26. Bitter

Mona could guess what Rose was thinking, 'Atrisa is not a demon. She was a Jinn. The firstborn twins.'

Rose remembers she had read about the Seigneur of Xen. Rose is not good at remembering names. But she knows the legend Atrisa was. Atrisa was the true dragon of Xen. But after her daughter was killed, she had lost the meaning of her life and died soon after her daughter passed away. She couldn't bear the pain. What Rose didn't know was that Atrisa's soul wanted revenge. So Atrisa sold her soul to a demon's offer. The demon raised her from the dead body.

'Something is not adding up, Mona, If she was sealed in the cave..who would open it? Did anybody know about her?' Rose bites her own nail in tension.

'Whoever knew about her, is dead now…' Mona answers

"Was it caused by nature? But the surroundings are ok…no marks of natural calamities…" Rose looked at the cave carefully.

'Aunt Sayo!?!' hearing Ryba's voice, Rose's heart started to beat fast.

'I was right! You were…', Ryba paused and was surprised to see the vampire. Ryba shields Rose by kneeling down in front of her.

Ryba noticed the vampire had Lily in her captivity, ''What is.. this? Aunt Siya…'

Ryba wanted to go there but Rose stopped Ryba, 'Don't…'

Atrisa was surprised to see Ryba attacking her. She took Lily out of there and hid to a side holding Lily tight in her embrace.

Ryba screams, 'let her go, you monster!'

Ryba's words displeased Mona.

'Ruan Ryba! Don't…' Mona's voice seemed very angry.

'Why are you stopping me? Are you hiding this monster? Benjamin! Arrest her!' Ryba got angrier.

Rose was fearful of this consequence. She said quickly stopping Benjamin with her hand gesture to wait, 'Mona is trying to help. Don't..'

Ryba shouts at Benjamin so that he does as Ryba was telling him to do.

'No Benjamin!' Rose's voice and eyes became cold.

Benjamin sighs not listening to Ryba,stays at his place.

'She is just a kid! She doesn't know what danger she is in! Don't just listen to her because she is Lord!' Ryba furiously said to Benjamin.

'It doesn't matter who is who, right now don't provoke her Ryba!' Rose tried to keep holding her authority because Lily's life matters the most. Rose had no intention to let someone mess the situation.

Benjamin remains calm and says to Ryba, 'I'm not listening to you because she is my Lord, but because no one loves Lord Ruan Siya more than Lord Ruan Sayo.'

'You stupid brat! I will deal with you later.' Ryba became frustrated. Ryba went to Mona and tied her hand, 'You will come with us to Justice! Your actions are suspicious.'

'Aaahh!' Mona feels pain.

The bind cuts her skin and Atrisa reacts to that. Her eyes turned redder than before. Atrisa screeched again and threw Ryba away from Mona. Ryba hit the wall and fell down. Atrisa came to Mona after placing Lily on the ground.

Atrisa touched Mona's hand and saw it had bruised her pale skin into the red. Atrisa again bared her fangs toward Ryba. Ryba was fuming in anger but stayed away. Atrisa's touch healed Mona's hand without her notice. Mona was surprised. She holds Atrisa's face with her two hands.

'Atrisa…! Sister Atrisa…!you really are in there!?' Mona was really surprised.

Teardrops started to fall continuously. Rose hesitated to attack Atrisa. When Mona was holding Atrisa, Rose went to the side tiptoes. She picked up Lily's body and lifted her up without any difficulty. Ryba was stunned to see how strong Rose was. Lily was close to falling unconscious.

'Xen Mona! This is ridiculous! Being sympathetic towards a red Vampire…' Ryba couldn't stay quiet seeing the love between Mona and the vampire.

'She is not just anyone. She is Xen Atrisa!', Mona's face dropped lower while saying.

Ryba could not understand

'Xen Atrisa!! She is dead. This person doesn't have any consciousness…' Ryba stopped. A loud sound interrupted them. Atrisa has grabbed hold of Lily and threw Rose to the cave wall.

'Shit!' Rose was frustrated with her own mistake, 'Sister Atrisa ! Don't do this.' Mona tried to manage the situation.

Atrisa kept Lily inside her robe placing Lily close to her chest. Lily's head was in a drowsy state so she could not stay up. Her head lowered down.

Ryba screams loudly, 'Let her go!!'

Rose became irritated as screaming at the vampire would only endanger Lily

'Shut it, Ruan Ryba!!' Rose got up holding her injured arm. Her eyes were in a dominant state. The troop that was guarding outside the cave fell to their knees. They were surprised at the sudden change of atmosphere.

'Your strategy is very biased. All you could do is make things worse. I will say it for the last time, shut up and stay put.' Rose totally had lost her patience.

Ryba was stunned at Rose's demeanor. Ryba's body flinched while she couldn't move her eyes from Rose's gaze. Ryba looked at Benjamin. Benjamin is also a Pureblood and heir of Cyrus. He couldn't avoid the domination. Rose's intimidating aura even made Atrisa whimper. However, Mona was unaffected and was standing without any problem.

