Stolen by the Rebel King
Chapter 270: The Lake of the Past I

Chapter 270: The Lake of the Past I

But Nereus merely blinked nonchalantly at the display of overprotectiveness. In his eyes, Zephyr’s actions were simply nothing more than a child’s attempt to intimidate him, and he simply ignored it in favor of more important things.

He pulled out a beautiful dark blue crystal.

"Take this."

Daphne blinked in surprise as the cool crystal touched her outstretched hands. She felt strangely drawn to it, as though it was a long-lost friend. She gently turned it over to better examine it, while Zephyr hovered over her protectively, his wings rustling in warning. He still didn’t trust Nereus not to do something nefarious like hoodwink Daphne when she was distracted by whatever shiny stone he pulled out!

Daphne hummed thoughtfully to herself. The stone was darker than the blue kyanite Atticus used to interrogate Francessa, but when she held it out under the sun, she could see that it was clear despite its dark color. There wasn’t even a single scratch on it!

"What is this? It’s so beautiful and feels... so familiar," Daphne murmured in awe.

Nereus brightened at her words. Just as he hoped, the sight of Daphne’s old crystal managed to bring hidden memories to light. "It’s an aquamarine crystal. It belonged to you when you were a child. I kept it safe for you all these years, hoping I could return it back to its rightful owner."

"How...? I don’t remember this at all!" Daphne exclaimed. She examined Nereus’s words and realized something. "So you knew me when I was a child? Can you tell me what happened then?"

"I’ll do something better. Let me show you," Nereus said, offering an outstretched hand. "Follow me into the lake, and you will have all the answers you seek."

"Like hell she will!" Zephyr shrieked in protest, quickly wrapping his arms around Daphne’s waist to tug her away. "I knew it, you sneaky seaweed, you just want to drown her and eat her!"

"I will do no such thing," Nereus declared, affronted at the very accusation. "I only eat vegetables. Occasionally, I indulge in snapping turtles."

Zephyr merely made a face, obviously not believing Nereus’s words one bit. A kelpie? A vegetarian? The sun might as well rise from the west!

"Zephyr, it’s fine," Daphne said, even as she found Nereus’s request odd. But she needed answers. "I trust Nereus."

"I don’t!"

"You can fly over me and grab me out of the water if you think something is amiss. How about that? If not, you can stay on the banks until I return," Daphne offered.

"I’ll go with you," Zephyr immediately replied, grabbing onto her shoulders.

"Let us proceed then," Nereus said, his eyes glowing an eerie green as he held out his hand. Daphne sucked in a breath and took his offered hand, ready to drown again as she took her first step into the lake.

But unlike the fear that enveloped her in the past, there was only a placid calm, as though she was peacefully drifting among the waves with Nereus for company. Hand in hand, Daphne found herself easily walking to the center of the lake as though she was strolling on dry land. Her body didn’t even feel wet.

Meanwhile, Zephyr dug his fingers into Daphne’s shoulders as he hovered above the water, his eyes alert for any sign of danger.

"Now, you will understand," Nereus whispered.

The lake water bloomed bright green, and Daphne’s mouth fell open in shock as the water whirled above them, whispering promises into her ears. Before she could make out a single word, they vanished, leaving behind a cavernous silence filled with fog that was broken by a familiar voice.

"What is this dirty thing, Father?" a young boy asked.

"This my son, is a kelpie. Now, don’t go too near to it. We don’t want you losing your fingers."

Daphne startled― that voice belonged to none other than her father, King Cyrus!

"Why is it chained up? It looks so sad," a young girl asked, and Daphne sucked in a breath. That voice sounded very familiar. She couldn’t quite place it for a while until realization snapped right into her.

It was her voice.

Suddenly, the fog lifted, revealing a ballroom full of people. Daphne startled; right in the forefront was her father, but he looked at least a decade younger, with a head full of blond hair instead of the peppered gray of now. There were less lines on his face, and his pot belly was non-existent.

Beside him were two blond children, a boy and a girl. The boy had a haughty look of disdain on his face even at a young age, while the girl peered wonderingly at the spectacle.

Daphne gasped; it was Alistair and herself! She didn’t look older than five, dressed in a pink poofy princess gown with her hair curled into pigtails. The crystal Nereus handed her was nestled in her hair, clearly part of an elaborate hair clip.

Which meant that the kelpie in question was Nereus. Daphne’s heart ached as she spotted his small prone figure lying on the floor, with his hands and feet chained with steel spikes. Blood dripped on the floor from his anklets and chains as he huddled into a tiny ball.

Surrounding him were guards holding steel pokers in their hands. They were heated to the point where they were glowing a bright orange.

"Why isn’t it doing anything? Wake him! Make him do something!" Alistair demanded, and Daphne watched in horror as one of the guards jabbed the hot poker into Nereus’s thigh, causing him to scream and cry. The smell of burning flesh permeated through the air.

Then Nereus raised his head, and Daphne was struck dumb by the gauntness of his face. He must have been starving, and his eyes were dull and full of pain.

It was simply too cruel for words. Daphne glanced at the adult-Nereus, but he seemed unfazed as he let her witness the atrocity that was her family.

"Stop it! Why are you hurting him? He’s just a child!" Young Daphne cried out, her lower lip wobbling as she met eyes with the young creature. He was just a boy!

"Don’t pity him, Daphne," her father scolded even as he petted her head fondly. "He looks like a boy, but he is a dark creature. He will eat you if he gets the chance. You must kill him with fire before he kills you, understand?"