BXBX NOVEL Chapter 352 How It All Began
Eight pairs of eyes shifted their gaze to the person who just entered. They all gave him very different reactions as Nina waved while the dragon and the elf gave him a nod. Vain on the other hand didn't nod or wave, he just sat there while looking at the master.
"You've guessed right, Nahar. If I die or completely disappear then all of you will also die and age. Your bodies will weaken and you will feel your powers slipping away from within you. After that, your bodies will turn into dust. That's the kind of contract you all had with me." Cygnus explained while walking towards them.
He was just coming down from the second floor when he heard them talking about Nina and how she came to be under his care. It was alright but then he heard Nahar's statement and he couldn't help but go and take a look at them. When he saw that they remained unbothered, he decided to join them.
"Well, that won't be a problem with me. I mean I can die for the safety of the master so there's really no change with regards to that." Nina shrugged her shoulders and didn't see the matter as something important.
"I've been living a long life, so it does not bother me too." Ignius finally spoke for the first time. He was a dragon and to be able to live until nine hundred years wasn't too bad for his species. "At least, I enjoyed most of the moments in my long life."
Nahar and Vain had nothing to say because they were only new to the group. They felt loyalty towards the master but as beings permitted to think for themselves, they too have their concerns. They were amazed right at that moment because of how the black dragon and the fiery woman expressed themselves.
Cygnus laughed. "Those words for a normal human being would only burden them but because I am not someone ordinary, I can take all of it and bear responsibility."
"Now I can see why they follow you earnestly." Nahar nodded his head. "You too, master, are loyal to them."
The master wanted to refute but for some reason he remained silent. "I may not look like it but I do give importance to the people who had been aiding me for the longest time that I even picked up some additional people along the way." His gaze then landed in the direction of the elf and Vain.
Nahar laughed and shook his head. "Yes, you were very dedicated to letting us join your entourage and I don't regret joining it."
"Are you sure, you are going to die once I die, and yet you still won't regret it?" Cygnus inquired while gauging the guardian spirit's reaction.
"I've already lived a long life. It was boring and uneventful. If I can have some fun by joining you, then I would welcome death with open arms." Nahar chuckled while waving his hands.
"That's good then," Cygnus nodded. He sat done with them and joined them for some snacks.
"What kind of plan are you cooking right now, master?" Nahar inquired after letting the master settle down.
"You will soon see it. In fact, it is already happening." Cygnus lifted the teacup in his hand and drank it in one go. He sighed and grinned.
While they were relaxing in the living room, the dungeon was a bit busy. The members of the Circle of Eight was silent for the first week of being held but after waiting for nothing, they became restless. Elvira became extremely agitated as the days passed and Aberleign noticed it.
After passing out, she woke up inside the dungeon alive. She saw familiar faces but her mind wasn't in its right state. She could still remember the man telling her that the royal family won't be safe.
Elvira did not waste time and meditated so that she could get her strength back. She would stand up from time to time and circled the prison cell she was in. She was looking for a loop that could give her the opportunity to escape and warn the royal family. Now that a month passed by, she was ready to break out.
"You will be discovered once you try to escape," Aberleign kindly informed her. He had been observing the woman ever since she first opened her eyes.
"If I won't try, then how will we know?" Elvira answered without giving the man a glance.
"You haven't changed even a little bit. Why do you even try when we all know that we will die in this place and in the hands of that person." Aberleign, who was leaning on the cold wall of his cell, spoke up when he heard the woman's answer.
"I can't die in this place. I thought I already accepted my fate and yet that man is also targeting the royal family. I can't let him touch them." Elvira answered with a frown on her face. She gritted her teeth and held the prison bars in anger.
"You still treasure the royal family even though they were the reason why we are in this kind of predicament," Aberleign laughed, "your blind loyalty is the reason why we are still alive until today."
There was mocking in his voice as he looked at the direction of the woman. If they did not follow her command then they would have been long dead. They wouldn't be suffering with the curse of immortality in them.
Elvira stopped and tilted her head to the side. She stared at the brick walls of her own cell without answering the man. All that happened in the past was still fresh in her mind like it just happened yesterday. She couldn't refute what Aberleign said because it was the undeniable truth.
At that time, she was serving as the royal mage and together with her was the members of the Circle of Eight. They were renowned mages and yet they still couldn't be compared to the Altair family. A direct descendant from that family could easily defeat them.
But because the Altair were part of the kingdom's defense, they were not named as royal mages and they only dedicated their lives in protecting the land. They were so powerful that the royal family could not tie them down and the other kingdoms were wary of them. As time passed, the war ended and there was finally peace.
No outside threats could even scare the Lunaira Kingdom of the past because of their guardian. Although it seemed peaceful and they were living in harmony, the creeping fear and anxiety in the king's heart kept him awake during the nights. The people admired and respected them. They even held power that could overturn his kingdom.
He feared that they would usurp the throne from him. During those nights, the king thought and thought of a way to decrease their power. He won't be reassured as long as the Altair family still stands. That was when he came up with a plan.
It was simple and effective. Since there were ministers who hated the Altair Family, they colluded with the king and pinned treason unto them. They were labeled as traitors and were sent to fight against their will. Even though they were powerful, they couldn't go against the will of the royalty.
As the head of the Altair, he died in vain. He took his own life and it only incited the Altair's enemies to chew them alive. Thus, the witch hunt happened as they weakened the family by poisoning them. The royal mages were then ordered to kill all of the members of the Altair.
Because they were overshadowed for so long, the mages took that chance to prove themselves and with the encouragement of Elvira, they took lives. They were even promised with a reward and yet after the massacre what they got was only eternal life. It became both a reward and a punishment to them as they were reminded of what happened in the past.
Now the fangs of revenge were upon them. Aberleign already accepted his fate after he learned that his prospect of a disciple was a survivor of that incident. The Magus Maximus must have learned of this fact too before he died. He just wanted to blame the woman even though he himself knew that he too was to be blamed.
"But you were not the only person to blame because we followed you willingly. We were greedy and all we wanted was the prestige that they had. In the end, we were still cursed." Aberleign suddenly added which made the atmosphere a bit bleak.
"I know but the royal family of this time has nothing to do with what happened in the past. It is already a thousand years ago and that man already died. He got what he deserved." Elvira clenched her fists and as she took a step back and glared at the bars that were trapping her inside the cell.
"Will that be even enough to convince the man from not touching the current royal family? He lived for a thousand years and now that he has returned, he won't spare anyone just because they were not the people that were directly involved in the incident. No matter what you do, they are still connected by blood." Aberleign shook his head while explaining because the woman seemed to not understand the situation she was in.