Awaken

As the fight with Ghiacciata and Theodore are still ongoing, Castiel managed to grip his daughter's hand and utter some words.

"C-Come with T-Theodore... He'll protect you..." Castiel said memorizing his daughter's tear-stained face as his visions get blurry second by second.

'finally... Morpheus...'

"Dad! Please don't leave me! DAD!!" Aubrey yelled as more tears burst into her eyes.

She felt numb staring at her father's body. She felt a sudden rage overcome her system making her see blood until her eyes turn blood red. She went in Theodore's and Ghiacciata's direction as the two stops fighting when they felt chills surrounding them. Theodore backs away knowing the danger that will happen. He went in Castiel's direction and look at his dead body.

"I didn't save anyone again," He said as he swallowed the lump on his throat. "I'll take care of her, I promise" He said, gritting his teeth.

Meanwhile, Aubrey aggressively grips Ghiacciata's neck and slams her on the wall that leaves a big impact on the wall, having big dents as the debris shaking, dust is visible.

"I'll kill you!!" Aubrey said.

Veins are visible on her neck and her bloody eyes are piercing through Ghiacciata's soul which sends a shiver on her spine. She nervously gulps not expecting the awakening. She took her dagger on her waist and stab it on Aubrey's shoulder making her loosen her grip on her.

"This is just the beginning," Ghiacciata said, holding a familiar pendant as she escapes.

Aubrey's eyes turn back to their original color and as her eyes turn back to normal, her legs get weaker, losing her energy, as she laid on the ground unconsciously.

Theodore glanced at Castiel one last time before he transported himself and Aubrey at the Liberum. When he successfully transported themself, he found his brother patiently waiting for him.

"Is she the one?" Nathan asked as he looks at Aubrey finding some resemblance with Morpheus but Theodore ignored the question as he asks Nathan about something that intrigues him.

"Is the first Hart's pendant has another replica?" Theodore asked. Nathan looked at him with confusion as he tilted his head, fixing his glasses.

"No, The one you possess right now is the only one," Nathan said.

"Then why does Ghiacciata have one?" HE asked confusion showing on his face.

"It's impossible, I can't be wrong," Nathan said, sure of what he's saying. He looks at Aubrey and saw blood rushing through her shoulder. "I think this is not the right time to argue about it. Her highness is bleeding" Nathan said and walk closely to examine her wounds. "It's not that bad but we need to stop the bleeding"

"Right, I'll leave her with your care then"

***

"What happened here?" Mae said after she opened the door. She looks elsewhere and searches for Aubrey yet she found Castiel's body laying on the floor, dead.

"AAAAAAHHH!" she yelled horridly. She runs fast in Castiel's direction to check upon him. She's terrified as her hands shake violently when she noticed that Castiel is not breathing anymore. "OH MY GOD!!"

Her hands are shaking but still, she hurriedly dialed 911 to call for some help. The 911 answered her call that makes her caught her breath. She's too scared.

"H-Hello... T-There's a d-dead p-person here... please... help" Mae said.

"Calm down, miss. where are you?" the person behind the call said.

"In---" Mae didn't finish her sentence. Her phone flies from a sudden kick from someone she cannot see. Her phone died right away. A shadow suddenly showed as it forms into a real human, maybe not?

The man steps on her phone and a crack were heard throughout the house.

"H-Hey! Do you know how much is that? My mom will kill me!" Mae said, imagining how her mom will react and beat out of the hell of her.

"Shut up," The man said and before Mae knows what's happening, she lost her consciousness.

Aubrey felt a sudden pain in her shoulder when she woke up. She touches the part where it hurts and feels a bandage wrapped on it. She observed her surroundings and felt unfamiliar with them.

"Glad you are awake, are you ok?" Theodore said, handing her a glass of water.

Aubrey reminisced on what happened after she passed out. She felt a sudden urge to cry but don't want to show it to anyone.

"How..."

"You don't need to push yourself. Rest as fast as you can. You need to gather your strength to face a sudden responsibility for having the blood of a Hart running on your veins" Theodore stated flatly as he rubs his temple.

"What if I run away?" Aubrey said.

"You cannot. I guarantee you that. I won't repeat the same mistake again" Theodore said firmly.

"How can you say that?" Aubrey asked.

"I'll keep an eye on you then. I'll make you worth it for the throne" Theodore said and eyed her wound. "But for now, you need to recover"

"What about my dad?" Aubrey asked, clenching the fabric on her bed.

"He's dead... probably on your mother's care," Theodore said and bitterly smile.

"Then... it is good... I feel relieved somehow" Aubrey said and did not suppress a tear coming out of her eyes. She wiped it immediately and sniff.

"It's ok to cry, I won't judge you. You have me now" Theodore said patting Aubrey's hair, missing the feeling of ruffling someone's hair.

"He's the only one I have... I'm all alone now" She said not bothering to wipe her tears.

"I don't think so"

***

"Why do you have a mortal with you?" Ghiacciata said touching her bruised neck and hiss when it gets hurt.

"I don't know, She looks like a friend of the Hart so I think that maybe we can use her," Belial said, shrugging.

He lifts Mae like a sack of rice and headed to their Master's room. As usual, his master is staring at the man on an ice-like crystal who seems like sleeping... sleeping for eternity.

"Master..." Belial said and laid Mae's body to the floor still unconscious as he bows from his knees. "I brought a hostage"

The master averts her gaze to the unconscious body. "Mae..." she muttered.

Belial looks confused and asked his master. "Do you know her, master?" He asked, still on his knees.

"Sort of... from the past," the master said and cleared her throat and Belial gets it so he didn't ask for more. He touched the crystal once again, sad eyes are gazing at the man inside it. "You know what to do with him. You can go" she said not letting his eyes wander, putting her all attention once more on the man that's sleeping on it.

"Yes, master," Belial said and bow again before lifting Mae one more time. He takes Mae to a room where Ghiacciata looks at him confused and irritated at the same time because of the bruised on her neck.

"I don't know why we are obeying that master of yours. She didn't do anything, she just staring maniacally at a nude boy" Ghiacciata said rolling her eyes. "And why she doesn't show her face to us? Lurking her face in a mask... it makes me hard to trust her more"

"Don't talk to my master like that. She can kill you by just snap on her finger and you are not worthy enough to look at my master's face" Belial said looking for a certain book and when he saw that, he enchanted incoherent words that you wouldn't know existed.

"What are you doing?" Ghiacciata asked.

"Just shut the fuck up and watch," Belial said starting to get irritated with the cunning woman.

Belial keeps on saying those words until Mae growling from pain, clutching her neck. A brilliant red color starts shining on her neck and a magical circle on the floor engulfing her.

"W-What... What kind of magic power is that?" Ghiacciata said knowing how high class is that and from her knowledge, she doesn't know it existed yet.

After Belial finished his ritual, he smirking as the mark starting to glow on Mae's neck... a curse mark.

"It is done"