The bloodline ritual was about to start. Abrielle was the only one standing in the centre of the court. Two aides approached her with a gold bowl they held up on a pedestal.
She recognised one of them as the scholar from the library. Their expression was blank and unreadable. They placed the pedestal before her, then bowed before the Emperor before backing away.
On the small pedestal, there was a bowl filled with a gold liquid, and beside it, there was a dagger, intricately crafted from a glowing red magic stone and inlaid with smaller enchanted gems. The blade was made from a red magic stone, and the handle was gold with patterns she didn’t understand, which added to its beauty and was decorated with small stones.
She glanced at the emperor, awaiting his instructions. Their gaze locked once again. The emperor stood from his throne, his eyes darting around the room.
"Today we are about to witness a special mont that will decide the fate of the maiden that stands before us." His voice bood. Silvanius raised his hand and started muttering an incantation.
The air shifted, and she felt the magic crawl against her skin, the room getting heavy. Silvanius stopped muttering, and a bright light shone in the room.
Runes imdiately appeared underneath her, showing one of the most complicated patterns ever. The rune was red in colour, and she could feel a strong heat under her feet.
The rune was circular, and from its edges, beams of light rose upward, encasing Abrielle in a glowing cage above the rune. It was a protective barrier.
Silvanius dropped his hand after finishing his spell. "Please proceed. May the great Cassius, the god of wisdom, guide you," he said, then sat back on his throne.
Abrielle glanced at the bowl, and a lump ford in her throat. Their eyes were all on her, waiting. So were hoping she would pass, others were waiting for her to fail.
She reached out for the dagger. It wasn’t large, but it felt heavy in her hand. Abrielle drew in a long breath before she slashed her palm. Blood trickled down her palm to her hand. She clenched her fist, forcing the blood to flow faster.
The pain burned through her veins. Abrielle glanced at the bowl, then placed her clenched fist over it. The blood dripped into the bowl.
Nothing happened. Her breath hitched, and a bad feeling ford in her stomach. Abrielle glanced at Aurelius with a sad smile.
They were wrong all along, and it was just a coincidence. She saw the look in his eyes, and her stomach churned.
One, two, three—five minutes passed, and nothing happened. Seraphina had a victorious smile on her lips. She was right; there was no way Bethany’s daughter could have survived.
Silvanius had mixed feelings about the test. His lips parted, but no words ford. He raised his hand, and the barrier broke.
The bloodline test was a failure. It wasn’t the first ti Abrielle had failed a test, so it didn’t an much—just the subtle feeling of disappointnt.
Her eyes darted around the room, watching everyone’s expressions until they fell on Adeline. Adeline’s heart squeezed seeing Abrielle. She had gotten Rebecca’s ssage and had a rough idea about what happened in Draconia.
Her aunt begged her to shelter Abrielle. Even without her asking or a bloodline, she was going to shelter Abrielle, but she had secretly hoped the rumours were real. The emperor was the best person to protect Abrielle, accused of killing the king of Draconia.
Abrielle sighed, then proceeded to step out of the rune. Her feet touched the edge of the circle, then a burst of flas erupted from the bowl.
The heat was scorching and had the room at a boiling point. Her head snapped back to the bowl, eyes wide and mouth agape in shock.
Silvanius jumped off his seat and erected the barrier once more. Her fist clenched. Excitent, thrill, and fear pumped through his veins. From the bowl, the fla travelled up, circling above Abrielle until it ford a Phoenix.
"Beautiful," Abrielle muttered, stunned by the appearance of the fla Phoenix. The Phoenix screeched, spreading out its wings before it flew straight towards her, possessing her.
Her hair turned into the sa fiery flas and rose up, while her dress seed like it was engulfed in flas.
Her eyes turned white, and everything in front of her turned into a pool of flas until it disappeared. Abrielle was breathless, like she had run a marathon.
She turned around. Her eyes tried to scan her environnt, which had completely changed. She stood in what seed like a garden, but it wasn’t just any garden...
The flowers glowed and reminded her of the magical flowers Cedric once showed her. The sky was dark, but the garden shone bright because of the flowers.
"Where am I?" she asked, wondering if she had suddenly been teleported here.
"Elaris," she heard a deep voice say from behind her. Her head snapped, and she turned around, her eyes falling on a man whose beauty she could describe as ethereal.
He was tall with a masculine build, combined with a face that stole her breath. It was like she was looking at a ginger version of Cedric. A man with ungodly beauty, just like Yuki. Abrielle’s brows furrowed as her suspicions grew.
"Elaris," she blurted. The na seed familiar. The man nodded and took a few steps forward; his presence was overwhelming.
"When a Ceaphyr passes the bloodline test, they are teleported to Elaris, the realm of the gods, to confirm their bloodline," the man explained. She gasped. This ant she had passed the test and was indeed Bethany’s daughter.
"Then you are Cassius," she blurted. He smiled, having a warm aura. His eyes were blue.
"Yes, I am Cassius, the god of wisdom and your ancestor. I am glad you made it this far, Abrielle. You found your roots," he chid. Abrielle was still stunned; she thought they were a myth, but the evidence was here.
She could see where the Ceaphyrs’ strong bloodline ca from—striking ginger hair with blue eyes. "So it is all true," she blurted in disbelief.
He nodded. "Not every part, but the part about Heliosa being founded by my descendants."
"Long ago, in my youth, I defied the order of the heavens. What ca after... well, Heliosa was born of it. My elder brother Maximus wasn’t the best of examples." He chuckled, his laugh growing lighter.
His mind drifted to a distant mory. How many things had changed from those days? To beings like him, ti was like an illusion.
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