Ch. 261..270

Chapter 261 - Gavrael (Part XVIII)

"No, I am determined to learn this magic. And I believe I've learned all the other magic known to everyone already. All that's left to learn are the forbidden ones. Even so, among those forbidden ones, I have already learned the most of them. Except for the two that you just mentioned, reviving the dead and time manipulation."

"My prince –" Claudius was startled when hearing that. How could the prince had already learnt the other forbidden spells?! Where could he have gotten the manuals for it?

"I am just trying to expand my knowledge. As you also know, knowledge is power, and knowledge also leads to wisdom. All I am trying to do is to grow and improve on myself. Please tell me where I can learn more about it." Gavrael cut him off, his fiery blue eyes were so intense that Claudius already knew for sure that the young prince was not going to back off. He could already tell he was going to force the knowledge out of him if he refused. He then realized that this young prince was every bit as dangerous as his father, probably more so compared to King Belial. This young prince was the kind who is willing to do anything and everything, no matter how immoral it was to get what he wanted.

Looking at the young prince's determined face, he knew from his many long years of living and meeting many kinds of people, this prince could not be stopped from reaching for what he wanted. He could not help but sigh helplessly at it. He had somehow learned from his father himself that stopping a man like this was as futile as trying to hold back your own breathing. It was absolutely impossible.

"Alright, but I want you to promise me one thing first before I say anything else." Claudius said and Gavrael's face immediately darkened, realizing that the dark fae certainly knew what making a promise meant to him.

He glared at the dark fae for a long while, face sullen and unhappy. But his desire was stronger than his abhorrence towards making of promises this time, so he nodded somewhat grudgingly. "Fine, what is it?" He all but growled at the older man.

"You must promise me that this knowledge must be kept to yourself alone, for eternity. You cannot even breathe a word of it and should only be thought of within your mind. Also… you must never use it to do something evil." Claudius was very serious as he named his price.

Gavrael stared at him and without any hesitation, he nodded. "I promise." He said, sealing the vow and the ancient fae could only shake his head in disbelief. 'Sigh… young people sure are hasty in their actions.' Claudius thought to himself. Truly, youth is wasted on the young.

"I will teach you all that I know but I must tell you, my prince, that nobody had ever used this magic successfully and managed to remain alive. There were a few brave souls who dared try but failed miserably and they suffered the consequences due to their failure. Well, you can always back off once you realize it's impossible even for you." Claudius advised but the prince remained unfazed.

"Do not worry, I don't have any plans to tamper with what had already happened or change anything. I simply want to stop time when needed." Gavrael said upon seeing the worry and doubt in the ancient fae's eyes. "Could we start the training now?"

"What? Now?!" Claudius was taken aback. Did this young prince not have any concept of taking it easy?

"Yes. I don't like wasting time once I've decided on getting something done."

And thus, Gavrael had found something to divert his attention while he remained in the Under Land. He had found out from Claudius the reason why he felt as though time ran faster on the surface. Apparently, it was not just his imagination nor fanciful thinking. That was because time on the surface do somehow flow twice as fast compared to how it passes in the Under Land. And the reason was because the Under Land was a completely different realm from the surface and also due to the dark magic enveloping the entire dark fae realm.

…

Days passed and Gavrael continued his travelling across the portal, visiting Evie in her room every night. He never did miss out even on a single night and he had never done anything unruly to her so far. He had abided to her every restriction demanded of him and as time went by, Gavrael and Evie had started to sneak outside her room at night. She brought him to explore and visit every part of the castle that was worth visiting, and they always ended up in the kitchen where they would sneak some food off to be shared between them back in her room or at some other interesting places she would drag him to after that.

Evie had made him try out and taste all the food that they squirrel off and she always had fun watching his expressions after tasting the food for the first time. Before she knew it, they had become so close to each other, they could not believe that they had only met not too long ago.

There were no more traces of fear and day after day, Evie felt happier now despite her seclusion. She no longer pesters her mother for them to return to the Southern empire and finally, she had agreed that the two of them will start to roam about in the Middle Land.

When Gavrael appeared by her window, Evie's heart skipped a beat in excitement.

"Are you ready for greater adventures tonight?" He stretched out his hand to her as he said that with a tantalizing smile and without hesitation, she put her smaller hand in his larger ones.

"More than ready!" she declared with a big grin and sparkling eyes. Then Gavrael pulled her into his arms in one swift swoop.

Chapter 262 - Gavrael (Part XIX)

Since the moon was not fully visible that night as the clouds were thick and covering the sky, Gavrael carried Evie off in his arms as they ventured into the Forbidden Lands. Of course, the young prince was thoroughly enjoying himself. He could carry and hold onto her freely without censure from his Little Butterfly and he felt ever so liberated.

However, they soon encountered a pack of dark wolves. Gavrael had never ventured this deep into this so called forbidden lands before because since the very first time he set foot on the surface, he had spent all the available time – whatever little that he had – with his Little Butterfly.

He had yet to find out anything about the dangers that existed within the deeper part of the land and that was why he was being a little more careful than usual. Of course, the main reason was heavily due to the fact that he had a delicate little butterfly in his care right now. He would never go forward carelessly and unknowingly put her into any kinds of danger, no matter how small or big it was.

"So, there are more of these beasts as we go further, huh." Gavrael murmured as he leapt from the ground and landed on a tree branch.

"I believe so. I also think that there might be more ferocious creatures ahead. So far, all of the beasts that I've seen are already different from the normal ones we see on the outside. There is no telling how much more unique and dangerous the beasts are as we go deeper into the forest." Evie told Gavrael as they notice that the wolves that are around them were starting to climb the trees as well. The beasts growled and snarled as they went after the two of them.

