Chapter twenty-one
A new mber usurps the throne
It was midnight when a loud knock woke Elizabeth up. She snorted, brought herself up by grabbing the bedpost, and suddenly she was wide awake since she found the baby seahorse that wandered outside had sohow managed its way through the crack in the window and onto her chest, and stayed sprawled there.
Hastily, Elizabeth got dressed. She opened the door to find Percy and Emily standing in the doorway, leaning against the doorfra, beaming at her.
"What's up?" Elizabeth asked sleepily with a yawn.
"It's Veronica, she summons us over."
Dragging her drowsiness-stricken body toward the Grand Cathedral, Elizabeth caught a view of the shack she used to live in and the newcors fighting inside. She allowed herself a bitter smile.
Veronica was standing on the high platform, looking thoroughly agitated.
When they all sat down quietly, Veronica said in a voice as if she had just swallowed a big bag of ashes.
"As you all know, the nurse had retired from the nursery.
Plus, this year, I've received a task, so this new nurse is gonna take my place as the Counselor of the Soulblender Institute."
The hall erupted with waves of murmurs.
A lady, no older than Elizabeth, erged from the shadows of the doorway, dressed entirely in black. Her presence exuded elegance, with striking erald green eyes that glimred like jewels, and cascading golden hair that flowed luxuriously down her shoulders.
Her skin, a porcelain canvas, glistened under the soft glow of the light, while her hollow cheeks glistened under the light.
Glittering, silvery high heels cracked at the floor, and her enchanting long dress swayed gently. She ascended the spiral staircase with an effortless poise, a warm smile playing on her lips as she waved dramatically at Veronica.
"Hello, darling, I'm Datura Jasmine. I’m here to be your protector—" Her voice was crisp yet elusive, as if carrying secrets.
"She is breathtaking!" Emily gasped, hands clasped to her mouth in awe.
"—And without doubt, I assure you, this year will be one you'll cherish more than any other you have experienced—"
"Hey, her voice isn’t loud, right? But it reverberates within , resonating through every nerve. You don’t think she’s enchanting us, do you?" Percy whispered tentatively.
Elizabeth's attention was drawn to Veronica, who appeared to be acting out of character.
Veronica’s lips quivered slightly as she murmured under her breath, her gaze shifting downward and flicking upward to steal glances at Datura.
Elizabeth noticed the telltale sign of anxiety: Veronica's fingers had interlaced into a protective cross beneath her sleeves.
Percy leaned closer, whispering urgently in her ear, "Look at Datura’s lips."
Confused, Elizabeth turned her gaze toward Datura's mouth, her breath catching as she took in the sight.
The lady's lips were an inky black, ticulously painted with the darkest lipstick, far deeper than the midnight sky, suffused with an allure of darkness.
Black had always symbolized the void, an absence of light.
A sense of foreboding washed over Elizabeth; such darkness could never truly disappear.
“Now,” Veronica announced, her voice steady despite the tremor in her limbs. “Soulblenders are true warriors. We stand for peace, justice, and freedom. Only the blood of sins will touch our swords. Each year, we distribute tasks to reveal our mbers' true valor. Speaking of which, I’m ready to announce the annual tasks for our new recruits!”
The gathered mbers, including Elizabeth, moved forward.
Veronica waved her hands languidly, sending beams of shimring light leaping from her fingertips.
With two sharp snaps of her fingers, slips of pristine white paper materialized from thin air, zipping through the space before coming to a halt in midair, hovering expectantly.
Elizabeth reached out and unfolded her paper, her hands trembling slightly as her eyes darted over the elegant green ink.
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She glanced around at the other candidates—so grimaced in uncertainty, while others whispered nervously amongst themselves.
“Task A, join ; the remainder, follow Davis,” Veronica commanded, pointing to a rotund man lurking in the corner.
As her final words floated in the air, Veronica pivoted sharply, her silhouette stark against the ethereal glow of the cathedral's stained glass, an apparition borne of light and shadow. Elizabeth felt an irresistible pull as she joined Percy and Emily, an invisible force urging them forward.
Veronica strode purposefully ahead, not pausing until she reached the cathedral's innermost chamber. With a swift and assertive motion, she thrust open the heavy wooden door, releasing a powerful wave of sharp, pungent onion scent that engulfed the space, filling their nostrils with its robust warmth.
Inside, the chamber was cloaked in a damp, softened shadows, softly illuminated by flickering candles casting dancing light across the damp stone walls. Four sumptuous armchairs, upholstered in a sumptuous velvet of deep midnight blue, were arranged invitingly before a grand, arched window, glittered against the walls like stars in a night sky.
“Now, find a seat,” Veronica commanded, settling herself into the largest armchair with an air of authority. The others complied without hesitation, eager to heed her words.
