Alex paused and pointed to a corner of the scroll, where a faded map showed a hidden spot.
"There's another piece of this puzzle, "He said quietly. "A secret archive in New York – and that's where your father once went. It may hold clearer records."
My heart pounded. I wanted to beg him to stay, but fear held my words. He glanced at me.
"Do not worry, we'll go together and nothing will happen to you," he promised. "If we choose to break prophecy, it should be side by side. Take your time, you'll tell me."
"Alex, I don't want you to leave me here," I said softly
"I don't want to leave you here as well, but it's safe here, and I have to go hunting with my Father. Unfortunately, he can't go anywhere without me, "He said with a calm voice
"Can I go to visit Mira? At least I want to talk to her."
"I'll send her to your room," He said as he was leaving
Later, Mira came into my room with more new messages from other Blank guardians in the city. "They were quiet watchers, ancestors of your kind. They had seen past heirs struggle with prophecy and magic, and you're the younger one among them."
"When Martin sent his agents after you, "she revealed, "he thought eliminating the blank line would destroy the prophecy. But he never understood mortal blindness – how powerful it can be."
We spent the afternoon making a plan: Visit the library. Reach out to human allies. Gather proof of what the prophecy truly meant.
I felt a small spark of happiness. I felt like I wasn't alone anymore. My future had a history, but also hope, and I was sure that I would help Alex with his magic. I stared at the scroll again, and that heavy burden felt lighter.
"Hey, Mira, do you think Alex will punish me or get angry with me because we went out?" I said with worry in my eyes
"No, he won't trust me, I know him," She said, comforting me.
At night, Alex came back and found me exactly where he had left me and proposed to walk with me. He walked back to my small studio. Rain tapped softly on the window, matching my thundering heart. He kissed me on the forehead.
"Whatever comes," he whispered, "we face it as equals."
"Alex, are you scared?" I said, looking in his eyes
"No, I'm never scared. How can a scared person protect you?" He answered, letting the conversation slide that I was bringing up
I was still thinking about Alex's kiss. I could feel my heart beating fast, but it just felt right
Rained softly against the cottage window, just like the beat of my heart. I put on a simple blue dress, and I could feel my silver ring and gold locket warm against my skin. Alex walked beside me, steady and calm, as we made our way to the old city gate.
A woman was waiting for us. She looked exactly like Mira had described, with bright silver hair and wary eyes.
"I'm Selene," she said softly.
She gestured for us to follow her into a small, narrow alley, speaking in a whisper. "You're not by yourselves," she told us.
"Hey, Selene, do you know who this is?" I asked her
"Yes, heir Alexander of the Milton, it means a lot to see you face to face?" She said, looking down
"I am happy to be here, thank you, Selene," Alex said with a very calm and kind voice.
She led us to a hidden chapel down back alleys. Inside, candles flickered, and there were quiet faces all around.
Another guardian nodded at me and offered us water, but refused to drink it.
"Is everything okay, Alex?" I asked him
"Yes, it is against the rules," He answered
I was in shock that the rule would not let one drink it, and I just felt bad. As the day goes by, I have learnt from them a lot of things. I found out that my family's bloodline had been secretly protecting the Milton magic for generations. And that they kept it from disappearing because of greed
Then Selene paused, her brow darkening. "Martin plans to kill anyone from your family line. He believes cutting that line ends the prophecy. But he underestimated how much support we have."
"He's preparing a full attack – this week. Not just kidnapping or imprisoning. He wants magic destroyed."
Alex seemed to be shocked by every word Selene spoke out of her mouth.
"How is this possible? How do I not know this place and everything you are saying?" He said with a wondering and curious voice
"I have seen heirs in many years, but you're the only one who wasn't interested in your magic or the power your family held. That is why I let you in this hidden house, we think that you're so different from the rest of the Milton's family, "Selene said
"But why would they hide a lot of this from me"? Alex said with sad eyes
I grabbed his hands. "Hey, I am here and we're going to figure this out together, that's what we said, remember?"
He calmed down and seemed to trust me and the process, but I was comforting him, fear twisted in my best
I squeezed Alex's hand without thinking. He looked at me.
Alex looked at me, his hand squeezing mine tighter. "There's not attacking coming – not today, not tomorrow, you'll be safe." He said, looking at the other Blank keepers in the room.
A few minutes later, his driver pulled up outside. But something seems off – his usual calm was gone. Inside the car, I swallowed hard.
"Alex, I'm sorry about today," I said, feeling lost in regret. "I shouldn't have pulled you into this – should've come by myself."
He turned a bit, giving me a small, kind smile. "Don't say that. Thank you for telling me. I got too busy with my work – I missed something. Look, Elara, I love my family… especially my brother Martin. But when he realized I wasn't going after the family's magic, he backed off and started spending time with Uncle George, who's obsessed with it. I get why he never told me about all this."
It was the first time I'd seen him open up like this. I reached out and squeezed his hand as the city lights flashed by.
"So… why is Martin still fighting you about this? About us?"
Alex stared out the window, his jaw moving as he thought hard. "Martin still sees me as his little brother. He calls it protection."
I gently put my hand on his shoulder. "I understand now. And we'll prove that I'm not a threat. We just need to learn how to use magic and work together."
I have always thought Alex only cared about how he looked and how much money he had. But in that quiet car ride, I realized he's more than that.