Meanwhile, deep within the Verdant Elven Alliance forest...
Sora rested on his back upon the blessed, shimmering grass at the foot of the Great World Tree. He nibbled quietly on sweet sun-ripe fruits, spending his long, solitary hours surrounded by the small nature spirits who tried their best to lift his sorrowful mood.
The young spirits danced softly around his shoulders, their tiny glowing forms fluttering like warm sparks, while birds chirped a gentle song in the high canopy above his head.
Every day was meant to be a blissful day for him, the spirits, and the elves of the forest. But lately, Sora had felt nothing but a deep, suffocating sorrow, as if his very soul were waiting for mournful news to arrive.
He couldn't stop thinking about Cassian.
Deep down within his own spirit, he knew that his mate was not okay. The golden soul-bond connecting their hearts and soul had weakened greatly over the past two weeks, stretching thin and cold like a fraying thread.
He couldn't help but to wonder, what could it all mean?
Sora stood up quickly from the soft grass the moment High Priestess Dasery made her appearance at the edge of the sacred clearing. For once, Sora felt a surge of hope, eager to receive any news from her, since he had sent her to seek out permission to visit the Imperial Empire—especially to see his mate Cassian Valemont.
"High Priestess!"
Sora called out, his voice light with sudden anticipation as he took a step forward.
"Thank goodness you are here! Have the teleportation gates finally opened for me to leave? Waiting for days like this has been gnawing at my soul! Can I leave immediately?"
Dasery stopped before him, her long silver hair draping over her ceremonial robes as she looked at the young half-elf with a heavy, sympathetic gaze.
"Yes, Sora,"
Dasery answered softly.
"I have talked to the Queen, and she has permitted your leave. But before that..."
She paused, hesitating for a fraction of a second.
"Will you be comfortable travelling with the King and the Queen to the Empire?"
Dasery asked, her tone carefully measured as she carefully looked at Sora with pleading eyes.
"I believe they have important state matters to discuss with the Emperor in regards to your upcoming official marriage with the Crown Prince."
Suddenly–...
Sora's face contorted into an expression of pure, unhidden disgust. He couldn't hide it, nor did he intend to hide how he felt.
Sora knew very well that Queen Valaria still held deep, cruel hatred toward him for being a Moonborn half-elf—the very race she had despised for centuries and had worked so relentlessly to drive into complete extinction.
And then there was his father, King Scafell, the current ruler of the elves and the man who had heartlessly betrayed the Curzon family. He was the man who had turned his back on Sora's mother and had nearly driven Sora himself to his death with the Queen's aid.
And now, Sora was expected to stand beside them and travel within the same party?
He would be damned before he allowed that to happen. His mother would turn in her grave if he walked beside her killers.
"I won't do that,"
Sora said, declining bluntly. His eyes seethed with anger at the mere mention of his despicable father.
"I won't travel with anyone who has the blood of my family on their hands,"
Sora continued, his voice sharp and absolute.
"Be it the Queen or the King, I don't care! Let them execute me right here if my refusal offends them so much, but I will not change my mind."
Dasery only let out a heavy, expected sigh, giving a small shrug of her shoulders.
"Oh well, then I guess it cannot be helped,"
Dasery said calmly.
"You will simply have to wait another two days for the teleportation gates to recharge their mana before you can travel to the Empire. The King and Queen will be using today's charges, and as you know, the gateway can only support two uses per cycle—to go and to return. Unless, of course, you choose to go with them."
Sora's eyes widened in disbelief and frustration.
"Those teleportation gates were made for me in the first place by Celia, my mate's most trusted subordinate!"
Sora snapped, his chest heaving.
"I should be the one to decide who gets to use them and who does not! My needs should be the priority over what was built for me!"
"Yet these are the Elven lands, Sora,"
Dasery reminded him gently, her tone firm.
"The Queen and the King are the sovereign rulers of this realm, and by law, they stand above you. No matter what personal scuffle happened between the three of you in the past, our ancient traditions will be preserved. And by traditional law, their royal duties take priority over yours. So I advise you to tread carefully."
Sora bit his lower lip so hard that it hurt, the sharp sting grounding his rising anger.
He closed his eyes and forced himself to breathe slowly, eventually calming his agitated mind. He raised his hand, gently rubbing his heavy, rounded belly, while his other hand brushed away the hovering spirits above his head.
Just then Sora let out a long, defeated sigh.
"Fine,"
Sora whispered softly.
"I just want to go to the Empire, because that is all that matters to me right now."
"Good,"
Dasery replied, her expression softening a bit.
"I will let the Queen and King know your decision then. In the meantime, prepare yourself to leave in an hour."
Sora gave a silent nod, and Dasery excused herself, turning back toward the grand palace trees.
*****
An hour later...
The Elven Queen Valaria and King Scafell, flanked by a grand honor guard of high elven warriors, proceeded toward the stone teleportation base where Sora was already waiting impatiently to cross over.
