The Devil's Cursed Witch

After leaving the graveyard, Morpheus brought Aureus away from the city, knowing his nephew would probably be uncomfortable since a lot of people would come looking for him if they stayed. Knowing Chief Agraleus and the elders, they would probably throw a welcome banquet in Aureus' honour.

Thus, the uncle and nephew pair spent their time roaming around the kingdom where Morpheus introduced the villages and cities ruled by the various supernatural beings while flying up high in the sky.

"Can we land?" Aureus asked after a bit. "I want to see how the witches are living like in Agartha."

As both Queen Esther and Lady Tyra, who were like parental figures to him, were witches, it was natural for the young eagle to be curious about that race.

Morpheus chuckled as he slowed his flight to a stop and kept himself steady in the air. "Not now. Let's not shock the kingdom by your sudden presence. Wait till the news of your existence reaches them, and later, we can inform them we will be visiting, because you don't want the curious crowd of the other races flocking you, right? It will be worse than they did in Redcrest, because at least Uncle was present to disperse the crowd, but if we land now, it will take time for the senior witches to gather and control the people. The Divine Eagle Clan is one of the most powerful warrior clans of this kingdom so your importance is not limited to only the feathered races or the shapeshifter but to the other races as well."

Aureus slightly shivered at the unsavoury memory of the residents of Redcrest all looking at him like a god, and he didn't say anything more as they continued to fly towards the next city.

Meanwhile, inside Draven's study.

Erlos entered in a hurry. "Sire, you have a rare guest. Can you guess? Warrior Logan requests to see you!"

Much to the young elf's disappointment, Draven was not surprised at all upon hearing that the shapeshifter from the White Tiger Clan had come. "Send him in."

Erlos left with a pout, only to return with the scowling Logan in tow. The young elf didn't stay and hurried to excuse himself, but no one minded him as the white-haired shapeshifter clad in tiger fur stormed straight towards Draven's desk, putting his hands on the tabletop as he stared with wide eyes at the King who was sitting behind it.

"Draven! What I heard, is it true?" Logan asked. None of his usual sharpness could be seen on his face; there was only shock, no, disbelief on it. He didn't even bother to politely greet the King.

Draven didn't have to ask what Logan was talking about. The only incident shocking enough to get this kind of reaction from him must be the arrival of the golden eagle.

"It is true."

Logan seemed to not believe it. "Did you confirm? Are you sure you are not mistaken? What proof do you have that he is Myra's son?"

Rather than the fact that a new golden eagle had appeared, Logan was more interested in the fact that the outsider was Myra's offspring. An offspring! Logan had been in love with Myra for a long, long time, and even to this day, he had believed the two of them had hopes of becoming a mated pair. That was why he continued to wait for her return, focusing on his duties instead until the time they reunite.

'If she has a child, that means she found someone to love. Someone that is not me!'

This cold-blooded warrior felt his world turn upside down when this unbelievable news reached him, and thus, he transformed into his beast form and ran as fast as he could to confirm this personally with Draven.

"That golden eagle is truly Myra's son," Draven replied with firm conviction, and he cut off Logan before the shapeshifter could ask again. "Yes, I confirmed, and no, I am not mistaken."

"But are you--"

"Calm down first and hear me out."

Logan, a warrior renowned for his iron steel-like nerves, a being wavered by nothing, who always maintained a level-headed stance no matter how dire the situation, looked completely shaken at this moment. Despite hearing Draven's words, he found it hard to calm down.

"Have a seat first."

Letting out a shaky breath, the shapeshifter briefly closed his eyes before ruffling his white hair with both hands. Only then did he calm down enough to sit on the chair opposite to Draven.

"So? Where is Myra?" Logan asked.

"She is not here," Draven answered, "and we are not sure where she is."

"What do you mean? How come you don't know? Where is her son? Is he keeping her whereabouts secret because she told him not to--"

Draven sighed at his impatient friend. "Hear me out."

Without waiting for his reply, Draven explained to him all that he knew. There was no need to hide anything from Logan as he was one of the comrades Draven trusted with his life. Not to mention, Myra was also someone important to him.

Logan lost his shock, and this was replaced with anger. His expression grew stern and cold, returning to normal, though his eyes remained silently burning with fury. "That Zaria! It's her again!" He clenched his fists. "Has Morpheus heard of this?"

"I told him, and because of this, we need to act fast but we have to carefully plan our next steps. Aureus doesn't know his mother might still be alive. The King of Megaris and Yorian had kept it from him and I believe it is the right thing to do at this moment."

"If we have to keep it from her son, then we cannot include that eagle when we move. What do you plan on doing next?" Logan asked.

"I have to meet the King of Megaris, and with his cooperation, we will capture Zaria."

"Is he trustworthy?"

"Regardless if he is, the King of Megaris will gladly help us as that witch is a threat to his wife as well."

"When are you going to meet him?" Logan could not stop but be impatient.

"Soon."

"How soon--"

"We will only know once Aureus returns to the human kingdom. Besides that, there seems to be something going on in their end, something related to the safety of their Queen, so we have to wait till the King of Megaris is ready to meet us."

Logan scowled. "Why are we taking a passive approach? We have to send some of our scouts out there at the very least. If Myra is truly in Zaria's hands, the more we delay, the lesser her lifespan will be."

"You forget Zaria is not alone. Once the black magic practitioners notice our movements, they will become more careful and harder for us to trace."

"Fine. Let me know when it's time to leave. I will come with you."

"Sure."

Logan stayed silent for a while as he contemplated whether he should ask it or not but then heard Draven continue speaking.

"Don't think too much. Aureus doesn't know his father," Draven answered his silent question.

"How could he not know who his father is?"

Draven didn't say anything, and Logan frowned once more.

"Do you mean that this eagle lost his father early?  Maybe her...mate, that guy failed to protect Myra and their son so he died then? He must be too young to remember..."

"I am not sure about it," Draven answered dryly as he didn't wish to talk about this.

He didn't wish to face the question of being asked who was Aureus' father. It was a painful secret that he didn't wish to reveal without Myra's consent. Moreover, there was that guilt he felt towards her.