30 Place She Belongs

Nesrin saw death once again, as her consciousness began to waver and her mind started to go blank.

She realized that this line that separated life from death was so fragile, so narrow, so dark, and so bereaved.

It was as if the stars were trying to bring her soul back to the place it belonged, death.

Nesrin's heart shivered at the thought.

Everything comes with a price after all.

Perhaps she should not fight so hard to live, perhaps it would be best if she extinguishes her desires and accepts what is written for her.

Nesrin left her feeble grip from his hands, there were no thoughts in her mind, her consciousness was fading away but she had to fight, she was not letting anyone play with her life anymore.

Her fingers slid inside her hair and pulled out the hair pin.

The man was clouded by his own thoughts, he was so sure of himself that he didn't notice when the sharp pin was attacked towards him.

The pin dug in his throat but he had caught her wrist before it could do any further damage.

A trail of blood slid down his neck.

The grip of his around her neck loosened, his eyes were conflicted, he wanted to kill her but there was some hesitation.

Nesrin used his hesitation to her advantage and kneed him in his stomach.

Her body was weak from the effects of drugs, and he was a trained assassin but there was something, something colliding inside his heart that gave Nesrin the chance she needed.

Nesrin's head spun when she tried to stand up, her fingers were shaking as placed them upon her shivering heart.

Her eyes watched the man warily.

He refused to look at her but glanced at his own hands.

"I am sorry..." he said, the regret in his eyes was obvious, "...but you can not stay alive, your highness."

Nesrin took a step back.

[Warning: Strong blood lust detected.]

The man didn't move a step, and Nesrin subconsciously glanced towards the entrance of the room.

The dim light of the corridor outside was flickering, a strange sense of something sinister settled inside her. 

Something had changed in the air.

"You should leave if you want to live," she told him, 

The man glanced at her with puzzled expressions, but then his eyes narrowed in realization.

"Her highness should watch her back," he said and dashed out of the room through another door.

Nesrin let out a sigh of relief, a weight had lifted off her heart but for some reason she still didn't feel like she was safe.

She placed a hand on her racing heart.

"Where is he?" a dark cold voice demanded.

Nesrin flinched and quickly turned around to find Izekiel walking towards her. The rage in his eyes was clear

"He ran away..." she said, her chest heavy as she struggled to breath.

"He won't be able to leave-"

"Your majesty, please!" Nesrin grabbed the hem of his coat, "I am not feeling well, can we leave? This place is... it's too dark..."

Izekiel's threatening gaze silenced her, then he laughed darkly,

"He dared to harm what's mine. Are you suggesting I should let him go?!"

Nesrin flinched, he was not himself.

He flung her hand away and was about to leave when Nesrin collapsed on the floor, the drug still had an effect on her body and the more she fought it, the worse it became.

Izekiel paused as he glanced at her.

Nesrin fisted her hands as she tried to fight the effects on her body, but it was all futile and her heart was still trembling and shaking from what had happened earlier.

Izekiel narrowed his eyes.

He fisted his hands and cursed under his breath before turning back and kneeling in front of her.

Nesrin looked so vulnerable and pale, her eyes were lined with tears as she bit her lips to hold it all in and there was fear in her eyes that she didn't want to let out.

"You are drugged," he realized.

Nesrin averted her gaze, she was afraid that if she said anything, then her overwhelmed heart would reflect it's fear in her voice.

Izekiel said nothing anymore placed his hand on her waist firmly,

"Can you walk?"

Nesrin nodded.

Izekiel helped her stand and then pulled her arm over her shoulder. He was displeased, Nesrin noticed, but as he patiently walked her across the corridor and didn't complain even once when he had to walk slowly with her, a small smile appeared on her lips.

Nesrin found herself forgetting the fear, her head rested against his chest, and for some odd reason, she felt safe with him.

Perhaps she was just too sleepy and tired to have such absurd thoughts.

After walking for a long while, she felt that something wasn't right. Izekiel paused and they glanced at each other.

"Have we...got lost here?"

"No, it seems like some of the traps have been triggered..."

Nesrin looked at him with puzzlement.

"The man who came here must have been a serious lawbreaker. Such men are marked as a threat within the barrier systems of important places and if they ever break past those barriers, they are trapped in a loop,"

"Then, why are we trapped?"

"Because these secret tunnels have not been used in a lot of time, the barrier system must have caught some issues,"

The truth was, Izekiel himself had never come to a place like this so he didn't understand it well.

Under his father's reign, as well as his, there was never a need for the imperial family to hide.

"So, how will we leave now?" 

Izekiel looked ahead with a small frown.

"I do not know-"

His words were cut off when all of sudden, two stone slabs slammed down and trapped them.

Izekiel immediately summoned some violet mana but the light flickered and died soon.

"..."

"..."