“Task A is designed to challenge even the most seasoned among us, and this year, Odin himself has crafted a trial for our venture,” she revealed, her voice rich with reverence.
“Odin himself?” Emily echoed, her floating pen jotting down notes in mid-air as her eyes sparkled with curiosity.
“Yes, Jasmine,” Veronica affird, a yawn escaping her lips before she stifled it.
“But first, let’s gather so weapons.” In a swift gesture, she snapped her fingers, and a heavy package floated gracefully from a shadowed shelf. With deft hands, she caught it and peeled it open, revealing an array of glimring supplies that seed almost magical.
“A surprise for all of you,” she intoned mysteriously, a sly grin dancing on her lips as she made a quick, clean slit down the package's zip.
“Emily,” she continued, raising an eyebrow, “rember, the poisonous arrows never miss their target unless the magic of the poison wanes.”
With that warning, Veronica withdrew a handful of arrows, along with a vial containing a swirling blue liquid that bubbled ominously.
She turned her attention to Harrison, gesturing toward Percy.
“And you?” Percy remained still, his piercing erald eyes wide with a mixture of awe and trepidation. “The ice blade will always obey its master,” Veronica proclaid, revealing a sleek, glimring sword that sparkled with an otherworldly frost.
Finally, her gaze landed on Elizabeth. “And here, the frost dagger; it possesses the power to unlock any lock and ensures it strikes true.”
Elizabeth reached for the dagger, her fingers trembling as she wrapped her hand around the beautifully crafted hilt, which radiated a soft, cold energy that seed to pulse with life. The icy blade sparkled with shimring sapphire lights, and a rush of frigid air rushed into her lungs, leaving her breathless.
Never had she held anything with such potential for both beauty and destruction. As she gripped it firmly, a dark realization settled in her heart—once she wielded the dagger, the sharp edge would likely taste blood.
A sudden gasp from Veronica jarred Elizabeth from her trance, drawing her back into the mont and leaving the weight of destiny hanging palpably in the air.
"Well, here it cos finally."
Elizabeth was just about to ask what had happened when she heard a sizzling sound echo from behind.
She whirled around on her heels, and she didn't need to ask to find out what had happened.
Penelope’s eyes widened in utter disbelief as she took in her surroundings. A girl, bound to a stake in rciless chains, trembled uncontrollably.
Penelope's hands shook violently as she gripped the crossbow, her heart faltering at the sight. An internal battle erupted within her, a war of compassion clashing with the icy dread of the voice’s command.
Would she be forced to shoot?
The knowledge that the girl could very well be another illusion hung over her like a guillotine's blade, ready to drop at a mont's hesitation.
“Shoot,” the voice urged again, a whip crack of insistence that sent her into a panic.
Penelope's mind raced with dark thoughts: what if the girl was real?
But if she disobeyed—what tortures lay in wait if she defied the command?
The implications of inaction gnawed at her gut, and she wrestled with dread clawing at her insides. Closing her eyes tightly, she took a deep breath, feeling the cold sweat trickle down her spine, and drew the bow back once more.
The release was almost a surrender, a giving in to the madness that lood. As the arrow flew, her heart thundered, each beat echoing the moral descent she felt
The screen before her erupted in a splash of crimson, a vivid, visceral splash of color that sent a shockwave through her being.
She swore she heard a scream, agonized and piercing, though she couldn't discern if it was her own voice or the girl's. Yet amidst the chaos, a faint voice inside her whispered a fragile reassurance—it was just illusions, nothing more than carefully crafted projections.
With that, she clung to the hope that she hadn’t truly hard anyone.
But as the weight of her actions settled deep within, the lingering shadows of doubt and guilt began to twist and coil around her heart, leaving her to wonder what reality truly was, and who she had ultimately beco in this cruel, relentless ga.
Beams of golden light were swirling around the wall, sprouting and vanishing in midair. As silver beams shimred around Elizabeth, dissipating into multicolored vapor, glittering words began to appear.
“You’ll take the yearly task assigned,
To bring back the Interstellar Crown, redefined.
First find the Sagacity Sapphire, deep in a well,
Then seek the Gown Gold that grows by itself.
Next, claim the Cryptical Crystal, a friend you must lose,
To the darkest ocean, where no one dares choose.
Claim the heart of the mighty sea, unspoken and cold,
Then find the Oriental Opal in mist’s endless fold.
Fetch the Dreamscape Diamond where the hot waves ignite,
rge them all with hands bathed in blight.
When darkness fades and the shadows recede,
Your reward shall co… but at what grim speed?"
A heavy silence enveloped the room, thick with unspoken tension that left the air feeling charged and suffocating.
It was as if ti had montarily lost its rhythm, leaving everyone steeped in an anxious hush that clung to them like fog.
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