Evie tightened her grip around his neck as Gavrael leisurely avoided them. He wanted to fight them and kill them all off. But on the other hand, he also did not want to waste his precious time fighting. He would rather hold onto his Little Butterfly like this! Of course, there is also the issue of him having only a limited amount of time to be up here on the surface.

"How far did you reach the last time you went in on your own?" he asked, not minding the wolves that were chasing them.

She looked around, restlessly. It seemed that unlike him, she was unable to ignore their chasers as easily as her protector. "Oh, there! At that lake! That's as far as I've gone." She pointed towards a glimmering lake.

"Oh, you're one brave butterfly." He praised her as it truly was quite far in with the ferocious beasts that are around as well. He then headed towards the lake. "I can't believe you dared to come this far all alone."

"That lake seemed safe. I was once chased by the wolves and when I arrived there, the wolves just disappeared. It's like they can't seem to get into that place. I believe this might be some kind of sacred place that the beasts aren't allowed to set foot into."

"Hmm… that's interesting." He said and they landed at the bank of the glimmering lake. "Then I guess, we should stop here for now." Gavrael stood just at the lake shore and looked around, appreciating the calm beauty of this lake with glittering waters. The sight of it was truly a stunning one.

Evie looked at him, surprised that they were already stopping.

"There are more beasts within the deeper parts of the forest, and they are more dangerous." He reasoned out. "And they are very active during the night time. So, I think it's better for me to wait for the moon to come out before we venture further. I need you to at least be able to fly so that when there's a fight, you'll be able to fly and stay in the air where it's safe while I fight to get rid of them all on the ground." He explained and Evie creased her brows.

"Then why did you agree that we come here tonight if you already have such a plan?"

"Well," he smiled and let go of her. "I just thought that we needed to go somewhere else besides the usual thing of just roaming around the citadel. I bet you're already bored with the same scenery and since you told me you can't venture anywhere else out in the human realms, then this our only choice."

"What would we do here, then?" she asked. She was a little disappointed, but she understood where he was coming from. He would certainly be put into a tight spot and would not be able to fight if she was being cradled in his arms.

He looked at the water and then that knowing smile curved across his lips. "Oh, there are interesting things that we could do here as well while waiting..." he said and then he stepped away from her towards the water.

Then without a word, he started to undress.

Evie gaped, speechless, as she watched him slowly shed his clothes. He did not stop until he was almost naked. She turned away, blushing.

"W-what are you doing?" Her voice was a little shrill, as she felt her face turning red.

"Did you try going into the waters for a swim when you were here the last time?"

"Of course not." Evie answered, still making sure she was facing the other way.

The next moment, she heard a sound of something splashing into the water. She immediately whipped around to take a look, and she saw that he was gone. Oh dear, he really went ahead and swam! They did not come all the way here just to swim!

Seeing that he was not coming out of the water yet, Evie worriedly approached the bank.

"Gavrael?" she called out, looking at the glimmering waters, trying to get a glimpse of some movement.

Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her and before she could whip around, Gavrael wrapped his arms around her tiny waist and the next instant, they both fell into the water.

Chapter 263 - Gavrael (Part XX)

Evie was so shocked she climbed on him frantically. She wrapped her thighs hard around his waist, surprising him.

He froze as she gripped him as hard as she could.

"Wh-what are you doing you… you brute!" she yelped, scolding him. "What am I going to do now? My clothes… they're all wet now!"

When he did not make a move nor a sound, Evie slowly calmed down and looked at him closely, wondering what was wrong with him that he went so still he was as good as a statue. It was then that she realized what was going on.

Her face turned red, and she immediately unclasped her thighs that were wrapped tightly around him. But he quickly grabbed them and placed them back at the same position they were previously at on his waist, causing her eyes to turn wide. If possible, her face flushed into a deeper shade of red that Gavrael noted with much interest it seemed to be similar to the colour of a very ripe strawberry.

"I… I don't know how to swim." She told him in a small voice, trying to break the tension between them.

"I'll teach you how." His voice sounded raspier, it made Evie's heart skipped a beat. She was getting nervous, and that hot feeling seemed to keep rising within her. She could feel his skin getting incredibly hotter too.

"I think… not now. I… please bring me to the bank." She said, her eyes darting around to land on everything else but him. She would not be able to bear it if she looked at him directly. As it was, her heart was already thumping so wildly. If their eyes met in this situation, she was convinced that she would internally combust!

Gavrael was silent for a while but eventually he acquiesced and moved them back slowly towards the bank. As soon as Evie's foot reached the ground, he immediately dove into the water again, without saying a word to her nor did he turn to look at her.

Evie caught her lip between her teeth, worrying on them for a while as she tried to recover her calm from what had just happened between them. However, she did not quite know what that thing between them was. She tried her best to calm her racing pulse, but it did not seem to want to listen to her for a while. She looked at the water again and Gavrael continued swimming. He did not even deign to glance at her, as if he was suddenly concentrating. She had no idea that the young man had been trying his hardest to calm himself too and it was not just his heart that he had to put to calm.

After a long while, Gavrael finally got out of the water. He did not know swimming in the water with her could be such a damned dangerous activity. He shook his head minutely as he told himself to keep calm and focussed.

He looked at her and she quickly turned away, averting her eyes from his nakedness. The look of her, so wet and beautiful, made his body heat up and went wild again.

Clearing his throat, he quickly put on his clothes.

"Alright, it's time for us to head on back, Evie." He then said and Evie pouted at him.

"What should I do with my clothes now? My maids will find out that I had sneaked out even though the moon isn't there. Now they'll find out about you," she argued and Gavrael swept his eyes from her head down the edges of her wet gown.

He flushed lightly and looked away. "Well, not to worry, Little Butterfly." he told her as he stretched out his hand, his palm facing her. The next instant, Evie felt something warm enveloping her whole body. And when the warmth slowly faded away, to her utmost surprise, both her clothes and even her hair were dry again!

