The Veil of Darkness
Chapter 307: Tracking The Black Energy

Chapter 307: Tracking The Black Energy

With her familiars’ encouragement, Annalise persisted. She followed the elusive threads of the black energy, navigating through the veils of time and space. She caught fleeting glimpses of the manipulators behind the attacks, shadowy figures obscured by their own malevolence. Her determination burned brighter, a beacon of light within the abyss.

She felt like she was almost there, just needed to keep tracking for a few more minutes and she would be able to find the one she wanted to find. But then, an invisible barrier, a force of unimaginable strength, blocked her path.

Pain seared through Annalise’s mind, a sharp and jarring sensation that threatened to shatter her resolve. She fought against the barrier with every fiber of her being, her familiars lending their strength to her cause. Yet, despite their combined efforts, the barrier held firm, an impenetrable wall guarding the secrets she sought.

With a final surge of willpower, Annalise pushed against the barrier one last time. The world spun, and the darkness receded. She gasped as her consciousness snapped back into the real world, her body trembling from the ordeal. Her familiars’ presence grounded her, their supportive auras enveloping her in a cocoon of comfort.

Annalise opened her eyes, her heart still pounding with the echoes of her journey. The holograms had faded, the room returning to its ordinary state. Her familiars gazed at her with a mix of concern and admiration, their bond stronger than ever before.

The door of the room flew open and she saw her husbands rushing in with their handsome faces carrying expressions of worry for her.

She felt her body relaxing, her soul and mind calming down, and her familiars making way to leave her in the Princes’ care.

Her eyes noticed Valerius and Kenric’s lips moving, her ears probably registered their familiar voices for a fleeting second before darkness overtook her vision and she felt herself falling.

* * *

One moment there was nothing but pure silence and then -

"... is absurd! Can’t you both see that things are getting out of our hands?"

Someone sounded really angry but despite it sounding so familiar, the fogginess made it hard to recognize it.

"He’s right. We can’t let her do whatever she wants anymore. She’s indeed powerful but not fully aware of the dangers that she could face, nor she’s prepared for them... yet."

Another very familiar voice spoke and while this one didn’t sound as angry as the former, there was frustration clear in it.

"Worse, she has learned to do things behind our back. If not for the bond, we wouldn’t have known that she was in danger!" Again the first voice that seemed to be getting angrier with every word.

"What do you both want me to do then? Reprimand her? Stop her from trying? Confine her? Or what?" A third voice spoke this time, calm and collected yet there was something off about this one too.

"Obviously not, Valerius. But we also can’t let her keep going like this. We can’t let anything happen to her."

There was so much pain and anxiety in these voices that pulled on Annalise’s heart and finally pulled her out of the darkness that had its tight hold on her.

She fluttered her eyes open and found herself looking at the vines covered familiar ceiling. The room was dimly lit and it seemed like the middle of night when looking outside from the window.

Her eyes fell on three familiar figures standing not too far away and at the very same, they too turned their attention toward her as if aware of the fact that she just woke up.

One of them was next to her in the next blink and she found herself being pulled into a tight embrace. She relaxed into the man almost immediately, her body feeling alive.

"Are you feeling alright, Little Bird?" Kenric asked softly and pulled away to look at her face as she slowly nodded her head in positive.

"Good." He whispered with a very soft smile and his body visibly relaxed, making Annalise realized just how badly she had made her husbands worry.

She turned to look at the other two who hadn’t spoken a single word while they stood within her reach. She reached out with one of her hands and grabbed onto Damien’s robe.

"Damien..."

The Shadow Prince just looked at her for a mere second before turning his attention away, making Annalise feel anxious and worried.

This time, she grabbed him with both her hands and tried to make him look at her. "I’m sorry. I know that I have made a mistake and caused you all worry. I’m really sorry. I promise I will never act so recklessly ever again, and will always discuss such things with you guys."

Actually, she had no clue that it would be so hard to track the dark energy. When her familiars suddenly found her after dinner and told her that they were ready to show her the attacks taking place, she just wanted to find the dark energy’s source and surprise everyone. Little did she know that she misjudged the gravity of the situation.

Still, she had no plans of justifying her actions because, first - her justification wasn’t what her husbands wanted to hear, and second - she was indeed wrong.

None of the Dark Lords spoke but they also didn’t walk away from her, making Annalise felt a little bit confident.

Climbing out of the bed, she stood closer to all three of them and spoke - "I know that I keep making mistakes, keep worrying you all, and always end up acting on my own... but I never mean to hurt any of you... I love you all..."

She choked up and tears rolled down her cheeks, causing all three of her husbands to react immediately.

She was pulled into a group hug and Damien was the first one to speak - "It’s alright, Princess. We have forgiven you. But you must promise to never do something so dangerous all alone in future."

"I promise."