The man's laughter continued as Aurelia gripped his nape tightly. Blood seeped from his wounded legs, yet even through the pain, he laughed maniacally.
What is wrong with him?
She had tried everything, but nothing had worked. Every strategy and interrogation technique taught to her by the spymasters of the Zendorian court had failed.
What kind of mental fortitude does this man possess?
Aurelia studied him closely. His features seemed vaguely familiar: a long face and a straight, smooth nose that flowed seamlessly from his forehead.
He's Zendorian.
If interrogation wouldn't work, perhaps her noble name would.
Even though she had left her family, the people of Zendor did not know that.
The man's laughter continued.
"Silence!" Aurelia shouted in Zendorian.
The man froze. He looked up at her, his body beginning to shudder almost instantly.
"I am Aurelia of House Theodorakis, of the Theodorakis Duchy. Daughter of Doux Maravios and sister to the heir of the family." Her voice became calm and commanding. "I order you to remain silent."
The man stopped laughing. Sweat trickled down his forehead.
"Ho—how can a noble end up h—"
"Did I give you permission to speak, lowborn?"
The man immediately fell silent.
His body grew tense. His skin paled, and his breathing grew shallow.
"You will tell me what happened to Dominio and how I can return him to normal." Aurelia tightened her grip. "He's fighting two of my retainers as we speak. If you refuse to speak, I will punish you. I will save you, and then I will torture you until you answer."
She leaned closer.
"If I were you, I'd confess."
The man opened his mouth, but no words came out. His lips trembled before he finally managed to speak.
"On the hilltop, we were preparing to trap you all. We thought you would attack together. Then, when Kregg was standing there, a figure suddenly pounced out of nowhere. Kregg moved away in time, but his arm was cut off. The figure then ran down the hill toward the beach."
The man's breathing grew faster and heavier.
Aurelia noticed his weakening condition. He wouldn't last much longer.
"Five of us followed him to the shore and fought him. It was clear he couldn't take on all five of us. Then I used my unique skill to at least incapacitate him."
He swallowed, causing his body to jerk slightly.
"But something activated inside his mind. I entered his memories and saw numerous things. A white room filled with the bodies of children. Him running with someone else. Other things I can't explain."
The man's voice became strained.
"And one word that kept appearing in his mind while he was in that facility."
He coughed violently, blood escaping his mouth.
"Paradise."
Aurelia's eyes narrowed.
"After that, he went crazy. He began killing our men with brutal efficiency. Techniques I'd never seen before. He killed most of us, but he wasn't simply trying to end their lives."
The man's breathing became ragged.
"It was as if he wanted to inflict as much pain as possible, giving them an agonizing death."
He tried to continue, but no words came out. Only a faint, strained wheezing escaped his throat.
Then his head dropped back.
The light faded from his eyes, and his mouth remained slightly open.
He was dead.
"Paradise," Aurelia murmured.
She released the man's body and rose to her feet.
Dominio... just how mysterious are you?
Her white pants were stained with blood and dust. Above her, clouds began gathering once again, slowly blocking out the sunlight.
Then she sensed it.
A powerful surge of lumin behind her.
Aurelia immediately turned toward the hill.
A man stood at its peak, holding a staff. Behind him, a fire stone rose above his body, radiating red and orange light.
Kregg.
A ring of fireballs began revolving around him.
Aurelia pulled out her wand and water stone.
The flames launched toward her.
She moved swiftly, dodging the attacks as they tore through the air.
Raising her wand, she summoned a bubble shield. Spikes expanded from its surface, but Kregg responded by firing a beam of flames that evaporated them instantly.
Aurelia advanced and released a beam of water toward him.
Kregg countered by summoning two enormous fireballs. The two elements—the water beam and the fireballs—collided, producing a powerful burst of steam that spread across the battlefield.
Through the steam, Kregg raised his staff.
A massive ball of fire formed above him.