She gaped at him in disbelief, and he flashed her a smug smile. "Magic," he said and then he swept her into his arms again happily as he grinned over her head.

Not long after, they were back in Evie's room. Gavrael was sitting on the edge of her bed as she laid down and looked at him.

"You said the moon will be out in the next two days, right?" he checked with her, and Evie nodded. "Then I think, I won't be visiting you for the next two nights."

Evie's large eyes widened a little, and he could see the question in them. Her immediate reaction to his statement pleased him immensely, even as he felt his heart swell.

"Why?" she asked.

"I have some important matters to attend to. Don't worry, in two days, I'll be back, and I'll fulfil my promise to bring you to see the inner parts of the Middle Land and find out the answers to your questions. I'll just need a little more time."

She creased her brows, wondering why he needed time and what was the important thing he had to do first.

However, before she could ask on further, both their heads turned towards the door. There were the sounds of footsteps approaching!

"Someone's coming!" he whispered, and the girl's eyes widened.

"P-please go. I can't let anyone see you in my room." She said, panicking.

When suddenly, a knowing and mischievous smile curve on his lips. "It's too late, they're here now. I think the only choice you have is to hide me under your blanket." He whispered and her eyes widened, knowing that he was teasing her again. She knew for a fact that he could disappear now if he wanted! She was about to argue but at that moment as she opened her mouth, she heard the sound of the doorknob turning and the door being pushed opened. Without a choice, Evie quickly killed the light, and hurriedly pulled him under her covers. She clenched her teeth in irritation as she could only do as he said. She covered them both with the blanket and laid next to him, keeping as still as she could.

"If you get caught, I'm not going to ever let you inside my room again." She hissed at him like an angry little kitten and then pretended to be asleep.

 

Chapter 264 - Gavrael (Part XXI)

Gavrael could not help but laugh internally at the cute way she had responded. But since they needed to keep as silent as possible, he only smiled at her. "Worry not, Evie… I would never let that happen." He whispered breathily in her ear and Evie's heart was jolted as it raced like a crazy horse.

She had even nearly forgotten about the maids who were now inside her room. It was not until she felt one of them approached the bed that she got startled out of her reverie. Oh no!

Her eyes widened, feeling like her heart was in her throat. Then out of the blue, someone lifted her blanket.

Evie's eyes flew wide open but to her surprise, the person who had teased her earlier and was just lying right by her side was already gone. It was as though he was never there in the first place! She swallowed nervously and then turned to look at the maid who was now blinking at her in shock as she stared at the empty space next tto Evie.

"W-what are you doing?" Evie asked, feigning an annoyed look.

"I… I'm so sorry young lady. I was just… I just thought…" The maid had not expected the young lady to suddenly open her eyes when she was just intending to check on the young lady. The way her eyes suddenly flew opened just gave her the fright of her life!

"You just thought what?" Evie pretended to grumble as though she was annoyed at being disturbed in her sleep.

"N-nothing my lady. Please forgive my rude action. I was only wanting to check if you were alright…" She bowed and Evie sighed she waved her hands to dismissed them.

The moment the door closed behind them, a long and deep sigh escaped Evie's lips as she fell back onto the bed. But she was shocked to find Gavrael lying right next to her again – in that exact same spot he was right before he disappeared into thin air.

Evie closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh, feeling frustrated at this person lying next to her. "You know you're going to kill me with all these shocks you're giving me!" she scolded, her voice still managed to sound annoyed despite the fact that she was whispering.

But Gavrael did not bother to move nor speak. He did not even open his eyes and just laid there passively, causing Evie to bite he lower lip. She knew he was playing around.

"Stop feigning sleep and get off my bed!" She growled as softly as she could and shook him grouchily, her pink lips pursed into an adorable pout.

He sat up without opening his eyes and the next instant he fell back again, this time, grabbing Evie too. One arm wrapped around her waist and the other wrapped around her shoulders as they laid there.

"G-gavrael! Wha-what are you –" Evie gave a little shriek before clapping both her hands over her mouth to mute her own exclamations.

"Be still Evie, just a moment. Let's stay like this for a moment. I won't do anything you don't like." He whispered lazily, still closing his eyes and breathing deeply as he held her close. He then snuggled closer to her and buried his nose into her hair, drawing a deep breath that brought the unique scent of her personal fragrance into his lungs.

Evie was speechless but as she calmed down, she eventually gave in.

"I want to sleep like this but your heartbeat's really too loud." He said teasingly and Evie huffed.

"And whose fault do you think that is?!" Evie said as she huffed and turned her head aside, looking away from his distracting face.

He opened his eyes. A smile playing across his lips. "Are you saying that your heartbeat is like this because of me?"

Evie started at his question, realised what she had just said. She could not respond.

"They said your heartbeat only acts like this towards someone if you like that person." He added as his intense eyes fixed themselves on her. Evie felt the heavy gaze and could not help but swallow and turned to look at him.

"I… I don't think so… it… it might only be because of nervousness." She reasoned, unable to take her eyes off him.

"Do you want me to help you figure out if it's simply nervousness? Or maybe it is something else…?"

"H-huh? How would you even –"

Evie was not given the chance to finish her sentence before his warm lips swooped down and crashed themselves against hers like a fiery brand. She felt the sear across her own lips, and it was like time stood still and butterflies… she could feel butterflies fluttering and dancing around in her stomach.

When their lips parted, his eyes were much more intense and she held her breath, knowing that he was planning to kiss her again. But the kiss did not come as expected because Gavrael started to clasp his chest and wince in pain again.

He growled low as he cursed. She panicked at the sight of him doubled over in pain.

"Gav… what's…"

Just like that, he disappeared before her. Leaving her frozen still as she sat on the bed, eyes wide in disbelief. He had already explained to her that this happens to him every time he forgets about his time limit, and it had run out. She looked out the window at the dawn sky and she fell on her back.

