filled eyes to meet his own. "Whoever dares lay a hand on you… they'll have to cross me first."
Lirael's lips parted, her breath trembling. "Y–You don't understand…" Her voice was soft, desperate. "If they c-claim me as their blood… if they declare me one of their f-family… then it becomes legal. No one can stop it. Not even you."
Her words struck heavy in the silence, and for a heartbeat Ethan said nothing.
Then something flickered in his eyes—like a spark catching flame. Slowly, he leaned closer, his voice lowering in her ear.
"Then it's simple."
She blinked, confused, her lashes wet with tears. "W-what…?"
A faint, daring smile curved his lips as he pulled back just enough to meet her gaze.
"You'll simply become my possession."