My Fake Engagement With The Villainess Turned Real
Chapter 8: The Voice That Spoke My Name
A profound stillness enveloped the realm, as if the universe itself paused in anticipation of what was unfolding before our eyes.
The golden eye, a radiant orb afloat in the expansive heavens, hung unwaveringly, illuminating the world below with a fierce glow that resembled molten gold cascading over the ethereal marble spires of Aurellia. These architectural marvels rose majestically towards the sky, their smooth surfaces reflecting the brilliant light, transforming the city into a shimmering canvas of luminescence. The atmosphere crackled with an electric tension an unseen force vibrating through the air that was both exhilarating and oppressive. It felt as though the very stones of Aurellia strived to fathom the magnitude of the event they had just borne witness to.
And then, like a soft breeze through the trees, I heard it again.
My name a soundless proclamation that reverberated through the very marrow of my bones. It was not a mere whisper but a resonant call, expansive and profound, existing neither in malice nor kindness. It felt as if the stars had collectively exhaled, their breath reaching out across the cosmic tapestry to summon me from the very fabric of existence itself.
I staggered backward, instinctively clutching my chest as if grappling with the weight of the intangible force surging through me. The air around me shimmered, distorting the otherwise clear space, creating a ripple effect as if light itself were bending to attend to the call from beyond. Seraphina's grip around my arm tightened, her delicate fingers digging into my skin. Her eyes were wide with unrestrained awe, reflecting the golden eye above, creating a mesmerizing dance of light within her gaze.
"Weil," she breathed, her voice a mixture of wonder and trepidation. "It chose you."
Those four words snaked down my spine, sending a cascade of shivers coursing through me. Around us, the figures of courtiers and guards bowed low, collapsing to their knees, overwhelmed by a mélange of reverence and fear. Every individual present paused, caught in the web of destiny, save for King Aldric, whose imposing figure remained upright. However, his countenance had darkened, twisting into an expression that was inscrutable, cloaked in layers of complex emotion.
"Bring him forward," King Aldric commanded, his voice resonating with authority and the heaviness of impending fate. The sound echoed through the vast courtyard, cutting through the tension like a blade, as the winds picked up violently, swirling about us with an almost chaotic energy.
As two knights approached, their armor creating a soft, rhythmic clinking, they hesitated, poised near the edge of the Mirror's basin. I could feel it drawing me in, an unseen current urging me toward its shimmering depths. The hum that had enveloped us began to deepen, transforming into a steady rhythm reminiscent of a heartbeat, a pulsing life that synchronized with my own.
"Your Majesty," Seraphina interjected boldly, stepping out from behind me. "This is no mortal calling. To approach that light without comprehending its true intent could lead to"
"Could lead to what?" The king's voice sliced through her protest like a razor's edge. "Defying destiny? The gods have spoken. If they have chosen Lord Arclight, then he must answer their summons."
The High Priest, his visage weary yet solemn, bowed his head slightly, clutching his ornate staff tightly, perhaps in an attempt to fortify himself against the weight of the moment. "The Mirror recognizes divine blood," he intoned, his voice laden with ominous gravitas. "Perhaps the choice lies deeper than merely birthright or noble title."
His haunting words resonated within me, reverberating in the very core of my being. Divine blood? Such a notion seemed inconceivable to me. While my lineage bore the marks of nobility, we held no divine claim or celestial heritage. Yet as I gazed upon the Mirror, a strange and undeniable truth unfurled within, stirring something ancient and long forgotten beneath the surface of my consciousness.
The light surrounding me intensified as I took a cautious step forward. The bustling sounds of the courtyard fell into an expectant silence, save for the persistent hum resonating in alignment with the cadence of my own heartbeat. As I reached the edge of the Mirror's gleaming basin, its surface began to shift. No longer did I see my reflection, but rather a vast expanse of constellations spiraling outwards, forming a sigil an emblem both hauntingly familiar and utterly foreign.
It was a mark that seemed to pulse with life, and, in that moment, I understood it was mine.
The instant my eyes locked in recognition with the sigil, the world around me dissolved into nothingness.
I found myself suspended in an infinite sky, a realm where stars floated and twinkled like drifting embers across a vast cosmic tapestry. Below me, Aurellia shimmered faintly, like a jewel cast adrift upon a dark, yawning sea. The voice returned, now clearer than before yet still reverberating beyond the grasp of my mortal understanding.
"Weil Arclight," it intoned, each syllable ringing out like a bell struck by the hands of fate. "You carry the spark of the Lost Covenant. The seal falters. The bond must be reforged."