She ran her fingers lightly over her still bruised lips over and over until her face turned red. She was still unable to believe that she had been kissed.

…

For the next two nights – as he had already told her in advance – Gavrael did not appear in her rooms the moment it got dark. Evie's life somehow did not feel the same anymore. She missed him terribly even though it was only two nights. She never would have thought she would, but in these past two nights, she found herself waiting for him, wishing that he would come – even though she knew he would not.

Chapter 265 - Gavrael (Part XXII)

As Evie sat in her room reflecting on her thoughts, she suddenly realized just what he meant to her now. He was no longer just that sneaky and sly boy to her anymore. Unknowingly, he had become such an important and significant person in her life. Just how did things happen and progress to this stage? Evie was startled at how quick it had progressed.

She started to wonder what if he did not appear ever again? At that thought, her heart gave a violent shake that it even caused a sharp pain to lance through her body. She was surprised at the feeling she felt just by thinking about it. Even though she knew there was nothing that could be done to undo these feelings, she was somehow shocked and a little concerned at how much he now dominated her thoughts and reigned in her heart.

As the night came, Evie found herself sitting and waiting by the window. Her heart was churning with so much emotion that it shocked her herself and then there was the dread that surfaced right after. She dreaded if he would no longer come by to visit her. Could he only be just a dream? Or perhaps he was a figment of her overactive imagination? She took her fist and knocked herself on the head before shaking it repeatedly.

"He will definitely come back, right?" Evie asked herself, now looking anxiously at the sky. She was just waiting for the moon to rise. She suddenly thought that if he did not appear soon, she would go look for him.

But as those thoughts filled her mind, a breeze blew past the curtains, and someone materialized right before her. It was him. The boy she was waiting for.

"I'm back, Ev –"

Evie launched herself at him as her slender arms wrapped themselves around his waist and grabbed him tight, hugging him as though she had not seen him for a long time. Her sudden actions shocked Gavrael to his core.

"You… you missed me?" His happy grin melted away into a helpless and indulging smile as he looked down on the head of hair at his chest.

She nodded wordlessly even as her grip tightened on him.

He lifted her up and spun her around. Then his lovely laughter echoed around her room. "God dammit, I don't even know what to say, Evie. You don't know how happy you have made me right now!"

Since that night, their relationship had slowly changed and blossomed into something more than plain friendship. Evie started to accept his advances and as days went by, she continued falling more and more for him. And it was the same for Gavrael. Their feelings towards each other just continued growing the longer they spent time together. The night had become Evie's favourite time of the day.

Days went by and they also started to go further in, to the Middle Lands and had now gone past through the Mist forest and Gavrael had managed to wipe out a number of ferocious orcs.

This time, they went straight beyond that blocked gate as Gavrael had finally destroyed all the orcs that tried to stop them from reaching that point.

And that was the night they met with a massive dark dragon.

Gavrael immediately told Evie to fly the moment he sensed the presence of a beast inside a massive tunnel, far stronger than all those they had previously encountered. So, Evie was already in the sky and looking down at him when the dark and large dragon came out of the cave.

Evie had her eyes wide at the sight of the large creature. Then it roared and Gavrael started to bring out his power. Evie could tell he was going to fight it. No… Evie attempted to go back to stop him. Even though this was the first time Evie had seen this dragon, she immediately felt that she must stop Gavrael from fighting it. She just had that feeling that the two of them should not be fighting each other!

However, before she could move from where she was, Gavrael had already attacked the dragon. The dragon roared and when Evie saw the dragon about to breathe out fire at Gavrael, Evie then dove towards them and landed before Gavrael, stretching both her arms out to her sides to shield him, shocking him to his bones.

"Stop!" she screamed and the glow that was surrounding her blasted outwards.

The amber light then collided against the dragon's fire. What was totally unexpected was that the dragon's fire was immediately extinguished in that moment of collision.

The dragon froze at the sight of Evie and then it suddenly crouched down as if it did not want to fight anymore, shocking Gavrael once again.

"What the hell are you doing!!" Gavrael snapped at Evie from the shock. He could not believe what Evie just did. His rage blazed into his eyes as he held Evie's shoulder. If the fire had not been extinguished… just thinking about it made his heart shrivel within him. He felt that he was going to go mad with worry.

Seeing the fear and rage in Gavrael's eyes, the first thing Evie did was to hug him. She knew that he was not truly angry at her, but just that it was a display of his utter worry and concern for her.

"I'm sorry…" she told him as she tried to calm him down. And when his rage did not calm even with her hug, Evie tiptoed and kissed him on the lips, causing Gavrael to stand there, paralyzed for a moment.

"God dammit, Evie. Please, never do such thing again. I would never be able to take it if something happens to you." He said after a while, his arms still shaking a little.

At that moment, Evie saw someone staring at them.

"G-gav… there's someone…" she pulled away from him and faced the woman who was now standing right next to the large dragon and looking straight at her.

The woman was clad in white, looking like some spirit and was smiling at her as if she was beyond relieved. "Thank goodness, you can finally see me." She said as she approached them.

"W-who are you?" Evie asked and the woman did not waste a moment longer to introduce herself to her.

"My name is Zanya."

 

Chapter 266 - Gavrael (Part XXIII)

After introducing herself, the spirit named Zanya immediately explained to Evie who she was. When Evie started to question her, Zanya invited her to go with her into and beyond the dark tunnel. Evie looked at Gavrael and an unspoken agreement passed through their eyes before Evie turned back to Zanya and nodded her assent. Gavrael then took Evie's hand and held it tightly in his before they both followed after Zanya who had already entered into the dark tunnel.

