Stolen by the Rebel King
Chapter 477: Missing Magic II

Chapter 477: Missing Magic II

The world outside her little bedroom looked like it had fallen into an apocalypse.

Bodies of palace staff could be found everywhere, filling the corridors and pathways with unconscious bodies. Daphne would’ve thought that they were dead if it weren’t for the rise and fall of their chests that told her otherwise. The skies outside had slowly turned red, the clouds looking as though they were filled with blood rather than rain.

Daphne’s footsteps quickened along with the beat of her heart. Something was off, that much was obvious. However, there was this uneasy feeling that filled her from head to toe and she needed to know what was wrong.

She tore through the hallways with a frenzy of unknown origin, pushing past the few people she came across and running straight for a room she hoped was occupied. Although she hadn’t a single clue whether or not they would be there, she had prayed―

"Daphne?" A familiar voice caused Daphne to stop short.

Turning around, she took in a sharp gasp of air when she was met with Nereus’s expression of concern. His one green eye was fixated on her, watching her every move. Perfect. It was exactly who she was looking for.

"Nereus!" Without a thought, she rushed forward and pulled him in her arms, checking him through for any injuries. "Are you alright? Any injuries?"

"None," Nereus immediately replied. "What’s wrong? What happened?"

"It’s Atticus!" Daphne cried out, causing Nereus to frown. Before he could ask, she continued, "I know what’s his plan! He is preparing for a ritual to rid the world of magic!"

"Daphne?" Leonora’s voice caused both Daphne and Nereus to turn their heads. "What’s going on? What’s this about ridding the world of magic?"

Leonora looked deathly pale. Daphne couldn’t remember when was the last time she had seen her younger sister but whenever that was, surely she did not look as sickly back then as she did now. Her hands were shaking and so was her body; Leonora needed to support herself against the wall to even properly stand upright. Her lips had lost all color of blood and her blue eyes — usually bright like the cerulean waves — were now dull and lackluster.

"Leonora... What... What happened to you?" Daphne asked, immediately pulling away from Nereus’s side to help her sister.

Leonora clung to her older sister for support, her fingers weakly digging into Daphne’s arms as she tried to gather enough strength to walk even just a couple of steps.

"There was a blinding white light," Leonora said. "I felt the palace tremble."

"I felt that too," Daphne said. "An earthquake?"

However, a shake of Nereus’s head quickly dispelled that thought. "There was no earthquake."

"What could’ve caused it then―" Daphne cut herself short when her eyes widened with realization. She looked at the palms of her hands once more, worry rushing through her body like a rush of ice-cold water.

She turned her hand around to look at the obsidian ring on her finger, her stomach churning as an uncomfortable thought filled her mind.

"Obsidian?" Leonora asked, frowning. "Since when did your wedding ring become an obsidian stone? Wasn’t it the Symphony of a New Dawn previously?"

Everyone had made a big fuss about that ring when Daphne first returned to Reaweth, flashing that precious royal treasure as though it was nothing more than the morning paper. Leonora knew she hadn’t been mistaken; there was no way her memory would fail her regarding this.

"It was," Daphne gulped. A bold thought crossed her mind. She clasped Leonora’s hand, looking earnestly in her younger sister’s eyes. "Quick," she said. "Make a flame."

"A flame?" Leonora echoed, scrunching her eyebrows in confusion. Her brain seemed to work a lot slower than usual today; everything about Leonora was odd. She looked as though she had just woken up from a very long nap. Either that, or she had chugged way too much alcohol than what her body could tolerate.

Nevertheless, she followed her elder sister’s instructions dutifully. She removed one hand from Daphne’s arm, holding it so that her palm faced up. Then, they waited. And waited. And waited.

But nothing appeared.

Beads of perspiration started to appear across Leonora’s forehead. She cast a quick glance at her bangle, frowning when she realized that the garnet did not glow like it should whenever she called for her magic. Instead, while beautiful, it remained as it was. There was no glow, no sparkle beyond the stone’s natural shine, and definitely no buzz of magic.

"What is going on..." she muttered under her breath before wildly shaking her arm. She then tried again, this time, with her other hand. However, likewise, nothing happened. "My magic... it’s gone!"

"Oh no..." Daphne murmured.

She cast a quick look at Nereus, her eyes silently pleading for help. It seemed like what she had feared had already come true. That blinding light and the tremors that took over the palace must’ve been the ritual taking place and coming into effect.

"Nereus?" Daphne asked in a trembling voice. "Your magic..."

He waved his hand and a stream of water materialized out of thin air, pulled from the water vapor present in the air they breathed. It moved with his hand, twirling around his fingers as though it were alive.

"It is here," Nereus said. "Human magic does not concern me. We are separate entities. There is no ritual mankind can conduct to rid a creature’s magic."

"Does that mean what you were discussing previously was true?" Leonora asked with a shaky voice. "King Atticus had been scheming to rid the world of magic?"

"He claims that he is the true heir of Reaweth," Daphne said.

She swallowed the bile in her throat; her hands were getting increasingly clammy and there were random, unexplained bursts of adrenaline jolting through her body every few seconds.

"According to him, our ancestors usurped the throne and killed King Rowan Verimandi after he shared the gift of magic with the world," she continued. "As such, he sees it his duty to take back what he deems is a curse."

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