The Veil of Darkness
Chapter 333: Desperate Measure

Chapter 333: Desperate Measure

After Elaron, Edith, and Cyrus became a part of Cursed Castle’s residents, everyone once again started practicing day and night to train themselves. With more people joining, the Cursed Castle became a livelier place with the buzz of people all the time.

Annalise either spent her days training in physical combat and weaponry with Ezra, Leela, Marley, Damien, Kenric, or Silas, or she would learn spells and master her powers under the guidance of Valerius, and the other light guardians. Everyone seemed to be doing their best to teach Annalise to the best of their abilities.

The days became so busy for Annalise and everyone around her that they barely had any free time to sit down and talk about anything else other than their training or their new findings regarding spells or the dark energy that seemed to have gone completely dormant after the incident in the Sky Palace.

Despite several attempts, there were no findings regarding the attack on the night of Winter Midnight Ball and no new information about their enemy, leaving the high council with few options, Hence, the rulers decided to put their attention on securing the safety of their people.

As for Annalise, her husbands, friends, and light guardians were not the only ones training her, Esmeray and Ascher were also doing their best. She had mastered the teleportation spell, healing spells that were proving a good help along with her healing elixir, protection spells, warding spells, purification spells, formation spells, and currently, she was working on the portal-creating spell. Esmeray guided her through every step of the training with patience and full dedication.

Also, every evening, Annalise spent nearly two hours with Pristine as the two of them worked on their potions that would prove helpful for their army during the final battle. Leela also joined them every now and then, providing her help.

Since she had to take days off from her regular training every week to train with Esme, she had already informed her husbands about Esmeray’s existence in the secret realm and also about his true identity. It took her a while to make her husbands believe that the King of Darkness was not a foe but a friend, and only when she revealed Esmeray’s past story, did the Dark Lords allow her to continue her training with Esme.

It was already the beginning of the last month of the year but there were around four entire months left before the winter would come to an end, and these four months were what they all had in their hands to prepare for the upcoming war.

* * * * *

The dimly lit chamber within Esmeray’s house in the Secret Realm was filled with an aura of anticipation. Annalise sat cross-legged on the cold stone floor, her eyes closed in deep concentration, while Esmeray, the King of Darkness, sat opposite her. Their hands were gently pressed together, a connection that allowed their powers to flow and intertwine.

Annalise could feel the energy coursing through her veins, mingling with Esmeray’s dark and potent magic. It was an intense and intimate experience, one that had become a regular part of her training routine. She had come a long way since her arrival at the Cursed Castle, and her progress had been remarkable.

She initially thought that her magic would repel against his darkness but she was soon proved wrong as her elements welcomed his darkness without any hostility. His darkness seemed like the perfect channel that her powers needed to evolve.

Esmeray broke the silence, his voice a low and soothing rumble. "Annalise, you’ve done well in mastering these spells and honing your abilities. But there’s more power within you, untapped and waiting to be unleashed."

Annalise opened her eyes, her gaze locking onto Esmeray’s dark eyes. "More power? But I feel like I’ve reached my limits." That’s what she had been feeling like for the past few days. She had progressed so much in the past two weeks that it felt like she had already reached the limit of her powers.

Esmeray shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips. "No, Lady Annalise, You’ve only scratched the surface of your powers so far. I have felt that there’s another layer of magic within you, and to access it, we need to push your boundaries further."

Annalise frowned, uncertainty creeping in. "How do we do that?"

Esmeray leaned in closer, his voice filled with determination as he answered - "We’ll need to create a situation where you have no choice but to tap into your hidden powers. A moment of extreme pressure and urgency. Only then will you break through the barrier that’s holding back your true potential."

Annalise nodded slowly, beginning to understand the gravity of what Esmeray was proposing. She could understand where his idea was coming from. Desperate situations called for desperate measures, but she wondered what kind of desperate measures would Esmeray think of to deal with this desperate situation.

"But what kind of situation are we talking about?" She was unable to hold herself back and ended up asking.

Esmeray’s eyes gleamed with an intensity that sent shivers running down Annalise’s spine, and these were not the nice kind of shivers but the ones that made her question the motive of the man sitting in front of her. Even if she knew he meant no harm to her, there was no guarantee that he wouldn’t think of something g really dangerous to deal with the matter.

"I haven’t thought of anything for now. But I will." He answered while channeling another round of his powers into her.

Annalise took a deep breath, steeling herself for the challenge ahead. "I trust you, Esmeray. I will leave the matter to you. Let’s give it a try too."

As they continued to channel their powers, the room around them seemed to darken even further, as if the very shadows were drawn to the power they were conjuring. The anticipation was palpable, and Annalise couldn’t help but wonder what lay hidden within her, waiting to be set free.