It shifted and expanded, growing larger with every passing second. Flames stretched outward, forming a mane, while the shape of a lion emerged from the inferno.
Aurelia's eyes widened.
The water stone in her hand began to tremble.
Its glow weakened as more lumin drained from it.
Why now?
She pointed her wand and summoned the largest serpent of water she could manage, using as much lumin as possible and transferring it to her wand as water began to form from it.
The serpent surged forward.
The fiery lion charged through it, devouring the serpent in its burning jaws and causing it to evaporate within seconds.
Aurelia gritted her teeth.
I can't lose here. Not after coming this far.
She moved the bubble shield rapidly, attempting to create as much distance as possible between herself and the approaching beast.
But the lion moved faster, slamming itself against the bubble with great strength.
The impact destroyed the shield instantly.
The force sent Aurelia flying toward the sea.
Her body crashed into the dark sea, plunging beneath the surface. Her hand released her wand.
Kregg struggled to catch his breath as he knelt on the ground, using his wand for support. The fire stone beside him lost its glow, falling to the ground.
That was all of my lumin. I don't even have the strength to stand, Kregg thought to himself as he caught his breath. He looked back at the sea from the top of the hill.
The view was beautiful yet grotesque. The beach was stained with blood, scattered with bodies and abandoned weapons, resembling a battlefield.
"This all happened because of Rowan," Kregg said, his voice uneven.
"If it weren't for this war, perhaps none of this would have happened."
"This is all Rowan's fault," he murmured. "I made the right choice by calling the remaining members to kill him."
The sea began moving unnaturally.
The tide surged toward the shore before retreating, only to return with greater force. The waves grew faster and larger, their movements becoming increasingly violent.
"What is this?" Kregg muttered weakly as he leaned against a tree.
The waves continued to grow until a body was thrown back onto the beach.
Aurelia.
Her wand landed beside her.
She coughed violently, expelling water from her lungs. Moving sluggishly, she reached for her wand and grasped it desperately.
A faint flicker of blue lumin travelled through the wand.
Aurelia crawled away from the water before forcing herself to stand.
She continued coughing as she walked across the beach. Her head hung low, her wet hair covering her face. Seaweed clung to her hair and clothing.
Each step was slow and laboured.
She dragged herself forward.
Then she raised her wand toward Kregg.
Almost instantly, a blade of water struck his neck.
He didn't even have time to react or comprehend her intentions.
Kregg fell onto his back, clutching his neck as he struggled to stop the bleeding.
Aurelia continued forward.
Flashes of what she had seen bombarded her mind.
The man on the beach.
The Emperor holding the box.
A man without an arm standing near a house, holding children who resembled her.
What did I see?
She continued toward the hill.
When she reached the top, she saw Kregg still fighting for his life, gagging and coughing up blood.
Aurelia stood over him for a moment before walking past him toward the hilltop.
The place where everything had begun.
Dominio's disguise.
Her first battle with Kregg.
Everything had started on this hill.
And it would end here.
Dominio was trapped against a tree, his body covered in ice spikes that formed a prison around him. Several ice spears hovered in front of his body, poised to launch.
Beside another tree, Edward stood heavily wounded, clutching his arm.
Nearby, Rela sat cross-legged despite her bloodied condition.
Edward opened his eyes and smiled tiredly.
"You're back. You look like you've seen better days."
Rela stood up and scratched her horn.
"You took far too long. You almost got the short bastard killed."
Aurelia forced a smile as she approached Dominio.
His eyes were closed, and his head hung low. His arms were spread wide, trapped by the ice surrounding him.
Aurelia took a step forward and placed her hand against his cheek.
She studied his face.
The same man who had slaughtered numerous rookies now stood trapped and vulnerable before her.
"Paradise," Aurelia said.
Dominio's body shuddered almost instantly.
His eyes opened slowly, and he looked up.
The first thing he saw was Aurelia.
A faint smile spread across his face.
"Good day, my lady~"