A round table, made out of black stone, was placed in the center of a hall, and around it was sitting several people with a solemn expression. There was no head of this table, and it appeared that they were all equal to each other in status, and another thing that the people had in common, was the platinum blonde hair. Each of them had lustrous platinum blonde hair, and most of them had crimson-colored eyes. Only three people, on the table, didn’t have the same crimson-colored eyes, their eyes leaned to a wine-colored shade.
“Do we have to do it?” A lady with crimson eyes spoke. “Is there no other way? We all know how strong Riley is. She has tremendous potential.”
“I wish there was another way, Lady Esdeth.” A man spoke as he sighed. “But she has done something that she shouldn’t have done. And now, she’s broken. She lost her shadow and is missing a hand as well. The injury is not normal. To fix her injury, we need a Life-Ether, and to make that we need an accomplished Alchemist. And let’s not forget that the ingredient of that medicine is the Life-essence of several elves and fairies. No Alchemist would be a fool to miss the opportunity of having us owe him and favor, and their requests are usually ridiculous.”
Everyone on the table understood the kinds of requests the Alchemists would ask them in exchange for helping them make a Life-Ether. And no one on the table was willing to get involved with a crazy Alchemist.
“But if we give her the Dew of Life…” Another man said and sighed.
The room stayed silent for several minutes. They possessed one drop of the Dew of Life, but it was now the question of either giving it to Riley or keeping it for the purpose they had.
“Karius is still asleep. He needs it to rejuvenate his lost arm.” A man with wine-colored eyes spoke, and everyone on the table lowered their eyes.
Karius had fought against their Family’s youngest True-Origin powerhouse, and he had lost to her. A man who had lived for thousands of years had lost to a three hundred years old Arianna Lucifer. And Karius was still in a coma.
“Huh… It looks like your daughters are all rebellious, Dorian.” A lady with wine-colored eyes spoke to the man who sat beside her.
The man named Dorian in question was the father of Arianna and Riley.
Dorian smiled mischievously, and then lightly laughed. “As a father, I am proud of their talents and courage.”
The lady scoffed at his reaction but didn’t say anything more. Dorian was the current Lord of House Lucifer, and even the Great Elders that were not present here were under his command. The Lord of the House Lucifer was the Lord of the entire Devildom. He was a man who had to be respected and revered for the power he held.
Dorian’s smile paled, and then he sighed. There was sadness reflecting in his eyes now, and there was some uneasiness in his heart. The biggest threat to the Devildom was none other than his daughter, Arianna. How could he not be sad?
“The dew of life is reserved for Great-Elder Karius, as Julius has stated. And Riley has broken several rules of the Family. Even if we help her recover, she will never be the same. She’s broken now, and her rebellious nature is just the same as that of the older sister she has always admired.” He sighed again, but then his eyes turned grave. “Riley committed several crimes, and most heinous was taking her brother’s life as well as that of several other family members. Yes, he deserved to die, if she hadn’t done so, I would have killed him. So what if he was my son, no one that breaks the rules of the Family can get away with it. And Riley broke them as well. I would have spared her if she had only killed Kevin in her rage, but no, she killed five of her cousins, and then she killed her Step-Mother. Riley lost herself to her Sin of Wrath and killed everyone who had tried to save Kevin at that time. She killed the people that were not involved in the crime Kevin had committed. She killed them because they tried to stop her. A person like that can no longer be allowed to stay in Family.”
Dorian’s words echoed in the Hall. There was sadness in his voice, but as the Head of this Family, he had to make such a decision.
“We will go as we had decided.” His words were grave. “She will be auctioned as a slave at the Blood-Moon event. That’s her punishment for the crimes she committed.”
The hall stayed silent after his words. The people that had talked about Riley’s potential no longer said anything in her support. They understood that she could not be of use to the Family, and she could not be controlled. Then there was the pressure of the people who had lost their children to Riley’s wrath.
“Arianna will try to save her.” An elder with crimson eyes spoke.
“She will not break the codes of her business for Riley.” Another elder spoke. “We have already made it clear that Riley will be auctioned and not sold through closed trade.”
“Yes, she will not break her codes.” Dorian nodded to the elder’s words. “But if she can buy her sister in an Open Auction, then it’s a win-win for both sides. After all, every power in the world would be interested in acquiring a Lucifer as a slave, and Riley is talented enough to rouse their interests to the peak. The price wouldn’t be small.”
“But Dorian,” A lady spoke worriedly, “What if she falls in the hand of someone who would kill her and extract her Life-Essence?”
The words made everyone uncomfortable. If that would happen, then that meant that Riley would die.
“If that’s her fate, then she would have it. Leave it on her Fate.” Dorian said, but there was a noticeable sadness in his voice.
“Have you received any news of what may be offered as her Price?” Julius opened his eyes and asked the rest of the elders.
