-Chapter Fifty-Eight-

The Holy Capital - Part Four

A serial rapist had married his own lover, Aelius thought with a deep breath.

What happened? What did Violet do, for her face to end up on wanted posters all over the city? What transpired in between the day they held their marriage, the day the Holy Emperor became cured of his illness, and the day those wanted posters were printed?

How were all of these incidents connected? There was only one way to find out.

Taking a deep breath, Aelius observed the mediaeval, spiky towers belonging to the Royal Family’s palace, before he began to move forward.

Long tendril-like bridges formed of impressive, archaic architecture stood as an attestment and monument to the grandeur of a lineage that ran centuries back, to the very founding of not merely a nation, but one of the two Empires of the Continent. Made of a brilliant and grand white and golden material, the outer walls of the Palace were like gems.

As Aelius drew closer, he noticed the air gently shimmering, like a mirage. It was none other than the Origin Energy barrier Saki had informed him about. The mirage, all seven shades of a rainbow, visibly ran all around the castles of the Palace, leaving no vulnerability.

As he floated in the air, ready to assault the Palace, he knew it had been smart of him to send Saki back to the inn. If she were here, she’d be rendered vulnerable by this oppressive power. The second reason concerned the source of the Origin barrier.

The last time they encountered such a barrier was when they visited Dawnbreak village and encountered Grayalla. That was when Saki discovered the source of that barrier was none other than a key fragment to the Realm Seal that suppressed the connection between her and her home dimension.

What if there was another fragment within the Palace? That’s why he sent Saki back to the inn, to Asura. He was not interested in the source of the barrier, either.

He had only one aim.

Aelius determinedly crossed the barrier to the other side, and as soon as he entered, he gasped as he felt his body respond immediately.

The orange energy of life belonging to Phoenixes reacted within him. It pulled from within him, downwards, towards below the ground, beneath the castle.

And Aelius knew. As his feet came landing onto one of the roofs, he knew she was here. His Violet.

—-----------------------

Though Aelius was fighting the urge and debating on whether to raze the Empire to the ground, he decided in the end to prioritise what he came for. With the orange essence guiding him, he did not need to look for Violet. He just followed the energy.

As such, Aelius activated a Ninth Tier cloaking spell, erasing his scent, sound, and visibility. Freely, he snuck down the corridors of the palace, passing by countless guards and maids, slipping through open doors, and finally, he arrived at an ominous stairwell that spiralled downwards into the earth.

Just as Aelius was standing at the entry, his ears perked up after hearing an echo from below, in the dark.

A chinkling, accompanied by heavy thuds gradually drew closer, and Aelius began to hear heavy breathing encroach upon him.

Finally, he saw a figure rise from the shadows, climbing the steps. It was a shirtless, heavy muscly man, wearing a traditional and therefore horrifically shocking executioner’s mask.

As the frightening torturer unknowingly approached Aelius from the direction of his beloved Violet, the younger teenager narrowed his eyes upon seeing the crimson fluids oozing down the man’s heavy axe.

Aelius stepped aside in the heavy ambience, and as the large man stepped past, he suddenly froze, and as he tried to gasp for breath, blood filled his airways. Looking down, the man found a blade piercing through his chest, and out of thin air, Aelius manifested, coldly glaring down at his freshly murdered victim.

Without a word, he pulled the blade from the man’s chest, and the man went toppling into a sprawling pile on the ground.

Aelius gazed at the man for a short moment, sharply inhaling through his nostrils, and then swiftly turned away, continuing down the stairs.

—-----------------------

Aelius felt his breath begin to quicken, his hands turned clammy and shaky, as the pull became stronger and stronger.

He found himself running through a deep, dark cellar far below ground. Every cubicle he passed by was scarily barred off by rusting jail cells. Sitting inside were numerous, lifeless looking felons.

Aelius only glanced at them on his way past, feeling panic settle in at the unsettling sights. Finally, he came to the one. After making dozens of twists and turns, he arrived at a random cell down one of the long corridors.

Coming up to the bar, Aelius felt the corners of his ears begin to sting, and his voice choke in his throat.

There she was. Covered in filth and dirt, hugging her knees, miserably trapped in a gigantic bird-cage. She, who always wished to be free.

Aelius bit his lip, reaching down to his waist, gripping his blade and cleanly slashing the jail cell open, stumbling inside.

He saw Violet jolt, appearing far younger than he knew in his past life. With fear in her eyes, she looked up at her intruder.

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“W-who-!” But as soon as her enchanting, dim, violet eyes met Aelius’, he felt the power she gave him well up within him.

Alert!

The system has detected the origin of the Inheritance Fragment:

[Phoenix’s Love]

The Inheritance Fragment is returning to its rightful owner. The host will no longer possess this Fragment.

Aelius gasped as he felt the warm, affectionate energy Violet had left with him in his past life, fling outwards from his chest.

It shot towards Violet before enveloping her in its orangey, fiery essence, and he saw her eyes take on an orange glow.

Within an instant, the once dark and lifeless room sparked to life. As if the meeting of the two were like two worlds colliding, sparks of bright pink, white, purple and blue went flying all around them.