"Who are you?" I called out, my voice feeling small and insignificant amid the grandeur of the infinite expanse.
"A witness," it replied an echo filled with timeless wisdom. "A guardian of what once was and what must be restored. The mortal realm has forsaken the terms of its promise. You will remind them."
"I am no priest," I asserted defiantly, confusion swirling within me. "I am no chosen heir of gods. Why me? Surely there are others more deserving."
For a brief moment, silence enveloped us, stretching between realms. Then, gently, with a tone almost infused with sorrow, the voice replied, "Because you still believe in what should not exist."
At that proclamation, the stars pulsed with a newfound intensity. A single, radiant beam of light descended from the cosmos, striking me squarely in the chest, a fusion of warmth and pain that sent me reeling. I gasped as symbols ignited upon my skin ancient runes burning with a fierce brightness, shaping themselves just above my heart, perfectly mirroring the sigil I had glimpsed mere moments before.
"Carry the mark," intoned the voice, echoing through the vastness of my mind. "The Eye watches, and the choice is sealed. The covenant has begun anew."
In that moment, the very fabric of the stars appeared to fracture, their luminous points collapsing inward as if drawn by an unseen force. The vivid vision I had been immersed in shattered abruptly, leaving me floundering in the depths of my own reality.
I found myself collapsing to my knees on the cold, smooth surface of the marble courtyard, struggling to catch my breath while my heart raced in my chest. Though the world had reformed around me, the silence that enveloped the courtyard was oppressive, thicker than I had ever known. Each pair of eyes that surrounded me was fixated on my figure, their expressions a haunting blend of awe and fear, as if I were a specter risen from the depths of legend. Beneath my tunic, the mark continued to burn faintly, a radiant pulse synchronizing with the frantic beating of my heart, each throb a reminder of the weighty promise that had just been placed upon me.
Kneeling beside me, Seraphina reached out, her presence an anchor amidst the sea of uncertainty. "Weil, what did you see?" she asked, her voice laced with urgency and concern.
I struggled to articulate the magnitude of my experience, my breath still uneven and ragged. "The Mirror spoke to me. It… chose me. It marked me," I finally managed to gasp, each word feeling like a stone weighing down my tongue.
Seraphina's eyes glanced towards the king, whose expression remained inscrutable as he regarded me with an intensity lined with quiet calculation and unspoken questions. "Then the old prophecies were true," he murmured, more to himself than anyone else. "The Heir of the Celestial Bond walks among us."
At this revelation, the courtiers erupted into a frenzy of whispers, a tempest of speculation and trepidation swirling around us, their voices rising and falling like leaves caught in a gust of wind. The air seemed charged with an electric tension, each whisper laced with the weight of ages past.
Seraphina straightened herself, the pallor of dread stealing over her features, illuminating the seriousness of our situation. "Your Majesty, if this is indeed true, then our kingdom stands poised on the precipice of something far greater than any of us can comprehend. That mark binds him to the ancient power. It signifies that the Mirror has begun to awaken the covenant," she proclaimed, her voice carrying an urgency that demanded attention.
"And if the covenant awakens," the High Priest interjected softly, his voice resonating like a bell tolling in the stillness, "then the gods will return to claim their due." His words hung in the air, presenting a chilling truth that sent shivers down my spine.
King Aldric's eyes sparkled with a mix of fascination and peril, as if he were both enthralled and cautious of the path that lay ahead. "Then we shall ensure that the kingdom is prepared to receive them," he declared, a sense of determination creeping into his voice. "Prepare the summoning chambers beneath the palace. The age of waiting is over."
Seraphina turned back to me, and in a moment that felt intensely intimate, her voice lowered to a mere whisper that felt like it was meant for my ears alone. "You have no idea what you have become, do you?" There was an intensity in her gaze a swirling mix of fear, concern, and something akin to pity.
I could only shake my head weakly, feeling overwhelmed by the weight of the moment. "Only that the gods have not forgotten us," I replied, clutching at the uncertain reality that seemed to envelop me.
Her gaze remained fixed on me, sharp and piercing, as if she were trying to see through the layers of self-doubt and confusion that surrounded my heart. "Then may the stars have mercy on us all," she whispered, the gravity of her words settling like a stone in my stomach.
Above us, the golden eye emblazoned on the palace seemed to blink once, and as its brilliant light began to fade, I felt an unsettling awareness it was still watching, always watching.
Somewhere far below the earth, deep beneath layers of stone and time, the Celestial Mirror stirred again, a powerful entity awakening from an ancient slumber, heralding tides of change yet to come. The air vibrated with anticipation, and I knew then that nothing would ever be the same again.
To be continued...