Rose turned towards Atrisa,' Xen Atrisa, even if you had sold your soul name, I'm sure, your, this name, still resides in you.'

Atrisa flinched a bit and Rose smiled without being noticeable, 'I promise, I'll give you back your soul name so that you can meet with your daughter after this life. So let my sister go. She is not your daughter. Look closely, her hair is Jet black. Not raven black like yours. Her hair is darker than your daughter's.'

Atrisa looked at Lily. She lifts a few strands of Lily's hair to see. After a while, she lets go of Lily. But Lily was unable to stand.

'Talitha!' Rose commands Talitha to take Lily away right that moment. Talitha within a mere second went next to Lily. Talitha holds Lily in her embrace and stops Lily from falling. When Talitha's eyes met Rose, Rose signals her to move away with Lily. Talitha starts to move slowly. Lily's long hair finally got out of Atrisa 's palm.

Rose didn't release her breath yet. She looks at Ryba with her burning golden eyes,'Step up slowly when you go out.'

'Mona, take her with you.' Rose asks Mona to take Atrisa with her.

'You are making a grave mistake. That's not something that deserves your mercy.' Ryba was displeased at the decision Rose had taken.

Rose touches her own head. Ryba frowns at what Rose was trying to say. Later she understood that Rose was actually controlling Atrisa. Ryba was left speechless. She couldn't believe it. Controlling a vampire with no soul mark is an impossible task. But Rose was walking behind all of them. Ryba was frequently checking on Rose while walking through the passage to get out from the cave. Ryba suddenly noticed her eyes were not changing when Rose was reading and controlling them.

"I'm not comfortable with someone...reading my mind." Ryba thought in her mind which Rose picked up and looked at Ryba.

"I told you before. It's not my hobby to read others." Rose replied through telepathy in Ryba's mind as well.

'Though I have nothing to hide, it's suffocating that someone is looking inside my mind.' Ryba stopped thinking and spoke out.

'If you want to avoid it, don't look into my eyes directly. It will keep some of your thoughts safe from me.'

'I see!' Ryba said with a confused voice.

They got out of the passage. The knights who were waiting outside tried to help Talitha as she was holding Lily in her embrace. But she didn't need any help. She flawlessly jumps down from the cave to the ground without disturbing Lily a bit. The physician instantly came forward seeing Lily unconscious.

Rose somehow couldn't recover from the injury that she received inside the cave. She looked inside before getting down.

"There is surely something wrong with this cave. My power really went out of control. I have to ask Mona before they do something to Atrisa."

Rose noticed something strange. Under her feet, she finds fingernail scratches. She knelt down and touched the mark. She looks at Atrisa's nail. Her nails didn't match with the nail print.

'Atrisa's nail would have made a deeper mark. But this print does look normal. It seems like they were struggling...shit!!' Rose brings out her soul weapon and makes it to shield their team.

'Guys, stay alert. The one we have been looking for...that is not her.' Rose said, looking at Benjamin.

'What are you talking…' Rose interrupted Ryba.

'There is more…', Rose showed them a tree with scratches.

All the trees surrounding the area had scratches.

'Is this like bees? They flock around the queen. Is she that kind of…' Ryba became hyper. 'No! It could be true that they might have been bitten by her, but that's only because they did something that they shouldn't have. They opened the cave and woke her up.' Rose rubbed her forehead and breathed out.

Mona halts her step hearing Rose. Rose noticed that Mona was trying to talk with Rose secretly.

"Are you reading me Sayo?" Mona asked to confirm.

"I am...Continue what you are trying to say." Rose didn't react and kept on walking like she normally would.

"This entire mountain...is an unstable region for us to use our power." The information Mona provided has been already realized by Rose, "I have noticed that. Does anybody know?' "They don't. But it belongs to Ruan Rigil." Mona said.

Rose is sure this would be a problem, "Shit!"

"They will probably remove me from The Justice."Mona smiles sadly.

"You've not been proven guilty yet," Rose told Mona.

"No...I have seen it." Mona smiles while looking at the sky. Rose understood Mona has her sight. Mona is not blind nor Lisa.

Rose wanted to know if someone wants to remove Mona from the Justice, so that person is indirectly settling this up. Mona nodded to the statement.

"Why would they want that?" Rose asked but Mona stayed silent.

Rose could finally heal her injured arm. Ryba was hurt before too. But she was ok.

"I need to make myself stronger. Ryba was not bothered by the pain. And me! What a shame!" Rose became angry with herself.

The branches started to make sounds as if they were breaking down. They looked up but could see nothing. The trees were still and no wind was blowing,still, they were making those sounds.

Ryba urged them, 'Move quickly! We can't let them take her away.'

Lily finally regained her senses. She tried to open her eyes.

The green branches were covering the view of the blue sky. She suddenly saw something was watching them and moving from branch to branch. When her sight was clear, she could see the proper face and it was hideous enough to make one shudder.