Emotion overwhelmed Aelius, like something was being taken out of him. But instead of being left with an absent void, he felt so much more returned to him.

Before him, Violet’s eyes rolled into the back of her head and her strength faltered. Before she could bang her head onto the jagged, concrete wall, Aelius sprung down and delicately caught her, before clutching her tightly against his chest.

For a moment, he wanted to breakdown and cry, release all the pent up emotions that had brewed deep within him for years. However, he then took a long, calming breath. And when he opened his eyes again, they were unwavering.

The brunette teenager rose to his feet, his eyes sweeping the cell with disinterest, until he turned away, carrying his bride with him.

—-----------------------

As Aelius was about to deliver his unconscious bride from her captive prison, he was suddenly startled by her slender hand that jolted awake and grabbed tightly onto the collar of his shirt.

“A-Aelius…” her voice weakly uttered as the lavender haired girl clutched her temple, wearing a pained expression.

“Violet!?” he exclaimed, coming to a stop. How does she remember my name? he asked himself in utter bewilderment. But now was not the time to worry about such things. Before he could persist and speak to her, she said something that drew his attention away.

“The cell… beside mine… there’s a man… take me to him.”

Pursing his lips, Aelius did as she asked, spinning around and slowly returning to where he first rescued her. He didn’t intend to ask any questions, instead only wait patiently to see what her agenda was.

But that was stifled when he arrived at the cell she was pointing to, and his eyes widened in momentary shock at who it was miserably chained up against the wall.

“V-Violet, my dear… this is…”

Violet looked at the man with sympathy in her gaze, as she clutched tightly to Aelius’ chest and neck.

“Yes. It’s the man who killed me in cold blood.”

“Ugh…” the slightly older, muscly man before Aelius groaned, before looking up with murky, grey eyes. “W-who are you..”

Aelius looked down at the ruined man with pale, clammy and sweaty skin. His wet hair was plastered messily over his face, and for the first time Aelius had ever seen, he appeared to be feeble.

“Q-Quarren Leos?” Aelius gasped, taking a step forward. The man who killed his lover in the past, as well as the man he had spoken to merely a year ago. The one and the same. What in the world was he, a Holy Knight of Farrien, doing locked up in the cellar of the Holy Empire’s Royal Jails?

“Do I know you?” his weak voice uttered. Violet continued to gaze at him with pity, seeing the sight of the man who killed her in such a position of submission before her.

“A doctor’s only purpose is to save lives. We are not judges nor executioners. We do not decide who deserves saving and who does not. We are saviours. We rescue our fellows from the cold clutches of death.” Aelius couldn’t resist as Violet broke free of his hold and gently lowered herself down, her bare feet softly pattering onto the wet, rough stone ground. “So… I will save you.”

Before Aelius, he watched in stunned silence as she pressed her hands together and dipped her head, standing outside of the jail cell.

“What are you…?” Quarren exhaustedly squinted his unfocused eyes, and the familiar, beautiful orange essence that had saved Aelius so many times in the past, began to flourish from Violet’s skin.

Glowing and brimming with energy, she remained still with her hands clasped as all of that energy flowed to Quarren.

The horrific wounds on the older young man, clearly resulting from merciless torture, began to close up on their own accord as Violet’s lifeforce flowed into the gaping, open flesh.

Aelius took a step forward, unsure of what to make of the situation, but just as his eyes were darting back and forth between his lover and her former murderer, the corners of his vision suddenly began to glow golden.

“W-whoa-” before Aelius could even finish his surprised exclamation, he suddenly felt his eyes light up with a golden glow. Time slowed down around him and Aelius felt the familiar sensation of his physical body melding into the fabrics that wove his surrounding reality.

Alert!

The user has activated the skill [Liberated Eyes of Truth].

The user can now look into the target’s memories of another lifetime.

Designated target: [Quarren Leos]

Aelius’ surprised, golden glowing eyes blinked open with a gasp falling from his lips, as he felt a world of emotions flood his mind. Rage that was not his own. Anguish that was not his own. Grief that was not his own. And yet, while it belonged to someone else, Aelius knew all too well of such emotions.

Before him was a sight he could not fathom, as his ethereal silhouette watched the scene onward as a mere observer.

It was a grey day. Rain was pounding down onto the brick pavement in the dim, gloomy atmosphere. Quarren Leos stood with his long, unkempt hair covering his eyes, his hands powerless at his sides.

A stitch in his abdomen. A cut down his shoulder. A stab in his gut. So on and so on. Quarren Leos stood with a dozen spears belonging to Holy Knights plunged into his body.

Wounded on the ground beneath him was someone Aelius recognised. With a gaping wound in a gruesome puddle of red, the Holy Prince of the Holy Empire had fallen victim to Quarren Leo’s assault.

And as for Quarren Leos, after attacking the Holy Prince, he had been killed on the spot by the Prince’s protective Holy Knights and their spears.

But oddly enough, he wore a peaceful expression. Like someone liberated. An emotion Aelius had desperately been in search of, even to this day.

Relief. Release. Sweet, sweet, sweet revenge.

Peace.