022 · Verena · II

"She won't harm anyone. right, Veevy?" She glared at me with that expression that I've only seen on her once or twice. Something that is more keen to my face, not hers.

"Yes," I muttered through greeted teeth.

"Let us heal you first," he got on his feet again. "Will you behave if strange people get inside here and treat your wounds, Verena?" He's treating me like a troublesome kid, I hate it.

"She will. Won't you, sister?" Even Emma?

I clenched my teeth, licking the unusual canines, "Fine. I'll be a good girl," when my eyes met his, I felt like he knew I was anything but a good girl.

He smirked amused and turned to the right blank wall, then made a sign to it, "Grounded. You can come here now." And as the door opened, two people came inside, they were definitely older than us, but still had a youthful appearance. "Those are Queen Harper and King Madden Ceres. Two heads of the Astra Alliance. Rulers of one of the Six Kingdoms."

But when the people in question stepped closer to us, their eyes showed anything but friendly intentions. If one thing, they seemed to dislike us just like the other Faes in my vision, if not more. And a part of me loathed them with all my heart, but the reason was unknown for me.

["They are the ones who treated me earlier. And they are the parents of one of Aryan's friends."]

["He has friends?"]

She held her laughter, ["Yes. In the vision I saw him, he had other five friends with him. Very hot, I should say. Especially Kian."]

["Let me guess, he's blonde."]

["He is. But that's not it. Anyways, in my vision they were all kids playing together. I believe they are still close friends, since they were all together when they came to get us."]

What? ["I don't remember anyone. I felt them, but I don't really remember them."]

["I do. And Aryan is the one who held you. But what I'm thinking is, if one of his friends is a Prince, and there's 6 Kingdoms, and they are a group of 6… could that mean that they are the Heirs to each Kingdom? Do you think Aryan is a Prince?"] What?

["I doubt all Heirs from the Kingdoms would be friends like that. Didn't he said Faes only care about power? Political power is something problematic, isn't it?"] Besides, I just offended the shit out of him, here and in the pub.

If he was a Prince, I would probably be screwed with his people.

"So," I clicked my tongue, "your political system is monarchy? That sounds kind of problematic." It usually ended in tyranny with the humans. I doubt it wouldn't be the case with those people, since they officially only care about power.

"It used to," the King spoke, taking a step closer. "Almost two decades ago, there was a chaotic Kingdom among us. Monsters that ruled over monsters. Powerful, but ruthless tyrants." Okay.

I chuckled anxiously, "Sounds terrible."

"What happened to them?" Emma asked.

The Queen came closer to us, even more than her husband, "The Gods punished them. They were the sprout of the purest evil in the Astra Continent, and were punished accordingly."

["Veevy, why is she glaring at us like that?"]

["I don't think she likes us."]

["Why?"]

["I think she might be talking about the possibly submerged Kingdom I saw in the vision."] I licked my fangs. "Hm, how so?" I asked trying to hide the horrible feeling that was curling up in my belly. "How did your Gods punished them?"

The Queen's gaze seemed to be trying to burn a hole in my beautiful face. "Before they could attempt to start another war between them and the other Kingdoms, the Gods caused a catastrophe of cataclysmic proportions. Something that destroyed the Kingdom, the people in it, and caused a Sea to rise where the Kingdom has fallen. It's tectonic plate is submerged for more than 5 hundred thousand meters."

["Asphodel!"] I gasped in my mind, but kept my poker face. ["That's the place in my vision."]

["Are you saying we are from that place?"]

["I'm not saying it. They did. In the vision."]

["Shit!"]

["Yeah, shit."] I made a surprised Pikachu face, "That sounds like apocalypse. Crazy shit. And it just disappeared under the sea like that? It's like Atlantis," I turned to Emma and she faked the same surprise as I did.

"Batshit. Sounds like something straight out of a fairy tale with a terrible ending," she smiled.

I grinned, "So, after they all vanish monarchy worked? They were the only place with tyrannical tendencies? Was like in their blood or something? Like a virus?"

That seemed to catch them off guard, but they quickly assumed that cold face again. "The others Kingdoms don't want to meet the same end. So, yes," the King said, but I wasn't sure if even he believed that.

And I couldn't help with holding the giggled that build up in my throat, "But aren't Faes moved by power? I doubt this peace will stay forever if you proclaim yourselves as a race that is driven by power scales. The second one of the Kings and Queens let their arrogance take the best of them, they will believe there are the strongest and strike against the others, won't they? Isn't that how power driven people acts?" I couldn't hold my tongue.

"You are thinking with a human mindset, Verena," Aryan exclaimed, and his gaze was anything but friendly, which was enough for me to know that I was successful in hitting where it hurts. "That's how humans would work. Faes are higher beings."

"I see," I grinned, not believing a word he said.

["You are playing with fire, sister!"]

["Literally,"] I mocked and her internal laughed resounded in my mind with my own. ["Those people are full of bullshit, Emma. Only someone extremely innocent and ingenuous would believe this."]

["Yes, but we are in their world now, Veevy. We can't go straight to a hostile venomous snake, poke its eyes, and expects that it won't bite us. They made it clear that they don't like us, and if your vision is to be believed, it's probably because we might be from Asphodel. There's a King, a Queen, and possibly a Prince in front of us. If we want to stay alive here, we need to learn how to blend in."]

["If we are indeed from Asphodel, we won't blend in, Emma. No matter what we do."]

She looked at me, ["There's always a group of people who thinks differently from most. We might find some who aren't against us."]

["And do you want to try?"]

["Well, if we are already here. I guess we should try to make at least one or two friends. It won't hurt,"] except that it might.

["I'll collaborate if we promise to stay far away from Aryan and his group."] I glared at her with my eyebrows raised.

She seemed conflicted, ["Even Kian?"]

I don't trust blonde guys. ["Especially Kian!"] I can't afford to let my sister get near a guy she's already having a crush on. He might get under her skin purposely to try destroying us later.

["Can we at least try to see them first?"]

["No."]

Sigh. ["Fine. But promise me you will behave, avoid starting conflicts, and allow yourself to meet new people and make friends, if we find those who aren't against us."]

I sucked my cheeks, pondering, ["Deal."]

She shot up her eyebrow suspiciously and raised her little finger, ["Do you promise?"]

Rolling my eyes, I intertwined my little finger with her, ["I promise. Don't forget that you promised to stay far away from Aryan's group and Kian!"] Whoever that dude might be.

She winked at me, ["I can sacrifice that much."]

"Are you two done with your mental chit-chat?" The Queen mocked and we looked at her, Emma's cheeks turning red with her embarrassment.

"Yes," I tilted my head to the right.