"After we exit this tunnel, we would enter into the light fae's kingdom. It is called Crescia, once known throughout the lands as the most heavenly place you can find on the surface or under." Zanya volunteered the information. Both Evie and Gavrael could pick up the hints of pride in her tone as she spoke about this kingdom of Crescia. And through this, it made them curious to know more about that place and were looking forward to seeing for themselves how that place looked like.

As they exited the dark tunnel, the brightness caused Evie to squint her eyes as the sudden light was blinding compared to the gentle glow that she had gotten used to in the tunnel.

Zanya's excited voice then entered her ears. "We have arrived! This is the entrance of Crescia, the home to the light faes!" After blinking her eyes a few times, Evie's sight adjusted to the light source outside the cave and finally could look around and see where was it that they were at the moment. They silently took it all in as they continued to follow Zanya, walking along as she led them.

Zanya began to tell them the story of the Light Faes, about what had happened in the past and why Crescia has now fallen into ruins. By the time they arrived at the castle, Zanya showed Evie the other light faes who were trapped and were currently in the throne hall. And then she told her everything, about who she was and about the prophecy of her homecoming.

Gavrael had been silently listening to everything that had been said, keeping it all in his mind for him to look back and ponder on a little deeper for another day. He could not see the spirit Evie was talking to but using his dark magic, he could hear her voice, and that was how he had heard everything the Light Fae had said.

He could see the shock in Evie's face but deep within Gavrael, he was not even that surprised anymore. He knew all along that Evie was definitely a half-blooded like him. But what surprised him in fact, was the prophecy the Light Fae had mentioned. The one where Evie was apparently the destined one to revive this land and bring it back to its former glory. Meaning that, one day, she would inherit this legacy and be the queen of this land!

They had to immediately left Crescia when their time was up, but since that day, Gavrael and Evie had been going back there every single night to learn more about the light faes. She had also started to learn and practice controlling the dragons with Zanya's help.

Gavrael accompanied and supported Evie's secret trainings at night and when he was back in the Under Land, he focused on his own training in perfecting his preparing and casting of the time manipulation magic.

Until one night, as Evie and Gavrael was riding on the back of the largest and blackest dragon named Onyx, Gavrael spoke to her. They were both looking down at the desolate land.

"Have you decided?" he asked her, leaning in closer to her from his seat behind.

Evie looked at him over her shoulders, her face a little uncertain.

"I… I don't know…" she said honestly, "I am not certain if I can do this. And I am also unsure if… if what Zanya said is even true. Everything has been too far-fetched…" Evie's voice trailed off as she stared down at the lonely castle that was visible from their position on the flying dragon.

"You're doubting that you are the child of the light in the prophecy?" Gavrael had guessed the main reason that she was hesitating.

Evie nodded slightly. Since she had heard everything from Zanya, she had a hard time believing everything. In fact, it was Gavrael who convinced Evie to try to learn more about her powers and abilities, and what kinds of things she could do when she is in control of them. He had also suggested about her starting to learn to control the dragons.

"You believe it, right?" she asked him and Gavrael confidently nodded.

"Yes. To the faes, prophecies aren't something to be taken lightly. Because it is bound to happen." He explained and Evie's grip on Onyx's spike tightened.

"But… what if I fail to bring this land back to its former glory?" she muttered lowly, and he saw fear and uncertainty in her eyes. Gavrael understood as she had never expected to discover such a great responsibility that was awaiting her. It was a massive expectation that she is to revive a whole race of people with their land, and to bring it back to its previous heights. "What if I can't defeat that man Zanya was talking about? If he finds out about me and of the surviving faes, he'd definitely come over here with his legions of vampires and destroy this land all over again… the few faes left will all be annihilated and…" she trailed off at the sight of him smiling. "Why are you smiling?"

"Because I could see you are serious about this now. You might not have realized it yet, but you are already taking this challenge. I believe this is something you cannot escape and that's why I urged you to start learning about your powers now. You are strong Evie. I know you are the one that was mentioned in the prophecy. But I understand your fear and that's why…" he paused and then he kissed her gently, shocking her.

Chapter 267 - Gavrael (Part XXIV)

His devil blue eyes glimmered as he looked at her seriously, caressing her cheek. "I promise I will stay with you and support you. I will help you grow into your position as the queen and revive your people and this empire and bring it back to the heights it was at as previously was." He promised, rendering Evie speechless. This was the first time he had made a promise to her. And such a serious and huge promise it was, too!

Her heart immediately swells at his words. She could not explain how she felt but it was as though his reassurance, this promise was all that she needed from him at this moment. And just like that, she made up her mind. She was not going to run away and evade this fate that had been allotted to her. She was going to see it through to the end and she was not afraid now, because she had him with her, every step of the way.

"And what would you want in return?" Evie then asked after hugging him for a long while.

A sensuous and slow smile carved on his lips. "I only want one thing, my little butterfly."

"And that is?"

"To become your king." He declared with gusto and Evie's eyes widened. Then slowly, a wide smile bloomed on her face as she threw herself into his embrace again.

"This is a yes, right? Evie?" he asked, and she looked up at him, blinking.

"Hmm?"

"That you are agreeing now to marry me."

Her eyes widened again. "H-huh?! When did you ask me to marry you? And when did I say yes?!!" Her voice almost became a squeak at the end.

He pinched her chin and licked his lips. "You really are so slow sometimes, Little Butterfly. When I said I'll become your king, that's the same as me asking to be your husband, isn't it? And your reaction just now seemed like a yes to me." He grinned.

She was shocked as she thought about it, and he chuckled and pulled her into his arms. A kiss landed on her forehead.

"I know." He then whispered. "Not now. But one day, you'll definitely marry me. If you won't, then I'll just marry you." He smirked devilishly and Evie could only blush and bite her lower lip, knowing full well that if he does that, she will never say no.