Sora stood far to the side of the platform, flanked by his personal designated guard, Lyra. Ever since the tournament concluded, Lyra has been his closest aide and his guard.
And resting securely in Lyra's arms was the massive, iridescent[1] Wyvern egg that Ruby had gifted to Sora and Cassian during their formal betrothal ceremony months ago.
The egg had grown incredibly well by Sora's side, absorbing the immense, pure mana radiating from the World Tree where Sora resided. With so much excitement buzzing in his chest, Sora was looking forward to showing it off to Cassian the moment he stepped foot in Edrath. To him, it was technically their second child—a symbol of the life they were building together.
"Lyra, tell me..."
Sora whispered nervously, adjusting his silk collar for the fifth time.
"How do I look? Do I look okay in this robe? Is it too bright? Is it too much? I feel like my belly is even bigger today... I worry that His Highness won't even be able to pick me up into his arms like he used to!"
Sora smiled shyly, his cheeks flushing a bright, tender rose.
Lyra held back a quiet laugh, giving him a warm, reassuring smile and a supportive thumbs-up.
"I think you look wonderful, my lord,"
Lyra said softly, her eyes full of warmth.
"And no matter how you look, I just know that His Highness will not be able to take his eyes off you. Not for even a single second. And trust me, Prince Cassian is the strongest man I know! How could you ever become too heavy for him to carry?"
She patted his arm gently and Sora's spock ears reddened at the tips immediately with a slight twitch.
"Please calm your heart. Everything will go well."
Sora giggled softly, his face turning bright red at her words.
Just then, the grand arcane circle on the stone floor began to glow with brilliant blue mana. The preparations to leave the Verdant Alliance commenced, and the group stepped forward onto the platform. Sora made sure to keep a wide, deliberate distance between himself and the King and Queen.
And just then within a flash of blinding light, they crossed over the dimensional boundary.
*****
"How strange..."
Sora murmured, his brows furrowing the moment they stepped out of the imperial teleportation chamber into the heart of the Valemont palace.
"...Why is the atmosphere around here so sullen?"
Sora immediately split off from the elven royal envoy's side, ignoring their presence completely after they formally greeted Emperor Cedric in the grand courtyard. While the Emperor stepped forward to entertain King Scafell and Queen Valaria with cold, formal courtesy, Empress Chantella stepped away from the crowd, making her way directly toward Sora.
"My child... Sora..."
Chantella spoke softly, her voice trembling slightly.
"Welcome back. How are you feeling?"
"Imperial Mother,"
Sora replied, bowing his head respectfully,
"I am so happy to be back."
Chantella's heart skipped a painful beat. The warmth and reverence in Sora's voice was the exact way Cassian always addressed her.
'Imperial mother.' She thought.
Sora looked around the quiet corridors, his wary eyes searching the stone arches.
"Imperial Mother... what is all of this tension?"
Sora asked, his voice filled with rising concern.
"You, Imperial Father, and brother Adrian... you all seem so distant, so pale. And... where is Cassian? It is so unusual not to see him waiting for me by the entrance gates. The whole palace feels far too silent."
"Sora..."
Chantella whispered softly.
She reached out and took both of Sora's hands into her own, pressing them tightly before offering a weak, sad smile.
"Indeed, something serious has happened,"
she said, her voice dropping into a gentle breath.
"But before I explain anything to you, I need us to go somewhere private so we can talk properly. His Majesty requires this matter to be kept strictly under wraps. Not even the Elven King and Queen can know a single detail about it. Do you promise me that when you find out the truth, you will keep it entirely to yourself?"
Sora looked into Chantella's eyes for a long, heavy moment. He searched desperately for answers within those crimson irises—the very eyes that reminded him so fiercely of Cassian.
Yet he could find no comfort in them, only an overwhelming shadow of grief.
Sora gave a slow, solemn nod.
"I promise,"
he whispered.
He had no idea what was happening inside these stone walls, but he was certain that whatever the matter was, it was grave enough to shake the entire continent to its core.
And deep down inside his soul, the cold void in his chest told him the truth before anyone could speak it aloud: it was about Cassian.
His heart sank straight into his stomach.
"Lyra, wait for me out here,"
Sora instructed quietly.
"Yes, my lord,"
Lyra replied, nodding her head as she held the large, warm Wyvern egg tightly in her arms, treating it like the most delicate treasure in the world.
Sora turned and walked up the grand marble staircase alongside the Empress, while Elias led the way toward the Crown Prince's private quarters.
And the moment they reached the end of the long hallway... before Sora could even take a single step inside Cassian's bedchamber, a sharp, violent agony tore through his chest.
He let out a loud, shuddering wail and fell straight to his knees upon the stone floor.
He had always known in his spirit that something was horribly wrong, especially with the way their soul-bond had been slowly fading away into nothingness. But being this close to the cold, motionless body of Cassian lying upon the bed inside... his soul completely rampaged from the total absence of his mate's consciousness.
