Like A Beating Heart

"I will be a what?" Fergus couldn't believe what he had heard. "But I wasn't going to — I thought because I didn't grow up to be a King — not that I wanted to be a King. I —"

"Fergus," Wilma rested her hands on Fergus's shoulders calming him down. "I know. I know that you weren't trained to be a King and you weren't even educated here in Titian. But I do think you will be a great King. Sending you away was a mistake." For a moment, Fergus thought his mother's eyes glinted with water but she quickly pulled herself together. "But since you have come here, you have proved yourself more than enough. Yes, you would need some training and time. You would get plenty of that. I am going to rule for at least more hundred years. I am just planning to announce your crowning at today's celebration. That's all."

"Mama, that's not all. You can not —" Fergus blinked backing away from his mother. He didn't know how to take this.

"If it makes you feel better, Fergus," Wilma said still smiling. "I've offered Malgino a spot on my head council."

Fergus looked at Malgino and he smiled.

"I was about to talk to you about it but the Queen told me she would talk to you herself, thus I kept quiet."

Fergus frowned looking down. It didn't feel right to him that her mother made such a big decision and told his best friend first and not him. Not to mention, the ruling wasn't something Fergus intended to do, he would love to help but command others? 

"I know you are confused, Gus, but trust me, I also think you would be a great King." Malgino encouraged.

"Mama, can we not announce that today?" Fergus looked up and met his mother's surprised red eyes. "I haven't decided what I want to do after the new school starts running smoothly. I want to see the world and travel or stay here, maybe. I don't know yet."

"But Gus —" Malgino began looking displeased.

"However, if Mal wants to stay here in your head council, that is okay." Fergus interrupted Malgino. The hurt was clear in his voice. "It is completely up to you, Mal."

After a long moment of silence, Wilma nodded.

"I will hold off this announcement for now. But if you changed your mind —"

"I will tell you." Fergus agreed.

Wilma gave a small smile to her son and started to walk out. Halfway to the door she stopped and turned around.

"Even though you didn't accept my decision, Fergus, I would still like to take you to the Blood Temple tomorrow. If you want to go, of course."

"Of course, Mama," Fergus smiled.

Wilma left and Malgino glared at nothing in particular.

"Do you really plan to travel the world without me?" Malgino said angrily.

"No, however, I don't want to be the King. I have spent a lot of my time watching my parents, Mal," Fergus replied with a bitter smile on his face. "They are good people, I know but I don't want to become like them. I would take their helping-others-thing, of course, but I don't want to ignore the people who are closed to me. I will neither send them away nor I will pretend they don't exist for their good. Maybe, I am being harsh on them, Mal. Maybe I am being harsh on you. But whatever you decide I will support you and I hope you can do the same."

Fergus smiled at Malgino faintly and walked out.

*

The next evening, Wilma and Fergus rode their horses with a few Guardians to the South East Temple, the Blood Temple. Fergus listened to the same legend of the first lady vampire and the Crimson Crystal as Chris. 

The temple was in its full glory at that time. High peaks and stone carvings, and a wrought iron gate enclosed a small garden in front of the temple. The inside was equally impressive. The place where the Snallygaster was guarding, now looked a lot like the painting room Chris visited in the vampire castle. High ceiling, colorful windows reflecting the moonlight, and the light of the fire torches. On the walls were several figures painted with bright colors and some ruin encryption revealed the figures' great words. Everything looked in its place, perfectly completing the Gothic structure.

Wilma and Fergus stopped at the tallest figure on the wall. A honey-skinned, tall, slender woman with two ruby eyes and dark hair. Fergus stared at her wide-eyed, like Chris. Even in the painting, she could be the definition of beauty.

The First Goddess.

After talking about the First Goddess, Wilma introduced the other figures to Fergus as their ancestors and at last, she led him to the door on the other side of the room, which Chris knew led to the Crystal room.

Unlike the time, Chris, Ginny, Luna, Colin, and Oziyat walked through the passage, now the passageway was well lit with bright red symbols all over the walls. 

Fergus watched the symbols curiously as they descended. Sometime later Wilma stopped Fergus in front of the invisible barrier and showed him how to open it.

"You are my blood. You should know how to open it," Wilma said disabling the barrier. They walked in and Fergus gasped. It was the most beautiful thing he had seen in his life. The high platform in the middle of that area, above it the golden staff holding a pulsing red sun-shaped Crystal.

"It looks like it's breathing," Fergus exclaimed amazed. "Like a beating heart. It looks alive."

"Because it is alive, Fergus," Wilma smiled.

"Really?"

"Of course, it is made with the blood and magic of the most powerful Vampires. It is the most powerful object in the world. There is nothing, this Crystal cannot do. It can kill, heal, give powers to rule over the dead and living, all."

"But that's too much power," Fergus frowned. "How do you keep it safe?"

"Well, first we don't share this secret with others, except the most important people of our bloodline, and nobody can open the barrier without our blood signature," Wilma noticed Fergus's worried gaze, and she further explained. "The Crystal just doesn't give you power, Fergus. It also takes a lot from you. The vampires know how much the Crystal will destroy them if they tried to wield its power alone. The Crystal could create life but it can also destroy the essence of the wielder." Wilma paused with a smile. "But I trust, you will keep the Crystal safe, don't you, Fergus?"

"Yes, Mama. I will."

*

More time passed. Now it was close to two years since Fergus and Malgino left Hogwarts. Fergus was seventeen now and after being groomed by the royal servants, he really looked like a Prince. Dark color robes framed his tall and handsome body, complimenting his bronze skin and green eyes. Yet, he didn't change much on the inside, he was still that humble and caring Fergus.

Fergus was spending a lot of his time in the new school, making sure it was going to be okay even after he leaves. Malgino, on the other hand, was completely dedicated to the head council work and he was also experimenting with some things. Wilma was very supportive of both of them. 

Fergus knew that Malgino was in no hurry to leave and probably he didn't want to leave Titian at all but Fergus felt it was time to move on. He wanted to go outside of Titian but didn't want to leave Malgino behind, no matter what he said before. 

It was a few days later, Fergus has decided to go outside of Titian for a few days. Alone. Fergus thought it would be perfect to try to travel alone for a few days before taking the long leap. 

He was walking to Malgino's room after informing his mother about his departure. While walking Fergus was practicing how to say goodbye to Malgino, at least for now, without sounding angry or rude. But when he reached Malgino's room, he stopped abruptly seeing the half-open door of his room. Malgino never left his door opened, not even when he was in Hogwarts. Frowning, Fergus pushed the door open and blinked. 

The room was a mess. The cupboards were all empty. Clothes, books, potion vials were scattered all around the room, the bed was slashed, the paintings on the wall, the flower vases were destroyed. It looked as if somebody had gone through all the things in the room and demolished it in the process. But who would do that to Malgino's room?

Fergus's first instinct was to call the Guardians but before he could call out to the Guardians he noticed a handwritten book opened at the table. It was Malgino's entry book, he wrote about his experiments in it, to keep track of them. Fergus picked up the book and realized two pages of the book were haphazardly torn. 

Fergus felt a prickly feeling inside his head. It was a strong intuition. He felt –no – he knew something wrong was about to happen. Taking the book, Fergus sprinted out of the room.

⟦To be continued⟧