11 Take Control

"Although things might seem to be preordained, that doesn't mean that we will force you to do things against your will, Tarah. You can always go and free yourself from all of this," Ezekiel finally spoke, not blinking as he continued to stare at Tarah.

"Yes… A Seer is a big help to our kingdom, but I think it's also already time that we stop relying solely on them. You are free from this obligation, and we won't force you to stay with us in Ebodia."

"Brother…"

"Prince Ezekiel…"

Both Xenia and Lurio gasped in sequence. It shouldn't be like this. 

"If Ebodia doesn't want you, then how about you come with me after this war ends?" Ezme quickly issued a counteroffer with a wide smile.

She was obviously delighted to witness a seer work first hand. "The Kingdom of Valcrez will welcome you with arms wide open, dear. You will be pampered and well-protected to your heart's content." 

"But I want to serve Ebodia… I can feel it in my heart that this is why I was called here. Ebodia is calling for me," Tarah whispered with a shaky voice. She then looked directly at Ezekiel and whispered, "I've been seeing you in my dreams…"

Staring at the scene in front of him, Ezekiel was honestly torn about what to do. He purposely said those words because he didn't want Tarah to stay in their kingdom.

She was a risk for him - a risk for his future reign. He hated compromising, but deep inside his heart, it was screaming to not let Tarah go.

"Then stay with Ezekiel as you should - as the future King of Ebodia's guide, Ebodia's Seer," Xenia whispered, giving Tarah a reassuring smile.

Ezekiel was glad that his sister Xenia was there to intervene. Still, Beirut's words were too unclear to follow properly. Indeed, Tarah now had silver-white hair, but they still weren't sure if she was the only woman in the world with those specific features. 

What if there was another woman with icy blue eyes and silver-white hair? And what if that another woman was the one Beirut spoke of? Things were still too uncertain.

As much as Ezekiel wanted to think otherwise, most of Beirut's predictions and future sights were very vague and unclear, to the point that their Master himself sometimes had a hard time interpreting or deciphering the message of his visions.

Ezekiel no longer said anything, letting his silence serve as a sign of his agreement to his sister's words to Tarah. A few moments later, Darius' men returned to the tent, pulling some random person behind them as they entered.

"We've caught him! The spy!" 

They threw the shirtless man onto his knees before Ezekiel. The man's hands and feet were shackled, and his bare back clearly showed a tattoo of a serpent, the symbol of Helion.

"I-I have a message for Prince Ezekiel… Surrender your kingdom now, and we shall spare your innocent human lives," the spy relayed with a manic smile. "King Devon will spare you and your people only if you will succumb to his rule."

"Dark magic," Lurio whispered. In an instant, the wizard quickly cast a spell at the man, and then the serpent tattoo on his back suddenly came to life. "Release him. Don't go near him."

Heeding the wizard's instructions, one of King Darius's men, Gideon, who was currently holding him, quickly released the man. In one quick motion, Lurio then made another spell - a round sphere materializing around the man to trap him.

"Hah! Is this a joke?!"

The man laughed manically as his body wriggled, his head abruptly falling forward, remaining motionless for a split second. Just as quickly, he raised his head again. His eyes were fully black as he smiled.

Cackling menacingly, even his lips had turned black. By this time, the tattoo on his back had already disappeared. The atmosphere inside the tent turned dark and eerie, a telltale sign of the dark magic being employed before them.

"Tell me your answer, Prince Ezekiel. I don't have all day to wait for your decision," the man spoke with a deep and loud voice, drastically different from before the man's eyes turned black. "Surrender now."

"It's King Devon…" Lurio whispered out. "This man is just a medium now." 

Shaking his head, Ezekiel gritted his teeth as he tersely replied, "Why did you bother asking, demon? You already know what our answer will be. Ebodia will never fall into the hands of a demon, nor will our people succumb to evil! We would rather die in battle and go to heaven than be subjected to your evil deeds!"

The man shook his head with a grin. "I see…" He then stood up and moved as his eyes searched inside the tent. His gaze in particular darted towards Xenia and Tarah.

"Hmmm, a seer…" he drawled out, pointing the fact out with a long and heavy tone as he sneered at Tarah. 

He then shifted his gaze back to Ezekiel and mocked, "I now see why you're so confident. I just had Beirut killed, but you've already found his successor."

The man scoffed, "Very well. I will surely take her with me. It would be such a waste to kill such a beautiful young maiden of a seer… Make sure you keep her safe because I will soon come to take her away from you…"

Ezekiel gritted his teeth. Those words left a sour taste in his mouth, and he would love to kill this spy with his bare hands right now. However, something was stopping him from moving.

[Finally, I manage to take control of your body!] A deep commanding voice roared inside Ezekiel's head. [Sooner or later, we will merge, and I will fully take over!] 

The prince cursed under his breath, realizing why he was unable to move at this point. The dragon inside him was starting to move.

Ezekiel let the others deal with the spy's nonsense. Quickly maneuvering his inner energy, he quickly started meditating to make sure he remained in control of his body.

[I will not let you take over my own body!] Ezekiel barked at the dragon inside his head.