Chapter 5: Shadows of the Past

Erla left the Throne room in hurried steps as she made her way towards her sleeping chambers.

Erla's determination to use the twins to gain power was unwavering, and her urgency grew with each passing moment.

She knew that time was of the essence, and she couldn't afford any distractions or interruptions.

She has already decided to use the twins to gain power.

Thinking of her future actions, she increased the speed of her steps as she reached the corridor of her chambers.

Seeing the guards and maids she asked to guard Keiran and Luna waiting outside the room her expression turned cold.

Ether, the source of all power in their world, began to leak from her body like a shimmering aura as she made her way towards them.

The pressure released from her body caused everyone present to drop to their knees as they struggled to breathe.

"I instructed you to watch over my children. Why are you here? Do you wish to meet your demise?" Her icy stare caused everyone to shiver.

"Your Majesty, Queen Seraphina has requested that we stand guard at the door while she feeds Prince Keiran and Princess Luna," explained one of the blonde-haired maids.

Upon hearing this, Erla's expression grew even colder and she quickly pushed open the door to her bedroom.

As she entered the room, she noticed Seraphina putting on her dress and giving her an irritated look.

Erla had entered without any consideration for her privacy, which was quite bothersome.

If anyone had caught sight of her undressed, she would have been so angry that they might not have survived.

"What is the meaning of this, Erla?" Seraphina demanded, her voice laced with anger.

She had already been angry at her with the way she was acting towards her newborns.

Although she knew the world had turned cruel, she wanted these children not to face that thing they had faced.

Erla, however, was unfazed by Seraphina's anger. She had a single-minded focus on her goal, and the well-being and feelings of others were secondary to her ambitions.

" That should be my question, What do you think you are doing with my children?"

Erla asked with a cold and loud voice as she made her way towards her.

*Awaaaa*

Her voice caused the red-haired baby to wake up from his sleep as he started crying.

Seraphina glared at her as she rushed towards the maid took her baby in her arms and tried to calm the baby.

" I was doing what you forgot to do as a mother.

We both are searching for power but you shouldn't use these innocent babies to fulfill your ambitions."

She turned to look at her as her eyes grew a little cold.

Seraphina's gaze remained locked on Erla, her eyes filled with a mixture of anger and defiance.

She wouldn't let Erla's thirst for power corrupt the innocence of the twins, no matter the cost.

" You left them hungry since they were born, you should have already fed them your milk yesterday but seem to think of them as extra objects in your room."

Erla turned quiet hearing Seraphina's words, she wanted to deny but she knew that her words were true.

"Tch"

She clicked her tongue in annoyance which irked Seraphina even more.

Seeing that she did not understand her point, Seraphina turned her attention to her boy Aiden as she swayed her arms to make him go to sleep.

"What's the point of having so many guards if you plan to kill them from hunger," Seraphina continued, her voice softening as she glanced at the twins.

She couldn't fathom Erla's neglect of her own children. It was a cruelty that Seraphina simply couldn't abide.

Hearing her words Erla took a deep breath and sighed a little to calm herself down.

"So, what did he say?"

Erla paused a little hearing her words. She turned to the maids.

Understanding her intentions they turned around and left the room while closing the door behind them.

Erla's tone was filled with a mix of frustration and bitterness as she responded to Seraphina's question.

"He wants me to nurture them," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "And if they don't awaken any good battle powers, he will throw me in the arena."

The gravity of the situation hung in the air.

Erla was well aware of the consequences she faced if the twins didn't exhibit the desired powers.

It was a dangerous gamble she was playing, using her own children as pawns in a power struggle that seemed increasingly perilous.

" He has changed! He wasn't like that."

Seraphina sighed again hearing those words.

She thought of the times when they used to be friends without ulterior motives.

But everything changed after that incident, it scarred their whole life.

They grew apart and only kept this relationship for their own benefit and goals.

" Haven't we all...?"

Seraphina's reply was almost a whisper that held a tinge of sadness as she replied, her gaze distant and reflective.

Her voice drifted along with the wind as she opened the doors of the room and left.

Those words seemed to resonate with the weight of their shared history, a history that had been marred by ambition and betrayal.

In the world they lived in, power was everything, and it had driven a wedge between them, eroding the bonds of friendship they had once cherished.

It was a world where alliances were fragile, and loyalty was a rare commodity.

Erla stood there looking at the open door and empty space as she remembered the time they used to spend together.

She shook her to remove those useless thoughts as she looked at the twins with determination.

'We were naive back then, now only power can help us achieve our goals. I am doing the right thing here.'

Erla's resolve remained firm as she turned her attention back to the twins.

In a world where power was paramount, she believed that her actions were justified, even if it meant sacrificing the bonds of friendship and manipulating the lives of innocents like Keiran and Luna.

Her words were like self-assurance for herself.

She approached her bed and sat on the edge while taking out a stone with unique and mysterious patterns on it.

Her fingers brushed the surface of the stone as she was lost in deep thought.

She looked up at the sleeping twins as she placed the stone back in her robe.

'No matter what, I'll get what I want.'

She released a tired sigh as she slumped down on the bed and closed her eyes.

As time went by the sun reached its peak and cast a yellow shadow on the Kingdom.

Keiran eye's trembled a little as he started to wake up from his sleep.

He turned his head to look at his twin sister Luna.

She was still in the middle of her sleep.

Seeing this he was confused at what was happening and looked around to see his mother in the same position.

He remembered feeling heavy as he was when he and his sister left that dark place.

He turned to look back at Luna and held her hand which brought a small smile to her face unconsciously.

Seeing that smile, his lips curled up involuntarily as he kept looking at her face.

Something inside of him told him not to disturb her and he followed that feeling.

Her eyes started to open as she saw Keiran looking at her with his lips curled upwards a little.

She held his hands tighter.

'What happened?' she asked him as she also didn't know what happened.

'Umm, whatever happened to her happened to us as well.'

Keiran turned towards Erla as he spoke.

Luna also saw her sleeping through the bars of the cradle and nodded in understanding.

' So, what should we do now?' she asked again.

'What can we even do as I can't even move too much.'

Keiran shrugged as he also felt bored.

After a few minutes, a knock sounded on the door, waking Erla up from her sleep as she was covered in sweat.

' Again that dream, tch.'

" Who is it?" She asked with annoyance and anger visible in her tone.

"Your Highness, Your Majesty has sent us to ask you to be ready for the events of the evening. Prince and Princess also need to be present there." The voice of a maid came from the other side of the door.

"Ok, tell him I'll be there on time."

Without waiting for any response she entered the bathroom and approached the washbasin.

Turning on the tap she started to splash water on her face and looked in the mirror to see her bloodshot eyes.

She averted her eyes and clenched her fists in fury as her aura leaked a little.

She took deep breaths to calm herself down.

Picking up a towel she cleaned the rest of the water droplets and walked back to the room.

Her eyes caught the twins looking at her with curiosity-filled eyes.

' She seems a little darker ~~?' Luna heard Keiran's voice in her head which sounded unsure of which words to use.

'Mhmm' voicing her agreement he also looked at the woman who was walking towards them.