374 [Wedding By Blood] [26] [Death]
'Looks like they're already aware of the situation.'
As I walked toward the makeshift church, sothing imdiately felt off.
"Why are there so many soldiers?"
Aimar mumbled, his brows furrowed as he looked around.
We hadn't even taken ten steps, and we'd already counted eight patrols.
None of them looked carefree.
"Don't you know?" Carson asked, walking alongside us.
"What?" Aimar blinked.
"Apparently, soone threatened to cause a ss during the wedding,"
Carson inford, his voice barely a whisper.
"And everyone thinks it's a demigod."
"..."
I rubbed the back of my neck in frustration.
'Are you sure it's them, Olivia?'
—Yes, Father.
I clicked my tongue at her firm response.
But… it did make sense.
The Dark Trinity would absolutely pull sothing like this.
'I should be ready for anything.'
Frowning, I glanced at the gloomy boy walking beside us.
"Cheer up, fucker," I said, slapping Amaury's back. "It's soone's wedding."
"Don't slander ," I scoffed. "I'd never hit a dog—"
"All right, we're here."
Aimar interrupted, stepping between us.
The crowd had already started to gather.
Guests in formal and ceremonial armor stood in tight clusters, whispering to one another.
Despite the smiles on their faces, the tension in the air was thick. Everyone could feel it.
We stopped at the entrance, where guards were scanning every guest.
"Looks like they're checking for weapons," Carson muttered, raising his hands as a soldier patted him down.
When it was my turn, I locked eyes with the guard.
His expression faltered—just for a second—before he quickly stepped aside.
'What was that about?' I wondered as I moved forward, glancing back.
The church was beautiful—white petals scattered along the aisle, golden chandeliers swaying gently with the wind, and a faint scent of jasmine floating in the air.
Even though it was made outside in the open garden, I felt cramped.
Amaury walked beside , his eyes barely glancing at the décor.
Aimar, on the other hand, seed more focused on the people.
Just as Carson arrived, we started to move.
"Aimar," I called. "No matter what happens, stay in touch."
"Why do you—"
He fell silent mid-sentence, his eyes shifting.
People were watching him.
Barely noticeable. But I felt it.
"I will," Aimar finally nodded.
Nodding, I looked around the place.
[]
'....Yeah.'
The visible increase of divinity in the place.
It was evident, even though nobody seed to notice it.
'Not my problem.'
We were just about to take our seats when—
"Himl."
A soft voice called out.
"Mariam?" I blinked, seeing her approach.
Her hair remained braided while her golden eyes filled with spirals looked at with relief.
Without hesitation, she grabbed my arm. "Co with ."
"Wait, why?" I asked, making her halt.
"Just co. I'll explain everything," she insisted, her voice almost pleading.
I sighed and glanced at Aimar, who gave a small nod.
Letting her lead , I followed.
"What happened?" I asked as we moved through the palace.
She didn't answer at first. Her pace slowed as we reached a quieter hallway.
Finally, she turned to .
"Promise you'll stay calm."
My stomach twisted at her serious expression.
"…What happened?" I asked, voice low.
She let out a sigh.
"Elijah and Heather—."
Her voice was barely a whisper.
"—Are missing."
It took a few monts to understand her words.
"What?" I snapped, pulling out my phone. "How could you—"
"We tried calling. It's not working." She cut in quickly, placing a hand on her waist. "Avril, Killian, and Cecily are missing too."
I froze in place.
Mariam quickly turned around. "Let's go."
'...No, no.'
I bit my lips as I started following her.
[]
'In the ga, there was a scenario like this.'
When Killian and Elijah were kidnapped together.
....And it didn't turn out well.
If things turned out the way they did in the ga, then—
'Heather will die.'
There was no doubt about it.
Mariam brought us to a quiet hall. Several people were already there.
"How did soone kidnap my son in the presence of a demigod!!"
The woman yelling was tall, likely in her mid-thirties. Long ombre-blonde hair, hazel-green eyes burning with fury.
…My aunt, Tyshara.
"How could soone take my child!?" she cried, tears brimming.
"Calm down, Tyshara," Orelena said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We're trying to—"
"How can I calm down?!" Tyshara snapped, eyes wild. "My children are gone!!"
"Wait!"
Coretta, who had been pacing, looked up at sharply.
"What's he doing here?"
Mariam stepped in front of . "I brought him. To keep him safe."
Coretta scoffed. "Who are you trying to fool? We all know you want him dead too."
"Coretta!" Orelena snapped. "That's enough!"
"Ask her, if you don't believe ." Coretta pointed at Mariam. "Well? What do you say?"
Before Mariam could answer, the doors burst open.
Nehale—Heather's mother—stumbled in, sweat dripping down her face.
"D-Did you find her?" she asked, voice desperate.
The place quieted down in an instant.
"We have already searched the entire place." Coretta said, looking at her. "She isn't in the palace—."
Her words abruptly halted as if she sensed sothing.
The other demigods also had abnormal expressions.
"What happened?" Nehale asked, looking at them.
I also quieted down.
