The Cursed One ✔ - Book One of the Phoenix Trilogy

Chapter 25 The Meeting

Unknown Realm

"Cassia! Proceed to executing phase two!" The ominous voice boomed. A talk and dark figure was seated on a stone carved throne, facing thousands of beings scattered around the vast area of camp-like habitat. Shouts and whoops thundered for miles.

"It will be a great honor to be finally of service to you, your highness." The screehy voice replied, coming from a shadow of a being, forming in front of the throne. A tall curvaceous woman clad in all red silk body hugging dress materialized in the platform as the black mists disintegrated. She had long light brown straight hair.

"It will be executed as planned." Her screechy voice full of malice continued as she bowed to her king dropping on left knee leaving her long right leg for a show from the long slit of her dress.

"Ah, my dear Cassia. Come, it's time. Drink from this so you can proceed," the king streched the golden chalice towards her direction.

Cassia walked seductively to him. She stood few inches away from the throne, extended her hands to recieve the cup. The king held out a dagger and without warning sliced her palm as a trickle of her blood descended into the container in which she just regarded with a blink of an eye, no flinching at all. Only few drops graced the golden cup, for her palm healed fast. The moment the flow halted, red smoke evaporated out of the container. The woman's piercing blue eyes glistened with pure evil contempt as the king handed her the chalice and signaled her to drink.

She tilted her pointed nose, parted her bow shaped red lips and stated in a chilly tone, "bottoms up!"

~~~~•°•~~~~

PHOENICIAN ACADEMY

Master Ronheild was summoned towards the office chamber just minutes after Venus brought Daphne back to life. He had a lot of things to discuss to the group but as for the moment, he had to rush towards a more pressing matter. In a span of four days, they were all plunged to chaotic events that the Phoenician realm had not encountered for centuries.

What could it be this time? He was asking in his mind while brisk walking towards the office chamber.
He was assaulted with loud arguments and bickerings as soon as he entered the hallway towards the said chamber. By the time he abruptly opened the door, he was greeted by the mayhem that the masters and mistresses were all engaged into, without noticing his arrival. It was a sight to behold seeing all of them in their respective color of combat attires without cloaks.

"What is happening?" He yelled amidst the noise.

Everyone directed their gaze towards him at once. Each wore a face of combined confusion and disbelief.

"Master! I believe you need to hear master Baltos' current difficulty. His plight is causing havoc among us all." Mistress Vulca bellowed upon seeing Lord Ronheild. Her alarmed deep set, baby blue eyes burned with unsaid questions. The rest of the masters divided into half, giving him a pathway towards master Balto's spot in the front row of desks.

"L-lord Ronheild," Master Balto said in a labored breath. He paused and gulped before continuing, looking like he was having a hard time speaking while he clenched his right hand in his chest. His forehead puckered, panic showed on his electric blue eyes.

"M-my p-pull, m-my pull with D-daphne has been severed but I, I s-somehow know that she l-lives," he continued stammering. His unruly long brown curly hair enveloped his small fragile body.

"T-the pain is n-nothing like losing one's pull," he added giving Lord Ronheild a look of total incredulity.

"This is the consequence. While my pull stayed connected because I'm the headmaster. I never thought this is posible." Lord Ronheild muttered to himself

"A-and there's more!" Master Balto spoke paying no heed on his mutterings. His small nose crinkled, thin lips quivered in attempt to suppress a new wave of pain that assaulted his thin frame.

"What is it? Are you hurt still? Why nobody called a healer?" Lord Ronheild said softly as he kneeled in front of master Balto resting his hands on his shoulders squeezing it lightly.

"N-nothing that I couldn't manage, regarding the pain that is," Master Balto replied staring fondly to his old friend's concerened face.

"L-lord Ronheild. I feel. . . I feel a new pull towards the human realm," he said, aged voice filled with disbelief.

Murmurings started again from the rest of the masters as soon as master Balto uttered his revelation.

"Silence!" Lord Ronheild springed towards the desk located at the middle of the chamber.
"Please settle yourselves and listen." He consoled all of them as they all situated themselves on their designated desks waiting intently.

"First, master Xerxis please schedule for a council meeting if possible after a week. There are urgent matters to discuss. War may not be avoided this time. Second, you may already know that we were attacked last night at the Witzardian Realm by the source eaters. They set up a well laid out trap against us. Unfortunately, Master Balto's subordinate was sucked up by them during the fight. We brought her here barely alive. Venus brought her back in a way no healer can. She used her own pull cord and laced it to the other girls' cord outside assessment chamber." Another set of surprised gasps and murmurings made Lord Ronheild pause from his speech.

"THAT IS WHY!" he raised his voice to recapture their attention.
"That is, I think the reason why Dapne's pull from Master Balto was severed. She is now attached to Venus though Venus is still attached to me only for the mere reason that I am the headmaster. I am connected to all regardless. . . Venus made herself a mistress unknowingly by trying to save her friends' life. Now what I honestly don't have reason is, for the new pull that master Balto regains. There is no question that we have to enroll that new subordinate here but why and how come should be ravelled soon. Third, what made our ambush really hard was that of the loss of our cloaks. The source eaters knew about the deciever, the very reason why you are all ordered to come here only in your combat uniforms. Can anyone send to me the makers of cloaks after this meeting?" Lord Ronheild asked from everyone, who all seemed to have stopped breathing from shock.

"Aye, head master." A master in orange combat uniform from the middle row affirmed, taking deep breaths as if to wake himself up from a horrible nightmare.

"Fourth, I really think that the ambush is just some sort of testing, their intent was not to kill otherwise we would have came back with four casualties, not just one. We were outnumbered. They could have easily done it but instead they toyed with us. They wanted Venus. Fifth, we must start the trainings soon and never let Venus be alone. She is the Witzardian kings' daughter and he wants her for he is now the soul eaters' king." He paused to let his audience have a breather.

Nobody dared to move or make a sound. All of them sitting still and only the blinking of eyes was the sign that they were not statues.

"Sixth, last but not the least. The queen of Witzardian will stay here for some time to help Venus control and understand her sorceress side of gene. Any question, assumption or disapproval? State your case now." He ended his speech with banging his fist on the desk to wake the masters up from their current stupor.

"T-the cloaks were originally made by king Veron, the Witzardian king I mean, centuries ago," came the startled statement from master Balto.