Molan had been standing outside for nearly two hours, waiting patiently, anxiously, for his master's return. His expression was tight with concern. Nothing must happen to his lord. Not after just awakening from his 4,000-year slumber. And now, to have wandered off into the *Forbidden Wing* of all places—it was madness.
Corvin strolled by, more out of curiosity than concern, his arms folded casually behind his back. He didn't believe Lord Rhonex would make it out alive. In fact, he was certain of it.
He noticed Molan standing still like a statue and asked, "Still waiting?"
Molan didn't turn his head. He simply answered, "Yes."
Corvin raised a brow. "Do you honestly believe he'll make it out of there?"
This time, Molan did turn to face him. "Do not underestimate my lord. He is capable of many things… things that defy belief."
A smirk curled on Corvin's lips. "Very well then. I'm bored. I challenge you to a duel."
"I am in no mood for a duel," Molan replied calmly.
"Oh? Are you afraid I'll defeat you?"
"Whether you defeat me or I defeat you is irrelevant."
"Then let's make it interesting," Corvin offered, voice dripping with challenge. A *Duel of Fate*. If I win, it proves your precious lord will never return from the wing. But if you win… well, let's just say some legends can be proven wrong."
He smiled that smug smile. He knew Molan wouldn't turn it down. Not when it came to defending his master.
Molan's eyes narrowed. "Very well."
Corvin's grin widened. "Then to ensure this is a true test of skill—no tricks, no predictions—we'll fight in the old way… The Blindfold Duel."
Corvin claimed confidence in the blindfold duel , he was highly skilled, and his vampire perks gave him heightened senses: sharp hearing, enhanced reflexes, and a near-supernatural awareness of movement.
They met at the training ground. Servants brought out two black silk blindfolds, and Corvin and Molan tied them tightly across their eyes. A bell had been arranged to signal the start.
DING!
The bell rang, and instantly, the clashing of blades filled the air. Neither could see, yet their swords met violently, metal ringing out again and again.
Corvin used his sharp hearing to track Molan's every movement , the shuffle of feet, the shift in air. He slashed toward the sound and struck Molan's arm. But instead of pain, there was silence. No groan. No stumble.
Elves were known for their rapid healing , and Molan was no exception. Within seconds, the wound closed, and he pressed forward, as if untouched.
Meanwhile, a girls entered the palace, searching for her cousin. A servant directed her toward the training ground. She was a red-haired girl with brown eyes , reached just in time to see the duel in full force.
Her eyes widened as she caught sight of the silver-haired man blocking blow after blow. He had a sharp jawline, lean muscle, and a cold intensity that made her breath hitch.....with the way he was fighting she thought...he is probably a Duke or a Lord.
"So cool…" she muttered, watching him with admiration.
But Corvin was struggling. Sweat beaded down his temples. His muscles ached. How was Molan keeping up? Was he cheating?
He doubted it. Corvin trusted his own senses , the enchantment on the blindfold ensured neither of them could see.
Still… if he pushed further, he might pass out. He reached out mentally to Molan through their mindlink.
"I give up."
And just like that, Corvin dropped to the floor, panting heavily, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he gasped for breath. The blindfold fell from his face, revealing tired but still-sharp eyes.
The duel was over. But the red-haired girl's curiosity had just begun.
"I didn't know Elves had this much power," Corvin muttered, clearly surprised.
Molan grinned. "I won the deal, which means my lord will come out. And even if I had lost, my lord would still come out. And for the record," he added with a smirk, "I'm a fairy, not an elf."
Corvin gave him a sharp look. "You're clearly an elf. But..." He paused, narrowing his eyes. He could sense it, two distinct magical auras. One was elf, the other unmistakably fairy.
"You're both," Corvin said slowly. "That means one of your parents is an elf… the other a fairy."
Molan didn't answer.
Corvin watched him carefully. He could see the silence wasn't just pride, it was pain. Maybe Molan hated his elf lineage. Maybe the elf clan had wronged him. Whatever it was, he clearly didn't want to talk about it.
Without a word, Molan flicked his hand, magically cleaning the blood off his sword. He slid it back into the sheath hidden beneath his coat.
Then, the sound of footsteps echoed.
Corvin turned toward it, alert.
A girl in a flowing red gown stepped forward, the long fabric trailing behind her. Her heels clicked against the ground, sharp and deliberate. Her lips were painted the same crimson as her dress. "Carista," Corvin muttered, tension rising in his chest. "What is she doing here?"
She still wore red. Her obsession with the colour read was topnotch. Always red. Every time he saw her.
Carista came close and pulled out an hanky. She extended her hand and said,
"You did very well, my lord. From afar, I saw how skilled you are. Take this hanky and clean the sweat off your face."
Corvin chuckled and replied,
"Lord? He's just a male butler."
He said that because he knew how his cousin hates or should he say dislikes people below the class of nobility or power.
Molan didn't say a word. He simply bowed, gave one last glance at the beauty before him, and left.
Carista turned to watch him go, thoughts swirling in her mind.
If only he weren't a butler…
He looked far too striking for someone in servant's clothes. His master must be treating him well.
She turned to Corvin, cheeks slightly flushed.
"Did you see the look on his face, Corvin? Gosh, he didn't even take the hanky I offered him. So proud."
