CHAPTER 455: SOMETHING BEYOND YOU

The cold night air blew softly through the night. Abrielle’s sobs echoed into the stillness of the lake. She had so many emotions going through her that her mind was in disarray.

Her hand clutched her chest, struggling to draw breath. The pain felt suffocating. The pain was unbearable. She was being torn apart by the truth she could not deny anymore.

The one that gripped her the most was grief. Why was she crying over someone she had desperately tried to kill? It was what she wanted, if only things were still the same.

Hearing his inescapable death felt like she was going to lose a part of her for good. Abrielle tried to deny reality for the longest time until it was impossible to escape.

Her gaze was locked on the surface of the lake, the surroundings were lit by lamps, enabling her to see her tears-stained face reflected on the water’s surface.

"What is wrong with me? Why does it hurt so much?" Her voice choked. She was asking herself a question she already knew.

Cedric was meant to be the irredeemable villain she had to escape, but nothing made sense. The holy female lead was the murderer of the past king and framed them as a means of revenge against Abrielle because they were swapped at birth

Now there was the possibility that Abrielle was a Heliosian princess. It didn’t make sense. Nothing did at this point.

"Maybe it is because things are not black and white as you imagine." She heard a deep, masculine voice chirp in. Her shoulders stiffened, Abrielle’s gaze was still on the pool, and she watched a man materialise behind her from thin air.

"Or maybe it is because you are hopelessly in love with him. You should know that at this point but you are still in denial." Yuki added, he stopped by her side.

His tall frame reflected beside her on the lake surface.."Yuki?" Her head snapped in his direction.

The man who seemed familiar yet so strange smiled at her his purple eyes sparkling. " How are you doing Abrielle?" He asked, then hissed, face-palming his forehead.

"That was insensitive of me. Of course, you will feel horrible. The man you love is on his deathbed. You have my condolences, but it isn’t the end of your world, well, unless you kill yourself." Yuki laughed off, trying to lighten the atmosphere, but it only made things worse. It felt like he was muttering to himself.

Abrielle was confused by what he said, more importantly, the way he spoke. There was more to him than what meets the eye. Her eyes narrowed at him.

"I’ve seen death too many times to mourn it properly, but I still wish I could change it." his voice trailed

"You knew....you have known all along." Her voice rose at him. She pointed at him, and her finger was trembling. Yuki’s eyes went wide, and he was still acting jovial like he could not read the room.

She was grieving over death, and he was acting like it was nothing. To him, Cedric’s death was truly nothing; he had seen enough of that and had grown numb to the feeling that he got to the point he stopped growing attached.

Yuki tilted his head, "The part emperor will be unable to lift the curse that is killing him or the fact that you were not a Nightshade." He asked her.

Abrielle was speechless, her lip curled into a sad smile that didn’t reach her eyes. So even if they had met Silvanius earlier Cedric’s fate was already written on stone.

"So there was never a way to save him," she laughed off dryly.

" he was doomed from the start?" Her voice cracked. She laughed a sound bitter and broken. Yuki’s eyes dulled and his face finally went serious. "It was always beyond your abilities. It is not your fault." He replied.

"You are strong, Abrielle, and I truly admire that. To be able to fight this battle, it felt like everything was against you, but look around, you won in the end." He added..

She froze for a while, he spoke like he knew who she truly was. "You also know I don’t belong in this world. Don’t you?" She gasped, stepping backwards.

Fright was written on her face. Who was Yuki? Yuki sighed seeing her expression. He has spoken out of place again. He scoffed, a brow arched at him. "You still think you don’t belong here and this is just a book."

He shook his head then glanced at the pool, "You still have a lot to find out."

Abrielle’s eyes were focused on him. She was trying to figure out this shape-shifter. The more he spoke, the more she realised how little she knew. "Who are you? What are you?" She asked him.

He didn’t glance at her and continued staring at the pool. "Someone who wishes he could help more. Sorry, I can’t tell you more..." His heart felt heavy.

" You will have to discover it yourself, the same way this civilisation will one day evolve into the industrialisation era. I wonder how they will blend magic and technology together." Yuki had a faint smile on his face, enjoying the shock on her face.

Abrielle was dumbfounded. He knew of industrialisation and spoke of things no one should know about, like her thinking this was a book.

"How do you know about industrialisation? Are you the one who brought me here?" She asked more questions. She wondered if he was the system since he could shape shift. When she thought she was starting to figure out things, more unanswered questions appeared.

"I didn’t bring you here Abrielle. You have always belonged here. It was your fate, and I also learned about industrialisation from my brother. He is a seer who can see far into time. Whenever he speaks of trains his eyes sparkle with excitement."

A long silence bloomed, Abrielle had a million questions written on her face, but didn’t know where to start. Yuki finally looked at her remembering when he first saw her in that cave equally lost as he was

He sighed then grabbed her shoulders. "The curse on Cedric is something beyond you. There was never a way for you to help him but this isn’t the end." He wanted to console her, but had forgotten how to.

"Why?.... Why? Does it have to be this way?" Abrielle finally asked, the tears rolling down as his words hit. She was useless from the start.

"It was either you or him, and it seems death is going to take him instead." Yuki paused, there was a slight change in his demeanour. It turned dark and frightening.

He withdrew his hand, "Someone is here for Cedric already. If you don’t run now, you might never get to see him again." Abrielle’s head bobbed up and their eyes locked. Yuki didn’t look like he was lying.

His eyes were dead serious. She backed away and instantly bolted off. Something in her

knew, if she were a second late, she would regret it.