Queen Of Adis

Elior refused to comment and decided to distract him by changing the topic. "Ah, you mentioned that Erebos has minions, right? Do you know them?"

*Adis pierced him with his penetrating glare as he ushered his oblivious wife who were rocking their babies to sleep. "Haru, take a nap with the twins. I'll wake you up once we are leaving."

"Huh? I doubt if I can sleep, though. I still want to listen to their cute mumblings," *Haru said while feeling the heaviness on her eyelashes.

He kissed her eyes and whispered sweetly. "If you don't sleep, I will not allow you to play with them when they wake up."

"...okay," she instantly pouted as she didn't want that to happen. She would like to make the most of her time with the kids, so she obediently moved towards the bed and tuck the twin flames and herself to sleep. "What about you, love?"

"Your husband is a demon. I'll be fine even without a month of sleep." He kissed her forehead and the twins before he motioned Elior to follow him at the adjoining guest room.

He wanted to confront him about his vision, but he knew that there were a lot of things a seer, especially as powerful as Elior, must not say. So he let go for now and discussed the issue at hand.

"There is a demoness helping Erebos to materialize his plans," *Adis started. "I heard that she used to be a great healer in the olden days. Perhaps, you've heard about her?"

"A great healer?" Elior asked in a daze as he tried to remember of such a rumor. "Hmm, I think I know who you are talking about. Now I understand why this is all happening." His eyes glistened in sadness as he nodded and looked at him intently.

"I was still a young apprentice back then, and my gift is yet to be awakened, but I am indeed familiar with her... miserable tale, to say the least. If my memory serves me right, the lady's name is Anastasia, the stunning prodigy of the Montcroix clan. She is the great-grandaunt of the current grand duke of Umbra.

"One day, a disturbing news spread throughout the lands. Due to her beauty and grace, Anastasia captured the attention of a prominent leader in the dark realm, Hektor Delacroix, Camus' grandfather. However, the maiden declined the offer to be a concubine and wished to be a renowned healer, instead. Blinded by anger of being rejected for the very first time, Hektor called a handful of the Delacroix's male and... abducted the demoness.

"Without feeling any remorse, Hektor and his wicked team freed Anastasia after two months of captivity and already pregnant with a child. As your clan is the most powerful demon in all three realms, no one dared to raise a voice and pronounce judgment to them. The Montcroix family, on the other hand, disowned the poor maiden."

Elior shook his head and his gentle eyes were filled with disdain. "Back then I thought that nobles are the vilest creatures in the world. They will do anything for money and to save their faces, even if it means forsaking their own flesh and blood. To exact her revenge, Anastasia sought for the angel of the abyss' help to curse the Delacroixs in exchange for the life in her w.o.m.b. A huge calamity subsequently fell to your clan for many years. Malevolent monsters crawled out from the gates of destruction and took the lives of significant beings in your ancestors' lives. Amidst all the chaos, Anastasia's name faded away in the books of history."

"War between the Delacroix and the Montcroix lasted for hundreds of years and it involved the entire species of Trium Regum. Your generation calls it, The Great War of Yore. During the fight, when the Montcroix clan's number took a huge blow, they decided to surrender and sworn their everlasting loyalty to the Delacroix in exchange for their freedom. As a peace treaty, they also requested the important position next to the royal family, the title to become the grand duke of Umbra."

Silence enveloped the room after Elior told the story his father once shared with him through a letter.

When *Adis finally found his voice again, he uttered the phrase that meant heaven and hell to him. "A sacrifice must be made as a means to find your fated mate."

Elior's eyes grew wide as he looked at him in surprise. "So you knew about the curse, huh?"

*Adis nodded but did not add more context to it. He promised to himself that whatever happens, he would bury his father's secret to his grave.

"My ancestors really did a great job of thinking only with their d.i.c.ks rather than with their heads," he spat with thick sarcasm. "Such petty reasons led to never-ending chains of misery; took away innocent lives, ruined someone else's dreams and forced so many people to commit irrevocable sins."

As he enumerated the results of his ancestors' stupid mistakes, his mind remembered Ilyas' sacrifice, Pier's dream, and Anastasia and Alfred's horrible crimes. His knuckles cracked and his body trembled in fury.

Now that a lot of lives were already lost and reasons for vengeance were revealed, who else would he blame? His dead ancestors? Or the tragic lives of the people he thought as villains?

Elior instantly understood his worries. "This may sound cruel and entirely inappropriate for someone in my position, but I will speak to you as your elder and not as a pope. Adis, fate has already played its cruel game. And none of us could escape from it anymore. Regardless of their past, the best way to free them now is by taking their lives, or else they will take yours and everyone you hold dear."

He leaned closer to him as he continued, "If you think that the war has ended, then you are wrong. This battle will last for as long as the blood of a Delacroix still lives. And in your heart, you know this much is true."

The pope's attention was drawn to a little bird that landed on the window sill. It sang a brief melody as it welcomed the first sign of light on the horizon. "It is time for you to leave... and so am I," he exclaimed and stood up from his seat. He looked outside the window for a while before he turned around and smiled at him. "By the way, congratulation on your marriage and for having twins. I am really happy for you, child. You deserve to be happy."

Elior's feet then moved with certainty and stopped beside *Haru's bed. He stared at his still sleeping wife for a moment before he c.a.r.e.s.sed her cheeks and whispered something to her ears.

Before the old man could fully leave, *Adis gave him his parting words. "Elior, you have always been part of my family and you know that I care for you... So you better not lose your life, 'cause if you do, I swear I will make you crawl out of your grave by roasting your beloved Vesta."

Elior chuckled at his biting remark but he did not turn around, else he would see the tears he was desperately holding back. He cleared his throat to steady his voice. "W-who said I will go down without a fight? I... will hang on as long as I can. Worry about your wife, kids, and the future. I can take care of myself. And stay away from my Vesta, you damn brat!"

With that, he finally walked out of the door, knowing full well that it'll be the last time he would see the only king he respected in his lifetime.