“Yes, I have heard that Ares Stavros is planning to buy her. And he may offer a weapon made out of Primordial Metal in exchange.” An elder spoke with interest. “The other families in the Hand of Kosmos will also make offers. They wouldn’t allow the Stavros Clan to gain a True-Origin powerhouse as a slave so easily. I have heard that the young lord of the Hexus is not on good terms with Ares, and he will try to offer an egg of a Crystal Dragon in exchange for Riley.”
The mention of the names Stavros and Hexus brought pale smiles on the faces of all the people present in the Hall. The powerful houses of this word were rarely on good terms with each other, and the stronger the family was, it was harder for it to be friendly to the powers that were a threat to it. The Hand of Kosmos was immensely strong, and it had the power to be a threat to the entire Devildom.
“An egg of a Crystal Dragon,” Julius smiled, “That’s a lucrative offer.”
“Indeed,” Dorian nodded to him.
A Crystal Dragon was part of the group of beasts considered as Divine Beasts. Divine beasts had the potential of growing immensely strong, as they were the direct descendants of the Origin Beasts. And all Dragons were Divine Beasts.
If the young lord of Hexus did make such an offer, they would go for the Egg of the Divine Beast over a weapon of the Primordial Metal. To them, one more Divine Beast as the guardian of their family was better than one more weapon in the hands of an individual.
“Dorian,” The woman sitting by his side called out his name. “There have been certain rumors going about regarding Arianna. I am sure you are aware of them.”
“What rumors, Lady Erin?” All the elders except for Julius and Dorian frowned at the words of Erin, and one of them voiced out the question.
“There have been rumors that Arianna is planning to unite with the Morningstar,” Dorian said, and there was a solemnness in his voice.
No one spoke out in surprise. Their eyes had turned grave, and some felt their hearts tighten by the thoughts of the Morningstar having Arianna by his side.
“He will prove to be her fall.” An elder nervously laughed.
No one believed his words. He didn’t believe his own words. His face showed how nervous the thought had made him.
“What do you plan to do?” Julius asked as he looked at Dorian.
“Nothing.” He replied, and smiled. “Are we in the position of opposing her? If we try to meddle in her affairs, she will meddle in our affairs. All of you know that it’s not us who the Azmodeus follow now. And I have a feeling that Belphezar won’t help us as well if we try to do anything against her.”
His words made some elders bitterly smile, while others clenched their fists and furrowed their brows. Arianna had good relationships with all of the Devildom. No one would want to lose on the benefits they received from working with her, and that was the same for the House Lucifer. When she had left, she had made it clear that she wouldn’t meddle in their affairs if they wouldn’t meddle in her affairs. But in over a hundred years, she had already gained the complete loyalty of the Azmodeus Clan, and though the Devils of Sloth, Belphezar, hadn’t shown any indication of their utmost loyalty to her, everyone knew that they respected her even more than the House of Lucifer. Right now, if they worked against Arianna, then they would lose the support of the two royal families of the Devildom. It would weaken the Devildom, and all those hidden powers wouldn’t waste this opportunity to cash on their weakness.
“We can’t do anything against her, but we can eliminate the Morningstar.” An elder spoke the words that were on his mind.
Everyone looked at him as if he was an idiot.
“I am not fighting against the Star Palace. Devildom has never fought against the Morningstar, and it was passed down to us that we must never be against him. Even if we can not be on his side, I will definitely not allow the Devildom to make an enemy of him. I will not allow anyone to do anything against the warning that has been passed to us for generations to generations.” His words were grave, and his eyes scrutinized every elder on the table.
“What would you do if Arianna unites with him, and then they march on us in her ambition to control the Devildom?” The elder who had spoken earlier said in dissatisfaction.
“She’s a Lucifer, and we are her kin. Her Bloodline is purer than ours, and it’s not wrong to say that she has every right to rule us.” Dorian’s words surprised all of them, but some did understand what he was implying. “If she is powerful enough to make us submit to her, I would be the first to surrender to her.” He said with a smile, “But that is if she is strong enough to ashen our Sin of Pride with her strength.”
No one denied his words or raised their objection to him. Arianna was a Lucifer, and they understood that as long as they didn’t instigate her, she wouldn’t go against them. They were kin, after all.
………………………
The bed of crimson sheets provided comfort to the girl who lay on it with her eyes closed, and her tears stained the pillow under her head in the wetness of her sorrow. Her Platinum blonde hair was loose, and her body was trembling slightly. She looked like a princess, every inch of her exuded a sense of royalty. However, there was a collar on her neck with a white crystal and some gems embedded in it. It was proof that this princess was now a slave. The sight of her missing left hand was heart-wrenching. Her lower arm was blackened as of it had been charred. She had not lost her hand to a sharp blade. It looked as if her hand had exploded.
The door of the room opened, and the tears of the girl on the bed dried away. Her crimson eyes opened, and there was ruthlessness reflecting in them. She sat up on the bed and looked towards the door. What greeted her eyes was the sight of a beautiful girl, and she couldn’t help but soften and lower her gaze. Her older sister was beautiful enough to make anyone envy her.
