The Veil of Darkness
Chapter 370: In Search of Light (Part Two)

Chapter 370: In Search of Light (Part Two)

"You are talking like you are planning to die." Annalise didn’t even like the thought of anything happening to Esmeray. It felt so wrong, as if his death would be her biggest failure in this war.

For some unknown reason, she had been feeling entitled to keep him safe.

Esmeray chuckled in response to her statement while he helped her climb down couple of huge rocks in their path. "I have no such plans. Instead of dying, I’m here to find what really belongs to me."

Right! They were currently in the Seelie Realm to find the light energy that had been hidden there for the past ten thousand years, before their enemies could get their hands on it.

"Are we heading in the right direction?" Annalise asked as they continued walking through the dark energy that was making way for them with their every step forward.

"The portal opens in what used to be the main gateway of the Seelie Realm back in the days, located nearby the Seelie Court. Even though this place no longer looks like its past self, I can still recognize it."

Annalise stole a glance at her surroundings and tried to imagine what the place must have looked ten thousand years ago, before its downfall. But no matter how hard she tried, she was unable to. The current state of the Seelie Realm was a far cry from its original beauty.

They walked through what used to be a luscious forest back in the old good days but was now nothing more than a vast land of old tall trees that had gone lifeless a long time ago.

In the heart of the Seelie Realm, the two of them ventured deeper into the desolate landscape. The once vibrant landscape, now reduced to a haunting expanse of lifeless land, served as a poignant reminder of the realm’s former glory. As they advanced, the oppressive dark energy thickened around them, creating an eerie atmosphere that mirrored the foreboding sense of urgency within Annalise.

"We are here." Esmeray announced and Annalise stepped forward to stand next to him and watched what stand ahead them, noticing the same protection ward shimmering in front of them that she previously saw in the illusion.

"You are coming along this time, right?" She asked while turning her attention toward the man standing next to her.

Esmeray nodded his head in affirmative as a response to her question. Without another single word, the two of them stepped forward as Annalise opened the ward with her light powers. Just like the illusionary one, the real ward too gave way for them to step through without any sort of protest.

The moment they stepped inside the protected ruins of Seelie Court, Annalise felt the disturbance in the air. "Something is wrong here." She announced in a worry filled voice before she turned to face Esmeray.

But the man just shook his head before stating - "It’s just this place realizing that the danger is already here."

"What do you mean?"

As Esmeray turned to face her because of her question, Annalise knew that whatever he was about to say next was the last thing she wanted to hear at that moment. His gaze matched the weight of his words as he spoke - "Our enemies are closer than we thought. We need to hurry."

Annalise felt her heart dropping at the news, and the very first thought that crossed her brain immediately was that of her husbands who were in the outside world. Taking in a deep breath, she nodded her head and the two of them headed toward the ruins that were once the part of the majestic palace of the Seelies.

"This way." For once, Annalise was the one guiding Esmeray inside the Seelie Realm as she already knew an opening through which they could enter the court.

Esmeray, who silently followed her without asking any question, was surprised when she revealed the entrance that used to be a hidden passageway of the Court back in the days. "How come you know about this one?" He was really curious to know the answer and Annalise provided it without any hesitation. "From my last visit."

She didn’t gave him any further clarification and even though Esmeray seemed like he wanted to know more, he decided against it at the last moment and just followed her inside through the shimmering ward that once again gave way for them to enter.

"This place sure is giving us easy entrances." Esmeray could no longer hold himself back from commenting.

"It’s the light element." Annalise clarified and realization immediately dawned over the King of Darkness.

As the two of them navigated the crumbling corridors, their heightened senses picked up on subtle shifts in the surroundings. The air crackled with an undercurrent of tension, a testament to the ancient magic woven into the very fabric of the Seelie Court. The once opulent halls now stood as silent witnesses to the ravages of time and conflict.

Esmeray’s focus remained unwavering, his eyes scanning the remnants of the Seelie Palace for any signs of the hidden light energy. Annalise, torn between her duty to protect and the fear for her loved ones outside, pressed on.

"How are we going to find it?" Annalise asked after they had ventured quite deep into the ruins of the Court.

"You are the key, Annalise." Esmeray stated as he turned to face her. "Don’t take it in the wrong way, but the truth is that you are our biggest and strongest weapon against our enemies. Their ignorance about your identity and powers is our strength and your affiliation with light will be the reason we will get to the sealed light energy before them."

Annalise felt a sense of security and motivation taking over her, invading the worry and anxiety she had been feeling since the day arrived. She had spent every minute of the past half year just to train herself for the battle, to hone her powers to the best of her ability. After all that, she needed to be confident about her ability. She might not be the best but she was still pretty strong.

She recalled Esmeray’s words that he just spoke and focused on the part where he addressed her as the ’key’ for finding the hidden, sealed light energy. And he was indeed right, considering she was the only person in the four realms at the moment who could control the light element, she had the high possibility to find the sealed light energy of the Late Light Fae Queen through her element.

They were currently standing in the middle of what looked like some sort of hallway. Stopping in her tracks, she closed her eyes and focused on her light element, summoning it to the surface and aid in her search.

The light element responded immediately, rising to the surface and responding to her request of help.

For a moment, Annalise could only see darkness in front of her eyes, but then it shifted to a scene of colors that slowly blended into images. She saw a long hallway leading to a room at the left. In one corner of the room was a hidden passageway, stairs leading deep into the ground. Darkness once again filled her vision and when the colors appeared again, the passageway had already led to a clearing.

Right before her powers could have led her further into the search for light energy, a really powerful force hit her light element and sent Annalise reeling on her feet.

A loud gasp left her lips as shock took over her and Esmeray was immediately next to her with his face filled with worry. "What happened?"

Annalise quickly shook her head, trying to dissipate his worries. "I was trying to use my light element to search for the sealed light energy."

"And?" The anticipation in Esmeray’s voice could hardly be hidden even though he was still pretty much worried for her.

"And while I now know in what direction we need to head, there seemed to be some sort of barrier standing ahead in our path that stopped me from finding its exact location." She revealed what she just found.

Esmeray let out a small sigh of relief before he nodded his head in understanding. "Don’t push yourself too hard. We are bound to face hurdles in our way if we have to get the light energy. Let’s face them when we get there."