Corvin laughed,
"He must've learned that from his master, now, quit looking at him or have you fallen for him"
Carista looked back again, still puzzled by her own reaction.
You must be mistaken. Why would I fall for someone as low as him?
Then her brows furrowed.
By the way, what is he even doing in our castle?
Carista asked, changing the topic,
Corvin raised an eyebrow at the word "our."
"You talk as though you've been living in this castle since you were born , not to mention how you suddenly disappeared after your mother's death."
Carista's face dropped as she remembered the way her mother was brutally killed.
"Anyways, the butler is waiting for his master, who just entered the Forbidden Wing."
The Forbidden Wing. Carista gasped. Everyone in the kingdom knew that anyone who entered… never came out.
"Poor butler."
"I warned him before he entered. But confidence runs in the blood of his lord , and I also admit, I'm starting to think he might actually come out."
Carista laughed at that comment.
"Anyways, why are you here"
"I heard news that the king had died."
"You mean your father?"
Carista's brown eyes suddenly turned blood-red.
"If you call that monster of a man my father again, I shall kill you. Right here. Right now."
"Oh, I'm so sorry, dear Carista. Nobody knows about you being his daughter."
"So… did you come to look at the king's dead body, or what?"
Carista suddenly calmed down. if there was a person she hated more than anyone in the world it was the man who didn't deserve to be called her father.
"Well, since that man is dead," Carista began, her voice calm but heavy, "I realized there are things I need to resolve. And strangely… my goal aligns with yours."
She turned to Corvin, her eyes steady. "I'd love for us to work together. What do you say?"
Corvin raised a brow, intrigued. This wasn't the same girl , the once naive and small girl he once knew—this was a woman shaped by pain, purpose, and pride. "You've changed," he said quietly.
Carista nodded. "There are also certain things I want from you, Corvin. Acknowledge me as the daughter of that bastard. Give me a seat on your council....and urm I still have other requests but I don't remember them for now as I am stressed from the journey.
Her voice cracked slightly. "Please."
Corvin chuckled, sensing the weight beneath her words. "All of this… is for Calista, right?"
Her expression shifted. Her voice softened, almost childlike...she then sat on the floor with Corvin, her eyes wet with tears.. "Why would I do all this? Why would I come back to a place that always haunts me?"
She stepped closer, lowering her gaze. "She's the only family I have. My twin sister."
"What about me?" Corvin asked playfully, but there was a quiet ache behind the joke.
Carista looked up and glared lightly. "You know what I mean."Then, softer, more deliberate, she added, "Let me rephrase that… she's the only blood I have left."
Carista touched the pendant on her neck—an intricate yin-yang necklace of blue and red. She traced the two sides gently with her thumb.
"Mother called me fire, and called her water," she said, smiling faintly. "We were opposites. Balanced. Red and blue, just like this. She was mother's mirror image. I was father's."
Her smile faltered. "Do you still remember how she looked?"
Corvin didn't answer immediately. His eyes rested on the necklace. On her pain. On her resolve.
Carista's voice was barely above a whisper. "I remember. Every detail. I see her face every time I close my eyes, blue hair, brown eyes same as mine.....
And for the first time in a long time, Corvin saw it too.
Carista suddenly stood, her expression turning the way it was before. This time around, I shall find her wherever father kept her, even if it's in the deepest dungeon of hell. She then turned her back to leave as if forgetting something. She asked Corvin, 'Where is the way to the Forbidden Wing?'
Corvin grinned, 'What do you want to do there?'
'Nothing, just checking it out.'
Corvin knew the reason she wanted to go there, but the urge to tease her wasn't in him, so he just gave her the direction and she left, thanking him.
*******
Rhonex was now taking his first trial , the trial of emotions.
'How hard could it be?' he thought. He just had to get 5 emotions right.
He then saw a woman being thrown out of a hut while many people were outside abusing her. She had no clothes on, just a towel, and a man came outside, his clothes a little bit disheveled.
Then he said, 'This woman, you know what this woman did to me? She tried to seduce me.'
Rhonex came closer, and then realized they couldn't see him, and that he was feeling different. He was feeling the emotion of the woman, and he had 3 chances to name it.
'And I thought it was going to be hard,' Rhonex said.
'The emotion she is feeling is definitely fear.'
'Wrong,' a voice answered.
'How can I be wrong? It's definitely fear. If not fear, then surprise.'
The voice answered again.
'Wrong.'
It remained only one chance for Rhonex, and if he got it wrong, well, nothing could happen yet. He still had several more emotions to guess. He concentrated on what the woman was feeling and said, "Anger."
"Wrong."
"The correct answer is shame."
"She feels ashamed at what she has done. And if you look into the crowd, she has only been looking at one person, a little girl, her daughter."
"Let's get to the next emotion."
Rhonex was pulled out from that place and suddenly placed in another. He saw a woman holding a sword, approaching a man. She wanted to kill him, and the man was moving backward, begging for his life.
Rhonex smirked. There was no way he wouldn't know this emotion.
"Fear," he said without wasting time.
The voice the said, "Correct, You must be quite familiar with this emotion.
"Killing people has always been a thing of joy to me," he said, "so I know that emotion."
"Let's get to the next emotion."....