Once Betrayed Never Forgotten

Chapter 108: Prophetic Visions

I stare at the crimson scabbard at my up, my hand trembling as it clasps the hilt of the Earth Angels sand. The wright of the blade presses against my side, its presente a constant reminder of the burden Ive been tasked with. My gaxe shifts to Aleksand, his icy blor eyes borning into mine, concern and rrulve etched on his fare.

“Are you sure about this?” he asks, his voice low, his hand brushing my arm, its cool touch grounding me

I swallow hard, nodding, my heart thudding bravily in my chest. I have to try,” I say, my voice strained

I’m not exactly sure what it is I’m so afraid of. Maybe, it’s the fear of the unknown at snooping around where I shouldn’t. Like playing with fire.

I take a deep breath, unsheathing the sword, the emerald gleaming brilliantly in the flickering forthlight. I lay the blade across the dinner table before me, its golden hilt shimmering in the dim light, the emerald glowing faintly, its green light pulsing through the air. My fingers tremble, hovering over the gemtone, uncertainty grawing at my mind.

“What am I meant to do?” I ask, suddenly realising that I have no clue how I’m meant to force a vision. Is it the kind of thing one can even make happen? Or am I meant to just sit here, staring at the gemstone for hours on end, waiting for something to happen?

Place your hands on the gem, Pyra instructs, her wore tready, her golden eyes gleaming with a priestly authority. “And clear your mind.”

“It’s useful having a Fire Wraith priestess around,” Kieran says to Pyra with a cheeky wink. “I knew you’d come in handy, one way or another.”

His voice is practically dripping with sexual innuendo, which doesn’t go unnoticed by Bloodbane.

The blood wraith glares at Kieran, a ked that could slice through steel, Kieran just laughs at Bloodhane’s irritation, glad to get a rise out of someone.

her best to ignore Kieran’s antics.

“Lay your hands on the Earth gem, Arianna,” Pyra repeats, doing her

I nod, my breath catching in my throat, my gaze flickering to the emerald, its light dancing across the crimson scabbard. I close my eyes, my hands pressing against the cold metal, the emerald’s warmth spreading into my veins, coursing through me like a tidal wave

The dining hall blurs, the torchlight and shadows dissolving into a swirling wold of green and gold. A surge of warmth floods my senses, the energy of the earth flowing into me, enveloping me in its embrace

The void shifts, a vision forming before me: an ancient cemetery, its gravestones worn and cracked, covered in ivy and most. The moon hangs high. overhead, its pale light casting the cemetery in an eerie glow, shadows dancing over the weathered stones. The scent of earth and decaying leaves fills my nose, the air tinged with a chill, like the breath of the past whispering through the gravestones.

My gaze sweeps over the cemetery, taking in the overgrown paths, the twisted vines creeping over the tombstones. My breath catches, my eyes landing on a gravestone nestled amidst the ivy, its inscription partially obscured by moss and spiderwebs. I step closer, my heart pounding in my chest, brushing aside the delicate twining white dog rose vines that cover its surface, the inscription worn away with time. The same white roses that cover the hedge maze in the garden of the Verde clan, at Greenharrow Castle.

My vision blurs, the cemetery spinning around me, the ground shifting beneath my feet. A surge of panic rises in my chest, my heart leaping into my 0%

throat as the earth opens up before me, swallowing me whole.

Bonus

I plummet through the dark tunnels of the earth, my body weightless, tumbling through the twisting passages. The scent of damp stone and an bones fills my nose, the darkness pressing in around me, suffocating. My breath comes in ragged gasps, my pulse pounding in my ears.

07:32

Suddenly, the darkness gives way, opening into a vast network of catacombs. Rows of crumbling bones line the walls, their empty eye sockets staring back at me, their bony fingers intertwined in an eternal grip. The air is heavy with the scent of decay and dust, the faint sound of dripping water echoing through the labyrinthine corridors.

I drift through ratacombs, my steps echoing off the stone floor, my gaze sweeping over the countless tombs that line the passageways. The darkness presses in around me, the weight of centuries pressing down on my shoulders.

I turn a corner, my heart leaping into my throat as I spot a dark, empty tomb, its entrance a yawning black void. My breath catches, my body propelled forward, tumbling into the darkness.

I fall, spiraling through the void, the blackness stretching out before me, endless and oppressive. My breath comes in panicked gasps, my mind spinning, until a flicker of light pierces the darkness, an ethereal glow illuminating my path.

The light expands, revealing an enormous library, its shelves lined with ancient books, their spines cracked and faded. Dust and cobwebs cling to the

12

volumes, their pages yellowed and brittle, some falling apart the seams. The air is heavy with the set of stand age, the faint sound of whispering drifting through the labyrinth of bookshelve

I drift through the library, my eyes widening an I take in the

glass case, sits a book bound in gold, its gett gleaming in the dim light. The book ravages of time.

enter of the room, beneath pars preserved against

My heart leaps, my hand reaching out, my fingers brushing against the cold glass. A jolt of energy shoots through me, the glass vibratin touch. A voice, soft and melodic, like the song of a bird, echoes

“Find me,” it whispers, the words carrying on the breeze, wrapping around me like a haunting melody

I whirl around, my gaze searching for the source of the voice, but the library da around me.

wirling void of giry nothingness, the darkness closing in

Panic rises in my chest, my breath coming in ragged gasps, my vision spinning. The old stretches out before me, vast, empty expense, its oppress ⠀⠀emptiness crushing me from all sides.

I scream, my voice tearing through the darkness, but the sound is swallowed by the void, fading into nothing against my skin, suffocating, until the void gives way, the darkness dissolving into

The darkness closes in pressing

I gasp, my vision clearing, the flickering torchlight coming back into focus. My hands grip the table, my knuckles white, my breath coming in regged punts.

“Arianna,” Aleksandr’s voice breaks through the fog of panic, his hand gripping my

(concern. “Damn it, are you alright?

I nod, swallowing hard, my heart pounding in my chest. ‘Im… Im

I say, my voice hoarse.

Kieran leans forward, his hazel eyes gleaming with curiosity. “What did ye

ce trembling. “I saw

I swallow again, the vision replaying in my mind, the haunting voice echoing in my ears. “An ancient center covered in by and white roses. And then… I was pulled underground, through the tunnels of the earth, into a network of catacombs,”

Aleksandr’s brows lift, his eyes narrowing Catacombs?”

I nod, my gaze shifting to Bloodhane and Pyra, their faces taut with worry. “Yes,” I continue, ty voice steadying wandered through the catacombs until I found an empty tomb. It led me into a library, an ancient thrary filled with books, and at its center, a book bound in gold, with green text, beneath a glass case.”

Pyra’s golden eyes widen, her face paling. A library?”

I nod again, my hand gripping the sword’s hilt, its weight pressing against me. “Yes, and then I heard a voice,” I say, my voice lowering to a whisper. “It said, Find me.”

Kierans brows lift, his gaze gleaming, “A vision indeed, he muses, his fingers tapping against the table. “A cemetery, catacombs, a libra

Aleksandr’s eyes narrow, his jaw tightening. “Paris,” he says, his voice firm. The catacombs of Paris.”

+10

Bonu:

Bloodbane’s eyes widen, a mixture of realization and determination flickering across his face. Then let’s go,” he says, his voice resolute “W 07:30 find this cemetery”

I nod, my heart pounding in my chest, my gaze shifting to Kieran, then to Aleksandr, and finally to Pyra and Bloodbane.

“Yes,” I murmur, my hand tightening around the sword’s hilt. “We will.”

Chapter Comments

EJ

I was thinking Rome

Π

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