Sora cried out in pure agony, weeping so violently that Elias and Chantella could only stand beside him, tears streaming down their own faces.
Elias quickly stepped inside and shut the heavy oak doors tight behind them, locking out the quiet hallway.
Empress Chantella knelt on the floor beside Sora, gently wrapping her arms around his shaking shoulders as the young elf threw himself across Cassian's still, sleeping chest. Sora buried his face into the silk tunic of his mate, crying his eyes out, his body trembling violently against the cold silence of the room.
After what felt like an eternity of heartbreaking sobs, Elias slowly approached the bed. With trembling hands, the old butler pulled out a sealed, folded letter that Cassian had written and left behind for Sora.
Elias held it out into the dim light.
Sora raised his pale, tear-stained face, his shaking hands reaching up to take the parchment into his own hands.
He unfolded the paper, his eyes blurring with hot tears as he read the words written in Cassian's familiar, elegant script:
>*"Sora...
I am so, so sorry.
By the time you read these words, I will already be long gone from this world, and for that, I am truly, deeply sorry.
I know you should never have had to find out about my departure in such a cold, cruel way, but my mind was trapped in a dark, suffocating place, and I could no longer think straight anymore.
It is truly selfish of me to leave you all alone in your delicate condition. Please, do not forgive me for this. Hate me as much as your heart needs to, if hating me will help ease even a fraction of your aching pain, for I have failed you in every way a mate could fail.
I know you must be sitting there wondering why I have done this so suddenly.
The truth is... it has always been my grand plan to leave this realm and return home to Earth, the world where I truly belong. I was never the real Cassian Valemont that everyone thought me to be. I was only a foreign soul who woke up inside his body and lived his life for these past few years.
But I am a human being, Sora. I have desires, I have fears, and I have feelings that I could no longer suppress. Just like the real Cassian, I have a family and people who loved me back home on Earth—people who must have been worried sick and weeping over my sudden disappearance for years. And I have to admit to you... I missed my home so much. I thought about it every single time I closed my eyes at night.
I should have been honest with you. I should have told you everything sooner, but I just couldn't bring myself to say the words out loud. And for that I am so sorry for being such a weak coward to the very end.
I am only writing this truth to you because you are the one person who deserves an explanation more than anyone else in this world. As my mate, you were my priority, and now you are being left behind all alone, carrying my unborn child within you. I truly wished with all my heart to be there beside you, to hold our baby in my arms after you gave birth. Raising a beautiful, sweet elven child with someone as gentle as you would have made me happier than words can ever express.
But unfortunately, I ruined that chance. I couldn't stay, and for that, I will carry eternal guilt.
I know this is all so sudden to you. Even I had originally planned to stay a little longer, to say a proper goodbye to you, to my family, and to everyone before I left. But my aching, foolish heart forced me to become utterly selfish.
I fell deeply in love with a man.
I fell in love with Lucien Arden.
And it completely broke me.
It turns out that I am terribly weak when it comes to matters of the heart. I couldn't handle rejection, and in my desperation to escape the pain, I ended up letting innocent people suffer because of my choices.
Innocent people like you.
Sora, my sweet mate... please stay strong. I know how resilient you truly are, even when the world is cruel to you. Once you give birth, please know that you have done everything you possibly could, and raise our child with all the grace and love in your heart.
...But if our child happens to be a boy—
Then please, I beg you... do not raise him to be like me. Do not let him grow up to be a coward and an indecisive, weak scum who runs away when things hurt. I do not deserve the honor of having a son walk in my footsteps.
Please, live your life happily. I trust that my family will cherish you, protect you, and take care of you in my place.
Goodbye, my sweet mate.
Truly, you have always made me the happiest man."*<
Sora stared at the final lines of the letter, his vision completely swimming with hot, bitter tears.
He crumpled the paper tightly in his fist, pulling it against his chest as another heavy, agonizing sob tore from his throat. He buried his face tight into the silent, warm chest of Cassian's motionless body, gripping the prince's silk robes as if trying to drag his soul back from the void.
"You stupid mate!..."
Sora screamed out, his voice cracking violently into the quiet chamber, echoing off the high stone walls.
"How will a letter ever be enough to heal my broken soul?!"
Tears streamed endlessly down his pale, flushed cheeks, soaking into Cassian's clothes.
"I hate you..."
Sora sobbed, his chest heaving as he held the quiet body close.
"Truly... I resent you so much!"
*****
[1] Iridescent is an adjective that describes an object or surface showing many bright, rainbow-like colors that change and shift as you move or look from different angles.How It WorksLight hits tiny structures, thin films, or micro-layers on a surface.Light waves bounce back and cross over each other.Some light colors cancel out while others become brighter.Shifting your view changes the angles, making the colors seem to move and glow.