“Good evening, Lady Arianna.” She said and got up from her bed.
Arianna stood there and scanned every inch of her little sister. She had been worried about Riley when she had heard what happened in the House of Lucifer. She had wanted to rush to her and make sure that Riley was safe, but she couldn’t. She had given her word that she would no longer meddle in the affairs of House Lucifer, and all she could do was wait for her sister to arrive at her Hall. When her gaze landed on Riley’s missing hand, she clenched her hand, and her eyes turned grave.
“Idiot,” She called out.
“Not everyone is as strong as you, sister.” Riley mockingly laughed at her weakness.
“But you have brains, do you not?” Arianna reprimanded her and walked over to her.
“What would you have done?” Riley looked at her sister and asked back with a pale smile.
Arianna had no answer to her question. If she had lost Jalaisha, she was sure that she would have burnt down the House of Lucifer in her rage. She would have done even more than what Riley had done.
“I am sorry.”Arianna apologized to her. “I couldn’t be there for you.”
She had let her sister suffer for several months in the House of Lucifer. She knew that they hadn’t mistreated Riley, but she was no longer a princess there, she was a prisoner. And the members of House Lucifer had brought her here the evening after she had left for The Sky Mountains.
“Is Mother doing fine?” She asked as she took Riley’s left arm in her hand and observed the injury.
“She wasn’t mad at me, but she had been crying.” Riley lowered her head and replied.
She knew that her actions had made her mother worried for her, and now her fate was no longer in her hands. Her mother had only given birth to two daughters. Her eldest daughter had left her and her clan at a young age, and now her younger daughter had done something even worse. She couldn’t even understand how much pain their mother was in right now.
Riley was lost in her thoughts when she felt an energy bubble up in her veins. She felt a heat inside her charred left arm, and the pain was enough to make her scream, but she held it in, and the pain subsided after a while. It was bearable now. To her disbelief, she saw her charred arm bleed out. The blood was coming out of it gently and gathered in the air under her arm. Her eyes looked at the blood that contained a black liquid, and after a few seconds, her charred arm started regaining its fair complexion.
She dumbfoundedly looked at her older sister, and her eyes were wide in shock. She could feel her arm now, and she could feel that the blood in her body was no longer in her control. It was under the command of her older sister.
“Arianna… this.”
“Unfortunately, I can not help you recover your hand like this. My regeneration ability can only work on me.” Arianna palely smiled at her younger sister and freed her arm. She called forth her fire element in her hand. A crimson flame appeared. The heat was enough to make the temperature of the room rise exponentially, and then she used her flame to burn the wasted blood in the air. The flame lapped on the blood and extinguished it with its touch. And when not even a trace of it was left, the flame vanished.
“Here,” Arianna took out a vial from her Blood Ring and passed it to her. “It’s the Dew of Life. Take it, and it will help you recover your hand, and also the injuries inside your body that haven’t healed yet.”
Riley was still looking at her dumbfoundedly. And Arianna smiled at her. She had finally managed to divert her sister’s attention from her painful memories.
“Arianna, you just said that you have a regeneration ability?”
She nudged Riley’s nose and sat on the bed as she gestured her to sit with her. Riley obediently sat by her side, and then looked at her for the answer.
“Yes, I have the magical ability of regeneration.” She affirmed her sister’s question.
“And the ability you used to take control of my blood…”
“It was Blood Manipulation,” Arianna answered her.
Her answer scared Riley, and her eyes wavered in her fear. Her body trembled, and then she looked at Arianna with eyes full of curiosity.
“How’s that possible… These two abilities fall under the Law of Life. Yours is the Law of Emotions, a superior Law to the Law of Sins. How can you have the Law of Life.” She finally managed to voice her question.
“I don’t have the Law of Life,” Arianna smiled at her. “I have only a part of it.” She caressed her sister’s head and planted a kiss on her forehead. “Don’t tell anyone about it, okay? It’s your older sister’s secret.”
Riley helplessly laughed at her words. She would never reveal this to anyone in this world. How could she reveal it? It would mean that the entire world would come after the life of her sister just like they were hungry to go after the Morningstar. He was the only known existence to the world who possessed more than one law. The thought of the Morningstar made her look at the head of her sister. She finally observed the crown on her head. It was made out a refined white crystal and had two wolves on it howling at the six-pointed star above their head.
“Isn’t that the crown of from the Star Palace? Did you snatch it from the hands of the Morningstar?” Riley asked and raised her brow.
Her question made Arianna laugh. And the more she laughed, the more Riley got confused. Finally, after a few moments, Arianna stopped laughing and looked at Riley with affection.
“It’s the crown of the High-Queen of the Star Palace,” Arianna patted her head. “I am married now.”
Riley’s jaw dropped open, and her eyes went wide in shock. Arianna tried her best to not laugh at her reaction, but she couldn’t help it. And under her fits of laughter, she heard Riley yell out.
“You married the Morningstar?!”
♛ Author’s Note:
Yeah… I would say it again. Women are crazy creatures!.
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