CHAPTER 540: A VISIT FROM THE PAST

"That wasn’t their case."

There was a time Long forgotten in the time of this world. Abrielle had read it between the lines in the old text when she tried to investigate Cedric’s paranormal history..

When she was desperate to find a way to save his life.

During this time, the gods walked among men; they weren’t hidden figures like they are today. Then the bridge between the mortal world and the divine realm was short but that was long ago

No one knows why the gods weren’t silent and only appeared in dreams and visions. Prayers then became the only way to communicate with those higher beings.

So say it was because the gods mistakenly shared the gift of magic with the mortals. Others thought it was something more.

"He never expected to fall for her, and by the time he realised his mistake, he had fallen too deeply to the point he could not just let go," Yuki added. The tale seemed like one which had a lot of emotions entwined in it.

Yuki wasn’t going into details but yet she felt those emotions and could strangely relate to the story.

"She loved him as much as he did but they could never be together. They were forbidden, a love story deemed to end tragically." Yuki’s words were heavy like a stone thrown into a lake.

Elysia’s words remained heavy on her shoulders. "A divine being can never be with a human. It is ill fate, a divine being can only truly be one person in their long lives. A soul mate and a human can’t share that long life ....."

"A human can never be the perfect half. He was warned, but he refused to listen because he was more certain that if he had a soulmate, it would be her." Yuki paused,

Abrielle could guess the rest of the story. Was Cedric a divine being and that’s why they could not work?

She didn’t know these things for certain and Cedric was hiding things from her. Why was he so scared of telling her?

It was as if he were certain that if he said it out loud, it would tear them apart.

"In the end, the warnings were true, they did have a few happy soft moments, but the rest was one tragedy after the other until she died very young..." Abrielle’s heart squeezed, Yuki’s gaze met her, and a weak smile appeared on her face.

The story was a warning. "The end." He said. She gasped, that could not be it. "That’s it? She died, just like that." Abrielle asked and he nodded slowly.

Their eyes were still locked like he was staring straight into her soul. "What’s left isn’t worth talking about? But if you want to hear it.."

Abrielle grabbed his hand, "Please tell me. I want to know. No matter how bad it is." She insisted.

"Fine," he blurted then continued after a pause. "The gods thought his love for her wasn’t that deep because it was not the first time a god had a liking for a human, but they were wrong." Yuki’s face went stoic

His expression was dead and unreadable.

"They underestimated how much a god could love once they fall. He descended into madness; he could not control the grief and almost destroyed everything he had built with her. Luckily, he was stopped by the gods before he went too deep, yet nothing could heal the wound. He was never the same, and it is said he never recovered from the grief, and then a question lingered on his mind...".

Abrielle’s heart skipped a beat. "What if he had listened and loved her from afar? She would have lived a long life but not dying doesn’t mean you are alive. They could not stay apart. "

A lone tear rolled down Abrielle’s face. She quickly reached out, her shaky hand wiped off the tear. Everything made sense now

The reason Cedric didn’t want to come back but she forced him to.

He wanted her to live a happy life.

A life without him

The question was, will a life being apart and filled with longings be a happy one?

She doubts that. "Did he eventually find his soulmate after she died?" The princess asked remembering Cedric’s mother’s words.

He would be happy once he finds his true soulmate. Yuki was stunned by her question. He didn’t expect it from her.

He shrugged, "Who knows? Their life is pretty long." His tone was a bit cheerful as he chimed softly.

Abrielle bowed her head staring at the floor. When reason and emotions clash together it was hard to choose..she grip tightened on his arm

He could feel her rampant emotions. Abrielle was barely holding it together. Now he regrets sharing the story with her.

"Are we going to repeat history?" She finally asked.

Yuki clasped her hand, her bowed head slowly raised and met his eyes. "Don’t think much about it. It’s just a story, it might be true or false and just because something so tragic happened once doesn’t mean it would happen again."

Her heart skipped a beat. Was there hope?

*******

The mountains were calm, no storm in sight, as if even the weather recognised the solemn atmosphere. The winter prayers this year were more grand and exclusive.

With the attendance more compared to other years, nobles from all over Draconia came for the sacred event, all to pay their last respect to the late king. All of whom were invited.

Kaiden might not have been a perfect father but he was a great king. During his reign, Draconia reached new heights

Muffled cries filled the hall, and the priest’s calm voice echoed through the walls. Mikhail, the high pope, was the one who personally led the sermon.

It was one of the many sermons in tradition for the king’s funeral. Eleanor sat in front her hands crossed, a black veil cascading over her face. Her face was hidden, as was her expression.

She listened to Marinette’s cries and Karissa’s snobs, and she tried to hide, sniffing behind her handkerchief.

The queen was a bit surprised, she never knew they loved him this deeply. She could understand Marinette, who was Kaiden’s favourite, but Karissa was the biggest shock.

Her auburn hair had gone full, with her cheeks shrunken and hollow. She was obviously in mourning and affected by his demise but it was not the case for the queen.

She felt hollow inside. Dead and empty, this was the man she loved; her eyes were dry, not even a single tear shed. Was this her form of grief or had her hatred grown so deep

The sermon ended, and the auditorium was empty, the whispers and sobs all faded. Eleanor still sat in her seat just staring at the altar.

A statue of Nyxoria, a graceful figure, the gentle goddess who rescued Draconia when Maximus descended and abandoned his people.

She wondered if Kaiden had been granted the goddess’s mercy and was reunited with his beloved. He should be happy now.

"What am I thinking about?" She muttered, then rose to her feet. It was already dark faint candles lit the auditorium. Eleanor walked down the empty aisle, her footsteps echoed in the silence until she got to the door which creaked ajar.

"Your majesty," two of her knights bowed once she stepped out. They had been waiting for her. She nodded at them then continued to her room. The knight followed behind, standing as her guard.

On the way, the queen came across some nobles and servants of the temple who paid their respects to the queen. Their greetings echoed in her mind, reminding her that the title of the queen was soon going to be passed to another.

They eventually arrived at the door, and a knight held it open for her. She gracefully made her way inside and the door closed behind her

Eleanor released a long breath that she had been holding in for so long. The fireplace was left running, and she moved inside her room.

Her feet felt heavy, crossing the outer chamber to the inner one her feet stopped. A soft humming tone filled the room, the voice was calm and relaxing. Eleanor’s heart started to race, she should have run out of the room but her brain went haywire and she continued in

She recognised the voice, but how was that possible? Was her past coming back to hunt her? She stopped a few steps from the bed, her eyes drifted to the dressing mirror where a figure sat brushing her hair while humming.

Eleanor’s face was pale, recognising the reflection. The figure didn’t glance back after clearly recognising the queen’s reflection in the mirror. Her lips slowly opened and she spoke

Her voice was barely a shaky whisper, "Ariel," she called out a name she swore to forget

The figure’s hand stopped weaving through her hair. She placed the brush on the dress, then slowly glanced at Eleanor with a soft smile that sparkled in her eyes

"Oh dear, you are finally back. It’s nice to see you again, Eleanor." She chimed..

It was her exact voice. Eleanor stumbled back falling on her butt. Frightened like she just saw a ghost. "You are dead," she stuttered, his voice shaking in fear.

Elysia gave a pretend look of oblivion then pointed at her side. "You thought I was dead."