Chapter 289: Chapter 289 Burden of the Past
’What with them and teleportation!’ I cursed inwardly, feeling the earth beneath me.
I pushed myself to my feet, "Giving heads up is not bad...." My hands instinctively flew up as werewolves charged towards me.
My eyes widened in shock, as realization hit me like a bolt of lightning.
Battle cry, growls, snarls, and hissing filled the air, followed by the blast of magic.
I was in the center of it all, the Fae hovered in the sky, their presence powerful and mystical.
"Come." Anastasia’s voice echoed from the sky.
Unfurling my wings, I flew up into the sky, avoiding the approaching werewolves.
Beads of sweat broke through my skin, the feeling of being thrown in the middle of a battle and almost mauled to death was not a good one.
My brows furrowed, as thousands of creatures stretched across the land... the werewolves and the witches.
The werewolves were having the upper hand until a light split through the sky, before expanding into a portal.
Everyone halted, as Princess Anastasia stepped out of the portal, her blue eyes were soft and serene.
I turned to my side, She was hovering beside me, so how was she able to appear there?
"This battle..." My words caught in my throat. ’It looked so familiar... I have dreamt of this place before.’
"This battle will explain everything to you." Her gaze fixated on her past self. A glint of guilt and regret flickers through them.
My breath hitched when Damon’s young self stood in front of the werewolves beside a man who looked older, probably his father.
Princess Anastasia walked to the middle of the two creatures, trying to end the war. She brought a Golden orb and lent it to the witches.
The werewolves were unhappy about it, Damon didn’t hide his thoughts, he called Princess Anastasia naive and stupid.
"Why did you trust the witches with the Golden orb?" My brows furrowed slightly as I turned to her.
"Because I was naive and believed all creatures were good... this single act of mine had cost more than its intention." Her voice was low yet calm.
’So this was how the Bone witch happened to have the Golden orb in her possession... it also means they never returned the Golden orb.’
My eyes lingered on Damon, his eyes were expressive, a sharp contrast to his cold eyes.
Princess Anastasia decided to stay with the werewolves and help heal their wounds to show she wasn’t biased or untrustworthy.
The witches flew away, ending the battle. Their eerie laughter echoed from far away.
A white blinding light flashed and then we were now standing in an open space, the werewolves hurried frantically around.
The scout studied the trees that looked like they had been burnt, leaving nothing but charcoal. The ground was hard, cracks forming here and there.
The Lycan King, along with Damon and another man who shared similar features with Damon, rushed to the place.
Damon looked angry, his hands balled into a fist, as the scout’s panicked voice filled the air.
"Black stains are spreading across the northern ridge."
"The animals are fleeing toward the river, and the deeper part of the forest is completely empty."
I turned to Anastasia. Her gaze fixated on the scene, her eyes flickering with emotions, wishing she could change everything.
Damon suspected the witches, but his father and brother dismissed his worries, saying he was being paranoid and that the witches wouldn’t break the treaty so soon.
When Princess Anastasia walked in, the werewolves begged her to revive their dying land.
Damon attacked her verbally, saying it was all her fault, which she also accepted. She apologized for bringing harm to their land.
I bit my lower lip.
"I’m showing you this... so you wouldn’t make the same mistake as me." Her voice cracked.
"You mean I should never trust the witches?" I tilted my head slightly, but my gaze fixated on Damon.
"This happened when I was newly appointed the new Chosen, I had thought I could bring peace between the witches and the Werewolves. I was young and naive."
’Yes maybe..."
"But your kindness wasn’t bad, it’s just that you showed kindness to evil people, and they took it for granted." I turned to face her.
A faint smile formed on her lips but it didn’t reach her eyes. "As a Chosen, our mission is not just to take care of the tree, we control the magic that flows through the realm, and we ensure peace should reign. The Golden orb was a sacred relic gotten from the core of the sacred tree, it was meant to be in the hands of one person..." she paused.
Our eyes met for a brief second, I saw her pain... and I couldn’t help but wonder, if someone as good as her can mess up... what more of someone like me?
"... and that person was the Chosen. Not even the Fae king can touch it, but I foolishly gave it away to the witches, thinking if it could nourish their land, then there would be no need for war... but take a look Aeris, the once blessed land had become nothing but poison to the living... and all of things was because of the decision I made." She waved her hand across the vast land.
Then gasps echoed through the air disrupting our conversation. A golden tree burned with green flames.
"That’s.... That’s the sacred tree." I stammered.
"Yes, I failed my duty as its protector... Come with me."
Before I could respond to her, a blinding light flashed through my eyes, and the next second we were standing beside the Sacred Tree.
The sky darkened. What had been a warm evening quickly changed into a late night.
Young Princess Anastasia knelt beside the tree, channeling her magic to the tree, she pressed her hand against the root of the tree, whispering in Fae language.
Her magic flickered faintly, her voice hoarse from chanting for a long time. Her lips were chapped and a little pale.
Two Fae guards stood beside her to stand guard.
Suddenly, a blood-chilling scream split through the air, startling me. When I looked up, a hawk circled in the sky in panic and disappeared into the dark cloud.
Then, the sound of magic spells exploding echoed through the air.
My feet moved forward instinctively, however, Anastasia held me back.
"There’s nothing you can do."