Chapter 264: Two Days
As they were escorted out of the throne room, Esme found herself hesitating at the threshold. She wasn’t sure why, but unease tugged at her chest. Something about leaving him there felt wrong. Donovan was now surrounded by a man who despised him and another who would gladly twist any word into a weapon against him.
"This place is starting to make me sick," Revana muttered as the guards led them down the corridor. "Anyone else notice how Don’s been awfully quiet lately? Think his ears are still bothering him or something?"
"I thought it was just me."
Althea rubbed her arms to ward off the night’s chill. "He’s always been the quiet type, but lately... it doesn’t feel like his usual silence. I just hope he’s really doing okay."
Esme glanced back just as the heavy doors began to close, catching a glimpse of Donovan stepping forward toward the throne. He could handle himself- she knew that better than anyone. But still, a faint worry lingered in her chest. She hoped he would be all right in there, alone.
********
Step.
Step, step.
Donovan stopped mid-stride as another sigil flared to life beneath his feet. The air trembled from the weight of its power, as if charged with some hostile energy.
This time, there was no warning– no chance to react– before the runes ignited in a pulse of searing light. Pain tore through his body like fire in his veins. His knees hit the floor with a dull thud, his breath catching in his throat, but he refused to make a sound.
"Was that too much?"
Kael’s voice was calm– almost curious– as he tilted his head, studying Donovan as though he were some fascinating experiment rather than a man writhing in agony. Donovan hated that look more than he cared to admit. It reminded him too much of a past he’d buried deep and never wanted to face again.
Lennox scoffed.
"Does it matter? He’s not going to die anyway."
Kael rose from his seat, his movement unhurried and deliberate. With every step he took, the sigil’s glow intensified, and the pain seared deeper into Donovan’s flesh.
His vision blurred as blood filled his mouth, and it dripped onto the runes that pulsed beneath him like a living thing. Somewhere inside his consciousness, his wolf stirred, roaring and snarling in a desperate act to break free and tear them apart. But Donovan forced it down, gritting his teeth and choosing endurance over surrender. Again. Excess pain would activate his demonic powers. He knew exactly what Kael was up to.
"Donovan," Kael murmured, his tone maddeningly gentle for a man presiding over another’s torment. "Be honest with me. It’s just the three of us. I have no desire to waste effort on unnecessary torments. Still– I have to admit, it’s quite impressive– how much you’ve been able to endure. You must’ve known pain well to last this long. Anyone else would’ve been dead by now."
With his staff stretched forward, the sigil’s glow dimmed, granting Donovan a moment to catch his breath. When Kael crouched, he peered into Donovan’s eyes just in time to see a shadow flicker within his violet eyes. It was gone before he could be sure it was ever real.
"Hmm... your eyes are like a window, aren’t they?"
He straightened, his expression unreadable.
"I admit that I don’t like you very much, but I can’t help empathizing with you. I can’t imagine what it’s like... being nothing more than a vessel for someone else. You’ve been suffering your whole life, haven’t you?"
He turned away with his back facing Donovan now, his words soft yet cutting.
"Unfortunately, that’s your fate in this world. Your purpose... is to bring an end to this curse. Whether you want it or not, it must end with you, yet I cannot kill you. I find that quite cruel, to be honest."
Lennox pushed himself to his feet, unable to comprehend what Kael was saying.
"I’m still not following... I thought the true bearer was his father. And when he died, Donovan became the new one. So what’s this about another bearer?"
He hesitated, then added:
"Wait– don’t tell me it’s... is it Leonardo?"
"No."
Donovan rasped, forcing the words out as he struggled to stand.
"Not him."
"Then who?" Lennox demanded.
"Shouldn’t you know that by now?" Kael turned toward Lennox, sounding almost disappointed. "He’s not the one responsible, but he is a vessel. His eyes... they’re like a trapped dimension mirroring the true bearer, as you would call it. The reason he cannot die is because that being isn’t done with him. His eyes are beautiful, yes. But they’re also a prison, reflecting every ounce of his torment."
Lennox blinked slowly, trying to process it all. "So you’re saying the reason he can command– or even trap– anyone who looks him in the eyes... is because they’re also seeing the true bearer through him?" He frowned, exhaling sharply. "That’s just unnecessarily complicated."
Kael’s lips twitched into something that wasn’t quite a smile.
"Curses usually are."
"Wait–"
Donovan forced himself to his feet, swaying slightly from the dizziness. He shook his head, fixing his gaze on Kael. It surprised the High Magus to see he hadn’t even passed out yet. That made him even more wary of Donovan.
"That tree," Donovan murmured, his tone distant. "The one in the fortress... I’m guessing you’re the one who created it?"
Kael’s lips curved in faint amusement. "Well, not technically me. Illyria is our friendly neighborhood realm, after all. The tree was a gift from my father to his. Most of the arcane networks in this region were crafted by us. The three witches also gave a bit of contribution to the tree’s making before their secrets were exposed."
"It seems you and Leonardo already made plans to visit Mariana long before now," Lennox said as he approached quietly, one hand tucked into his pocket. "I really can’t believe this. All this time, Leonardo was your brother? For all these years I worked beside a half-demon without realizing it."
He wanted to laugh. There were so many questions he wanted to ask Leonardo, like why did he agree to work with him? Why did he continue to serve him despite what he did to his brother? How did he endure all of that and just watched from the sidelines? He wanted to know.
Donovan wiped the blood from his lips and let out a faint, humorless laugh.
"What did you expect?" His voice was low and cold. "That I’d let you torture my brother the same way you did to me? I had to lie, even if it meant bearing the consequences alone."
Lennox’s brow furrowed. "But... how? You admitted you killed him. You told everyone you did. Leo has no mark like the rest of you, so what are you on about?"
"You say it as I had any other choice," Donovan replied, frowning. "Your father started that entire drama. I admit– the curse caused more havoc than any of us intended. But all of this... this wedge... all of it could have been avoided if your father hadn’t tricked my mother into visiting the palace all those years, and then killed her. He brought these problems upon his own kingdom because he couldn’t accept that my mother never loved him from the start. And now you’re walking on the very same path he did."
"What did you just say to me—"
"Let’s not get violent now," Kael interrupted, stepping between them. "All this information is giving me quite the headache. The last thing I need is you two turning my luxurious throne room into a brawl and ruining the décor. Do you know how hard it is to get all these fine things?"
He paused, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Actually, never mind. It’s quite easy for me."
He then cleared his throat when he realized he was drifting off-topic. "Ahem. The point is, if you came here in search of the three witches, then your journey is already fruitless."
"It’s not."
Donovan raised two fingers.
"Two days. Just two days, then you can decide what to do with me."