…

Since that day, Gavrael started to have a real goal now aside from Evie. He had finally found something he truly wanted to do in his life. And that was to leave the Under Lands for good and rule on the surface. With her. He could no longer accept the fact that he could only stay with Evie at night. He longed for the day he could stay with her forever and not just during the night. Even though he had learned to stop time, so he could stay with her longer, it was still not enough for him. He hated the fact that he had to leave her every time.

Gavrael also started to meddle with the vampires. He knew that his mother was a vampire from the royal line. She was a direct descendant of the vampire king, a princess. And Gavrael found out that the vampires were now ruled by a family of fake royals whom he found out were being controlled by a certain creature.

Since he heard what the light fae had said about this creature, Gavrael began to investigate him as well. In order to help Evie to achieve her aims, this creature must be eliminated. So, he had sneaked as far as into the imperial palace of the Northern Empire of the vampires to learn about him.

Gavrael began to plan everything, step by intricate step. He needed to eliminate anyone and everyone who could possibly get in the way of Evie's success. And thus, he decided to snatch back the throne from the fake royal vampires as well.

However, there was still one problem he needed to solve first and foremost. And that was how he could leave the Under Land without losing his powers. If he loses his magic, he thought that he would not be able to protect Evie. A vampire's ability alone would not be enough. For him to ensure the safety of his beloved for eternity, he must be able to remain as strong as his father – or become even stronger! That was the only way Gavrael could think of. He must be the strongest.

When he returned to the Under Land, Gavrael went to seek out Claudius again. This time, he asked if there was a way for someone to leave the Under Land without losing his dark magic and his memories.

Claudius firmly said there was none. But Gavrael was not convinced.

Due to his strong desire and desperation, he forced the ancient fae to speak. And after much poking and prodding, true enough – there indeed was a way to get that done. An unimaginable way that would most likely cost him his own life.

But Gavrael was a dare devil who was not afraid of death. He would do anything and everything to get what he wanted, no matter how much he suffers, no matter how gruesome it was. And he was that man who always believed he could conquer everything.

…

One night, Gavrael appeared in Evie's room. He was expecting his little butterfly to threw herself at him and kissed him as she always does every time he returned to her. But this time, no one was inside the room. This was the first time that he had arrived in her room, and she was not there, waiting for him.

Gavrael's heart shook with fear. "Evie?!" he called out and stormed out of the room, flinging the door open and not caring if it slammed against the wall with a loud bang. It was then that he realized that no one was inside the citadel anymore. It was devoid of any human presence!

Chapter 268 - Gavrael (Part XXV)

Earlier that day.

"Evie, honey… pack up the things you want to bring along. We will be heading back home as soon as you're done. Everything else has been settled and packed up." Evie's mother suddenly came to her room and told her that they were headed for home.

Evie was shocked. "Why? Aren't you trying to hide me from everyone? That is the reason why we've been staying in this place for such a long time, isn't it? So why are we moving back home now?" Evie was starting to panic on the inside. She cannot leave yet! Gavrael will finally be coming to visit tonight after staying away for two nights in a row.

"Evie, I thought this place would be safer for you. That was why we moved all the way here. But I was wrong. I know you've gone missing for many nights previously. And now, you are missing almost every night from your room. I also know that someone, and this someone is not a human, has been sneaking into your room for the past two months. I am so worried for you Evie. And that's why I have decided that we return home –"

"No! I don't want to go back there, Mother, I like it here." Evie had argued and then locked herself inside her room. She was planning what she would do when the night comes and Gavrael comes for her. She thought about two things. Introduce Gavrael to her mother and tell her everything that has been happening or ask Gavrael to take her away before her mother could force her to go home with her. But the former was too risky at the moment. She cannot reveal anything yet as it might give rise to more problems in the future. She still had so much to accomplish before she can take on the role that was expected of her as the one to fulfil the prophecy. Therefore, she could only hope to hold on until Gavrael comes at the fall of night – which would only be in a few hours' time. Hopefully, her mother would be able to be persuaded or stalled to only decide to leave the next day.

It had been weeks since her mother had started to persuade her to go back. But Evie had constantly refused her, and she realized that her mother might end up doing something more drastic to make it such that they could finally leave. She also had the feeling that her father might be involved in this as well, even though he had yet to come see her and persuade her about leaving.

However, she was put to sleep without her knowledge. The maids had served her lunch as usual, but they had slipped a sleeping drug into her drink. She would not have expected them to take such extreme measures until the point of using drugs. Her mother had to do this as she felt that her daughter had been acting strange in the last two months and she was very worried. She had told this to her husband, and he had told her to get themselves back home. However, he had the insight and understood his own daughter and told is wife that if Evie refused to comply, they had to bring her back by force before something bad happens to her.

And thus, that very afternoon – right after Evie had eaten her lunch – they took the unconscious Evie with them and quickly left the citadel.

…

When she finally opened her eyes again, she heard sounds where there were masculine pants and grunts beside her. It was dark so she used the magic Zanya had taught her previously and created a ball of amber light to brighten up the pitch black darkness surrounding her.

Gavrael's back was the first thing that welcomed her. As she looked around, she noticed he was facing a wall and he seemed to be in so much in pain as he was slightly curled up on his side. She realised that the panting and grunting were coming from him.

"G-gavrael!" she rose and approached him. She saw blood dripping from his lips, and she was shocked. This was the first time she ever saw blood coming from him since that night she was kidnapped by him the second time they met.

"What's going on? Are you alright? Where are we?" Though she was worried about him, she kept her voice low and whispered to him urgently.

He looked at her. "I'm going to take you with me. I won't allow anyone to take you away from me, Evie. Never!" He hissed in pain and Evie suddenly remembered her mother. She had passed out in the afternoon after eating her meal. Her mother must have drugged her food or drink and then took her away after she was knocked out! But why was she with Gavrael right now? Where was her mother? Where were they?