Letting the mana work as my senses, I heightened my hearing.
Tick! Tick!
A ticking sound echoed within the silence.
Tyshara heard it too. Her head turned as she followed the sound.
The others moved as well while I grabbed Mariam's hand.
"Be ready to cast a protective spell. Any kind." I said, looking into her eyes.
She nodded gently.
We slowly followed the sound that grew louder.
It wasn't long before we reached a room from where the noise was coming.
'...This place.'
It was the very end of the palace, on the opposite side of where the wedding was happening.
Coretta stepped forward, hand on the handle.
She twisted it slowly.
The door creaked open.
Tick! Tick!
Nehale let out a horrified gasp as she looked at her daughter—
—Tied with thousands of explosives.
The mana runes on the explosives glowed ominously, as if warning us.
Tick! Tick!
The ticking sound of the tir made us stay still.
But—
"Nehale."
Coretta couldn't stop her as she stepped inside.
The mont she did, the tir stopped.
Then—
"Rejection Of Ti."
BOOOOOOOM!!!!
*****
"The bride is coming."
As soon as Aimar heard the whisper, he stood up—along with everyone else present.
09:59
Aimar's gaze didn't remain on her for more than a second, his gaze shifted—.
"Oh god."
"Heavens, who is she?"
Because behind the bride was soone even more beautiful.
'…Epione.'
Aimar blinked, eyes fixed on the girl walking a few steps behind the bride.
Despite wearing no makeup or accessories, she looked stunning.
Her long silver hair tinged with soft blue fell like silk behind her, and her simple white dress only emphasized her natural beauty.
Even the bride didn't seem to mind being overshadowed.
"She looks beautiful, doesn't she?"
Caught off guard, Aimar glanced to his side and found Zenith standing beside him.
"Damn," he muttered. "You're so short, I didn't even notice you sneaking in—"
SMACK!
Zenith slapped his arm hard. The sound echoed across the silent hall.
"..."
They both lowered their heads as everyone turned to glare.
"What are you doing here?" Aimar whispered, side-eyeing her.
"Co with after the wedding," Zenith replied softly. "Aunt Hannah wants to spend ti with you."
"..."
Aimar didn't respond. Instead, he looked at Epione again.
"You know," he said, glancing back at Zenith, "I think Himl likes her."
Zenith clicked her tongue.
"And how do you know if he likes her or not."
"Do you take for an idiot?" Aimar rolled his eyes. "I can tell who likes who at a glance."
"..."
Zenith pressed her lips together, visibly holding back a retort.
Instead, she turned her gaze pitifully toward Elise, who was quietly observing them.
"Anyway, where is Himl?" she asked, scanning the crowd. "I don't see him."
"Mariam took him sowhere," Aimar replied as the bride and groom stood before the altar. "Don't know where."
"...I see." Zenith replied, her expression turned that of uneasiness.
She could feel sothing was going to be horribly wrong.
Perhaps her oracle instincts were warning her.
She glanced toward Epione—
The girl was smiling. Genuinely. Like never before.
"We shall now begin the ceremony," the priest announced, drawing everyone's attention to the altar.
"But before that, we must offer a sacrifice."
The mont those words left his lips, the air behind him shimred—
A tall statue of the Goddess Anant appeared.
But sothing was… different.
The two weapons the goddess held glowed with intense divinity.
"...What is that?" Aimar murmured, narrowing his eyes.
Zenith said nothing—just stared at the two broken weapons.
The priest, ignoring the murmurs, handed a dagger to the groom.
He stepped back.
Orion took the dagger and made a small cut on his palm.
Raising his hand, he let the blood drip onto the statue.
"In the na of the Davana family, I offer you my blood."
Just as he began to lower his hand—
"Too low."
A voice bood through the palace.
Orion froze.
"...Huh?"
A hole had already been punctured through his chest.
His body fell down at the feet of the goddess, blood pooling around it.
"Ahhhh!"
Leila the bride scread at the top of her lungs trying to comprehend what was happening.
Zenith quickly rushed towards Epione who stood frozen.
Aimar on the other hand, looked up at the sky.
Two Asuras floated in the air with a satisfied expression.
The chaos erupted when—.
BOOOOOOOMMM!!!!
*****
"Urgh."
In an empty room Elijah groaned opening his eyes.
The headache was killing him.
He tried to massage his head—.
"Huh?"
Only to find himself bound to a chair.
"Hah..hah."
His gaze turned to his side as he heard another abnormal breathing.
"Killian?" Elijah whispered, his voice filled with confusion.
Killian didn't reply. He just stared at the floor between his feet, chest rising and falling quickly.
Elijah's confusion deepened when he noticed Avril, curled up in the corner, sobbing softly.
"Is everyone awake?"
A voice echoed through the room.
Everyone flinched.
A man appeared from nothing, stepping into the center of the room.
"Hah...hah."
Elijah's breath caught in his throat—ragged, sharp just like Killian.
He had never seen the man before.
And yet—
He recognized him.
"It's been a while…"
How could he not know?
"…My children."
User Comments
0 comments from readers