The Rise

Blessings

Flora cried out in pain, she felt a sharp pain in her chest at that same moment. "What's the matter?" Nox stopped what he was doing and stood from the table immediately after hearing her sound of pain. "I felt a sharp pain and that uneasy feeling from before has just gotten worse." Nox sighed. "How about we head to Bia's Manor to see how she's feeling today?" Flora nodded. "I think I like that idea." Nox helped her to her feet, "Bring your Mistress her coat, the wind still has a bit of chill in it." The maid nearby bowed and left the room in a hurry. Meanwhile in the Palace, Nayeli was having the same thoughts as her daughter.

"Kasian, I want to visit Neteria. Father said she visited him yesterday, so I would like to see how she's feeling. He said that she didn't look well." Kasian who was burying himself in work, looked up at his wife. "You went to see Father so early?" She nodded, "I received a letter from the Vamipre Elder to give to Father and he told me he saw her in passing. Why? Is something wrong?" Nayeli looked at her husband's usually empty and clean desk, now filled with papers and books. "No. There's nothing wrong." Kasian denied but Nayeli knew better.

She knew him better than anyelse in the world, including his own Father. His mouth spoke one thing but his body spoke another. "Something is wrong, you know better than to try and hide things from me, Kasian." She walked around the desk and pulled the chair back so that she could sit in his lap. Kasian looked at her, "The same goes for you, my love. You know just as much as I do. I can tell when someone else is listening in to a conversation I'm having." This caused Nayeli's body to tense as she sat down. "And I'm sure Father told you more than just the way our granddaughter looked yesterday."

Nayeli was about to respond when the door was pushed opened and a maid ran in. "Grand Prince! There's terrible news! The Supreme Princess! She passed away a few minutes ago. King Erebus just sent the news to us." In the courtyard where Reina was kneeling, Rekka appeared. Reina looked up at him, "Mistress gives you her blessings and bids you farewell." Reina smiled up at him, "She's not really dead." She shook her head and looked away from him as she clutched her chest. "Reina, now is not the time to be stubborn. Master has allowed you to see her body and guard it for our return to the Valley." Reina looked up at Rekka again, tears flowing down her cheeks. "We are returning?" Rekka nodded.

He held out his hand to her and she took it. "Where are the others?" She asked him as he helped her to her feet. "Preparing. We'll have the funeral in the Valley." Rekka waited until Reina got her wings out fully before leaving the area. At the same time, Flora and Nox just arrived at the Manor. Flora felt a sudden chill as she stepped out of the carriage before pausing and looking around. The doors were wide open, yet no one was there and inside the Manor looked dead. Flora pushed Nox's hand away from her and rushed inside. "Neteria?" She called out as she ran through the gates. The Manor that seemed so lively just a few days ago was now hollow and dark.

The stench of death was heavy in the air. "Neteria!" Flora called out away as she ran towards Bia's courtyard. Just before she got close, a hand grabbed her arm. "Flora!" Nox yelled out. She turned to him, "You need to calm down." Flora shook her head. "No. no no no no." Tears clouded her vision as she shook her head in denial. She knew death well enough because she experienced it already. Nox grabbed her face, "You need to calm down. No matter what, you need to calm down." Flora looked into her mate's eyes, "Okay." She finally whispered after a minute.

Nox released her face and grabbed her hand in his. The two walked into the courtyard together, where Erebus and the children stood waiting. Upon seeing their faces, Flora clenched her husband's hand tightly. Erebus went to bow but Nox raised his hand to stop the action. "May we see her?" Erebus give a short nod. Flora and Nox walk into the room, with holding their tears but upon seeing Bia's body dressed in a beautiful black and white dress, with matching hair asseceries, they couldn't help but to break down. "I just got back to you, how can you leave me here?"  Flora asked the unmoving body as she approached the bench.

"We even spoke about how to celebrate your birthday which is in a couple days, last night. How could you..." Flora sat next her body and held her hand. "What of the children? Of Erebus? Of your parents?" Someone else entered the room and Flora turned to the door. "Grandfather..." Elder Haclin appeared in a mess, not like his usual self. Behind him, Nayeli and Kasian entered the room as well. "What happened? I thought this wasn't supposed to happen anytime soon?" Flora glared at her Grandfather, for the first time in her life when she heard his words. "You knew?!"

Elder Haclin sighed. "She told in the Great Hall, didn't she?" Flora turned back to her daughter. "This is what you meant?" Flora looked as though she was expecting an answer from her. Flora reached a hand up and gently touched her hair. "You..." She pulled back when she suddenly felt a warm feeling surrounding her body. "What are you doing? Don't do this!" Flora suddenly shouted out and grabbed Bia's hand tightly in hers. "Please, don't! She'll survive without it!" Flora shook her head and cried louder as the warm feeling intensified.

"Stop it!" Flora yelled out, tears falling down her cheeks continuously. Nox looked towards Elder Haclin but he could only shake his head. "This isn't something that can be stopped unless the person doing it, wants it to stop." Flora grabbed Bia's shoulders,  "Doing this means that your really won't be coming back. Please stop it!!" Outside the room, Erebus could only look up at the sky as he felt the last of her powers fully drain away. He closed his eyes and tears ran down his face. Bia was using the last of her powers to perform the blessing ritual for her little sibling growing in her mother's stomach.

Faes have the ability to perform a blessing ritual. It's a ritual where a person seals their powers inside of someone of their choosing so the person and use it as their own. However for a Fae to perform this ritual, it would mean that they're dead or dying. It drains the one performing the ritual of their life essence completely. Since life essence comes from the soul, it means that the person is essentially burning their soul.