"W-what did you do? Did you come after me…?" She guessed that Gavrael had come visiting at night as he usually did and found her missing. He must have tracked her down and took her away from their travelling group. She wondered what had happened to her mother and the rest of the people that were travelling together with them.

"Yes. But don't worry, I didn't kill your mother." Gavrael's voice was solemn as he said that.

Evie's eyes widened in shock, not knowing what to say. She then looked closely at him and saw his skin bleeding from what seemed to be a burnt wound. Even parts of his face were bleeding. She already knew what would happen to him if he stayed on the surface when the night runs out and the sun is out. He had told her it would be very dangerous for him because he might totally lose his powers and memories. But she did not know about this… where the light could literally burn his skin. Why was this

"Move back Evie, I'm going to open this gate. I need to use more power so I can take you along with me."

Without letting her speak further, he gently pushed her back and walked forward, creating some space between them. Then, Gavrael's dark and powerful magic flowed out from his body and speedily covered the wall before him entirely. He was groaning is so much pain, and his blood was dripping and pooling at his feet.

Evie's eyes welled at the sight of him. Even then, she held herself back as to not distract him. She knew what he was trying to do would take an immense amount of concentration even on normal days. Now that he is wounded, it would be even more taxing on him. Therefore, keeping herself quiet was the least she could do for him.

"Shit!!! Not enough!!!" he growled as blood spilled from his lips and Evie even saw his skin tearing apart. The portal seemed to be already opened but it somehow seemed that it was not enough yet if he wanted to bring her through as well. Her heart bled watching him struggle like this. And she could not bear it anymore. He had finally told her a few nights ago about his home. When Evie asked him if he could bring her there, Gavrael told her it was not the right time yet. She had asked why – thinking if it was her that was the problem – and he had explained that he was not yet strong enough to take someone along with him to cross through the portal.

Seeing him, Evie now understood why he, the strongest being she ever met, still could tell her that he was still not strong enough. She had secretly thought that there was a different reason why he did not want to show her his home. However, looking at the situation now, it seemed that taking her with him truly requires an unimaginable amount of power.

"Gavrael…" she reached out. She could not watch on any longer. "It's fine. You don't need to take me there –"

"No! I can never leave you now." He roared, his eyes and voice were cold and desperate. "The surface is not safe for you if I'm not there!" He insisted as he continued in his efforts.

Evie hugged him from behind, surprising him. "I'll be safe, I promise. I'll call my dragon to bring me to Crescia. I'll wait for you there. Zanya will be there for me." She vowed. "So please… stop now. I can't watch you getting hurt like this anymore." She cried and Gavrael trembled with utter weakness.

Chapter 269 - Gavrael (Part XXVI)

"Go back without me Gav… please. I will be right here, waiting. I'll be safe in Crescia." She begged him tearfully and then seeing that portal was closing quickly as he could not maintain the magic keeping it opened, she pushed him back and the darkness swallowed him as the portal's opening vanished in a wink.

Evie then called upon the smallest of her dragons and when she was out of the tunnel, she was surprised that the sun was already so high in the sky. How long did he get exposed to the sunlight? She wiped the tears that were streaming down her cheeks and commanded the dragon to bring her to Crescia.

…

In the Under Land, Gavrael finally opened his eyes, only to find himself waking up in his room. His mother was sitting next to him, and she was crying.

He sat up and was about to reach out to console her, but suddenly he remembered Evie. He immediately jumped up from his bed, but his mother seized him before he could run off.

"Stop! My god, son. Please. You are killing yourself!" the queen cried. "Look at you… look at what you're doing to yourself!" Beatrice sobbed. She had been worrying herself silly about Gavrael day after day. But her son was unstoppable.

"I'm fine, mother –" He tried to brush his mother off as how he usually does.

"You are not fine!" His mother stood up and exclaimed loudly, all the while still not letting go of Gavrael's wrists. She was heartbroken when Gavrael was brought to her, bleeding from the cuts all over his body and unconscious.

At that moment, the king appeared and hugged Beatrice from behind.

"I'll speak with him, wife. Leave him to me." Belial whispered to his wife and Beatrice could only retreat. She had been nagging Gavrael almost every time he arrived late and hurt from his excursion on the surface, but her words did nothing to stop him. Perhaps, he would listen if it was his father who spoke to him.

"Gavrael… I know everything that you've been doing. You manipulated time and now… you're trying to do this dangerous magic just so you could leave this place and keep your powers. I didn't say anything before this as I trusted you knew your limits. But now, I believe you are becoming too much, ruining yourself –" King Belial started talking.

"Father." Gavrael cut him off as he put on his shirt. His wounds were already fully healed. "I wonder what kind of sacrifices and hardships you've endured to have mother. With the way things are, I believed you've suffered as much as I did, perhaps, even more. But here you are now… you are the strongest and you have mother with you. I know you both worry about me, and I also know you understand me more than anyone else does. I'll do anything to be with her. Power, painless life… carefree life… I don't want any of those things if I can't be with her. I'd rather suffer and experience every kind of pain there is as long as I am able to be with her." Gavrael told his father straight out, passion and sincerity shining from his determined eyes. And Belial watched and observed closely on how his son spoke and brought himself as he was expressing his views.

The king was silent for a long while, seemingly caught in his thoughts, just staring at his son.

And then he sighed. "Alright, do what you want, Gavrael. I will not stop you anymore. But promise me one thing, don't die. Your mother would slaughter me if you did." A lopsided smile appeared on the handsome face of King Belial. One could see where Gavrael got his stunning looks if they were to see the king and queen. Gavrael truly inherited the best features from both his parents.

Gavrael smiled. "I won't, Father. Who will protect my woman if I die?"

"That's the spirit, my boy! However, you are too reckless for your own good. You've used up too much magic since the day you started leaving the Under Land. You are abusing your powers and your body and now look at you. I've told you before, every time you are late, your magic and body will suffer considerably and now you actually dared to stay out there far beyond your time limit. You won't be able to achieve the amount of power you need to leave the Under Land at this rate." The king explained, surprising Gavrael. Even though the king did not meddle in his personal affairs, he knew that like his mother, the king did not want him to leave the Under Land for good as well.

And that was why he had never helped him even though he knew of Gavrael's intentions. But now here he was, saying this and Gavrael could feel the support he needed at this time.

"So, you're saying the reason I keep failing is because …"

"Yes. You have tremendous powers. But you are underestimating the amount of magic you are losing every time you go up to the surface. My advice is, don't leave the Under Land for a period of time and store your magic. Just for now. When your magic reserves are enough, I believe you won't fail again."

"How long is this period of time we're talking about…?" Gavrael looked at his father intently as he asked this question.

____

A/N: If we stay in our rank(#1 in Golden Ranking) until the end of this month, i will give mass release first day of October. So keep voting spellbounders!

I also want to tell you guys that this book is my entry for this year's Webnovel Spirity Contest so i am hoping for your continous support. I know i have a very supportive and amazing readers and that's why I am very thankful. I just hope all of you will stay with me until the end.

Love, Kazzen

 

Chapter 270 - Gavrael (Part XXVII)

As soon as the night fell, Gavrael arrived in Crescia.

Evie was incredibly relieved at the sight of him looking fine and healthy again. All his wounds were healed as far as she could see. She had been worried all day about him. Even though she always knew he was powerful, his wounds before she pushed him through the portal was just awful. She had prayed and hoped he would heal up quickly and come find her if only for the reason that she needed to know that he was fine. Seeing him before her, she could only run up to him and throw herself into his open arms, hugging him tight.

After a few seconds, she pulled back and looked at him.

"Are you alright?" she asked him, frantically checking his body.

Gavrael smiled and then he pinched her chin and planted a soft kiss on her lips.

"I'm fine, Evie." He reassured her. He knew she was extremely worried by looking at her still slightly swollen eyes. She must have been crying since they parted. He then scooped her back into his arms and kissed her lovingly on both her eyes to calm her down. They immediately disappeared after that and moments later, they appeared before the magical lake.

Evie looked at him, wondering why he had brought her here to this place again. Was he going to swim again like the last time? Remembering that scene, she helplessly blushed but shook her head to rid herself of the image in her head. She still wanted to talk to him about something important.

"Gav…" she trailed off and blinked when he started undressing.

"I know you have something to say, I also have something to tell you tonight, Evie. But…" he trailed off as he threw his clothes to the ground. Even though Evie had seen him naked once before, seeing his perfection would never cease to render her dazed and speechless. He just had the body a young god worthy to be worshipped. She could feel her face heat up again.

"B-but?" she managed to say, doing her best to fix her eyes on his and not letting it stray anywhere further down from his chin.

He smiled, then caught his lower lip between his teeth. "But I'd like to just enjoy this night with you, Little Butterfly. Everything else can wait until later." He said huskily and then, they were both in the water.

Like that first time they were in this place, Evie immediately wrapped her thighs around his waist. "Silly Gavrael!" she exclaimed. "Why do you always like to shock me like this?!"

"Because I love watching your shocked expressions, my little butterfly. They are so interesting and give me much joy." He whispered. "Now loosen up and let go so I can teach you to swim. You'll enjoy it." He persuaded her with such a compelling gaze and joyful tone.

Evie looked at him and she finally gave in and did as he suggested. She stood but her arms remained wrapped around his neck.

"Good girl. But this…" his fingers drifted down to the edge of the ribbon of her dress and told her in a husky voice.?"I need to remove this first, because it'll get in the way."

Her heart thudded. But she did not stop him. She allowed him to pull the ends of the ribbon until it was undone, and the edges of her dress fall open. He swiftly undressed her until, just like him, she was fully naked. Her face was flaming red, and her body was hot. Evie could feel her head pounding and was slightly dizzy from the excessive stimulation that was bombarding her body, mind, and soul. However, she did not complain but remained silent and waited for Gavrael's leading, trusting him completely as he led her step by step.

"Are you ready?" he asked, his voice was so hoarse and deeper than usual it sent waves of strange pleasurable feeling inside her. She shivered lightly in his arms.

She nodded but Gavrael did not make any moves. Until she lifted her gaze and meet his eyes. She swallowed at the intensity she saw blazing clearly in his blue orbs.

And the next thing they knew, their lips were locked, and their tongues were dancing to a rhythm only known to the two of them. Their naked bodies pressed tightly against each other, creating a wild fire that raged within them, threatening to burn them both.

When their lips finally parted, they were breathless, both catching their breaths. Their eyes looked at each other with intense desire. Their bodies and heart were already on fire. They both knew that there was no other way to extinguish it but to let it run its course and burn out until it consumes them whole. And neither one of them had the desire to even attempt to extinguish it. No, this was one flame that they even welcomed whole heartedly.

"Evie… I want you," Gavrael breathed out as he planted little searing hot kisses all over her face non-stop, slowly making his way down to her neck. Every move he made just had Evie shivering in pleasure and making her squirm and feeling so restless. "I want you so bad right now, Evie. I know I should wait but… I want to mark you now… mark you as mine, before I leave –" He murmured against her skin, enjoying the silken warmth that it gave when he brushed his lips over her.

"L-leave?" Evie was shocked out of her pleasure induced stupor and immediately caught Gavrael's face in both her palms and made him look at her. His last line was like a bucket of cold water poured over her head and had turned her rigid. "What do you mean?" Her voice trembled.

Gavrael smiled at the fear he saw in her eyes. He had half hoped she would not catch on to that part as he spoke. But the other half of him however, hoped that she did.